Chapter 18: The Misty Museum

Hearing Little Mistress say that, Wang Dafu was startled.

The two dyed-haired men, Blondie and Greenie, were startled as well.

The taxi driver had no eyes? Could it be that the taxi driver was an anomaly?

Who would dare ride in an anomalous vehicle? Could the newcomer, Chen Mu, also be an anomaly?

At once, all four of them turned their eyes toward Chen Mu.

Yet judging by his appearance, Chen Mu looked utterly ordinary. He did not seem like an anomaly at all.

Anomalies had skin of a cold, ghastly pallor. Chen Mu’s skin, however, was smooth and ruddy, clearly warm with the flush of life. It was not cold to the touch.

How could anyone with body heat possibly be an anomaly?

Once they had confirmed that Chen Mu was not one, the four of them relaxed somewhat.

Even so, they all noticed that Chen Mu’s behavior seemed abnormal.

To put it simply, he was far too calm.

With both hands in his pockets, Chen Mu stood where he was, sweeping the four of them with an indifferent gaze before continuing to stand there in silence.

Utterly composed.

He formed a stark contrast to the four people trembling before him.

The young man did not look at all like someone entering an anomalous scenario for the first time.

Even Wang Dafu felt ashamed of himself beside such composure.

He could sense a quality in Chen Mu that was entirely different from ordinary people.

That quality had been tempered through countless brushes with life and death. It was something no man of Chen Mu’s age should have possessed.

Being stared at made Chen Mu frown slightly. He said flatly, “Stop looking at me. If I were an anomaly, would you still be standing here alive?

“Instead of guessing who I am, you should think more about yourselves. Figure out how you’re going to survive the task ahead.”

The slightly showy remark, delivered with such calmness, immediately rubbed Greenie the wrong way. He curled his lip at Chen Mu and said to Blondie beside him, “Tch. What an asshole. We’re already in an anomalous mission, and he’s still showing off.”

Blondie nodded. “Exactly. We invited him to join us, but he put on airs and refused. When you’re out in the world, you need brothers to back you up. Let’s see how he survives this mission on his own.”

“People who insist on fighting alone die the fastest. The two of us are brothers—we’ll watch each other’s backs, and we’ll both make it out alive.”

Wang Dafu was also somewhat displeased. He comforted the mistress in his arms.

“Don’t be afraid. He’s just an arrogant, reckless kid. Young people without ability or resources are always fearless because they don’t know any better. Stay close to me. The resources I possess are beyond anything a little brat like him could imagine.”

Hearing this, the mistress grew much calmer.

Thinking of how influential Wang Dafu usually was, how he could smooth over almost any situation, she looked at him with even greater admiration.

She was only in her early twenties, yet she was willing to become Wang Dafu’s mistress precisely because of his extensive resources and wide network.

This time, however, her luck had failed her. She had been selected for the anomalous mission at the Mist Museum. She had assumed she was doomed, but then she discovered that Wang Dafu had been selected as well.

She had heard that Wang Dafu had relied on his connections and status, paying an enormous price to obtain an extremely rare quantity of ghost currency.

With ghost currency in hand, people said, one could move unhindered through an anomalous mission.

That knowledge gave her a measure of security.

Fearing that Wang Dafu might abandon her, the mistress had used every trick she knew that morning to make him thoroughly satisfied.

She was counting on the ghost currency in his possession to help pull her through the mission.

“Brother Fu, you have to spend that ghost currency with me. I like you so much—you can’t abandon me,” she said coquettishly.

“Of course not. How could I ever abandon you? As long as you obey me, I’ll divorce my wife and marry you once this mission is over.”

The ghost currency Wang Dafu had obtained after spending several million was hidden in his crotch.

He had put it there mainly because he feared someone might steal it.

His shirt pockets and trouser pockets were far too insecure. Someone might casually fish it out, and he would suffer a tremendous loss.

After much consideration, he had decided that his crotch was the one place no one was likely to search.

So he had someone sew a special pocket into his underwear and placed his precious ghost currency inside.

Chen Mu stood some distance away, but he heard every word of their conversation.

He suspected that after purchasing the Midnight Cafeteria and advancing into the ranks of the supernatural populace, his hearing had improved as well.

Wang Dafu actually had ghost currency?

That surprised Chen Mu somewhat.

Still, considering Wang Dafu’s identity and status, obtaining several hundred ghost bills at great cost was not impossible.

What Chen Mu did not know was that Wang Dafu possessed only a single ghost bill worth ten units.

If Chen Mu had known, he would have laughed himself silly.

Ghost currency was indeed precious—but trying to bribe a duke anomaly with ten units?

What kind of international joke was that?

Bringing ten units of ghost currency before the duke would make him think he was being insulted.

Wang Dafu had better keep it honestly hidden in his underwear and avoid taking it out for the entire mission, lest it produce the opposite effect.

Just then, Chen Mu felt something appear in his hand.

He lowered his head and saw that a small blood-red slip of paper had somehow appeared there.

He was not surprised. He had entered the Mist Museum’s territory. Even if he had not received the anomalous mission before, he would receive it now.

Anomalous Mission: The Mist Museum

Mission Description:

Deep within a dark mountain, shrouded in mist, stands an ancient museum.

Every night, shrieks can be heard from the decrepit building. Anyone who approaches the museum claims to have smelled an overwhelming stench of blood.

The duke was once an outstanding anomalous general. In his old age, he left the battlefield behind and secluded himself here with his family and servants. The ancient museum became the residence of the duke’s household.

You are a friend of the duke. Having heard that your old companion has withdrawn from the world, you have come to pay him a visit.

The duke and his warm-hearted family have heard of your arrival and prepared a welcoming dinner for you.

After several exhausting days on the road, you have finally reached the duke’s door. The butler is waiting outside to receive you.

Step forward and knock on the door. The butler will let you in, and you will enjoy amusing games as well as a warm dinner.

One more thing: the duke dislikes guests who arrive late, so please set out at once.

While Chen Mu was reading the slip, the others had already gone ahead and reached the entrance of the Mist Museum.

The door before them was ancient and imposing, with the unmistakable style of a castle.

In Chen Mu’s memory, the museum had not looked like this. Clearly, after becoming an anomalous scenario, even its exterior decorations had changed.

“Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!”

Greenie stepped forward and knocked on the door of the Mist Museum.

As he did so, Blondie, who called himself his best brother, quietly retreated a step and hid behind him.

With a creak, the museum’s door was pushed open from within.

Through the narrow gap emerged an old, deathly pale arm.