I Return From Hell

Chapter 21: Chapter 19: White Building

The phone rang.

Looking at the familiar yet strange landline number, a flicker passed through Xia Yu’s eyes.

She answered.

”Hello? Are you free tomorrow morning? We have a position at our company that might be a good fit for you. If you’re interested, you can come in for an interview.”

”I am.”

”Nine o’clock tomorrow morning at 78 Jiwei Road. Remember to wear a women’s suit, or the security guard won’t let you in.”

”Understood.”

The call ended.

Information about the third Mist Event surfaced in Xia Yu’s mind:

Time: 45 minutes.

Location: 78 Jiwei Road, a white building known to insiders as the ’White Building’.

Personnel: Staff of the White Building, herself, and one other interviewee. No Brother Li, no Xie Shaokun.

Danger: Long-tongued Monsters.

Resource: The Spiritual Heart, the heart of a Long-tongued Monster, a non-standard resource.

In her past life, she had been ecstatic to receive this call. The job paid 500 an hour from six to ten at night, with wages paid daily.

For someone from an ordinary family like her, a job like this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Many people would never earn that much in a single day in their entire lives.

She never expected that, by a twist of fate, she would stumble into a Mist Event and be formally introduced to the hidden side of the bustling metropolis. If she hadn’t gotten lucky and found a place to hide, she would have died a miserable death.

’Time to get ready.’

Xia Yu turned and left.

「Meanwhile.」

Xie Shaokun had gone straight to the hospital for a checkup and some scans.

There was nothing abnormal in his body or his brain. Well, actually, there was a kidney stone.

But what about that soul-tearing agony?

The doctor couldn’t explain it and even looked at him like he was crazy. Xie Shaokun realized something was wrong. He carefully recalled his recent encounter and thought about how mysterious Xia Yu was. She even gave him a feeling of...

Fear!

He had never felt anything like it before, not even from Brother Li.

He mulled it over for a long time.

It wasn’t until a call came from Brother Li that Xie Shaokun was pulled from his thoughts. He agonized for a few more seconds, then, in a moment of impulse, he finally made a decision. ’I’ll gamble on it.’

He’d already been pushed into a corner; he had nothing left to lose.

Might as well go all in!

「The next day, 9:00 AM.」

The smog in the sky was particularly thick, looking just like the Mist of the events.

’Because of this damn weather, in my last life, no one noticed anything unusual here until long after the third Mist Event ended. I wonder if it will have the same effect in this life?’

Having lived two lives, Xia Yu’s state of mind was completely different as she faced the same weather.

She now stood before a white building that seemed to merge with the smog, wearing black sunglasses and a pure white down jacket.

This was the White Building. It was run-down, only two stories high. A bronze company plaque hung by the entrance, old and somewhat rusty, giving the impression that this wasn’t a very profitable business.

The street had no surveillance cameras, so she didn’t have to worry about being seen. Inside the White Building, however, cameras were everywhere, covering every corner, and each door was manned by a security guard.

Only by passing through three consecutive doors and descending into the basement could one see the White Building’s true face. The two-story building above ground was just a front.

And everyone who wanted to enter the White Building, no matter who they were, had to wear a suit. This was an unwritten rule, and it was why the recruiter had specifically told Xia Yu to wear one.

’This place has victimized countless young women. Not a single person who comes here for ’fun’ is innocent. They all deserve to die.’

Recalling the truth she had learned during the third Mist Event in her past life, her eyes revealed a cold indifference to life as she calmly walked inside.

Under the security guard’s gaze, Xia Yu took off her down jacket, revealing a black suit underneath.

It was a women’s suit, slim-fitting with sharp, defined shoulders.

The clean, sharp tailoring and unique design added a touch of class while also amplifying her powerful aura. She looked cool, confident, and strikingly handsome.

Paired with her black sunglasses, she was absolutely turning heads.

In an instant, she had captured the attention of everyone around her.

”I’m here for the interview,” Xia Yu said flatly.

”Please, come in.”

The guard stepped aside, gesturing for her to wait in the first-floor lobby.

On a sofa in the lobby.

”Are you also here for an interview?”

A girl in a coffee-colored suit and loose, wide-legged trousers greeted her enthusiastically. The look was both high-end and casual, and her expression radiated confidence and pride.

Xia Yu nodded in response.

She only needed a single glance for the relevant information to appear in her mind: Ye Zilan, a ”sea turtle” who had just returned to the country. She was looking for a temporary job after the new year to cover her daily expenses. After all, she prided herself on being an independent woman and didn’t want to take another cent from her family.

Overall, the woman’s circumstances were far better than her own, which was the source of her confidence.

Seeing that Xia Yu wasn’t in the mood for small talk, Ye Zilan didn’t press the matter. In any case, she was certain she would get the job.

BING.

A message arrived from Xie Shaokun: ”Yu, Brother Li is here with his men. They came in through the underground garage. I can only stall him for half an hour. What exactly are you planning? Can you tell me now?”

”I lied and told him a rich boss wants to invest in the White Building and is bringing his people to discuss it in half an hour. If no one shows up, I’m afraid I won’t make it out of here alive.”

”Crap, Brother Li is asking for my phone. Yu, save me...”

Xia Yu’s brow twitched, but she didn’t reply.

She had two reasons for luring Brother Li and his men here. First, to help her stall the Long-tongued Monsters as long as possible, and ideally, to heavily wound or even kill a few of them, reducing the pressure on her. ℴℴ𝘮

Second, in her past life, this Brother Li had gone after her younger brother. In this life, she would definitely get her revenge.

’At this time, besides the interviewees and internal staff, no one else should be entering the White Building. And the ’guests’ in the basement all use the underground garage to come and go.’

’So, no one will be leaving this way and notice me.’

Just then, she felt a gaze upon her. Her expression shifted slightly, and a glance from the corner of her eye told her the reason.

At that moment, all four surveillance cameras in the lobby had automatically turned and focused on her.

Someone in the surveillance room was staring at her!

Xia Yu paid it no mind, merely glancing calmly at the time: 9:03 AM.

「In the surveillance room.」

”Tsk, tsk.”

Manager Ma stared lecherously at Xia Yu on the monitor, swallowing repeatedly. ”Holy shit, she’s an absolute goddess.”

”If I could sleep with a woman like that just once in my life, I could die happy.”

A sharply dressed young man in a suit standing beside him, Ma Song, was Manager Ma’s cousin.

He fanned the flames from the side, saying, ”Brother Ma, what are you waiting for? Hire this woman. Once she’s in, won’t she be yours to command?”

”Hire her! We have to hire her! Go tell Sister Yan this woman must be brought on board.”

”Brother Ma, what about that Ye Zilan next to her? I hear she’s a ’sea turtle’ with an incredible education. If we hire her, the boss’s business will be even better.”

”Hire them all!”

”You got it.”

Soon, Xia Yu and Ye Zilan were called to an office on the second floor, where a woman known as Sister Yan asked them just two questions.

”Any infectious diseases?”

Both women shook their heads.

”Can you drink?”

Ye Zilan was puzzled but nodded anyway. ”A little, but I don’t drink with clients.”

Sister Yan smiled faintly. ”Don’t worry, we won’t force you. Unless you want to.”

Ye Zilan’s brow furrowed. She had a vague feeling that something was off about that statement.

”What about you?”

Sister Yan looked at Xia Yu.

”Me?”

Xia Yu seemed to drift into a memory. ”The future me,” she said, ”can really hold her liquor.”