Then Let’s Remove Him from the Household Register

The health clinic, its doors tightly shut. Su Lai parked steadily, then personally carried the box down from the seat.

The box with Granny Xu inside wasn’t as heavy as the box that had held ten thousand in cash yesterday. Whether the scammer ghost was lighter, or the living Granny Xu had already been skin and bones, was hard to say.

Su Lai had rushed to the health clinic early in the morning, firstly because he had promised to get Granny Xu checked out, and secondly because last night Wang Chunying had told him she had once seen “Xiao Chang” here, registered for emergency.

Su Lai believed in coincidences. This world operated on all kinds of coincidences.

It was already past opening hours, but the clinic’s doctors and nurses were late. The two of them and the box waited outside for a while before a nurse finally showed up for work.

Afraid someone might cut in line, Su Lai immediately squeezed in behind the nurse.

Nurse: “Delivery guy?”

“Delivering a person.” Su Lai: “Here for a check-up.”

“Oh. Haven’t had a patient in a long time.” “Register first. Where’s the patient?” The nurse’s murky eyes shifted between Su Lai and Bai Ke. “You or him?”

Su Lai hefted the delivery box in his hand. “Her.”

“What?” The nurse, preparing equipment, was stunned.

The fragmented Granny Xu pieced herself together and climbed out of the delivery box. “It’s me.”

Nurse: “…” She hadn’t had a “person” come for a check-up in ages. After being bored at the clinic for so long, even a delivery box looked like it had a nose and eyes to her now.

But soon, the nurse recognized this fragmented old auntie. “Granny Xu, you’re here again.” “Regular.”

Granny Xu: “Always coming, always new.”

Everyone: … It seemed Granny Xu’s scamming in this area was truly famous.

The nurse turned impatiently to Su Lai. “What tests need doing?”

Su Lai: “The full scamming victim check-up package.”

The nurse was stunned again. “Fine.” Everyone was very direct. Time was precious; no need to waste it on beating around the bush.

“Granny Xu’s family won’t come. The culprit who was scammed just needs to sign and pay.” After a moment, the nurse handed the completed test form to Su Lai.

She was already used to this process. She spoke very fluently, handling it matter-of-factly without any special emotion.

The culprit who was scammed—it sounded a bit strange, but also very fitting.

Su Lai signed the name “Wang Xiaosi.” The nurse glanced at him. “You’re Wang Chunying’s kid who’s been missing for years?”

Su Lai: “Yes.”

The nurse pointed at the package options on the wall. “Paternity test. Discount for community residents. Buy two, get one free.”

Su Lai: “Buy two for whom, get one free for whom?”

“Buy two for you and Wang Chunying, get one free for your Uncle Wang.” The nurse was very familiar with Wang Chunying’s family situation. Here, families were separated only by thin walls and windows that wouldn’t close properly. No secrets.

Bai Ke: “No need. My aunt and my cousin have a deep bond. They don’t need those flashy tests.”

The nurse pursed her lips, didn’t respond, and carried the delivery box into the examination room.

“This health clinic looks idle, but the staff still have KPIs to meet.” Su Lai glanced again at the paternity test package. ‘Staff have it tough too. Quite a bit of performance pressure.’ What kind of normal person casually buys a paternity test package, and with a buy-two-get-one-free deal? What kind of family was this?

“Fellow wage slaves.” Bai Ke said with feeling.

The health clinic was empty. Only Su Lai and Bai Ke sat on the waiting room chairs.

“Lai-ge, don’t you think it’s absurd?” The quiet, confined space easily bred emotions. “Stuffing a scamming auntie’s body parts into a delivery box, bringing her to this abandoned health clinic for tests.”

Su Lai was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Quite meaningful. After all, I’m in the delivery business—”

Before he could finish, an earth-shattering wail erupted from the examination room. Su Lai and Bai Ke instinctively covered their ears to protect their eardrums.

“What are you saying? I don’t believe it… I’m in great shape… I don’t believe it…” Granny Xu clutched the test results, stumbling out of the examination room. “Is your clinic trying to cheat me? How could I possibly already be dead? My body’s rock hard! I could do two or three scams a day, no problem!”

The nurse in charge of the examination pointed impatiently at the bathroom. “Granny Xu, no yelling in the hospital. If you don’t believe it, there’s a mirror in the bathroom. Go look and you’ll know.”

“Ah!” Granny Xu jolted, and her body fell apart even more. She scrambled towards the bathroom, leaving the test report behind.

“This Granny Xu, so many times, always forgets. Alzheimer’s.” The nurse shook her head listlessly, used to Granny Xu’s freak-outs. “Exam’s done. You can figure out compensation. She probably won’t feel like asking for money now.” “Who isn’t a dead person, after all? Is accepting reality really that hard?”

An even more terrified scream erupted from the bathroom. Granny Xu had seen her true self in the mirror. She wailed, from terror to grief, heart-wrenching.

Su Lai picked up the test sheet Granny Xu had dropped. Over the years, the writing had blurred. Granny Xu had died after a scam accident. She was brought to the health clinic at the time. The examination showed nothing serious, but she had a sudden heart attack on the way home and died.

That accident had happened in the very alley where Su Lai’s e-bike had passed.

[Congratulations! You have successfully advanced the side quest “Is Granny Xu Still Scamming People Today?” and uncovered the truth of Granny Xu’s death.] [Current side quest unlock progress: 50%.] [Unlock Progress Reward: Mental Stability +10 points; Survival Time +7h; Survival Coins +50; One-time usage permission of judgment item “X-Ray: Are You Human or Ghost.”]

The system’s reward prompt surprised Bai Ke again. He thought, if he, as a collaborator, could get such generous rewards, then Lai-ge’s rewards must be even more tempting.

Side quests were too lucrative.

The nurse, accustomed to such things, shook her head and slipped off to slack off in the bathroom.

Seeing no other staff around, Su Lai simply flipped the “No Admittance” sign on the archive room door and slipped in silently.

Bai Ke stepped forward, puzzled. Su Lai pressed a finger to his lips and whispered. “Cover for me.”

Bai Ke nodded and continued sitting casually in the waiting chair, looking around occasionally to scout.

In the archive room, Su Lai worked quickly, searching patient files. The abandoned community health clinic had been partially cleared out. Most of the materials were gone. Only some incomplete medical records remained in the filing cabinets, most of the handwriting already blurred. The damp, musty smell filled the office.

When he used to read infinite flow stories, whenever the protagonist started searching for clues in a scene, Su Lai found it boring. Even if the author rendered the atmosphere as tense, Su Lai, as a reader, knew the protagonist would definitely find the relevant clues.

Because it was an arranged coincidence.

If Xiao Chang wanted him to find it, he would definitely find the clues. In Su Lai’s not-so-real memories, Xiao Chang was best at hide-and-seek, and loved being found by him the most.

The instant this thought flashed through his mind, the name “Wang Xiaosi” jumped into his view. [Patient: Wang Xiaosi, Age: 5 and a half, Guardian: Wang Chunying, Date of Visit: September 20, XXXX, Symptoms: High fever 39.7°, confused consciousness]

Wang Chunying had mentioned last night bringing Xiao Si to the emergency room for a fever. The child in front of them at the time was named Xiao Chang.

Su Lai immediately flipped back. Sure enough, he found the diagnosis sheet with the name “Xiao Chang.”

Patient Name: Xiao Chang; Age: 7; Guardian: None, Date of Visit: September 20, XXXX Patient has obvious bruising on left cheekbone, subcutaneous bruising area approximately 2 square cm; 1 cm laceration above right eyebrow, bleeding stopped, requires debridement and suturing; tenderness on left side of chest, suspected soft tissue contusion; chest X-ray shows no obvious fracture, but mild periosteal reaction at left 6th rib, consider soft tissue injury…

The blurry handwriting was barely discernible. From the description on the record, the Xiao Chang who came to the emergency room had been subjected to violence.

There were many reasons for violence, but they always involved people. In this urban village where living space was severely compressed, people were the one thing never in short supply.

Something wasn’t right. Holding the medical record, Su Lai was enveloped by an indescribable sense of dissonance.

Was Xiao Chang the kind of child who would be bullied?

Su Lai had an almost obsessive impression of this “non-existent friend.” Xiao Chang wouldn’t allow others to bully him. Unless he wanted them to.

Wrong person? As Wang Chunying said, there were many named Xiao Chang? Or, like “Wang Xiaosi,” was the poor child brought to the emergency room after violence just Xiao Chang’s “role” here?

Regardless of whether it was true or false, this was what Xiao Chang wanted him to see. Xiao Chang existed here.

Bai Ke outside softly knocked. “Cousin, time’s almost up.”

Granny Xu’s earth-shattering wailing had quieted down. Su Lai put away the medical records for Wang Xiaosi and Xiao Chang and slipped silently out of the archive room.

In the hallway, Granny Xu staggered out of the bathroom. She seemed to have given herself a cold shower; all her body parts were dripping wet.

“Auntie Xu, the dead cannot be brought back to life. My condolences.” Bai Ke looked at Granny Xu sympathetically.

This was usually said to the family of the deceased. Saying it to the deceased herself felt a bit absurd. Ridiculous and sad.

Granny Xu’s staggering figure reminded Su Lai of Wang Chunying last night. They were always swaying, drifting. But Wang Chunying had unreal hope, while Granny Xu had just accepted the reality of death.

“Yeah… the sun rises every day… but the dead can’t come back… my scamming days are over…” Granny Xu sat slumped in the waiting chair, distraught. “I remember now. I remember everything…”

The nurse, also emerging from the bathroom, gave her a sidelong glance. “How many times now? Sigh!”

“Hey, you, Wang Xiaosi.” Granny Xu was silent for a long time, then suddenly rolled her eyes towards Su Lai. “You said you’d take responsibility for me.” As she spoke, her always murky eyes brightened slightly, a glimmer quickly fading.

Su Lai nodded, knowing the NPC was about to give him a quest. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

“I remember now why I kept scamming. I didn’t die peacefully.” The dejected Granny Xu suddenly grew fierce, gnashing her teeth. “Help me rest in peace.”

Bai Ke: “You mean… you want us to find the driver who hit you?”

Granny Xu shook her head. “I was scamming him. I can’t blame him entirely.”

Bai Ke: … He hadn’t expected Granny Xu to have principles.

“It’s my two cursed gambler sons, here to collect debts. They’re the ones who reduced me to this state. They’re the ones…!” “Even though I’m dead, I want to start a new life.” “Help me completely get rid of those two debt collectors!”

Wang Chunying had told them that Granny Xu’s two unfilial sons spent all day playing mahjong. They’d gambled away everything, even their underwear. They went home and stole Granny Xu’s retirement savings, losing it all gambling. That wasn’t enough. Later, Granny Xu made a living scavenging and scamming. They didn’t even spare their mother’s hard-earned, dangerous money. They were always coveting Granny Xu’s assets, not planning to leave her a single cent.

At the same time, Bai Ke’s system updated the quest—

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the final task of the side quest “Is Granny Xu Still Scamming People Today?” and obtained Granny Xu’s plea: Get rid of her two debt-collector sons.] [Helping Granny Xu fulfill her final request will unlock generous rewards.] [Unlock Progress Reward: Mental Stability +10 points; Survival Time +9h; Survival Coins +60; item “Hot-Teen Ghost’s Speed” usage permission +2.]

“The quest updated!” Bai Ke jolted and immediately discussed it with Su Lai. “Cousin, how do we help Granny Xu get rid of her two debt-collector sons?”

From Bai Ke’s words, Su Lai knew the side quest had advanced.

“This task is very difficult…” Bai Ke frowned. “We can’t leave the urban village. How can we make Granny Xu break free from her sons’ control?” “Gambling is the hardest addiction to quit. Are we supposed to reform her two gambler sons?”

Su Lai countered. “Among the rewards you unlocked, are there any items related to reformation or persuasion?” Sometimes, the solution to a task could be inferred from the rewards.

Bai Ke shook his head. “I only have mental stability, survival coins, and the items ‘Hot-Teen Ghost’s Speed,’ ‘X-Ray: Are You Human or Ghost.’ And I’ve got three uses of the Hot-Teen Ghost one now.”

The answer was already obvious. For these kinds of incorrigible unfilial sons, reasoning and reformation were impossible.

Su Lai: “Then let’s do something more direct.”

Bai Ke: “Like what?”

Su Lai: “Removing these two gambler sons from Granny Xu’s household registry right now shouldn’t be too late.”

“Ah?” Bai Ke was stunned. “Literal meaning?”

Su Lai: “The rules of the instance are literal rules. Is there a problem with literal meaning?”

Bai Ke: …

Severing the mother-son relationship by removing them from the household registry? It sounded a bit absurd at first, but upon closer thought, Bai Ke found it increasingly reasonable.

This was probably the only way to help Granny Xu get rid of her two unfilial sons!

After issuing the quest, Granny Xu returned to her distraught state. Su Lai sat beside her. “Auntie Xu, are you staying at the clinic, or going back?”

Granny Xu stared blankly at the end of the hallway, motionless. “Going back? Going back where?”

The nurse poked her head out of the examination room. “Health clinic resources are limited. Patients who have completed their examinations, please do not linger!”

Bai Ke looked at the clinic, empty except for ruins. Speechless.

Granny Xu muttered incessantly. “But I have nowhere to go back to… I don’t want to go home… Those two brothers are watching me… peeking at my bank balance… taking my cash and change… watching me every moment, non-stop!” “They’re watching me… coveting my property… coveting my life!”

Su Lai: “Want to go to Wang Chunying’s house?”

Granny Xu’s eyes widened. “No!”

Su Lai shrugged. “Alright. Then how about I send you back to your scamming spot?”

Return her to where he found her. That could be considered a kind of merit.

Granny Xu was stunned for a good long while before reluctantly nodding. “Falling leaves return to their roots. Scamming is my root.”

Su Lai got up, holding his keys. “Cousin, help Auntie Xu get on the bike.”

They would go back the way they came. The buzzing of the e-bike faded from the community health clinic, taking the two people and one box with it.

The nurse closed the clinic door and continued working in the sunless ruins.

Having traversed the streets and alleys all day, Su Lai was now very familiar with the urban village’s roads. As a delivery driver, he had a strong memory for routes.

In less than ten minutes, he rode through the alleys and brought Granny Xu back to the place where the scamming had happened.

“Auntie Xu, we’re here.” Su Lai stopped the bike. “I can only leave you here for now.”

Granny Xu didn’t speak. Her fragmented body parts jostled inside the delivery box.

Su Lai reminded her. “Sorry, the delivery box is mine.”

Granny Xu: “…” After checking that she hadn’t left any body parts behind, she climbed out of the delivery box and lay down in the middle of the road, as usual.

The urban village alley was narrow. Vehicles passing by would have almost no way to avoid her.

“Wang Xiaosi, Wang Xiaoer, thank you.” The prone Granny Xu said softly.

She no longer wailed. She seemed to have accepted her fate, packing away her “meaningless” sorrow, becoming calmer than ever before.

Su Lai restarted the bike. “Auntie Xu, that’s premature.” “See you later.”

Su Lai’s “see you later” was never just a polite phrase. He meant what he said.

The little e-bike sped off in the other direction of the street, disappearing in an instant.

* * * *

Fifty-seven Tofu Lane. This was Granny Xu’s former home. During the check-up at the community health clinic, Su Lai had noted her address on the registration form.

As the bike approached, they could already hear the clatter of mahjong tiles.

Granny Xu’s two gambler sons had clearly turned her home into a mahjong parlor. Day and night, the tiles clattered non-stop.

Bai Ke went to knock first. Afraid of making excessive noise, he kept his force restrained. The knocking was completely drowned out by the mahjong sounds. No one inside reacted.

Or maybe they were too busy playing mahjong to bother with someone knocking.

Bai Ke cautiously increased his knocking force. Perhaps someone inside got impatient and yelled out. “No money! Get lost!”

Then came a burst of laughter mixed with the mahjong sounds from inside. “What kind of person is this, so early in the morning? Let people play mahjong in peace!” “If it’s not debt collectors, it’s the utility guy. Who else would come knocking?” “Our mom’s dead. Go ask the underworld for money!” “Exactly. The house belongs to Xu Zhimei. Why should we brothers pay the utilities? Doesn’t make sense, right?” “Xu Zhimei, that old hag. Can’t even scam properly. Died so young. Couldn’t save up a bit more money for us before dying.” “Heh, you two brothers are such losers. How much money could she save anyway? You’d just blow it all.” “She gave birth to us. Our fault? Blame the old hag herself!”

The mahjong players inside chattered away. Even listening through the door, Bai Ke could feel his anger rising. He couldn’t help but speed up his knocking.

Bai Ke: “With sons like these, Granny Xu would die of anger even if she weren’t killed by a scam.”

Su Lai: “Granny Xu was died of anger.” “Stop knocking.”

Su Lai pushed his little e-bike up to the metal door and honked the horn. “Delivery!”

He was just a delivery guy. If the neighbors complained about noise, they’d complain about whoever ordered the food. It wouldn’t be his fault.

The laughter and cursing behind the door came to an abrupt stop. “Did anyone order delivery?” “Who’s got spare money for that stuff? Losing enough as it is!”

Then came the sound of a window being pushed open. A scruffy, stubbly middle-aged man poked his head out. “Delivery? I didn’t order anything. Does it cost money?”

Su Lai lied through his teeth. “Free.”

Another disheveled man came to the window. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Don’t try to cheat us.”

Su Lai: “It’s breakfast.”

“Bro, stop wasting words with this guy. Let’s get back to mahjong.” The disheveled man was impervious and started closing the window. “The mahjong table can’t be kept waiting. Bad luck.”

Bai Ke, standing beside Su Lai, muttered. “Didn’t expect these two brothers to have some wariness.”

Su Lai immediately came up with a more convincing reason. “I hit your mom with my bike while I was making a delivery. Came to pay compensation.”

The half-closed window stopped. The stubbly man poked his head out again. “Our mom?” “Did she point you here?”

Su Lai didn’t speak. Bai Ke answered first. “Yes. We’re here to give Auntie Xu compensation.”

“Bullshit!” The stubbly man suddenly burst out cursing. “That old woman was stingy when she was alive. She wouldn’t be so kind after death. She wouldn’t give us a single cent of compensation.” “Play cards, play cards. Ignore these two. So annoying.” “Maybe it’s Granny Xu’s restless ghost, sending the black and white impermanence demons to collect you brothers’ souls!”

The sound of mahjong and laughter started again from inside. The two of them, having hit a wall, looked at each other.

These two gambler brothers’ level of insanity had exceeded Su Lai’s expectations. He was momentarily at a loss.

Bai Ke quickly used his item to scout. He found that all the doors to this self-built house were locked, and the windows were tightly sealed with security grilles. Without lock-picking items or skills, it was basically impossible to sneak in and steal the household registry.

Granny Xu and her two sons’ household registry was inside this house.

“How do we get them to open the door…?” Bai Ke was troubled.

Su Lai mused. “They’ve sealed the windows so tightly. They must be really afraid of fire, right?”

Bai Ke was stunned. “Cousin, you’re not thinking of arson…?”

Su Lai was silent for a moment, then shook his head. “The urban village is densely populated. It hasn’t come to arson yet.”

‘Yet.’ Bai Ke hissed inwardly.

“Doing that, your resident affection would probably reset to zero. Not worth it.” Su Lai analyzed. He didn’t have an affection value himself, but he’d probably be arrested as an arsonist.

“Then what do we do…?”

“Get on the bike.” Su Lai put on his helmet and restarted the vehicle.

Bai Ke had learned not to ask too many questions. The e-bike buzzed off at high speed. Speed could bring dopamine. Sitting on the back seat hugging the box, he even felt a bit of anticipation and excitement.

Seeing the road become increasingly familiar, Bai Ke softly exclaimed. “Lai-ge, are we going to the village committee?”

Su Lai: “Reporting peepers is everyone’s duty.”

Bai Ke was surprised. “You found a peeper?”

Su Lai: “Yeah. Those two who wouldn’t let us in just now.”

Bai Ke: “You mean the two gambler brothers?”

Su Lai: “They were peeping at Granny Xu’s property, scheming for her pension, draining her dry. How is that not peeping?”

The gambler brothers weren’t just peeping, they were preying. Granny Xu had also provided clues by constantly repeating “They’re watching me,” “They’re peeking at my passbook.”

Broaden your thinking. The word “peeper” could have richer meanings.

Bai Ke suddenly understood, but was also a bit worried. “But what if we’re wrong?”

Su Lai: “If you never submit a list, you’ll never know if it’s right or wrong.” “Since they have no shame, let’s just shame them to the end.”

* * * *

Village Committee Office. The staff member, slacking off and preparing for her lunch break, sneezed. She suddenly had a bad feeling.

The next second, the buzzing of an e-bike sounded outside. The staff member’s eyelids twitched violently. Those pink flip-flops stung her eyes.

“Wang Xiaosi, what is it this time?” The staff member tightened her thermos.

Su Lai didn’t waste words. He got straight to the point. “I want to report a peeper.”

Staff member: “You’re a local resident.”

Su Lai: “Local residents aren’t allowed to report?”

Staff member: “Doesn’t conform to regulations.”

“Oh.” Su Lai rephrased. “My cousin wants to report a peeper.”

Bai Ke, pushed forward, said: “Y-yes.” He had always been a bit confused. Lai-ge was clearly a player playing an original resident. Why did the staff never treat him as a player? They even excluded him from receiving collective tasks and reporting peepers?

This time, the staff member had nothing to say. She pushed the registry book over. “Register the names of the reporter and the reported persons.” She remembered that Wang Xiaosi’s cousin had a mental illness and might hack people.

Actually, Bai Ke felt vaguely uneasy inside. The reporter bore the risk of the NPC going berserk. Lai-ge was just pushing him out there. He couldn’t help but suspect that Lai-ge was using him as a shield.

He hesitated for a moment. The staff member grew impatient. “Register or not?”

A string of names was already written in the registry. The reporters were all Qi Mu and Qi Mao. It seemed that after last night’s reporting test, the Qi siblings and Su Lai’s group had calculated the optimal solution for survival: find all the peepers in the urban village and get the correct answer for the collective task.

Bai Ke gritted his teeth and wrote Granny Xu’s two sons’ names in the registry: Du Liang, Du Cai. Reporter: Wang Xiaoer.

He covered his bases, only writing the name of the role he was playing.

Just as Bei Yao had described, the staff member didn’t check the names in the registry, nor did she ask for any reporting evidence.

In the village committee’s eyes, the truth didn’t seem to matter. Why?

His hands trembled slightly as he finished filling in the info, but the staff member’s perfunctory attitude actually made him relax.

Having completed the reporting task, the staff member made a shooing gesture. “Done? Leave now.”

Mission accomplished, Su Lai didn’t give the staff member a hard time. He put on his helmet and headed back the way they came.

Hugging the delivery box, Bai Ke hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask cautiously. “Lai-ge, can you tell me a little bit about your plan?”

Su Lai: “Contributing to the reporting cause.”

Bai Ke: “I mean, last night we saw that the community doesn’t take forcible measures against the reported person. The reporter has to bear the risk of the NPC going berserk.” “Lai-ge, I don’t have any combat-related skills or items, so I…”

He trailed off. He was willing to bear the risk of reporting, but he hoped for Lai-ge’s protection.

Su Lai: “We want those two gambler brothers to go berserk.”

Bai Ke was stunned. “What?”

Su Lai: “They’re obsessed with the gambling table and won’t open the door. Let them go berserk.” “I don’t believe they can stay cooped up inside after going berserk.”

Bai Ke was dumbfounded. He watched the rapidly receding street views as the little e-bike accelerated towards Tofu Lane.

“So we’re going now to…” Bai Ke’s breathing hitched. His bad feeling intensified.

Su Lai: “Go tell those two gambler brothers, loud and clear, that you reported them.”

“What about you!?” Bai Ke, on the back seat, was genuinely panicked now.

Su Lai: “Go into their house and find the household registry.”

Bai Ke wailed. “Lai-ge, what, what about me? I can’t handle a berserk NPC, let alone two brothers…”

Su Lai: “Don’t you have the ‘Hot-Teen Ghost’s Speed’ item?”

Bai Ke was bewildered. “You mean…?”

“If you can’t fight, run.” Su Lai said calmly. “I’ll lend you the little e-bike.”

He wouldn’t easily lend his little e-bike to anyone unless it was an emergency. It was one of his most valuable possessions.

“It looks beat up, but it runs like crazy.” Su Lai said.

Bai Ke: “Huh? But I’m not good at riding e-bikes… But…”

Su Lai: “The item will help you.” Though he’d never seen this so-called ‘Hot-Teen Ghost’s Speed’ item, the name alone suggested it would be wasted on anything but speeding away.

As he spoke, the little e-bike brought them back to fifty-seven Tofu Lane.

Su Lai jumped off the bike and put the helmet on Bai Ke’s head. He patted the other’s trembling shoulder. Then he honked the horn and shouted at the self-built house with its tightly shut doors and windows. “Good news!”

“Because of peeping, you two brothers have been reported to the village committee by an outside tenant. Congratulations.” Su Lai’s tone was as cheerful as if he were announcing a grand opening sale.

The little e-bike’s engine was still running. Bai Ke shifted his butt onto the driver’s seat. The hot metal made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

BAM from above. Two windows on the second floor, from the mahjong room, were pushed open simultaneously. The disheveled one and the stubbly one both poked their heads out. “What did you say?!”

Su Lai pointed at the trembling Bai Ke on the e-bike and gave him a look. “I said, this guy reported you two to the village committee. Now you’re registered peepers too.”

“I didn’t peek at Brother Biao’s tiles.” “I didn’t hide tiles in my sleeve when drawing.”

The two brothers spoke at the same time, then shut up at the same time.

“I’m just a delivery guy passing on the message. Just telling you about the report.” “If you don’t believe me, you can go to the village committee and see the registration form yourself. It’s written there clear as day.”

Damn. Bai Ke finally understood the sour feeling of being “backstabbed.”

Even though it was a pre-announced “backstab,” his heart still jolted at the moment of the stab.

The brothers’ expressions visibly turned fierce. They exchanged glances through the window, quickly withdrew their heads, and even forgot to close the windows.

The mahjong sounds ceased completely, replaced by the clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen. Su Lai guessed the brothers were getting kitchen knives.

The kitchen was the neighborhood’s brawl arsenal. Whether cleavers or axes, they were everyday household essentials, and they used them smoothly.

Footsteps went from the kitchen to the hallway. Su Lai moved back behind the steps and signaled Bai Ke to get ready to run.

The next second, a dull click sounded. The rusty lock was broken open from inside. Good thing Su Lai dodged quickly, or the suddenly opening iron door would have smacked him right in the face.

Bai Ke’s system interface kept sending alerts—

[Warning! Your reporting has triggered the original residents’ berserk state!] [Original residents Du Liang and Du Cai’s anger has accumulated to 90%. They are about to attack you!] [Please flee the scene immediately!]

Amidst the system’s urgent prompting, Bai Ke’s mental stability began to drop. Luckily, he had received quite a few mental stability subsidies from unlocking Granny Xu’s quest progress, allowing him to maintain a stable mental state in this emergency.

But an unexpected situation arose. From the broken-open iron door of the self-built house, the two gambler brothers also rode out on a motorcycle, charging at Bai Ke. One drove, the other held a weapon. The axe in his hand was even scarier than Pervert Xu’s watermelon knife yesterday.

The berserk NPCs had a clear target. They accelerated directly towards Bai Ke on the e-bike.

“f*ck! Aren’t you going to check the report information at the village committee first? You just come straight for me with an axe?” In his panic, Bai Ke blurted out. “How can an e-bike outrun a gas motorcycle!”

Complaints aside, he had already opened his item inventory and slammed the button for “Hot-Teen Ghost.”

In an instant, this battered little e-bike shot forward like an arrow, speeding deep into the narrow alleys. The urban village roads were bumpy. Bai Ke, on the little e-bike, felt like his butt was about to be shaken off. The black cat plushie hanging from the handlebars swayed wildly, its crookedly sewn eyes giving it a unique crazed look.

The roar of the motorcycle pursued relentlessly. Bai Ke glanced in the rearview mirror. The berserk brothers kept accelerating, but they couldn’t close the distance between them.

“Hot-Teen Ghost” really had some driving skills.

The frenzied speed brought dopamine. In this chase between e-bike and motorcycle, the urban village buildings dissolved into blocks of color rapidly retreating. Bai Ke, originally terrified, felt an unprecedented release.

Having never gone through a rebellious phase and gone straight to being a corporate drone, he suddenly felt the urge to quit his job and become an unemployed hot-teen ghost.

Not a bad life experience, really. But come to think of it… where was he supposed to drive Lai-ge’s battered little e-bike?

Lai-ge hadn’t told him the destination for his escape!