The North District Canteen does not provide free meals, but accordingly, employees will not be criticized for their "wasteful" behavior. Qi Jiu has the freedom to eat leftovers here.

"Hello, can you provide packed lunch boxes?" Facing the questioning gaze of the canteen staff, Qi Jiu explained, "Due to special circumstances, my subordinates missed the prescribed meal time. I don't want them to work hungry.

So I wanted to bring them something to eat."

"Of course it's no problem, but you have to pay for packing lunch boxes." The staff believed his lie and stared at the meal he was about to pack. "...Your subordinates eat a lot."

"Isn't that right?" Qi Jiu swiped his card happily, "Thank you for your hard work."

The prices at the North District Canteen are not cheap. He just ordered dozens of dishes and paid a large sum of money, but the balance in the meal card was still beyond the display screen [], and it seemed as if he had not charged anything.

I really have to thank this person whose meal card was "stolen", Qi Jiu thought.

Soon, Qi Jiu returned to the dormitory area carrying a dozen kilograms of lunch boxes.

Everyone looked at the food situation in the North District canteen curiously. Ji Xiaoye was not interested: "It seems that the management's food is also average."

"And it's very expensive." Qi Jiu said helplessly.

"Leave it to me and Zhenzhen next." She exchanged items for hiding items from the system, preparing to bring these meals to tonight's dance.

This prop is not common, and it is rare and expensive. In addition, Ji Xiaoye is a conservative type, so it is useless to keep hoarding it after getting it.

Qi Jiu: "It cost you money again."

Ji Xiaoye shrugged: "I hope it will be worth the money in the end."

She had always been conservative and was suddenly looking forward to the surprises this newcomer could bring to them.

*

As night falls, the humid night envelopes the factory, and there is deathly silence within the high walls.

It was extremely cold that night, and the whistling wind kept coming from the vents in the dormitory without stopping for a moment.

It wasn't until eight o'clock in the evening that the lights in the North District Canteen suddenly came on.

The huge and regular building stands within the high cement wall. In the deep night, the lights are bright, and the dark sky is instantly illuminated.

The factory broadcast sounded——

[The celebration dance has begun. Employees from all workshop departments are asked to rush to the North District Canteen as soon as possible to participate in the dance and celebrate the great harvest moment]

From the dormitory area came the sound of unlocking doors one after another, followed by the sound of dense footsteps and muffled voices.

For a moment, the dead silence was completely broken, and all the people in work clothes moved out in order and walked towards the bright North District canteen.

Qi Jiu and Qin Rang were mixed in the crowd of NPCs. The work clothes were not warm enough. Qi Jiu crossed his arms and shivered. Qin Rang looked up at the dark sky and muttered, "I'm afraid it's going to snow."

The lights in the North District cafeteria were in stark contrast to the thick darkness of the winter night. As he approached, Qi Qiu was stabbed so hard that he could hardly open his eyes.

It wasn't until he walked into the cafeteria and the warm air hit his face that Qi Qiu relaxed his body that was tense due to the cold.

The long chairs in the cafeteria have been removed, and a rose-colored carpet has been laid on the white floor tiles. The spacious place is like a real dance floor, with fast-paced melodies flowing, and the NPCs in work clothes seem to have been pressed by a button.

Switch, from the original lifeless appearance to a passionate and cheerful dancer, dancing on the carpet talking and laughing.

The NPCs seemed to have been suppressed for a long time, and their emotions were released at this moment.

Qi Ji briefly met the two ladies in the crowd. After making sure that he was fully prepared, he turned his attention to the dancing NPCs again.

He immediately saw Miss Rossetti standing alone outside the dance floor.

"Can I invite you to dance?" Qi Qiu bowed slightly in a decent manner, keeping the most suitable distance, and made an invitation gesture to Miss Rossetti, "The necklace is very beautiful."

His eyes glanced at the rose necklace on Miss Rossetti's collarbone, and then lowered it politely.

Miss Rossetti suddenly became interested, and few people at the ball noticed her necklace.

"Usually I only accept invitations from girls, but I think you are an exception." Miss Rossetti followed Qi Jiu onto the dance floor.

Miss Rossetti has a young and beautiful face and a head of red hair as fiery as flames. She is the most eye-catching presence in the whole ball. However, because of her identity, no NPC dares to approach her, and no one dares to invite her to dance.

Qi Jiu smiled: "I'm honored."

More and more workers join the dance floor and twist their bodies. In the real world, Qi Jiu doesn't like crowded places, so he rarely attends school and club graduation dances. However, because his adoptive parents often take him to social banquets, Qi Jiu is very interested in it.

This kind of place is not unfamiliar.

He kept a polite distance from his dance partner, Miss Rossetti, and suddenly asked: "Is the little gray cat you are looking for my lady's cat?"

Miss Rossetti's movements were obviously paused, and her brows were furrowed: "How do you know..."

Qi Qiu answered naturally: "During the new employee training, Mr. Lord took us to visit the factory cultural center. There was a group photo of the Bates family. I saw the little gray cat in the photo. Mr. Lord said it was a gadget raised by his wife.

Son."

Qi Chu observed every move of the other party. When he mentioned the Bates family, a look of disgust flashed across Miss Rossetti's face.

"But Mr. Lord said at that time that Madam's little gray cat had been cleaned up." Qi Jiu added.

Miss Rossetti's eyes flickered, looking uneasy: "Well..."

After a pause, she added, "Mr. Lord's words may not be accurate."

Qi Chu keenly caught the other party's emotions and continued to ask: "If the little gray cat is still in the factory, what are you going to do with it?"

Miss Rossetti's expression paused, and the next second, the corners of her lips slightly raised, showing an innocent but slightly sick smile: "It is my mother's most beloved cat. I am not willing to hurt it, and I will use a sufficient amount of it."

Anesthetize it to sleep peacefully. I don't want it to show a ferocious expression because of pain... Then while it is dreaming, I will carefully cut open its belly and carefully remove its internal organs, bones and skin.

Fat so I can get a full skin."

No matter who heard this, they would be frightened. Qi Jiu frowned imperceptibly. It took him a lot of effort to control his facial muscles and not show disgust and fear in front of the young lady.

"Then I will use the best raw materials to tan, fill, and shape the skin so that it will always be alive and stay with my mother."

Miss Rossetti's face showed unusual enthusiasm, as if she was immersed in some morbid emotion.

Qi Jiu looked at her intently for a moment and warned in a cold voice: "Maybe Madam doesn't want her beloved cat to be made into a stuffed cat."

Miss Rossetti's smile froze and her tone suddenly rose: "This is my New Year's gift to her. She will like it. She has never hated my gift!"

Because of the violent ups and downs of her emotions, an unusual color appeared on her face, and the look she looked at Qi Qiu became dangerous.

Sensing the crisis, Qi Jiu immediately changed the subject: "Does Madam also like roses?"

The redness on Miss Rossetti's face faded instantly. When she heard the word "ma'am", a gentle look flashed in her eyes: "Yes, my mother used to plant roses in the flowerbed near the factory, but... now the roses are all dead.

."

"Rose is also her name, but no one cares about her name. Everyone calls her Mrs. Bates. No one cares who Mrs. Bates is. It's just a boring identity!"

At this point, Miss Rossetti looked a little excited, and she even sneered without realizing it.

But soon, the anger on her face gradually turned into gentle sadness: "Rather than the boring title of Mrs. Bates, I prefer others to call her Ms. Rose."

"Ms. Rose is the most wonderful person I have ever met. Everyone should know her, always remember her, and praise her, just like they will never forget Rose Fish..."

As if she finally realized that she was out of control, Miss Rossetti suddenly stopped talking and smiled, "Sorry, I told you a boring topic. I don't think anyone wants their dance partner to talk about their mother while dancing."

Qi Jiu shook his head, with flawless sincerity on his face: "If there is a chance in the future, I would like to meet Ms. Luo Ze."

Qi Jiu remembered that Mr. Lord had said before that it was Miss Rossetti's idea to change the name of "Blood Fish" to "Rose Fish".

Since Rose is the lady's name, then Miss Rossetti obviously already knows the cause of the lady's death, and also knows that the murderer of the lady is her adoptive father Mr. Bates, and the lady is so morbidly obsessed with the lady, she will definitely do it after learning the truth.

Something about revenge...

Therefore, the disappearance of the Bates and his son is probably the work of Miss Rossetti.

[Congratulations on finding the motivation of the main character, deducing important clues, and successfully promoting the branch "Miss Rossetti's Secret". The unlock rate of this branch is currently 50%]

[Note: This branch has two endings. The direction of the story will be determined by your behavioral choices and the character's favorability. Your choice will determine the final direction of the characters in the dungeon]

Miss Rossetti's expression darkened: "Unfortunately, there is no chance..."

At this moment, there was a sudden "bang" sound, and the lights at the ball suddenly went out. The sudden darkness interrupted Miss Rossetti's words, and the light was lost. The workers who were originally enjoying the carnival fell into noise and chaos.

"What's going on? There shouldn't be such an accident at the celebration party..."

"Hurry and check the electrical equipment and emergency systems!"

Amid the commotion, Qi Jiu stood motionless on the dance floor. He was not afraid of the dark, but at this moment he sensed a dangerous aura approaching. His heart suddenly beat uncontrollably, and chills stood up all over his body.

The biological instinct of being in danger made his senses extremely sensitive. Qi Zhu felt that someone was standing behind him, very close, and there was an icy cold air behind him, mixed with the faint smell of disinfectant.

Qi Jiu couldn't move, and his breathing became increasingly rapid.

Finally, the other party tapped his shoulder lightly with his finger, as if someone was playing a prank while playing hide-and-seek——

"find me."

The moment the sound fell, the chandelier above the dance floor lit up again.

The sudden strong light made Qi Jiu unable to open his eyes. He blinked his eyelashes several times, and his stung eyes were a little moist. The moment the restriction was lifted, he turned around quickly. The bustling dance floor was filled with NPCs wearing worker uniforms.

, Qi Jiu looked past everyone, and finally looked away in disappointment.

Although Qi Jiu had never seen the other party, he sensed that the other party had left. There was no mischievous person among these identical faces and expressions.

What does "find me" mean?

Who exactly is he?

The smell of disinfectant on the other party's body reminded Qi Qiu of the dream he had not long ago: he was standing in front of the operating table as someone else, with a bloody and dying creature on the table. He was inserting a needle into the other party's flesh, inserting a needle into the unknown person's flesh.

The medicine is injected into the mucus-rich flesh.

Now he was sure that what was on the operating table was the "petri dish" of rosefish grown in the factory.

But who is "him" next to the operating table? What is the relationship between "him" and Miss Rossetti?

At this moment, the spotlight from the ceiling hit the stage. Mr. Vivian stood under the spotlight with a strange smile on his face: "Good evening everyone, the great moment of harvest of rose fry is coming, and the achievements of the nursery department are inseparable.

With the cooperation and efforts of all departments, we have prepared a surprise for everyone at tonight’s dance.”

Mr. Wei Wen's eyes swept across the crowd, and finally rested on Qi Kui. His smile became even more exaggerated, "For the sake of fairness, we will randomly select a department from the twenty-seven departments in the factory, and then all members of that department will vote.

Select one lucky person, who will join me in the core production department of the factory and witness together the great moment of the birth of Rose Fish."

The assistant brought the lottery box to the stage, and Mr. Vivian shook the box a few times: "Now we start the lottery department."

There is no doubt that Mr. Wei Wen's so-called lottery is just a show. With his grudge-holding character, he will definitely find ways to make up for the losses he loses from Qi Gu.

Entering the core department to witness the birth of fry means that it will soon become the fertility feed of the "Petri dish".

As expected, three seconds later, Mr. Vivian took out a note from the lottery box: "Congratulations to the new production department of Workshop No. 7 for becoming the luckiest group tonight. Please vote for the lucky winner."

Mr. Vivian knows very well that supervisors have the power to punish employees, so supervisors naturally become the target of employees' hatred. There is no reason for employees to miss this opportunity to kill their supervisors.

At this moment, the two ladies and Qin Rang had stood over, and Qi Jiu exchanged glances with everyone.

Everyone wrote Qi Qiu's name on the ballots. When Mr. Wei Wen collected the votes, he showed a satisfied smile and said to Qi Qiu: "It seems that none of your subordinates want you to miss this opportunity."

Qi Jiu smiled and pushed up his glasses: "I'm honored."

The dance was still going on, and Qi Qiu was taken away from the dance by Mr. Wei Wen.

The wind outside was getting stronger now, black clouds were low over the factory, and a snowstorm was brewing.

The nursery building stood quietly in the wind, pitch black, in stark contrast to the brightly lit dance scene next to it.

Because it involves the most core secrets of the factory, several access control lines are set up in the office building. Qi Jiu followed Mr. Wei Wen and walked down the narrow cement stairs. The stair aisle was lit with dim corridor lights. Every time Qi Jiu

Every step he took stepped on Mr. Vivian's shadow, and the sound of his footsteps echoed in the damp and cramped space. The sound was infinitely amplified and the time was infinitely stretched.

The rotten smell became stronger and stronger. Qi Jiu endured the urge to feel nauseated and continued walking down. He had the illusion that he was heading towards the abyss at this moment.

Until the stairs in front were illuminated by a sudden white light, the two finally arrived at the core of the nursery department - the nursery room.

The nursery room was transformed from the basement of a factory building and is located at the bottom of the building. The east, west and south sides are made of rough cement walls. There are no windows around it. There are only a few vents that deliver fresh air to the basement. It is not exposed to sunlight all year round.

There is a staircase to the north of the nursery room. The stairs extending downward are separated from the nursery room by a thick tempered glass wall. Through the glass wall, the shocking scene in the nursery room is displayed in front of Qi Qiu——

At first glance, the nursery looks like an underground aquarium. Rows and rows of glass water tanks are regularly fixed on the three walls. Countless "petri dishes" are placed in the water tanks like commercial fish, and their necks are fixed with chains.

, his head hanging dying on the water.

The solution soaking their bodies was completely contaminated by mucus, and the entire water tank turned a chaotic and dirty blood-red color.

Looking inside against the glass, you can vaguely see the dense bulges on the skin of the "Petri dish" soaked in the solution. These bulges rapidly expanded and burst, and the fry hatched out of their skin like pieces of meat, stirring up countless fine bubbles.

and water splash.

Tiny screams could be heard one after another, as they were going through the most painful and weak incubation process.

The entire nursery was illuminated by cold lights, which was weird, disgusting, but also presented a spooky spectacle.

"Look, this is the nursery room that the Bates factory is most proud of. Tonight is destined to be a good night for a good harvest." Through the tempered glass, Mr. Weaving raised his head slightly and stared proudly at the painful "Petri dish."

”.

Qi Jiu glanced at him coldly, his face expressionless: "Are these all 'petri dishes'?"

Mr. Vivian raised the corners of his lips proudly: "Yes."

Qi Jiu: "The employees who were sent from our department a few days ago are also here, right?"

Mr. Vivian: "Which employee are you referring to? The employee who was injured during the production process has become one of them. As for the other employee who was punished, he resisted a little, but in the end he became one of them.

The best food for fry.”

This employee who became a source of nourishment refers to Wu Gui from the Death Row Society.

"I would like to ask, is our boss, Mr. Bates, here too?" Qi Qiu continued to test.

Mr. Wei Wen was startled, looked at Qi Qiu deeply, then smiled and said: "To tell you the truth, Mr. Bates is indeed here. As the earliest petri dish, in a sense, Mr. Bates is indeed

Our boss, after all, it was his alienation that provided the opportunity for the mass production of rose fish."

In the eyes of Mr. Wei Wen, Qi Qiu is already "prepared nourishment", and he doesn't mind showing off the great achievements of the nursery before he dies.

The earliest petri dish... Qi Jiu frowned slightly as he wondered about this sentence.

As a factory owner, Mr. Bates is definitely not the person who has the most frequent contact with rosefish, and the chance of being infected with the mutation is much lower than that of his employees.

If Mr. Bates was the first "Petri dish" to be infected, it is very likely that his infection was not an accident, but someone did it deliberately, such as using his body for experiments, just like Qi Zu's dream...

But who could have thought of such a ridiculous mutation method? If the dream is a projection of the plot, Miss Rossetti seems to be a "bystander".

"I think that Mr. Bates is an important promoter of the mass production of rose fish. The Bates family will never forget Mr. Bates's contribution if it is what it is today." Mr. Weaving said impassionedly.

"I very much agree with your point of view," Qi Gu looked at Mr. Weaving firmly, "So, do you know how Mr. Bates became the first petri dish?"

Mr. Vivian was asked.

His expression went blank for a moment, and then he shook his head: "This is a secret of the Bates family, and we won't let a working man like me know about it."

It turns out that you still remember that you are just a laborer...

Qi Jiu shrugged: "That's a pity."

"Can I see this first-generation petri dish?" Qi Jiu said with sincerity, "As the lucky winner tonight, I hope to know more about the history and operation of the nursery."

"Of course, before you..." Mr. Vivian paused, then smiled with an unknown meaning, "I will be happy to fulfill your wish."

He led Qi Researcher to continue walking down. The nursery room was very large, and separated by the glass wall, there were countless "petri dishes" undergoing incubation that made them despair.

After a few seconds, Mr. Weaving finally stopped and pointed to a mass of vague flesh and blood that had just been hatched in the glass tank: "This is our boss, Mr. Bates."

After the incubation is completed, the "Petri dish" will temporarily restore human consciousness. He seemed to be aware of someone approaching and was struggling to raise his eyelids to look over. But the moment he saw Qi Gu's face clearly, he suddenly started struggling violently without warning.

His movements stirred up waves of water, and the thick red liquid splashed all over the floor.

Mr. Wei Wen frowned: "How strange..."

Qi Jiu: "He doesn't usually act like this?"

Mr. Weaving shook his head: "Mr. Bates is usually the quietest. He has never been so excited as tonight. I don't know what stimulated him."

With that said, he pressed the current button, and the glass container soaked in Mr. Vivian was instantly energized. Mr. Bates, who was penetrated by the current, finally stopped struggling and began to twist his limbs uncontrollably, but his eyes always stayed on Qi Jiu.

On his face, painful tears were streaming down from the corners of his eyes.

Qi Chu could tell that apart from pain, there was only fear in Mr. Bates's eyes.

for his fear.

But Qi Kui had never met Mr. Bates before, so why was he so afraid of him?

[Congratulations on successfully finding Mr. Bates and successfully promoting the branch "Miss Rossetti's Secret". The unlock level of this branch is currently 75%]

[Important reminder: Since you triggered the *** plot, there is a certain probability of restarting the long-abandoned hidden plot line]

[Severe warning: Abandoning the plot line will lead to an unknown major crisis, the risk factor cannot be calculated, please proceed with caution]

Qi Chu was shocked and puzzled: "Since it has been abandoned, how can it still be triggered?"

[Beep——]

His question seemed to trigger some kind of protection mechanism, and the system's answers were blocked.

Qi Jiu frowned thoughtfully. Mr. Weiwen here looked at the time and saw that it was almost time.

His hand suddenly touched the electric shock rod hidden nearby, and a strange smile reappeared on his face: "Mr. Bates is very unusual tonight, but that's not important. As the lucky guy tonight, I have a surprise for you."

you--"

"I'm going to become the feed in the petri dish, right?" Qi Jiu showed a kind smile as usual and interrupted the other party, "What a coincidence, I also have a surprise to tell you, the person who will become the feed tonight

Probably not me."

"——The lucky one may be you, Mr. Vivian."

Sensing Qi Ku's dangerous behavior, the system immediately issued an alarm: [Warning: As a "foreigner", you cannot attack Mr. Wei Wen, the aborigine of the factory]

Qi Jiu smiled: "Who said I am a stranger? I am obviously his 'proprietress'."

With that said, Qi Jiu opened the item bar as quickly as possible.

"Enable "Madam's ID Card" permission."

[Ding! The permission items have been equipped. Congratulations on temporarily obtaining the identity of "Mrs. Bates"]
Chapter completed!