Lord of the Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Because Franka and Roshan had ordered chicken and taro in advance and asked for them to be cooked immediately, the three of them quickly ate the steaming food. Franka asked the waiter to prepare a medium-spicy soup base for the dipping sauce bowl, and added some minced garlic, chopped onions and coriander, and finally poured in oyster sauce, which was both salty and fresh, and had a hint of sweetness, which could enrich the spicy taste very well. Franka especially liked to put it this way when eating hot pot.

She glanced at Zhou Mingrui and found that his choice was similar to hers.

Great minds think alike... Franka picked up taro instead of chicken first. It had been stewed in the pressure cooker until soft in advance. After rolling it in the dipping sauce bowl, it was blown for more than ten seconds. When she took a bite, it was full of the aroma of starch and the taste of taro itself. They also absorbed the spicy and delicious taste of the soup base and the grease. Combined with the salty and sweet taste of oyster sauce, it made people saliva quickly secrete, effectively reducing the residual heat.

Franka ate three pieces of taro before she remembered a piece of chicken.

She would like to rate this as the top 3 vegetarian dishes in the hot pot world, the other two being potato chips and lettuce with leaves.

The three of them ate quietly for a while. After filling their stomachs, Luo Shan took the initiative to start various topics to avoid awkwardness.

With her lively atmosphere, the three of them chatted happily, from company rumors and gossip to the recent employment environment and the current situation of former colleagues.

The handsome security guard naturally became part of the topic. Luo Shan regretted that he had not been guarding the gate recently, so she could not see it with her own eyes.

Suddenly, Zhou Mingrui asked about Franca's professional situation, curious about why she changed her career after graduation.

Franka talked about her true feelings when she was studying:

"I worked like a slave, earned little, and was at risk of death. I had to wait until I was 30 or 40 to barely have a decent income. I felt that I couldn't stand the hardship, so I changed my career. How many 20s can we have in our lives?"

Zhou Mingrui expressed his understanding:

"There are people everywhere on the Internet saying that those who persuade people to study medicine will be struck by lightning, but doctors are a late-stage profession, and the older you are, the more popular they are. I had a childhood friend who also changed his career after graduation, but he worked two other jobs and didn't make any progress..."

Speaking of this, Zhou Mingrui suddenly paused, frowned unconsciously, and then continued:

"He used his connections to go back to his hometown hospital to be an intern."

There is such a childhood friend? There is no mention of it in the information... Obviously it is not Peng Deng, nor the female childhood friend who likes to travel... Franka was confused, and Zhou Mingrui talked about medical matters.

Franka perfectly played the role of a former medical student who changed his career for three years. She can still talk about the basics, but she has almost forgotten more in-depth things.

She is not a "generalist"!

——This identity is almost a replica of her own status, and she is very comfortable in playing it. The only difference is that she has not actually graduated and has changed her career for six or seven years.

When Zhou Mingrui nodded slightly, Luo Shan glanced at Franca and said with a smile:

"Have you ever drunk the new drink with a good design and a unique name?"

Franca smiled back and asked instead:

"Have you ever drunk it?"

Without waiting for Zhou Mingrui and Luo Shan to answer, Franca lowered her voice:

"I recently heard an urban legend that a mysterious vending machine will randomly appear in different places, selling blind boxes of that kind of drink. Some of the drinks in these blind boxes have special effects that allow people who drink them to gain the ability of the corresponding drink name, while the drinks bought in supermarkets and convenience stores are ordinary and normal drinks."

After finishing this sentence in one breath, and without any abnormality, Franca quietly relaxed a little.

Zhou Mingrui looked at Franca, who had returned home and changed into a white T-shirt, loose trousers, a pair of white shoes, and tied her hair into a ponytail, and smiled and said:

"I have also seen rumors about this on the Internet."

Franca's eyes fell on Luo Shan's face.

Luo Shan bit her lip and said in a tone that deliberately told a ghost story:

"Actually, I have encountered that mysterious vending machine."

Swish, Zhou Mingrui also looked at her.

Luo Shan laughed:

"I bought a blind box, and the drink inside was 'Shaman', but after drinking it, nothing happened, and I didn't gain any abilities.

"To be honest, when I went to find the vending machine for the second time, it was indeed gone, not in its original position..."

Luo Shan's voice became unusually low at the last sentence, and the bubbles rolling in the hot pot seemed to solidify for a second.

Zhou Mingrui looked at her without speaking, as if he was evaluating whether she was telling a ghost story or telling the truth.

Luo Shan then smiled and said to him:

"Didn't you drink it too? I later saw a similar vending machine in the company lobby, drew a bunch of them, and gave you a bottle, a bottle of 'Instigator' drink, right?"

"I didn't drink it. "Zhou Mingrui laughed, "Someone gave me a bag of dried mushrooms before, saying that they were great for making drinks or tea. I thought I'd give it a try, so I poured the 'Instigator' drink into my cup and soaked the dried mushrooms in it. Later, I went to do something else, and when I returned to my seat, the cup was empty.

"At that time, I was still thinking that there shouldn't be anyone in the office who would be so disgusting as to drink something from someone else's cup. Maybe the cleaning lady was disgusted after seeing the dried mushrooms soaked, and thought that the cup of water was no longer needed, so she helped me deal with it.

"Thinking about it now, this is a bit strange. "

He and Luo Shan sang the same tune, making the urban legend more and more real.

Franka didn't seem to be scared at all. She looked around and lowered her voice:

"Since you are so frank, I will tell the truth. To be honest, I have also encountered that vending machine."

Luo Shan asked cooperatively:

"What did you draw?"

Franka looked at Zhou Mingrui, pushed the black-framed glasses on her nose, and showed an obvious smile:

"'Assassin'."

Zhou Mingrui looked at her quietly, waiting for her to continue.

Franka added with a smile:

"I am a fan of "Assassin's Creed". You see, my WeChat name is "True Hidden Blade".

As she spoke, she picked up her phone, showed the WeChat name to Zhou Mingrui, and then continued:

"I am very satisfied with the name of that bottle of drink. I imagined myself as an assassin, and I could complete the "leap of faith" like a real one, and hide in the shadows so that no one could find me..."

Franka deliberately described the changes and abilities brought by the "assassin" potion, to make Zhou Mingrui believe that she really drank the "assassin" drink or knew a lot about "assassin" related things.

As she described, her heart beat faster involuntarily, and she became nervous, as if she was about to be kicked out of the dream.

Zhou Mingrui tactically drank a sip of iced soy milk and ate a piece of taro.

After putting down his chopsticks, he smiled and said to Franca and Roshan:

"That's my dream too."

Franca took the opportunity to remind:

"Then you have to pay attention. I saw a rumor that there is a big problem with the subsequent drinks of 'Assassin'. Well, just like leveling up in a game, after drinking a drink to a certain level, terrible things will happen."

"What terrible things?" Roshan asked curiously.

Franca shook her head:

"I don't know either."

"I only heard that after the 'Assassin' drink comes the 'Instigator' drink, and the problematic ones after the 'Instigator' drink..."

Her voice became lower and lower.

Zhou Mingrui ended the topic:

"Okay, okay, let's continue making it up. Sooner or later, this will become a complete urban legend."

"Yes. "Franka smiled, saying that the previous content was all made up by herself on the spot.

Roshan did the same.

The three chatted about other things until it was completely dark, and each of them was very satisfied with the meal.

Waiting goodbye to Roshan and Franka, Zhou Mingrui walked to the other end of the street.

The smile on his face gradually faded, and one thought after another emerged in his mind:

"They don't look like they are testing me, but more like hinting, prompting, and reminding me...

"Is there really a big problem with the follow-up of the 'Assassin' drink?

"It may also be because I deliberately chose a crowded and lively occasion, and they didn't find an opportunity to use their abilities to exert influence...

"Then wait and see if there are any accidents or attacks...

"If you can confirm their purpose or goodwill, you can find an opportunity to have a real chat later...

"If avoiding the problem can't solve it, then face it..."

As his thoughts were in a mess, Zhou Mingrui turned into a small road and walked into the shadows.

On the other side, Franka took Roshan to the nearest shopping mall.

For the next hour, she wanted to stay in a place with more people and brighter light.

Just after leaving the "Yizhou Roast Chicken" store and walking a dozen steps on the roadside, Franca suddenly felt dizzy.

The next second, she felt like a deep-sea fish being pulled out of the sea. She tried her best to breathe but couldn't inhale even a trace of air, and her head and body were strangely expanding, like a fragile balloon that was constantly inflated.

She grabbed her neck painfully, trying to pull the trachea out of her flesh and blood and directly connect it to the air.

Her legs began to become weak, and her body fell to the ground. Her thoughts were stuck, and her mirror double lost contact with her.

Did the Heavenly Lord notice me? Franca had such a thought.

In the gray car parked on the opposite side of the road, Lumian quietly watched Franca's face turn red to the extreme, watched her lips turn blue and black, watched her grab her slender neck, and scratched blood marks on the surface of her fair skin.

Luo Shan stood by, looking confused and helpless.

Lumian in the co-pilot seat did not move, still watching quietly.

He saw Franca half-fallen to the ground, and saw Franca trying hard to open her handbag, take out the phone inside with difficulty, and unlock the screen.

On the screen was an interface prepared in advance, and placed together with the phone were cosmetics, multi-faceted mirrors, and a small black bag.

In Lumian's sight, Franca's eyes bulged out, and she tapped the phone screen with her thumb with a painful and ferocious expression.

Then, she fell completely and dropped her handbag on the ground.

The items in the handbag rolled out, and the small black bag disappeared strangely.

After a few seconds, Lumian in the car opposite looked at Franca who stood up slowly with empty eyes, and said to himself and Anthony calmly:

"Contact Zhou Mingrui at night, remind him of the existence of extraordinary power, and you will be kicked out of the dream soon."

ps: I'm asking for monthly tickets in the last two days~

ps2: I recommend a book, "The Eve of Promotion", a new book by the author who wrote Embers, which is more science fiction and cyberpunk.

Introduction: Incarnation killer, feathering technology, shepherd plan, longevity plan...are all these a blessing or a trap?

This city always tempts you with a glimmer of hope. Whether it is a dream woven by lies or a utopia constructed by illusions, it is close at hand and within reach, making people willing to throw themselves into the fire and sacrifice their lives.

Now, the great node of human history has arrived, and the dawn of the ethnic group's upgrading is beginning to appear.