Firefly Journey

Chapter 241 Apricot Blossoms in the Misty Rain of Jiangnan (1)

Ilham is the world's industrial center, and the Card District is Ilham's industrial center, with two-thirds of Ilham's factories located there.

Three years ago, an accident caused the smog over Yicheng to dissipate, but now it has quietly climbed back up, covering the entire city in a thin layer, like a blanket covering Yicheng, allowing the city to sleep peacefully.

As the world develops and times progress, the reputation of the industrial capital has spread throughout the continent. In recent years, the orders of Tefennac Glass Company have been increasing day by day. The original factory could not meet the needs of the huge customers, so it began to expand its production scale.

So here's the problem: the factories in the Card district are nearing capacity, and there's no more land available for construction.

The company's top management has a solution: if one door closes, another opens; there are plenty of suburbs in Yicheng.

There's an ideal spot on the outermost edge of the Card District. The higher-ups made the decision, and it's yours!

As a result, with the investment of manpower and resources, a large factory was built in just twenty days, a feat that can be described as swift.

Of course, this was the result of the boss hiring a "local mage" to help with the construction in order to complete the order as soon as possible; otherwise, the speed would definitely not have been this fast.

The land is there, the workshop is there, all that's missing are the workers.

It is not difficult.

As an international metropolis, Ibiza has attracted tens of millions of people from various ethnic groups seeking a living, and this number continues to rise.

It can be said that everything in Yicheng is expensive, except for labor, which is only slightly more valuable than stray dogs on the street.

The new factory was quite far from the Pafetti district where workers congregated, so the company's recruiters came up with a solution: to attract workers by increasing wages and building dormitories at the new factory.

This tactic worked very well; the place was packed with job seekers on the first day of work.

In response, the company prioritized hiring giants and orcs, who, despite their large appetites, were also capable of performing a great deal of work and possessed innate racial talents.

Everything was going well, and the boss was just waiting to sit back and collect his money.

But an unexpected result occurred.

In the second month after the factory started operations, a series of bizarre deaths suddenly occurred. Within a single week, five people died at different times and locations.

The strangest thing is that all the deceased were young women, the kind who were quite attractive.

In fact, there is a sizable sex industry in Yicheng, but not everyone is willing to debase themselves. Some strong-willed girls choose to make a living with their own hands.

Once the news got out, it quickly spiraled out of control. The company immediately called the police, but they couldn't find anything out and just told them to wait for further notice.

The company's top management was extremely anxious. Human life was a small matter, but it couldn't be allowed to affect their profits. So, they secretly contacted the Superhuman Guild to try and find out the cause.

……

The dimly lit workshop was filled with the constant noise of various machines, so loud it made one feel uneasy.

However, for the workers who have been working there for a long time, this is already commonplace.

One glass bottle after another falls from the machine onto the conveyor belt, moving continuously until it is picked up by a worker.

It was nighttime, and the boss was rushing to finish the work, so he kept the assembly line running at night. The workers were busy, their faces numb.

There is a certain subsidy for working in the evening, so many people voluntarily apply for it.

A young-looking girl with fair skin was also one of the dozen or so workers in the workshop.

Her name is Delvis. She has many siblings, and although she is the youngest, she is not favored. Her family cannot afford her tuition, so she has to work.

The light shone through her face, making it appear rosy and youthful. If she were dressed up properly, she would definitely be no less beautiful than a noble lady.

Recently, a hint of worry has appeared on her already numb face.

She had heard about the recent scandal that was causing a stir in the factory. After comparing the details, she realized that her story perfectly matched the conditions for being murdered, which made her live in constant fear.

But she couldn't bring herself to quit. Her father had broken his leg while working at the docks last year and needed medication to manage it. Although her mother and brothers' salaries were enough to cover the medication, it had crippled their already struggling family. She couldn't give up because of cowardice, at least not now.

She needs to save some money before leaving this place to see if she can learn something to support herself and her family in the future.

She likes flower arranging, and if she has the opportunity in the future, it would be best for her to work in a florist.

call!

A cold wind blew by, and the few kerosene lamps in the workshop suddenly went out. The machines stopped making noise, and everyone was plunged into darkness.

"Damn it! What's going on?"

"It's so cold... Could it be..."

"Shut up, don't talk nonsense!"

Inside the workshop, terrified voices could be heard, but thankfully the supervisor quickly stopped them and told everyone to leave.

Delvis also planned to go out with everyone, but for some reason, she could no longer hear her colleagues' voices.

She started to get scared, and then yelled, "Is anyone there?! Can you hear me?!"

The empty workshop was eerily quiet, as if no one had ever been there. Delvis was terrified and frantically searched for a way out.

However, the workshop, which she could normally enter and exit with her eyes closed, now seemed like a maze. She kept running around in the workshop, but she just couldn't get out.

Tears of fear welled up in her eyes. This girl, who was only three months old according to the laws of the principality, felt despair for the first time.

Life is already hard enough, why make it even harder?

Delvis wiped away his tears, placed his right hand over his heart, and said in a muffled, sobbing voice:

"Great Julius, embodiment of light and wisdom, if you truly exist, please come and save me!"

Her faint prayers echoed through the workshop, but seemed to have no effect. She felt abandoned by the sun god and was almost in despair.

Just when she thought she was about to be killed, a beam of light suddenly appeared in the dimly lit workshop and kept getting closer to her.

She seemed to see a lifeline and went toward the firelight.

The faint light was faster than her, and the two soon met.

What first caught the girl's eye was a pair of enormous fangs, and then her true appearance.

"Are you alright?" Yale Pound, who had become a superhuman, asked.

"N-nothing, who are you?"

Yale honestly replied, "We are from the Neon Guild, commissioned by the Tefennac Company to investigate the girl's murder."

We noticed it suddenly got dark in here, so we came in to investigate.

Delvis felt a sudden sense of calm, knowing he was saved, and timidly said, "I... my name is Delvis, I work here, could you please take me out?"

“Of course, it’s our duty.” Boarman Yale looked behind him. “You agree, right, Ario?”

"That's natural, you get paid to do things."

The firelight drew closer, and Lin Yuanran, dressed in a guild uniform, appeared before the two.

Then, he saw the girl's face, which seemed somewhat familiar. Suddenly, he recalled some past experiences and said:

“We’ve met before.”

……

……

P.S.: Thank you everyone for your love and support, and thank you to Nilu for all the milk tea and love letters.

To briefly summarize the content of Volume 3, the timeline will be moved a bit further back. If I were to write about Lin Yuanran's adventures in St. Louis, it would definitely be very boring, so I've skipped that part.

The third volume is called "Poetry of the Far East," and the map includes Da Chu and Chestanton.

Then there are some previews that don't contain spoilers. Lin Yuanran will find out the truth about time travel and then make a choice.

The second volume was written somewhat slowly, resulting in a slow pace. I will try to avoid this problem in the later volumes.

As for the relationship between the male and female leads, I can only say that after they get together, I will write some interactions that are way too sweet, but don't get your hopes up, or I'm afraid I'll mess it up.

This book has been written on and off for over a year, and as of today, I've earned a total of 243 yuan, which is rather ironic.

I won't abandon this story; don't worry, I'll finish it. After all, I really hate authors who stop updating!

And then, I wish everyone a happy workday.

What? You're asking me why I didn't wish everyone a happy May Day? Well, I was at work that day, and I wasn't happy at all, so what right did I have to wish anyone a happy holiday?