Chapter 48: Impersonation
The Skinner, with his messy hair and carrying a boning knife, froze his fierce expression upon hearing Xu Huo's words. "What did you say?"
Xu Huo glanced disdainfully at his blood-stained apron. "Call your boss out."
"I am the boss." The Skinner stared at him. "Who are you?"
"You're the boss, huh." Xu Huo gave him a contemptuous look, then walked straight into the office, plopping down on the sofa and propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Bring out the account books. I'm here to audit."
The Skinner was momentarily intimidated by his attitude and followed him in, saying, "I've paid my taxes per head here..."
Xu Huo cut him off with a sneer. "Do you even know what kind of business you're running here? You think that little bit of money is enough to fool anyone?"
The Skinner's face shifted between uncertainty and anger. "That's how it's always been paid."
"That was then. Now that I'm here, the rules have changed." Xu Huo looked at him sideways, tapping his index finger on the sofa.
The paper phone in his pocket vibrated, making no sound, but it was enough for the Skinner to notice.
Xu Huo instinctively reached for his pocket but stopped halfway. Instead of answering the call, he said in a harsh tone, "Stubborn, are you?"
With that, he stood up abruptly and strode toward the hallway, ignoring the stunned players. Pushing open the workshop door, he covered his nose in disgust as he walked in. "This smell—three-month-old fermented socks couldn't even compare."
"And this floor? Is this fit for people to walk on? Stepping on it is ruining my shoes!"
"And these machines—tsk tsk—are you selling meat or insect eggs?"
"There are even rats! Is this factory a sewer?"
"I can't believe anyone would dare buy anything that comes out of here!"
"Just breathing the air in here means you'll need to wash your lungs out when you get back!"
"These two pigs died so disgustingly. With such a gruesome death, can the meat really taste good?"
"You reek of sweat. Stay away from me!"
Xu Huo walked all the way from the workshop to the pigsty, criticizing everything from the floor tiles and machines to the knives and aprons. He called the players dirty and smelly as pigs, and even claimed the piglets in the pen looked depressed, saying anyone who ate their meat would surely feel down.
Tang Pei and the others were stunned by his performance. They had seen the Skinner's strength firsthand—wasn't he afraid of getting beaten to death here?
Xu Huo wasn't afraid at all. After tearing the factory apart with his words, he turned back to the Skinner and sneered, "The Health Department would love a place like this. I wonder how many inspections this place can survive."
The Skinner had already thrown away his knife after Xu Huo claimed it hadn't been washed in three days. His facial muscles twitched, and after a long moment, he forced out a twisted smile. "Let's talk nicely. We'll discuss it up front."
He gestured for Xu Huo to go out first, then shouted at the players, "You heard all that! Get back to work!"
The players, seeing his veins bulging and his eyes popping like bells, grabbed brooms and water guns, frantically resuming their tasks. Glancing back, they saw the Skinner turn to Xu Huo with a smile and wondered if they were dreaming.
Was this the Skinner? Intimidated by just a few words?
Of course, a few words wouldn't be enough to intimidate the Skinner.
He had a fearsome reputation, and his imposing height and presence made most players cower before him. The game had also given them a task to complete his assigned work, which subtly placed a shackle on them—if the other two tasks couldn't be completed, working for the Skinner at least ensured survival.
Thus, the relationship between the players and the Skinner was unequal. Employees found it hard to stand up to their boss.
But Xu Huo put on a grand air, demanding account audits and inspections, creating the illusion of an outsider. Even if the Skinner wanted to verify his identity, it would take time.
The game world had a complete social system, which wasn't entirely bad for players.
Glancing at the tea the Skinner had poured, Xu Huo didn't even bother reaching for it.
Seeing this, the Skinner turned to his desk drawer, took out several rolls of cash, and placed them in front of Xu Huo. "I don't know how to address you, sir. I'm new here, stuck in this rural place raising pigs, and I only know a little about the outside world. Please forgive any poor hospitality."
Xu Huo didn't even look at the money. He tapped his index finger, and the paper phone in his pocket vibrated again.
He still ignored it, staring coldly at the Skinner. "Are you trying to play games with me? I don't care whose connections you used. When the people above change, the people below have to change too."
"I don't care about this stuff."
Seeing that Xu Huo truly wasn't interested in the cash, the Skinner took a box of cigars from a nearby cabinet.
The gold-wrapped cigars were neatly arranged in a pure gold box, looking ostentatious, but Xu Huo finally smiled.
The Skinner lit one for him, and they smoked together, the atmosphere finally improving.
"My surname is Wang. You can call me Mr. Wang." Xu Huo blew out a puff of smoke. "Money is just an external thing. Compared to some good items, it's no different from paper."
"I've never cared about it. But some things can't be bought with money."
The Skinner nodded along with his words while sizing him up, his expression shifting several times.
Xu Huo pretended not to notice. When he felt the timing was right, he tapped his index finger to signal Peng Fengnian to call again, as previously arranged.
This time, when the phone rang, he didn't ignore it. Instead, he nodded to the Skinner and stepped outside to take the call.
As soon as he left, the Skinner's face darkened. He picked up the landline and dialed a number. Half a minute later, he hung up and walked to the window.
"Be careful—the Skinner is eavesdropping." Peng Fengnian, hiding in the distance watching the factory, had sweat in his palms. He had wiped his hands several times since Xu Huo entered, afraid of missing the signal, and didn't dare blink.
"I know." Xu Huo's expression didn't change. In the next second, he spoke angrily into the phone, "Sis, you're following him without any title, not for money or profit. Just asking him to arrange a good spot for me, and he fobs me off with such a small position?"
"...What do you mean it's inconvenient? Now is the perfect time to place our own people..."
"Anyway, I'm not going back until I'm satisfied. Our family isn't destitute either. He should be ashamed!"
After this one-sided conversation, he put away the paper phone and returned to the office as if nothing had happened.
The Skinner greeted him with a smile and handed him a cigar. "I heard the top commander at the E27 wormhole point has been replaced. Mr. Wang, have you also been transferred here?"
E27—Xu Huo immediately thought of the code on his return ticket. So the game world divided regions by wormhole points. His starting point was at the E27 wormhole point, and since the Good Taste Fresh Meat Supply Factory instance had invaded the real world, it was located in the same place.
He narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Why are you asking so many questions?"