Chapter 287: Detour

Cheng Shuili didn't care what he thought; with a call she kept hurrying toward the agreed place.

Seeing the guy look unwilling to keep up, Cheng Shuili calmly reminded him, "Take a good look at the contract."

Moyu Miji, though reluctant, still fell in step with Cheng Shuili.

If the contract really has that clause, and he now lets Cheng Shuili leave, he'll truly be unable to find anyone later!

Barely trailing behind her, Moyu Miji finally got a chance to examine the contract.

He opened the panel, and the first clause made his eyes bulge with rage.

What does "Continuously monitor Fengyun Tianxia's group chat messages and report to the client at any time" mean?

And this one: "Everything that occurs in the Instance is strictly confidential."

Moyu Miji skimmed the contract clauses at a glance, his complexion growing greener the more he read.

"No... this, this is literally an unequal treaty!"

He couldn't help but howl, "Why must I report group chat activity in real time? And be your all‑day sentinel? How is that any different from selling my soul!"

Cheng Shuili didn't turn her head, her voice drifting lazily, "The difference is you can still breathe while reading the contract, instead of becoming cargo lying in my vehicle. By the way, clause 3, paragraph 2 states that publicly expressing dissatisfaction with the contract terms unilaterally counts as passive performance and will deduct compensation points."

Moyu Miji fell silent instantly, lightly covering his mouth, and hurriedly flipped to the penalty section.

The more he examined, the more cold sweat broke out on his forehead, mingling with the icy acid rain, making his whole body shiver.

This woman is literally a devil!

The contract's dense clauses blocked every loophole he could think of; the breach penalty was so steep his heart spasmed. Not to mention the system's own punishment, this guy also demands compensation in resources and Game Coin!

Where could he possibly produce that?

He furtively glanced at the silhouette ahead, effortlessly weaving through the ruins, and the sliver of hope in his heart was utterly crushed, leaving only a cold helplessness and a sudden, intense curiosity.

"Um... big brother,"

He jogged to keep up, his tone involuntarily laced with awe, and cautiously asked, "You... who exactly are you? I've heard of most of the top‑ten powerhouses, but your style... I just can't match it."

Someone who can easily crush him and produce such a contract could never be unknown.

He previously thought it was Haohao, but Haohao is famously kind; how could such meticulous scheming belong to him?

Could the rumored kindness actually be a cold, ruthless kind?

Cheng Shuili didn't stop, merely turned her face and gave him a half‑smile, "Forgot the confidentiality clause you just signed? Need me to recap the breach consequences for you?"

Moyu Miji felt a chill in his neck, immediately shaking his head like a rattle, "No, no, no! I haven't forgotten! Absolutely not! I was just... just asking casually! Big brother, pretend I said nothing!"

He overexerted himself, nearly stepping into a corrosive puddle, and scrambled to steady himself, looking a mess.

Cheng Shuili withdrew her gaze and kept moving.

The two walked in silence, one ahead of the other, amid the increasingly rapid patter of acid rain.

Only Moyu Miji's panel lit up intermittently, apparently dutifully monitoring the group chat.

"Um... big brother," after a while he lowered his voice again, this time reporting, "The group says they're heading to the edge container round."

"Mm," Cheng Shuili replied, her steps still unhurried.

She can't spare attention to them now; having Moyu Miji monitor is just to keep a mental tally.

Moyu Miji watched her reaction, feeling even more uncertain.

The sound of acid rain striking the wreckage grew denser, and the gray‑yellow curtain of rain almost obscured the view ahead.

Cheng Shuili, relying on a mental map and exceptional sense of direction, darted through the rusted steel maze.

Behind her, Moyu Miji struggled, trying to keep up with her pace while constantly diverting attention to the nerve‑wracking group chat.

"Big brother... they seem to have already converged."

Already converged? That's a bit too fast, isn't it?

"Keep watching," she tossed out, accelerating again.

The two passed through a collapsed scaffolding area, stepping on brittle metal that snapped with a teeth‑aching crack.

While they were extra careful of the ground, a disturbing, viscous squirming sound mingled with the rain.

Cheng Shuili instantly raised a hand to signal stop, pressing her body against a massive pipe scarred with rust.

Moyu Miji also hurriedly curled up, daring not to breathe.

Cheng Shuili cautiously stuck out half her head to look.

Ahead, in a relatively open stockpile area, three mud‑like creatures writhed!

The monsters were about half a human tall, their bodies a gray, rotted flesh texture from prolonged acid‑rain immersion, covered in slime and constantly bulging, contracting bladders, lacking discernible eyes or features, with several tentacle‑like limbs flailing.

Cheng Shuili stared at one of the monsters for a moment, then used Insight.

【Insight Success】

【Name: Acid-Eroded Stalker】

【Origin: They were once living beings in this industrial zone, unable to escape the initial acid‑rain disaster. Flesh merged with corrosive sludge, leaking chemicals, and rusted metal wreckage, undergoing a horrific mutation under years of acid rain. They did not die, but survived in a more desperate form, becoming part of this corrupted land, instinctively attacking any uncorroded entity.】

【Weakness: Their core is a partially uncorroded metal fragment inside, the sole, painful link to their past. Striking this core deals massive damage. Strong physical impact can temporarily disperse their sludge form.】

Cheng Shuili posted the Insight result in the small group; if she can encounter them, others can too.

With that, she certainly gained a bit more confidence.

Back to the present, fighting is no problem for Cheng Shuili, but the current issue is the ongoing acid rain.

If the raincoat fails, even she can't do much.

Cheng Shuili thought it over and decided to go around those monsters.

This Instance isn't a point‑based system; you have to defeat the monsters to clear it.

The first requirement of this Instance is survival!

Staying alive is the most important thing.

Cheng Shuili withdrew her gaze, lowered her voice to the lagging follower, "Take a detour. Keep noise down."

Being well-versed in the Moyu Miji felt like receiving a great pardon; they nodded desperately, wishing they could crawl on all fours to minimize their presence.