Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Gu Huaiwei took advantage of the gap while the Oasis Matchmaking Agency was upgrading to return to the Real World with the Alert Worm.

Eating that bug raw was honestly a bit nauseating.

Gu Huaiwei had repurchased the Gu Family’s original villa, which had previously been auctioned off. She hired a private chef to deep-fry the now-fattened bug.

After Mu Lingxi’s apartment lease expired, she moved directly into the Gu residence.

Security in the villa district was quite strict. Jiang Xingyi had no way to get inside to harass Mu Lingxi, so he could only send constant harassing text messages and loiter around the perimeter of the estate.

Last time, because Jiang Xingyi had gotten into a fight with Mu Lingxi’s hacker senior, they had both been sentenced to fifteen days of administrative detention.

Mu Lingxi had also broken up with the hacker senior and returned to a single life.

“Huaiwei, have you had some medical beauty treatments lately?”

“No. It’s probably because this bug is quite nutritious; it replenishes the qi and blood. Do you want to try a bite? Maybe you’ll become even more beautiful.”

Good things should naturally be shared. Gu Huaiwei held a deep-fried Alert Worm with her chopsticks and waved it in front of Mu Lingxi, wanting her to taste it as well.

She had privately sought out a scientific laboratory to test the bug’s nutritional components. They found that the bug contained a mild toxin that could paralyze nerves, but the toxin disappeared after high-temperature heating.

The bug meat itself, besides being high in protein, contained a nutritional element not yet discovered in today’s world, the effects of which were currently unknown.

Mu Lingxi gagged slightly and immediately covered her mouth, shaking her head repeatedly. She sat in her chair and scooted back several steps.

“I don’t even eat silkworm pupae, let alone such a creepy-looking deep-fried caterpillar.” Mu Lingxi’s delicate eyebrows knit together in utter disgust. “Huaiwei, maybe you shouldn’t eat it either? I keep feeling like if you swallow that thing, you’ll end up seeing your ancestors.”

Gu Huaiwei chewed the bug until it was crunchy.

“Then do you want to try this soup?” Gu Huaiwei had the cook boil a pot of pumpkin soup and added a little Magnetic Value to it.

When she consumed Magnetic Value herself, the effect wasn’t as obvious as eating the Alert Worm directly.

“This I can do.” Mu Lingxi took the steaming pumpkin soup. She used a spoon to scoop a bit, blowing on it gently before it touched the tip of her tongue. It was unexpectedly delicious.

Mu Lingxi’s eyes lit up. She held the bowl and took two large gulps. If it hadn’t been so hot, she would have downed the entire bowl at once.

“How was this soup cooked? I’ve never had such delicious pumpkin soup.”

Gu Huaiwei watched as the redness on Mu Lingxi’s allergy-prone skin faded. She smiled and said, “If you like it, drink more.”

It seemed that soup infused with Magnetic Value had a more pronounced effect on Mu Lingxi.

Because Gu Huaiwei had paid off all the personal debts under her sister’s name, the business partners who had previously cut ties with them were now looking for Gu Huaiwei again to invest and collaborate on projects.

Gu Huaiwei rejected them one by one.

However, Secretary Wang, who used to be by her sister’s side, suddenly came to the door. She wore a black mask and a wide-brimmed hat that obscured her face, making her look somewhat suspicious.

Gu Huaiwei had interacted with her before when buying a car.

Considering that Secretary Wang had been her sister’s right-hand assistant back then, Gu Huaiwei received her in the villa’s study.

Secretary Wang was now a star salesperson at a 4S dealership.

She was very grateful to Gu Huaiwei for ordering that first car from her, which had given her the courage to face life again after falling from a high position.

“Miss Gu, I’ve come regarding your sister’s matter.” Secretary Wang took off her hat, glanced warily out the window, and then lowered her voice. “During my time as a salesperson, I’ve discovered some strange things.

“I don’t know if this counts as a lead, but… I felt it was necessary to tell you.”

Gu Huaiwei listened quietly as Secretary Wang continued.

Secretary Wang frowned, a look of conflict and pain appearing on her face. “Since I’m selling cars, I naturally have to contact the big bosses I got to know through your sister to increase my sales performance.”

Taking this step had required her to set aside her pride and expend a great deal of courage and effort.

“Your sister used to have frequent business dealings with the bosses of several companies, and I had many of their contact details.

“But since Sister Changge went missing, I’ve noticed that those bosses have stopped updating their social media feeds.

“At first, when I sent them messages and they didn’t reply, I thought they just couldn’t be bothered with a salesperson of my level. But as time went on, I realized something wasn’t right.”

Secretary Wang paused. Gu Huaiwei refilled her tea.

Secretary Wang took a deep breath and voiced the point that concerned her most. “That group of people is too silent. It’s as if they vanished along with your sister.

“Not only that, several of the companies they operated have been deregistered.

“There are a few that haven’t been deregistered, but when I went to check, the offices were already empty.

“I suspect that Gu Changge’s disappearance is closely related to these people.”

Gu Huaiwei knew from her sister’s diary that the last place her sister appeared was Paradise.

She hadn’t considered the possibility: was her sister still in the Real World?

“Lingxi, you mentioned before that the thug who cut off Jiang Xingyi’s hand had met my sister, right?”

Mu Lingxi nodded. “Yes. He looked very familiar to me, but I wasn’t involved in Changge’s core business, so I was afraid I had identified the wrong person.”

“We’re going to the prison for a visit.” Gu Huaiwei looked at Secretary Wang. “Is it convenient for you to come with us? You accompanied my sister on almost all her business dealings. If my sister was familiar with that person, you should have an impression of him too.”

Secretary Wang nodded.

The Gu sisters had been kind to her; she was willing to help.

“It’s too late for this week.” Mu Lingxi searched for the prison’s visitation hours. “I’ll make an appointment for a meeting next month and notify you once the date is confirmed.”

With Mu Lingxi in the Real World, Gu Huaiwei didn’t have to worry too much.

“By the way, has there been any news of anyone dying from poisoning in this city over the past year?” Gu Huaiwei had previously poisoned the Gold Coin in her apartment drawer. That coin had been taken, but she didn’t know if the person playing tricks in the shadows had been caught by it.

“News of poisoning… I think there was!” Secretary Wang usually kept an eye on current affairs. She lowered her head and began scrolling through her phone. “I remember seeing a news report a few months ago. It spoke of a new type of toxin with no antidote. More than one person was poisoned. It caused quite a stir at the time.”