Zhong Jian's once-ordinary face was now twisted to the extreme, his eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out, his lusterless pupils still clouded with terror.
Blood leaked from his seven orifices, and his mouth hung wide open like a black hole.
This didn't look like sudden death from overwork at all; rather, it looked as if... he had seen something truly horrifying.
"Were there any abnormalities before Zhong Jian died?"
"Yes, he kept talking to himself."
Nan Yue looked at the speaker, Geng Xin Hui, who was Zhong Jian's desk neighbor and the one who had witnessed the entire event.
"He hasn't been right since yesterday, always saying something was following him. I tried to comfort him, saying it was just hallucinations from the stress, but he just cursed at me."
As Geng Xin Hui spoke, the people around them began to remember as well. "Right, Little Zhong even told Little Geng to get lost back then."
"Anyway, he's been acting paranoid these past two days, always looking behind him. He couldn't focus on his work either, and the Team Leader scolded him several times."
"The more he was scolded, the more anxious he became, and his mental state just kept getting worse."
Geng Xin Hui shook his head. He wasn't in a good state himself, and the same went for everyone else in the Sales Department. Their evaluations mainly depended on their performance, and everyone looked half-dead.
"Enough. Don't spread rumors about this. We don't need everyone panicking. You few who were close to Zhong Jian should go home and rest early today."
Nan Yue's authority was now even greater than that of a department head, so Geng Xin Hui and the others naturally listened to her.
Gu Xiang Kai had already taken over as the Team Leader, so Nan Yue found an opportunity to speak with him privately.
"Don't you think Zhong Jian's reaction looked a lot like he saw a ghost?"
Gu Xiang Kai rubbed his face, knowing exactly what Nan Yue meant.
"I didn't sense anything. Even though the Sales Department is large, there are many scavengers here, and no one else reported seeing a ghost."
Nan Yue nodded. "Then he was the only one who could see it."
What did Zhong Jian see?
From what point had something been following him that others couldn't see?
And what exactly did he see right before he died? Based on his expression, he had definitely been scared to death.
What concerned Nan Yue even more was why Zhong Jian had died in the first place.
Since Gu Xiang Kai had put it that way, it meant Zhong Jian definitely hadn't committed any violations. At most, he suffered from some identity confusion, similar to Tan Jiaojiao before him.
But Tan Jiaojiao was fired for talking back to a superior; at least she didn't die on the spot.
Why did Zhong Jian die so suddenly?
Nan Yue called Gu Xiang Kai out amidst the chaos to ask him about the situation.
Sure enough, Gu Xiang Kai admitted that working in the Sales Department for a long time made it very easy to get lost in one's role.
"You have no idea how many times today I wanted to scream at those clients and project managers who were losing their tempers for no reason."
Nan Yue remained silent. That might not be identity confusion; it might just be your own bad temper.
She trusted Gu Xiang Kai's ability. Even if others suffered from identity confusion, he definitely wouldn't.
She didn't believe Gu Xiang Kai actually wanted to make a name for himself in this company.
Knowing Gu Xiang Kai's personality, he would just be a lazy drone if it weren't for the mission objectives.
"I think this mission seems to make people gradually forget their own identities."
Nan Yue thought for a moment and adjusted her wording. "I've already encountered two scavengers who confused their goals, focusing entirely on the evaluation and forgetting about the mission itself."
Gu Xiang Kai suddenly paused. "I... I encountered one before too."
He scanned the crowd and found a man whose face was full of panic. He pointed with his thumb. "That one, Zhang Haojun. He had a similar reaction two days ago. I gave him a warning."
Nan Yue looked over and saw that Zhang Haojun was indeed more panicked than the others. He was constantly turning his head back and forth. When he saw Gu Xiang Kai, his eyes lit up with relief, and he walked toward them.
"Brother Gu."
Zhang Haojun felt he had escaped death thanks to Gu Xiang Kai's warning, and then he looked at Nan Yue.
"This is my boss," Gu Xiang Kai said casually.
Zhang Haojun didn't find it odd and followed suit with a nod. "Boss."
Nan Yue was speechless.
"I heard you almost suffered from identity confusion as well?"
Zhang Haojun wiped the cold sweat from his face. "Yes. For some reason during those two days, I just felt like I had to work hard. I finally made it into the company, so I couldn't afford to fail the first week's evaluation."
"I'm ashamed to say it, as I've completed quite a few missions, but it was like I was blinded by obsession. I didn't exactly forget my identity, but there was a voice in my heart constantly reminding me that I should prioritize my work."
Zhang Haojun shook his head with a bitter smile. "If Brother Gu hadn't reminded me, the one who died today might have been me."
Seeing that Zhang Haojun had calmed down a bit, Nan Yue asked, "During that time... did you see anything strange?"
"For example... was anyone following you?"
Zhang Haojun had just regained his composure, but upon hearing Nan Yue's words, his entire body began to tremble, and even his pupils quivered.
"...Yes..."
"I thought... it was just my imagination."
Zhang Haojun began to look back frequently again. Neither Nan Yue nor Gu Xiang Kai interrupted him. Only after he turned his head for the fifth time and found nothing did he settle down slightly.
"Two days ago, I stayed late until 1:00 AM because of a client. Usually, everyone leaves by midnight, but that client demanded contract revisions for the sixth time. I wanted to close the deal, so I just kept working like a mule."
"At the time, I was even talking to myself, saying that work is always hard and that once I closed this deal, I'd be safe for the week. I also wanted to reach a higher rank quickly."
"By the time I finished the overtime, I was the only one left in this office area. I could hear someone in District B still on the phone. Although they were far away, the sound of another person made me feel a bit more at ease."
Zhang Haojun's voice became tight and dry. "That's when it happened. While I was packing my things, I felt... someone was watching me."
Zhang Haojun swallowed hard. "When I looked back, I saw someone standing at the corner."
Nan Yue followed his finger. It was the junction between the corridor and Office Area A, a corner that was easy to overlook even now.
"The corridor has sound-activated lights, and only my desk was lit in Area A. So... so that person was standing in the darkness."
"My brain didn't register it at first. I thought someone else had come back to work late, so I called out to them twice, but they didn't answer."
Zhang Haojun wiped his face; he was starting to sweat again. "That's when I felt something was wrong. That person just stood there motionless in the dark. Even though we were far apart, I knew he was looking at me."
"I bolted toward District B and found the two people still working there. I only felt safe once I was with them. That person didn't follow me."
Zhang Haojun took a deep breath. "I thought it was a prank or that my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I saw him again the next day."
"It was in the cafeteria at noon. That person was closer to me, maybe only seven or eight meters away. He just stood there quietly while people bustled around him to get food, but it was like they couldn't see him at all."
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