āThese dried mushrooms donāt look⦠very delicious.ā Rozanne looks at the bag of dried mushrooms in my hand seriously for a few seconds before replying hesitantly.
Itās obvious that sheās a little embarrassed to say that the mushroom looks dry and blackāit causes alarms to go off, and it can hardly whet up an appetite. After all, Iād offered it out of kind intentions.
Hehe⦠I take this opportunity to change the topic.
āWhatās your drink called?ā
Rozanne immediately turns around and picks up the beverage bottle on the table. She says with a smile, āThis is it! The design looks cool, right?ā
The beverage bottle has a streamlined design with a footprint theme. The name is:
āReporter.ā
Thatās different from mine⦠I politely compliment, āLooks good.ā
Rozanne twists the cap that has been opened a long time ago as if sheās preparing to take a sip.
I instinctively want to stop her, but after opening my mouth, I realize that I donāt have a reason.
Furthermore, a third of the Reporter beverage is gone. This means that Rozanne has already drank it. Thereās no point in stopping her now.
Gulp⦠Rozanne lowers the bottle and twists the cap back on.
āIt doesnāt taste bad. Try it.ā
āOkay, okay,ā I say perfunctorily.
Rozanne doesnāt urge me any further. Instead, she points at the remaining beverage bottles in the plastic bag.
āYou can also switch bottles.ā
āNo need, thereās no need,ā I reply without hesitation.
Either way, I donāt intend to drink it. It doesnāt matter if I switch it or not.
After two seconds of deliberation, I look at Rozanne and probe, āHow do you feel after drinking it? Any special sensations?ā
āSpecial sensations? Do you think this is a drug? Erm, itās moderately sweet and refreshing. The fragrance will definitely be better after chilling it.ā Rozanne says, a little pissed.
She doesnāt look like sheās lying⦠This means that she probably didnāt obtain superpowers from the Reporter beverage⦠I subconsciously survey my surroundings and realize that my fellow colleagues have more or less drunk some of Rozanneās beverages, but none of them show any signs of abnormality.
They donāt even appear dazed or confused.
Could it be that only the Assassin beverage I picked last time has a special effect? I wonder if thatās considered being lucky or not⦠I quickly control my doubts and wave the Instigator beverage in my hand.
āIāll need to get down to work.ā
āGo ahead. Donāt let me stop you.ā Rozanne waves her hand casually.
Returning to my seat, I sit down. I look at the Instigator beverage in front of me and fall into deep thought.
After about twenty seconds, I use my large mug meant for drinking water. This is something I prepare for taking pleasant gulps of water. I open the cap of the Instigator beverage and pour the liquid inside.
Although I donāt plan on drinking this beverage, Iām curious about what the liquid inside looks like, and whether it contains some special powers.
Splash. I pour all of the Instigator beverage into my mug.
Thatās too little, isnāt it? That definitely isnāt 500 milliliters! I canāt help but look down on this beverageās manufacturer.
My mug isnāt small, but it usually canāt hold the entirety of a 550-ml bottle of mineral water.
In other words, while there appeared to be quite a bit of āInstigatorā in it, the manufacturer had actually cut corners!
Hmm, itās dark blue. Itās clear, and itās quite enticing⦠I carefully observe the liquid in the mug and gather some preliminary information.
Other than that, the drink is no different from anything else, at least not on the surface.
After some thought, I decide to throw something into the mug to see if there will be any changes.
What do I throw? I look around when I suddenly get a bout of inspiration.
Those dried mushrooms!
Anyway, this isnāt something I plan on eating, so I can use it for experiments.
I really am a genius!
Without any hesitation, I tear open the packaging and throw the black dried mushrooms into the dark blue liquid, watching them stretch out and expand slightly.
There arenāt any changes. Iām starting to think that Iām overthinking matters.
Suddenly, messages come from my workās chat group. I start to get busy.
About fifteen minutes later, I finish my work and raise my head, preparing to stretch my neck.
Suddenly, I see a mushroom!
A white and tender mushroom with red star dots all over it!
ā¦Where did this mushroom come from? I glance over and discover that itās growing in my mug.
Itās about the size of a palm. Its skin, noāits surface is so tender and supple. On the cap, there are mushrooms of the same breed, just like its hands and feet.
What the hell is this? Iām confused.
At that moment, the mushroom sways and the cap moves upwards as though it has lifted its head.
The two slightly larger red stars that look like eyes meet my gaze.
Just like that, I look at it, and it seems to be looking at me.
A few seconds later, the mushroom reaches out its many āhands,ā and using the edge of the mug as leverage, it jumps out.
In the next second, it jumps to the floor and wildly runs towards the office door.
F*ck⦠Iām still confused.
At the same time, I discover a problem: All of the Instigator beverage in the mug is gone.
Almost subconsciously, I stand up and chase after the mushroom.
I suspect that itās a product from the fusion of the Instigator beverage and the dried mushrooms!
I have to resolve this accident I caused, as soon as possible!
The mushroom is 'shortā and extremely fast. It passes through the office without being obstructed, and wasnāt even discovered. On the other hand, Iām stopped by my colleagues several times and have no choice but to slow down.
So, although the mushroomās footsteps are obviously smaller than mine, it still escapes from the company.
I-it charged into the company next door!
I subconsciously follow.
At this moment, the security guard next door stops me.
āWhat are you here for?ā the tall and strong security guard asks.
My mind races as I come up with an excuse:
āIām here for Vice President Wu.ā
āVice President Wu?ā The security officer doesnāt believe me. āIāll ask the front desk.ā
While heās walking to the front desk, I approach the door and gaze inside.
Iām shocked by what Iām seeing.
The employees of the company next door are either wearing black hooded robes or wearing strange costumes. Theyāre dancing with something similar to an āEmployeesā Dance for Business.ā
A cosplay convention? A masquerade ball? Itās only nine in the morning⦠Iām confused again, forgetting to sneak inside.
āWhatās your boss doing?ā I ask when the security guard returns.
Itās so strange!
The security officer shakes his head.
āI donāt know either.
āIām just a worker.ā
Tsk, the moment I hear that, itās obvious that heās trying to draw a clear line between him and them⦠I press, āIs your boss inside too?ā
āYes, that one over there who isnāt wearing anything,ā the security guard replies nonchalantly.
I focus my gaze, and the corner of my mouth twitches involuntarily.