GBP Chapter 106 The Cursed Delivery Service and Workplace Mysticism
Chapter 106 The Cursed Delivery Service and Workplace Mysticism
The launch of Renxin Pharmacy's "medicinal cuisine business" quickly caused a sensation among high-end foodies and unhealthy office workers in Changxiang City.
Old Cai's "obsessive-compulsive vegetables" are so perfectly shaped that they've even been used as props by some online celebrities for photos, who call them "vegetables from the world of anime."
Those two exorbitantly priced dishes have become a touchstone for testing the true value of "Changxiang Celebrities".
But Wang Minyu did not become idle because of this.
He discovered that the greater his fame, the more bizarre the troubles that came his way.
On Wednesday afternoon, deliveryman Xiao Zhang stumbled into the pharmacy.
Normally, Xiao Zhang is a spirited young man who can carry two large boxes up to the fifth floor in one go.
But today, his face was ashen, his eyes were sunken, and he held an unopened express delivery box in his hands as if he were holding a bomb.
"Dr. Wang! Help!" Xiao Zhang collapsed to the floor as soon as he entered the room. "This package...this package is suspicious!"
The patients in the shop were all startled.
Qian Dafa, who was drinking soup, almost swallowed the spoon.
"If you're looking for a ghost, go find the fortune teller next door. I'm a doctor." Wang Minyu put down his medical book and glanced at Xiao Zhang.
The system panel pops up:
[Patient: Zhang Wei (Courier)]
Symptoms: Acute contact dermatitis, severe anxiety and panic attacks, and phantom touch.
[Cause: Contact with a package containing a high concentration of urushiol (volatile compounds from raw lacquer), coupled with psychological suggestion leading to neuropathic pain.]
"Nothing's wrong, it's just an allergic reaction." Wang Minyu calmly walked over. "Put the box down and stop shaking it."
Xiao Zhang trembled as he placed the box on the ground: "No, Dr. Wang, this box is really strange! It was addressed to a new company on the 18th floor of the 'Hongtu Building' in the west of the city. As soon as I took the package, my hand started to itch, and then it hurt more and more, like a million ants crawling inside my bones! And... I could even hear scratching sounds coming from inside the box!"
"A scratching sound?" Guan Shan, who was standing nearby, became interested and leaned over to listen. "It really does sound like something."
Su Qing put on gloves and said coldly, "It might be a live animal. If it's illegal to mail wild animals, I can call the police."
"Why don't we just take it apart and see?" Wang Minyu gestured for Su Qing to do it.
Su Qing skillfully cut the tape with a scalpel.
As the cardboard box was opened, a strange, sour, and rotten smell wafted out.
There were no monsters inside, only an antique vase wrapped tightly in red cloth, and... a few large termites frantically fleeing.
"Termites?" Qian Dafu leaned closer for a look. "What's so scary about that?"
"There's raw lacquer on this vase," Wang Minyu pointed to the dark red coating on the vase's surface, "and it's raw lacquer that hasn't completely dried. This urushiol is extremely volatile, commonly known as 'biting.' Xiao Zhang is sensitive, so this is a severe lacquer tree allergy. As for the sound, it's these termites gnawing at the wooden base inside."
Looking at his swollen, blistered hands, Xiao Zhang said with a mournful face, "That's it? You scared me to death! I thought I was cursed."
Wang Minyu prescribed him a tube of homemade "comfrey ointment" and asked Guan Shan to grab a handful of "desensitizing mung beans".
"The consultation fee is three hundred, plus two hundred for the disposal of this vase, making it five hundred in total." Wang Minyu took the money and looked at the vase thoughtfully.
Sending uncured lacquerware along with termites is clearly not a normal courier service.
Is this a prank, or... commercial poisoning?
"18th floor of Hongtu Building..." Wang Minyu muttered the address, "Whose territory is that?"
Qian Dafa, who was drinking soup, raised his hand: "My building. The 18th floor was just rented to a company that does live-streaming e-commerce, called something like 'Juxing Media'."
The boss is a strong, capable woman; I've heard she's very impressive.
Wang Minyu nodded.
Just then, his phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
"Hello, is this Dr. Wang from Renxin Pharmacy?" A capable but extremely tired female voice came from the other end of the phone. "I'm Liu Hong, the head of Juxing Media. I'd like to request a house call, the sooner the better."
"I don't make house calls," Wang Minyu replied decisively.
"One hundred thousand," the other party raised the price. "Just for you to come and take a look. My employees... are going crazy."
Wang Minyu glanced at the system panel.
[Temporary Quest Triggered: Workplace Ghost Stories]
[Description: A company brimming with negativity, a man-made mass hysteria.]
[Reward: 5000 Emotion Points, Skill "Group Psychological Intervention (Beginner)"]
"Guan Shan, grab the medicine kit." Wang Minyu stood up. "We've got a big deal."
18th floor of Hongtu Building.
The atmosphere here is indeed eerie.
It was broad daylight, but the office curtains were drawn and only a few dim lights were on.
The air was filled with a strange smell, a strong mixture of mugwort and perfume.
Dozens of young employees sat at their workstations, their faces pale and their expressions dazed.
Some were scratching their necks incessantly, some were talking to themselves in the air, and a few were even wearing amulets while working.
Liu Hong was a woman in her thirties, dressed in a business suit, but her hair was disheveled and she had dark circles under her eyes.
"Dr. Wang, look," Liu Hong said, pointing to the office, "this is the third time this week. First, someone said they heard crying, then everyone broke out in rashes, and now... many people say they see blood coming out of the keyboard."
"Bleeding?" Wang Minyu walked to a workstation and glanced at the keyboard.
Red liquid is seeping out from the gaps in the keycaps.
Su Qing leaned over and smelled it, then dipped her finger in it and put it in her mouth.
"Sister Su! That's blood!" Li Siyuan cried out in terror.
"It's ketchup." Su Qing wiped her hands expressionlessly. "Ketchup with added coloring and coagulants. And it was injected with a syringe."
Liu Hong was stunned: "Ketchup? But...but what's with the rash?"
Wang Minyu walked to the air vent of the central air conditioning and activated the [Qi Observation Technique].
The air conditioner vent was continuously spewing out extremely fine dust.
"Su Qing, go up and take a look."
Guan Shan lifted Su Qing up. Su Qing opened the access panel and took out a cloth bag.
Upon opening it, it was found to be full of dried lacquer tree leaf powder and glass fiber fragments.
"The case is solved." Wang Minyu tossed the cloth bag onto the table. "The fiberglass caused the skin to sting, and the lacquer powder caused allergic reactions and swelling. As for the crying... that was an auditory hallucination caused by an infrasound generator or resonance. This isn't a ghost story; someone is messing with you."
Liu Hong trembled with rage: "Who is it? How could they be so despicable!"
Wang Minyu looked around.
The system panel scans each person's head.
Most of the employees were genuinely fearful (gray), except for one male employee sitting in the corner whose emotional color above his head was... a strange excitement (dark red).
Suspect: Zhao Qiang (IT Manager)
[Psychological state: vengeful pleasure, jealousy, antisocial personality tendencies.]
[Motive: Rejected by Liu Hong in his pursuit of her, and dissatisfied with his year-end bonus distribution, he orchestrated this "paranormal event" with the intention of ruining the company.]
"Hey you in the plaid shirt," Wang Minyu pointed at Zhao Qiang, "come out and let's talk."
Zhao Qiang's expression changed, and he turned to run away.
"Guanshan!"
Guan Shan scooped up Zhao Qiang by the back of his collar, as if catching a chick, and lifted him up.
"Let me go! This is illegal detention!" Zhao Qiang struggled desperately.
"You stuff fiberglass into the air conditioner and put ketchup in your colleague's keyboard. That's considered dumping hazardous materials and intentional damage to property," Wang Minyu sneered. "President Liu, let's call the police. Only the police can deal with this kind of person."
After the police took Zhao Qiang away, the atmosphere in the office finally eased.
But the employees are still showing symptoms.
That kind of collective panic and real skin allergies can't be cured immediately just by scratching someone.
"Dr. Wang, this..." Liu Hong looked at the room full of employees still scratching their heads, almost in tears, "Should we still do today's live stream?"
"Let's do it." Wang Minyu waved his hand. "Not only will we do it, but we'll also do a special live broadcast."
He asked Li Siyuan to open the large medicine box he had brought, which was filled with premium mint and honeysuckle that Old Cai had gotten from him.
"Pierre didn't come, but I brought his recipe," Wang Minyu instructed. "Everyone, one cup of 'Refreshing and Heat-Clearing Drink'. Guan Shan, go and open all the curtains! Let the sun shine in!"
As sunlight streamed in, and with the soothing effect of the specially made herbal tea, the eerie atmosphere instantly dissipated.
Wang Minyu walked in front of the live broadcast camera.
"Hello everyone, I'm Dr. Wang from Renxin Pharmacy." Wang Minyu gave the camera a professional fake smile. "I heard this company is haunted? Today we're having a live broadcast about 'scientific ghost hunting.' By the way, we'll also be promoting one of our new products—'Renxin Peppermint Balm,' which is specially formulated to treat workplace anxiety and skin allergies."
The live stream chat exploded instantly.
[Holy crap! Isn't that Dr. Wang who made the actress imitate a monkey's cry?]
[This is such a dream collaboration! I always said there are no ghosts in this world, only people with guilty consciences!]
[Where's the link? Here it is! I want to buy that peppermint balm!]
What could have been a crisis that led to the company's collapse was transformed by Wang Minyu into a live-streaming sales extravaganza.
That evening, Liu Hong arrived at the pharmacy with a check for 100,000 yuan and a gleaming golden banner.
The banner reads: "Scientific exorcism, cures all diseases."
Wang Minyu accepted the check and tossed the banner to Guan Shan as an apron.
"Master, your 'group psychological intervention' technique today was amazing!" Li Siyuan flattered while counting money. "That IT manager was also quite a monster."
"In the workplace, people's hearts are more terrifying than ghosts and gods." Wang Minyu took a sip of Pierre's "Jade White Jade Soup." "However, today's gains are not just money."
He pointed to the system panel.
The deliveryman, Xiao Zhang, has become a die-hard fan of Renxin Pharmacy after his "allergic panic disorder" was cured.
He not only delivers takeout for the pharmacy every day for free, but also introduces all the brothers at his courier station to him for lumbar muscle strain.
"This is called channel penetration." Wang Minyu looked at Xiao Zhang, who was busy outside the door. "Every office worker is a potential VIP."
Just then, Su Qing walked over with a tablet in her hand.
"Boss, look at this."
On the screen is a newly trending topic.
A mysterious "vegetable cult" has emerged in Changxiang City, triggering a buying frenzy with sky-high cabbage prices. Is there a medical background behind it? Experts urge rational consumption!
The trending photos showed Old Cai's neatly arranged vegetable garden and the long queues outside Renxin Pharmacy.
"An expert?" Wang Minyu narrowed his eyes and saw the author's name at the end of the article—**Famous health expert and chief consultant of Kangmei Pharmaceutical: Liu Yizhen.
"It's Kangmei again." Wang Minyu sneered. "It seems that just taking their patients isn't enough; they're going to take over their core customer base."
He stood up and stretched.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll not only sell our medicinal cuisine, but also get it 'certified.' Since they call us a cult, we'll show them what 'lower-dimensional attack' really means."
"Guan Shan, get ready. Tomorrow we're going to visit this 'Liu Yizhen' expert. Remember to bring the biggest surgical scissors, and say... we're going to cut the ribbon for him."