Immortal I Speedrun Supernatural Game

Chapter 668 An Unpayable Debt of Wishes

"What did you say?"

Employee #5982 was somewhat stunned.

He had never seen such a comforting officer before; not only did he lack any professionalism, but his attitude was extremely rude.

Come on, buddy, this is a target you need to appease for a work assignment. You just barged into someone's house without a care in the world, and you're sitting on the sofa eating fruit that doesn't belong to you, acting like you're the host. What are you trying to do?

Wu Wang raised an eyebrow at this.

While still chewing on an orange, he replied, "Although I don't know how many times you've complained, I'm sure every single one of them was rejected, right? Otherwise, the higher-ups wouldn't have sent someone to appease you instead of directly resolving the issue."

"I bet the factory's response to you is that there's nothing wrong with the product, but rather with your expectations. In other words, they think the problem is with you, and the only one who needs to be addressed is the person with the problem."

“If you don’t tell me your story and can’t move me to believe that there’s a problem with the product, then I’ll have to take care of you.”

"So, what's wrong with her, or what's wrong with you?"

After saying that, Wu Wang picked up a small knife from the fruit plate and casually twirled it in his hand.

She gestured with the tip of the knife towards the man's neck, as if calculating the angle at which to cut without making the scene even more unsightly.

At that moment, it was unclear whether the man was frightened or genuinely deep in thought.

He didn't speak immediately.

Seeing this, the man's wife walked over with a smile, gently placed her hand on his shoulder, and said softly:

"Ping, are you angry again?"

"The doctor said you have high blood pressure, and you should pay attention to your emotions..."

"Shut up," the man interrupted.

His voice wasn't very loud.

There was absolutely no indication of him losing control of his emotions.

But the power contained in these three words is a weight accumulated over time.

A year ago, after losing control and yelling at his wife, he would add, "I'm sorry, I wasn't yelling at you." But now, after saying those three words, he doesn't even turn around to look at his wife.

Upon hearing this, the wife did not resist or defend herself; she simply obediently took a half-step back and stood at the boundary that would not interfere with Wu Wang's conversation with the man.

Every movement she made was impeccable.

Looking at this scene, Wu Wang narrowed his eyes; he had already realized where the problem with the product lay.

After scolding his wife, the man walked to the sofa, sat down next to Wu Wang, and picked up a segment of orange from the fruit plate.

But he merely held it up to examine it, showing no sign of putting it in his mouth.

“She does everything perfectly, I have nothing to say about that.” The man’s voice was quite calm: “Every meal is my favorite dish, every word she says is perfectly timed to the point where I feel most comfortable, and she never talks in her sleep. Do you know what my wife used to talk about in her sleep?”

Wu Wang slowly placed the fruit plate in his hand on the table in front of him, shook his head to indicate that he did not know, and gestured for the other party to continue.

He knew that what the man needed now was not comfort, but someone to confide in.

This is also why those so-called appeasement specialists failed to complete their appeasement efforts.

Because the employees here don't care why the other person needs to be comforted; they just want to complete the act or task of comforting.

This is a ridiculous thing in itself.

They want to solve a problem, but they don't want to know what the problem is.

“Sometimes she curses at me, sometimes she calls out the names of her deceased parents, and sometimes she talks nonsense that I can’t understand. When I wake up the next day and I repeat what she says, she says I’m making it up.” The man smiled, but the smile was a little bitter. “By the way, she grinds her teeth when she’s asleep. I complain to her about it, but she never listens.”

The man paused at this point.

He kept rubbing the orange in his hands and said:

“But every time she grinds her teeth, I know she’s still there, I know it’s not just an empty shell without a soul.”

Wu Wang stood up.

He walked up to the wife and looked her up and down repeatedly.

He didn't know what technology the Desire Factory used to create these returning deceased individuals; perhaps it was some kind of technology far beyond the real world, or perhaps some kind of supernatural force.

At least with one's own observation skills, it's impossible to tell whether it's a real person or a product from its appearance and any subtle details of its movements.

"When did you realize she wasn't your wife?" Wu Wang asked.

The man blinked, paused for a few seconds as if recalling something, and then said firmly:

“I felt something was wrong on the first day, the first night she came back.”

"She still had a smile on her lips even after she fell asleep. When I got up to get a drink of water in the middle of the night and saw that gentle smile that I usually thought was gentle, I was so scared that my heart almost stopped."

“She used to smile like that. When she was asleep, her mouth would even be slightly open, and a little bit of drool would drip onto the pillow.”

The man put down the orange in his hand, clenched his trouser leg, and finally, his eyes showed the first glimmer of light other than age that Wu Wang had seen since entering the room.

It wasn't hope, nor the yearning for a beautiful light, but rather a real, unadorned fear.

With a slightly trembling voice, she said, "I spent a week confirming that the feel of her body, the temperature, and even the dishevelment of her hair were exactly the same as before. There was absolutely no flaw. I even tried to deceive myself, thinking that maybe I remembered wrong?"

“But I will never forget the moment she called my name, even though she has now corrected her ways.”

“She never used to call me by my full name, not even when we were arguing, but this person—she called me Zhou Ping when she first came back.”

The man repeated the two words as if slowly peeling off a band-aid from a wound that had not yet healed.

“Zhou Ping…she called me Zhou Ping…”

Wu Wang swallowed the last bit of orange that remained in his mouth.

She walked back to the man, pointed to his wife beside him, and asked, "So, theoretically speaking, she's right about everything, but you just don't feel it's right?"

Zhou Ping, whose employee number is #5982, did not speak.

He simply watched Wu perish silently.

As he continued to speak eloquently:

"Actually, this factory is quite impressive. Its product quality is truly top-notch. The product design is exquisite. Every strand of hair and every movement uses raw materials that evoke your sacrificial memories. The only flaw is that it's too considerate."

"For example, if your wife were still alive, she would definitely scold you for buying the wrong oranges, saying that they were so sour they made my teeth hurt."

Wu Wang stuck out his tongue at the fruit plate.

These oranges definitely weren't bought by this wife, otherwise they wouldn't be so ridiculously sour. If she were buying them, she would have carefully selected them to ensure they were perfect.

Seemingly having overheard Wu Wang mentioning that the oranges were sour, they ate one before Zhou Ping could take a bite.

His wife immediately spoke softly, "It's alright, Ping, I'll buy it tomorrow."

These seemingly timely words of comfort, however, only confirmed Wu Wang's mockery, making Zhou Ping tremble even more noticeably.

Finally, as if all her strength had been drained, she slumped onto the sofa and asked Wu Wang, "Then what is she? Is she a problem with after-sales service or a problem with the person?"

Wu Wang responded without the slightest hesitation:

"Of course it's an after-sales issue. She's just a product, not a person."

“Friend, I experienced your wish in the Wish Showroom, and felt your orange-scented memories of your wife in the renderings.”

"But that memory is only worth 50 wish points, while you need a full 8000 wish points to buy the service to bring the deceased back to life."

"Have you ever wondered why there's such a big price difference between the two?"

Zhou Ping was somewhat puzzled by this question.

He subconsciously said, "One is a dream experience, and the other is a real person. Of course, they are different..." But Wu Wang interrupted him decisively.

He then said with a mocking expression, "Wrong! It's just because dead people aren't worth much."

"Do you think your dead wife is worth so many wish points? The one who's really valuable is you, who's still alive."

"You still remember her, and every time you think of her, your heart aches. Time cannot erase the heartache of wanting to win her back."

"You're not redeeming her from hell at all; you're just working for a heartless factory. They're using your wife's death as bait to make you work for love. Don't you find that ironic? You're working day and night to bring her back, while the factory is exploiting your efforts and selling your longing for double the profit."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask around and see if your wife has any further expenses to pay."

Because of my previous experience purchasing immersive experience services at the Wish Showroom.

Even these 50 wish points can be sold separately, constantly inducing employees to make additional purchases.

Wu Wang did not believe that the 8000-point "Return of the Dead" item was a one-off deal.

Otherwise, the factory wouldn't have sent someone to persuade the other party to go back to work.

Judging from the big boss's personality, or rather, the nature of his desires.

A desire factory can never truly satisfy its employees.

brush--

Zhou Ping suddenly stood up from the sofa.

In his emotional state, he bumped his knee into the leg of the table in front of him, causing the fruit plate on it to wobble and several orange segments to roll onto the floor.

His wife, almost instinctively, wanted to bend down to pick it up, but Zhou Ping grabbed her arm.

He felt the other person's hand, the warmth and the lines on the palm were exactly as he remembered.

Finally, Zhou Ping uttered those words:

"Is there anything else I need to pay you? Like wish points?"

He asked this question to his wife, but he was also speaking to his own desire bracelet.

This also means that he was inquiring about the services and price of the "Return of the Deceased" product from a consumer's perspective.

Instead of a dissatisfied employee constantly grumbling and complaining like before.

This was the first time in two years since Zhou Ping's wife returned home that he truly treated her not as a human being, but as a mere commodity to be questioned.

This is something that other appeasement specialists have been unable to do.

Whether it's due to a person's rebellious nature or because Zhou Ping is unwilling to accept this fact.

The more they tried to soothe Zhou Ping's emotions and make him ignore the abnormality in his wife's feelings that were not apparent and were merely a matter of personal perception, the more they tried to calm him down.

Zhou Ping found it increasingly difficult to accept that the people in his memory had become strangers.

But Wu Wang was different; he wouldn't say a single word of comfort.

His sharp tongue is like a scalpel, precisely dissecting and revealing the bloody truth.

They don't care whether the other party listens or not; the facts are right in front of them, and the more the other party ignores them, the more upset they become.

Just like Wu Wang's precise self-analysis at the door.

He's not good at comforting people.

Instead, they sabotage it.

Sure enough, after hearing Zhou Ping's question, the wife showed unfamiliar behavior for the first time.

Her shoulders and head slumped slightly, and the look in her eyes dimmed, like a flashlight that had lost its power.

At this moment, she was neither the wife who would swear nor the perfect counterfeit; she was simply a customer service representative answering customer questions.

The voice also lost its gentleness, instead becoming filled with a mechanical and unnatural quality.

"Employee #5982, real name Zhou Ping, your special edition of 'The Return of the Deceased', total price 8000 Wish Points."

"3000 points have been paid, and the remaining 5000 points will accrue interest at a compound rate of 5% per month. The current Wish Point debt is -6500 points."

"Work hard and repay on time. Desire Factory is with you."

Zhou Ping stood there, stunned, muttering to himself, "No...it's impossible...how could I still owe so much?"

The wife mechanically replied, "Your first repayment will occur 30 days after you officially sign for the product. Each automatic deduction will be made in the order authorized in the contract—first the handling fee, then the service fee, then the interest, and finally the principal."

"To date, you have not repaid any principal."

This is not just a matter of not repaying the principal; the interest has compounded to over 1500 points!

Zhou Ping also couldn't understand this.

Even with compound interest, it shouldn't be this much! He's not just constantly accruing interest on his debts!

He instinctively gritted his teeth and questioned, "I've been working for two years! I've been making my payments on time every month!"

The light bulbs in the open kitchen also happened to emit a slight, low-frequency hum, a very faint sound like a person's patience slowly running out.

Every month, in order to repay the loan debt, Zhou Ping couldn't bear to replace the old and worn-out appliances in his home.

But now they're telling him he's owing even more?!

To this, his wife responded with only her cold, empty eyes: "According to factory policy, the Wish product will continue to incur maintenance and service fees during the activation period. This is to better provide you with stable and quality-assured service."

This made Zhou Ping even more confused.

Before he could ask any further questions, Wu Wang, who was standing by watching the show, began to explain.

He understood.

Therefore, their expressions became increasingly interesting.

"Dude, your wife charges for every smile she gives."

call--

Zhou Ping's chest heaved even more violently.

I felt like I'd just been jolted awake from a sleepwalking state, and I was still groggy and didn't know what had happened.

He smiled.

It wasn't that I felt ridiculous; it was more of a bitter feeling that made it hard to breathe.

"Your smile at me on your very first day back home was already being charged?" His voice rose several octaves. "Every word of concern, every time you called out to me, every time you assured me you were really back, were all of that fucking being charged?"

"I'm making repayments when I'm awake, I'm making repayments when I'm asleep, I'm even dreaming about paying interest and that bullshit service fee to you?"

His response was Wu Wang's mocking voice—

"According to Article 86, Item 7, Sub-point 9 of the employment contract, the customer was aware of all subsequent costs incurred before purchasing the desired product."

"Oh, and there are also the terms of the wish loan. Do you need me to explain them to you in detail?"

The contract terms were as thick as a dictionary.

Wu Wang remembered everything.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have complained that this was a black-hearted factory.

Debts incurred here can never be repaid! (End of Chapter)