"I—I... zzz... I am the butler..."
"Zzz... follow me... zzz..."
Without the hat that originally covered his head, Wen Xirou was horrified to realize that man's face could no longer be called human.
Most of his face bore the marks of severe burns—charred black flesh clung to exposed bone, and yellow pus seeped from the gaps between his eyeballs and sockets.
It was impossible for anyone to survive being burned to this extent.
Wen Xirou stood frozen in place, her whole body stiff, and she could even hear the faint sound of her teeth chattering.
However, when she lifted her eyes and saw Wan Qian standing in front of her, she felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance for a moment.
Wan Qian narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the thing before her.
"A stuntman? Or a robot?"
The farm's competitors truly had sinister motives and never changed their wicked ways! They were willing to invest so much just to engage in malicious competition.
Suddenly, the man lunged at Wan Qian. Despite his twisted, his speed was terrifyingly fast.
Wan Qian wasn't quick enough to dodge, and in an instant, he was right in front of her. Instinctively, she raised her arm to block. A scorching pain seared her arm.
Acting on reflex, Wan Qian lifted her leg and kicked hard, her foot striking the man's chest.
In an instant, the man flew like a kite with its string cut, tumbling a short distance before crashing heavily to the ground.
Wan Qian looked down at her arm—an angry red burn mark was already forming.
How despicable! How shameless! She had originally thought these bastards were just using some tricks to scare their employees, but she never expected they would actually dare to harm someone.
Wan Qian couldn't help but feel relieved—it was fortunate that she was the one who encountered this. If it had been one of her employees, they'd surely claim it as a workplace injury, and she'd have to pay for their medical expenses.
As for herself? Tough-skinned and durable, and she'd be fine after having the butler take her to apply some ointment later.
Seeing the man struggling to get up again, Wan Qian quickly rushed forward. Fearing another burn, she decided not to use her hands and instead lifted her foot, pressing it firmly on the man's back.
The man struggled violently, his hands scraping wildly at the muddy ground, leaving behind scorched marks. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape from beneath Wan Qian's foot.
At that moment, the butler, realizing something was wrong, finally arrived.
"Ms. Wan..." The words he was about to say were left unsaid as the butler, who had hurried over, stood frozen a few steps away from Wan Qian. The worry on his face had not yet faded, but it had already turned into a look of complete disbelief.
His gaze slowly drifted downward—from Wan Qian's face to her legs, and finally, to the thing pinned beneath her foot.
"Oh, you're here." Wan Qian greeted him casually, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
The always-meticulous butler looked unexpectedly disheveled this time.
His black tailcoat was slightly rumpled, mud clung to his pant legs, and his once-pristine white gloves were stained with soot and grime.
Even his neatly tied hair had come undone, the hairband broken, leaving his long hair completely unbound.
"You're both fine, that's good." After a while, the butler seemed to finally regain his sense of awareness, and the familiar smile reappeared on his face.
Wan Qian looked down at the thing beneath her foot, hesitating before asking, "Should I leave this to you to handle?"
The butler nodded gently, "Of course, leave it to me."
Wan Qian lifted her foot.
It was only then that Wen Xirou noticed that the man, or more accurately, the monster, dressed in all black, had been pressed several centimeters into the mud by Wan Qian's stomp. Even his back had a deep shoe print.
The butler noticed it too, his gaze lingering on the imprint for a few seconds.
"Uh..." Wan Qian felt a bit guilty.
Even though this was a intruder sent by a rival company for malicious competition, she wasn't sure if she would have to compensate for any damages.
The butler looked up at Wan Qian and said warmly, "Don't worry. I'll take care of the rest."
He then gestured toward a path ahead. "You two can follow this road—just a short distance ahead is the office."
Leaving the trouble to the butler had always been something Wan Qian felt completely at ease with.
She took his advice, pulling Wen Xirou along as they followed the path forward. Sure enough, after a short walk, the familiar red rooftop of the two-story building came into view.
The sky had also cleared. Wen Xirou looked up. It still felt as if a layer of frosted glass separated her from the sun, making its exact position unclear. But the leaden gray clouds from earlier were gone, and sunlight poured down freely.
Only then did Wen Xirou notice the large red marks on the arm of the hand that Wan Qian was holding, clearly caused by a burn.
"You're hurt!"
Wan Qian glanced at her own arm and casually shifted her gaze away. "Oh, it's fine. Fortunately, it wasn't on you."
Wen Xirou was so beautiful; if she had gotten a burn that left a scar, the farm would probably have to pay a lot of money.
Hearing this, Wen Xirou froze. Wan Qian would rather get injured herself than let her be harmed?! Her emotions churned—grateful yet guilty.
"Next time, don't take such risks!" Not knowing what else to say, Wen Xirou finally managed to squeeze out these words after a long pause. Though deep down, she knew Wan Qian might not listen.
Wen Xirou replayed everything that had just happened in her mind.
Most likely, the moment the man appeared, Wan Qian had already deduced that the latter half of Rule 4 was at least partially incorrect.
[If you encounter anyone in black attire, do not worry; he is the farm butler. You can seek assistance from the farm butler for any difficulties.]
An employee in black attire could be a butler, or it could be something else. Only the butler was safe. Everything else carried a risk.
Even knowing this, as the Secrets Unraveler, Wan Qian willingly stepped into danger in order to uncover clues. She had confronted the monster entity head-on, even at the risk of injury.
Wen Xirou tightly clenched the piece of paper in her palm. It was the note that had fallen from the broken umbrella after the monster bit it in half, the same umbrella Wan Qian had asked her to pass.