Chapter 207 Huaishu Road Construction Site Strange Tales 05

Chapter 207 Huaishu Road Construction Site Strange Tales 05

Qin Fei, who had just slapped the person from Starry Day twice, remained completely unperturbed, his expression calm and composed.

An Yang retreated continuously, squeezing into the crowd.

He hadn't finished reading the rules for the women's clothing section, but he certainly didn't dare to stay near anything reflective anymore. Besides, his mouth was split open, and he couldn't make a sound now.

Qi Xiu stepped forward, taking over An Yang's position.

From An Yang's experience, it was clear that the rule "Stay away from mirrors" belonged to the category of mental pollution rather than an immediate death sentence.

Qi Xiu cautiously kept his gaze entirely on the notice paper, not giving even a glance to the glass wall beside him. He opened a small bottle of mental cleansing agent, sipping it bit by bit while continuing to read the rules.

4. The designated visiting time for the women's clothing section is 5 minutes.

If you stay in this area for more than 5 minutes, please take one or more pieces of clothing with you.

If you are an employee and need to spend the night in the women's clothing section, please change into the clothes sold within this area. The department store does not welcome outsiders.

The rules ended there, and a group of people squatted in the corridor, looking at each other.

"It's 5:10 now," said a player who claimed to have high mental immunity, nervously checking the clock hanging inside through the glass exterior.

"We left the construction site at exactly 5:00."

Qi Xiu frowned.

Crossing a road to enter the department store would take no more than two minutes.

In other words, they had already been in the women's clothing section for at least 8 minutes.

The players hesitated as they looked at the foreman nearby.

The foreman watched them with a half-smile, neither speaking nor urging them to leave.

"Let's follow the rules," Qi Xiu decided promptly. "The women's clothing section operates until 5:30. We should act quickly and finish this."

Although the shop in front of them was lit up, the players had been standing outside for so long without seeing any sign of the owner, making it impossible to enter and shop.

Everyone scattered instantly.

The layout of the first floor of Sinar Mas Department Store was quite complex. Although the paths were all straight, they crisscrossed each other, and the shops looked similar, causing dizziness after walking a short distance.

Qi Xiu and Mi Yang led the way at the front of the eastern team, while Lu Cheng looked around vigilantly, tightly holding onto Qin Fei's sleeve.

Actually, he wasn't that scared, but being close to Xiao Qin gave him a sense of security. Lu Cheng always felt that as long as Qin Fei was around, he would be invulnerable to harm.

The source of pollution glanced at Lu Cheng's hand before casually looking away.

A moment later, he subtly quickened his pace, tilting his head as if looking into a nearby shop, but "accidentally" bumped into Lu Cheng.

This collision conveniently separated Lu Cheng's hand from Qin Fei.

Immediately afterward, the man smoothly inserted himself between Lu Cheng and Qin Fei, effectively separating the two.

Lu Cheng: ?

Dude, don't think I'll be fooled just because you're acting?

Lu Cheng stared at the side profile of the source of pollution, showing a contemplative expression.

Although this NPC had joined their team, he spoke very little and seemed to have a knack for making others overlook his presence.

Despite having a striking face, if he wasn't directly in front of Lu Cheng, Lu Cheng sometimes forgot he was there.

Lu Cheng's gaze shifted back and forth between Qin Fei and the source of pollution.

With his sharp instincts as an experienced player, it was hard for him to believe that there was nothing behind the NPC's unusual attitude toward Xiao Qin.

The team, led by Qi Xiu and Mi Yang, turned a corner.

After passing countless closed or empty shops, the ten members of the eastern team finally found an open clothing store.

The short, plump, grayish-green-skinned shopkeeper sat on a plastic stool in the corner, playing with her phone.

When she saw someone come in, she merely lifted her head, showing no intention of greeting them.

"The supervisor mentioned earlier that we should buy things on the third floor of the department store, saving where we can here, and choosing cheaper items," Qi Xiu said.

The supervisor had told them not to be cheap on the third floor, so they would likely spend most of their day's wages there.

Lu Cheng frowned, scanning the shop.

The clothes in this shop were ordinary, mostly unisex T-shirts and jeans. Honestly, it was hard to tell from appearance whether they were women's or men's clothing.

"Check the tags," Qin Fei said, not seeing it as a big problem.

He picked up a nearby loose olive-green T-shirt. The tag read, "Lushui Town Sunshine Village No. 3 Women's Clothing Factory, Size M, Suggested Retail Price 156 RMB."

Checking further, the other clothes were also from this women's clothing factory, suggesting a fixed supply for this shop.

Qin Fei sifted through the hangers, finding the cheapest option. He specifically chose an XL size because the rule stated:

If you are an employee and need to spend the night in the women's clothing section, please change into the clothes sold within this area.

Although this rule didn't perfectly match their current situation, Qin Fei still chose something he could wear for safety.

The T-shirt cost 50 yuan. When Qin Fei went to pay, the other players had also almost finished selecting their clothes, with prices ranging from 50 to 100 yuan.

The shopkeeper slowly got up from her chair and moved towards the cash register like a snail.

The players were so anxious that their faces twitched, but they didn't dare to urge her easily.

She took the money and gave back the change.

Throughout the entire process, the shopkeeper did not utter a single word.

The atmosphere in the store was strange. Those who had initially thought about haggling no longer dared to speak up and hurriedly left with their purchases after everything was packed.

It wasn't until the group had walked more than ten meters away from the shop that Qin Fei suddenly turned his head around.

He felt as if something was watching him.

In the silent corridor, only the shop they had just visited was lit up, its dim yellow light blending with the flickering lights on the ceiling.

A huge shadow clung tightly to the glass door of the shop.

Upon closer inspection, it was the shopkeeper who had just taken their money.

Qin Fei's pupils constricted.

The shopkeeper's entire body was pressed against the glass, her face flattened, and her bulging eyes were filled with bloodshot veins.

Her hands spread out like webbed fingers, and her mouth was stretched into an exaggerated grin, making her face look incredibly eerie.

Lu Cheng noticed Qin Fei stopping and turned around too. Seeing the shopkeeper, he was startled and exclaimed, "Holy shit!!"

What's wrong with this NPC? It's terrifying!

Given that the shopkeeper looked like a zombie about to mutate and could break through the shop door at any moment, the players quickened their pace, nearly jogging back to their designated meeting point.

The foreman was still waiting there. This old building seemed to lack a smoke alarm, and the NPC had a cigarette butt hanging from his mouth, deep in thought.

Qi Xiu glanced at the NPC from a distance, hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a banknote and handed it to Qin Fei.

Before entering the team competition, the members of Starlight had studied the characteristics of the top players from other guilds. There was very little footage of Xiao Qin, but from the preliminary and individual matches, one conclusion was clear: Xiao Qin's innate skill must be related to NPCs.

For example, just now at the construction site, Qi Xiu had no doubt that if he had tried to chat with the foreman, the other party wouldn't have given him even a friendly glance.

Qin Fei accepted the money and understood Qi Xiu's intention without needing further explanation. The young man smiled and approached the foreman, smoothly slipping the banknote into his pocket.

The foreman's gaze towards Qin Fei instantly changed.

While the money wasn't much for the NPC, the young man's humble attitude always left a good impression. The foreman readily shared a new piece of information with Qin Fei:

"Third floor, B12, Room 1011."

Qin Fei's eyes flickered slightly. "Thanks, brother. By the way, does the third floor have any operating hours?"

The foreman took a hard drag from his cigarette, then stomped out the remaining butt on the ground. "Before midnight."

"After midnight, under no circumstances should you leave your dormitory," the foreman said seriously.

As they conversed, the other three groups of players returned one by one.

Lu Cheng keenly noticed that the South Team and North Team players did not look particularly good.

The North Team had someone from Butterfly, which had already created an opposing stance. Lu Cheng rolled his eyes and quietly moved next to Cui Wenxuan from the South Team.

"What happened?" Lu Cheng asked, not hiding his intent to gather information.

Cui Wenxuan was sweating profusely, as if he had just gone through intense exercise.

Lu Cheng's nosy demeanor was somewhat annoying, but Cui Wenxuan glanced at him and nodded towards Qin Fei and the foreman. "Are you guys planning to go to the third floor later?"

If Qin Fei's group could get information, the other players naturally had their own ways.

Since the other side already knew, Lu Cheng didn't hide it. "Yeah."

Cui Wenxuan's gaze shifted subtly towards the foreman before finally recounting what had happened. "Damn, we were just plain unlucky."

He glared at the North Team players angrily.

Earlier, both teams had headed in the same direction, circling several times before finding an open clothing store. Unfortunately, standing at the entrance of that store was a smiling salesperson.

The salesperson acted like a robot, mechanically welcoming them with a stiff smile.

"Our team ran away immediately, but the North Team lingered around the store for a bit," Cui Wenxuan explained.

Although the rules specifically mentioned avoiding shops with smiling staff at the entrance, the stained part of the rule seemed to apply specifically to after 5:30 PM when the women's section closed.

It was still before 5:30 PM, so perhaps the rule hadn't taken effect yet, which was why the North Team hesitated.

"I don't know exactly what happened, but after we bought our clothes and came out, we saw that salesperson chasing the North Team with two rusty machetes," Cui Wenxuan recounted.

Lu Cheng's eyes widened. "What??"

The monsters in this instance were indeed fierce.

The North Team players, chased by the salesperson, were about to miss the deadline for buying clothes. They encountered the South Team and, without hesitation, used an item to transfer the aggression onto them.

Cui Wenxuan's rear hadn't fully recovered when he suffered another unexpected disaster.