Chapter 216 Strange Tales of Huaishu Road Construction Site 14

Chapter 216 Strange Tales of Huaishu Road Construction Site 14

Lu Cheng and Qi Xiu stood by the cash register.

The old glass counter, long neglected, creaked loudly when Lu Cheng accidentally bumped into its edge, producing a dull thud that echoed eerily in the darkness, followed by a piercing squeak.

Lu Cheng's heart involuntarily skipped a beat, and goosebumps danced across his skin.

Earlier, the shop owner had led them inside and pointed to the disarray of hangers and mannequins, assigning their task:

"The department store opens at 10 AM. Before then, you need to hang all the clothes according to their categories and place the plastic models on the corresponding hangers."

After hearing the instructions, Lu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. The task didn't seem too difficult; it would just take some time.

Although the store was a mess, it wasn't very large, and they still had two hours. It should be manageable.

However, the strange tale seemed intent on making things difficult for the players. Before Lu Cheng could fully relax, the owner spoke again:

"Start working quickly. I'm going to take a nap in the back. If any customers come in, remember to serve them."

This statement sounded odd. Qi Xiu pondered it and immediately sensed something amiss: "Wait, didn't you say the store opens at 10 AM? Why would there be customers 'soon'?"

Of course, this could also mean "customers will come after 10 AM, so remember to serve them."

But with Qi Xiu's sharp instincts honed from years of navigating the replicas, he suspected the owner was playing a word game.

The NPC paused.

She hadn't expected Qi Xiu to catch on so quickly and glanced at him in surprise.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her tone indifferent.

She didn't seem embarrassed about being caught in a contradiction or eager to explain further. Instead, she calmly and casually replied:

"The department store officially opens at 10 AM, but as you can see, the door is open. If customers come during this time, we can't turn them away, right?"

The owner gave them a forced smile.

Qi Xiu narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp like a blade: "Is that so?"

Lu Cheng had already relayed everything Qin Fei had warned him about to Qi Xiu.

And now, the owner's behavior was gradually confirming the validity of those warnings.

Her impatience was evident, written all over her face, her brows furrowed deeply enough to crush flies.

Yet, she didn't leave.

"Captain Qi, should we ask more questions?" Lu Cheng whispered, biting his lip. "This feels like a forced plot restriction."

The owner had wanted to leave earlier, but Qi Xiu's timely intervention kept her there.

Something was off.

Her staying after delivering such an ambiguous statement couldn't be mere coincidence.

It must be because Qi Xiu's question triggered a new plot point.

Lu Cheng realized they might have stumbled upon a hidden mission hint, which would have been concealed if Qi Xiu hadn't asked.

Thus, the next questions were crucial.

Would they waste this rare opportunity if they didn't ask the right thing?

Qi Xiu lowered his gaze.

His mind replayed what Lu Cheng had said earlier:

"Lyle meant for us to be cautious. The shop owner might be problematic."

"She could be on the ghost side, or perhaps opposing the ghosts but not wanting us to win either."

Although Lu Cheng still referred to Qin Fei as "Lyle," Qi Xiu knew from the beginning that Lyle was indeed Xiao Qin.

Xiao Qin, who had rocketed to the top of the leaderboard within three months.

Xiao Qin, who had outmaneuvered 200 players in the individual preliminaries.

Xiao Qin, who had recently dealt a significant blow to Yiwu.

Such a player's insights couldn't be ignored.

The shop owner is problematic.

Ghosts.

Factions.

These chaotic thoughts swirled in Qi Xiu's mind like tangled yarn.

He remained still, and the NPC opposite him did not move either.

The shop owner suddenly resembled a wound-up puppet, frozen in place.

From that moment, she lost all vitality, neither speaking nor moving, her expression rigid, her unblinking dark pupils staring straight at the two players.

Within the shop, where no lights were turned on, the darkness seeped into every corner like poison, making one's chest feel heavy.

Outside the glass door, faint light from an unknown source filtered through the gaps in the blackout curtains, casting deep shadows on the wall.

Qixiu's heart pounded incessantly. Perhaps it was true that people were more likely to have flashes of inspiration under tense circumstances. Staring at the shopkeeper's unwavering, eerie smile, he suddenly had a revelation:

"Those customers who will enter the shop later, are they really customers?"

"Or rather..."

"Are they truly alive?"

His words left the shop in dead silence.

The shopkeeper did not respond. The atmosphere in the room became stifling, and Qixiu and Lu Cheng slowed their breathing, afraid to make any noise.

One minute passed.

Two minutes passed.

Until a moment came when the NPC's expression suddenly relaxed.

"Why would you think that way?"

The shopkeeper suddenly came to life, as if a doll had been infused with a soul.

She reverted to her ordinary middle-aged woman appearance, looked up, and gazed at Qixiu meaningfully:

"Who else but the living could come into this building to buy things?"

"Some customers can indeed be quite troublesome..." the shopkeeper said slowly, "but don't worry. If anyone does come, I'll give you a hint."

Qixiu pressed further: "What kind of hint?"

The shopkeeper reluctantly replied: "When a customer comes to buy clothes, I'll tell you whether you should do business with them. Some customers cannot be served; just refuse their purchase requests outright."

After saying this, the shopkeeper refused to say anything more, looking disgruntled as she pulled back the curtain and retreated into the small room behind it.

Lu Cheng secretly extended vines to investigate and whispered to Qixiu: "Behind the curtain is a small storage room. The shopkeeper is sitting in a rocking chair with her eyes closed, as if she's sleeping."

Of course, neither Lu Cheng nor Qixiu believed that the NPC was actually sleeping.

Lu Cheng bent down to pick up the scattered clothes while saying, "I don't think we can fully trust what the shopkeeper says."

If the shopkeeper was genuinely willing to guide them and tell them which customers to serve and which to avoid, why didn't she say so from the beginning?

It was only after being pressed for answers that she revealed the truth.

Clearly, she had ill intentions.

Qixiu responded with a nod: "I suspect that the customers coming in might include both humans and ghosts. We need to distinguish between them and respond accordingly."

As he spoke, he and Lu Cheng began tidying up the shop.

If real customers did arrive, a messy shop might upset them.

Together, they spent about ten minutes organizing the scattered clothes, sorting and hanging them.

The shop remained dark, with mannequins standing stiffly in place, making it look as if the shop was full of people.

Lu Cheng turned on his flashlight, covering the upper half to prevent the beam from shining outside and attracting unwanted attention.

"Hmm?"

While using the flashlight to check the size tags on the clothes, Lu Cheng noticed a corner of paper curled up on the wall nearby.

He stood up.

"Cough, cough!"

A muffled cough came from behind the curtain, as if trying to stop him.

Ignoring it, Lu Cheng shone the flashlight on the wall.

The paper bore several lines of bold text, and upon closer inspection, it was indeed the rules of the clothing store.

"Shopping Guide for Cosmo Lady Women's Clothing Store"

1. Our operating hours align with the women's section of Sinar Mas Department Store, but if you come early or late, we still welcome your visit.

2. Our inventory is well-stocked, with complete sizes. Whatever you want, we have.

3. Our staff has the right to refuse any customer's purchase request.

Lu Cheng stared thoughtfully at the text on the wall.

"From the third rule, at least half of what the shopkeeper said seems credible," Qixiu frowned.

It was normal for customers to visit before the department store officially opened, and they did indeed have the right to refuse purchases.

Lu Cheng clicked his tongue: "What remains to be seen is whether we can trust the shopkeeper's guidance later."

Qixiu had already speculated that the upcoming customers might include both humans and ghosts.

Following a logical approach, doing business with humans would be acceptable, while dealing with ghosts would not.

But it could also be the opposite.

Refusing human customers might only anger them, leading to a scolding, but refusing ghosts could lead to far worse consequences.

Lu Cheng nodded. "And there's also the reason we give when we refuse customers. According to the rules, we can't use reasons like 'out of stock' or 'not available' to reject a customer's purchase request."

After saying this, Lu Cheng reflected, "But isn't that the most appropriate reason?"

If it wasn't because something was out of stock, what other valid reason could they have to openly refuse a customer?

"It feels... like it's getting even more dangerous," Lu Cheng said with a wry smile.

If they angered a ghost customer, would they be instantly obliterated on the spot?

Qi Xiu immediately felt the pressure mounting. Why was this damned side quest so difficult?

"How are the others doing now?" Qi Xiu asked Lu Cheng.

In his guild channel, Qi Xiu could directly communicate with the other players in Xingzhuo, knowing that they were currently tracking two other teams on the fourth and fifth floors.

Asking Lu Cheng was to find out about the situation on the sixth floor.

Lu Cheng's hand paused as he hung up the clothes.

He hadn't heard any noise from the sixth floor for a long time.