Chapter 1166: Refugee Tent
Lin Sanjiu thought Bonnie Bunny was fast, but the female NPC was even faster. Before she could protest or stop Gardenia, the NPC"s chubby hand, like a hungry mouse, swiftly s.n.a.t.c.hed the two plastic cornea models from the counter and swallowed them up.
What good would it do for her?
Lin Sanjiu glared at Gardenia"s back. If she had the strength, she would have shaken her head violently to get some points out of her. NPCs at the payment counter often rotated s.h.i.+fts, and now that she had given the corneas to this female NPC, who knew when she would appear again? Gardenia had even told her about this!
After bribing and receiving a bribe, pleasantries were inevitable. During their insincere exchange, Gardenia"s speech became faster and her gaze kept darting back and forth at the players surrounding them. Despite this, she stubbornly stayed put, lowering her voice to ask Lin Sanjiu, "Can the two of you stall them for a while?"
"What exactly do you want to do?"
"Let me take ten minutes to explain properly," Gardenia said, turning her head, her eyes widening even more than Lin Sanjiu"s, as if she found Lin Sanjiu unreasonable. "While the NPC could change s.h.i.+fts at any time, and we could be attacked at any time, let me explain it to you properly!"
Why was she so angry?
When Hei Zeji heard the word "stall," he immediately became alert. However, after looking at Wus.h.i.+ Ming in his hands and the two people beside him, and considering the number of approaching players, he shook his head at Lin Sanjiu. "I"ll be fine. They will be in trouble, but you... who knows?"
Gardenia rubbed her temples vigorously and said in a hushed voice, "Think of a way! We can"t just give away the corneas for nothing!"
Arguing with her at this point wouldn"t be of any use. The aftereffects of the coffee had completely taken hold of Lin Sanjiu now. She felt weak and dizzy, looking around in a daze. Even she couldn"t help but s.h.i.+ver as she a.s.sessed her surroundings. There were at least ten people slowly approaching the payment counter. The clearest view she had was of a trio, perhaps because they were closer due to their larger group. These three men had similar appearances and intact limbs, with a small, peculiar statue sitting on each of their shoulders.
With just a quick glance at the others, when she s.h.i.+fted her gaze back, those few statues were now clearly visible in her field of vision. These half-human, half-monkey stone statues were no larger than half a child, with long toes hooked down onto the shoulders of their hosts, and their mouths stretched from ear to ear. The three seemingly brotherly posthumans all had serious expressions, but the stone statues were increasingly cheerful one by one.
Gardenia had just finished chatting.
"Sis—you don"t mind if I call you that, do you? I felt a connection with you the moment we met," she said with a soft laugh, even grabbing the NPC"s chubby hand. "I don"t know the schedule for your s.h.i.+fts, but I"d like to visit you again in the future."
Hei Zeji loosened his grip and dropped Wus.h.i.+ Ming to the ground. Lin Sanjiu couldn"t help but bend over, using her right hand to support herself on the edge of the counter to maintain her balance. She also wanted to summon some item to bolster her confidence, but to any experienced posthuman, she probably didn"t look much different from a sitting duck right now.
"The side effects of that d.a.m.n coffee are too much," Mrs. Manas complained.
The three brotherly posthumans stopped not far away. A witch-like old lady, a girl holding an umbrella, and a thin, masked man. Various types of posthumans were gathering from all directions, with most of them having intact bodies. n.o.body wanted to make the first move, but they were all thinking the same thing: once someone lured Hei Zeji away, they would be left with the weak and defenseless.
This temporary stalemate wouldn"t last long, and Lin Sanjiu was well aware of that.
"Oh, you also have unpredictable s.h.i.+fts? You don"t know when you will be on duty next?" Gardenia seemed to be trapped in a dead-end. Even without turning back, Lin Sanjiu could hear the underlying frustration in her voice. "That"s such a pity. I have some jewelry in my patient room that would suit you perfectly..."
Someone made a move at that moment.
Lin Sanjiu couldn"t say who did it first; after all, evolving abilities were diverse and unpredictable. She just felt a sudden warm breeze brus.h.i.+ng over the ground at the intersection, lifting the posthumans" clothes and hair. It was as if someone was whispering in her ear, "Go on, attack them. Lure that man away. Go!"
If she hadn"t remembered that she and Hei Zeji were on the same side, she might have let that idea take root in her mind. Just like the arrival of spring and the growth of all things, the words carried an unquestionable, natural power in the wind, quickly inspiring other posthumans. In the blink of an eye, Hei Zeji charged like a long-awaited leopard, meeting the two attacking posthumans head-on.
Alright, Lin Sanjiu and Gardenia could figure out how to protect themselves. No matter how powerful and reliable Hei Zeji"s strength was, they couldn"t expect him to act as a nanny for the two of them under such a ma.s.sive siege.
"Oh, so that"s how it is? I really had no idea."
When Lin Sanjiu turned her head, she realized she had missed a big part of Gardenia"s conversation with the NPC, and she had no idea what they were talking about now. However, Gardenia didn"t seem to be wrapping up the conversation anytime soon. Despite keeping her shoulders tense and half-turning her head to listen to the commotion behind her, she continued talking. "So, how do I get there? I couldn"t ask you, sis, to run an errand for me."
Lin Sanjiu"s gaze remained fixed on the ground.
In the open s.p.a.ce between her and Gardenia, it was as if someone was using a projector, displaying a palm-sized moving image. Mini Hei Zeji had been lured far away, and they now forcefully collided with a red-faced man. But before they even hit the ground, the man"s hand swiped across them, taking out an even smaller pile of plastic models.
It was as if someone had already rehea.r.s.ed the future events that would unfold.
When she lifted her head again, she saw a person covered in red paint in the distance, charging like a cannonball directly out of the intersection towards them. This person was incredibly fast and fierce. If she wanted to call Hei Zeji back for help, she feared that the projected scene would become a reality before he could break free from the entanglement.
At this critical moment, Lin Sanjiu thought of a clever plan instead of fighting head-on.
"Quick!" She was already half-leaning on the counter, which made things convenient. Gathering her strength, she jumped onto the counter and rolled over to the other side, shouting to Gardenia, "Hurry, come in!"
At the same time the female NPC angrily shouted, "No one is allowed to come in!" Gardenia also realized the situation wasn"t good. Since she couldn"t jump due to her injured right foot, Lin Sanjiu pulled her hands forcefully and dragged her over the counter. The NPC"s demeanor changed completely. Her face flushed as she shouted, "Get out! No one is allowed inside except for staff. Get out now! Otherwise, I"ll call security!"
"There"s security too?"
Lin Sanjiu knew she wasn"t joking. When she glanced at Gardenia, she saw her face turning pale.
Whether this plan would work or not, Lin Sanjiu wasn"t entirely sure, but she had no other options. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth— the [Temporary Right Of Abode] card in her hand flickered, and suddenly, a small tent appeared inside the payment counter"s shop.