Chapter 1154: A Shop Owner Not Afraid to Get Their Hands Dirty
It seemed like everyone was quite busy!
In her heart, Lin Sanjiu silently cursed. She didn't have time to turn her head to see who the approaching person was. A rush of air had already reached her face, and in an instant, her entire body lit up. At the same time, she released the only hand tightly holding the rope, and immediately, gravity pulled her straight down.
Even though the height had been halved, the darkness below was still deeply unsettling. Even the person charging towards her hadn't expected her to let go of the rope so quickly. In the midst of the wind rushing past her ears, Lin Sanjiu vaguely heard the person exclaim with surprise, "Pretty daring!"
To be honest, she had also startled herself. Falling from this height, even with the [Defense Forcefield], avoiding breaking a few bones would be impossible. In her current condition, she probably couldn't endure such a rough experience.
Countless iron doors and bricks blurred into virtual shadows before her eyes. When her vision passed a coppery area, she shot her arm out like lightning, gripping the door handle tightly. She managed to barely stop her descent. It felt as if half of her heart was still hanging in the air above her. Just as she was about to lower her head to check how high above the ground she was, her fingers slipped suddenly, and she fell once more.
Fortunately, the door handle slowed her fall, and this time, the drop wasn't as harsh. When she landed with a muffled thud, she fell right into the center of two tall walls. The [Defense Forcefield] flickered with erratic white light, absorbing much of the impact. Despite feeling sore all over, she had managed to avoid any injuries.
With her left hand missing, it took Lin Sanjiu a few seconds to regain her balance. She gathered her belongings, stood up, and was about to assess her surroundings when she heard a series of footsteps getting closer and closer from behind. When she turned to look, she indeed saw a dark figure rapidly descending from the wall. For him, the curved wall beneath his feet seemed as flat as the ground, allowing him to run with agility.
"I just want to talk!" the person shouted as he descended, his tone carrying a hint of uncontrollable excitement as if he had suddenly realized he had won four consecutive lottery numbers. "It's not safe down there. Hurry up and climb back up!"
"There are people at the bottom," Mrs. Manas unexpectedly said, and at the same time, her [Higher Consciousness scan] had spread in all directions. Due to her damaged abilities and the convoluted maze-like spaces created by the high walls, her perception was shrouded in darkness. In the dimly lit corners, she could faintly sense people's quiet breathing, fleeting glances, and the rustling of clothing... These people were hidden throughout the bottom floor, some around corners and others separated by several walls. It was impossible to determine how many people there were and exactly where they were.
"I'm not lying to you. Hurry up!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Sanjiu turned around and rushed down a narrow path ahead, made a turn at a wall corner, and put some distance between herself and the person chasing from behind.
It's no wonder that when looking down from a height, all you could see was darkness.
Countless three to four-meter-high walls divided the bottom floor of the building into seemingly endless passages. The light from above was blocked by the towering walls, leaving most of the area in shadows. The path she had entered was lined with successive iron archways. When she looked to the right after crossing this path, she could vaguely see a small square enclosed by several walls.
In this maze composed of narrow passages, small cotton ball-like lamps hung from the walls, casting feeble light. Although it wasn't very bright, it allowed her to see what was ahead, behind, to the left, and the right.
She hurriedly stopped and pressed her back against the wall, holding her breath.
As soon as the pursuing person's footsteps touched the ground, they disappeared as if snowflakes had melted into hot coals, leaving only eerie silence. Lin Sanjiu waited quietly for a while, but there was no sign of anyone catching up with her from around the corner. So, she slowly began to step back. She moved so carefully that her shoes made no noise.
The person from earlier seemed unwilling to chase her through countless small paths. She made two consecutive turns, her footsteps growing faster until she suddenly halted in front of a wall.
Something new was on this wall.
"First-floor map of the comprehensive hospital," Mrs. Manas voiced in her mind. "Take a look. Where are the payment counter and affiliated store?"
A printed floor plan hung in a glass frame. The paths were arranged in a grid, making it look like a circular electronic chip. One of the paths had a yellow pentagon with the words "You are here" next to it.
Lin Sanjiu followed the pentagon's direction and looked around. About two paths away to her upper left, there was a square representing a room, also labeled with a line of text: "Payment Counter and Affiliated Store."
It was quite fortunate that it wasn't too far from her.
Aside from this particular square, the bottom floor of this hospital seemed to have everything: not only a nurse's station, restroom, and management office but also a cafeteria and duty room.
She carefully studied the map, trying to imprint the route she had taken into her memory. She had been cautious throughout the journey, stopping to observe whenever she heard any noise. The distance of two paths took her more than ten minutes, but she finally saw a distant, bright light enclosed at the end by two high walls.
The light at the payment counter was much brighter than the wall lamps, creating a white border around a posthuman standing at the entrance. The person was looking down at something in their palm for a few seconds before shaking their head and muttering, "They dare ask for four points for this piece of junk." Then, they turned and walked away, seemingly unaware of Lin Sanjiu hiding in the distance.
After the person had left and some time had passed, Lin Sanjiu finally stood at the entrance of the payment counter.
To be honest, this didn't look like a typical hospital payment counter at all.
If she had to compare, it felt more like a roadside convenience store. There was a rotating electric fan making a creaking sound and a freezer filled with drinks. Even the person behind the counter appeared to be a middle-aged shopkeeper running a small store to support a couple of children. The only thing that seemed hospital-related was the pristine white counter.
The man, who resembled a shopkeeper, had a disinterested expression on his face. He lazily shaved, missing many spots, and the razor didn't gleam on the skin it passed over. He nonchalantly extended a few sparse whiskers.
Was this a pocket dimension resident? No, this was already a world. It must be... a duoluozhong?
While she pondered in silence, the shopkeeper-like man asked disinterestedly, "What do you want to buy?"
"Well, I..." Lin Sanjiu, who didn't even have a single point, approached the snow-white counter and pretended to think. "What do you have here?"
"Haven't you seen the price list?"
"Oh, that..."
"Yes, that." The shopkeeper impatiently interrupted her, waving a chubby hand in front of her like a meaty butterfly as if trying to shoo her away. "I only sell what's on there. Decide what you want, then come back. I don't have time to accompany women shopping."
It seemed that regardless of the hospital, the staff's attitude wasn't great.
Lin Sanjiu was penniless and had come here just to gather information. She couldn't let him chase her away so easily. She avoided the flapping hand that was like a meaty butterfly, cleared her throat, and said, "If I want to inquire about the effects of a certain item..."
"The information is on the product boxes," the shopkeeper said with a stern face. On the shelf behind him, there were only some scattered small medicine boxes, probably not even more than twenty.
"Can I take a look?" She had already planned to check the Lava Wound Recovery Ointment first.
"Pay some points to buy it."
"What I mean is, could you show it to me first? If the effect is suitable, I'll buy it."
The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes, and his previous indifference disappeared as if he had just heard someone ask to marry his seventy-year-old mother. "Show it to you first? Are you kidding me? What if you run off with my stuff?"
"I'll definitely return it to you—"
"I used to think I could make a name for myself, and now I'm dealing with you here." The shopkeeper clicked his tongue. "Hurry up and leave."
The more he urged her to leave, the more at ease Lin Sanjiu felt. Since she entered this hospital, everyone she had encountered seemed to be scheming to get close to her, one after another.
She tilted her head, thinking for a moment, and suddenly had an idea—or rather, it was more like inspiration sparked by a question. Almost all the items on the price list were medical services and medical supplies, which made sense to purchase at a hospital payment counter. But what about the items sold in the affiliated store? The price list didn't mention those.
"Well," she explained, "the item I want to buy isn't on the price list. This is also an affiliated store, right?"
"Yes," the shopkeeper said, glancing at her with suspicion as if worried she might suddenly pull out a gun and rob him.
"What have you got in your store?"
It seemed like she had asked the right question, one that the shopkeeper couldn't avoid, and he had to start introducing the products. He answered with a sense of discomfort that he couldn't avoid working, "There are quite a few. Although I haven't displayed them, if you want, I can take them out anytime... Uh, things like the Lava Player's Handbook, playing cards, lip balm—"
"Wait, the Lava Player's Handbook?" Lin Sanjiu said urgently. "So, they're sold in the hospital? How many points?"
"Five points." The shopkeeper, now seeing a business opportunity, began to brighten up, his eyes moist with hope. "Would you like to buy one?"
No money.
"I really want to buy it," Lin Sanjiu said sincerely, "but unfortunately, I don't have any points... Where can I get points from?"
A layer of disappointment clouded the shopkeeper's face, but he made one last effort. "Do you have anything else with you? Not a Special Item, but, for example, any medical supplies from this hospital that I can buy at a discount? Illicitly obtained goods won't work. Of course, they must be unopened."
"I don't have... Tell me, if I want to earn points, what can I do?" This information would likely be in the Lava Player's Handbook, but without knowing it, she couldn't obtain the book. It was ironic.
The shopkeeper clicked his tongue and thought for a few seconds. "Do you really want the Lava Player's Handbook? If you're sincere about buying it, there's another way... You should know that a person can survive with only one kidney, right?"
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