Everyone on the street knew what the song represented so no one dared to come close to the shop destroyed by it. This worked in Han Fei’s favor because temporarily he did not need to worry about being ambushed. Hiding under the window counter, Han Fei glanced towards Happiness Neighbourhood. The rusted iron gates were shut and silence dominated the neighbourhood like it had been deserted. The black cloth draped over the altar by the gates was missing a large chunk. The bowl that Han Fei grabbed earlier had been replaced to its original spot. ‘The altar appears to be protecting the neighbourhood. Weifu mentioned that Little Eight cannot leave the Happiness Neighbourhood. Is it because of the altar and its protective property? Perhaps the altar can eclipse Little Eight’s presence from whoever that’s looking for her.’
The broken altar looked unassuming and did not give off any Yin energy but Han Fei felt comforted by its presence. ‘The singer might return, I shan’t stay to find out. I need to return home as soon as possible.’ Han Fei still could not leave the game so he needed to be cautious. If he was captured and killed, then he’d be trapped inside the game forever. When his Life Points raised up to 10 points, Han Fei climbed up from the ground. Just as he did, he saw a human face staring at him from outside the broken window. ‘It’s the old man!’ The wrinkled face reached through the broken window. The venom was clear in his eyes. “Find another place to hide. This place is very dangerous. You just killed its prisoners, it will come for you soon.”
The old man made it sound like he cared about Han Fei but the latter knew the old man was not doing that out of kindness. He ignored the old man and thought about how to extricate himself from this situation. “You should come with me. You can hide at my place, my home is just nearby. It’s not a long walk.” The old man offered kindly. His wrinkles trembled as he reached his hands through the window frame. “It’s coming, I can feel it. You have to follow me now. I’ll give you a sanctuary.” Han Fei knew he would not shake the old man loose that easily. He reached his hand into his pocket and curled his fingers around Xu Qin’s knife. ‘My current level is still too low. The only way I can escape is through the element of surprise.’
His eyes followed the movement of the old man’s hands. As the twig-like hands were about to reach Han Fei, the latter jumped to the side and kicked down the store’s front door. He raced outwards. His initial plan was to race past the old man and cross the street back to the Happiness Neighbourhood. But once he exited the store, Han Fei saw two children sitting on the roadside. When they heard Han Fei’s footsteps, they turned to look at him. The expected innocence was not on their faces, instead there was a pair of creepy smiles.
Bang!
Han Fei halted from shock. In that moment, a flower pot filled with soil and dead worms crashed before Han Fei. If he did not stop earlier, the pot would have fallen right on his head. He glanced upwards and saw a rotund woman hugging an armload of flower pots at the third floor of the store building. She was smiling eerily down at him. She loosened her embrace and another pot came flying down at Han Fei. Han Fei moved to evade it. At the same time, the old man and the pair of siblings pounced at Han Fei. Han Fei had no choice but to run away from them and thus away from the Happiness Neighbourhood.
Without the human-shaped stain in the way, the children revealed their true nature. Their bodies started to bleed, as they morphed back to their state of death. “Big brother, big brother…” Bloody tiny footsteps surfaced closer and closer to Han Fei. Han Fei knew he’d be caught up by them if he did not do something so with a grit of his teeth, he turned into the convenience store next to him and pulled the door closed. It was too dangerous for him to hesitate.
After the siblings and the old man saw Han Fei enter the convenience store, their expressions took on a strange hue. It was as if their chicken had flown the coop and they could not have it back anymore. Han Fei who was a master of micro-expression naturally noticed it. It unsettled him somewhat.
The system had given him a mission regarding the convenience store so he’d come here sooner or later. With his back to the door, Han Fei looked around. Compared to a chain convenience store like 7-11, the place was more like a mini market. The racks held various snacks, drinks, everyday needs and even some second hand small electrical appliances. Still holding onto the knife in his pocket, Han Fei stood at the door. He decided to stay there as long as he could while he carefully studied the interior of the shop.
The clock on the wall ticked. A person’s mumbling could be heard coming from an indeterminate corner. The male voice sounded like it was saying something on repeat, as if chanting a mantra. Han Fei did not venture towards it. He stayed near the door, uttering not a word. After the siblings and the old man left, Han Fei reached for the front door. He wanted to race back to the neighbourhood but he realized with consternation that the previously unlocked door was now locked.
“What… can I get you?” A voice choked with tears sang out behind Han Fei, it caused the young man to jump. He turned and saw a young man in a store uniform standing behind him. The young man was incredibly thin, his lips were cracked and one of his eyes was blinded. “What can I get you?”
“What do you have on sale?” Since Han Fei could not leave, he decided to converse with the store worker to see if he could get any valuable information from him.
“What can I get you?” The worker repeated as his remaining eye bulged out from its socket. That seemed to be the only thing he knew how to say.
Han Fei turned to the racks. There were many things on sale but there was no price tag. In other words, the shopper had no idea what kind of price they’d pay for the items they wanted to get.
‘Looks like I shouldn’t expect any normal sale transaction here.’ When Han Fei turned his face back from the racks, the store worker’s face was practically leaning towards his.
“What can I get you?” The question echoed out from the young man’s stick-like figure. If he took another step, he’d walk right into Han Fei.
“I’m not here to buy anything.” Han Fei could feel the negative energy coming from the young man. He took an involuntary step back. “I’m here to look for a job. Do you have any vacancy?”
Pulling up the mission interface, Han Fei accepted the other main mission.
“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve accepted Grade G Main Mission: Convenience Store Worker!
“Mission Requirement: There is a secret hidden at this convenience store. As a temp worker working the graveyard shift at Yi Ming Convenience Store, survive through the night!”
