The two seniors did not mock the newcomer's perspective—finding patterns in the instances is extremely difficult. Often, there are no clear hints, requiring one to risk their life to eliminate each possible answer. This is why the inspection team has powerful members with extensive experience in solving instances, and why the mortality rate in F0631 City's various departments remains consistently high.
Li Fuzi checked the props on him: "At this stage, the [Exemption Pass] can still be effective."
Many instances require finding the appropriate way to enter. For example, the dream instance of Apartment No. 6 requires falling asleep to enter.
[Exemption Pass] can be used when players enter the instance area but before it officially triggers
Hong Yuanning: "We are already in the instance area, but haven't officially triggered the instance?"
This place seems to have paths leading to other areas. As long as they pass through the wooden door, they will be swept outside. They can't explore other places right now.
So the way to enter the marketplace instance must be within this room.
Cheng Tingyu was flipping through the photo album on his phone. He had only been looking for less than half a minute when the fully charged phone screen flickered twice and then went black.
——Many copies will reject electrical appliances; having no power directly is a relatively less unfortunate outcome.
Cheng Tingyu had just been looking at the images of the bustling marketplace that Shen Xingliu had sent her through the forum's private messaging feature, collected by "Screwdriver." She had already seen them once before, but after entering the instance, she opened them again to confirm the details.
There wasn't a single image that matched the office at the refresh point. Judging by the twisted details around, this seemed more like an internal activity space for the store staff rather than a place customers could access.
Cheng Tingyu carefully observed the different wooden doors on the wall.
The wooden door under severe pressure: A wooden door in the "hot" marketplace is currently bearing a pressure it should not have to endure.
"..."
She never expected her appraisal skills to take on a sarcastic tone; perhaps this too is a form of cheerfulness.
Cheng Tingyu: "Do you have the photos from the last time you came in?"
Li Yetai: "After entering the dungeon, the electrical devices on us will quickly malfunction, but we have obtained some scene images through other means."
When she spoke, she couldn't help but feel a bit of regret—some props from the Dreammaker could directly extract images from the minds of the participants. Unfortunately, the relationship between City F0631 and Endless City was rather tense, and the lack of stable trade connections between the two meant that many suitable office supplies were always in short supply.
Cheng Tingyu took the document; it was a sketch.
Li Fu said, "This is the scene that the previous team of inspectors saw. At that time, there were only three wooden doors on each wall in the room."
Cheng Tingyu carefully compared and found that the original door was still there, only it had been squeezed even flatter, as if it might give way at any moment and break directly.
Cheng Tingyu: "Not only is the number of doors increasing, but the items in the rooms are also multiplying."
She exchanged a glance with Wei Xugu, and both had some suspicions in their hearts.
If I had come earlier, the "Fiery" marketplace dungeon might have been easier to enter.
From the previous pictures, the sequence in which those doors appeared can be seen.
They were still too late. If Cheng Tingyu's speculation was correct, there should be some kind of connection between each newly added thing.
Cheng Tingyu carefully observed the details in the room: "The label on this door has the 'Quansen' pattern, which appeared later, and the clothes with the 'Quansen' logo by the table also appeared later." Her finger pointed to a corner of the desk, "Another piece of the same sticky note."
Li Yetai: "You mean, there is a corresponding relationship between the door and the items."
Cheng Tingyu: "'Fiery' stores don't lack space, there's no need to cram things together. The respawn points feel more like forcibly merging different shop offices together."
Going out directly is a safe but wrong way, while taking things with you before going out..
Cheng Tingyu thought for a moment and said, "Did the items the deceased took with him match the door?"
Li Yetai paused for a moment, then slightly shook his head: "Not confirmed yet."
Before setting off, He Xijiang had heard some rumors about Cheng Tingyu from his teammates. No matter how outlandish the rumors were, one thing was consistent: "keen observer." At this moment, his curiosity was piqued: "You mean, only by holding the correct item and entering the correct door can you avoid being expelled from the instance?"
Cheng Tingyu neither agreed nor disagreed, simply saying, "This is one way of thinking."
"As an intern, Hong Yuanning raised his hand voluntarily: 'I can give it a try first.'"
Formal inspectors who have already entered the store dungeon cannot enter again. As a newcomer with little experience in dungeon runs, he was well aware that his purpose for being brought here this time was to test for errors. Based on previous experiences, as long as he didn't fly or burrow, the first outing was always safe.
Cheng Tingyu shook his head slightly, "No need to rush." Then he asked curiously, "Do you have any items that allow communication within the instance?"
Li Yetai said briefly, "Some 'disaster bugs' can do it." He added, "But the regeneration of 'disaster bugs' takes time, so they can't transmit too much information."
He Xijiang: "Let's give it a try first. After all, we're not sure if this instance has a time limit. Even if it doesn't work, we'll have ruled out one wrong option."
After the discussion was settled, Hong Yuanning took a piece of clothing from the Plum Blossom Deer Boutique, tucked it under his arm, and then opened the corresponding wooden door.
Cheng Tingyu observed carefully, but even with the enhanced vision provided by the secret pupil, she still couldn't see through the already opened doorway to the outside.
Five seconds later.
Li Yetai: "Hong Yuanning has already left the replica area." He frowned again, "And I sensed fear from him—Hong Yuanning left in an injured state."
This result means that the previous inference was wrong, and there is an issue with the method of entering with the corresponding item.
The inspectors didn't say much, but the atmosphere around them had already turned icy.
Cheng Tingyu reached out to rub her temples; she was still deep in thought.
After Hong Yuanning helped eliminate an incorrect answer, the scope worth investigating indeed further narrowed.
Previous experiences had taught Cheng Tingyu that the identity of participants within the scenario was very important.
"The office is not a place where customers come, so our identity is that of employees," Cheng Tingyu said slowly. "Before we go through this door, we need to find something that can prove our employee status." She squatted down and rummaged through the changing area, finding employee uniforms and corresponding badges.
"Clothes are merchandise, the badge represents identity."
Cheng Tingyu found the employee badge of the Little Tailor clothing store, along with the clothes that had corresponding marks. She keenly noticed that the colors of these clothes seemed somewhat strange.
It wasn't just one store; every store's goods were in a similar situation.
Cheng Tingyu looked around the entire office and found that there wasn't a single piece of red clothing.
Suppressing his curiosity about the colors, Cheng Tingyu continued, "This time, I can give it a try. If that trainee inspector outside sees me, it means the attempt has failed. If you don't plan to abandon this approach, the next person who comes in might consider only bringing their work badge and not the goods."
After Cheng Tingyu finished dressing, he pushed open the corresponding wooden door.
Her vision blurred, and she found herself inside the small tailor's shop on the first floor.
——Mall sub-instance login successful.
Cheng Tingyu was currently in what appeared to be an ordinary clothing store.
The space was not exactly spacious, the variety of clothing was limited, and the fabric had a coarse texture. Everything bore the characteristics of the outer district. The area for hanging clothes was mostly empty, with only a few pieces swaying in isolation. The hem of the garments hung loosely. The color of the purple top evoked the image of a dried-up, greasy substance, while the white top was far from pure white, resembling a corpse smeared with a layer of lime.
"Knock, knock, knock, knock."
Cheng Tingyu heard a certain sound approaching the place where he was, as if something... was bouncing down the corridor.
——That was clearly not a posture befitting a human.
At that moment, an electronic voice sounded from above the marketplace:
"The thirteenth joint sale event between the 'Blazing' Megastore and the Immortal Golden Theater is about to begin. All clothing will be sold at zero discount. All staff, please prepare accordingly!"
"The current number of operating shops in the mall: 1."
"Flash sale countdown: zero hours, ten minutes, zero seconds."
The structure of the "Fiery" marketplace was similar to a square with an open center, with shops distributed on all four sides. Accompanied by the electronic sound, a display screen lit up in the empty central area of the marketplace: "00:09:59".
When the electronic sound broadcasted, a large pile of flyers fluttered down like red snowflakes, scattering all over the place.
Cheng Tingyu's gaze slightly sharpened.
She had a [Pass Card] obtained from the No. 6 Apartment copy, which allowed her to leave before the participants officially triggered the copy. However, after putting on the work badge and changing into the work uniform, Cheng Tingyu vaguely realized that the [Pass Card] could no longer be used.
To leave the marketplace, one must conquer this level.
Of course, a clothing store wouldn't be without mirrors. Cheng Tingyu habitually glanced at his own reflection.
[Special Status: [Dreamweaver's Attention]]
[Health Points (HP): 110/110]
[Stamina (Full): 119/120]
[Mental Value (Normal): 120/125]
In the special status column, the [Dream Maker's Note] had been hanging there ever since the instance of Apartment No. 6 was lifted, without any changes. Cheng Tingyu recalled what the lantern bearer had said and thought that whether this was a buff or a debuff would probably only take effect when she was on the brink of death.
The remaining three value limits steadily increased with her personal strength, though there were differences between the values. Her health was full, her stamina slightly depleted, and the decrease in her mental state was unrelated to the quest. As someone who needed to contemplate her own situation, Cheng Tingyu occasionally pondered the "Ancient Source" over the past two days, causing her mental state to be mostly below full capacity.
Inside the respawn point.
The muscles on Li Yetai's face twitched slightly, as if some living creature was crawling under her skin. After a moment, she said to her companions, "Outside, there's still only Xiao Hong."
In that case, Cheng Tingyu, who had changed into the staff uniform and put on the work badge, had most likely really entered the scenario.
He Xijiang nodded, "I'll go next."
He found a uniform from the "Water Blue" clothing store, carefully pinned the work badge on himself, picked up the goods, and then opened the corresponding wooden door.
The view dimmed and then brightened again, and the unique smell of cheap fabric lingering in the air faded significantly—in the blink of an eye, He Xijiang had already arrived in the marketplace.
Cheng Tingyu, who had logged in earlier, was not around, which was quite normal since they had work badges from different stores.
He Xijiang had just begun to observe his surroundings when a mechanical electronic sound suddenly rang out above the marketplace—
"'Fiery' Supermarket and the Immortal Golden Theater's joint special sale, the thirteenth event, is about to begin..."
He heard the broadcast, which was basically the same as what Cheng Tingyu had just heard, except that the number of newly opened shops had changed to two. The countdown on the electronic screen in the middle of the open space had reset to ten minutes, decreasing by the second from the beginning.
In another clothing store confirmed to be open, Cheng Tingyu also noticed this change.
——In the mall dungeon, every time a new store opens, the countdown restarts.