While Cheng Tingyu was receiving external information, he did not interrupt his actions of inspecting items in the store.
She had borrowed the identity of a temporary worker from the "Screwdriver" insurance company to enter the store's replica. At this moment, she also needed to follow work requirements to find the expensive antique gloves insured under the property insurance stored in the shop.
Cheng Tingyu finally found his target inside the safe.
The antique gloves were placed in a rosewood box. The surface had delicate patterns and an unexpectedly smooth luster that belied their age. Cheng Tingyu had not yet touched them, but inexplicably felt that their texture must be very soft.
[Leather Gloves: These are a pair of finely crafted leather gloves, over a hundred years old, possessing significant collectible value, as well as some information that cannot be identified at the moment.]
"..."
Cheng Tingyu looked at the pair of leather gloves for a long time, but her second ability as an appraiser remained in a state of disuse.
——Perhaps it was due to insufficient prior information, or maybe the glove itself was quite ordinary, merely existing as a signal or token.
"It's obvious that the 'screwdriver' over there can't possibly disclose all the information to a temp."
Cheng Tingyu thought, if the power he awakened wasn't "Appraiser," but rather some ability that could provide answers without needing any additional information, that would be great.
For example, randomly seeing someone else's review as a "spoiler" is quite good, and I wonder if any players have ever awakened a similar power.
Worried that randomly picking up items might trigger a chain reaction in the store, Cheng Tingyu didn't immediately put the gloves into the [cheap and good-quality hiking bag], but instead placed them back where they were, planning to pick them up after clearing the level.
Cheng Tingyu carefully observed the little tailor shop, everything reflected in her deep, night-like right eye.
Three minutes later, she successfully found a piece of white paper in a drawer with "Hot Sale Store Employee Code" written on it, along with the order placed together with the "Code."
[As an employee of the 'Hot' Superstore, please strictly adhere to the procedures while working.]
[1. 'Fiery' Market is the most popular market in the Wutong District. At this stage, the market has sufficient goods, and they can be found promptly according to the order requirements;]
[2. In the store, there are customers, and employees need to deliver the goods to the customers' hands;]
[3. After confirming the goods are intact, the customer can sign for the delivery;]
[4. After receiving the goods, the customer will evaluate the employee based on the quality of service provided.]
[5. Work is finished.]
Cheng Tingyu quickly finished reading the contents of the employee handbook, then picked up the order form beside him.
The buyer's address and transaction location in the order were both listed as the "'Fiery' Megastore." Beyond that, there were no further details. The buyer's identity was noted as the "Immortal Golden Theater," and the buyer's address was marked as "Touring the Ringworld." The description of the items was briefly noted as "top, bottom," and the color description was something that would almost never appear in a real-world contract: "as richly crimson as blood."
In addition, essential items such as the amount, place of origin, and contract signing date were all blank, except for the buyer and seller's signature positions, which were eerily filled in.
Behind the buyer's section was a golden stamp depicting the outline of a theater, while the seller's section was marked in bright red letters: "'Blazing' Bazaar: 'Little Tailor' Clothing Store, 'Aqua Blue' Clothing Store."
The content above is easy to understand—all the clothing stores that are open for business in this mall will be listed in the seller's column.
Cheng Tingyu's gaze slightly sharpened.
She had just looked at the clothes in the "Little Tailor" clothing store and found that they were the same as the ones she had brought from the office, with clothes in various colors, except for red.
Before the ten-minute countdown ended, Wei Xuguang, Li Yetai, and others also logged into the marketplace instance by wearing their work badges. The store names in the seller column of the order contract expanded to five.
This time, there were no novices among the participants. Even Li Fuci, who had not yet been officially promoted, had accumulated considerable experience in dungeon runs and would surely be able to find the rules placed inside the store within the preparation time.
According to the usual procedure for team-based dungeon runs, Cheng Tingyu should now find a way to contact his companions.
In theory, they were all shops. As an ordinary store with outdated decor, the soundproofing of the walls was not just poor; it was practically non-existent. However, Cheng Tingyu, who was present here, couldn't sense anything from the neighboring shops.
——Her ability to perceive her surroundings was suppressed.
The scene visible through the glass looked more like a backdrop in a video game than something real. If a participant truly wanted to go over and take a look, they would definitely be stopped by an invisible wall.
To better fit his role in the game, Cheng Tingyu categorized and hung up the goods he had brought from the office, making the "Little Tailor" clothing shop look as if it were open for business.
When there were only five minutes left, the electronic announcement sounded again—
"'Fiery' Supermarket and the Immortal Golden Theater's joint special sale, the thirteenth event, is about to begin..."
"The current number of operating shops in the mall: 9."
In an instant, four newly opened clothing stores appeared in the instance.
"****!"
Currently working as a clerk at the "Cupid" clothing store, Li Fuci was momentarily stunned, then immediately burst out with a curse that was highly inappropriate to say in front of a superior.
They did not arrange for anyone else to come in, and to prevent any unexpected changes, there were naturally members responsible for guarding outside the store while the inspector was tackling the dungeon.
However, there are countless abilities and tools in the world, as numerous as the fish in the river, and there are certainly many that can break through normal defenses.
Excluding those big shots at the top of the food chain, among the relatively approachable rare items, there is one called [A Successful Fare Evasion in a Crowd]. Its function is somewhat similar to [Exemption Pass], which can help a person enter a dungeon. However, before using it, certain conditions must be met: within a hundred meters and in the past thirty minutes, someone must have successfully entered the dungeon.
After this item is activated, it will help the user enter the instance in a similar manner, provided that the user can meet the conditions required for that type of entry.
Normal residents are unlikely to do this. The new employees appearing in the instance at this moment are most likely members of the "Dangerous Mask" Recovery Department..
Or perhaps a scavenger.
The outer district is the area closest to the desolate zone in the entire city. F0631 City has set a condition for outsiders that they must reside for a certain period before they can obtain official resident status, partly because there are often people coming from outside to cause trouble.
Scavengers are a mix of robbers, thieves, and bounty hunters, highly skilled in disguise and plunder.
If the new participants are scavengers, it must be because there is something they need in the store copy.
At this very moment.
In the newly recognized "Angora Rabbit" sweater shop, a man over two meters tall stood. The standard-sized uniform was stretched tight over his muscular frame, and his exposed skin was covered with numerous hideous scars.
His name was Yote, a member of a scavenger group called "The Hounds."
The "Hounds" spent most of their time lurking around the city of F0631, which meant they knew the city best and had already offended most of the law-abiding forces within it. Before the accumulated hatred led to a big shot coming out of the city to hunt them down, the leader of the "Hounds" decided to flee first. However, before leaving, they planned to make one last big score.
——Anyway, the peak season has already arrived. As long as the scavengers run fast, the inspection team, working around the clock with everyone on double shifts, won't have the manpower to catch them.
An important member of the "Hounds" used an item with the "Secret Eye" trait to obtain a precious omen.
The clearers of the "Fiery" megastore dungeon can obtain very important items.
To ensure the success rate, Jot did not come alone; he brought three subordinates, Kiki, Masi, and Kaso. Although they were outnumbered by the other side, they had rich combat experience. Moreover, without a clear strategy, participants in the lawful alignment usually wouldn't kill indiscriminately in the dungeon, as it could easily lead to a team wipe.
It was unexpected that the inspection team, having sealed off the entrance to the instance, caused the method of logging in to the instance to be discovered only today. After consuming four people's worth of [a successful fare evasion in a crowd], Yote and the others would be assigned to different shops.
At the same time, inside the "Green Dolphin" clothing store.
Maxie frowned as he scrutinized the work uniform draped over him, tugging at it twice with a look of disdain.
——Compared to similar fog-filled dungeons, he preferred pure combat.
The ten-minute countdown restarted, giving the employees time to prepare as each second ticked by. When the numbers on the electronic screen turned to "00:00:00," the resonant chime of "dong dong dong" echoed through the empty store.
"The countdown is over! The thirteenth joint sale of the 'Fiery' Grand Bazaar and the Immortal Golden Theater is about to officially begin!"
At the same time as the announcement, there was the sound of confetti and streamers bursting.
Clearly, not a single guest could be seen outside, yet a lively atmosphere was deliberately created.
The confetti fluttered down, while the noise outside was so loud it made one feel irritable.
Maxi paced back and forth in the store. He had gone through all the goods he could find, but he couldn't find a single red item. The closest he found were orange and deep purple.
Just as Maxie was starting to lose his patience, a "knock, knock, knock" sound came from the hallway outside.
——It seems like something is approaching here, bouncing as it comes.
Maxie crouched down, rolled swiftly on the spot, and hid behind the cash register.
Whatever it was, since there were sounds resembling footsteps, it most likely had a physical form. In such a situation, physical barriers could be effective.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sound of hopping in the corridor continued, each hop drawing closer to Max.
Inside the Little Tailor's clothing shop.
Cheng Tingyu, dressed in an employee uniform, stood behind the cash register, her gaze fixed on the corridor.
The store's lighting was a bleak white, casting a pallor on Cheng Tingyu's face, making her skin appear waxen, devoid of any lifelike texture.
At the same time, the approaching "thud, thud, thud" sound quietly vanished, and a figure with a human silhouette was already silently standing at the entrance of the "Little Tailor" clothing store.
——It was a plastic mannequin wearing a patrol officer's badge and dressed in a gray-green uniform.
The features of the plastic mannequin were somewhat exaggerated, with eyes as large as one-yuan coins and lips, with peeling pink paint, shaped like a crescent moon.