The eye, painted black with oil paint, stared at Cheng Tingyu for a long moment before slowly turning away.
Even though he didn't feel fear rationally, Cheng Tingyu still felt a kind of psychological pressure when being watched by the plastic mannequin.
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and unsurprisingly found that her sanity value had dropped a bit more.
[Mental Value (Normal): 112/125]
"Dong——"
The electronic sound rang out once more.
"Next is the announcement time.
"Due to staff shortages, the 'Green Dolphin' clothing store's business score is reduced by one, the 'Cupid' clothing store's business score is reduced by one, and the 'Sky' clothing store's business score is reduced by one."
"Please have the reported stores make timely adjustments to avoid rectification."
"Due to the number of violations found during the first inspection being less than 50%, the store has additionally disclosed a new training guideline for new employees: each customer can only sign for goods once."
Most of the people in the copy quickly realized their identities within it and performed according to the current settings.
Inside the Green Dolphin Clothing Store.
Maxi crouched down, clutching his head in agony.
He didn't see the plastic mannequin, but he sensed that intense mental pressure. When the electronic notification sounded, it felt as if a sharp knife had pierced into his brain and was stirring forcefully.
This is the pain brought about by the forcible deprivation of one's mental strength.
The Little Tailor's Clothing Shop.
Cheng Tingyu watched the plastic mannequin's departing figure, his middle finger gently tapping the counter, revealing a pensive expression.
The plastic mannequin from earlier was a patrol staff member of the large store. Her current identity was that of a shop assistant, and standing behind the counter during inspections was the behavior that aligned with the store's operational logic.
The store that was reported for point deduction was more likely to have chosen to hide after hearing the model's movements.
The orders found along with the employee handbook will display the names of stores currently in operation in real-time. According to the order in which those stores appear, the "Cupid" store belongs to the inspection team or Wei Xuji, while "Sky" and "Green Dolphin" are related to the four people who just came in.
As for the scores, they also concerned Cheng Tingyu a bit.
A slightly better possibility is that all the shops have a certain initial score, and it becomes dangerous if the score falls below the passing line. A worse possibility is that there is no initial score, and all participants start with zero points. During the process of clearing the level, they must ensure that their score does not become negative, or they will eventually face retribution from the level.
Cheng Tingyu still leaned towards the first hypothesis. It wasn't because, as an increasingly cheerful and spirited player, she could always face the dungeon with a more positive attitude, but rather because the electronic voice had just mentioned the words "timely adjustment to avoid rectification."
The "fiery" marketplace dungeon allows for a certain margin of error. Participants have a buffer period from breaking the rules to receiving punishment, and as long as they correct their actions in time, they can avoid it.
The departure of the patrolling model did not mean that the participants' crisis was over.
They were looking for red clothes, but the uniform on the model was gray-green, far from the bright red required by the order. It wasn't just a slight difference; it was completely unrelated, effectively eliminating the possibility of adventurous players like Cheng Tingyu from stripping the uniforms off the models to use as quest items.
The "da-da-da" sound grew fainter and fainter. Cheng Tingyu listened carefully and discovered there were nine different sources of the sound.
——After awakening her abilities, the various qualities of her body significantly improved.
Nine plastic mannequins, corresponding to the nine participants who entered.
This could be considered a good thing; she could hear the voices of the nine plastic mannequins, at least proving that everyone was in the same space.
Just as Cheng Tingyu was contemplating the mechanics of the replica, the sound of the model's footsteps suddenly ceased.
The mall corridor was unusually desolate, as if it had died.
The electronic sound, which had been silent for a while, rang out once more.
"Ding ding ding—
"'Hot' department stores are generally experiencing a shortage of goods. Store staff, please restock promptly."
Cheng Tingyu remembered that there were many clothes in the office where the instance refreshed this time, but as someone with keen observation skills, she also remembered that, just like in the store, there wasn't a single piece of red clothing there.
If not at the refresh point, nor inside the store, then where should it be? Outside the door?
The three inspectors in different stores, along with Wei Xuguang, all thought of the same problem.
Yote touched the ancient coin hanging around his neck, revealing a malicious grin, and then boldly stepped out of the clothing store.
The situation just now allowed them to slightly grasp the rules of the game. The presence of the patrol personnel informed them that in the marketplace, it was not breaking the rules that would get them punished, but breaking the rules and being seen by the patrol personnel that would.
As long as those plastic mannequins aren't in the hallway, participants should be safe when leaving the store.
At the moment he left the store, Yote felt his vision suddenly broaden, and the perception that had been suppressed inside the store returned to normal. He looked across the marketplace and realized he wasn't the first person to walk out.
At the entrance of a clothing store called "Little Tailor" on the south side, stood a young woman also dressed in an employee uniform. When she saw Yote, she gave a slight smile.
In terms of courage, he seemed very much like someone from the inspection team... Jote thought for a moment, then dismissed his own guess.
This young man didn't seem like someone who worked overtime for long periods; perhaps he was a kid from the inner city who chose to leave a comfortable life behind to experience the world.
The participants in the copy were not slow to react. Upon realizing that the patrol personnel were not present, they gradually came out of the store.
There are sixteen shops on this floor, but not every shop has someone in it.
On the same side as Cheng Tingyu, there were only Li Fuci and Ma Xi, but neither of them were in the shops adjacent to her, with a certain distance between them.
On the north side, three shops were open for business: the Angora Rabbit Wool Shop where Yote worked, the Big-Eyed Cow Children's Clothing Store where Li Yetai worked, and the Sika Deer Clothing Store where Kiki worked.
On the west side of the card, only her "Sky" clothing store was open for business.
Wei Xuguan, wearing a "Quansen" clothing work badge, and He Xijiang from the "Shuilan" clothing store were both on the east side.
Everyone's eyes carried the same thought—where should they go to restock?
Kiki, also a member of the "Hounds," had eyes that constantly darted around, moving faster and faster. Sometimes, her eyes would even look in different directions. Like Li Yetai, her eyes were slightly protruding, seemingly possessing the same traits as the disaster insects.
Like her companions, Qiqi's expression carried the unique ferocity and bloodthirstiness of a scavenger. She glanced around, licked her lips, and sneered, "It seems your shop doesn't have any red clothes either—ha!"
Her final note dragged on for a long time, then suddenly soared, like a bomb, exploding thunderously in the ears of Cheng Tingyu and the others.
This is a player who uses sound to attack people!
The excessively high decibel sound could cause eardrums to bleed, loss of hearing, or even instant death. In that moment, Cheng Tingyu felt as if his brain had been heavily struck by a hammer, and his body stiffened briefly.
If she hadn't already awakened as a player, if her physical condition wasn't exceptionally outstanding right now, Cheng Tingyu thought that just now, she would have been seriously injured and completely lost her ability to move.
Qiqi was evidently able to precisely control where her attacks landed, as her companions present were clearly unaffected. Just before the explosion of sound, Qiqi, Yote, and Masi simultaneously lunged forward. Yote intercepted Li Yetai, while Masi attacked Cheng Tingyu to restrain He Xijiang. As long as these two closest inspectors were held back, Qiqi could focus on attacking Wei Xugui.
——The store and the refresh point don't have red clothes, but they do have white ones.
——The situation inside the copy cannot be explained by common sense. If the normal way cannot obtain the red clothes, then dyeing the white clothes red with human blood, wouldn't that also meet the requirements?
At this very moment, Kiki was not the only one having similar thoughts.
Li Yetai leaped up, his right foot stepping on the iron railing of the corridor, and lunged towards Wei Xugui to rescue him. Suddenly, he felt a scorching force rapidly approaching from behind. Without turning his head, he flicked a whip from his hand, wrapping it around a pillar of a nearby shop, pulling himself away from his original position in the nick of time.
Behind her, flashes of firelight glimmered.
Li Yetai squinted his eyes: "You are 'Fire Net'..."
——"Hound" mid-level leader Yote, real name [Pestilence·Fireweb] Yote.
As an inspector who had memorized the information of the nearby statistical personnel by heart, Li Yetai immediately recognized the identities of those people.
Qiqi's movements were extremely swift. In just three seconds, she had evaded Li Yetai's attack range and blocked the entrance of the Quansen Clothing store.
Wei Xuguang opened his mouth, ready to activate his ability: "You—"
She uttered just one word, and then found herself unable to make any sound
Qiqi let out a piercing laugh: "So it's a 'cursed word' that uses sound, huh? I really like it..."
Her voice abruptly stopped, unable to utter "fighting against players like you," because at that moment, a strong sense of fear was emanating from her heart.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Her heart was pounding uncontrollably. Reason told Kiki there was nothing to fear, yet she was so terrified that she could hardly move. Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, while her face twisted into an expression of both horror and anger.
——Excessive emotion is a poison that can kill.
Kiki felt herself filled with that overwhelming emotion, the blood vessels in her head and neck swelling, as if in the next second, blood would gush out from them.
The activation of abilities is not endless. Once the abnormal fear in her heart subsided, the scavenger turned her head and stared at Li Yetai. Her eyes were filled with both caution and the excitement of seeing a powerful prey. She said word by word, "You are also a 'calamity bug'!"
Li Yetai let out two cold laughs.
Her true name is [Calamity Bug · Fearless Insect]. With the increase in her power, the current Li Yetai can not only devour her target's fear but also concentrate and release the accumulated fear.
Finally finding a gap, Wei Xugu, though still unable to speak, managed to seize the opportunity to use a tool, opening a defensive weapon resembling an umbrella.
On the other side.
When Cheng Tingyu realized someone was coming to attack him, he didn't hesitate for even a second. He turned around and ran in the direction of Li Fuci, leaving Ma Xi to the pursuing He Xijiang.