"Knock, knock, knock."
The plastic mannequin was still moving.
Kaso felt that he should have already reached the third floor.
The situation around her was very strange; her perception as a player had been continuously suppressed.
Kasuo knew very well that this meant everything she saw and heard could be fake.
About half a meter away, the plastic mannequin was struggling to move forward in a bouncing posture.
Kasuo followed the model honestly.
Her awakened ability was related to the domain, but it wasn't a direct attack type; in most cases, it could only serve a supportive role.
However, this also determined that, although he was an ordinary member of the "Hounds," Ka's personality was somewhat calmer compared to the others.
She observed the floor in front of her, always feeling that something was off.
Whether it was the steps or the corridor, they clearly appeared to be made of stone, but when stepped on, they had a softness that stone does not possess.
She followed behind the plastic mannequin all the way, now certain that the plastic mannequin wouldn't suddenly turn around and give the participants a face-hugging kill. Kaso secretly took out the [office-use carbon copy set] she carried with her and, in an awkward position, hastily wrote down her current location. Before she could finish writing the last word of "I have reached the third floor," the plastic mannequin in front suddenly stopped moving.
"…No…time…"
The hoarse, slightly familiar murmuring sounded like a thunderclap in Kaso's ear. She felt her heart suddenly leap, her mind going blank for a moment. It took several seconds for her to realize that the plastic mannequin had stopped not to attack her, but because it had reached its destination.
They stood motionless, as if on guard, with stiff smiles on their faces, exuding a sense of unsettling eeriness.
The sound of the heartbeat grew increasingly intense, as if infected by the worm of fear. Kaso's entire body stiffened, and finally, as if bearing immense pressure, he slowly lifted his head bit by bit.
In front of me was a house with a sign that read "'Fiery' Superstore VIP Lounge."
In the moment of clear vision, all expression vanished from Kaso's face.
...Has she really found her goal?
The structure of the third floor was very similar to that of the second floor, also shaped like a square with a courtyard in the middle. However, the central atrium was eerily silent, with no trace of the fluttering clothes to be found.
Kasuo looked towards the VIP lounge, her expression instantly froze, and her pupils slightly contracted.
At this very moment, the "customers" sitting in the VIP lounge were a group of plastic mannequins, similar in style to the patrolling security guards.
Those plastic mannequins each had exaggeratedly large black eyes and red lips shaped into smiles. Their bodies were slender, their limbs stiff. Their eyes did not move, but when Ka looked towards the lounge, there was an illusion of being stared at by all the "customers" in the room.
"..."
The plastic mannequins inside the lounge were watching her, and the plastic mannequins outside the lounge were watching her too.
A sharp pain throbbed at his temples, and Kaso could feel his sanity burning away.
She slowly reached out her hand and tried to push open the door to the VIP lounge.
No one stopped Kaso.
In the lounge, besides the seated customers, there were also security guards on duty.
After all, being a VIP customer, as the name suggests, comes with certain special treatments. Providing beverages is one aspect, and having stricter security measures is another. The decor of this room exudes an elegance and comfort entirely different from the sales floor. In the corner, there is a full-length mirror with a golden frame, its surface draped with gauze.
The attire of those customers could be described as splendid. Upon careful observation, Kaso noticed that there were certain differences in their facial features. However, all the customers in the lounge shared a certain similar aura in their overall demeanor.
They sat upright, their spines straight, slightly turned to the side, as if waiting.
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Kaso, and he understood the source of his sense of familiarity.
——"Drama."
She had once gone to more stable human settlements for leisure and had watched plays. In Kaso's eyes, the plastic mannequins before her looked like actors ready to take the stage.
Kaso had no deep interest in understanding the professions of the dummies; she just hoped to complete her task as soon as possible.
She had now completed the tasks of finding the goods and locating the customer. Next, she needed to have the customer confirm the integrity of the goods.
Ka tried to hand the red clothes to the mannequin sitting on the outermost edge, but no matter what she did, the other party gave no response from start to finish, looking extremely scientific.
She mustered up her courage and carefully searched around the mannequin, then discovered a Walkman.
"..."
Ka pressed the switch on his portable player, and soon the sound of static filled the air.
"...After the store employees enter the break room, please present the merchandise order and identification."
"Repeat, after entering the break room, store employees must present the merchandise order and identification."
Kasuo naturally brought the goods order. As for identification, among the things she had, only her work ID seemed to meet the requirements.
She took off her work ID and handed it over along with the cargo order.
At the very moment the items were set down, the joints of the mannequin acting as a customer moved slightly. It lowered its head and picked up the work ID.
For some reason, Kaso felt that the customer's stiff face in front of him was filled with a joyful smile.
The mannequin's fingers were extremely stiff, seemingly unable to grasp the appropriate strength, crumpling the order and work permit.
"Click."
The force of the dummy's fingers kept increasing, accompanied by an ominous creaking sound, and the work ID was crushed into pieces.
"..."
On the wall of the VIP lounge hung an electric loudspeaker.
At that moment, a burst of static came from the loudspeaker, followed by an announcement about the current situation: "Unauthorized individual detected in the VIP lounge. Repeating, unauthorized individual detected in the VIP lounge."
The patrolling security guards standing around, upon receiving the signal, moved their bodies one after another, their eyes fixed intently on the only outsider in the room.
It was only at this moment that Ka realized, as if waking from a dream, what had just happened.
Her work permit was damaged, and she became a person without an identity.
Kaso's face instantly turned deathly pale.
She took two steps back, the floor of the lounge still offering that soft, cushioned feel. Ka tried to activate her ability, but her limbs began to feel sluggish and heavy.
Ka violated the rules within the copy, and she couldn't resist the mental attack from the patrolling security.
The sense of impending doom brought immense stimulation to Ka, and under the urging of some subconscious impulse, she slowly lowered her head—
In an instant, Kaso seemed to lose his breath.
The previous feeling was correct; what covered the ground was indeed a substance softer than stone.
Her entire field of vision was filled with endless red blood and chunks of flesh.
Most of it consisted of bright red liquid, with the meat chunks appearing very small and sparse.
Before his death, a flash of light crossed Kasu's mind, and he understood the source of the familiar feeling from the murmur that had echoed in his ears when he first reached the third floor.
Because that was Maxie's voice.
Previously, Maxie had harshly warned the young man in the "Little Tailor" shop that the hounds would remember her scent. The latter was not angry at the time, merely smiling and urging Maxie to hurry.
This is indeed a very important piece of advice.
From that moment on, Masi didn't have much time left.
Kara felt her brain swelling, her thoughts sometimes clear, sometimes extraordinarily chaotic. Everything in reality gradually receded, and the illusions of her mental world rose and fell. She vaguely sensed something cold slicing through her flesh..
"Creak—"
Disassembly.
"Sizzle—"
Peeling.
One minute later.
The sound of the loudspeaker rang out again: "Thanks to the efforts of the security staff, order has been restored in the VIP lounge."
The gauze on the full-length mirror in the corner was removed.
The nimble legs stepped over the blood and flesh on the ground and stood in front of the mirror. The plastic mannequin that had just put on the card turned its flexible eyeballs, carefully examining the new clothes it had just acquired, and then revealed a satisfied smile.
Second floor of the mall.
Qiqi stared at Cheng Tingyu and answered after a moment, "I can't communicate." Then he laughed and asked Yote, "Did they give you any information?"
Yote grunted, "Nothing much, just said he went up to the third floor."
He Xijiang: "It seems that the rule of following behind the model to reach other areas is effective, but we still don't know the situation on the third floor."
Li Yetai: "During their operation, they gradually accumulated a lot of fear, then the fear level suddenly spiked, then fell back, and finally rose again until death." He paused and added, "The one who is still alive, their fear has risen again."
Just as her words fell, following Maxie, Kasso's shop was also crossed out.
Cheng Tingyu concluded, "The fear subsides, which means they feel safe. However, there is actually a trap within that safety. By the time they discover the trap, they are already close to death and unable to save themselves."
The others fell silent.
Two participants had already died, but the others were still far from clearing the game.
After Kaso's shop closed, the restocking period also came to an end.
The electronic sound echoed through the store—
"Next is the announcement time.
"Due to a lack of staff, the 'Green Dolphin' clothing store is closed, and the 'Cupid' clothing store is closed."
"The satisfaction of customers in the VIP lounge with the mall's services has slightly increased, pausing the deduction of points. All operating stores now have a buffer period of one round, and a unified point deduction will be processed in the next phase."
"For shops whose scores have already fallen to the danger line, if they cannot rectify the situation in time, they will be forcibly closed after two patrol inspections."
"Due to progress in store operations, an additional new employee training content has been made public: if employees from other stores fight in the store, both parties will be deducted the same number of points."
The tense atmosphere permeated the dungeon.
Li Yetai, He Xijiang, Wei Xugui, Yote, and Qiqi, along with the others, had one more round of buffer time. They either had to immediately find a way to clear the level or use tools to escape.
Yote's face was ashen.
He had just tried using the tool, but it had no effect.
The "Inspection Report" is indeed useful, but it suffers from slow interpretation issues. The mutation rate of this copy is definitely more than 15%!
In the "Little Tailor" clothing store, Cheng Tingyu didn't rush to leave.
She looked at the mirror in the store, and the person in the mirror was also intently looking at her, both with identical black eyes.
"What do you think the correct way to clear the level would be?"
Cheng Tingyu met his own gaze in the mirror. After a moment, he smiled and said softly to his reflection, "Actually, I'm not quite sure either, but we still have one more chance to try."