The abnormal scent of sweet blood spread through the corridor.
That was the taste of blood.
He Xijiang felt that the sense of confusion in his mind was stronger than ever before.
His sanity was already on the verge of collapse, barely maintaining a facade of clarity.
Before long, an emotionless electronic voice sounded from above.
"Next is the announcement time.
"Due to causing damage to other stores' goods, the 'Little Tailor' clothing store's business rating is reduced by one point."
"Due to the failure to protect store materials, the 'Sika Deer' clothing store's business score is reduced by one."
"The customer satisfaction in the VIP lounge has not improved, reducing the overall store operation score by one."
"The 'Sika Deer' clothing store's business rating has fallen below the danger line and is about to close. The relevant employees will be dismissed."
"Shops that have reached the danger line, please make adjustments promptly."
Ding Shile's face turned completely pale.
His face twisted, his eyes fixed intently on Cheng Tingyu's direction, a clear look of resentment in his gaze: "Why do you have to destroy my goods!"
This question did not receive an answer.
After the electronic voice announced the store's closure, his work ID gradually shattered. Ding Shile hurriedly crouched down to pick up the pieces, trying to piece the broken ID back together.
"Plop."
Something suddenly fell from his hand.
Ding Shile wanted to grab it, but a strange, indescribable sensation came from his right hand—
He lowered his head and discovered that what had fallen to the ground was not a shattered work ID, but a severed fingertip.
A hard fingertip, with no trace of flesh or blood inside.
Ding Shile's movements completely froze, and before losing consciousness, what echoed in his ears was the pensive voice of that young man:
"So it turns out that after your identities are stripped away, you do indeed revert to your original selves."
Cheng Tingyu walked out of the shop with his usual smile, but his face was somewhat pale.
All the participants who looked towards the "Little Tailor" clothing store also understood the reason for her poor condition.
At this moment, a patrolling security guard was standing at the entrance of Cheng Tingyu's shop.
"..."
The other participants first recoiled in horror, then realized something was amiss.
The plastic dummy's work ID had been shattered, and its clothes were torn to shreds.
Wei Xugu made a reasonable guess: "…Did it hit you?"
If it weren't for the fierce fight, such a situation would hardly occur.
Cheng Tingyu thought for a moment: "Maybe I do have that idea."
"???"
"But it's hard to be completely sure, after all, I was the one who made the first move."
The others: "..."
To actually choose to assault the security personnel in the instance when the situation was still unclear—it's a wonder this person has managed to survive until now.
Cheng Tingyu noticed Wei Xuguang's expression and began to justify himself: "Of course, before taking action, I had already made some guesses about the form of the plastic dummy's existence."
"The clothes in your shop..."
Cheng Tingyu: "Because of the fight, we suffered quite a bit of damage. We should get points deducted, but that will be in the next patrol cycle."
The inspection team thought that since the other party said so, they must have some idea about how to clear the level.
However, before they could inquire about her thoughts in detail, they had other matters to attend to.
He Xijiang and Li Yetai's gaze shifted from the shattered Ding Shile to Bai Wenji.
These two were both survivors hiding in the abandoned public health center. If one of them couldn't be considered human, then what about the other?
Cheng Tingyu smiled slightly, her voice suddenly becoming exceptionally gentle: "For an actor, there's really no need to continue a performance that's been completely seen through. Although the play isn't over yet, you've already been booed by the audience."
"..."
Bai Wenji's face turned very pale, as if something was being drawn out from within this shell of a body.
Cheng Tingyu, with a courteous demeanor, said, "Since the performance has ended early, let's follow the procedure, acknowledge the audience, and then go backstage to remove our makeup?"
Normal conversation seemed to have a tremendous destructive power on Wenji. Her originally lively and lifelike expression gradually became stiff.
Her surface cracked, then shattered into countless pieces.
Cheng Tingyu blinked: "So these actors can actually be scrapped."
Li Fuzi looked at Cheng Tingyu.
Although there was no evidence, she always felt that Cheng Tingyu had almost understood the entire structure of the copy.
He Xijiang looked at the scene before him and skipped over the question of whether he knew how to clear the level. He got straight to the point and said, "The supply period can't last too long. I'd like to ask about the method to clear the level."
Cheng Tingyu didn't beat around the bush: "I mainly have two ideas, one simpler, one more complex. I'm almost certain now that in the shopping mall scenario, each person can have more than one identity."
Li Yetai and the others, upon hearing this, suddenly had an epiphany.
From the moment of logging in, the instance continuously emphasized the participants' identities.
Cheng Tingyu: "We are shop assistants, but no one has ever stipulated that shop assistants can't shop at other stores." He smiled, "If we could sign for each other's goods, we naturally wouldn't need to take the risky and difficult route."
Li Fu raised his hand: "May I ask how exactly we should navigate the difficult route?"
Cheng Tingyu: "Follow the plastic dummy to the third floor. At that time, the fear level of those two scavengers will decrease, which means they will most likely think they have found a customer but encountered a minor issue during the signing process. The two types of entities we have seen so far are 'actors' and 'patrolling guards.' The former are harmless, while the latter usually only perform mental attacks unless they encounter an entity like a thief, which is rejected by the copy's rules, in which case they will take real action.
"Considering that the two scavengers who changed their identities are now silent, it means that the security guards become extremely aggressive after being marked as hostile. Fortunately, they also have very obvious weaknesses. As long as their work permits are destroyed, they will lose their ability to move and turn into ordinary plastic."
Li Yetai looked at Cheng Tingyu in silence for a while, and finally decided:
"First clear the dungeon, then we'll discuss any related issues with the inspection team in detail."
She now deeply understands the feelings of her predecessor.
Even though I know the total amount of work won't decrease because of it, when there are too many problems to deal with, I can't help but want to procrastinate a little.
The participants were in luck; the attempt on the simple route was successful.
After several rounds of item accumulation and the involuntary reduction of the scavenger camp, the inspection team had finally gathered enough red clothes for everyone. As they signed off on each other's items and exchanged positive reviews, the electronic voice from above finally arrived, albeit belatedly.
"All currently operating stores have received five-star reviews. Closing for the day."
"Ding ding ding, it's the end of the workday. Employees can head to the office, change out of their uniforms and work badges, and then leave the store."
Li Fuzi exclaimed with excitement, "Doing this will really get us through!"
Cheng Tingyu didn't speak. She looked at the bright red fabric of the clothes, her fingers gently caressing it.
A subtle sense of unease spread in the depths of my heart.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but these fabrics seemed somewhat damp to the touch.
Cheng Tingyu whispered, "The clothes all flew up from below."
"The VIP room is on the third floor, the shops are on the second floor, so what role does the first floor play?"
The others initially thought Cheng Tingyu was talking to herself, but unexpectedly, she suddenly took out a rope with an iron hook from a spatial tool, and with a light flick, hooked it onto the railing. She held the other end of the rope in her hand, took two steps, lightly stepped on the railing for leverage, and then without hesitation, leaped into the courtyard, instantly swallowed by the darkness below.
Everyone: "!!!!"
Clearly, she could pass through just by walking out, so what was she doing?!
Li Yetai knew about Cheng Tingyu's information. She had almost once again doubted the other party's identity as a flesh-and-blood player, but only now did she reaffirm her confidence.
There should be no doubt, Li Yetai thought. Apart from the blood and flesh type, players of other categories rarely push themselves to the brink of death just before clearing the level.
Li Fuzi's mouth twitched as he said to Wei Xuguang, "...Your companion jumped down."
Wei Xu Gui closed his eyes. "Mm."
Li Fu said worriedly, "It's so dark under the atrium, we don't even know what's going on on the first floor, and the height of the mall itself isn't low either. She just jumped down like that..."
Wei Xugui said coldly, "Basically, if you don't die, you'll be seriously injured."
Li Fu paused for a moment and offered a friendly suggestion: "When the fate of a companion is unknown, it's actually appropriate to say some words of blessing."
Wei Xu Gui's expression was indifferent: "I would like that too."
Her ability type is Cursed Speech, and her true name is [Words Become Reality].
In short, it's a curse.
Wei Xuguang stared expressionlessly at the pitch-black courtyard, feeling a deep regret that he couldn't bless Cheng Tingyu three hundred times a day.
The darkness beneath the ceiling had grown unnaturally thick.
Cheng Tingyu's descent was too fast, and the rope caused a burning pain in her palm. However, practice makes perfect. She had already used a rope to descend in an abnormal manner in a previous dream scenario. Fortunately, this time she wasn't sliding from the fourth floor to the first.
The thick scent of blood lingered in the air, making one wonder why it had gone unnoticed.
The entire ground was covered in blood, soaking large chunks of severed limbs.
The visibility on the first floor was very low. Her left eye could see nothing, but her right eye, endowed with the power of the secret pupil, could take in everything around her.
"..."
Cheng Tingyu's gaze suddenly froze for a moment as he looked around.
For Cheng Tingyu, what was more terrifying than a pile of empty, lifeless body parts was a pile of body parts where someone existed.
A place filled with darkness and blood, where many beings with human appearances are diligently staining the piled-up clothes red.
Most of those people looked quite unfamiliar, yet among them were two faces that Cheng Tingyu found incredibly familiar.
The heart began to beat abnormally fast.
The employees who had lost their qualifications to run the shop started moving around on the first floor again.
Their clothing remained the same as before, only without the work badges, and the color was an intense shade of crimson, as if a filter made from blended fresh blood had been added.
Noticing the guest appearing from above, the figure whose appearance was identical to Ka stood up proactively and greeted, "Long time no see."
Cheng Tingyu stared at the other person intently: "Have we met before?"
On the still lifelike face of Kaso, an uncharacteristic quiet smile appeared: "It is a virtue of the audience not to spoil the performance before it begins."
Cheng Tingyu stared at the other person and took a step forward.
In the darkness, one actor after another stood up.
Different faces, almost identical expressions.
Their faces turned towards the uninvited guest, and the expressions on their faces were undoubtedly far from welcoming.
Kaso: "The audience shouldn't wander backstage."
As soon as the words fell, the invisible pressure in the air instantly increased.
Cheng Tingyu felt a slight sense of suffocation, but his voice remained gentle: "Out of a sense of responsibility to the customers, the store employees should pay attention to the manufacturing methods of the goods."
She stood in a pool of blood, her face shrouded in darkness, her tone gentle yet icy.
Ka was silent for a moment and said, "You have already visited."
In the darkness, Cheng Tingyu smiled silently, opened the round mirror he carried with him, and casually glanced at the images of the people inside.
[Special Status: [Dream Maker's Attention], [Injury Reduction], [Off Duty]]
Among the three states, [Injury Reduction] was clearly a buff given to her by Wei Xuji, while [Off Duty] pertained to her status as an employee.
When Cheng Tingyu noticed this, he didn't feel much joy from clearing the level.
Everyone is already [off work], so can [going to work] be far behind?
Cheng Tingyu sighed deeply in her heart. Her main mission, which was originally to finish her work and go home, had suddenly turned into taking down that capitalist.
——It wasn't that she wanted to break the copy, it was truly fate playing tricks on her.
The mall has three floors, and the two routes she deduced to pass through were concentrated on the second and third floors.
The plastic mannequin wouldn't take the clerk to the first floor. Apart from sliding down from the atrium, a method that no sane person would choose, there seemed to be no other way for the participants to go downstairs.
Cheng Tingyu, having been reminded by her own previous warning, was filled with distrust towards the instance. Since the marketplace was strictly guarded, preventing anyone from going to the first floor, she had reason to suspect that allowing participants to enter the first floor might endanger the marketplace itself.
With speculation comes action. Cheng Tingyu, whose SAN value had been reduced to the brink of moderate madness but not yet to mild madness, unhesitatingly bungee-jumped in front of everyone.
The actors who had not yet taken the stage watched her in silence, their vivid features showing a hint of mannequin-like rigidity.
The first floor of the replica now only retained the outline of a normal marketplace, with more of a sense of distortion brought by the power of the boundary.