Chapter 1167: The Most Reliable Team
Lin Sanjiu didn't notice it before, but there was a phone hanging on the inner wall of the payment counter. Just as she was about to slip into the tent, the female NPC, with an agility that didn't match her figure, quickly snatched the phone from the counter.
"Security," the female NPC said, her voice sounding as cold as a block of iron covered in frost, "There are outsiders in the payment counter. Immediately—"
Before she could say "expel," Lin Sanjiu quickly dodged backward, finally passing through the tent's zipper and sticking her head into the [Temporary Right Of Abode]. The NPC's words were abruptly cut off halfway as she held the phone, and her gaze shifted back and forth between the tent and the receiver. Perhaps witnessing such a situation for the first time, her voice weakened, and she stood with her mouth half-open, not saying anything.
Seizing the opportunity, Gardenia quickly crawled in using both hands and feet. As soon as she entered the tent, Lin Sanjiu raised her chin and said, "Say something quickly!"
At this moment, Gardenia's messy and disheveled hair floated in the air, and her skin had turned slightly red, looking extremely disheveled. Like a dog chasing its own tail, she spun around on three legs inside the tent, and quickly stuck her head out again, "W-w-wait, sis... Actually, we applied for permission from the management to come and visit."
The female NPC let out an "Oh" as if she were a computer just awakened. "Is that even allowed?" she said, full of doubts, slowly reaching out to hang up the phone. "This is the first time I've heard of it."
"Blame me, I should have mentioned it earlier," Gardenia said, her voice soft and weak. However, after hearing the sound of the phone being hung up with a "click," Lin Sanjiu's attention wasn't on the NPC anymore.
"Oh... I'll dismiss him first, and then we'll talk." The chubby NPC finally restored her usual lazy smile as she turned around and faced the red-faced man standing outside the counter. "What do you want?"
The man's entire face was smeared in red paint, making his eyeballs appear even more yellowish, as if he had contracted liver disease. His lips, on the other hand, were devoid of any color. Perhaps due to his advanced age, deep wrinkles on his skin were drenched in red paint, resembling thin red-black lines, almost like a bunch of threadworms crawling over his face.
As Red Face stared silently at the tent inside the payment counter, only half of his eyeballs were visible under his drooping, reddened eyelids.
Gardenia rubbed her face. "Their appearances are too eye-catching," she said, almost in pain. "All these people are too eye-catching."
"What do you want?" the female NPC asked again.
Red Face only then seemed to notice Gardenia. Slowly, like a snake following the scent of its prey, he turned his head towards her.
Sitting on the ground inside the tent, their view was blocked by the counter, and aside from Red Face standing condescendingly, they couldn't see what was happening outside. If they listened carefully, they could faintly hear the sounds of battle from afar, but they had no idea how Hei Zeji was doing now. Suddenly, Red Face bent down, and when he stood up again, the unconscious Wushi Ming was tossed onto the counter, along with a thin, silvery-white cane. Both of them shuddered when they saw the man's grin.
That wasn't a smile. It was more like a certain type of creature trying to imitate a human smile.
"We need to take him back," Lin Sanjiu whispered to Gardenia. "I need that old man for my plan to earn points."
"Easier said than done," Gardenia complained in a soft voice. "I lost my cane. It's a struggle just to stand!"
Indeed, even if she wanted to stand, she couldn't do it now. As soon as they left the tent, the female NPC would immediately call security.
Wushi Ming was lying on the edge of the counter, with his head facing the interior of the payment counter. If Red Face didn't keep pushing him up, he would have slipped off. With his free hand, the man took out a stainless-steel reaper from his pocket without saying a word. Gardenia suddenly took a deep breath and said to the NPC's back, "Sis, that is my friend."
The female NPC turned her head to look at her, and a smile that couldn't be described as friendly curved at the corners of her mouth. "What? I can't take him?"
Contrary to what Lin Sanjiu had in mind, Gardenia said, "Reaping organs is your job. How could I interfere with your work? But he is indeed my friend, and I can't bear to see this man sell his organs."
"What do you mean then?"
"I have a suggestion... How about you cut the price in half?"
Lin Sanjiu was just about to give her a questioning look when she suddenly realized—NPCs wouldn't feel comfortable saying this themselves, but if someone proposed it, there was no reason for her to disagree.
"Oh, well," the NPC seemed to be considering this suggestion, "If it makes you feel better..."
Red Face indeed showed a momentary daze. Lin Sanjiu took the opportunity to hit Wushi Ming with a surge of Higher Consciousness. She didn't have much strength left, but the force of Higher Consciousness was sufficient. Wrapping the old man's collar, she pulled him back with force, and Wushi Ming was pulled across the counter as if he were a shadow puppet.
However, Red Face, standing next to Wushi Ming's body, grabbed the old man's arm before he slipped off the counter. His combat power had probably recovered enough because, in the struggle against Higher Consciousness, Red Face quickly gained the upper hand, and Wushi Ming was about to slide back again.
"Hey!" Gardenia quickly shouted and threw something at him. Red Face slightly turned his head, and his gaze met the object flying in the air. In that instant, Gardenia's fingers suddenly stretched and hooked like catching a piece of cloth, grabbing his gaze.
Red Face staggered a step forward, seemingly seeing something. For the first time, his mask-like face showed a hint of an expression. Lin Sanjiu took advantage of the moment when he loosened his grip slightly and immediately increased the power of Higher Consciousness. With one pull, she yanked the old man off the counter, and he landed on the ground with a 'thud.'
Following that, the silvery-white cane, which had been swept onto the counter along with Wushi Ming's legs, also fell down.
Gardenia leaped out of the tent and reached out to grab the cane. Almost at the same time, Red Face licked his pale lips, and a huge, long-handled net appeared between his hands. It was the kind of insect-catching net used in ancient times to catch butterflies and flying insects, but considering its size, it was undoubtedly tailored for humans. Red Face's body was still outside the payment counter; he swung the insect-catching net down rapidly from above the counter, capturing Gardenia securely.
She had just grabbed the cane and noticed the shadow, quickly looking up, when the net's opening closed, enclosing her inside.
This happened too quickly, catching everyone off guard. It was as if Red Face had predicted their next move and deliberately prepared the insect-catching net. Lin Sanjiu was still holding onto a corner of Gardenia's skirt. She had been clutching it tightly, fearing that Gardenia might completely leave the tent, which caused the skirt to hang loosely on the ground. But when Gardenia struggled, the skirt suddenly tightened and straightened in the air, struggling to escape Lin Sanjiu's grip.
Ensnared in the insect-catching net, a human-sized bundle shifted continuously as Gardenia struggled within. Despite her efforts, the net remained silent. Red Face hoisted the net effortlessly from the counter with a simple raise of his arm.