Store

"Disgusting..." Qiao Jiajin frowned as he looked at the dirty things on the ground. "This strong smell, could it be excrement?"

Excrement? Qixia suddenly turned his head to look at Qiao Jiajin. This was an interesting point of view. In other words, besides the nine of them and the animal masks, there were other people here. Or perhaps... other "things." This person or "thing" seemed to have lived here for a long time, otherwise, there wouldn't be feces all over the floor. After searching around for a while, they couldn't find any needles, threads, or bandages. And there was no pharmacy or clinic outside the convenience store. Going out blindly to search, Han Yimo might not be able to hold on for so long. "What should we do..." Officer Li put his hands on his hips and looked at Dr. Zhao helplessly, as if seeking his opinion. Before Dr. Zhao could speak, there was a noise behind the cashier's counter of the convenience store, and the door of the staff lounge slowly opened. The nine of them were shocked, immediately stepping back a few steps and looking at the slowly opening door. A slender figure emerged from behind the door. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a girl so thin that she hardly looked human, and her age was indiscernible. Her cheeks were deeply sunken, her eyes bulging outwards, as if there was no flesh on her entire face. She licked her chapped lips and looked curiously at the group. After a brief moment of confusion, she seemed to realize something and quickly straightened out her dirty and tattered clothes, speaking in a hoarse voice, "Welcome..." Welcome...? Officer Li carefully understood the meaning of this sentence and seemed to grasp it. "Are you... a clerk?" The girl nodded, "Mm." No one spoke again because this matter seemed unreasonable. Not to mention why there were other humans here, even if she was indeed a "clerk," why would she work in such a completely dilapidated convenience store? Seeing that the group didn't move, the clerk tentatively said, "Please feel free to choose." Although she said that, was there any "space" for choosing here? There were almost no goods on the shelves, and the few things that were there were rotten and covered in filth. The clerk's eyes were dull, staring at the group. This gaze made several girls feel frightened. "Do you have needles and thread?" Qixia asked the clerk calmly. "Needles... thread?" The clerk's lifeless eyes twitched slightly, then she reached out and mimicked the motion of threading a needle, "Are you talking about... this kind of needle and thread?" The group then noticed that her hands were covered with dried black bloodstains, which was quite horrifying. Qixia took another step forward and said, "Yes, that's the kind of needle and thread I mean. Do you have any for sale?" "You... liar..." Before he knew Qixia, Qiao Jiajin thought he was the boldest person in the world, but now he didn't even dare to talk to this woman, "This woman is not normal, can't you see?" "What if I do?" Qixia said calmly, "Our situation can't get any worse than it is now." The clerk pondered for a moment, then suddenly opened the partition behind the counter and rushed out. The group finally saw her full appearance. She was wearing a dirty and oversized white shirt that looked as mismatched as clothes hanging on a hanger. There was something smeared on the shirt, like oil, or blood. The shirt almost reached her knees, and it seemed like she wasn't wearing pants underneath, her thighs covered in dried bloodstains. Qixia frowned slightly, wanting to step back, but was grabbed by the clerk's wrist. He felt like his wrist was entwined by an old vine, dry and painful. "I have it here!!" The clerk opened her mouth, revealing yellow teeth, "I have 'needles and thread'! Come with me!" Her hand kept pointing towards the "staff lounge," as if she wanted Qixia to follow her inside. The group was genuinely scared by her actions. Judging by her current behavior, going inside with her was not a good idea. "Let's forget it... we won't buy anything!" Qiao Jiajin walked up and tried to pull the woman's hand away, "Let go first." But the clerk seemed not to hear him at all. While still holding onto Qixia, she moved her feet, smiling happily. "There's 'needles and thread' in this room! Come!" Her strength was even greater than that of Qiao Jiajin and Qixia, two big men combined. "Hey!! Come help!" Qiao Jiajin turned his head and shouted. Officer Li and Dr. Zhao snapped out of their daze and hurried over. The clerk couldn't help but quicken her pace. Qixia felt like a tremendous force was dragging him, completely unable to break free. The two of them were not far from the staff lounge, and in a matter of seconds, they had reached the door. Dr. Zhao and Officer Li were pulling Qixia out, but they didn't expect the clerk to suddenly let go of his hand. "Ah!" A cry of surprise, and several people almost fell. After stabilizing themselves, they saw that the clerk didn't care about them at all. Instead, she turned around and rummaged through the room, searching for something. The four men also looked around the room in a daze. It was slightly cleaner than outside, with a folding bed in the corner, the bedding yellowed and stained with blood. There was a large bloodstain on top, looking relatively fresh. In another corner, a simple stove was placed with a rusty pot on top, simmering with something. But the clerk seemed oblivious to everything, rummaging through an old box. "Where is it... needles and thread..." She kept throwing things out of the box, there were soda cans, old magazines, and pots and pans. Qiao Jiajin touched his nose and looked at the iron pot. "Come to think of it, I'm quite hungry." He whispered to Qixia, "If she's not a crazy woman, I'd like to ask her if I can have a meal." Qixia forgot about the iron pot for a moment, his stomach also feeling a bit empty. "Do you dare to eat things from this place?" Officer Li asked, "Who knows how dirty that stuff is..." "But it smells so good." Qiao Jiajin was right. Thanks to the iron pot, the smell in the room was fragrant, covering up the stench. "What are you cooking?" Qiao Jiajin bravely asked, thinking about taking a bite. "Piglets." The clerk replied. "Piglets?" Qiao Jiajin became interested and was about to go over to the iron pot to take a look, but the clerk exclaimed. "Ah! Found it!" She turned around, holding something in her hands, excitedly saying to the group, "Look! Needles and thread!" Officer Li approached and looked a bit embarrassed. This wasn't "needles and thread" at all, but a rusty fish hook, plus a small bundle of tangled fishing line. He turned to Dr. Zhao, indicating with his eyes. After a moment of thought, Dr. Zhao stared at the fish hook and fishing line, opening his mouth to ask, "Miss, do you have any other needles and thread?" "No." The clerk shook her head, "Only this, do you want to buy?"