Chapter 1168: Playing Each Other
Chapter 1168: Playing Each Other
"She doesn't have 11 points," said the female NPC, turning around to face outside the counter. Just as Lin Sanjiu's heart tightened, she continued, "But she can exchange for 11 points."
Considering organs that hadn't been converted into points wasn't unreasonable. Hesitating for a moment, the girl outside the counter said, "Then hurry up and exchange them!"
"Okay, okay," Lin Sanjiu said from behind the counter. "Give me five minutes!"
First, Lin Sanjiu needed to ensure Wushi Ming wouldn't wake up midway.
She had an effortless method for that. She removed Wushi Ming's heart, brain, and other organs, leaving him as an empty bag. Trying to convert him into a card again, she found that he hadn't completely died according to the [Planar World]. But, of course, even if he couldn't wake up, she didn't want to use up her only can of [Bone Broth] for the benefit of the two posthumans outside.
Lin Sanjiu sat on the ground, looking at the scattered Special Item cards outside the tent, realizing none of them seemed useful. Hei Zeji, floating above the counter, had a wider field of vision. At that moment, he stared at her unblinkingly. Under such pressure, Lin Sanjiu's back was soon covered in sweat.
She gritted her teeth and made up her mind.
Ya Jiang's fake letter proved useful once again. She tore a piece of white paper from her notebook and wrote a sentence on it. Then, she poked the female NPC's leg. The chubby NPC turned and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Excuse me, can you read?" Lin Sanjiu asked.
"Nonsense. Of course, I can read," the NPC replied.
"Can you tell me what's written on this paper? You see, I can't read," Lin Sanjiu said as politely and pitifully as possible, fearing the female NPC wouldn't help.
Ever since entering the hospital, she had been continuously deceived, attacked, and harassed. Lin Sanjiu had had enough. So, now, she planned to play a trick in return. If this gamble wasn't successful, she would have no choice but to exchange for Hei Zeji with her points.
"The writing is so small, I can't see it clearly," complained the female NPC as she slowly squatted down, her waist and thigh flesh overflowing. "Hmm, it says... 'All humanoid creatures, including humans, will consider you as a pocket dimension NPC.' What does that mean?"
The NPC, of course, had no idea that she was an NPC. Lin Sanjiu became nervous, her heart pounding in her chest like a trapped bird. She observed the NPC's expression, feeling her back bandage warming up. In a short while, the real warmth began to burn her skin unmistakably—the [Pygmalion Choker] had taken effect.
Blinking in confusion, the female NPC looked at Lin Sanjiu.
"What... What's going on?" she mumbled, standing up. "I thought you were just temporary... Could it be that my shift is over?"
Lin Sanjiu shivered, recalling her conversation with Gardenia. These NPCs didn't have a schedule and didn't know when their shifts changed. In that case...
"Yes, thank you for your hard work," Lin Sanjiu said, still seated. "You can go rest now! I'll take over here."
"My shift is over. My colleague will handle things for you," the female NPC informed the two people outside the counter. Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked past Lin Sanjiu towards the side door. Crawling on all fours like a dog on a leash, Lin Sanjiu followed her. When the NPC looked at her quizzically, Lin Sanjiu forced a smile and said, "I dropped something."
Shaking her head, the NPC opened the door and entered pitch-black darkness. Lin Sanjiu quickly followed, standing up and holding the doorknob to straighten herself. Glancing back, she saw the NPC disappear into the haze, where there was a downward extending staircase.
If it weren't for Hei Zeji outside, she would have liked to follow and see what was down there.
Collecting her thoughts, Lin Sanjiu put on a coat to cover her missing left arm. Although the [Pygmalion Choker] might make people ignore this, she preferred to be cautious. Pushing the door open, she wedged Ya Jiang's fake letter in the gap to keep it ajar. Then, lifting her chin, she walked briskly into the payment counter, passing by the tent. Suddenly stopping, she bowed her head to the empty ground and asked, "Are you a patient? How did you get over here?"
Sweat dripped down Lin Sanjiu's back as she felt multiple pairs of eyes outside the counter watching her. The shift change seemed to have attracted more posthumans. Now, they were all silently staring at her.
Would she be discovered?
Doubts and worries churned in her stomach like ice cubes, but Lin Sanjiu still persevered, continuing her act. She nodded towards the air and said, "Oh, I see. You applied for a temporary permit. It's fine to visit; just don't disturb my work."
After speaking, she turned to face several faces outside the counter.
Hei Zeji was floating in mid-air, staring at her as if she had grown sea anemones on her face. Among the people outside the counter were familiar figures, like the three brotherly companions with the statue. However, after a moment of mutual observation, no one's expression changed abruptly or shouted, as she had feared.
In fact, they seemed more wary of each other.
"Are you done?" one of the three brothers asked impatiently. "If you're done, step aside. We want to exchange points."
The old witch opened her mouth to retort, but the girl with the umbrella beat her to it, saying, "Don't you how know to wait your turn? Just be patient."
"Wait," Lin Sanjiu said, clenching her fists under the counter to suppress her nervousness. She gestured with her chin towards Hei Zeji in the air and asked, "What are you two planning to do? Are you going to exchange this man for points?"
The old witch began to reply, but the girl with the umbrella stopped her. The old lady's aged voice came from beneath the umbrella, "Can we exchange a living person for points?"
"We can, but it requires extra work," Lin Sanjiu replied, recalling the shop owner's nonchalant expression and trying to imitate her casual tone. "Prepare it yourselves next time. Don't keep bothering us!"
"Okay," the old witch said, sighing in relief. She waved her hand, and Hei Zeji, wrapped in the amber glow, floated down slowly onto the counter.
Lin Sanjiu didn't rush to save him; instead, she looked up at the three brothers. "What about you? How many points do you want to exchange?"