Chapter 1169: Everyone Harbors a Criminal in Their Heart
Speaking of it, what form did points actually take? Was it a counting board or plastic cards marked with numbers? Or maybe an enigmatic aura? If she kept collecting items from several people without giving them points and continued to ask for more from the next person, wouldn't they become suspicious?
As she thought about this, Lin Sanjiu sighed and glanced regretfully at the back of the crowd. Four or five people were scattered outside the payment counter, cautiously keeping a distance from the crowd. She couldn't ask these people for organs; they would surely grow suspicious.
"It's three and a half minutes already," Mrs. Manas reminded her.
Thinking about it, Lin Sanjiu felt a bit dissatisfied. The [Pygmalion Choker] could only make an ability effective once. Even if the wording was changed, the essence remained the same, and it wouldn't work a second time. Using such a precious opportunity, she had taken back Hei Zeji and collected some blood-stained medical items from the old witch and the girl. She also gathered five or six organs from the three brothers. In terms of rough points conversion, she had probably gained at least ten points. The reap was quite substantial. However, she felt like she could peel another layer of skin.
Who should she peel from?
"You're too greedy, aren't you?" Mrs. Manas said with concern. "Don't you know when to stop when things are going well?"
"I only know about maximizing benefits." Although the context seemed inappropriate, Lin Sanjiu felt like this phrase was spoken on her behalf by the Scrooge McDuck ability.
"Then what do you plan to do?" Mrs. Manas said with some dissatisfaction. "From what I see, you've already collected everything from five people, and the people in the distance don't seem interested in exchanging... You have no one left to deceive."
Not necessarily.
When this thought arose, Lin Sanjiu suddenly felt her heart leap. Immediately, adrenaline surged through her bloodstream, causing her blood vessels to constrict and expand with excitement and nervousness. The negative effects of coffee lessened slightly. She tightly clenched her right hand under the counter, preventing it from trembling, and casually asked, "Are you going to take points or buy something?"
If they didn't want to buy something from the hospital, who would want to risk their lives for those points?
She already knew the answer to this question. So, when everyone replied that they wanted to exchange for items, Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but hold her breath. The moment of adventure had arrived.
"Great, saves me a trip," she said, leaning against the counter lazily. "What do you want?"
Items like [Lava Wound Recovery Ointment], [Hospital Pass], and [High-Efficiency Nutrient Solution] were all within her expectations and not surprising. Nobody wanted the Lava Player's Handbook; perhaps they had already gone through one before. She just hoped that when she suddenly heard "roulette," she wouldn't reveal any flaws. Roulette? Was this not the hospital payment counter?
Perhaps noticing her odd expression, one of the three brothers who made the request stared at her for a moment. Just when Lin Sanjiu's heart skipped a beat, he said, "Don't worry, we have enough points from our previous savings to draw once."
"So, you are about to start the draw," the old witch giggled like a young girl. "You are still far from the finish line. Good luck to you."
"Since you're going to draw, why are you still waiting here?" another brother retorted.
Lin Sanjiu secretly decided that she must get a copy of the Lava Player's Handbook.
"The one who wants to draw and this person," she said, not even sparing a glance at Hei Zeji, who was floating on the counter looking bewildered, and instead bent down. "Wait here, I'll get your things first."
None of the five people mumbled any complaints, but perhaps it was because of Lin Sanjiu's attitude of "exchange or not, it doesn't bother me"—an acting skill she learned at the cost of a kidney—everyone remained silent for a moment.
She slowly crouched down, using the counter to block the view of the people outside.
With a swipe of her right arm, she collected all the scattered cards from the ground. The tent couldn't move for the moment, and the people outside could only see its tip; suddenly making it vanish would surely raise suspicions. Moreover, Wushi Ming's empty body was still inside the tent. She looked at the employee side door, the tent, and her own position, pondering in her mind. Then she took a deep breath, pressing her hand against the counter door.
Her ability at this moment ensured that all "humanoid creatures" would regard her as an NPC. Although the counter wasn't humanoid or a creature, it was uncertain whether it would open or remain still.
The door slid open with a 'whoosh' sound along the tracks, propelling the adrenaline in her body to a new peak. The counter opened without any resistance for the people standing at the payment counter.
It really opened?
Lin Sanjiu quickly peeked inside, finding a variety of medical supply boxes, cards, a small pile of plastic models of organs, and several IV bags scattered all over. The cards and IV bags were undoubtedly the [Hospital Pass] and [High-Efficiency Nutrient Solution]. She didn't stand up; instead, she casually placed a [Hospital Pass] on the counter and shouted, "Who needed a [Hospital Pass]?"
When one of the three brothers said, "I did, it's mine," Lin Sanjiu had already retracted her right hand. She reached into the counter, spreading her five fingers from right to left with a swift motion. In the blink of an eye, countless items turned into cards in her palm and disappeared, all entering her card inventory. Unfortunately, a single swipe couldn't guarantee that everything would be touched, and some things slipped through the cracks. However, Lin Sanjiu had no other chance.
As she feared, the alarm suddenly tore through the oppressive and sticky air.
Although the payment counter system didn't absorb organs or points, the sudden loss of a large number of goods was detected by something—but it would take the players a few seconds to figure out what happened. Those few seconds were Lin Sanjiu's only chance to escape.
"It's been four minutes," said Mrs. Manas anxiously, her voice trembling.
"Let's go!" Lin Sanjiu exclaimed.
Suddenly, she leaped up from under the counter, using Higher Consciousness to wrap around the amber. With another forceful sweep of her arm across the counter, she turned and rushed towards the employee side door. Startled exclamations came from behind as she kicked away the fake knowledge letter, pulled open the side door, and rushed into the darkness. As expected, the old witch and the girl duo immediately tried to control the amber to pull Hei Zeji back, but with a layer of Higher Consciousness blocking them and Lin Sanjiu seizing the initiative, she only had a tug of war for a couple of seconds before dragging him behind the door.
"How could an NPC embezzle our things!" someone exclaimed, still not fully comprehending the situation.
1
The tent and Wushi Ming were temporarily out of reach. Lin Sanjiu glanced at the dark staircase extending downwards. A series of footsteps rapidly approached her from below.