First of all, one thing can be certain: corpses—or to be precise, corpses that have been dead for a certain period—had no organ value. Lin Sanjiu and the female NPC clarified some doubts in their minds and pondered for a while before finally turning to shout, "I'm done here, let's take him away!"
Even with the unrivalled weapon, staying near the payment counter with wolves around was still troublesome.
Although the combat powers were not evenly matched, Hei Zeji didn't fight with full enthusiasm. Upon hearing what she had to say, he responded with a "Hmm?" as if he had been so absorbed in the fight that he almost forgot about Lin Sanjiu's presence. "That's it?"
Wushi Ming, lying on the ground, almost burst into tears because of these words.
"That's enough, that's enough." If Wushi Ming had a somewhat human appearance before, it was all history now. Lin Sanjiu didn't even have the heart to look down at him and just waved her hand. "I thought of a way to earn points. Let's get him back to the patient room. We can have a proper conversation there."
Maybe it was her imagination, but after she said that, Lin Sanjiu felt that the look on Hei Zeji's face seemed to be full of confusion.
Maybe it was her imagination, but it looked like Hei Zeji's gaze lingered on her severed arm several times, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
Maybe it was her imagination—why did she feel like Hei Zeji had no idea what was going on?
"I have a new technique to show you," Hei Zeji suddenly said. Without waiting for her to speak, he removed the floating crescent moon and took a few steps back, looking like a child eager to show off his toy. "Do you see this spot behind his head, close to the neck?"
No one could say that Wushi Ming lacked the will to survive. When the two were distracted talking, he suddenly leaped up from the ground, finally finding an opportunity to use his ability. He clapped his hands with a furious long shout—at the same time, the air rapidly formed a small vortex, closely adhering to the position where Hei Zeji had pointed just now, and then it exploded in the opposite direction. The sound of impact on the skull shook the dim surroundings.
"When you can't get close to the target," he said, not needing to finish his sentence, as Lin Sanjiu witnessed the effect. Wushi Ming, seeming like a cartoon character, rolled his eyes and fell to the ground like a stack of collapsing mahjong tiles. In the end, he failed to use his ability.
"Teach me this later," she said, managing a smile and suddenly put her hand on her knee, her voice becoming soft, "Now, my coffee's effect is wearing off."
Even if he didn't quite understand what the coffee's effect was, Hei Zeji immediately realized that he couldn't let her stay there for long. He grabbed Wushi Ming's collar and asked, "Can you still walk? There are many wild dogs nearby."
Lin Sanjiu nodded. When the effect of the coffee receded, it was intense, rapid, and merciless, tearing away her remaining energy, revealing the endless exhaustion underneath. Even when Hei Zeji suddenly stopped and whispered, "Someone is coming!" she was slow to react and almost bumped into his back.
Looking up, she hurriedly reached out to grab Hei Zeji but failed to do so. This caused him to turn around and look at her. Lin Sanjiu quickly opened her mouth, fearing she might be too late, and said, "Wait, don't fight. That's someone I know!"
"How do you know so many people?" Unlike Puppeteer, Hei Zeji's confusion was sincere. "Are you able to remember everyone's names?"
Gardenia had no idea what kind of danger she had just escaped. Her staff tapped on the ground quickly, and in the blink of an eye, she arrived next to them. Her gaze swept across everyone and then immediately turned back, repeatedly focusing on Hei Zeji several times. She then exchanged the silver and slender staff into her other hand, extending her right hand to him with a dazzling smile as if ignited by sparks. "Hello."
This clearly wasn't what she rushed over to say, was it? Lin Sanjiu stared at her.
Hei Zeji looked at Gardenia's hand, then his gaze flickered to her missing ankle. Perhaps seeing Lin Sanjiu's expression, he shook Wushi Ming in his hand. "Hand's full."
"Why do I always ask for a handshake when they're holding something?" Gardenia muttered, withdrawing her hand and then pausing for a few seconds, as if trying to figure out where to start. Lin Sanjiu couldn't wait any longer and asked in a low voice, "What are you here for?"
"Who is this guy? I really like him," Gardenia said, pointing to Hei Zeji, then suddenly waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind; it's not important now. We'll talk later."
'So, what are you here for? Is it okay to just leave Ya Jiang's two parts there?'
Unfortunately, without coffee and feeling weak and tired, Lin Sanjiu couldn't speak as eloquently as Gardenia, who seemed to have the ability to talk in a way that could bite through a gun barrel. "Why did you two come back like this? And aren't you curious? Just like that?"
"What else can we do?" Lin Sanjiu finally managed to say in between her breaths. "I need to get back quickly."
Perhaps she was forcing herself too hard, but Gardenia seemed completely oblivious to her condition. "You'll be fine soon. Give me two minutes," she said as she walked past both of them towards the payment counter. "Follow me!"
Near the intersection, a few people began to emerge in small groups.
After the player had released the suspicious item effect that could turn them against each other, the NPCs had behaved very strangely, giving Lin Sanjiu a chance to escape from the chaos. Now, seeing their missing limbs and broken legs, with the most intact person burdened by a chubby liability, players who didn't want to waste any more time started showing up one by one.
"If you want to trade, it's not urgent right now," Lin Sanjiu whispered to her as she followed, her abdomen burning with a growing urgency. "I can't hold on much longer!"
"You won't regret it." Gardenia twisted her waist slightly, her long hair flowing down from her back like water, making people wonder what she would look like after taking a bath. But her next words were hard to understand. "I told you, this NPC looks like someone who is lazy and likes to take advantage."
"You never said the latter half," Lin Sanjiu said. "But even if that's the case, so what?"
"The NPC called over the old man just earlier, which means I guessed it right," Gardenia said with an air of nonchalance, as if it should be obvious. "Do I need to spell it out for you?"
Two veins popped up on Hei Zeji's forehead, but he still didn't say anything.
It was better to let go of this argument and have her finish what she needed to do. With this idea in mind, Lin Sanjiu approached the counter of the payment counter again. The female NPC raised her head and looked a bit dazed. "Why are you back again? Changed your mind? Want to exchange him for points?"
Gardenia turned her head and leaned in close to the pair, whispering, "Look, she didn't let anyone bother Wushi Ming before, but now you're going to exchange him for points, and she seems to not care. Doesn't that explain everything?"
Lin Sanjiu closed her mouth tightly and nodded.
Gardenia walked up and quickly extended her hand to the NPC, smiling. "Hello, nice to meet you. Wushi Ming often mentioned you to me."
Today, this rare beauty finally took the initiative to shake hands with someone—such a statement would have been unimaginable before the doomsday.
The NPC withdrew her hand with a skeptical look. "Are you friends?"
"They're both my friends, but there was a little misunderstanding between them," Gardenia said, spinning a tale convincingly. "Do you think I wasn't anxious after hearing about it? I hurried over to help them clear up the misunderstanding. By the way, you often take care of Wushi Ming and his sister."
As she spoke, she suddenly brought one hand behind her back and gestured a few times towards Lin Sanjiu, who had no what she was signaling. Still smiling at the NPC, she continued, "I've always been very grateful to you. Today, I finally get to meet you, and you're just as beautiful and kind as he described. I'm honored!"
Her flattery dispelled the doubts on the NPC's chubby face, softening her expression, and even revealing the same warm smile that Lin Sanjiu had seen before. "You're too kind. How can anyone compare to such a pretty little girl like you?"
Gardenia chuckled lightly, and when she turned her head to look at Lin Sanjiu and Hei Zeji, her eyes sparkled like stars, her red lips curved enchantingly. In a voice too low for the NPC to hear, she said through gritted teeth, "She actually said I'm pretty!" It was as if she had been greatly insulted.
"Damn it, give me a cornea. No, give me both. You haven't replaced them, have you?" Gardenia's hand trembled. "I've long surpassed just being pretty!"
Although that was true, it wasn't something one should be boasting about. Lin Sanjiu wearily placed two cornea models into her palm. Anyway, she had figured out a way to farm points, so let her have them and see what she would do.
"Hurry up," Hei Zeji suddenly said. He slightly lifted his chin towards the air, a gesture that reminded Lin Sanjiu of a wild animal sniffing for a scent. "More people are coming."
She quickly turned her head and saw sparse groups of players approaching the payment counter step by step. They were wary of each other, but their target was the payment counter and the few people in front of it. Given how long they had been talking to the NPC, they must have accumulated many points and had a lot to exchange.
Gardenia didn't turn back, but her anxiety increased, and her speech sped up. She placed the plastic models of the two corneas on the counter and smiled at the female NPC, saying, "This is a little token of my appreciation. Please accept it!"