Focusing his thoughts slightly, Gao Yi summoned the “Tag System.”
The “Special Mission” below once again displayed its countdown.
“I: Survive twelve hours in the ‘Hui Rong’ Supermarket (Countdown 7:22:15)”
More than an hour had passed since the small collapse that occurred inside the supermarket.
Relying on the skills he had honed over years as an investigative journalist, combined with the double bonus from the 【Deadbeat】 and 【Enthusiastic Citizen】 skills, he barely managed to stabilize the others.
At this moment, Gao Yi was alone in the staff lounge.
Since the sofa had been moved out, he was leaning on a somewhat bent folding stool, playing with the items he had just won from a lottery.
On that subway, after completing the “Act of Bravery” and snatching the ticket, Gao Yi received three lottery chances.
Because he had been somewhat nervous and didn't have much hope for the lottery, Gao Yi hadn't tried his luck.
It wasn't until he had some free time now that he remembered to use up his three lottery chances.
And just as had been the norm for Gao Yi since childhood, Lady Luck was once again playing a trick on him.
The three prizes were—
A 【Chocolate Energy Bar】 that could quickly restore stamina—there was only one.
An 【Endless Lighter】 that could light infinitely—the flame was only three centimeters at its highest.
And an 【Inflatable Giant Hammer】 that could cause a low-probability stun effect when attacking enemies—an inflatable hammer over a meter long that hurt quite a bit when hitting people… he had no idea how to use it at all.
Compared to these, the 【Super Anti-Wolf Spray】 he had won before actually seemed like a good item; at least it had been useful.
As for these items in his hand… Gao Yi truly didn’t know how to describe them.
Of course, Gao Yi, who had been in a state of “misfortune” for many years, was already accustomed to all of this and wasn't too disappointed.
As someone who had never won any prize where “the number of participants exceeded the number of winners” in his entire life, it was good enough to get something; why be so picky?
The 【Chocolate Energy Bar】, the chocolate was delicious, and an energy bar was useful, wasn't that good?
The 【Endless Lighter】 could be used infinitely; although he didn't smoke, he would always need to light birthday candles for friends—oh, he had no friends.
In any case, he wouldn't need to buy a lighter for the rest of his life, saving him another sum of money.
The 【Inflatable Giant Hammer】 was even better; he could take it out to play during festivals and holidays. While others had toys, he would have the real deal.
Self-comforting, Gao Yi continued to play by repeatedly opening and closing the lighter's lid.
And why was he sitting alone here?
On one hand, he had stated that he “would not threaten others,” and on the other hand, he didn't want his presence to suddenly stimulate the other people in the supermarket.
Staying in a secluded place within the supermarket was indeed the more correct choice.
Gao Yi had now basically clarified the mechanism of this 【Heart-Warping Mist】.
Simply put, due to some reason, the entire “Hui Rong” Supermarket had been abstracted, becoming a space that could be described as virtual or spiritualized.
And all the other townspeople, apart from Gao Yi, were directly pulled into it.
It wasn't like the movie “The Mist,” where a large group of people were shopping at the start, suddenly noticed fog outside, and then became trapped.
From the very beginning, these people were already inside this supermarket.
And this also solved many previous mysteries.
For example, why the testimonies of several people differed.
Just as their perceptions of the exact time and even the season differed, this was because their memories were not complete.
Their world, in reality, did not have an accurate cognition, whether of space or time.
And the previous chaos was precisely because Gao Yi's words had caused everyone to fall into memories, thereby destroying the fragile balance of this world.
“Knowing what the problem is and having appeased the people outside, there shouldn't be any issues, right?… At worst, I'll just wait another seven hours and get the ‘Return Ticket’ first.”
The introduction of this instance clearly stated that only by completing the main mission could one obtain a “Return Ticket.”
Although just waiting would only allow him to complete the lowest-level Tier I main mission, and the special mission of the “Tag System” would remain uncompleted.
But at the very least, he could survive.
Staying alive was still the most important thing.
However, on the other hand, what exactly was the truth of this scenario?
“Special Mission: Explore everything that happened in the ‘Hui Rong’ Supermarket and uncover the truth of the disaster.”
Having clarified the state of this world, such a dream-like existence should have a main subject.
Could it be that little boy whom no one recognized?
Then how was he to “uncover the truth”? Was he supposed to grab that little boy and interrogate him?
No, no, the people outside were already on the verge of collapse; another collapse, and those monsters in the white mist might really come in.
It's better to wait a bit first…
But just as Gao Yi made up his mind not to delve into this instance for now, aiming to complete the most basic main mission.
The door to the staff lounge on one side was knocked on again.
“Who is it?”
A timid call came from outside the door:
“It's me…”
It wasn't hard to recognize; this was the voice of the gas station attendant, Xiao Hong.
Rubbing his neck, Gao Yi stood up and opened the door for her.
Xiao Hong at the doorway still looked pitiful, her head down, her hands constantly clasping and unclasping.
“What's wrong? Is that Yamada bothering you again?”
Seeing this, Gao Yi realized that waiting for her to speak first was unrealistic, so he lowered his voice and proactively asked.
Peeking out, the people inside the supermarket were all doing their own things, spread out, with some even already asleep.
And the store manager, Yamada, was currently sitting at the cash register, frowning deeply, seemingly deep in thought.
“No, it's not.”
Xiao Hong quickly looked up, waving her hand in denial, but as soon as her eyes met Gao Yi's, she immediately lowered her head again.
“Anyway… come in and talk.”
....................
The entire staff lounge had suffered extensive damage due to the previous earthquake.
Tables and chairs were overturned, light bulbs shattered, and even the iron cabinets used to store staff belongings were now lying on the floor.
Fortunately, the light source was not completely lost; several wall lamps affixed to the wall were still faithfully performing their duty, preventing the room from falling into complete darkness.
“Alright, what do you want to say?”
Seeing Xiao Hong sit down on a chair, Gao Yi leaned against the edge of the square table and asked.
“I don't know, I just… remembered some strange things…”
“Hey, hey, didn't we agree not to dwell on memories?”
Gao Yi quickly interjected, fearing that the situation of earthquakes and monsters appearing would happen again.
This shout seemed to scare Xiao Hong again, causing her to lower her head once more and her voice to become even softer.
“No, it's not… it's just, it's really not right.”
He specifically went to open the door and looked at the supermarket hall; there were no monsters outside, and no earthquake had occurred.
After confirming that everything was normal, Gao Yi leaned back and waved his hand:
“Alright, what exactly do you want to say?”
A bewildered and confused expression appeared on Xiao Hong's face again, and she began to speak, seemingly hesitant:
“I feel like… everything here, I've experienced it before…”
........................................