“Phew…”
Gao Yi tossed the large bag of pet food he was carrying onto the stack by the door, let out a sigh of relief, and took the opportunity to observe his surroundings.
Aside from the Old Woman and the child, and the female student who had been persuaded by her boyfriend to rest aside because she was “unfit for exercise during her period,” everyone else was participating in the construction of the “defensive fortifications.”
Even the Spicy Girl helped move two bags, but now she was back to taking a new round of selfies.
What they called “defensive fortifications” was actually just taking large bags of merchandise and goods from inside the Supermarket and, with the help of pushed-over metal shelves, propping them against the glass wall.
Since it concerned everyone’s safety, everyone worked quite diligently.
Especially the male student who said he “would do his girlfriend’s share of the work,” he had to be praised; his efficiency was particularly high.
Perhaps this was the power of love.
Looking at the shining Heartbroken Person Tag within his own Tags, Gao Yi couldn’t help but laugh at himself self-deprecatingly.
It’s worth mentioning that Manager Yamada, the chubby store owner, looked very hardworking, constantly shouting, “So tired,” “Come on, everyone,” and “Phew, another one moved.”
But Gao Yi noticed that his actual workload was even less than that of the female gas station attendant.
However, on the other hand, he was just a bit annoying in personality.
In reality, when helping everyone choose goods to transport and explaining the Supermarket’s layout, he didn’t hide anything.
Taking the opportunity to relax his torso, Gao Yi began to study the new 【Synthesis】 option.
This was a new function of the Tag System; upon opening it, two small boxes appeared, allowing him to select any one Tag and one Trait to put in.
“The most practical Trait right now… is that 【Deception】?”
Gao Yi looked at the Tags he possessed: 【Debtor】, 【Reporter】, 【Heartbroken Person】, 【Good Person】, 【Professional Internet Surfer】, 【Friend of Elderly Women】.
He indeed needed to act like a liar now, but which of these Tags seemed to match 【Deception】 better?
A 【Reporter】 who could 【Deception】? Isn’t there no difference…
After a moment of thought, Gao Yi had an idea and completed the synthesis list.
【Debtor (Common)】 + 【Deception (Common)】
A golden light flashed before his eyes, the original Tag and Trait had disappeared, and a brand new Tag appeared.
【Deadbeat Lv1 (Rare)】
【Experience: 0/1000】
【Tag Ability: ① Deception Game: Your lies are more convincing, and your creditors will be more patient.】
He casually equipped it, replacing 【Reporter】.
After all, one of the 【Reporter】’s Tag abilities was “a higher probability of encountering various unexpected events and breaking news.”
Given the current situation, “breaking” and “unexpected” were not what Gao Yi wanted to see.
“Hey, friend, you’re not from around here, are you?”
Just as Gao Yi was thinking, the burly, dark-skinned man leaned over, placed a large bag of pet food down, and struck up a conversation with Gao Yi.
“Ah, yes, I’m from out of Town.”
Gao Yi was a bit caught off guard, quickly responded with a smile, and went with the other person to fetch the next bag of “fortress material.”
“I figured as much, I’ve never seen you before.”
Saying that, he extended his powerful right hand and said:
“I’m Fujimoto.”
“Just call me Gao Yi.”
After shaking hands with the man who called himself Fujimoto and confirming that he had no special reaction to his name, Gao Yi finally relaxed.
The names of the people here were clearly Japanese-leaning, and Gao Yi had already prepared himself for the other party to show surprise, and for himself to excuse it by saying, “It’s my nickname.”
Fujimoto clearly had something to say, and Gao Yi was happy to let him.
After all, the muscular man’s theoretical combat power was second only to the shotgun, and in the current situation, getting along with him had no downside.
“You don’t know, this is a small Town, very closed off, usually no outsiders come here. The person who was dragged away by a wolf-like monster at the door earlier was one, and you’re another.”
“Is that so? It’s hard to tell.”
Gao Yi easily read the other party’s desire to confide, and the fact that he hadn’t finished speaking, so he just sighed in agreement.
However, on the other hand, the other party’s statement also solved his previous confusion—what happened to the bloodstains and shredded meat at the door.
As the distance closed, Gao Yi had more time to observe the other party carefully.
This man named Fujimoto at first glance seemed like a big, clumsy person, but upon contact, one could see that was not the case.
His muscles were not exaggerated but looked extremely solid, which must have been the result of long-term physical labor.
In contrast to his physique, his eyes were sharp, and he spoke clearly.
Seeing that Gao Yi had no intention of responding, he continued to speak on his own:
“By the way, what are you doing here? It’s so late, and you’re actually in this store. Where were you planning to stay tonight?”
Gao Yi keenly caught the probing and slight hostility; it seemed this Fujimoto was not just here to simply make a friend.
He hoisted another bag of dog food onto his shoulder, deliberately acting out of breath, to buy himself time to think.
This was crucial for gaining the other party’s trust; lying was inevitable, the question was how to concoct a lie that would convince the other party.
“Actually, I wasn’t coming to your Town; I was just driving through, and when I saw this place, I thought I should get some gas.”
From the personnel within the Supermarket and the snippets of conversation, Gao Yi had a basic understanding of the general situation within this instance.
The female gas station attendant was over there.
Considering she was wearing a uniform late at night in the Supermarket, and Manager Yamada was clearly familiar with her.
It was not difficult to deduce the fact that the gas station and the Supermarket were close by.
And as a place similar to a “highway rest stop,” why would so many Town residents appear there?
Knowing that both elderly people and children would come, it could be concluded that this “Hui Rong Supermarket” was definitely not too far from the Town.
At the same time, it was highly likely that some entertainment facilities like KTVs and hotels were also built nearby, with the entire area serving as a partial “commercial center.”
This also explained why student couples and Spicy Girls would appear in the vicinity late at night.
Finally, combining this with Mr. Fujimoto’s vigilance towards “outsiders,” an excuse of “passing by to refuel” naturally came into being.
Of course, this reason could only barely get him through this one round of questioning.
When Gao Yi saw Fujimoto slightly open his mouth, wanting to ask again, he quickly spoke first:
“By the way, what’s your relationship with that old man carrying the shotgun? You two seem very familiar.”
Gao Yi, of course, hadn’t seen them “seem very familiar”; on the contrary, the two clearly disliked each other, which was pretty much obvious.
“Hmph, that stubborn old man, I’m not familiar with him at all! Always talking about customs and traditions, that old geezer…”
Good, he successfully got the other party into the complaining phase.
If he let him keep asking questions like “Where are you driving to?” or “What brand of car are you driving?” then Gao Yi would truly be at a loss.
Fujimoto began to babble, complaining about the old hunter always spouting “traditional customs” and hindering him from going out to work.
Gao Yi didn’t care about the other party’s complaints, maintaining the half-serious, half-perfunctory expression he had cultivated during his school days, while observing the other people in the Supermarket with his peripheral vision.
Manager Yamada was still there, taking credit for himself, jumping around and showing off in front of the female gas station attendant.
The Middle-aged Office Worker had folded his suit aside and was currently moving a bag of rice with the old man.
The female student who wasn’t working was squatting on the ground, chatting with the little boy.
Just then, Ms. Naijia, near the entrance, suddenly let out an extremely shrill scream.
Gao Yi and Fujimoto exchanged glances, then quickly ran to the entrance with everyone else.
A few meters behind the glass door, Ms. Naijia was slumped on the ground, pointing with a terrified expression towards the glass wall.
Following the direction she was pointing, behind the half-completed fortress.
Looking through the gaps between the metal shelves and the cloth bags, several furry, thin legs appeared behind the glass wall.
They moved quickly, and at the last moment, several pairs of glowing red eyes could be faintly seen.
In an instant, they disappeared again.
The lights in the Supermarket also flickered a few times in sync, adding to the terrifying atmosphere.
The monsters, have they finally appeared?
Gao Yi sighed slightly, raised his left hand, and summoned the light screen.
【Ⅰ: Survive twelve hours in “Hui Rong Supermarket” (Countdown: 11:16:32)】
Less than an hour into the instance, the brief tranquility within the Supermarket was once again broken.
........................................
