Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 218

Chapter 218

“There’s a fire. A problem with the Library’s fire hydrants caused the blaze to spread.

Someone died… click-clack… Firefighters will come to the Library to inspect the fire safety measures. I need to prepare in advance… click-clack…”

The Library Director muttered to himself, pushing his wheelchair in an attempt to leave.

If it weren’t for the fact that he was pushing the wheelchair faster than usual, Gu Huaiwei might have actually believed he was restricted by the Rules and unable to say anything else.

“Don’t play dumb. I know you can hear me and understand me. Answer me: does our previous agreement still stand?” Gu Huaiwei pressed down firmly on his wheelchair, staring at the back of his head.

*Creak, creak-*

The Library Director pushed the wheelchair with all his might, so hard that the wheels even lifted off the ground.

Gu Huaiwei was stronger.

He couldn’t leave.

“Click-clack… Let go of me… Dawn is coming.”

The Library Director needed to return to his study before daybreak.

He had to go back.

This was the Instance’s restriction on the Anomaly.

“Answer my question, and I’ll let you go.” Gu Huaiwei tightened her grip on the wheelchair slightly, causing the steel tubes to deform under the pressure.

Anomalies loved to speak in riddles and say ambiguous things to lead humans into false assumptions, thereby luring them into the traps of the Rules.

But at this moment, the Library Director was clearly in no mood to play games with Gu Huaiwei.

“The timing is wrong… click-clack…”

“What timing?”

The Library Director was doing his best to communicate with Gu Huaiwei in human language.

“You need to come find me tomorrow night! Let go of me, click-clack… The fire only just started today, and I haven’t recruited a Secretary yet. The timing is wrong… click-clack… Dawn is almost here!”

As an Anomaly within an Instance, if his movements were restricted by a human and he failed to return to his designated area on time, triggering the Instance’s punishment for Anomalies, he would truly die with his eyes open.

Oh, wait-he was already dead; he couldn’t die a second time.

Faint sunlight pierced through the thick morning mist and the glass windows of the Library Corridor, slowly melting the frost on the walls.

“Oh, your feet… a lot of black mist seems to be leaking out.”

Because he hadn’t returned to the designated location, the Library Director’s power was beginning to leak away.

“Let go of me… click-clack… Let go of me!”

“It stands… click-clack… I’m making the promise for tomorrow in advance. The previous agreement stands!”

Having received the answer she wanted, Gu Huaiwei immediately pulled her hand away and released the Library Director.

“Click-clack… click-clack…”

A series of rapid sounds erupted from the Library Director’s throat.

They weren’t words any human could understand, but judging by the tone, they weren’t anything pleasant.

The moment Gu Huaiwei let go, he didn’t even look back. He leaped out of the wheelchair, shouldered the slightly deformed chair, and with his breath no longer labored and his back no longer aching, he sprinted away. He ran right up the wall, hanging upside down from the ceiling where the ice hadn’t yet melted, and fled the sixth floor at high speed.

Gu Huaiwei clicked her tongue as she watched this “disabled director” flee at the speed of light.

“Sister Gu, he runs so fast!”

Gu Huaiwei tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and said thoughtfully, “Indeed. I didn’t realize he was so nimble. He moved so fast he left an afterimage.”

As the sun rose, the sixth-floor Corridor seemed to rewind through time, returning to its original state. The raging fire from the night before and the water soaking the floor vanished without a trace, and even the smell of smoke in the air dissipated.

The wooden door of the Toy Room opened, and a sharp-featured Trial-taker poked his head out.

During the game of hide-and-seek last night, Lu Xiaoxing had nearly been caught by Bella. In a moment of desperation, he had kicked his teammate out to save himself, allowing him to flee safely to the Toy Room.
Meanwhile, his unlucky teammate had already been turned into a Miner Doll by Bella.

According to the Rules, the Corridor was safe after daybreak.

However, when he opened the wooden door and saw a young woman in a brown coat, followed by a fluffy, white-haired little girl, the expression on his face instantly froze. He stood rooted to the spot.

Wait, who were these two?

Last night, Lu Xiaoxing had narrowly escaped death by backstabbing his teammate. He thought today would bring new hope, but Gu Huaiwei’s sudden appearance filled him with despair.

His throat tightened as countless Rules swirled through his mind.

These two definitely weren’t Trial-takers!

Were they Anomalies?

Why weren’t they mentioned in the Rules?

Had he missed some new Rule?

He was doomed. Lu Xiaoxing’s throat felt constricted; he felt like his death was imminent.

Gu Huaiwei gave him a friendly wave. “Hello there, winner of hide-and-seek. You have some heavy dark circles under your eyes. Do you need to relax a bit?”

Lu Xiaoxing stood there, motionless.

Every hair on his body was standing on end, his heart was drumming against his ribs, and he could barely breathe. There was no way he could relax.

Bai Miemie pulled out a promotional flyer for the Oasis Sanatorium and skipped over to Lu Xiaoxing. She stuffed the flyer into his arms and looked up with a naive smile. “Big brother, if you like playing hide-and-seek, you can come to our Sanatorium. We usually organize recreational activities like hide-and-seek too!”

To enrich the leisure time of the resident clients at the Oasis Sanatorium, Gu Huaiwei had tasked Lin She with organizing several activities.

These included flower arranging, tea ceremonies, hide-and-seek, pottery making, and more.

To Lu Xiaoxing’s ears, Bai Miemie’s words sounded like a death knell.

“You… you still want to play?” Lu Xiaoxing swallowed hard, viewing the two people in front of him as Bella No. 2 and Bella No. 3.

“If you don’t like that, there are other activities to choose from.”

Gu Huaiwei enthusiastically pitched the Oasis Sanatorium.

“Our Sanatorium has just been upgraded. We’ve newly unlocked Intermediate Care and Special Dietary Service. We can provide targeted wound care for every resident client, conduct daily health check-ups, and even customize nutritional meals-low sugar, low salt, and low fat-to ensure your health in all aspects.”

Sales pitches were usually the most annoying thing in the world.

If Lu Xiaoxing had been walking down the street and heard a salesperson rattle off a pitch like that, he would have rolled his eyes and walked away immediately.

But inside an Instance, he didn’t dare ignore a single word.

Intermediate Care?

Customized diets?

Health guarantees?

Nothing Gu Huaiwei said matched the Rules in Lu Xiaoxing’s head.

“Interested? Do you want to sign a contract with me now?” Gu Huaiwei pulled a Blank Service Contract for the Oasis Sanatorium out of her Jade Bracelet.

At first, Lu Xiaoxing was a bit dazed, not quite understanding what this beautiful young woman was plotting.

But when his gaze fell upon that document, a word instantly flashed in his mind-“Contract.”

Signing a Contract with an Anomaly!

His eyes suddenly lit up. “So, the day has finally come where I’m scouted by high-level Anomalies! I’m going to show all those people who looked down on me!”

“Don’t misunderstand, you should probably read the terms clearly first…” Gu Huaiwei tried to warn him about the contract clauses.

“I haven’t misunderstood, baby! I know your value better than anyone!” Like he had just found a buried treasure, Lu Xiaoxing grabbed the pen Gu Huaiwei offered. Without even looking at the document, he put pen to paper and excitedly signed his name.