Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 240

Chapter 240

Gu Huaiwei followed the slick marble stairs downward. Fresh bloodstains had appeared on many of the steps.

The basement door was still shut.

The Ventilation Duct overhead was open.

The Ventilation Duct was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, and there were a great many nails inside. If a Trial-taker crawled out through it, they would inevitably suffer a fair bit of torn flesh.

Gu Huaiwei saw the white-haired old man, covered in wounds, drop from the Ventilation Duct. He landed right in front of her like a slab of lifeless cured meat, hitting the ground with a wet slap that split his skin open.

“It’s you…” The white-haired old man lifted his head. His eyes were clouded with blood as he stretched a hand toward Gu Huaiwei, old and dry as kindling. “I can’t die. If I die, no one will take care of my granddaughter.

“Save me… I’ll pay any price… cough, cough, cough… Are you an Anomaly? If you are, then make a Contract with me. I’m willing to trade all the Lifespan I have left for you to take me and my granddaughter to that Sanatorium you mentioned… cough, cough, cough…”

Gu Huaiwei helped the white-haired old man up and let him sit against the wall. Then she looked around.

The old man was taking in less air than he breathed out. He probably did not have much Lifespan left in him, and Gu Huaiwei was not particularly interested.

“We can talk about that later.” Gu Huaiwei scanned their surroundings. “Where are your other companions?”

“I don’t know… cough, cough, cough… I got separated from them. They might already be dead.” Seeing that Gu Huaiwei had not agreed at once, the white-haired old man grew visibly anxious. He coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth.

There was no strength left in his body, but he still braced both hands against the floor, trying to get up.

“Something is about to come out after me… cough, cough, cough… We… we have to get out of here now!”

“What something?”

Before Gu Huaiwei could make sense of the situation, she heard a strange sound from inside the Ventilation Duct.

There was something else in the Ventilation Duct.

The white-haired old man trembled violently all over. The floor was covered in overflowing hot spring water, far too slippery. He tried several times to climb up, but his feet kept sliding out from under him. Unable to stand, he fell back hard each time.

His old bones could not take the abuse.

After several falls, the pain in his tailbone became unbearable.

“Go… We have to go! Please, take me with you! I still have a granddaughter outside. She has a heart condition. If I die, she definitely won’t survive!” The white-haired old man was hysterical. He had pinned all his hopes for survival on Gu Huaiwei.

Even if he thought Gu Huaiwei was an Anomaly, he was willing to gamble on this final chance to live.

The white-haired old man had lived for many years.

All this time, he had been cautious enough.

But caution alone was useless. In this Instance, he had not violated the Rules. It was only because he was too old and his stamina could not hold out that the Anomaly had chased him relentlessly, reducing him to this miserable state.

The elderly and children faced more danger in an Instance than young adults did.

Because their bodies were weak, and clearing an Instance was physically demanding work. Their bodies would slow them down, forcing them to violate the Rules when they found themselves too powerless to continue.

At that moment, a hand swollen and wrinkled from soaking in the hot spring reached out of the Ventilation Duct. Gu Huaiwei was standing, so the hand reached for her loose, hanging hair.

“Kakakaka… kakakaka…”

Though the white-haired old man’s body was frail, his mind was perfectly clear.

He shouted at the Anomaly that was about to crawl out of the Ventilation Duct, “Every wrong has its culprit, every debt its debtor… cough, cough, cough… Instead of taking revenge on the people who bullied you, you’re reaching for someone who helped you, all so you can fit in with the little group that hurt you! You’re in Hell yourself, yet you want to drag everyone else down into Hell with you!”

Gu Huaiwei simply reached out, grabbed the swollen wrist inside the Ventilation Duct, and pulled the person out.
With just a little force, the wrist snapped clean off.

Putrid fluid oozed from the severed limb, nearly dripping onto Gu Huaiwei’s face.

“Oops, it broke again.” Gu Huaiwei felt that everything in this Instance was of rather poor quality.

The doors were flimsy doors.

The Anomalies were flimsy Anomalies, too.

Gu Huaiwei tossed the severed hand back into the Ventilation Duct.

“Sorry, sorry. Do you need my Miemie to stitch that up for you?”

The strange noise in the Ventilation Duct disappeared.

The Anomaly seemed to have been frightened and crawled back the way it had come.

A look of delighted surprise appeared on the white-haired old man’s face.

Humans had no way to harm Anomalies.

Only Anomalies could harm Anomalies.

And Anomalies generally did not attack one another.

As far as Anomalies were concerned, they stayed out of each other’s business.

Unless the Instance had assigned them special roles, Anomalies would only lure Trial-takers within their own little worlds, treating one another like air, much less fighting each other.

“Can I sign a Contract with you?” The white-haired old man had finally caught his breath a little. His attitude was exceptionally respectful as he raised both hands. “I can trade you everything I have! Do you want my hands? Or my feet are fine, too!

“I can also give you all my Lifespan, as long as after I die, you continue the Contract with my granddaughter and protect her.”

Gu Huaiwei took out the Oasis Sanatorium contract.

“Sir, I am not an Anomaly. I run a Sanatorium in this little town. If you’re willing, you and your granddaughter can move in together.

“My place isn’t a Black Shop. I don’t need all of your Lifespan. You only need to pay the corresponding Lifespan according to the terms in the contract.”

“You’re human?”

“Mm-hmm. A genuine, honest merchant.”

The white-haired old man took the contract and quickly skimmed it. Although his heart was full of doubts, he still signed his name without delay.

“We’ll go to that new Instance of yours, but only if you can guarantee we won’t die here.” The white-haired old man began negotiating with Gu Huaiwei.

He first needed to survive the disaster right in front of him.

“Fine. You can follow me for now.”

One more, one less-it made no difference.

It was just a bit of business she could pick up along the way.

Gu Huaiwei said to Bai Miemie, who was standing beside her, “Help this gentleman stitch up his external injuries.”

“Sure thing.” Bai Miemie pulled a sewing kit out of a large pocket. “Be good and don’t move, okay? It’ll hurt just a tiny bit. Once it’s stitched up, Miemie will treat you to candy.”

The white-haired old man gritted his teeth and endured having his wounds sewn shut without anesthetic.

Gu Huaiwei walked straight toward the entrance door to the underground hot spring.

The white-haired old man jumped in fright and hurriedly warned her, “Don’t go in! It’s extremely dangerous in there. Once you enter, you won’t be able to get out!”

Because he moved too abruptly, he accidentally tugged at the stitched wound, and the pain made him bare his teeth.

“Minor problem. I need to find an Anomaly and ask where the owner of Hot Spring Mansion is.” Gu Huaiwei directly twisted the door open and stepped inside.

“You… you…” No matter what, the white-haired old man could not believe Gu Huaiwei was human.

The moment she entered, the door closed behind her.

Gu Huaiwei saw bubbles rising from the red hot spring pool.

Many black heads floated to the surface.

From a distance, they looked like mops. Only when she drew closer did she realize they were the hair attached to women’s skulls.

Gu Huaiwei took out a piece of Yellow Paper with Lifespan written on it from her pocket and clapped her hands. “Any Anomalies here? Answer a question and you can receive a Lifespan Reward.”

There was no wind indoors, yet the doors of the storage cabinets banged loudly, as though responding to Gu Huaiwei.