Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - chapter 88

Chapter 88

The High-Speed Rail stopped at Foul Marsh Station, with a ten-minute layover. A new passenger boarded Business Class, severely wounded-his Protective Shield was damaged, his right arm torn off, and his whole body drenched in blood.

As soon as he got on, the man sat in the back row, panting heavily as he injected an Inhibitor into his arm.

He Xueyi was seated next to Gu Huaiwei. He seemed to dislike the smell of blood, but fortunately, the High-Speed Rail had a ventilation system, and the odor quickly dissipated.

Gu Huaiwei cautiously observed all the strangers in Business Class.

Two of them were guests from the Oasis Hotel. Gu Huaiwei remembered them-they were from the Upper District. Previously, they had rented a family room for their child, received the Souvenir Gift, then left the family room vacant and rebooked the presidential suite, staying for more than half a month.

When He Xueyi boarded, he greeted those two guests warmly. They probably weren’t a problem.

The remaining passenger was a woman sitting by the window. Her hair was somewhat frizzy, her face weathered, eyelids drooping, deep nasolabial folds, and her clothes were shabby-she didn’t look like someone who could afford Business Class.

Gu Huaiwei kept a slight eye on this woman.

At noon, the Business Class robot distributed fruit-flavored nutrient drinks to the passengers. The available flavors were apple, strawberry, blueberry, grape, and durian.

Karl and his group of bodyguards rushed forward-they loved the free meal segment the most.

He Xueyi took the most popular strawberry-flavored nutrient drink and handed it to Gu Huaiwei. “Here, this one’s sweeter.”

“I don’t drink this stuff.” Gu Huaiwei gently pushed his wrist away, declining his kindness.

None of the nutrient drinks in this world suited Gu Huaiwei’s taste.

She planned to eat a Self-Heating Hot Pot later.

Xiao Ai came over, her brows and eyes full of spirit. Her gaze landed on the strawberry-flavored nutrient drink, and she extended her Mechanical Arm to He Xueyi. “If you don’t want this flavor, we can trade. I got the durian one.”

Durian-flavored nutrient drinks-those who liked them really liked them, but those who hated them couldn’t stand the taste at all.

Xiao Ai belonged to the latter group.

He Xueyi looked at Xiao Ai, his silver hair gently swaying as he bowed his head. With a faint smile at the corner of his lips, he placed the strawberry-flavored nutrient drink in her mechanical palm, his tone soft: “It’s for you.”

Xiao Ai was stunned. “That’s so nice.”

“This is for you too.” He Xueyi took out two small green fruits.

“Thank you.” Xiao Ai looked at the two emerald Green Fruits in her palm, feeling that He Xueyi was almost too kind.

She had met Lin She before-also an employee-but the other gave her a gloomy feeling, completely different from the white-haired youth before her.

Gu Huaiwei spoke up to stop him: “He Xueyi, don’t hand out these things on the train. It’s a long journey-if you get sick, there’s nowhere to get treated.”

The emerald Green Fruits glistened temptingly. Xiao Ai was about to try one, but Gu Huaiwei’s sudden words snapped her back to reality, and she didn’t bite into the fruit she’d just brought to her lips.

He Xueyi wasn’t annoyed. He sat back down, turned his head slightly, and spun the Green Fruit between his slender, pale fingers.

“It’s not poisonous.” He didn’t look at Gu Huaiwei, his eyes fixed on the seatback ahead.

“I know.” Gu Huaiwei had seen Qian Xia and some guests eat these Green Fruits with her own eyes. After eating, they showed no unusual reactions, only saying the fruit was sweet and sour and delicious, and sometimes even asked He Xueyi for more.

If there was any difference, it was that those who had eaten the Green Fruit seemed more willing to get close to He Xueyi.
He Xueyi turned his head, his glazed golden eyes fixed on her face as he asked, “This is my token of goodwill. Why won’t you try it? Do you need Lin She to hand you the fruit before you’re willing to take a bite?”

“I don’t like eating this kind of thing. No matter who gives it to me, I won’t eat it.”

Gu Huaiwei tilted her head and leaned against the glass, her voice cool. “Outstanding employees should compete at work-see who works longer hours, who does more. Don’t give useless little gifts to your colleagues, and definitely don’t compete over these pointless things.”

“I see.” He Xueyi blinked his long lashes, leaning back in his chair, the smile on his face deepening. “That’s great. You treat us the same. I thought if I came late, he would become your most trusted employee.”

“…” Gu Huaiwei had wasted so much effort, but it seemed He Xueyi hadn’t grasped the main point.

“Miss Gu, on this journey, I’ll make up for the time I missed before and prove that I’m more worthy of your trust than he is.” He Xueyi’s voice was soft, like melting snow and ice. He closed his eyes, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

After hearing these words, Gu Huaiwei’s face almost twisted into a mask of pain.

Flattering her was useless.

She wasn’t the boss, just a worker sent by the boss to manage the shop.

Although she was a level above them in the hierarchy, she was essentially just another beast of burden.

Gu Huaiwei certainly wasn’t narcissistic enough to think she was so charming that they had to express their loyalty in different ways.

She only felt that these two were up to no good, trying to get something from her.

At night, Gu Huaiwei unfolded the sofa bed, pulled the blackout curtains around her, took a thin blanket from the Jade Bracelet, and settled down to rest.

Karl and the others took turns keeping watch.

Around midnight, Gu Huaiwei was startled awake by a commotion.

The noise came from the carriage ahead.

That carriage was first class.

Amidst people’s screams, Gu Huaiwei heard the low growl of a beast.

She yanked open the blackout curtain and stood up, loading her gun.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Xiao Ai moved to Gu Huaiwei’s side, her gaze sharp and bright. “It looks like someone deliberately sabotaged the Biological Detection System in the carriage ahead and let a Radiation Lizard in.”

All the facilities on the High-Speed Rail are automatically refreshed and repaired every twelve hours.

If a passenger damages any facility on the High-Speed Rail, the system will automatically deduct Gold Coins from their account as compensation.

Gu Huaiwei glanced at the time. It was now 12:10, with eleven hours and fifty minutes until the next refresh and repair.

Someone wanted to use the Radiation Lizard to cause chaos.

Xiao Ai took up a combat stance. “Karl, protect Shopkeeper Gu. Two of you come with me to the front carriage and take care of that fat lizard.”

“Got it!” Karl switched places with Xiao Ai beside Gu Huaiwei, fully alert.

Since she had hired them as her bodyguards, there was no need for Gu Huaiwei to risk herself. Her job was to hold her weapon and not get in the professionals’ way.

He Xueyi remained seated, looking relaxed and completely unconcerned.

Gu Huaiwei observed the carriage.

The two guests from the Oasis Hotel were huddled in the corner, seemingly terrified of dying.

But the woman who had sat by the window during the day, and the man from Foul Marsh Station who had lost an arm, were nowhere to be seen.

Gu Huaiwei frowned and asked, “Karl, did you see anyone leave the carriage while you were on watch?”