Chapter 5: Midnight Convenience Store 2

"Don't rush."

Are you in a hurry to reincarnate?

While he could use it to beautify Xenogeneics, Xie Sheng had no intention of wasting it on something so utterly hopeless.

He shoved away a customer whose mouth stank like a corpse, the stench nearly hitting him in the face, and sidestepped to the register.

Aside from these disfigured "people," the Midnight Convenience Store was otherwise normal. Its modern register screen glowed with options like Scan Code, Digital Payment, Member Points, and Change. The barcode scanner's red light flickered faintly.

Xie Sheng tapped Scan Code, grabbed the scanner, and began ringing up the first customer's items one by one.

"23 yuan. How would you like to pay?"

The customer handed over a 20-yuan note and a 5-yuan note.

Xie Sheng tapped Change, and the cash drawer popped open with a clack.

He leaned down, but the hand reaching for the bills froze.

The three-compartment drawer contained ten fingernails, ten toenails, and a pile of uneven teeth.

In the first compartment, it seemed two invisible hands were at work. Flesh and bone had vanished, leaving only the nails—ten nail plates scraping softly against the metal bottom, inching outward.

In the second compartment, toenails twisted together to form a crooked foot, constantly curling and rubbing against the metal side, scraping it with a piercing skritch.

In the rightmost compartment, teeth stood upright, gnawing on something unseen, their jaws clicking and grinding.

Grind... Grind-grind-grind-grind...

The three sounds overlapped, a cacophony of sharp, grating noises drilling into Xie Sheng's skull.

Damn it.

San Value plummeting.

Xie Sheng slammed the change box shut and looked up.

The customer waiting for change grew impatient, their mouthless face thrusting closer to Xie Sheng's. Their voice sped up and sharpened into a frantic, high-pitched demand: "Pay! Pay now! Pay now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now now!"

Who are you trying to act cute for? "Now now now now now"?

Xie Sheng remained expressionless. "We don't give change. Pay in full or use the QR code."

The customer's mouth hole stretched wider, the skin on their chin quivering violently. Xie Sheng felt they might swallow him whole.

The stench of rotting flesh grew stronger, and Xie Sheng genuinely wanted to punch it away.

Fighting down his nausea, Xie Sheng scanned the area and quickly retrieved a metal sign from the drawer beneath the counter. It read: This establishment reserves the right to refuse service to any customer.

He'd noticed a similar sign at the Daytime Convenience Store when paying earlier that afternoon. While such signs were relatively uncommon in China, many foreign establishments displayed We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. That's why Xie Sheng had paid attention to it here.

Since both ends of the glass door led to Happy Convenience Stores, the store's rules must be consistent.

As expected, Xie Sheng found the sign. The moment he placed it on the counter, the Mouthless Man's head jerked back.

"Buying or not?" Xie Sheng asked. "If not, don't hold up the next customer."

The Mouthless Man hesitated noticeably, then angrily snatched back the five-yuan bill he'd given Xie Sheng. He pulled three crumpled one-yuan notes from his pocket and handed them back.

Xie Sheng took the money. "Hurry... go. Don't come back."

The Mouthless Man stood there, silent.

Xie Sheng ignored it and opened the change drawer.

Inside were still fingernails and teeth, accompanied by a sickening crunch. Xie Sheng tried to put the coins in, and sure enough, they disappeared.

Fine.

Even after falling apart so badly, they still remember to collect money.

True to form, the capitalists.

Xie Sheng continued to ring up the second customer.

The subsequent customers were much more orderly, most paying by scanning their phones or handing over the exact cash amount.

At the end of the line stood a worker with his head bowed, his entire face hidden in the shadow of his hard hat.

He bought little, only a pack of cheap cigarettes.

Xie Sheng took them, his brow furrowing slightly.

The feel of the pack was strange—cold and smooth, unlike snake skin. Because the cigarette packaging was elastic, it felt more like... human skin.

The sensation felt vaguely familiar.

But Xie Sheng didn't dwell on it, remembering the "strange customers" mentioned in the witness description.

They're covered in dust and wear hard hats, looking like construction workers. They never speak or look at me. They just come in, grab a pack of cheap cigarettes, pay, and leave.

Xie Sheng quickly scanned the worker's payment code.

"That'll be fifteen yuan."

The worker's dark, calloused hand offered a ten-yuan note and a five-yuan note. Xie Sheng took them.

The worker turned to leave.

But just as he was about to depart, Xie Sheng suddenly remembered something.

He had indeed touched that skin-like texture earlier.

Just now, when he was looking for the sign that read "This establishment reserves the right to refuse service to any customer."

Xie Sheng immediately pulled open the drawer beneath it. As expected, there was an opened cigarette pack inside.

He picked it up and saw the text on the back:

Xiao Yu, if Uncle Wang comes to buy cigarettes, please scan this barcode. The warehouse inventory won't detect it. Thanks for covering my night shift for me :D - Ren Qingqing

The warehouse inventory won't detect it.

Xie Sheng immediately scanned the cigarette pack's QR code. As expected, the screen displayed a price of twelve yuan.

But he didn't have any change.

Xie Sheng didn't want to reach into the coin box filled with fingernails and teeth—who knew what might happen.

His eyes darted around the room, finally—

"Uncle Wang!"

The automatic door had already opened, and the worker's foot was poised to step outside. He froze mid-stride.

Xie Sheng's voice rang out from behind him: "Uncle Wang, I forgot something. Could you come back for a moment?"

The worker stood rigid for a long moment, as if his system was rebooting. Then, with a series of creaking sounds, his head swiveled back toward Xie Sheng, while his lower body remained facing the automatic door.

With his upper and lower body completely reversed, the Worker stepped backward, one step at a time.

Xie Sheng: "......"

This is just like my code, he thought. As long as it works, who cares if it's normal?

The Worker returned to the checkout counter.

Lowering his voice, Xie Sheng said, "Uncle Wang, we changed the inventory method today, so I can't give you a discount. But here, take this lighter."

—A box of lighters sat beside the counter, a price tag reading 3 yuan each.

The Worker's face, hidden in the shadows, showed no visible expression.

But after two seconds, he reached out his dark hand and took the lighter.

Then, a disembodied voice spoke: "Buying more is always good."

This was the only thing the Worker had said to Xie Sheng, apart from the standard "Checkout, please."

Xie Sheng immediately pressed, "Why?"

But the Worker ignored him. His reversed head gave another click-clack as it swiveled back to its original position, and he began walking out, one step at a time.

Xie Sheng's gaze followed the Worker's retreating figure, his mind still stuck on that one sentence.

Buying more is always good.

Xie Sheng had never entered the Xenogeneic Domain, but he'd played plenty of puzzle games on Steam.

It was the same logic.

Since this was just an E-rank Exotic Domain, like a beginner level in a game, there should be plenty of clues, and they wouldn't be hidden too deeply.

The note left on Ren Qingqing's cigarette pack stated that Uncle Wang should be charged 12 yuan.

Xie Sheng had collected 15 yuan and returned a 3-yuan lighter, thus satisfying the "12 yuan" condition. This should definitely trigger a clue from the NPC.

Yet, the meaning of this phrase remained unclear, and there was no indication that this was a Xenogeneic Domain.

Xie Sheng slowly sat down.

He wasn't in a hurry. After all, he'd only been here for less than half an hour. A beginner level wouldn't wipe out players immediately; it would give them time to explore.

With this thought, Xie Sheng glanced up at the clock on the wall.

The hour hand pointed to 4.

It must be four in the morning.

The Witness Description included the line: "I'm working the night shift at the Happy Convenience Store, from 1 AM to 7 AM."

He hadn't paid attention to the time when he first entered, but he could clearly feel that time was flowing much faster here than in the outside world.

After observing for a while and comparing it with his unaffected GEMA watch, Xie Sheng realized that time on the wall clock was moving six times faster than in the outside world.

He should be working as a clerk here until the hour hand pointed to 7.

Moreover, this was his first night as a clerk. The Witness Description mentioned that the protagonist became abnormal on the fifth night.

By this calculation, including tonight, he had four more "nights" to investigate.

The store was noticeably less crowded now. He figured the earlier rush had been due to everyone waiting for him to check them out, which made the crowd seem larger.

After ringing up a earless white-collar worker, Xie Sheng began searching the counter for clues.

Beyond the usual items, he spotted a backpack in the corner behind the counter. Inside were a very old laptop, an employee badge that read "Happy Convenience Store - Ren Qingqing," and a diary with an odd texture.

Ren Qingqing.

The name had surfaced again.

She must have been his predecessor on the night shift, so she must know something.

And the diary's texture, like human skin—the same as the cigarette pack that had triggered an NPC conversation—had to be another clue.

Without hesitation, Xie Sheng opened the diary.

To his surprise, yet also to his expectation, the diary was empty.

Not entirely empty, though. Only the dates and weather were recorded.

December 16, 2024, Rain

December 25, 2024, Snow

January 1, 2025, Clear

January 5, 2025, Cloudy

January 8, 2025, Cloudy

January 15, 2025, Clear

Evening of February 1, 2025, Cloudy

Suddenly remembering something, Xie Sheng opened the GEMA Forum. The case details page listed the following two related cases under "Potentially Related Cases":

1. Early morning of February 2, 2025, a construction accident occurred at a site on Beiyan Street in the Xihe District of Yicheng. A 23-year-old female university student was killed instantly by falling bricks that struck her face... Link

2. Early morning of February 3, 2025, a collapse occurred in the same construction area, resulting in the deaths of four night shift workers... Link

The last entry in the diary was dated "Evening of February 1, 2025," and the 23-year-old female university student died in the "Early morning of February 2, 2025."

Although the detailed link was inaccessible, it was highly probable that this Xenogeneic Domain was connected to the two cases.

Ren Qingqing, the owner of the diary and Xie Sheng's predecessor as the night shift clerk, was likely the 23-year-old college student who had died tragically.

Construction site.

The same construction area.

The time difference was only one day.

Ren Qingqing had been killed by a falling brick that smashed her face, and the Witness Description mentioned that the worker's face had also been flattened.

Xie Sheng's eyes narrowed.

The note in the drawer indicated that Ren Qingqing had often sold cigarettes to workers at a discount.

Yet, at the construction site where the workers were employed, an accident—whether due to poor material quality or careless work—had occurred, resulting in the brick that killed her.

It wasn't exactly a case of biting the hand that fed you, but Ren Qingqing had every reason to resent the workers.

Thus, after her death, she transformed into a Xenogeneic entity and sought revenge, killing four night shift workers.

This explained why the workers had also died with flattened faces and why the contamination from the Xenogeneic Domain gradually affected players who were drawn in. If Xie Sheng hadn't entered the Midnight Convenience Store in time, his face would have been flattened too.

Xie Sheng found this line of reasoning quite sound.

So, this was a "task-oriented Xenogeneic Domain"? Was he supposed to help Ren Qingqing continue avenging the Worker?

And was the Worker's remark, "It's always good to buy more things," also an NPC clue? Should players do the opposite, like "buy less things" to spite the Worker?

He'd ask again tomorrow.

Xie Sheng lowered his gaze, idly flipping the cigarette pack with the writing on it as he continued to ponder.

Beep—

A notification sound suddenly chimed from the cash register screen, followed by: "You have a delivery order. Please process it immediately!"

Xie Sheng snapped back to attention, a question mark slowly forming between his eyebrows.

?

This was too realistic!

And delivery orders too?

He tapped the "Reject" button on the screen, but nothing happened.

He tapped it several more times, still no response.

Finally, Xie Sheng tapped "Confirm." With a snap, the screen refreshed.

Customer Order: Seaweed Rice Roll, Pure Milk, 20-sheet Tissues, Mint Gum, Type-C Charger.

Please prepare within 20 minutes and place at the rider pickup area.

Followed by a big smiley face.

Xie Sheng: "......"

Fine.

Forced sales.

Xie Sheng stood up and went to the shelves to grab the items.

He had been so focused on searching for clues at the register that he hadn't noticed anything unusual until now. As he approached the shelves, Xie Sheng suddenly realized he couldn't touch anything except the items listed on the order.

It was as if an invisible, icy wall stood between him and the merchandise. His hand couldn't even brush against the products; he was blocked from the shelves.

Xie Sheng tried from different angles, but the invisible barrier remained steadfast, giving him no room for contact.

Other stores give their employees perks, but this place won't even let me touch the products.

Xie Sheng clicked his tongue and, without overthinking it, continued gathering the items for the delivery order.

Everything else was packed into plastic bags, leaving only a carton of pure milk in the freezer.

Pure milk.

Xie Sheng now had a phobia of the stuff. One sip and he'd turn into a pure ox-horse.

He opened the freezer door, and a blast of cold air hit him. He grabbed the last carton.

Just as he was about to leave, Xie Sheng's steps suddenly froze.

As if sensing something, he slowly turned back.

The shelf in the freezer should have been empty after he took the carton of milk.

But now, in the dark recess of the compartment, an eyeball had appeared out of nowhere.

The eyeball was enormous, its bloodshot veins clearly visible, pulsing as if still alive and beating.

Still slick and wet, it pressed itself tightly against the glass of the freezer door, squeezing itself like a wall-clinging insect. It seemed not only determined to see Xie Sheng clearly but also to burrow into his eye socket and replace his own eyeball.

Xie Sheng: "?"

Holy shit?

What the fuck is this thing?

The pure milk trauma just got +++++1.

Xie Sheng stood frozen, staring into the eyeball's pupil for two minutes. Suddenly, an impatient voice called from behind him, "Cashier, checkout!"

Xie Sheng: "..."

Pure bullshit, absolute pure bullshit. Not a moment's peace.

He asked the eyeball, "Do you need something from me? If not, wait a bit."

The eyeball remained silent.

Of course, the eyeball wouldn't speak.

After waiting another minute and seeing it hadn't moved, just continued to stare fixedly at him, Xie Sheng turned and walked to the counter.

He rang up the customer's order, placed the milk bottle in a takeout bag, and set the bag at the designated pickup spot. Then he walked back.

The eyeball hadn't moved, but it swiveled to follow Xie Sheng's approach.

The bloodshot veins spread across the glass like a network of fine cracks.

Xie Sheng stared at the eyeball for a moment longer, then politely asked, "Do you need something?"

In that short time, the eyeball's pupils hadn't learned to speak.

After observing it for a while, Xie Sheng realized it seemed to simply want to stay there, with no other plans. When the next customer called, he returned to the front desk.

As the Witness Description had stated, there were indeed few night shift customers.

Xie Sheng half-heartedly went through the motions of working, skillfully slacking off while periodically returning to stare at the eyeball. He successfully waited until the hour hand pointed to seven.

But outside the glass window and door, it was still pitch black.

"Beep—Welcome!"

Suddenly.

The automatic door slid open, and a person wearing the same store uniform as Xie Sheng walked in.

More accurately, it couldn't be called a person. It resembled the mannequins in mall display windows—a body with a bald head and a smooth, featureless face.

Xie Sheng watched it approach.

He instinctively stepped aside.

But it stopped in front of him and said in a stiff, genderless voice, "Any handover notes?"

Xie Sheng: "?"

What the hell?

You're asking me for notes? I was the one who wanted to ask someone for notes.

Xie Sheng remained silent for two seconds, then decided to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless. "Do you know Ren Qingqing?" he asked.

The employee taking over the shift didn't respond, but it walked to the counter, bent down, and retrieved the badge from Ren Qingqing's backpack. It pinned the badge to its chest.

Happy Convenience Store - Ren Qingqing

Xie Sheng: "???"

He strode over and asked, "Are you Ren Qingqing?"

The employee still didn't speak, standing at the counter and beginning to tidy the surface.

Undeterred, Xie Sheng asked again, "Are you Ren Qingqing?"

The employee ignored him, continuing to organize QR codes and change, even wiping down the counter until it gleamed, as if genuinely preparing to start its shift.

"......"

Could "Ren Qingqing" be a forbidden word?

Xie Sheng changed tactics. "So, do you need an eye?"

"There's an eyeball in the freezer. It's very sensitive—it turns wherever I go."

The air fell silent for a long time.

Too bad.

The employee still didn't acknowledge him.

Alright then.

Xie Sheng thought with regret, This guy's most urgent need isn't an eyeball; it's ears and a mouth. Otherwise, communication is impossible.

Before he could say another word, a customer arrived to pay. The "Ren Qingqing" mannequin began scanning items and processing the payment.

Let it focus on its work. I shouldn't disturb it.

Xie Sheng ignored it and walked to the automatic door.

Beep—Thank you for shopping!

Beep—Welcome!

Xie Sheng returned to the Daytime Convenience Store.

Just as the Midnight Convenience Store remained an endless darkness no matter how much time passed, this Daytime Convenience Store was exactly the same as when Xie Sheng had entered to buy food the day before.

People came and went inside, while outside the window, the afterglow of the sunset painted the sky. Traffic flowed endlessly, and office workers hurried home in the evening rush.

Xie Sheng tried patting a customer but found himself still in a state of incorporeality—unable to touch people, yet still able to handle the goods.

He realized the Daytime Convenience Store was like a Safe House. While inside, he was completely safe and could replenish his energy with food and water, or organize his thoughts and clues. The only catch was the time limit: fail to return to the Midnight Convenience Store before it expired, and he would lose his face—literally.

So, how long was that time limit?

Xie Sheng sat on a tall stool by the window, carefully recalling what he had done during his last visit to the Daytime Convenience Store.

No.

He suddenly noticed something strange.

Xie Sheng opened WeChat. Since there was no signal, "Disconnected" appeared at the top of the screen, and none of his messages would load.

Before work, he'd bought another bottle of milk to test whether he could steal things in his void state. The payment record, however, showed up on his WeChat interface.

WeChat payments can be made without a network connection, but the transaction history only appears after the network is restored.

Xie Sheng was certain he'd entered the Xenogeneic Domain when he bought the second bottle of milk. So why was the payment record still loading?

And does the balance from his real-world wallet carry over to the Xenogeneic Domain?

Xie Sheng didn't think so.

He lowered his gaze and immediately tapped into his WeChat Wallet.

Indeed.

The amount in his WeChat Wallet had changed from what it was before entering the Xenogeneic Domain.

Most crucially, the number was decreasing.

448, 447, 446, 445...

Xie Sheng realized this countdown represented the time he could spend in the "Safe House" Daytime Convenience Store.

The last time he'd entered, the cost of that bottle of milk had been deducted from this amount.

One yuan per second—what a steep price!

But then again, for every second he saved in the Daytime Convenience Store, he earned an extra yuan. His hourly wage was 3600 yuan.

I'm making a killing!

Xie Sheng slid off the high stool and wandered through the aisles to grab some items.

After all, the money couldn't be taken out of this Domain anyway. He might as well take advantage of such a high hourly wage.

He still grabbed a bag of cheese bread and headed to the freezer to choose a drink.

Pure milk? Definitely not. Drink that and you'll turn into a pure ox, forced to stare at an eyeball all day at work.

Sprite? Forget it. Drink that and you'll become an idiot.

Cola? Even worse. Drink that and you'll become a lecher.

Xie Sheng: "?"

In the end, he settled on a bottle of mineral water.

A mother and daughter were also browsing the freezer. Xie Sheng decided to look around elsewhere first.

Just as he turned away, he heard the little girl behind him ask, "Mom, why is the milk all gone?"

"Huh?"

The mother leaned over to look. "That's strange. Why is it sold out so early today?"

Xie Sheng narrowed his eyes, turned back, and followed their gaze.

The shelf where the milk should have been was indeed empty, just like in the Midnight Convenience Store case—only without the eyeball.

What a coincidence?

The mother said to her daughter, "Mom will buy you this Shuhua Milk next to it. It's sweeter than pure milk, you'll probably like it better."

The daughter jumped up. "Okay! Thanks, Mom!"

After watching the mother and daughter leave with the Shuhua Milk, Xie Sheng pondered for a moment, then went and grabbed a bottle of Shuhua Milk himself.

After paying, he sat by the window, eating and drinking while reviewing the details of the Midnight Convenience Store case again.

On the morning of the fifth day, I greeted the customer as usual: "Welcome."

One customer finally looked up.

His face was flat.

His features looked like a photograph pressed under glass, and the cracked skin on his lips trembled as he spoke.

"Are you free tomorrow night?"

It was the fifth day.

The day after the fifth day—which was the evening of the sixth day—the Worker came to see the "clerk."

Was the Worker looking for Ren Qingqing, or was this just a warning to the players about the passage of time?

Based on the number of night shifts he had worked, it was now the second day.

With three more nights left, and time accelerating sixfold, he didn't have much time left.

Xie Sheng glanced at his wallet—only 72 yuan remained. He stood up and resolutely entered the Midnight Convenience Store.

Beep—Thank you for shopping!

Beep—Welcome!

He immediately looked at the clock overhead.

It was 12:30 AM.

If only I had come earlier, there wouldn't have been so many urgent kings.

The clerk from Happy Convenience Store, Ren Qingqing, was still working at the register. Xie Sheng walked further inside, trying to grab items from the shelves.

Even though it wasn't his shift yet, the invisible barrier still blocked him, preventing him from picking anything up.

At the back, the eyeball in the freezer remained.

Xie Sheng surveyed the store. The layout of the Midnight Convenience Store was exactly the same as when he had left.

Soon it was 1:00 AM. The previous clerk left without looking back, and Xie Sheng took over.

Having arrived late the first night, Xie Sheng waited a while today. When the clock struck three, the worker, his face hidden in shadow, finally entered.

Xie Sheng scanned the QR code on the cigarette pack Ren Qingqing had left for Xiao Yu, paying only 12 yuan. Before the worker could speak, he fired off a barrage of questions: "Why buy extra? How much extra? What kind of extra? What happens if I buy extra?"

The worker was clearly stunned by the rapid-fire questions.

After a tense silence, a raspy, eerie voice emerged from the shadows: "You can see their body parts."

Xie Sheng's eyebrow twitched. Without hesitation, he pressed: "Whose body parts?"

The worker said nothing more, picking up a pack of cheap cigarettes.

Not like this, man. I already gave you two packs at a discount. Stop being so cryptic.

Seeing the worker about to leave, Xie Sheng quickly pulled out a lighter and offered it as a bribe: "Uncle Wang, take this too. Save it for later."

The worker slowly raised his head.

Xie Sheng held his breath.

But instead of the eerily flat face he expected, he saw... nothing.

No face, just a bottomless black void, a Cthulhu-esque abyss that could suck in all consciousness and devour it whole.

Xie Sheng's gaze was drawn to the darkness, his thoughts momentarily drifting.

Then, a voice emanated from the faceless space, speaking each word deliberately: "I—can—see—your—corpse—parts."