Chapter 73 Blackrock City's exposed waist and abdomen seemed to be covered with a thin layer of...

Hello.

"Hello...excuse me...is this...the Bat Pancake Shop...?"

On the other end of the receiver, the slow, deliberate tone made Jiang Yang frown, but she still patiently replied, "Yes, would you like to order food?"

A red landline phone is placed at the cashier.

It seems that to prevent part-time workers from making mistakes, there is a special label on it reminding people that it is for food delivery only.

The voice on the other end of the line said, "I'd like... a... delicious pancake... is that alright?"

Jiang Yang quickly got to work, "Okay, one pancake, right? Please tell me the address."

"It was...a...delicious...pancake...I...in...Shiren Alley..."

As Jiang Yang repeated the words, he wrote on a sticky note beside him, "Okay, Shiren Lane." His pen paused slightly as he suddenly realized something and tentatively asked, "What's the number in Shiren Lane?"

"Number 23."

It just so happens to be the clothing store where Nan Ke and Xie Lu work.

Jiang Yang asked helplessly, "Nan Ke, is that you?" There was no response from the other end.

A slight, tense breathing came from the other end of the line. The call wasn't disconnected, and there was no sign of annoyance at being exposed for a failed prank.

The part-time job instructions didn't restrict who could order takeout. Fortunately, the two stores weren't far apart. Jiang Yang waited a while longer before breaking the silence, "Okay, the takeout will be delivered within fifteen minutes~"

"Okay, remember to knock, thank you," the other person replied quickly.

Then came the dial tone of a disconnected call. Jiang Yang put down the receiver, muttering in confusion, "It sounded like... Nan Ke?"

After they entered the store, the chat box on the panel immediately showed that the connection had been lost, making it temporarily impossible for them to contact Nan Ke.

It's possible that Nan Ke would call the food delivery number, but even though it's the same address, the way the other person was behaving made Jiang Yang feel...something was off.

Ji Yang poured a portion of batter into the pot, looked over, and suggested, "How about I deliver it later?"

"Forget it, I'll go instead," Jiang Yang shook his head and refused Ji Yang's offer. He didn't want to be the one being protected.

He's just delivering takeout, but he wants to see what's behind all this trouble!

Three minutes later, Jiang Yang, carrying pancakes, stood at the door and waved goodbye to Ji Yang.

Five minutes later, the landline phone rang again.

Ji Yang walked to the cashier and answered the phone. Nan Ke's cheerful voice came through the red receiver, "Moshi moshi, are you still making pancakes?"

Although he had expected it, Ji Yang's breath still caught in his throat for a moment. He tightened his grip on the phone and stated as if to confirm, "It wasn't you who ordered the takeout just now."

"Huh? Ji Yang? Where's Jiang Yang?"

Inside the clothing store, Nan Ke sat at the cashier, her eyes filled with confusion as she pondered Ji Yang's meaning and what he had said. However, the receiver was unconsciously pulled away, and Nan Ke didn't notice at all. So, across the counter, Xie Lu answered the phone.

Ji Yang checked the caller ID and patiently repeated, "The number you just called from is the same one you're calling now."

This means either the call did indeed originate from the clothing store, or someone tampered with it using some means...

Xie Lu explained, "We couldn't get through just now. We thought you and Jiang Yang were busy, so we were going to wait a bit longer."

After finding the order number in Nanke, they dialed it directly, but the line was busy, so they had to wait for a while.

In other words, before Nan Ke made the phone call, someone lured Jiang Yang away under the guise of the Bat Clothing Store.

So, the problem probably lies with the clothing store.

Xie Lu glanced into the clothing store. "Okay, I understand. Don't rush me."

[Blackrock City Mastery Progress Unlocked 20%]

The sudden notification silenced the three of them. Before they could say anything, Jiang Yang's voice suddenly came from the other end of the phone, "Hey, Ji Yang, another new order?" His voice was slightly muffled. Xie Lu and Nan Ke exchanged a glance and silently waved to him.

The two of them pressed their earpieces together, and a crackling sound came from the other end.

Then came a crisp click. Xie Lu pointed to the table, presumably because Ji Yang had put the phone down.

Then the footsteps faded into the distance, and Ji Yang's voice became indistinct.

Ji Yang asked, "Did you see Nan Ke?"

Jiang Yang smiled and said, "Yes, I saw it, and I even received positive feedback."

Jiang Yang's voice became unusually muffled as something happened on the other end. After a while, Ji Yang's voice rang out, "Then you should rest for a while. I'll go deliver this order." His tone was inexplicably unnatural.

[Black Rock City Observatory - Ji Yang's Perspective]

"Aaaaaah, let him go! Let him go right now!"

"Although, the way Jiang Yang hugs Ji Yang seems quite harmonious."

"The question is, was it Jiang Yang who embraced Ji Yang?"

...

Rewind to when Jiang Yang had just left the house.

Blackrock City has only one main road, with various European-style alleys on both sides.

The pancake shop is located in Shiwu Alley, while Shiren Alley is next to it. Jiang Yang and Ji Yang had just escaped the giant bats by going through the archway connecting the two parallel alleys in the middle of the alley and winding their way back and forth to shake them off.

So, he was quite familiar with this path when he returned to it.

But when I returned to the archway and was about to step inside, I was surprised to find that the fallen leaves that had covered the ground were gone. Looking up, I saw countless small bats hanging on the twisted tree trunk.

Their eyes were tightly closed, one next to the other, as if they were in some kind of mysterious ritual. Jiang Yang imagined the noise they would make when they were awakened and couldn't help but feel a chill.

He slowly moved his feet and backed out.

The entrance and exit are carved above the archway, but the path leading to the exit is empty.

Now he only has two options: one is to go back to the main road and circle around, and the other is to go through the exit against the flow of traffic.

The problem is, after going around in circles, he might not be able to deliver it on time.

Jiang Yang glanced again at the tree full of bats. If the bats had appeared suddenly, then someone had probably lured him here on purpose.

His thumb unconsciously rubbed against the ring, the cool touch stimulating his tense nerves. He lifted his foot and walked into the exit without hesitation.

A loading bar popped up on the panel after he walked in.

Other than that, nothing happened.

Some observers speculated, "Could it be just a prank by Nan Ke?"

However, this was quickly refuted by others who had climbed the wall and returned, who said, "It's even more boring over there; it's better to play a prank."

"So can anyone tell me what's going on?!"

Jiang Yang also wanted to know.

20th...

21st...

22nd...

twenty three...

The Bat Clothing Store's transparent window displays mannequins, with a white wall behind them blocking the view inside.

Nearly ten minutes had passed, so he didn't wait any longer. He walked to the door, bent his fingers, and gently knocked. The knocking echoed in the alley, and soon footsteps from inside the house approached the door.

The door was slowly pulled open from the inside, and the mannequin inside was still in the action of opening the door.

[Warning! Warning! Non-Borderland creatures detected!]

Without hesitation, Jiang Yang quickly pressed the ring on his finger against the mannequin.

Then a strange force struck him head-on, and before he could even think, he was thrown heavily to the ground.

Before he completely lost consciousness, he saw the mannequin walk out of the clothing store, lift one of his legs with one hand, and drag him inside.

[Loading complete]

[Blackrock City Mastery Progress Unlocked 20%]

Jiang Yang's coma did not affect the operation of the observation room.

After loading, the person who took Jiang Yang away was finally clearly visible in the observation room.

No, strictly speaking, it is not a person.

The dummy's shell was stripped off like clothes and tossed aside, revealing a body inside that had no skin and was only muscle fibers.

When Jiang Yang opened her eyes again, she was in front of a transparent shop window facing the alley, wearing its mannequin shell.

However, this time, the clothing store's merchandise was him.

[Black Rock City Observatory - Jiang Yang's Perspective]

"Could someone post a quest on Ji Yang's end, asking him to save Jiang Yang?"

"Everyone next door is already hugging, who cares about Jiang Yang! I told you long ago that men are all unreliable."

"That's right, Jiang Yangyang shouldn't hang out with 007 anymore!"

Jiang Yang knew nothing about this, but he wasn't in a hurry.

After carefully moving out of the shop window, he slowly moved around inside. Although it was the Bat Clothing Store where Nan Ke and Xie Lu worked part-time, there was no sign of the two of them inside.

He moved in front of the mirror, raised his arms above his head, and pulled the shell on his body upwards with them.

The exposed waist and abdomen looked like they were covered with a thin membrane, revealing the blood vessels flowing under the skin and the bright red flesh. It was a terrible sight, but thankfully there was no pain.

A skinning enthusiast was drawn into the observation room by the scene and asked curiously, "Was his entire body...skinned?"

The answer is no.

Other observers were still pondering this.

Why did the dummy transform into Jiang Yang's entire appearance after only removing the human skin suit from Jiang Yang's upper body?

I imagined Jiang Yang being skinned alive.

No way! Even if he is Jiang Yang, it won't work!

Wearing the mannequin shell was really tiring for Jiang Yang. After going around in circles, he returned to the shop window and managed to get a foothold on the support chair.

No. 23, Shiren Lane.

He was silently calculating when he suddenly remembered the progress loading screen that appeared when he entered the alley.

This wasn't his first time entering this alley, but it was the first time he had made progress, especially by 20%.

The only unexpected thing was the exit he had just entered.

Jiang Yang had a bold guess.

They were already slower than Xiong Bingxin and her group, so now it remains to be seen whether Ji Yang and his team can make up for it by using the mannequins.

...

The young man nestled in Ji Yang's arms, his emotions unreadable, withdrew his hand from the man's waist and leaned back, his face gentle and dependent. "Then I'll wait for you to come back."

Ji Yang hummed in agreement, and then practically fled back to the silver counter.

Nan Ke and Xie Lu, who were watching the drama unfold and were completely bewildered, exchanged a glance.

Ji Yang: "Excuse me, I'd like a few pancakes."

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Author's note: I'm late!

After careful consideration, I've decided to change the update time to the evening, hahaha~

Please forgive me, I really can't get up, help!

Hehe~ Sorry for the long wait~