Chapter 143 Exclusive Mark (Unedited) Like an artist's obsession...
Like her...?
Liang Jun naturally wouldn't believe it.
She is a player, one of the countless people who have stumbled into a world of rules.
The old lady is an NPC, a virtual creation of the system, devoid of life, soul, and emotion.
How could she possibly believe the one-sided story of a highly persuasive NPC?
Liang Jun also noticed the fleeting surprise in the old lady's amber eyes. Not wanting to leave any evidence against her, she kept a smile on her lips.
"Oh, of course I know—thank you for reminding me, I just remembered!"
Hearing Liang Jun say that, the old lady withdrew her expression, as if she wanted to say something more. Her gaze shifted downwards again, her hands resting on the handles of the stroller, and her body leaned slightly forward.
As if she wanted to whisper something, the old lady deliberately lowered her voice, "Is it because you've been too busy with work that you've forgotten about your colleagues?"
Liang Jun understood that the "colleagues" the other party was referring to were not teammates scattered in other checkout lanes, but rather "they" mentioned in the previous conversation.
Liang Jun is a cashier at this store, and "they" are the store's merchandise buyers. Logically and emotionally, they are indeed "colleagues".
She nodded, echoing the old lady's tone.
Seeing her so cooperative, the old lady's wrinkled face showed a hint of childlike playfulness. "Why don't you sneak out and I'll take you to see them again?"
Sneak out?
Liang Jun didn't react for a moment.
After the instance begins, will she still be able to leave the cashier area?
Looking into the old woman's clear eyes, which seemed beyond her years, Liang Jun didn't give a direct answer of agreement or disagreement. Instead, she asked, "Is that alright?"
"Of course!"
The old lady's eyes were curved in a smile. If you ignored the still-warm, bloody organs beside her, she would indeed have a kind and gentle appearance. "After all, you are still young. You should take advantage of the time to make connections. This will help you in your future work."
What does "future work" refer to?
Is it directly related to her dungeon quest?
Liang Jun only asked the question silently in her heart, without expressing it in words.
Her hand climbed onto the corner of the cash register door, trying to open the already closed magnetic door with a little force.
To Liang Jun's astonishment, the magnetic cabinet door, which had been tightly closed, could be easily opened even under the old lady's watchful eye.
Liang Jun paused, noticing that the old lady's amber eyes were fixed on her hand movements. She decisively closed the cabinet door, which was slightly ajar.
The "click" sound when the magnet successfully attaches is a reassuring sound for Liang Jun at this moment.
It turns out that the player's activity area is not static within the dungeon game.
If an NPC issues an invitation, then players can go to other areas of the marketplace.
Despite obtaining such a crucial clue, Liang Jun still dared not let her guard down.
She had just tested it in front of the old lady, so she would definitely have to find an excuse to get out of it now.
"I'm too busy with work. I'm just a worker. I should try to do as much work as possible in the shortest amount of time." A look of shame appeared on Liang Xun's face.
Using the excuse the old lady had given her earlier, she lied quite naturally, saying, "Anyway, I'll have plenty of time in the future. Whenever I'm not busy, I'll go and take a look."
The mischievous feeling of anticipating the prank coming true vanished instantly from the old woman, and she seemed to revert to being just an ordinary wealthy grandmother.
Seeing that the other party didn't seem to want to complain, Liang Xun secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject, "Then I'll get ready to settle your bill—could you please show me your membership card first?"
She is now extremely skilled in her work.
The stench of blood grew stronger. After being in this space for a while, Liang Xun felt as if her entire body had been marinated in the blood.
That familiar yet unfamiliar scent permeated every inch of her skin and every pore. Liang Jun thought that even if blood started flowing continuously from some part of her body right now, she wouldn't notice anything amiss—
After all, this blood came from people who were once alive.
Liang Xun held her breath, tilting her head slightly to avoid looking at the glaring crimson.
The old woman's wrinkled hand reached into the pocket where she had just put the glove, and just as Liang Jun had guessed, a familiar little card was taken out of the pocket.
She still handed it over shakily, and Liang Jun responded softly before taking it neatly.
Liang Xun skillfully aligned the magnetic stripe of the membership card with the card reader, and the relevant information of the membership card flashed on the display screen at the same time.
The border for the notification is green.
Great, this means the membership card is still valid.
Just as Liang Jun was about to instinctively pull the card back, she suddenly glanced at the cardholder's headshot, which was constantly flashing due to the screen resolution.
The photo shows a woman who is around thirty or forty years old. Even though the image resolution is limited, Liang Jun can still tell that the woman's facial skin is so well-maintained that it looks flawless.
Although she also had curly hair that resembled instant noodles, Liang Jun would never mistake its jet-black color.
The membership card was still in the card reader. Liang Jun's fingers lightly touched the edge of the card, but she did not take it out.
She calmly turned her head and smiled at the old lady. "Is this your membership card?"
"Yes, of course."
The old lady nodded seriously twice, the silver-white ramen noodle curls on her head swaying back and forth with her movements. "I'm a regular customer of your store, how could I not have my own membership card?"
3. As a cashier in the store, you must ensure that every customer who comes to shop has a valid membership card. Membership is strictly based on real names. If you find that the cardholder's identity does not match the person's, please direct the customer to another checkout lane.
The issue raised by Leung Chun is not trivial; it concerns a major question of whether it violates the rules.
Her tone remained gentle, but her eyes held a hint of seriousness. "But the cardholder photo displayed here isn't you. Why is that?"
Instead of issuing a definitive judgment, Liang Jun returned the right to defend herself to the NPC, thereby reducing the chances of being complained about.
Sure enough, following Liang Jun's guidance, the old lady immediately put her hands on the cashier counter and leaned over to stare at the screen.
The old lady paused for a moment after glancing at the woman in the headshot.
“This is me, this is me when I was young—” her tone turned sharp, “You can’t even recognize me? Is it because I’m too old now?!”
is that so?
Sensing the anger emanating from the old woman, Liang Xun had a premonition—
She's about to start complaining about herself.
But Liang Jun did not give up. She felt that things were far more complicated than that.
The resolution of the product display screen was shockingly low. To see the details in the cardholder's headshot, Liang Jun had to squint and actively increase the distance between herself and the screen.
Ignoring the old lady's frantic stomping, Liang Jun pressed her entire body against the very back of the checkout area, using only her remaining limited field of vision to discern every detail in the photo.
The silver tassel pendants on the rounded earlobes, the glittering gold gemstone necklace around the swan's neck, and the faintly visible violet birthmark at the very edge of the photo—
These are not static facts. If you try to use this kind of evidence to prove your point of view, you will only end up blaming others and making your argument untenable.
What is it that a person will never change in their lifetime?
Liang Jun quickly scanned the rather old-fashioned headshot, and as her gaze swept over it, she inexplicably made eye contact with the person in the photo.
She had never noticed before that the woman had heterochromia.
The other person's left eye had a standard dark brown pupil, but their right eye had a sky blue color that was rare among Asians.
Gentle and soft, like a calm pool of water.
The iris is a unique and exclusive mark that belongs to each individual.
The real clue finally surfaced, and Liang Jun's hands, which were placed at her sides, involuntarily clenched into fists.
“A comparison of the photos reveals that the cardholder has unusual heterochromia,” Liang Jun said, glancing at the old lady’s amber eyes. “These are completely different from your eyes—”
Liang Xuan lowered her voice quietly and took the membership card out of the card dispenser, holding it between her two fingers.
"Is this membership card really yours?"
The old lady, who had been sullen, became listless in an instant.
"Okay, okay..."
The dejected old lady took the membership card back from Liang Jun's hand. "This actually belongs to my daughter-in-law. She hasn't been home for several days, and I don't know where she went. I figured no one else would know, so I thought I'd sneak it out and use it for a bit..."
"I'm very sorry, but I cannot proceed with your payment if the card number does not match the person's."
Liang Jun didn't move, but simply placed her hands in front of her with a regretful expression, "Please pack up your merchandise first..."
She has terminated her service relationship with the other party, so Liang Jun no longer needs to worry about receiving complaints from the old lady again.
She had already thrown the gloves aside. Liang Jun didn't want to see them and let the old lady slowly stuff the pile of organs back into her trolley.
She tidied up much faster than before. When the old lady had almost finished, she took a moment to ask Liang Jun, "Since you can't pay for me here, where can I go?"
"The eighth checkout channel."
Without hesitation, Liang Jun replied, "Go out from here, walk straight in the direction behind me, and the checkout lane at the end is usable."
The old lady said "Oh," then picked up the last piece of human flesh from the counter and replied indifferently, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Liang Jun made some casual pleasantries, then turned her gaze back to the cashier's counter.
The blood left behind by the wreckage is still staining the countertop, and cleaning it will probably be a major headache.
Liang Jun's gaze unconsciously shifted slightly upwards, and she inadvertently caught sight of the piece of human flesh that the old lady hadn't yet put into the trolley.
The cut surface is slightly large, and the skin is smooth.
It's like a perfect canvas that fascinates artists.
On the canvas, a complete violet birthmark blooms.
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Author's note: Sister Gan: Just do as I say, and once you go, you won't utter a sound.
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