Chapter 63 The Candy House "If they die, we can't bring them back..."
Unlike the dazzling neon lights commonly found in cities, the Candy House has a softer, more gentle feel to it.
A giant cookie wrapped in a thin chocolate crust hangs under the eaves, with a haphazardly pieced-together sign for an "emergency relief station" pasted on it.
Is this the place?
Clearly, after their experience with the "fake ticket office," the group was much more vigilant.
Old Ren took a few steps back and stood on the same level as Wang Jianping.
"Don't tell me it's another fake..."
He shifted his gaze slightly upwards and called out to Luo Chuange, who was at the forefront, "Little Luo, don't rush ahead too much. Let's be careful."
Upon hearing this, Luo Chuange did not turn around to look at him, but instead stared intently at the half-closed door in front of him.
The caramel-colored wooden door, seemingly straight out of a fairy tale, blends almost seamlessly into its surroundings.
If you get closer, you can smell the aroma of roasted chestnuts wafting from the texture of the chestnuts.
He unconsciously weighed Gu Keke in his arms again.
The body temperature, which was gradually decreasing, became even more intense as night fell completely.
Luo Chuange lowered his head. "It can't be fake."
Old Ren was getting anxious, "How did you know...?"
“We found our way here step by step by following the directions of the staff in yellow uniforms.”
Luo Chuange remained calm and explained his thoughts logically and meticulously: "Following the mountain road, the second road sign, the pink candy—every signpost we encountered was leading us here."
"That's what makes it even stranger!"
Old Ren felt a sense of disappointment and frustration. "It's precisely because the direction is too clear that something is amiss!"
"But they really can't afford to delay any longer!"
Luo Chuange interrupted Lao Ren, his voice trembling. His usually calm tone was now tinged with emotion, "We really can't delay any longer..."
He was going to give it a try, no matter what.
Qi Zhixia kept her lips pursed as she watched the scene unfold before her.
She knew that in this situation, there was no point in saying anything more.
Luo Chuange and Lao Ren are clearly not in a stable emotional state, and Liang Xun and Gu Keke are unlikely to recover anytime soon.
Then she can only choose to shut down her emotions and not have any subjective intentions.
“Let’s go in and take a look,” Qi Zhixia said, her eyes light and her fingers tapping gently on the wheels. “Let’s trust the staff in yellow for now. Since nothing has gone wrong, the outcome shouldn’t be a problem either.”
Wang Jianping noticed the signal from Qi Zhixia, and with a little force from his hands, he pushed the wheelchair forward.
"Judging from the lighting, there probably aren't many people inside."
Just before she was about to push open the chestnut-scented wooden door, Qi Zhixia glanced back.
"Stop hesitating and just catch up."
The moment the wooden door was pushed open, the aroma of roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes, a winter staple, became even more intense.
As sweet as its smell is the interior of this candy house.
Blue berry-flavored glass and red strawberry-flavored glass create a colorful information window. Opposite the window are several gingerbread benches.
The path leading inside was blocked by a curtain, and several bunches of yellow cherries hung naturally below the curtain.
A small air purifier stood in the corner. The faint aroma of roasted sweet potatoes wafted from there.
There weren't many people inside.
Two men and a woman were sitting on the second row of benches. After hearing the jingle from the wooden door, they looked warily toward Qi Zhixia and the others.
Although it was only for a moment, Qi Zhixia still noticed that the three people had obviously subconsciously made defensive movements, with their dominant hands reaching behind their waists, as if they would pull out some deadly weapon at any moment.
But when the three noticed the unconscious Liang Jun and Gu Keke, they clearly lowered their guard considerably.
The hand that had been resting on their lower back was quietly withdrawn, along with their probing gazes.
Qi Zhixia didn't want to investigate too much. She looked at Luo Chuange and Lao Ren beside her.
“You guys go find the staff in green first.” She then looked at the bench in the center of the small room. “Director Wang and I will go and reserve seats in case we don’t have a place to sit later. If anything happens, remember to contact us via walkie-talkie.”
After Luo Chuange and Lao Ren nodded in agreement, the two sides began to act separately.
The deeper you go into the building, the stronger the sweet, cloying winter scent becomes.
Luo Chuange didn't feel anything, but Lao Ren's stomach kept rumbling.
He knew the commotion was too abrupt, and Lao Ren patted his belly sheepishly.
"I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten a single bite of food yet..."
Luo Chuange was also hungry, but he decided to endure it for now.
Behind the curtain adorned with yellow cherries seemed to lie an area open to exploration.
Just as Luo Chuange was about to peek inside, a sharp voice came from behind him.
"What are you doing—"
He and Lao Ren turned around at the same time and saw a figure standing in the previously empty blue window.
A unkempt head peeked out of the window, and the fabric of his green collar was faintly visible.
The man's voice rose even higher, seemingly because he was already somewhat dissatisfied with working overtime late at night, and seeing the two men's indifferent expressions.
"I'm talking to you two, what are you looking at—"
Qi Zhixia, already seated on the bench, couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she blinked twice at Luo Chuange, silently mouthing the words—
Hurry up and get there.
Luo Chuange's Adam's apple bobbed up and down before he walked toward the blue window.
The green-clad staff member, who had already retreated behind the glass, clicked his tongue and then plopped down in the office chair behind him.
"Don't lift the curtain casually, otherwise the patients behind will have their treatment delayed, and who will take responsibility for that?"
The green-clad staff member seemed to have endless resentment, and regardless of whether the player in front of him paid attention to him, he continued to output damage on his own.
"This lousy shift goes on all day long. Usually, we don't see a single person for days on end, but today is different..."
The staff member in green suddenly looked up and glared at Luo Chuange in front of him. "Several of them have arrived!"
Luo Chuange's lips twitched a few times, unsure how to maintain his composure.
Good grief, even NPCs have resentful office workers...
Old Ren, standing to the side, hadn't yet noticed the strange atmosphere. He muttered to himself, "Why is he rambling on so much? When I slaughter pigs, they don't talk this much even before they die..."
The staff member in green suddenly looked up, his eyes, sharp as a boning knife, piercing Old Ren once again.
Old Ren felt a chill run down his spine and didn't dare to breathe.
"What are you here for?"
After the two people opposite him calmed down, the staff member in green opened the notebook in front of him with a look of utter despair.
Luo Chuange breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly craned his neck, as if he wanted to press his whole body against the blue glass.
“Our companions were injured during the trip and have been unconscious ever since.” He then gestured for Old Ren to move closer, “Do you see any way to help them recover?”
"play?"
The staff member in green raised an eyebrow, his tone full of curiosity, "Tell me, what kind of ride are you playing?"
Bumper cars.
Upon hearing these three words, the staff member in green paused for a moment as they flipped through their notebook.
A moment later, a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"He passed out after riding the bumper cars? Tsk tsk tsk..."
He slowly shook his head, his rough hair bouncing with the movement. "If they die, we can't bring them back to life..."
Before he could finish speaking, he stood up again.
This time, even Luo Chuange, who was closest to him, didn't have time to react before he quickly poked his head out of the small glass window again.
Gu Keke was held in Luo Chuange's arms the whole time. Because he kept moving closer, at this moment, Gu Keke's face was only inches away from the head of the green-clad staff member.
Luo Chuange instinctively tried to grab her and retreat, but it was too late. The staff member in green had already taken a deep breath in front of her nose, his face full of disbelief.
He averted his gaze and peered at Old Ren, who was trying to back away.
"Turn around!"
Old Ren trembled even more as he was scolded, not knowing what he had done that had offended him.
Luo Chuange realized what was happening at that moment, and he urged Lao Ren in a low voice, "Turn around, he wants to check Sister Jun's breathing."
Old Ren trembled violently, carefully turning his back to the enemy.
Liang Jun's head drooped limply to her side, and the green-clad staff member quickly moved closer the moment she approached.
Just like when they treated Gu Keke, the green-clad staff member's expression became even more unpredictable after sensing the situation.
He shook his head, muttering "impossible" under his breath, while rapidly flipping through the notebook in his hands, his movements vaguely flustered.
Luo Chuange sat on the other side of the glass, the aroma of blueberries wafting into his nostrils.
He silently observed the other person's every move, and then tentatively asked, "Excuse me, is treatment possible?"
As if only now coming to their senses, the green-clad staff member shuddered and slammed the notebook shut in front of him.
"Yes, it is possible to treat him while he is still alive."
The unpredictable green-clad staff member tapped on the table, "But we're not a charity; we charge a treatment fee of 200 points per person."
The two of them combined only had four hundred points, which was negligible to them.
Just as Luo Chuange was about to pay for everything himself, he noticed that Luo had taken out a familiar set of seals from the drawer.
Paying points here still requires a stamp.
Seeing this, Lao Ren immediately stopped Luo Chuange's actions.
"Don't take on everything yourself, let's split the bill."
Seeing that Luo Chuange was about to refuse, Lao Ren immediately replied, "We haven't tested out any side effects of this seal yet. If there really is something wrong, you are much more useful than me. We can't let you be affected too much."
Then, he said embarrassedly, "But I'm a coward. If you ask me to be a hero and stamp a couple of seals, I'm not really capable of doing that..."
This is only human nature, and the fact that Lao Ren was willing to step forward and help share the burden was already the best outcome he hadn't expected.
The same blue-green stamps as those at the ticket office landed on their arms one after another. The moment their skin touched the sticky substance, they received a system notification that points had been deducted.
After handling these matters, the staff member in green put the stamp back into the drawer with a hint of disdain.
Although his expression wasn't pleasant, his hands didn't slacken in the slightest.
After making sure the seal was properly stored, he locked the drawer with the small key he always carried with him and gave it a tug.
It's clear they really value this thing.
Luo Chuange looked away, and inevitably met the eyes of the staff member in green again.
What are you standing there for?
He snorted coldly and nodded his bristling head toward a spot not far away. "Go wait by the curtain. Hand the patient over to the person who lifts the curtain. He will make sure your companion recovers."
Luo Chuange and Lao Ren did not hesitate any longer and chose to follow his instructions, standing and waiting in front of the bunch of yellow cherries.
Not long after, a series of slightly heavy footsteps approached slowly, and the still curtain was lifted a crack, causing the yellow cherries at the end to sway uncontrollably.
A voice, seemingly heavily nasal, came from behind the curtain: "Please hand the patient over to me."
A bright red color appeared before their eyes.
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Author's note: Mint is half-dead from the thesis, just waiting for some artificial respiration (closes eyes).
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