Chapter 2 Deliveryman (2)
The whites of his eyes were stained with blood, and his entire eyeball was covered with dense red blood vessels, spreading outward from the center of his pupil like a spider web.
The pupils were dark red, much darker than the blood red of the whites of the eyes, making them appear sunken, with the blood vessels on the outer edges looking as if they were crawling out from inside.
When Bai Ye met those eyes, he was so startled that he lost his voice.
He stared at it with his mouth agape, trying to make a sound, but it was as if someone had choked him, leaving only broken "hoarse...hoarse...hoarse..."
The sound was so faint that no one but himself could hear it.
"Sizzle—Sizzle—"
The lights flickered again.
The next second, the elevator went dark.
As the scene before him vanished, Bai Ye's first instinct was to reach for the light switch. Finding it wouldn't turn on no matter what he tried, he immediately pressed the help button.
"Fenyang Residential Community Property Management Office, what's going on?"
The call was connected!
Overjoyed, Bai Ye immediately told him about the difficulties she had encountered in the elevator.
Finally, he gave a detailed location: "Yes, I'm in the elevator in building 13. The lights won't turn on, and the elevator's operating numbers have disappeared. I don't know which floor I'm on, and I can't feel the elevator moving. I think it must be broken."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while before someone said, "I'm sorry, the elevator is malfunctioning. It shows that it's stopped on the 18th floor. Our elevators have a complete safety mechanism. Please do not touch any buttons inside. It will not fall or hit the top. Please don't worry, we will send someone to rescue you immediately."
It turned out to be an elevator malfunction.
Hearing human voices, Bai Ye felt extremely warm and comforted, and the fear in her heart slowly subsided.
So now we can only wait until the property management sends someone to repair the elevator; there shouldn't be any problems then.
Just then, the elevator display screen suddenly lit up again.
Bai Ye turned his head and saw that the elevator was going up, 19...20...21...22...
The word count is increasing very slowly.
What chilled Bai Ye to the bone was that the fluctuating floor numbers were red, like fresh blood.
"What... what's going on?"
Bai Ye leaned against the corner of the elevator, wanting to cover herself with something. She raised her hands, only to find that she had nothing but a bag of fried chicken.
Finally, he hugged the bag of fried chicken to his chest, closed his eyes, and silently recited: "If the heart is pure, even if the sky falls, one will not be alarmed; if all changes occur, one will remain calm and composed; one's spirit will be at peace—"
Before I could even pronounce the word "quiet," I suddenly felt a cool sensation on my neck.
Because your eyes are closed, your sense of hearing and touch are amplified in that instant.
He could clearly feel something crawling behind him, its surface slightly damp, and as he climbed up, it felt cool and sticky, somewhat like a blood clot about to congeal.
Further up, the coolness disappeared.
Then came the hot, moist breath, each breath blowing against my neck.
Bai Ye felt his back getting hotter and hotter, and the breathing around his neck getting stronger and stronger.
He desperately wanted to open his eyes and see what was behind him.
No, that's not right!
Behind me is the elevator wall, and I was clearly standing right next to the corner of the elevator.
Bai Ye finally realized what was happening, and the moment she understood, her heart pounded like a drum.
I've encountered something evil!
Are those eyes?
What do we do now?
Why hasn't the elevator repairman arrived yet...?
Bai Ye, holding the fried chicken, almost shouted the words "I don't want to do this anymore" stuck in his throat.
This invisible torment is a simultaneous torment to both body and mind.
"Ring ring—"
My phone suddenly rang.
Bai Ye suppressed his breathing but made no move.
At this moment, he dared not move at all.
However, the phone kept ringing, each ring urging him to answer.
"DeadMe Delivery warmly reminds you that you only have one minute left to deliver your food. Please deliver it to the designated location immediately, or you will be charged 50 yuan."
Deduct 50?
This won't do!
Bai Ye was provoked by the last sentence. Without thinking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The screen was lit up with a red light.
But he completely ignored that at the moment, staring only at the incoming call. The phone number wasn't displayed, but the name was clearly visible: Ruan.
Is this Ms. Ruan?
At the bottom of the screen, the timer begins a one-minute countdown.
Bai Ye answered immediately, "Hello, Ms. Ruan."
There was silence on the other end of the phone, but the voice seemed to drift from a very, very far away place: "Hello, has my takeout arrived yet?"
It really is Ms. Ruan.
Bai Ye immediately apologized and explained, "I'm sorry, I'm trapped in the elevator. Yes, it's the elevator in building 13. I don't know when the repairman will be able to come and fix it. Your takeout is still in my hands, so I might not be able to deliver it on time."
"Are you in the elevator?" The voice on the other end of the phone hesitated.
Is this because they're being suspected?
Bai Ye's tone was slightly anxious, "What I said is true, Ms. Ruan. You can check the real-time location. My exact location should be in Building 13 of your community. I'm just a food deliveryman, and I only have this one order. I have no reason to lie to you to extend the delivery time."
"Wait a minute."
The voice on the other end of the phone lowered, and after a while, said, "I saw you; you were in the elevator."
"Right? I told you I wasn't lying to you, I was... I was..."
Bai Ye was speechless.
What does it mean to "see"?
Thinking of what happened on the top of the elevator earlier, Bai Ye felt a chill run down his spine.
“The people living in Building 13 are all missing limbs.”
The content that players had discussed on the forum began to surface in my mind, word by word.
Bai Ye didn't want to think about it, but couldn't help imagining what this Ms. Ruan was.
The call continued, and Bai Ye finally heard a slight noise on the phone.
Ms. Nguyen seems to be moving around; she looks like she's jogging. Hmm, she should put on her shoes.
But why wear shoes? Even if you run to the elevator, you won't be able to wait for me.
After all, there's an elevator door separating them...
"Hello, my takeout."
The moment Bai Ye had that thought, he heard a voice in his ear.
The warm, humid feeling had disappeared, and the temperature inside the elevator seemed to be dropping.
"Hello, my takeout."
The voice rang out again, seemingly troubled, "Can't you give it to me? But I'm so hungry."
The phone screen was lit up, and Bai Ye turned his head to look in that light. A pale hand appeared straight in his field of vision.
"Ms. Ruan?"
Bai Ye couldn't help but swallow hard.
He moved his arm, as if asking for something.
Bai Ye hugged the fried chicken and began to tremble all over. This hand was far more terrifying than the eyeball hanging from the top of the elevator!
How on earth did it get in there?!
"Are you trying to steal my takeout?"
He kept getting his things, and his voice became angry.
The arm, which had only extended a small portion of itself, suddenly stretched further in, almost piercing Bai Ye's heart.
"I said, my takeout."
"DeadMe Delivery warmly reminds you that you only have ten seconds left to deliver your food. Please deliver it to the designated location immediately, or you will be charged 50 yuan."
Bai Ye's fear vanished instantly, and without a word, he handed over the bag in his arms, thoughtfully wrapping it around the customer's wrist to ensure the customer could hold it securely.
"Ms. Ruan, I'm so sorry to have made you come out to pick up the food yourself. I'm really sorry. This is my first time delivering food today. I promise I won't make this mistake again. Please don't give me a bad review, okay?"
Deducting money is equivalent to deducting life points. Bai Ye already considered the 100 commission from a single order as his own. If he were to have money deducted, it would be like taking money out of his pocket that he had already put in his pocket.
My heart is breaking!
"Ms. Ruan, please, please."
Bai Ye clasped his hands together and bowed to the arm in front of him, his tone earnest.
"Is this your first time delivering food? Well, okay, I'll forgive you this once."
The voice sounded hesitant, as if it was still unsure about something.
Bai Ye immediately seized the opportunity, stepped forward and grabbed the hand. "Thank you, Ms. Ruan. Because of your generosity and kindness, I will receive my first food delivery commission. It will save me from this predicament and give me hope to live again."
Bai Ye's words were sincere, and he truly meant it.
Today's order is crucial; whether we can survive depends on these 100 orders.
"Okay, then, you have to keep it up."
A pale hand carrying a bag disappeared through the elevator doors.
Almost simultaneously, a voice came from the phone: "Dead Me delivery order completed, delivered on time, and customer gave a five-star review. Commission for this order: 100."
After a brief pause, a mechanical voice sounded: "[Regular player Bai Ye, 100 Ghost Coins earned. Exchange for health points?]"
"exchange."
[Successfully redeemed health points. Current health points: 1.1. Please continue your efforts.]
At this moment, my heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
It's safe!
In this bizarre world, he will not be eliminated for the time being.
"This Ms. Ruan must be beautiful inside and out. Such a kind young lady will surely live to be a hundred years old."
Realizing the other party might not be human, Bai Ye immediately changed his words, "No, live a thousand years, um... maybe even ten thousand years."
The dark elevator lobby suddenly lit up, and there were sounds coming from outside the door.
"Excuse me, is anyone inside?"
"Yes, I just called for help. I'm trapped in the elevator," Bai Ye replied.
People outside shouted, "Don't be afraid inside, our master will open the door right away."
"OK."
Human voices can heal the soul. Bai Ye heard the voices of normal people and the sound of machinery opening doors, and his previous sense of disorientation disappeared.
Thinking that his takeout orders were completed and his commission had been received, he felt that today was a good day.
Since he was already waiting, Bai Ye had some free time and began to examine the elevator where he was trapped.
Thinking of something, he looked up, but the blood-red eyes had disappeared.
What he saw at that moment were just two tiny red light bulbs exposed to the outside, flashing intermittently due to the elevator malfunction, which looked quite cute.
He turned around again to look behind him.
Because I was standing in the gap between the two elevator doors, and my head was directly above the air conditioning vent, a cool breeze was leaking down through the loosely closed partition, and a slight chill was penetrating straight down.
After the cool air blew for a while, the air in the elevator became hot again, so it was switched to warm air.
The more Bai Ye looked, the more he felt that everything that had just happened was nothing but his own illusion.
It's because I'm so scared that my mind is having these delusions.
The elevator doors finally opened.
When Bai Ye stepped out of the elevator, he found himself still on the first floor; the elevator had never gone up.
The property management staff breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that everyone was safe and sound. "The electrical circuit in Building 13 has always been a bit unstable. Your delivery staff are all young people. If you have enough time, just run up the stairs."
Thirteen buildings, the tallest being 100 stories, requiring staircases?
How could you even think of that!
Bai Ye cursed inwardly, but maintained a smile on her face. "Thank you for your hard work. I'll consider climbing the stairs next time."
After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave.
"Hey, why are you leaving? Aren't you a food deliveryman?" the property management staff called out to him.
Bai Ye turned around, his hands empty. "I've finished delivering."
"Finished delivering? How did you deliver it? Weren't you trapped in the elevator?"
"The customer couldn't wait, so he came down to pick it up himself."
"?"
The property management staff didn't understand and looked completely bewildered.
Bai Ye strode outside; the sun was still scorching, and his body began to sweat again.
"Dead or not, food delivery order in progress. Do you want to accept the order?"
As Bai Ye walked towards the entrance of the residential area, he looked down at his phone.
This is my second takeout order. The delivery address is Chentou Alley, and I ordered a plate of fried rice with eggs.
Strangely, the name of the person who placed the order was blurred, making it impossible to identify them.
How do I deliver this?
While Bai Ye hesitated, the system automatically assigned an order.
"The three-second rejection period has expired. Dead Me Delivery has officially dispatched the order. The order has been accepted. Please deliver it on time within the specified time."
Bai Ye was somewhat speechless.
A three-second hesitation period is far too short; there's not even enough time for the brain to process it.
"Fine, I'll give it to you. It's not as scary as the elevator ordeal we just had."
Bai Ye walked out of Fenyang Community and found that his electric scooter was still in the same place, and had not been moved.
No, it's been moved. It was originally blocking the sidewalk at the entrance of the community, but has now been moved to the side of the flower bed.
This security guard looked fierce when he stopped him, but he turned out to be a really nice person.
Bai Ye put on his helmet and waved to the security guard at the entrance, "Thank you, brother."
Then he drove his electric car onto the road and headed towards the fried rice vendor.
The phone screen was flashing, still counting down, but this time the delivery time was five hours.
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