“So disgusting…” Qiao Jiajin furrowed his brow looking at the filthy things on the ground. “This overwhelming stench—could it be excrement?”

Excrement?

Qi Xia suddenly turned to look at Qiao Jiajin.

This was a very interesting observation.

In other words, besides the nine of them and the animal masks, there were other people here.

Or rather… other “things.”

This person or “thing” seemed to have lived here for a long time, otherwise it wouldn’t be possible to leave excrement all over the floor.

The group searched around but couldn’t find any needles, thread, or gauze at all. There were no pharmacies or clinics visible outside the convenience store either. If they went out blindly searching, Han Yimo probably couldn’t hold on that long.

“What should we do now…” Officer Li put his hands on his hips and looked helplessly toward Doctor Zhao, as if seeking his opinion.

Before Doctor Zhao could speak, there was a commotion behind the convenience store’s cash register, and the employee break room door slowly opened.

The nine people were greatly alarmed and immediately took several steps back, looking toward that slowly opening door.

A thin figure flashed out from behind that door.

Taking a closer look, the person who emerged was actually a girl so thin she barely looked human—it was impossible to tell her age.

Her cheeks were deeply sunken, her eyes protruding outward, as if all the flesh on her entire face was gone.

She pressed her cracked lips together and looked curiously at the group.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, she seemed to react and hastily straightened out her dirty, tattered old clothes, opening her mouth with a hoarse voice to say: “Welcome…”

Welcome?

Officer Li carefully processed the meaning of these words and seemed to understand.

“Are you… a shop assistant?”

The girl nodded. “Yes.”

The group said nothing more, because this situation revealed an air of unreasonableness.

Setting aside why there were still other humans here, even if she really was a “shop assistant,” why would she be working in a completely dilapidated convenience store?

Seeing that the group made no move, the shop assistant could only say tentatively, “Please browse freely.”

Although she said this, where was there any room to “browse”?

There were almost no products on the shelves, and what little remained was all rotted and covered in filth.

The shop assistant’s eyes were dull, staring fixedly at the group.

This gaze made several of the women somewhat frightened.

“Do you have needles and thread?” Qi Xia asked the shop assistant without changing his expression.

“Needles… thread?” The shop assistant’s lifeless eyes moved slightly, then she extended her hand, simulating the motion of threading a needle. “You mean… this kind of needle and thread?”

Only then did everyone notice that her hands were covered in dried, dark blood—extremely frightening.

Qi Xia took another step forward and said, “Yes, this kind of needle and thread. Do you sell them?”

“Liar, you…” Before knowing Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin thought he was the bravest person in the world, but now even he didn’t dare talk to this woman. “This woman isn’t normal, can’t you see that?”

“So what if I can see that?” Qi Xia said calmly. “Our situation can’t get any worse than it already is.”

The female shop assistant thought dully for a while, then suddenly opened the divider at the front desk and rushed out.

Only then could everyone see her full appearance.

She was wearing a dirty, oversized white shirt, as incongruous as clothes hanging on a hanger.

The shirt was smeared with something—it felt like oil, or perhaps blood.

This shirt reached almost to her knees. Her lower body seemed to have no pants on, and her thighs were covered with dried blood.

Qi Xia furrowed his brow slightly and was about to take a step back when the female shop assistant grabbed his wrist.

He felt his wrist was like being entangled by an old tree vine—dry and painful.

“I have some here!!” The female shop assistant opened her mouth, revealing yellowed teeth. “I have ‘needle and thread’! Come with me!”

Her hand kept pointing toward the “Employee Break Room,” as if wanting Qi Xia to follow her inside.

Everyone was truly frightened by her. Judging from this woman’s current behavior, going inside with her really wasn’t a good idea.

“Forget it… we’re not buying anymore!” Qiao Jiajin stepped forward trying to pull the woman’s hand away. “Let go first.”

But the female shop assistant acted as if she hadn’t heard, pulling Qi Xia along while moving her feet, revealing a happy smile.

“There’s ‘needle and thread’ inside this room! Come on!”

Her strength was even greater than Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia, two grown men, combined.

“Hey!! Come help!” Qiao Jiajin turned his head and shouted.

Officer Li and Doctor Zhao snapped back to their senses and also rushed forward.

The female shop assistant involuntarily quickened her pace.

Qi Xia only felt a tremendous force dragging him along, completely unable to break free.

The two weren’t far from that employee break room to begin with, and now in just six or seven steps they had already entered the doorway.

Doctor Zhao and Officer Li were pulling Qi Xia outward when unexpectedly the female shop assistant suddenly let go.

“Ah!”

With a cry of alarm, several people nearly fell.

After each steadied themselves, they saw that the female shop assistant paid no attention to them but instead turned around and began rummaging through boxes and cabinets in the room looking for things.

The four men also looked around the room, still shaken.

This place was slightly cleaner than outside. In the corner was a folding bed with bedding that had already yellowed.

On top was a large pool of blood that looked relatively fresh.

In another corner, a simple stove held a rust-covered iron pot, inside which something was bubbling as it cooked.

The female shop assistant was oblivious to everything, rummaging through an old box.

“Where is it… needle and thread…” She kept throwing things out of the box—there were aluminum cans, old magazines, and pots and pans.

Qiao Jiajin touched his nose and looked at that iron pot.

“Speaking of which, I’m actually quite hungry.” He said quietly to Qi Xia. “If she weren’t a crazy woman, I’d like to ask if I could mooch a meal.”

Qi Xia glanced at the iron pot. Inside was cooking something white.

He also felt a bit hungry.

“You’d dare eat food from this place?” Officer Li asked. “Who knows how filthy that thing is…”

“But it smells really good.”

Qiao Jiajin wasn’t wrong. Thanks to this iron pot, the smell in the room was actually fragrant, covering up the stench.

“What are you cooking?” Qiao Jiajin boldly asked, seeming like he really wanted a bite.

“Piglet.” The female shop assistant answered.

“Piglet?”

Qiao Jiajin became interested and was about to go look at the iron pot when the female shop assistant let out a cry of surprise.

“Ah! Found it!”

She turned around, holding something in both hands, and said excitedly to everyone, “Look! Needle and thread!”

Officer Li stepped forward to look, and his expression became somewhat troubled.

This wasn’t “needle and thread” at all, but rather a rusty fishhook plus a small bundle of tangled fishing line.

He turned to look at Doctor Zhao, signaling him with his eyes.

Doctor Zhao thought for a moment, staring at the fishhook and fishing line before asking, “Miss, is there any other needle and thread?”

“No more.” The female shop assistant shook her head. “Only this. Will you buy it?”