‘Why buy a phonograph now? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until they’ve completely turned into human forms?’
She really couldn’t understand why they were doing something so redundant. Yao Yao and Yi Yi had surely lived for more years than she had, so surely they could wait for such a short amount of time?
At this thought, Gu Lian’s brow furrowed slightly. She felt as if something about this whole situation was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
“Isn’t that the beauty from before? How did she come out looking like she changed her clothes?”
“I haven’t a clue. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
Stepping out of the alley, Gu Lian caught the snippets of conversation from the crowd of onlookers. She pulled up the hood of her new jacket and began walking forward. If she remembered correctly, there was a business plaza at the very end of this street.
The outer northern block of that plaza was a computer street where 80% of the mall’s electronic products could be found. She remembered that part quite clearly.
Strolling through the bustling street, Gu Lian soon arrived at Tianhe Business Plaza. The plaza was somewhat similar to a multi-story Hakka Tulou, with four entrances on the outer perimeter, but once inside, it split into many different districts.
According to her memory, the computer street was a district of its own. A Level 3 Lieshou patrolled the interior, changing shifts every half-day. As for why Gu Lian knew this… she didn’t want to recall those unpleasant times. In any case, she had a new appearance now. The Gu Lian of the past… she would treat him as if he were truly dead.
She quickly found the location and scanned the situation within the computer street. To be safe, she stuck to the edge of the district as she walked. When she reached Dami Home, the sound of messy static reached her ears.
The moment she heard the electronic noise, Gu Lian’s brow furrowed. Looking at the warmly decorated Dami Home, she felt that something was wrong.
She walked up to the front desk of Dami Home, but she didn’t see a single receptionist.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Gu Lian reached out her index finger and thumb, lightly tapping on the table. When no one appeared after a long while, she switched from her index finger to the back of her hand.
*Knock, knock, knock—*
“Coming!”
The sound of rustling footsteps echoed from the employee breakroom behind the counter. Half a minute later, a man wearing a slightly crooked employee cap walked out. A faint, elegant fragrance lingered in the air.
“My apologies, I accidentally fell asleep. Please forgive me, guest.”
Seeing that the expressionless Gu Ye seemed a bit difficult to deal with, the man let out a light cough full of smiles and gestured with his palm toward the hall filled with various electronic products.
“Dear guest, as an apology for my lack of responsibility, you may choose any one product here to take with you for free. I’ll cover the cost myself to make up for the poor service.”
“In that case, I’ll take you up on that. You’re the one who said it.”
Gu Lian walked over to the display stand next to the counter. In the entire Dami Home, the items next to the counter were the most expensive and high-end.
On the lower shelf of the left display rack sat the Dami s12pro Flagship Edition Phone, the Xiaoshou Subwoofer, the Xiaoshou Speaker, and so on.
Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Lian took the Xiaoshou Speaker directly from the display shelf and placed it on the counter. “I don’t want anything else, just this. That’s not asking too much, is it?”
“Of course not.”
The clerk gave a professional smile, processed the slip for Gu Lian, and packaged the item. After watching Gu Lian walk out of Dami Home, the smile on his face vanished, and he turned to walk back inside.
*Screech—*
Gu Lian stopped after only a few steps. She turned around, her gaze piercing into the employee breakroom of Dami Home. A red light glowed in her eyes, and her surroundings seemed to come to life. This was the dynamic vision unique to a beast.
Through the gap in the door that hadn’t been completely closed, Gu Lian saw several employees tied up hand and foot. Mechanical devices with counting-down timers were strapped to their chests.
*Click.*
The door was shut completely. Gu Lian was stunned for a moment, tilting her head as she considered whether or not she should help. However, she made her choice in the blink of an eye—she wouldn’t save them. ‘Saving people is a job for the Lieshou. I’m a Weiyi, not a Lieshou, so there’s no need for me to get involved in such messy affairs.’
Carrying the Xiaoshou Speaker, Gu Lian entered a digital customization and sketching shop. As soon as she walked in, she placed the Xiaoshou Speaker on the table and pointed to the device’s charging port.
“I want a solar power converter specifically for charging this thing.”
“Hmm? Do you need a specialized charging setup?”
The clerk at the front desk of the battery specialty store pulled a box of parts from under the counter and pushed a form toward Gu Lian. “Fill out this form with the specific details of what you need. After all, this is a custom order.”
“Let’s see… Hmm…”
Gu Lian sat at the front desk and glanced at the price list on the form. She calmly set it down and sighed. “Sigh, you guys probably don’t make much in wages these days, do you?”
“Wages were raised recently, so things are going pretty well.”
The clerk picked up a small screwdriver and began to fasten a circuit board and a magnetic converter together. His movements were smooth and standard, showing no signs of being an amateur.
“Ha, so wages actually increase in your line of work? I heard from a friend that it’s hard to get a raise in the digital industry.”
“True, but things haven’t been very peaceful lately.”
“Oh? You’ve got some inside info? Tell me about it.”
Gu Ye smiled as she took a 100-yuan bill from her pocket and placed it on the table. The clerk’s hand holding the screwdriver paused before he slowly began to speak.
“Recently, vivv shops have been exploding one after another. Every explosion destroys the inventory in the chain stores, leading to a constant loss of customers and employees. There’s even a rumor on the market calling vivv ‘the exploding machine’…”
“Mm-hmm, what else?”
Gu Lian smiled and placed another 100-yuan bill on the table, pushing both bills into the clerk’s toolbox. This time, the clerk didn’t keep her in suspense.
“I heard the CEO of vivv is furious about this. They said there’s a reward for anyone who provides clues. Because of that, even those of us in the digital industry got a wage hike. After all, with things exploding from time to time, really nobody wants to stay in this line of business.”
“I see…”
Gu Lian rubbed her smooth chin, thought for a moment, then stood up and walked out of the store. The clerk didn’t say much and simply lowered his head to continue tightening screws. The Xiaoshou Speaker was still there, so he wasn’t worried at all about her playing him.
Exiting the custom digital shop, Gu Lian pulled down the brim of her hat, stuffed her hands into her pockets, and walked back toward Dami Home.
The path was clear until Gu Lian reached the outside of the employee breakroom at Dami Home. She looked left and right, confirming that no one else was lying in ambush nearby.
Gu Lian cracked her neck, leaned her body forward, and threw a kick at the door.
“FBI! Everyone, put your hands up!”