"Then let’s plan for the long-term and look for other shelves," Lin Yi said as he took the lace stockings and square-toed leather shoes from Li Huiyuan’s hands, then carefully helped her put them on.
Lin Yi stood up and helped Li Huiyuan to her feet, then glanced warily at the shelves on that side before looking away and leading her back to search for the Student Souvenir Coin on the shelves.
There were still some shelves nearby, but those shelves were not on the path marked with the "exit" sign in blue.
Now at their wits’ end, they couldn’t give up, so they had no choice but to venture over there and try their luck.
Just as they turned to leave, a deep, hoarse voice suddenly called out from the shadowy area behind them...
"Lin... Yi... (Li... Hui... Yuan...)"
Both of their footsteps paused simultaneously, and they exchanged a look, each seeing a trace of astonishment in the other’s eyes.
"Did you... hear it too?" Lin Yi asked.
Li Huiyuan nodded with a pale face.
"Ignore it, let’s find the Student Souvenir Coin," Lin Yi whispered.
"Lin... Yi... (Li... Hui... Yuan...)"
The voice was like steam rising from a hot meal cooked in a cottage stove, lingering long around the rafters.
They dared not respond, supporting each other as they left the path with the blue sign and entered the surrounding shelf area.
After entering the other area, Lin Yi realized that the path they left was not the only one; this area should have many blue signs, and though they were distributed differently, they all pointed in the same direction of the exit.
"It seems that way is the Convenience Store’s exit..." Lin Yi withdrew his gaze, helping Li Huiyuan navigate through the other shelf areas.
Several minutes passed, and at 17:15, Lin Yi heard an odd sound.
Lin Yi’s steps faltered, and he listened closely, regaining the "thud" in his ears; at the same time, he felt as if the ground beneath his feet was beginning to produce a slight tremor.
The items on the shelves trembled with a "tada tada tada..." and ripples formed on the surface of the beverages in the drink area.
Coming from the shadowy area, along with such odd sounds, was that faint calling voice, like a bewitching whisper, unnerving to the listener.
"This voice...?!" Lin Yi’s pupils shrank as if he had realized something, "Why does it sound like the one I heard in the Staff Passage?"
However, compared to that, the terrifying pressure had diminished a lot.
But rather than feeling relieved, Lin Yi felt an immense pressure.
The calling voice was like countless little bugs buzzing in his ears, as if they were determined to burrow into his brain.
And with time passing, the sound was gradually amplifying, causing bouts of dizziness.
"This Convenience Store must also have a sort of Pollution Depth threshold; the longer we stay, the more affected we become, that’s why the Convenience Store Notice tells us to leave after making a purchase!"
Lin Yi was greatly alarmed, but seeing Li Huiyuan clench her teeth and continue searching for the shadow of the Student Souvenir Coin, he steadied his nerves and said through gritted teeth: "Li Huiyuan, let’s head towards the exit while looking for it on the shelves along the way."
Li Huiyuan, too affected by the calling voice, knew what was urgent and quickly agreed, "Okay..."
Finding the Student Souvenir Coin itself was to ensure their safety; forcefully staying behind to search, even if they did find it, would be just as dangerous as not finding it if they met with an accident.
As they walked and searched, time quickly approached 17:20, but they still hadn’t found the Student Souvenir Coin on any of the shelves along the way.
Some shelves didn’t even have a slot for the Student Souvenir Coin.
Lin Yi didn’t know the proportion of Student Souvenir Coins among other products, but from this round of observations, the proportion seemed to be very low.
However, the low proportion wasn’t the key issue; the real issue was that there were no Student Souvenir Coins on any of the shelves.
A sense of impending doom filled Lin Yi, and he instinctively tightened his grip on the products in his hand.
"Li Huiyuan!" Lin Yi said in a deep voice, "To the snack area!"
"Huh?" Li Huiyuan was momentarily stunned.
"There’s definitely something wrong with the Convenience Store! Something must have happened here before we arrived," Lin Yi surmised quickly, almost instantly confirming his guess, "Go to the snack area and grab a roll of biscuits! Now, immediately!"
The chances of getting the Student Souvenir Coin were too slim; they now had to consider another matter—[at least carry one item with them].
Considering that the safest items were in the snack area, and it was nearby, it made sense to grab something like a roll of biscuits to have on hand for security first.
"Okay." Li Huiyuan chose to follow Lin Yi’s instructions without question.
Two minutes later, with Lin Yi’s help, Li Huiyuan arrived at the snack area and grabbed a roll of biscuits. After thinking, she also took a loaf of bread from the side.
She could take up to three items with her. If she found the Student Souvenir Coin later, that would be the third item; if not, she would leave with two snack items.
Just as she was putting the biscuits and bread in the pocket of her pleated skirt, the Convenience Store seemed to be suddenly bombed by something, producing a "boom" sound. The domed ceiling shook violently, and dust and pebbles fell with the violently swinging incandescent lights, hissing down. The murky whirlwind seemed to shuttle through the hazy light and shadow, like an underground world suddenly encountering quicksand of death.