Seeing him come in, the security guard just glanced at him and then lowered his head to continue playing on his phone.
Liu Zheng actually didn’t like dealing with people in this world.
Those jests and jokes were merely for survival.
But he soon had no choice but to interact, as he was stopped by the turnstile.
Even though the turnstile was not so high that Liu Zheng couldn’t jump over it on the spot.
But only a fool would know that forcibly jumping over would certainly lead to a bad outcome.
Perhaps a laser grid would immediately appear and cut him into kebab-sized pieces.
Just as he was preparing to go communicate with the security guard, a white-collar worker approached him.
Her face was made up in an anime style, which looked like it was trained by an AI, because she had three ears.
"I can swipe my card for you,"
the white-collar worker offered voluntarily.
"Oh? Thank you, then,"
Liu Zheng stepped aside.
"But you have to give me your delivery bag,"
the white-collar worker said.
"What do you need a delivery bag for?"
"That’s none of your business. You give me the delivery bag, I swipe my card,"
the white-collar repeated.
Whether or not to give her the delivery bag really touched on Liu Zheng’s blind spot.
After all, Niu Ma had never mentioned this rule before.
And based on his experience with real-world deliveries, the platform had never emphasized this.
After all, each food delivery packaging was different; the better ones used thermal bags, while the worse ones just used plastic bags.
When in doubt, ask Niu Ma.
Liu Zheng decisively made the call but, as expected, didn’t get through.
This time, Niu Ma had made up his mind not to answer, not even bothering to give a false reminder.
He shrugged his shoulders, ready to have a little chat with the white-collar.
Just then, the security guard walked over.
"Manager Huang, aren’t you going to work now? I recall that your break time is only five minutes,"
he said to the white-collar.
"I have some extra allowance,"
the white-collar pursed her lips and said.
"You better save that; it’ll come in handy at a crucial time, don’t you think?"
the security guard said expressionlessly.
His face was in the style of oil painting, somewhat reminiscent of Rembrandt’s later works.
The deep gaze hid behind somber shadows, creating a strong sense of oppression.
The white-collar’s face went through several changes but ultimately relented.
Reluctantly glancing at the delivery box, she swiped her card and walked through the turnstile.
"The delivery bag is precious, don’t just give it to them,"
the security guard said to Liu Zheng, watching the white-collar enter the elevator.
"What’s it actually used for?"
The security guard didn’t speak, but gestured toward his own face.
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Liu Zheng seemed to understand.
"Who are you delivering to?"
the security guard asked.
"That guy is troublesome,"
the security guard frowned.
"Last time Xiao Mei didn’t clean the floor properly, she nearly got fired from his complaint."
"Oh. That’s just inhumane!"
Liu Zheng feigned indignation.
"He wasn’t human to begin with; you’ll see when you meet him,"
"There are cameras in the building; I can’t help you much,"
"Just remember one thing, argue in private, fight in public,"
The security guard helped him go through the turnstile and then returned to his seat.
Liu Zheng said to the air, passing through the turnstile.
He arrived at the elevator lobby, where there were three elevators.
One was for single floors only, one for double floors only, and one stopped on every floor.
As he was about to make a decision, he suddenly heard the security guard coughing.
With a nod, Liu Zheng chose the one for double floors only.
The elevator quickly arrived, the doors opened, and inside was an attendant dressed in something like a flight attendant’s uniform.
"Which floor are you going to?"
Once he entered the elevator, the attendant, whose face was painted in American comic-book style, asked.
"Thank you, I can press it myself."
Liu Zheng said cautiously.
"I’m sorry, only the elevator attendant can operate the elevator; it’s the property management’s rule."
The attendant replied with an all-American sweetheart’s standard smile.
"Fine, I’ll go to 403."
He acquiesced amiably.
The attendant pressed 1103.
Liu Zheng stared at her.
"Property management rules state that visitors must travel to the top floor when taking the elevator,"
The attendant explained.
"Then why ask me, just for fun?"
"If that’s how you want to see it, I can’t do anything about it."
The attendant replied, her expression unchanged.
"How about we become friends?"
Liu Zheng offered a cup of coffee.
He wasn’t bothered by climbing stairs; his main concern was other possible mischief.
The attendant swapped her expression for an American green-tea-latte’s cutting smile.
"Refuse the toast only to drink the forfeit."
Liu Zheng’s gaze grew sharp as he took out the insecticide.
"What are you doing?"
The attendant’s expression turned to panic.
"Helping you kill some bugs,"
"I’m not a bug, so that trick won’t work on me."
The attendant said, trying to keep calm.
"Is that so? Then why the panic?"
The attendant retorted stiffly.
Liu Zheng noticed something interesting; these face-painted people seemed unable to control their expressions well.
And the more exaggerated their makeup, the weaker their control.
Just attendant, whose features were nearly flying off her face.
What is she afraid of?
If she wasn’t afraid of the insecticide herself, then she was afraid of him spraying it in the elevator.
Could this elevator be the bug?
Liu Zheng tapped the elevator with his tentacle while observing the attendant’s reaction.
It was a mocking expression.
Could she be worried about other people using the elevator?
Connecting it to what the security guard had said earlier, he had an epiphany.
"If I spray this elevator full of insecticide, certain leaders won’t be able to use it, right?"
"This elevator is under your control; if they can’t use it, you’ll have to take responsibility, right?"
While they were talking, the elevator reached the 11th floor.
The elevator doors opened to a dense jungle.
The sounds of insects were everywhere, yet he couldn’t see a single one.
Perhaps their sizes were too small, or perhaps they were hiding in the shadows.
"Press the fourth floor, now,"
Liu Zheng ordered sharply.
A sense of imminent danger, brought by intuition, made his hair stand on end.
The attendant bit her lip and remained silent.
"Then we’ll die together."
Liu Zheng, as he was about to press the nozzle, declared.
The attendant let out a scream and pressed the button for the fourth floor.
The elevator doors quickly closed, leaving that spine-chilling sensation behind them.
"See, isn’t it better for us all to be friends? Why hurt each other? Right?"
Liu Zheng patted her shoulder and handed her a cup of Unlucky Coffee.
The attendant forced a laugh and took a sip of the coffee.
The cup she held was a full-sugar latte; its sweet and slightly bitter taste filled her palate, making her expression much more pleasant.
"That’s right, it’s better to smile. Whether you frown or smile, the day will pass. The more they hate to see us happy, the more we should show them our smiles. Right?"
Liu Zheng said with a smile.
"Right. But what’s that in your hand?"
The attendant asked with a nuanced expression.
"Oh, the doctor said I have bad teeth, I need to grind them more. My apologies for the oddity."
He put away Tendaros’ rodent chew toy.
Soon, the fourth floor arrived.
As Liu Zheng was about to leave, the attendant stopped him.
"Be careful of Wang Manni, she’s a mean one."