“Chen Jiabin, are you okay?”
Everyone was baffled by Chen Jiabin suddenly kneeling down.
Li Ran slightly furrowed his brows and looked toward the security guard uncle.
Several lines of prompt messages immediately appeared.
[Security: Uncle Ge]
[B-rank spiritual infection entity]
[Eerie Power: 160]
[Warning: Not long ago, he was scolded by his supervisor for losing the warehouse key, now he’s in a rage— even dogs passing by get smacked twice.]
[Tip: Uncle Ge suspects a resident stole his key. Approaching him or handing over the key right now may get you mistaken as the thief.]
[Tip: Start from his hobbies, proceed step-by-step. Wait until his anger subsides, then take out the key.]
“???”
These prompts made Li Ran inexplicably feel a chill.
Just now, he’d wanted to go straight over and hand in the key to complete the task.
Now it seemed that directly handing over the key was not only unworkable—it could even get him mistaken for a thief.
Thankfully, the prompts had warned him.
Li Ran looked at the kneeling Chen Jiabin, who now wore a face full of despair.
“Chen Jiabin, are you okay? What’s going on?” Qiu Zhongji asked nervously.
Chen Jiabin’s face was ashen, and he said in terror, “He… he said I’m a thief.”
“What the hell?”
Except for Li Ran, everyone else was confused.
Chen Jiabin, in agony and despair, shook his head frantically, “He said… said I stole something, wants to chop off my hand… what do I do, save me…”
Uncle Ge looked Chen Jiabin up and down with visible displeasure and slowly said, “Cut off your hand—let’s see if you still dare to steal again!”
The group’s expressions immediately turned ugly, but aside from feeling sympathetic, there was nothing they could do.
At this moment, they realized that simply speaking up could get them mistaken for a thief, and lose a hand.
Chen Jiabin tried to run, but just as he turned around, Uncle Ge’s right hand opened like a flower, and a blood-shadow thorn blade shot out like a flash.
“AH!!”
Chen Jiabin collapsed to the ground, clutching his left shoulder and letting out a piercing scream of pain.
And in Uncle Ge’s hand, there was now a fresh, bloody arm.
Uncle Ge casually tossed the severed arm aside and returned angrily to the security room.
The others hurried to help Chen Jiabin up.
Chen Jiabin was pale, and blood gushed from the place where his arm had been severed.
Xiao Yi said to the group, “If the bleeding doesn’t stop, he’ll die. The supermarket at the entrance has bandages and hemostatics—someone go. I’m low on points.”
Song Linjia hesitated, frowning in silence. It was obvious she didn’t want to waste points on Chen Jiabin.
“I’ll go,” Li Ran said.
“Mm.”
The Happiness Supermarket was just to the right of the community’s main gate.
You could see it right after exiting.
Inside the supermarket, there were no clerks or cashiers.
Everything was neatly arranged on display shelves.
After walking quickly around once, it could be said that except for weapons and equipment, all daily necessities could be bought here.
All it took was spending points.
Daily necessities were relatively cheap, all within Li Ran’s acceptable range.
He spent 10 points to buy medicine and bandages to treat the wound.
Li Ran also spent 10 points to buy groceries for dinner at home.
Then he spent another 20 points to buy a pack of cigarettes and a box of tea.
In addition, he noticed that deep inside the supermarket’s display cases, there was special meat for sale.
A single heart could be bought for just 10 points.
—
“Fortunately, no life-threatening danger.”
Qiu Zhongji seemed to have learned first aid and was clearly more experienced than the others in handling injuries.
At the same time, he picked up the severed hand and handed it back to Chen Jiabin: “If within six hours you can find a doctor to reattach it, the hand might still be saved.”
Chen Jiabin’s face was bloodless, “Okay.”
Xiao Yi glanced at the security room, “Anyone else want to give it a try?”
Qiu Zhongji and Song Linjia both shook their heads resolutely.
“I’ll go.”
To their disbelief, Li Ran walked toward the security room.
Song Linjia tried to advise him, “Li Ran, don’t be rash.”
“I suggest we check elsewhere first.”
Li Ran ignored her and walked straight into the security room.
“He’s nuts, right?”
Xiao Yi pushed up his glasses, his expression darkening, “If he wants to go die, that’s his own fault. I’m not wasting time here.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to waste time either,” said Qiu Zhongji.
Song Linjia looked at the security room, concerned, “I’ll wait a bit longer, just in case…”
“Then you wait all you want.”
Xiao Yi got up and walked out of the community, with Qiu Zhongji following.
Chen Jiabin sighed and followed as well.
Song Linjia didn’t leave. She just stood quietly at the door of the security room, watching Li Ran inside.
Once inside, Li Ran pulled out a box of white tea and a pack of cigarettes and handed them to the fuming Uncle Ge.
“Heh, this guy knows the ropes,” Song Linjia thought.
Uncle Ge, in his anger, was momentarily stunned, surprised by the sudden gift.
Uncle Ge, “What’s this…”
Li Ran, “I live in Building No. 1. Just moved in recently. I figured we’re all neighbors—there’ll be plenty of times I’ll need your help. So I brought some tea and smokes from home. I don’t know if you’ll like them.”
Uncle Ge said, “You’re too polite…”
As he said that, he tried to push the items back.
Li Ran pushed them back again, “Uncle, don’t be so formal. It’s a custom from my hometown—if you don’t accept it, my elders will blame me.”
Seeing it was top-grade white tea and Huazi cigarettes, Uncle Ge’s eyes lit up, “Well… alright, then I’ll take them.”
Once he took the gifts, Uncle Ge’s expression softened a lot, and he quickly warmed up.
He boiled water and made tea. The two began chatting over their drinks.
Even Song Linjia outside was stunned.
“Sigh, when it comes to navigating human relationships, you really have to count on Li Ran. Living and learning, huh.”
Li Ran chatted pleasantly with Uncle Ge.
Not long after, Uncle Ge unconsciously let slip his troubles.
“Uncle Ge, what did you lose?” Li Ran put down his teacup with a caring look.
“Sigh, the keys to the machine room and warehouse—a whole ring of them. They were on me yesterday, but after I got home, they were gone. Those keys manage the whole community’s electrical and storage rooms. If some bad person got them, I wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility…”
Uncle Ge slapped his thigh, sighing and groaning.
At this point, Li Ran pulled out a set of keys.
“Uncle Ge, is it this one?”
Uncle Ge immediately stood up, grabbed the keys to confirm, “Yes, yes! Xiao Li, where did you find them?”
Li Ran, “In the sand under the pull-up bars in the fitness area. I didn’t know whose they were. Just happened to be visiting you, so I brought them along to ask. Turns out it was just the right time, huh?”
Uncle Ge grabbed Li Ran’s hands, deeply moved, “Xiao Li, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I really don’t know what I would’ve done.”
He was genuinely touched—so much that he almost cried.
“As long as they’re found, that’s what matters.”
“Look at you, Xiao Li—gifting me tea and smokes, then returning the keys. I don’t even know how to thank you.”
“Uncle Ge, no need to be so polite between us.”
“No, no, I must thank you.”
Saying that, Uncle Ge pulled a cloth pouch from behind and dumped all its contents onto the table.
“I don’t have anything great here—take a couple of items, or I’ll feel uneasy.”
Seeing what Uncle Ge dumped out, even Song Linjia felt like Li Ran had just taught her a lesson.
“This…”
“Looks like… equipment.”
(End of Chapter)