Chapter 815: Chapter 779: A Warm Welcome to Mr. Beng at Game City
At this moment, Dai Huanhuan, leading the way, stopped: "We’ve arrived."
Arrived?
Gu Mian gathered his thoughts and looked up.
He saw himself standing in front of a storefront, above which hung a large sign with the words "Catch Turtles in the Sky Photo Studio."
However, the studio door was tightly closed. Through the glass door, it was clear the door was locked from the inside.
Inside, there was only a counter, a sofa, and a small door with the words "Workroom" written on it.
Gu Mian was silent for a few seconds.
Slaughter had instructed him to find the photo studio owner for help here, presumably notifying him beforehand, yet the owner had locked the door from the inside.
Could it be that Slaughter had informed him of the visit, and he specially locked the door?
also noticed the lock hanging inside the glass door. She turned and glanced at Gu Mian’s expression, then shifted her gaze to the guitar bag on Gu Mian’s back: "The door is locked from the inside; there should be someone inside."
Gu Mian understood her implication.
If worse comes to worst, he could use a saw to open the lock.
Just as he was contemplating whether to knock politely or forcibly unlock the door, a tall figure suddenly appeared inside the shop, hurriedly moving a display screen out from the workroom, not immediately noticing the waiting patrons outside the main door.
Seeing the person inside not paying attention to them, Gu Mian decided to give a friendly reminder: "Hello there."
Unexpectedly, Gu Mian’s greeting was quite impactful, like a ghost’s call, causing the person inside to shudder and almost drop the display screen.
He uttered a couple of "Ouch," hurriedly placing the screen onto the shop counter, then promptly turned to look at Gu Mian and his companions gathered outside.
The tall man’s gaze first stopped on Chu Changge, his eyes swept around Chu Changge, then revealed a "Just as I thought" sense of hopelessness, seemingly recognizing Chu Changge’s identity.
Next, his gaze rested on 007, also taking a look around, then his expression grew even more despondent.
Both Chu Changge and 007’s portraits were in the "Guide to Avoiding Dangerous Personalities (8th Edition)," so it was not surprising they were recognized.
At this moment, Gu Mian was still wearing the Holy Disguise Item, the "Eight Characters" moustache, and the owner couldn’t pick out which of the remaining people was him.
"Is it you, Gu Mian?" He looked at the foremost Dai Huanhuan, thinking that the person at the front seemed shifty and suspicious.
Dai Huanhuan silently retreated to the back.
"Not?" Then he turned to Mingliang at the back, "Is it you, Gu Mian?"
Mingliang was observing the bustling second floor and various strange beings. Upon being pointed out, he bewildered looked up at the person in the shop.
"Not this one either..." Finally, the owner looked at Hei at 007’s feet, "Then it must be you, Gu Mian."
Hei tilted its camera slightly, spat out, "Are you happy?"
Gu Mian could no longer stand it, stepped forward to the door, tore off the "Eight Characters" moustache Holy Disguise Item on his face, "I’m here."
The tall man finally noticed there was indeed someone else here, startled, stepping back.
But he didn’t stay frightened for long.
Upon confirming the person before him was indeed Gu Mian, the tall man immediately unlocked the door, pushed it open, and pulled Gu Mian inside.
Gu Mian had never been treated with such enthusiasm by an NPC before; as he was suddenly pulled inside, he was completely taken aback.
Seeing Gu Mian being pulled in, 007 stepped forward as well, intending to follow, but before reaching the door, it slammed shut with a "bang": "You wait outside."
Then he reattached the lock, drew the curtain inside, physically separating the interior from the exterior, as if implying something unspeakable was happening with Gu Mian inside.
paused, foot hovering mid-air, somewhat puzzled, turned back towards Chu Changge: "What’s he doing...?"
Honestly, it was her first time seeing such enthusiasm from an NPC towards Gu Mian, directly excluding them outside, eagerly desiring to be alone with Gu Mian.
"Probably has something he doesn’t want us to hear," Chu Changge didn’t react much, "Anyway, it’s someone else who’s at risk being alone with Gu Mian, no need to worry."
nodded, agreeing that Chu Changge made sense.
Besides, the saw went inside with Gu Mian, if something goes wrong, Gu Mian also has help.
At this moment, just across the door in the photo studio, uninformed about the unfolding events, Gu Mian was pushed onto a sofa.
He looked up at the photo studio owner before him.
The owner had a tall build, was rather older, groomed his hair meticulously, albeit with strands of white.
He wore suit pants and a white shirt, layered over with a coffee-plaid vest, dressed impressively, appearing mature and steady, yet his facial expression told a different story.
His face already had a few wrinkles, now deeply etched due to his furrowed brow.
Gu Mian also noticed bean-sized sweat droplets sliding from his forehead, streaming down along the deep creases, trickling to the similarly pinched crow’s feet.
Only then did Gu Mian pay attention to the owner’s persistent gaze fixed on him.
"You must have realized the issue, right?" The man suddenly and without context addressed Gu Mian.
Sitting on the sofa, Gu Mian scooted back a bit, to avoid having the other’s sweat drip on him: "I did sense something off."
Despite the question being vague, Gu Mian quickly caught on to what the owner was referring to.
The man was asking about the wish-making matter, given his acquaintance with Slaughter, he likely knew about the Evil God statue being a wishing machine.
Theoretically, upon reaching NPC Street, Gu Mian should have been out of the wishing range of the Evil God statue, yet the motorcycle still turned into a four-wheeler upon his strong request.
"I suspect the Evil God statue possibly came along with me."
Currently, his biggest suspect was this new leaf brooch given by Slaughter, as it was the only item he brought from Slaughter.
Upon hearing, the man pursed his lips, didn’t utter a word, instead stepped back to the photo studio counter.
On the counter was the display screen he’d previously placed.
He reached aside the screen, touched it, then turned it on, seemingly intending to show Gu Mian something.
Gu Mian curiously eyed the screen, clueless about what he was to see. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
What couldn’t be verbally conveyed, required a screen, and barred others outside from viewing?
It ought to be crucial documents, perhaps "Paradise World’s Five-Star Secret Document" or "Slaughter’s Secret Photo Album," and such.
In an instant, countless earth-shattering secrets flashed in Gu Mian’s mind.
So when the screen started playing cartoons, he was utterly speechless.
"So you locked them outside, grandly moved a screen here, all for the sake of playing cartoons for me?"