Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 190 The door is now open for you
Lin Qing paced back and forth in the store, glancing at the clock on the wall every now and then.

She does have a built-in timer, but doing so helps alleviate her anxiety somewhat.

It was completely dark outside, and the internet was full of news about the lockdown of the Fifth Ring Industrial Park, along with the leaked videos from the scene. She reviewed all the clips repeatedly, but couldn't find Chen Xuan or Liu Shuyue in any of them.

It's past 8:30 now, and the store manager still hasn't returned.

Something unexpected must have happened.

Otherwise, the other party wouldn't have refrained from even making a phone call.

Moreover, she knew that Chen Xuan had the means to return to the store instantly and bring the customers back with him, so there would never be a situation where he had to stay on the scene to take care of Liu Shuyue.

The worst-case scenario would be that Chen Xuan is captured by the authorities.

This means that her foundation in this world has been severely damaged, and all her plans for the future will be cut short.

The only reason she wasn't told to immediately rush to the authorities was because she hadn't yet overheard any news from Jiang Siqi about Chen Xuan's capture or death.

Even within the organization, Chen Xuan is still referred to by the code names "Flesh and Blood Man" or "Flesh and Blood Butcher".

If Chen Xuan had truly fallen into their hands, even if he were just a corpse, they should have confirmed his identity long ago.

The remaining answer is that Chen Xuan and Liu Shuyue entered another world.

The authorities have described this incident as an invasion war. Since it's a global invasion, there must be a point of entry, which explains why his phone calls always went unanswered. He can't come back not because he doesn't want to, but because some mishap has prevented him from returning to Jiangcheng immediately.

Lin Qing gradually became certain that this idea was most likely true.

"No... I can't wait any longer!"

After spinning around hundreds of times, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and walked towards the front door.

Xiao Lü told her that this decision wasn't the optimal solution because she lacked a combat prosthetic and could easily find herself trapped in a difficult situation. The best approach was to stay in the shop and wait; even if Chen Xuan died, she could remain hidden as the only remaining spark against the organization.

“Well analyzed. But I made a promise that if we really encounter a major risk, I will do my best to protect him,” Lin Qing said in a low voice.

Having spent so much time in the store, she had basically figured out its basic operating rules. Once the roller shutter door was closed, the store would completely "disappear," and no one except the store manager could enter from the outside. In other words, if you pressed the switch, even she would be kept out.

She cannot return here until she finds Chen Xuan.

To be honest... Lin Qing was indeed a bit conflicted. The Ability Shop was her only foothold in this world, and she had already regarded it as her new home. Now, to give it up voluntarily was undoubtedly a difficult choice for her.

However, she still placed her hand on the switch.

...because her partner is more important than the shop.

The moment Lin Qing pressed the switch, the scenery outside the door suddenly changed!
The flowerbeds in the distance have become walls, and the cement road in front of the door has become a long, carpeted corridor; the night sky visible above is covered by an exquisite solid wood ceiling, and crystal chandeliers have replaced the old iron streetlights. However, these magnificent chandeliers are not lit; the only light source in the corridor comes from the moonlight streaming in from the windows.

Oh no, oh no!
Lin Qing was suddenly startled. Why now of all times?!

She certainly knew what the drastic change in the environment outside the shop meant—it was a sign that customers were coming in!

Sure enough, the next second, a girl walked out from around the corner of the corridor and was taken aback when she saw the light.

The store manager is gone, so why is it still trying to attract customers?

Lin Qing had planned to close the shop and head straight to the Wuhuan Machinery Factory, using her optical cloaking skin to infiltrate the park and find Chen Xuan through the intrusion point. Now, the shop is connected to another world, and she can't even go to Jiangcheng anymore.

"Hello?" The girl arrived at the shop entrance, somewhat bewildered. "Is this a convenience store?"

"Sorry... we're closed... welcome!" Lin Qing suddenly changed her words halfway through her sentence.

She found the person in front of her strangely familiar. After using her little green device to scan him, she discovered that his facial features closely matched those of a woman named Elori, who was among the publicly recruited candidates by the Weixian Agency. Elori happened to be Jiang Siqi's teammate, and both of them had participated in the operation to capture the wanderers at the Wuhuan Factory!

Lin Qing didn't understand why she had become a guest, but this was clearly a good opportunity to gather information!
The other person was speaking French, but this posed no challenge for Lin Qing.

Her language skills are proficient in almost all the world's major languages.

Elori walked into the store and looked around with great curiosity. "What a retro little shop... I thought the palace was all fully automated, but I didn't expect there to be a place where people sell things manually."

palace?

Is this person from a noble family?

Lin Qing quietly stood at the doorway, blocking her retreat while simultaneously planning her attack. First, she had a gun hidden in her thigh magazine; second, the folding knife in her hand could also be extended, though it couldn't use its ionized blade function. If getting information out of her didn't work, and the other woman tried to leave, she'd have to resort to force to compel her to reveal the entire incident at the Fifth Ring Factory.

However, before she could speak, Elori suddenly stopped halfway through her walk.

The other person stared at the television on the wall, a look of disbelief on their face. The content on the television was Jiangcheng TV's report on the disaster at the Wuhuan Machinery Factory.

"Why... can I see Jiangcheng news here too?" Elori murmured.

"Is there anything strange?" Lin Qing asked, puzzled.

“But this is the Second New Paris…” She suddenly turned to look at Lin Qing, “Do you know the exact location of the erosion zone between this world and the Jiangcheng world?”

Lin Qing felt her brain working at lightning speed.

No... Little Green is running at full power!

A second New Paris? A place name I've never heard of, but "this world" is clearly the key word. Could it be that agents from the Dimensional Organization also crossed the intrusion point and entered another world?

This speculation is incorrect; just minutes ago, Jiang Siqi's location information was still being transmitted normally.

Wait a minute... they seemed to have mentioned before that one of their team members was currently missing.

The entire park is only so big; a living operator can't just disappear into thin air. Similarly, even if there's an intrusion point, the execution team wouldn't leave the group without permission and go to another world.

Unless... some unforeseen event occurred that forced her to travel through time.

Lin Qing felt that these puzzle pieces were gradually forming a picture—"Erosion Explosion". It was possible that the wanderers crossed the boundary quickly and multiple times, or it could be due to other reasons, that caused the erosion area to expand instantly, swallowing up the people around it.

Could this girl named Elori have suffered the same misfortune as Chen Xuan?

“I don’t know what the Second New Paris is.” With the help of the AI ​​brain-computer interface, Lin Qing made a judgment in just ten seconds. “So I can’t answer your question.”

"Huh?" Elori's eyes widened. "You...you're not from New Town?"

“No, this shop and I are from another world… Yes, the Jiangcheng you mentioned.” Lin Qing pressed the switch to close the roller shutter door, so that no one could disturb their conversation.

Seeing the curtain close, Elori couldn't help but panic. It was clear she wanted to leave, but her steps were hesitant. Obviously, the information Lin Qing had revealed had greatly shocked her. "W-what do you mean? You mean you're from Jiangcheng?"

"good."

"Impossible! There's no entry point here!" she couldn't help but question.

“Because this isn’t an ordinary shop, it doesn’t need to rely on intrusion points to connect to other worlds.” Lin Qing recalled Chen Xuan’s face when he was receiving customers… no, the scene, and began to immerse herself in it. “It’s here for a reason, and the reason lies with you.”

“Me?” Elori instinctively took a step back.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you." She smiled slightly, walked past the other person, and returned to the bar. "How about a coffee first?"

(End of this chapter)