Unable to leave the town, Tang Sui had no choice but to return inside and wander around to gather more information.
After a full circuit, Tang Sui had a general idea.
First, the town's technological background was extremely backward. Everyone was still using old-fashioned public phone booths, and most mobile phones were semi-smart. However, besides making calls and sending texts, no one seemed to use their phones for the internet. People mostly carried radios with them while they walked.
A boy, around eleven or twelve years old, with a canvas bag full of newspapers slung over his shoulder, shouted out the day's headlines as he walked. Occasionally, an elder or a woman carrying a basket would pass by, delivering bottled milk.
The cars people drove were also old-fashioned. The car doors needed to be unlocked with a physical key, and the transmissions were basic manual gears. The most advanced ones were equipped with recording facilities; dashcams were out of the question.
Tang Sui had observed the paper money they used. It wasn't the familiar portraits she knew. The people on the bills were blurred, as if they were intentionally made to be indistinct, lest their features be clearly recognized.
Yet, no one seemed to find anything amiss, maintaining the town's ordinary yet busy life.
The masked figures chattered amongst themselves in the mental space, discussing the information they had gathered. Unbeknownst to her, Tang Sui walked past a parking lot marked with white lines and stood before a convenience store of about seven hundred square meters.
This convenience store was the largest Tang Sui had seen in the town. Three sides were made of glass panels, allowing a clear view of the long queue of people inside, stocking up on daily necessities.
"Kid, where are your mom and dad? Why are you standing here all by yourself?"
A white-haired old woman looked at Tang Sui with concern, her gaze scanning her surroundings, trying to find her irresponsible parents who had abandoned their child.
The old woman wore a pair of silver-rimmed round glasses. She had a gentle demeanor, exuding a sense of care and refined elegance that belonged exclusively to educators.
Tang Sui blinked. Her doll-like, delicate, and fair face added a touch of innocence and obedience. She replied in a soft voice, "Hello, ma'am. I'm visiting the town with a youth travel agency. I'm not with my parents. It's free time for the travel agency these past few days, so I wanted to see the town's beautiful scenery. I ended up wandering here."
Upon hearing this, the old woman's expression showed disapproval, but it was directed at the travel agency Tang Sui mentioned, for their irresponsibility. Her gaze towards Tang Sui became even more compassionate. "Poor child. You know, those people from the travel agencies are all irresponsible. They love to trick young people like you into joining their tours, promising they'll ensure your safety. Just like now, the town just experienced a storm yesterday, and everyone is stocking up on supplies to repair the damage from that storm."
"A storm? A tornado?" Tang Sui caught the keyword and asked curiously.
The old woman nodded. "Yes. The windows in my house were also broken by rocks kicked up by the storm. I'm here today to buy some adhesive, along with some food and water, just in case."
After speaking, she suddenly remembered that Tang Sui had been left outside by the tour group. She warned, "Kid, you'd better hurry and buy some food and drink, and then stay in your hotel and don't go out. The TV this morning said that this storm might last for a few days. Stock up on supplies and stay in the hotel; it's safer."
Tang Sui nodded. "Thank you for your reminder. I'll go buy some things too."
Having no money on her, Tang Sui remained unfazed. She chatted casually with the old woman as they both entered the convenience store.
The old woman's name was Irene, a retired elementary school teacher from this town. This convenience store was a public establishment run by local officials and staffed by retired soldiers as security. In a town where most people were ordinary and without connections, this store had considerable influence, ensuring that no one dared to act as a thug and rob it.
Watching Mrs. Irene head to the grocery aisle to shop, Tang Sui pushed her shopping cart to the snack section. After carefully examining the various food items on display, she moved towards the candy aisle.
The Monkey Mask looked at Tang Sui, who was meticulously selecting candies to put into her cart, and cackled, "You're so old, and you're still eating candy? You can't even take these things with you."
Tang Sui's expression remained unchanged. "How do you know you can't take them if you don't try?" She hadn't encountered familiar modern candies for twenty years, so she intended to take as much as she could.
The Fortune God chimed in, "Emm, if Little Master likes them, of course, she can. But Little Master, you don't seem to have this town's currency, do you? When it's time to pay, should Monkey Mask use his mental control on someone?"
Monkey Mask: "?" Why is it my job to do the work based on your suggestion?
Fortune God whined, "Because I'm just a mascot who enhances luck. Unlike you, Monkey Mask, you can scare people when you go out. You're so powerful."
Monkey Mask: "......" Although what this guy said made sense, something felt off.
Tang Sui: "Don't overthink it. Didn't Mrs. Irene just say the storm might continue? I can take my time choosing, killing time. Plus, with this long queue, it'll take half the day. And what if the storm comes while I'm choosing?"
Da Fei scoffed, "Yeah, if the storm comes, you can just drop your basket and run for your life."
The moment he spoke, the crowd in the store suddenly stirred. The murmuring voices ceased, and an eerie silence fell.
Tang Sui paused slightly and looked outside through the transparent glass panels. Fire trucks with flashing orange-red lights were speeding down the main road, followed by police cars with flashing blue warning lights, sounding their sirens, as if something major had happened.
"Dad, is it on fire outside? Is Mom okay?"
Diagonally in front of her, a little boy with short brown hair looked up and asked his father, who was wearing a plaid shirt.
"I'm sure she's fine. Don't worry." The man's gaze remained fixed on the vehicles passing by on the road outside. He absently reassured his son, trying not to expose his own panic and unease to his son, which might frighten him.
The lively atmosphere inside the store suddenly cooled down as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown on it.
Everyone continued with their tasks, but a shadow of unease fell upon their hearts. Smiles vanished, and their brows furrowed with worry.
"I smell fear."
A gentle voice slowly echoed. The benevolent face of the Old Face was shrouded in darkness, and a faint glow slowly lit up in its empty eye sockets.
Tang Sui felt the shift in the store's atmosphere, her eyes deepening slightly.
Monkey Mask, who was usually annoyed by the Fortune God's antics, also quieted down. His large, round pupils lit up with red light, and he stared fixedly into the void, his gaze seeming to pierce through the darkness to the outside world. He said in a deep voice:
"More than just fear."
"Something is blocking my mental energy and is approaching this store." Tang Sui picked up from Monkey Mask's words. The softness in her voice faded, replaced by a hint of chill.
"This place is already surrounded."