Chapter 63: No Buyers

"I knew it. There's no way the accommodation would be anything decent."
Li Juan, with her neat short hair, sighed softly.
She walked up to the wooden door of the staff dormitory and examined it carefully. At last, she found her name written on the door at the far left.
"Li Feifei, come here. You're sharing a dorm with me."
Li Juan beckoned to the girl with the ponytail, then led her into her own room.
"We'll have to make do. I really thought the place would be much nicer after becoming assistant manager..."
Huang Zhongwang curled his lip and entered the room in the middle, the one he had all to himself.
Ji Linmo continued searching for his name among the three dormitory doors.
Suddenly, a hand tapped his shoulder.
Ji Linmo assumed it was Qin Feng, but when he turned, he found it was the boy who wore glasses earlier.
"Um... I think I'm in the same dorm as you,"
The boy pointed nervously at the third dormitory, stealing glances at Ji Linmo, his voice barely able to contain his excitement.
"Hmm..."
Ji Linmo raised his eyes to check the list of names taped to the door, and his heart skipped a beat.
As expected, a clear voice sounded behind him.
"Ah, how lucky! I'm sharing a dorm with you again, Mr. Ji."
"Thank goodness we're together. If I had to share with strangers, I'd be scared."
Qin Feng cheerfully pushed open the door, gesturing invitingly and bowing to let Ji Linmo enter first.
Ji Linmo rubbed his brow, resigned, and stepped into the dormitory. The instant he crossed the threshold, he frowned.
The small room was littered with cigarette butts and trash.
"So, you kids are the new arrivals? Listen up, my name's Liu Bighead. From now on, you'd better behave and call me Bighead Bro."
Lying on the bottom bunk, his head abnormally large and out of proportion, Liu Bighead lounged with his legs crossed, sizing up the newcomers with casual arrogance.
"Starting today, I'm in charge of teaching you the ropes at the supermarket. You all need to pay attention. It'll be better for all of us that way."
As he finished speaking, Liu Bighead gestured, and an employee on the opposite bunk hurried over, handing him a cigarette and lighting it for him.
[Supermarket Employee – Liu Bighead]
[Rank: Low-level Evil Spirit]
[Task Description: Veteran employee at Monster Eye Supermarket, often acts as team leader and trainer for new staff.]

"Our shift is the night shift. We start work at eight in the evening. Now, tidy up your things. You'll all sleep over there."
Liu Bighead pointed to the rusty bunk beds near the restroom.
"The smell... from the bathroom... is really strong..."
Ma Dahai, who'd barely spoken, walked silently toward the rusty bed, then suddenly pinched his nose and muttered in a twisted voice.
"It's really bad... The toilet looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years."
Lin Hao, with his slicked-back hair, took a few steps toward the beds but was gagged by the stench from the bathroom, unable to keep from retching.
He couldn't help but peer into the toilet, and his expression contorted to the extreme.
Filthy! Absolutely disgusting!
Full of unspeakable filth!
"Um, Bighead Bro, I noticed there's space on the bunks near the door. Would it be alright if I sleep there?"
Lin Hao wiped his mouth and approached Liu Bighead with an awkward smile.
Smack!
A sharp slap echoed through the room.
Lin Hao's face was knocked to the side, and his carefully styled hair was disheveled, strands sticking out wildly.
"Who do you think you are? You think you can share a bunk with me, Liu Bighead?"
Liu Bighead spat on Lin Hao's face, then raised his hand again menacingly.
"Anyone else have a problem? I've worked here for five years—I'm the veteran. Let's see who's brave enough to challenge me."
Ji Linmo stood expressionless before Liu Bighead.
"New guy, you got a problem?"
But before Ji Linmo could answer, Lin Hao pulled him aside and eagerly picked up a toilet brush from the corner.
"No problem at all. We're new here and don't know the rules."
"If it's dirty, we'll clean it up."
With that, Lin Hao signaled Ji Linmo not to make trouble, and hurried to clean the bathroom, afraid this would spark conflict.
Ji Linmo glanced at Lin Hao, thinking that appearances could be deceiving. His first impression of Lin Hao hadn't been favorable, but it turned out he was a good-natured person.
No one else spoke. After helping tidy up the dorm, everyone quietly returned to their beds.
The seconds ticked by.
Liu Bighead's electronic watch suddenly began to ring.
It was now seven in the evening.
"Time to go, newbies... We're heading to work."
"Our night shift runs from seven at night to seven in the morning. Compared to the day shift, we'll see more customers, but it'll be more dangerous. Don't provoke them—be careful."
With that, Liu Bighead gestured for everyone to follow as they went to change shifts.
Ji Linmo walked behind the big-headed man, passing through a corridor reeking of rot and mold, and stepped back into the supermarket.
The store was utterly changed from the morning; under the white fluorescent lights, it seemed eerily pale and sinister.
Outside, the night was thick, and shadowy figures could be glimpsed passing by the windows.
"Finally, we're here..."
Ji Linmo walked to the household goods section. The ghost employee from the day shift looked utterly exhausted.
Without a word of instruction, the ghost worker hurriedly left the area.
"Nothing's missing at all. There's no need to restock anything."
Qin Feng ran his finger over the neatly arranged products, tilting his head at Ji Linmo.
"Not a single item is gone. Looks like business in the household section is really bad."
Ji Linmo frowned.
He and Qin Feng were assigned to the household goods area, selling shampoo, toothpaste, towels, and the like.
Though he had no idea what manner of clients frequented the store, Ji Linmo was certain they were not human.
These inhuman customers—except under special circumstances—who would come to a convenience store to buy household goods?
And the situation unfolded just as he'd anticipated.
In the store, the fresh food section was busiest, never lacking customers.
One after another, bizarre-looking patrons walked out from the fresh food area, cradling crimson flesh as they departed.
The other sections, too, had their share of customers.
Even the snack aisle saw a few ghost children drop by.
In the midst of this thriving activity, the household goods section stood isolated at the very end, utterly empty of visitors.