Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Lin Yinxi could not remember this many rules. Memorizing things was her worst nightmare. She needed to take a picture with her phone.
Ba Hu’s question was rather stupid. Xu Haitang gave him a sharp look and rebuked him. “If you don’t understand, don’t spout nonsense. Giving random instructions will get people killed! The clue in the room told us that documents with an official seal are guaranteed to be correct. The words on this sign are correct.”
Ba Hu said nothing, but turned his head away, plainly unconvinced.
He thought none of them were anyone else’s superior or subordinate. Why should they all listen to Xu Haitang?
“It could also be… a matter of identity.” Looking down at her phone, Lin Yinxi said, “This rule has a condition. For visitors, it’s true that there are only Zone A and Zone B. Once we’re inside, we may get a chance to stop being visitors. Then Zone C could appear.”
“Exactly. That’s what I was thinking too.” Xu Haitang nodded. “The biggest problem now is the last rule. We have to buy tickets to enter. Do any of you newcomers have Rabbit Coins?”
Lin Yinxi did.
She had two hundred Rabbit Coins. That should still be enough.
She had earned 230 working part-time in the women’s dormitory and 100 on the sports field. Some had gone on internet charges and the like. Filling out the form had used data outside her app-specific plan. After paying for a ticket, she would have three Rabbit Coins left.
She could go in first and worry about the rest later.
Chu Yanran looked at Chen Fei and shook her head. “Neither of us has any.”
Ba Hu felt his pockets, turned them inside out, and said flatly, “I don’t either. Can we put it on credit?”
Of course, the answer was no.
Yang Shu looked rather mysterious.
Lin Yinxi seemed more approachable, much like Chu Yanran.
So everyone looked at her.
Lin Yinxi blinked. “I haven’t got much experience, but I’m not a beginner.”
That caught Xu Haitang’s attention. “You have Rabbit Coins?”
“Mm.” She nodded. “Just enough for a ticket.”
“Good. Come with me.”
Ba Hu objected at once. “What about us? Splitting up is dangerous! Couldn’t you lend us some?”
Xu Haitang spread her hands. “Rabbit Coins are the common currency in contaminated zones. I only have enough for myself and, at most, one child under 1.2 meters. If any of you were children, I could help. You’re all adults. There’s nothing I can do.”
Everyone looked at Lin Yinxi. She shook her head furiously. “I’m not exactly rich either.”
She pointed at the sign. “But look at rule five. It says the outside of Zone B is under maintenance today, ending at midnight. Maybe you can slip in without tickets through the construction area before then.”
Chu Yanran nervously pinched her cuff and could not help speaking. “But it says… visitors should stay away to avoid injury at the construction site.”
Lin Yinxi had little energy. Sometimes her expression automatically switched to power-saving mode. To other people, she looked spaced out. In fact, she was thinking.
“Right. Of course there’s a risk. You’ll have to avoid it yourselves.”
Chen Fei scratched the back of his head. “Is there any other way?”
Lin Yinxi picked up on his question. “Then become 1.2 meters tall.”
“I’m a whole 1.85 meters.” Chen Fei was a student athlete, tall, with well-proportioned muscles and deliberately tanned skin. “I passed 1.2 meters in first grade. Unless I cut off my legs, I can’t buy a children’s ticket.”
“True.” Lin Yinxi nodded in full agreement, then smiled. “I think that’s exactly why they put that rule there. Cut off your legs here, then prop yourselves up on your hands and go in. Pretty nasty.”
A cold draft whistled across Chen Fei’s back.
He hurriedly hugged his girlfriend tighter. “Don’t go attacking your teammates.”
Lin Yinxi went to the ticket booth and knocked on the little wooden hatch. A slippery squid tentacle reached out.
“I’ll pay electronically.”
The tentacle withdrew, then brought out a contactless payment device a moment later.
After receiving her ticket, Lin Yinxi stood aside.
Xu Haitang and Yang Shu were not beginners either. They both bought their own tickets.
Although Xu Haitang spoke fiercely, she was genuinely kind. Rather than going straight in with her ticket, she told the three newcomers, “I’ll take you around to the outside of Zone B in a moment and try to distract the entities. But I can’t guarantee you’ll get in alive. You’ll have to find your own chance to slip in without tickets. Understood?”
Moved, Chu Yanran nodded.
Chen Fei added, “You’re so kind, Haitang. I’m going to cry.”
“Enough flattery.” Xu Haitang glared at the rather theatrical Chen Fei, then looked at Lin Yinxi. “You two go in first. We’ll meet near the information desk in Zone A later. If you see an entity at the desk, keep out of sight and hide.”
“All right.” Lin Yinxi nodded.
She and Yang Shu entered through the main entrance first.
There were more visitors in the aquarium than she had expected.
Looking at them, Lin Yinxi asked in puzzlement, “Are these visitors all real people?”
Yang Shu: …
Had he not spoken earlier, Lin Yinxi would have suspected he could not speak.
There was a map in the lobby. Lin Yinxi and Yang Shu headed toward the Zone A information desk.
The aquarium’s lighting was eerie.
As Lin Yinxi walked along the corridor, she saw no main overhead lighting. Every source of light came from the immense tanks on either side.
The deep blue water emitted a dim glow, casting rippling reflections across the smooth floor. She looked up at the ceiling and found the same enormous tanks overhead.
Following the route, she found the information desk and sat on a bench diagonally opposite it to use her phone.
There was somewhere to charge here!
She immediately plugged in her power bank and phone.
The cable had come with the power bank and worked with the phone too.
Lin Yinxi took the initiative and contacted [Rabbit Keeper].
[Organizer: Hello! I’ve finished the cleaning work you gave me last time. I’m at Deep Blue Aquarium now. Are there any part-time jobs I can do here?]
Her phone soon vibrated.
A new group invitation popped up in Green Bubble.
[Rabbit Keeper invites you to join: Deep Blue Aquarium Zone B Logistics Team 2 (Announcements Only).]
Lin Yinxi deftly tapped Accept.
The moment she joined, a string of work notices appeared.
[New notification]
[Rabbit Keeper: Welcome to our new colleague, Organizer 071, joining the aquarium’s Logistics Department.]
[Rabbit Keeper: Your current temporary assignment is Zone A Exterior Glass Cleaner (Temporary Worker).]
[Job responsibilities: Deep Blue Aquarium is committed to providing visitors with a clear view.
Cleaners must monitor the cleanliness of Zone A’s viewing glass at all times.
All stains and handprints must be removed within ten minutes.]
[Performance criteria: Failure to clean stained glass promptly will result in a collective deduction of 50 Rabbit Coins per incident from all team members. If a visitor complains, the cleaning team will be demoted to feed.]