Chapter 60 Elevator Terror

Seeing him enter, the security guard merely glanced up before lowering his head to continue playing on his phone.

That suited him just fine.

In truth, Liu Zheng did not care much for interacting with the people of this world. All that banter and small talk was merely a means of survival.

Yet, he soon found himself forced to interact, for he was blocked by the turnstile.

Though, given the height of the barrier, Liu Zheng could easily clear it with a standing jump. Still, any fool knew that forcing one's way across would certainly invite disaster. A laser grid might materialize out of thin air and slice him into flame-broiled mutton cubes.

Just as he was about to seek out the security guard for assistance, a white-collar worker approached him.

Her face was painted in a Japanese anime style, likely tuned by an AI, for she possessed three ears.

"I can swipe my card for you," the office worker offered proactively.

"Oh? Thanks a lot, then." Liu Zheng stepped aside.

"But you have to give me the takeout bag."

"What do you want the takeout bag for?" he asked, perplexed.

"That's none of your concern. Hand me the takeout bag, and I'll swipe you through," she repeated.

Whether the takeout bag could be given away truly touched upon a blind spot in Liu Zheng's knowledge. After all, the corporate slave manual had never mentioned such a rule. Drawing from his real-world experience as a food courier, the platform had never emphasized this either. The packaging varied from restaurant to restaurant; the better ones used thermal bags, while the poorer ones simply used plastic bags.

When in doubt, consult the corporate slave manual.

Liu Zheng decisively dialed the number, but as expected, no one answered. This time, the corporate slave was dead set on ignoring him, not even bothering to offer a perfunctory call reminder.

"Fine then." He shrugged, preparing to fish for more information from the white-collar worker.

At that moment, the security guard walked over.

"Manager Huang, aren't you going to work? I recall your fresh air break is only supposed to be five minutes." He addressed the office worker.

"I have extra quota," she replied, pressing her lips together.

"You'd better save it. Save it for a critical moment, don't you think?" the security guard said expressionlessly.

His face was rendered in an oil painting style, bearing the hallmarks of Rembrandt's middle-to-late period. His profound gaze, concealed behind gloomy light and shadow, carried an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"Alright." The office worker's expression shifted several times before she ultimately compromised. Casting a reluctant glance at the delivery box, she swiped her card and passed through the turnstile.

"Takeout bags are very precious. Don't hand them away casually," the security guard told Liu Zheng as he watched the woman enter the elevator.

"What are they actually used for?" he asked.

The security guard did not speak; he merely pointed to his own face.

"Ah~" Liu Zheng seemed to understand.

"Where are you delivering to?" the guard asked.

"403."

"To whom?"

"Manager Wang," he replied.

"That fellow is quite troublesome," the guard frowned. "Last time, Xiao Mei didn't mop the floor clean enough and was almost fired because of his complaint."

"Who is Xiao Mei?"

"The cleaner."

"Oh. That's utterly inhuman!" Liu Zheng feigned righteous indignation.

"He was never human to begin with. You'll see once you meet him."

"There are surveillance cameras in the building; I can't help you too much. In short, remember one thing: argue in private, but fight in public."

The security guard swiped open the turnstile for him, then returned to his seat.

"Thanks," Liu Zheng said to the empty air as he walked through the barrier.

Arriving at the elevator bank, he found three elevators in total: one restricted to odd floors, one restricted to even floors, and one that stopped at every floor.

Which one to choose?

Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard the security guard coughing.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Understood.

Liu Zheng caught the hint and selected the elevator restricted to even floors.

The car arrived swiftly, and the doors opened to reveal an attendant dressed in something resembling a stewardess uniform.

"Which floor are you heading to?" the attendant asked, her face painted in an American comic style, once he stepped inside.

"Thanks, I can press the buttons myself," Liu Zheng said cautiously.

"Apologies, only elevator attendants are permitted to operate the car. That's property management regulation." The attendant maintained the standard smile of an American sweetheart.

"Very well, I'm going to 403." He rolled with the punches.

"Certainly." The attendant pressed 1103 instead.

"What is the meaning of this?" Liu Zheng stared at her.

"Property regulations state that visitors must go to the top floor first."

"Then why did you bother asking? Are you playing with me?"

"If that's how you wish to interpret it, there is nothing I can do," the attendant replied, her expression unchanged.

"How about we become friends?" Liu Zheng produced a cup of coffee. It wasn't that he minded the exertion of climbing stairs; he was mostly worried about running into other complications.

"Not interested." The attendant switched to the cynical smile of an American green tea bitch.

"You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit." Liu Zheng's gaze hardened as he pulled out a can of bug spray.

"What are you doing?" The attendant's expression dissolved into panic.

"Helping you exterminate some bugs," he grinned maliciously.

"I am not a bug, your trick won't work on me," the attendant said, forcing a facade of calmness.

"Is that so? Then what are you panicking about?"

"Who, who's panicking?" the attendant argued stubbornly.

Liu Zheng had discovered something interesting: these painted-face individuals seemed incapable of properly controlling their expressions. Furthermore, the more exaggerated their artistic style, the weaker their control. Just like this attendant, her facial features were practically flying off her face.

What was she afraid of?

If she herself wasn't afraid of the bug spray, then she must be afraid of him spraying it inside the elevator. Could this elevator be a bug?

As Liu Zheng tapped against the elevator wall with his tentacles, he observed the attendant's expression. It was a sneer. So apparently, that wasn't the reason. Was she worried about other passengers?

Recalling the security guard's earlier words, a flash of understanding dawned on him.

"If I were to fill this elevator with bug spray, certain managers wouldn't be able to use it anymore, right?"

"You're in charge of this elevator. If they can't ride it, you'll have to take the blame, won't you?"

"Ding!"

Mid-conversation, the elevator reached the eleventh floor.

The doors parted to reveal a dense jungle outside. The chirping of insects rose and fell in waves, yet he could not spot a single bug. Perhaps they were too small, or perhaps they were lurking in the shadows.

"Press floor 4, now," Liu Zheng commanded sternly. The sense of crisis brought on by his intuition made his hair stand on end.

The attendant bit her lip, remaining entirely silent.

"Then let's die together." With that, Liu Zheng moved to press the nozzle.

"No!" The attendant shrieked, slamming the button for the fourth floor.

The elevator doors closed rapidly, shutting out the bone-chilling sensation.

"See? How wonderful it is to be friends. Why resort to mutual harm? Don't you agree?" Liu Zheng patted her shoulder and handed over a cup of misfortune coffee.

"You're right," the attendant said with a forced smile, taking a sip of the coffee.

The cup she held was a full-sugar latte. As the sweet yet slightly bitter flavor flooded her taste buds, her expression improved considerably.

"That's the spirit. Smile more often. Working a dead-end job, frowning makes it a day, and smiling makes it a day. The more they hate seeing us smile, the more we should smile right at their faces. Am I right?" Liu Zheng smiled warmly.

"Right. By the way, what is that thing in your hand?" the attendant asked with a peculiar expression.

"Oh, the dentist said my teeth are bad and I need to grind them more. Excuse my appearance." He tucked away the Hound of Tindalos's teething toy.

"Hehe."

Soon enough, the fourth floor arrived.

Just as Liu Zheng prepared to step out, the attendant called out to him.

"Watch out for Wang Manny. She's a bitch."