Artifact Report

Chapter 239 Mai Minghe: Neglected Poster

Walking in broad daylight does not relieve even a little bit of tension and suspicion.

This may not make sense, but Mai Minghe felt that the daylight in the nest seemed to increase her insecurity - there were many things on the road that she would rather not see.

Human eyes only focus on the front, which is really inconvenient. The sides, back, sky, and feet... are all blind spots that cannot be illuminated.

When Mai Minghe turned her head to the left, a finger on her right side gently reached into her hair at the back of her head.

She shuddered, jumped away quickly, and turned to the right. In her peripheral vision, she caught a glimpse of a shadow slowly shrinking behind her - but when she turned around, the road was empty.

Of course, it’s not right to say it’s completely empty.

About a hundred meters away, a naked man was squatting behind a trash can, with only his flesh-colored back and buttocks exposed; the spine rose high from the back, with each vertebra protruding.

From a distance, it looked as if a huge, flesh-colored, wart-covered hooked nose was sticking out from behind a trash can.

No matter how far she walked, how long she walked, or how many times she circled, the naked back was always squatting behind the same trash can, never too far away from her.

She couldn't get close to it, and the thing didn't move any closer.

…This is the nest.

Mai Minghe tightly grasped a pistol issued by the Kai family. Realizing its uselessness, he also thought that for someone who had never touched a gun in his life, the only person the pistol could threaten might be himself.

These hallucinatory and suspicious noises are not the most annoying thing.

Ever since she "caught" a road sign just now, the sidewalk and road ahead were full of road signs.

The road signs were densely packed together, one next to the other, trying to get closer to her. The hot breath sprayed on her face and ears, scratching her vision.

Every signpost was meant to catch her eye, and then hold her sight and lead her along - this statement sounded like something from a psychopath, but Mai Minghe was indeed almost led into a fork in the road by the signposts several times.

She couldn't see, she quickly realized, and couldn't read the road signs carefully.

Once she sees the words on the signpost clearly, her feet will unconsciously follow the direction indicated by the signpost; until the next signpost successfully captures her attention and turns her feet in another direction, she will be startled and come to her senses, realizing that she has gone far away again.

Although the distance was only a little over 200 meters, Mai Minghe took half an hour to finally walk halfway in the right direction - at least the "right direction" he initially identified.

The forest of signposts seemed to have been suddenly emptied out by an invisible hand, without any warning. When the view in front of him suddenly became bright again, Mai Minghe paused and blinked hard a few times.

A woman turned from the glass window and glanced at her.

Under the sky covered with gloomy clouds, the fluorescent orange sign on the woman's chest became the only color in the surrounding environment.

Mai Minghe subconsciously touched his chest - the orange sign that he had finally found also echoed the color of the opposite side.

"You found your way here too," the woman said, nodding at her.

Thanks to Shaxue forcing them to look at each person's appearance and clothes several times and memorize them.

Long before they set off, everyone had introduced themselves to each other, including the woman in front of them named Ai Meili.

Aimee wore her hair in a tight ponytail, which stuck firmly to her skull, so tight that one was worried it would be pulled out from her hairline. She didn't live up to her name at all, with a long and narrow face, strong brow bones, and thin lips that were always pursed. No matter how old she got, she never had to worry about developing laugh lines.

It's exactly the same as I remember, and there's a sign. It should be him, right?
"I thought I was the only one who didn't know where Anne's Warehouse was," Mai Minghe said, glancing at the door with "Information" written on it next to Aimeili. "Look, we're on the same page. Is this the tourist information center? There should be Anne's Warehouse inside—"

"Don't come over here," said Aimee.

Mai Minghe paused.

Like her, Aimeili had her gun out, but instead of holding it in her hand, she tucked it into her waistband. Unlike her, Aimeili seemed very familiar and comfortable with guns.

“I’m not a resident…”

After saying it, she felt stupid; even the residents would not admit it.

"I know you're not," Aimee said, "but that thing standing behind you is."

Before she finished her last word, Mai Minghe had already turned around; she turned so fast that her vision seemed to be unable to catch up with her head, and it was pulled into a blurry and dim shadow.

There is nothing behind me.

More than a hundred meters away, the same trash can was still sitting there; but the giant "nose" formed by the naked back and buttocks was shrinking towards the trash can - under Mai Minghe's blank gaze, it just disappeared.

What did Ai Meili see just now?

As this thought came to mind, Mai Minghe froze in place, as if frozen in ice.

The desire to ask Aimeili what was going on completely disappeared at this moment; she already knew the answer.

She didn't know how she hadn't seen such a bright and eye-catching poster on her way here.

It was not a promotion for a theater troupe, nor was it an advertisement for a product, but rather a warning poster posted by the Old Port Police Station.

The Nest Police reminds you:
There have been many crimes against tourists recently. To ensure your personal and property safety, please remember the following rules:

1. Don’t follow people you know or are familiar with

Be careful with your family and friends!

These two are notoriously dangerous. According to police case reports, harm from friends and family is common, accounting for 85.4% of all injuries. When a friend from back home suddenly shows up and invites you to take a photo with them at the harbor, or when your parents, already full, suggest trying a particular restaurant, be vigilant and discern any ulterior motives!

Stay away from relatives and acquaintances to ensure personal safety

2. Resist the lure of "tourist information centers"
Be sure to calmly say no to the "Tourist Information Center".

Don't take the playbill it hands you, don't read the playbill it hands you, don't listen to its directions, no matter how it promises you a good memory, don't buy souvenirs, don't carefully compare the differences between each "tourist information center", don't go in, don't turn your back to its door
The lower half of the poster was torn off.

But the last sentence made Mai Minghe's pores tighten, and it seemed that his entire body's senses had become blurred. Only his back felt particularly clear and hot, and the blood rushed to the skin on his back with a tingling sensation.

"…Why are you trying to harm me?"

She forced the words out of her dry throat. "What's going to happen next?"

　Today's chapter is relatively short because I'm so stuck. Although I have an idea about the future plot, it's still too vague and needs to be explored... In other words, the outline is exhausted!
　　There are things in the world that are less valuable than money!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)