Lin Qing paced back and forth in the store, occasionally glancing at the clock on the wall.

It wasn’t that she lacked an internal timer, but doing so could slightly alleviate her anxiety.

The sky outside was completely dark, and online there was nothing but news of the Five-Ring Industrial Park lockdown, along with those circulating on-site videos. She repeatedly browsed through all the clips, but did not find any trace of Chen Xuan or Liu Shuyue.

It’s already past 8:30, and the store manager still hasn’t returned.

Something unexpected must have happened.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t fail to call her.

Besides, she knew that Chen Xuan had means to instantly return to the store and could bring the guest along, so it wouldn’t be a case of him having to stay on site to look after Liu Shuyue.

The worst-case scenario would be Chen Xuan getting caught by the mechanism.

This would mean that her foundation in this world would immediately be halved, and all future plans would be thus thwarted.

The reason she hasn’t rushed to the mechanism is only because she hasn’t overheard any news from Jiang Siqi about Chen Xuan being captured or killed.

Even within the mechanism, they still used the code names "Blood and Flesh Man" or "Blood and Flesh Butcher" to refer to Chen Xuan.

If Chen Xuan had truly fallen into their hands, even if it was just a corpse, they should have long confirmed his identity.

The remaining answer is that Chen Xuan and Liu Shuyue entered another world.

Because the mechanism has already described this incident as an erosion warfare, since it’s a world erosion, there must be a point of intrusion, which also explains why her calls always return a blind tone. He can’t come back not because he doesn’t want to, but because some mishap happened, preventing him from immediately returning to Jiang City.

Lin Qing gradually becomes certain that this idea is likely the truth.

"No... I can’t wait any longer!"

After spinning around hundreds of times, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, turning towards the door.

Lv told her this decision is not optimal since she lacks a combat prosthesis, making it highly likely for her to also find herself in a quagmire. The best method is to remain in the store; even if Chen Xuan dies, she would remain the only flame to combat the mechanism, hiding away.

"Good analysis. But I made a promise: if faced with significant risk, I would do my utmost to ensure his safety," Lin Qing whispered.

Having stayed in the store for so long, she also basically understood the fundamental operational rules of this place. Once the shutters are closed, the store would completely "disappear"; besides the store manager, no one can enter from outside. In other words, as long as the switch is pressed, even she would be locked out.

Until she finds Chen Xuan, she cannot return here.

Honestly... Lin Qing is indeed a bit conflicted; the Ability Store is her only foothold in this world. She has already regarded it as her new home, and now actively giving it up undoubtedly presents a challenging choice for her.

Yet she still put her hand on the switch.

...because her partner is more important than the store.

Just as Lin Qing pressed the switch, the scenery outside suddenly changed!

A nearby flower bed turned into a wall; the cement road in front became a long carpeted corridor; the night sky overhead was replaced by a splendid wooden ceiling, with crystal chandeliers supplanting those old iron streetlights. But these luxurious chandeliers were not lit; the hallway’s only light source came from the moonlight spilling through the window.

Oh, oh dear!

Lin Qing’s heart jolted; why now of all times!?

She certainly knew what it meant for the environment outside the store to undergo such drastic changes—it’s a sign of a customer arriving!

As expected, the next second, a young girl walked out from the corner of the corridor, caught off guard by the light here.

But the store manager isn’t here; how is it still attracting customers?

Lin Qing initially planned to close the store and head straight towards the Five Rings Machinery Factory, using the Optical Invisibility Skin to sneak into the park, cross the intrusion point to find Chen Xuan. Now, well, the store has connected to another world; she can’t even head to Jiang City anymore.

"Hello?" The girl came to the store entrance somewhat bemusedly, "Is this a convenience store?"

"Sorry... we’re closed... welcome!" Lin Qing switched her tone mid-sentence.

She found the person in front of her strangely familiar.

Upon using Lv for a check, she discovered the person’s facial features highly match a woman named Elorie enlisted in the public recruit list by the Dimensional Limit Mechanism, who happens to be Jiang Siqi’s teammate. Both participated in the Five Rings Factory operation to capture Wanderers!

Lin Qing didn’t understand why she would become a customer, but this is evidently a golden opportunity for intelligence gathering!

The other spoke in French; that posed no difficulty for Lin Qing.

Her language module mastered nearly all the world’s mainstream languages.

Elorie walked into the store, curiously glancing around, "What an antique little shop... I thought it’s all fully automated in the palace, didn’t expect to find a place with manual sales."

Palace?

Which noble family was she from?

Lin Qing quietly stood by the door, blocking her retreat while contemplating her attack strategy. She had a gun hidden in her thigh compartment, and the folding knife in her hand could also pop out, though the ionic blade function couldn’t be used. If interrogating doesn’t work and the other intends to leave, she’d have to resort to hard tactics, forcing them to disclose the entire Five Rings Factory incident.

Yet before she spoke, Elorie suddenly halted in her steps.

She gawked at the TV on the wall, utterly incredulous, as the content on the TV was Jiang City TV Station’s disaster report on the Five Rings Machinery Factory.

"Why... can Jiang City’s news be seen even here?" Elorie murmured.

"What’s strange about that?" Lin Qing asked, a bit puzzled.

"But this is Second New Paris City..." She suddenly turned to Lin Qing, "Do you mean you know where the erosion zones between this world and Jiang City are precisely located?"

Lin Qing felt her brain was operating at blazing speed.

No... it was Lv running at full capacity!

Second New Paris City? A never-before-heard place name, but "this world" is evidently a keyword. Could it be that the Dimensional Limit Mechanism agents also crossed through the intrusion point, entering another world?

This hypothesis is false because, just minutes ago, Jiang Siqi’s location information was still being normally transmitted.

Wait... they seemed to have mentioned before that a team member’s whereabouts are currently unknown.

The entire park is only so big; a living agent can’t just disappear into thin air. Similarly, even if an intrusion point existed, Execution Team members wouldn’t depart alone without permission, traveling to another world.

Unless... some irresistible force happened forcing her to perform the crossing.

Lin Qing felt these puzzle pieces gradually forming a picture— "Erosion Explosion." Possibly due to the Wanderer rapidly, repeatedly crossing borders, or some other cause, the erosion zone suddenly expanded, engulfing the surrounding people.

This girl named Elorie, could she have encountered the same plight as Chen Xuan?

"I don’t know what Second New Paris City is." Using the intelligent brain-machine’s assistance, Lin Qing made a judgment within ten seconds, "So I can’t answer your question."

"Huh?" Elorie widened her eyes, "You’re... not from the New City?"

"No, I and this shop came from another world... right, the Jiang City you mentioned." Lin Qing pressed the switch, closing the shutter door, thus no one would interrupt their conversation.

Seeing the door curtain close, Elorie seemed a bit panicked. It was evident she wanted to leave, but her steps were hesitant; obviously, the information Lin Qing revealed greatly amazed her, "Wha-what do you mean? You want to say you’re from Jiang City?"

"Correct."

"Impossible! There’s no intrusion point here!" She couldn’t help questioning.

"Because this isn’t an ordinary store, it doesn’t rely on intrusion points to connect to other worlds." Lin Qing recalled the expression... no, scene of Chen Xuan hosting guests, starting to embed herself in it, "Its appearance here has a reason, and the reason lies within you."

"Me?" Elorie instinctively stepped back.

"Relax, I won’t eat you." She smiled faintly, moving past her to the bar counter, "How about a cup of coffee first?"