Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Everyone watched as Yu Lingling eliminated five anomalies trying to enter the residential complex. Finally, someone couldn’t help asking, “Doesn’t she have the Four Dolls with her? Why is only one of them here? Where are the other three?”

By the time she dealt with the fifth anomaly, the anomalies had already caught on to Yu Lingling’s habit of eliminating them without asking any questions. They now came prepared, and the fifth one had nearly managed to injure her.

Neither the people there nor the viewers in the Livestream Room realized that Yu Lingling had more than just the Four Dolls at her disposal. The Four Dolls came with quite a few subordinates of their own.

It could be said that when Yu Lingling captured the Four Dolls, she had received a whole pile of freebies along with them.

At that very moment, the Four Dolls and their subordinates had already entered the residential complex.

As for why Yu Lingling had nearly been injured, it was only because she had been sorting through the information the anomalies were relaying to her.

The subordinates serving the Four Dolls were poorly educated, and the information they sent her was an utter mess.

Even Yu Lingling had to devote extra attention to extracting anything useful from it.

There were three apartment buildings, each thirteen stories tall, with two units per floor. That made seventy-eight units in total.

According to what the Four Dolls had discovered, forty-four of the seventy-eight units contained anomalies, while the other thirty-four did not.

Of those forty-four units, only thirty-two had lit lanterns on their balconies. In total, forty-six units had dark lanterns.

Every unit with a lit lantern contained an anomaly, but twelve of the units with dark lanterns also contained anomalies.

Now that was interesting.

It seemed the anomalies in those twelve units were not homeowners. They had infiltrated the complex before the instance began specifically to trap and slaughter the players. To clear the instance, the players would have to identify those twelve units and drive the anomalies out.

As expected of a Novice Instance, it wasn’t particularly difficult, and it even provided clues. As long as the players noticed this detail, clearing it wouldn’t be hard.

But Yu Lingling had no need for such clues. Protecting the homeowners wasn’t one of the clear conditions.

Besides, even actual homeowners would eagerly join the feeding frenzy and devour the players before they could clear the instance.

There was no need to hesitate between becoming sustenance for these anomalies and turning them into sustenance for the Four Dolls.

Yu Lingling was desperate to grow stronger.

Strong enough to avenge her brother.

Strong enough to find a way to open the Grand Slaughter Instance.

Strong enough to enter the Grand Slaughter Instance and find clues about her brother.

Strong enough to bring her brother home, so he could take her to the amusement park to watch the fireworks show.

This was the first time Yu Lingling had ever wanted anything so fiercely.

Sensing the killing intent radiating from her, the auras around the Four Dolls – the one standing beside her and the others scattered throughout the residential complex – changed as well.

One of the rules stated that employees who slacked off would be punished. That meant Yu Lingling had to be at her post whenever a homeowner returned.

At the same time, a Horror Game Instance would always leave its players a path to survival. There was bound to be some downtime when they could investigate the three apartment buildings.

Yu Lingling had been carefully tracking when the anomalies appeared, searching for a pattern.

She also noticed something else. After she eliminated the ninth anomaly, every anomaly that approached afterward wore a conflicted expression.

It reminded her somewhat of a single-player game she had played before: Plants vs. Zombies.

Whether they belonged to the players’ side or the anomalies’ side, everyone had to obey the rules.

While Yu Lingling was having an easy time, some of the other players had also tried leaving the security room.

The lanterns on the apartment balconies were so conspicuous that they practically screamed that there was something unusual about whether they were lit or dark. However, the players still had to investigate to learn the specifics.

If they remained in the security room the entire time, they wouldn’t be able to observe the lanterns.

The most obvious clue came from the anomalies they let through the gate. When those anomalies returned home, some lanterns would light up, while others remained dark.

Without Yu Lingling’s many helpers, watching the lanterns was the simplest way to identify the impostors.

The Horror Game Instance truly did go easy on newcomers. Even if someone they let through wasn’t a homeowner, driving the intruder back out within the time limit would still allow them to complete the instance challenge.
There was no shortage of clever newcomers. Before long, a few of the bolder ones had excitedly figured out what the lanterns meant.

By now, Yu Lingling had also worked out the pattern. However, she had no patience to follow the rules and keep running back and forth during the gaps between the horrors’ appearances. Instead, she picked up the resident register in the security office.

“A conscientious security guard must patrol the residential complex. If something happens at a resident’s home – for example, if someone inexplicably smashes their windows…”

At first, the viewers in the Livestream Room had no idea why Yu Lingling was saying this. But the instant she finished speaking, the windows of several apartments shattered simultaneously.

“Or, for example…” Yu Lingling suddenly smiled. “If a murder occurs in the complex, an excellent and conscientious security guard should temporarily seal off the complex for the residents’ safety, preventing those outside from entering. At the same time, to catch the killer and preserve evidence, no residents inside should be allowed to leave.”

The residents whose windows had been smashed let out bloodcurdling screams.

“Wait, you can do that?”

“Is this really allowed?”

“Those residents will be in real danger once she gets inside.”

“But the Horror Game Instance accepted what she said. The creature standing outside the complex has stopped moving.”

“Does that thing look relieved to anyone else? I swear it just breathed a sigh of relief.”

“Caution tape just appeared at the entrance!”

Yu Lingling adjusted her security guard’s cap, showing no excitement over these changes. Humming softly, she patted the Doll in a Pink Puffy Dress. “Keep watch here. Call me immediately if anything happens.”

Yu Lingling was confident, but she wasn’t arrogant.

The Horror Game Instance had been trying to trick her at every turn, so she had to remain on guard. Besides, the little doll was almost full. If it ate any more, it wouldn’t be able to digest properly.

The Doll in a Pink Puffy Dress nodded.

Carrying the resident register, Yu Lingling headed toward the apartment buildings with a spring in her step.

When she reached the first building, the Doll with Naturally Curly Hair appeared beside her, dressed in a tiny suit and bow tie.

The doll wasn’t even as tall as Yu Lingling, yet its shadow was absurdly huge. Only upon closer inspection could one see that it wasn’t a shadow at all, but a mass formed from countless lesser horrors.

In the Horror Game, both elevators and stairwells were places where danger could easily strike.

This apartment building was no exception. A horror posing as a resident lurked inside the elevator, but the Doll with Naturally Curly Hair fed it to the lesser horrors that made up its shadow.

Yu Lingling went up to the thirteenth floor and knocked on the door of the apartment on the right.

The door opened, revealing a hideous, ferocious-looking horror.

Thirteen was a special number. Some of the most dangerous horrors in this building lived on the fourth and thirteenth floors.

Yu Lingling preferred to take out the stronger enemies first while she still had plenty of stamina. She had already memorized the resident register, yet she deliberately flipped through it now, putting on a show before locating the relevant information.

“Hello, resident of 1302. It pains me to inform you that a dangerous criminal has entered the complex. As a good and conscientious security guard, I need to enter your home and confirm the safety of all four members of your family. If the criminal is hiding inside, you’ll be in terrible danger.”

The horror from 1302 gritted its teeth. “My home is perfectly safe.”

But the moment it finished speaking, screams rang out behind it, followed by the crash of something shattering.

Yu Lingling feigned surprise. “It doesn’t sound very safe now.”

The horror’s expression turned ugly, and its gaze filled with murderous intent as it stared at Yu Lingling. “I hope you don’t regret this.”

Yu Lingling walked inside with a smile. Behind her, the horror from 1302 shut the door.

Sure enough, one of the rules the horrors in this complex had to obey was that they could not refuse a reasonable inspection request from a security guard.

“So that register in the newcomer’s hands isn’t actually a clue for clearing the stage. It’s a manual for wiping out entire families, isn’t it?”

“Holy shit. I never knew you could use the register like that.”