Chapter 117
Chapter 117
The Old Man’s voice became a key that unlocked buried memories, revealing the apartment’s hidden story piece by piece.
After Shen Xin and Xiao Zhang married, they moved into Apartment 444. At first, everyone thought them a perfect couple. Then arguments began erupting more and more frequently on the seventh floor.
Through those fights, the Old Man learned that Xiao Zhang had a severe gambling addiction. After squandering every cent the family possessed, he made a secret deal with the Landlord.
He earned money from the Landlord’s voyeurism of Shen Xin.
When Shen Xin discovered the truth, despair drove her to demand a divorce. Xiao Zhang refused.
The neighbors joined in persuading her to stay. Everyone had frustrations in their own lives, and they poured all that resentment onto Shen Xin.
The heavy shackles of morality and outsiders’ gossip trapped her for a time. But Xiao Zhang’s temper grew increasingly violent. Fearing she would eventually be harmed, Shen Xin finally fled the apartment.
The Old Man still remembered that day. He had been cleaning when he heard movement and looked through his peephole. Shen Xin quietly left with her luggage.
He had thought, Go. You still have a long life ahead.
Only minutes later, he heard another door. He looked again and saw Xiao Zhang emerge with a kitchen cleaver, still wearing that smile.
Later came Shen Xin’s cries for help and screams of pain. The Old Man had not dared open his door.
The next commotion came when the Landlord, the Pregnant Woman, and the Old Woman helped Xiao Zhang carry the blood-soaked Shen Xin home.
They laughed and discussed how satisfying it felt to hack at a person, how most of their troubles had vanished afterward. Terrified by those beasts wearing human skin, the Old Man did not make a sound.
But they discovered him anyway.
The Landlord had spent years spying from inside his room. One glance told him someone was watching through the Old Man’s peephole…
“So they killed you?” Cheng Miao had never imagined the truth would be so horrifying. She had assumed Shen Xin’s husband alone attacked her, since gambling addiction could change a person’s nature.
She had not expected neighbors with no personal grievance to vent the anger and violence of their own miserable lives on a young woman.
“Xiao Zhang did it. He wore a terrifying smile while he killed me…” The Old Man braced himself on the window and began coughing. When it finally subsided, he continued. “Afterward, I was trapped here, and so were they. Shen Xin’s resentment is too powerful. It can only be eased by constantly giving her targets to vent it on.”
The intended targets fell silent.
They now understood most of the truth. No one could blame Shen Xin for imprisoning those residents. What they had done deserved divine punishment.
“Old Man, aren’t you the one imprisoning yourself?” Cheng Miao asked softly after considering the sensation of her buff.
“What?” He turned his rigid neck, staring with two lifeless eyes.
The others were frightened by the corpse-like movement. Cheng Miao was not.
The longer she lived with the Friend of Ghosts buff, the more kinship she felt with spirits who had died unjustly.
Well, not always. But perhaps the buff could still upgrade.
“Shen Xin never wanted to harm you. You’re here because you blame yourself for standing by. You trapped yourself.”
The Old Man said nothing. He sat straight and still as a gravestone.
Cheng Miao sighed and returned to coloring the paper figures.
Once everyone finished, they quietly left. The instant Cheng Miao crossed the threshold, the Old Man spoke behind her.
“If you truly can help her, please do. She has killed many people, but in the beginning, she was the most innocent of all.”
Cheng Miao said nothing more and gently closed the door.
The game would end tomorrow. Once they survived tonight’s assessment, they could enter Room 703.
All they had to do inside was find Shen Xin’s remains, and they could clear the instance.
This required everyone’s participation. Cheng Miao gathered the survivors and explained the clues they had found.
“Wow. Then we don’t need the Pregnant Woman or the Old Woman anymore, right?” Gu Jian’s strange focus caught Cheng Miao off guard. She nodded uncertainly. “In theory.”
Gu Jian rubbed his hands together. “Give those two to me. I missed out on the Landlord last time.”
At first, Cheng Miao did not understand. Then she saw his eagerness and realized what he meant.
Everyone stared speechlessly at the short, beautiful young man. He usually lounged around or yawned incessantly. The first thing to genuinely energize him was the prospect of beating up ghosts.
Cheng Miao’s mouth twitched, but she did not answer. Gu Jian did not ask again. Everyone assumed he was joking until that evening, when only the Old Man and a smiling Xiao Zhang, whose teeth were clenched with fury, appeared.
The survivors gaped at Gu Jian.
When did you go?!
Hadn’t they all been together discussing tomorrow’s operation?!
Under the pressure of Xiao Zhang’s murderous aura, Gu Jian shrugged. “I went while I was using the bathroom.”
Su Yang shrank back, seeing the man who constantly pestered him in an entirely new light.
“Tonight is the final night,” Xiao Zhang said after mastering his emotions. “Those who pass tonight’s assessment will become Permanent Tenants at this time tomorrow. The final game is the Elevator to Another World.”
When everyone looked up, he pointed at the old elevator behind them.
“Two New Tenants will enter. Press the fourth floor, second floor, sixth floor, second floor, fourth floor, and fifth floor in that order.
“Once you reach the fifth floor, no matter who enters, press the first floor. The elevator will take you directly to another world. Ending the game is simple. Press the seventh floor last, and it will return you to reality. Then you may come back.”
There was no need to draw lots. Only Sun Jiao and Su Yang had yet to participate.
Cheng Miao liked Sun Jiao. She and Fan Tiantian had both been newcomers, but Sun Jiao was clearly much steadier.
Her worsening mental state had kept her from contributing much later, but she had always tried to keep up without burdening anyone. Cheng Miao had noticed.
“I’ve never heard of this game.” Cheng Miao looked at the expectant Su Yang and Sun Jiao, whose nervous face had gone white. “But the principles remain the same. Remember the hint, and you should be safe.”
Sun Jiao forced herself to remain calm and nodded. In truth, Su Yang’s presence reassured her.
He was not as powerful as Gu Jian or Baili Qianqiu, but he was friendly and often checked on her. He seemed like a teammate who would help her when needed.
When the time came, everyone watched the pair enter the elevator. Before the doors closed, Su Yang waved and patted Sun Jiao’s shoulder.
The doors slowly met under their determined gazes.
No one noticed the sharp, icy light that flashed through Gu Jian’s eyes as he watched the elevator close.