Chapter 98
Chapter 98
“Ding! Welcome, players, to the Apartment 444 instance. Please do your best to leave the apartment and clear the instance.”
“Hint: Wu, wu, wu, wu.”
“What the hell?” A man with a mohawk frowned. “What kind of hint is that? Did any of you hear it clearly?”
A tiny, skinny young woman held her companion with one hand and timidly raised the other. “It sounded like four ‘wu’s.”
The girl was on the same team as the more composed woman beside her. Her name was Fan Tiantian, and her companion was Sun Jiao.
“But which Chinese character for ‘wu’?” asked Old Zhao, who claimed to have been a photographer before.
His teammates were both men. One was a refined-looking man who introduced himself as Xiao Song. The other was a burly man who told everyone to call him Brother Wang.
Xiao Song shook his head. “Who knows? We don’t know what it means, which character it is, or even whether all four syllables represent the same word.”
The only players left were a pair of fairly attractive sisters, one in a red dress and the other in green.
They introduced themselves as Qianqian and Xinxin.
Cheng Miao could not bring herself to call them that. In her head, they became Little Red and Little Green.
The sisters first swept sultry looks over the cultured scoundrel, but did not dare approach him.
Their gazes slid to Gu Jian next, then finally settled on the fresh-faced Lin Zhu and the mature, charismatic Qin Musong.
Then they glared daggers at Cheng Miao.
Cheng Miao: ??? Why are you glaring at me? Of everyone here, I’m probably the one who appreciates your looks the most!
When she saw them glaring at Cheng Miao, Qi Jiajia cut them a murderous look. “What are you staring at? Keep it up and I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
Little Red and Little Green wanted to fire back, but the scent of blood around Qi Jiajia intimidated them. They lost their nerve and fell silent.
As the undercurrents churned between them, someone pounded on the door. A gaunt-faced man stood on the other side.
He pointed at the handle, signaling for the players to open the door and enter. Cheng Miao’s brows shifted slightly. Could the door not be opened from inside…?
Brother Wang, standing closest to it, noticed none of these details. He twisted the handle and walked in.
They could not remain outside forever. None of them were complete novices, so they did not hesitate long before following him.
The cultured scoundrel had an exceptionally pleasant name. Paired with his rich, wine-dark voice when he introduced himself, it sounded even more intoxicating. “Baili Qianqiu.”
Cheng Miao noticed that Baili Qianqiu had said nothing apart from his introduction. He simply did whatever the rest of the group did. Now he entered last with impeccable manners and watched the door swing shut on its own, an intrigued smile touching his lips.
Easy on the eyes, Cheng Miao decided inwardly.
Qi Jiajia rolled her eyes and elbowed Cheng Miao. “Doesn’t he remind you of someone?”
Cheng Miao raised a brow. “You noticed too?”
Qi Jiajia sneered. “I’m not made of wood.”
Blockhead Zhu and Blockhead Song stared blankly.
Who? Who did he resemble? What were they talking about?
Baili Qianqiu strongly reminded them of Lian Ge. Both possessed the same exquisite, almost superior beauty and the same sharpness of a blade buried in snow.
It had nothing to do with the instance, so Cheng Miao merely enjoyed the view.
“You’re the prospective tenants, I take it? I’m the Landlord.” The man smiled. His excessively hollow cheeks made him look rather frightening.
“Apartment 444 has the cheapest rent in the area, but the building has a long history, so there are quite a few things you need to watch out for.”
Everyone pricked up their ears, but the Landlord changed the subject. “Tenants here must undergo a five-day Trial Period. Only those who pass can Become a Permanent Tenant.”
Become a Permanent Tenant?
The players looked at one another. Gu Jian leaned closer and asked, “What if we can’t Become a Permanent Tenant? Do we get thrown out?”
The Landlord shook his head and gave them an unreadable smile. “Those who fail to Become a Permanent Tenant are usually dead.”
Gu Jian let out an exaggerated gasp. “So this is a crooked operation?”
The Landlord’s face darkened as he looked at him. Gu Jian immediately beamed. “Who said that? Who dares call this place crooked? I’ll be the first to object!”
Standing behind Gu Jian, Cheng Miao’s mouth twitched. She had never met such a player before. He was so lively he became irritating.
The Landlord ignored Gu Jian and swept his gaze across the crowd. His eyes brightened when they passed over several of the young women, and his attitude visibly improved. “As long as you obey the rules, nothing will happen. There’s no need to worry.”
Fan Tiantian huddled beside Sun Jiao and nodded fearfully.
“Can we leave during these five days?” Xiao Song surveyed the first-floor decor. The place was clean enough, but its facilities were old. The building clearly had some age to it.
“Leave? Go where?” The Landlord looked at Xiao Song as if the question made no sense. Xiao Song casually pointed toward the entrance. “Out… Huh? Where’s the door?!”
His words startled everyone, and they spun around.
The door they had entered through was gone.
A blank white wall had replaced it. The building had become a square coffin, trapping every player inside.
Cheng Miao was not surprised. An instance would hardly let them stroll out through the front door in broad daylight.
Still… she pouted. Another supernatural instance.
Her buff had become far more sensitive after upgrading in the lantern instance. From the moment this instance began, she had clearly sensed that something was wrong with the building, and with the Landlord.
In the past, being forced to live alongside a possibly long-dead Landlord in a building thick with sinister energy might have driven Cheng Miao mad.
But ever since she acquired this buff, she had been destined to experience things differently from everyone else. She might even come into contact with such entities more often than ordinary players did.
Besides… after being frightened often enough, one eventually got used to it.
That was why neither the Landlord’s threat nor the apartment’s transformation frightened her much.
Qi Jiajia feared nothing. Lin Zhu reacted only to corpses, while Qin Musong’s fear of ghosts never showed on his face. As a result, Cheng Miao’s team and Baili Qianqiu were the calmest people in the crowd.
Little Red and Little Green sidled over. Little Red tossed her wine-red curls and gave the youthful-looking Lin Zhu a flirtatious glance. “Hey, handsome, how many instances have you cleared? You look so calm.”
Baili Qianqiu was obviously an expert, but his aura was too cold and cutting. Little Red knew her own limits. She was not qualified to make a move on him.
Among the remaining men, Lin Zhu looked like the easiest target.
Lin Zhu stared in confusion at the woman who had suddenly started talking to him and answered honestly, “This is my eleventh instance.”
Everyone looked at him with awe. An expert. A top-tier player.
Lin Zhu scratched his head. Sister Miaomiao was the real expert. He had cleared eleven instances but earned less than she had from six.
He did not explain, and Little Red seized the opportunity. “You’re so impressive, handsome. I’m no good with supernatural instances. How about sharing any information you find with me?”
Little Red and Little Green were admittedly attractive. The mohawk man and Old Zhao both looked green with envy.
Lin Zhu frowned and gave her a baffled look. “We naturally won’t hide anything that can be shared.”
The reply stopped Little Red short. Things had not developed the way she expected.
She glanced at the aloof Cheng Miao beside him. The boy was probably too embarrassed to show his interest in front of his teammates. She would try again later.
“Are you finished chatting?” The Landlord clapped impatiently to draw everyone’s attention. “I’m about to explain the requirements to Become a Permanent Tenant.”