Chapter 21
Chapter 21
The perimeter of Ping’an Apartment had long been cordoned off by a lengthy stretch of caution tape. The entire street was empty, and the few passersby who did appear were hurried along by several uniformed personnel.
A thick, white mist enveloped the exterior of the apartment complex, reducing visibility to the point where only its blurry silhouette remained visible.
Standing at the edge of the cordon was a tall, long-legged young man. He had jet-black hair that reached his waist, and a face that looked like Nuwa’s masterpiece.
Shang Yan idly toyed with the white-edged black hair tie on his wrist. He spoke lazily to the student-athlete holding a basketball in front of him. “See this? I have a partner.”
The teenager stared at the exquisite, alluring face before him, only snapping out of it after a long moment, his face flushing deep red. “Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were also…”
Shang Yan let out a soft chuckle and spoke in a cavalier tone, “You’re right, I am.”
The boy froze, his gaze falling on the worn-out hair tie that looked like it had been worn for years.
Shang Yan lowered his eyelids, his voice barely audible. “My boyfriend gave this to me…” In the next second, he instantly shook off his melancholy. His voice rose, tinged with a hint of coldness. “So, if there’s nothing else, please leave immediately. Do not interfere with our official duties.”
The boy came from a good family and was at an age defined by defiance; he wasn’t about to back down so easily.
If it were a matter of sexual orientation, that would be fine, but if they were in the same circle, then nothing was truly an obstacle.
He was quite experienced when it came to stealing someone away.
“I’ll leave, but how about leaving me your contact info?” As he spoke, the boy turned his wrist, letting the sunlight reflect off his expensive watch in a dazzling, multicolored glare. “You could give it a try with me. I’d treat you very well.”
Shang Yan frowned, his beautiful amber eyes gradually clouding with impatience. “It seems you’ve still misunderstood. We’re the same ‘type,’ if you catch my drift.”
The boy blinked, his body instantly stiffening.
He looked at Shang Yan’s height again; the man was practically a match for his own 190cm athletic frame.
Actually, the main issue was that the person before him was simply too beautiful-so beautiful that he had subconsciously ignored the other’s superior height and imposing aura.
He had spoken too soon; the matter of being the same ‘type’ was indeed debatable.
“Whatever. Leave or stay, I don’t care.”
He had said his piece; the boy would be the one to regret it.
For instance… that world was like a highly contagious virus, infecting one human after another, with no hope of a permanent cure…
The boy eventually left. Adhering to the principle of ‘like poles repel, opposites attract,’ the filter through which he viewed Shang Yan’s face vanished, and he naturally stopped being a nuisance.
Shang Yan didn’t pay attention to when the other left. He remained where he was, slowly rubbing the hair tie on his wrist with his long, slightly calloused fingers.
His amber pupils were like two pools of cold spring water-magnificent and eye-catching, yet devoid of any warmth.
Only when his gaze brushed over the hair tie would a faint, fleeting tenderness flicker across them before vanishing instantly…
Suddenly, the white mist surrounding the apartment began to boil like steam from a kettle. Shang Yan looked up in shock. After a brief period of churning, the white mist gradually transitioned into a grayish-brown.
Is this… an Instance Mutation?!
**
When the other three streamers arrived, they found Pozhan looking preoccupied, holding an unopened pack of whole wheat bread as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Meanwhile, another person was crunching on biscuits so loudly it was clear they had very strong teeth.
Whatever. Being airheaded is better than being cold-blooded.
Brother Crocodile, that chuunibyou youth, seemed to view Qiao Yu through an eight-hundred-meter filter. He rushed forward with a howl and bought a box of the same crackers Qiao Yu was eating. “Morning, Dad!”
Qiao Yu: “…”
His good mood for the day had officially ended at 7:56 AM.
Man-Eating Crocodile was calling him ‘Dad’ with such cheerful abandon, but far from being happy, Qiao Yu felt like he was trudging forward with a heavy burden on his back. It seemed his ID name had caused a massive misunderstanding.
Tsk.
He wondered if that damn Live Stream Room had any Name Change Cards.
Qiao Yu finished his crackers and tossed the packaging into the trash. As he brushed the crumbs off his hands, he had a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something.
He let out a yawn, his peripheral vision catching the Landlord suddenly shedding his usual laziness. Hands behind his back, the man left the group and headed for the exit.
“Landlord Uncle, where are you going so early in the morning?”
The Landlord stopped and replied, “To lock the door.”
Lock the door?
Which door?
The Basement?
Fuck, he finally remembered what he had forgotten!!!
He had to warn the streamer who used the Review Card; he had to tell him absolutely not to enter the Basement.
Qiao Yu glanced at the other streamers who were still eating breakfast and left the small shop ahead of them.
He went to Room 4008 first and knocked. Silence reigned inside; there wasn’t the slightest movement.
It seemed the other guy wasn’t just rotting away in his room but was actively searching for clues. Qiao Yu didn’t want to waste time and planned to head straight to the Basement to take a look. Of course, if he couldn’t find him, that would be that. At least he had tried his best.
As he passed Room 4004, he noticed a scrap of paper on the floor. Out of habit, he picked it up to throw it away, but when his eyes scanned the contents, Qiao Yu froze.
Li Xiaoqin’s medical diagnosis report??
He gave it a quick scan and realized the report didn’t have an official hospital seal. At the bottom, a doctor’s signature was written in a wild, sprawling hand.
To be honest, what he admired most about doctors was their ability to invent their own fonts that normal people couldn’t decipher.
Qiao Yu squinted, using every ounce of his strength just to barely recognize the character for ‘Zhuang’.
Doctor Zhuang?
Right, there was another key figure in this Instance-Doctor Zhuang.
In a flash of realization, Qiao Yu suddenly remembered that when he first entered the Instance, Li Xiaoqin had gone to the Basement specifically to find Doctor Zhuang. That Basement had House Number Plates and that eerie formation diagram on the floor.
Qiao Yu pivoted on his heel and headed straight for Room 4001. As for the issue with Canyue Wushuang and the Basement, he threw it to the back of his mind in an instant.
He couldn’t help it; he was the type of person who had to get to the bottom of a problem once he found one.
He couldn’t wait even a minute.
He had just curled his fingers to knock on the door when, in the next second, the tightly shut door creaked open.
The room was pitch black, with no sign of sunlight penetrating the interior. Behind the door, there was no sign of the person he assumed was Doctor Zhuang.
Qiao Yu held his breath and waited at the doorway for a moment, but aside from the door opening, there wasn’t a sound from inside. It didn’t seem like anyone was there.
“Is Doctor Zhuang in?” Qiao Yu couldn’t help but poke his head in to look.
There was no response. The only window in the living room was covered by thick blackout curtains, leaving the place in total darkness.
Qiao Yu called out tentatively once more, then cautiously stepped inside. He scanned the area, but saw no sign of anyone.
Was Doctor Zhuang not here??
Just as he was considering whether this counted as breaking and entering, a creak sounded behind him. The moment Qiao Yu turned his head, the door slammed shut with a heavy thud.
Qiao Yu: !!!