The scene that Ruan Qing saw was completely different.
Inside the bathroom, the 'Ruan Qing' standing there was fully clothed, letting the water pour down onto their body.
And the water streaming down wasn’t warm—it was ice-cold, chilling to the bone.
Everything indicated that the scene Ruan Qing had witnessed was false.
And indeed, it was. It was nothing more than an illusion.
'Ruan Qing' tilted his head back against the wall and slowly closed his eyes, forcefully suppressing an impulse and emotions that shouldn’t have existed.
This fragile body couldn’t withstand any turmoil. The moment his emotions fluctuated too much, his power would spiral out of control and consume everything.
Since entering this body, he hadn’t even dared to look into the mirror properly more than a few times. How could he possibly undress and bathe in front of the young man?
He wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Just feeling the same heartbeat, the same breath, was enough to make it difficult to restrain himself—let alone seeing the young man’s figure reflected in the mirror.
Even being watched by the youth with an indifferent gaze made him tremble with excitement, on the verge of madness.
But he didn’t dare to act on it. He couldn’t.
'Ruan Qing' held his breath. The painful sensation of suffocation finally dulled some of his excitement.
This body couldn’t be ruined—at least, not yet.
If the young man’s soul lost its vessel, it wouldn’t be able to withstand the erosion of their power. Bit by bit, he would lose his sense of self and eventually become a mere part of them.
At that point, he would no longer be himself.
'Ruan Qing' opened his eyes indifferently, gazing at his own reflection in the mirror. With a gentle yet careless gesture, he wiped away the droplets of water near the tear mole at the corner of his eye.
Then, adjusting his expression, he revealed a pure and innocent smile—identical to Ruan Qing’s.
Just a little longer. As soon as this body was strengthened enough by the yin energy, it would barely be able to resist his power.
And when that time came, the young man would truly belong to him.
***
As dawn broke, the neighborhood returned to its usual "peace."
However, none of the players could calm down. Because last night, more people had died—not just one or two.
Some were killed by the vengeful ghosts hunting the residents. Others, in an attempt to hide, had unknowingly chosen the ghosts’ rooms and were forever trapped inside.
What’s even more terrifying is that anyone who dies in this residential complex seems to become one of the vengeful spirits.
When players saw the previously deceased player walk out of their room in broad daylight, they instantly broke into a cold sweat.
What kind of dungeon was this? Did they even have a chance to survive and clear it?
Forcing themselves to suppress their fear and despair, the players decided to find the player who had stayed behind earlier to gather more information.
However, when that player opened the door, they froze on the spot.
The player who answered the door was smiling—completely different from their previously numb and despairing expression.
At this moment, they looked no different from the other ghostly residents.
That player had spent the past three days in fear, becoming so paranoid and haggard that they looked completely worn out. Even if they had rested all night, there was no way their complexion could improve this much. That left only one possibility—
That player had died last night.
The players fled the scene in a panic.
A creaking door suddenly interrupted their hurried escape.
Instinctively, they turned back toward the sound. Their eyes widened in shock, filled with doubt and unease.
Was that person… human or ghost?
The one who pushed open the door was none other than Lan Xu, who had followed the vengeful spirits into the room earlier. He stepped out, swept a glance at the three remaining players, then walked straight toward the security booth.
Lin Rong hesitated for a few seconds before ultimately deciding to follow him.
Daytime was relatively safe—as long as they didn’t follow the spirits into a room, the chances of something happening were low.
If they failed to find any clues about a way out today, they were doomed to die tonight.
Mingya Building had a security booth, but when they arrived and checked in on the first day, there was no one stationed there.
What Lin Rong didn’t expect was that as soon as Lan Xu entered the booth, he put on a security guard uniform and then took up post at the entrance as if he were the actual guard.
The passing residents didn’t seem to find anything unusual about this and treated him as just another security officer.
Lin Rong and the others didn’t understand what Lan Xu was trying to do, so they stood nearby and silently observed.
After watching the bustling flow of people for a while, Lan Xu finally reached out and stopped a limping man. He looked at the man with a polite and respectful expression and said,
“Mr. Li, please wait a moment. Mr. Lin from Unit 443 of Building A asked me to pass on a message—your noise last night was too loud, and it disturbed his rest.”
The passing limping man was initially confused when he was stopped, but after hearing Lan Xu’s words, he immediately exploded in anger.
"F***, I haven’t even complained about him making the entire building reek, and he’s already looking down on me first?"
Lan Xu smiled apologetically and continued to persuade him in a friendly manner. "Mr. Li..."
However, the limping man let out a cold laugh and directly interrupted Lan Xu.
"Why the hell should I accommodate him? If he’s got the guts, he can move to Building C, D, or E. It’s quiet over there."
After saying that, the man left.
Lan Xu narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the man’s distant figure. Building C, D, or E…
When investigating the neighborhood, Lan Xu had already noticed something unusual—most of the buildings were fully occupied, except for the cluster of C, D, and E. That area was almost empty, making it clear that it was a special case.
After just one night in this place, Lan Xu already understood why this dungeon was classified as one where no one survived—because all the clues were tied to the vengeful ghosts.
The rooms in this neighborhood were divided into two types: one type housed the living, and the other type housed the ghosts.
Rooms occupied by the living could be used at night as safe zones to hide from the ghosts' hunts. In contrast, the rooms occupied by ghosts contained crucial clues related to them.
In other words, if players were misled by the safe rooms into completely avoiding the ghosts, they would essentially cut off any possibility of clearing the game.
Nighttime was extremely dangerous, but it was also the best time to enter the ghosts' rooms. As long as the ghosts left their rooms to hunt other residents, those rooms would have a brief period of safety.
However, timing this window was extremely difficult—if the ghost had not left its room, entering would be no different from walking to one's death.
Lan Xu had no intention of waiting for nightfall. Dressed in a security guard uniform, he headed straight toward the C, D, and E buildings.
Lin Rong and the other two hesitated for a moment before ultimately following him. However, upon realizing that Lan Xu was heading toward the secluded corner of Building D, they gave up on continuing.
That corner gave off an overwhelming sense of danger. Without knowing exactly what was lurking there, rushing in blindly was far from a wise decision—especially since they weren’t even sure whether Lan Xu was truly human.
Lan Xu was well aware that something terrifying lurked in this area, but the more dangerous a place was, the more crucial the clues it might contain.
Slowly, Lan Xu approached the farthest corner of Building D. Just as he was about to go upstairs, he spotted a familiar figure not far from the corner.
It was that boy with an impossibly perfect face.
Lan Xu’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly for a brief moment, a hint of danger flashing in his gaze.
That boy was definitely suspicious.
"Can't stay."
Lan Xu lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions in his eyes. Then, he slowly walked toward the young man. "What a coincidence. Are you also here looking for clues?"
That young man was none other than 'Ruan Qing'. When 'Ruan Qing' saw Lan Xu looking at him, a hint of confusion flashed across his delicate face. "Hello, are you talking to me?"
"May I ask who you are…?" Before Lan Xu could respond, 'Ruan Qing' gave a slightly apologetic smile. "Sorry, I think I lost my memory."
"Lost your memory again?" A glint flashed in Lan Xu’s eyes as he looked at 'Ruan Qing' and spoke indifferently.
"I'm your master."
'Ruan Qing': "…Heh."
The livestream audience was utterly shocked when they saw this.
[Wow, wow! Dude, you're really bold! Do you even know who you're talking to? And you dare say something like that?!]
[Seriously, life is short, but my guy here is straight-up taking the shortcut. And not just any shortcut—the VIP express lane!]
Lan Xu was livestreaming, and his audience had originally tuned in just to watch casually. But when they saw what was happening on screen, they immediately burst into laughter.
[LMAO, do you even know who you're messing with? Every time Lan Xu makes that expression, it means he's about to eliminate someone. Do you guys really think your pretty-faced streamer is going to make him go easy?]
[Lan Xu isn’t the type to care about looks. Your streamer is doomed.]
The two people standing in the corner didn’t glance at the livestream chat at all. Lan Xu lifted his chin slightly, gesturing toward a spot not far away. "See that corner over there?"
"I just dropped something there. Go fetch it for me."
Lan Xu’s tone was casual but carried an unmistakable air of command—treating 'Ruan Qing' like a mere servant.
'Ruan Qing' had a flicker of danger in his eyes, but after glancing in the direction Lan Xu pointed, he suddenly flashed an obedient and bright smile. "Sure!"
The place Lan Xu pointed to was the corner at the turn of Building D—the same direction as the underground basement that 'Ruan Qing' had been trying to enter but couldn’t.
That barrier could only be broken by a living person.
By sacrificing a living person.
Mingya Building had terrible feng shui. Building D was completely blocked by the surrounding tall buildings, leaving it in shadow even in broad daylight. The eerie darkness gave off an ominous and dangerous feeling.
'Ruan Qing' had only walked halfway when he anxiously turned back to look at Lan Xu. "I... I'm a little scared..."
"Can you come with me?"
'Ruan Qing' pressed his lips together, his delicate face full of fear and helplessness. He looked so small and pitiful that it was hard to refuse his request.
Lan Xu glanced at the pitiful young man and gave a faint smile. "Alright."
After speaking, Lan Xu slowly walked forward, keeping a certain distance as he followed behind 'Ruan Qing.'
From an angle where 'Ruan Qing' couldn't see, Lan Xu was holding a dagger.
The dagger was engraved with strange patterns, emitting a chilling gleam that sent a cold shiver down one's spine at just a glance.
It was a weapon specifically designed to deal with non-humans.
Of course, if his judgment was wrong, the boy would die regardless.
After all, if the blade pierced straight into the heart, even a real human wouldn’t survive.
Thank you for the chapter!!
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