Chi Ting didn't know that in the eyes of the audience, he had become an unlucky guy who was bound to die.
He was quickly pulled into a group by Li Tao. It was initially just the two of them. Then one after another, other players were also pulled in.
Due to the warning of his personal skills, Li Tao didn't want to pull Li Hou and his friend in. However, he would only be hated more if this type of thing was discovered later. In the end, he still pulled everyone into the group together.
A new independent group was launched very quickly. The process was so neat that it was obviously not the first time this type of thing was done.
Chi Ting accepted all the friend applications one by one. Then he found that he had entered several small groups in the blink of an eye and couldn't help smiling.
Don't look at the fact that there were only 11 players left in the instance. He very much doubted that after this night, there might be more than 12 groups.
Sure enough, humans in peacetime were particularly cute creatures!
Of course, no one would expose the act of secretly creating a small group. The chat with the largest number of players seemed to have a tacit understanding, and they exchanged the instance information collected today.
On one side, there was the 'Love Apartment Family' with NPCs present. On the other side was the 'Players Are About to Go Down 20 Floors' where there was a hot discussion about the clearance strategy. Chi Ting just lay on the sofa and absentmindedly looked through the group chat messages on both sides.
It could only be said that the information given to them on the first day was really pitiful. Compared to the other fragmentary clues, Chi Ting was now more curious about the tenant who lived in Room 1203 next door.
According to his observations, all the NPCs in the building were very dedicated to their duties. He was the only one who didn't stay at home under the guise of a 'corporate drone.' From the perspective of an NPC, it could even be called 'doing nothing.'
Chi Ting stopped and glanced at the clock on the wall.
According to those NPCs, the corporate drone came home from work every day after 10 o'clock. That was two hours away.
Chi Ting slowly wrapped his entire body in a soft velvet blanket and sank into the sofa in a very comfortable position.
He raised his head slightly, and his eyes stayed on the ceiling for a long time. The message notifications continued to sound one after another, falling clearly and abruptly in the empty atmosphere around him.
It wasn't known how long it took before his empty gaze was retracted. His smooth and sexy jaw was revealed under the slightly extended posture of his neck. Every inch of the clear outline stretched tight under such actions before easing little by little.
Chi Ting stopped gently tugging at the choker on his neck. His whole face was almost half buried in the blanket.
In a daze, he glanced at the clock again. Okay, there was still an hour to go…
Before being dragged into this instance, Chi Ting experienced a three-day, three-night sleepless fight with an alien species mother.
It wasn't until this time that he could relax a bit. He was so tired.
Unknowingly, the figure on the sofa stopped moving. Only his slightly heaving chest and gentle breathing remained.
The hands on the clock moved slowly.
It finally pointed to 10 o'clock.
The barrage in the live stream room was almost numb.
[Yes, can you fall asleep here? What a great feeling!]
[Thinking about it from another angle… maybe falling asleep is a good thing.]
[…Indeed, it is impossible to refute it.]
[At this point in time, isn't it almost the same?]
[Listen, it is coming!]
In the midst of this silence, the sound of the elevator door opening came from the corridor outside the door.
It was as if a sawtooth pierced through the voice, leaving a dry and split voice. Even the barrage instinctively became silent.
The sound of slow footsteps came from the empty corridor, extending to the other end of the corridor little by little.
There was a slight 'didi' sound as the combination lock was pressed.
Finally, accompanied by a dull closing sound, the whole night returned to its original silence.
When Chi Ting woke up, bright sunlight leaked in through the window. It already left a gentle layer of warmth on his blanket.
Looking at the clock again, it was just after 10 o'clock, but it was obviously 10 o'clock in the morning.
It wasn't difficult to see from the news in the group that all the players had devoted themselves to the great cause of gaining favorability since early in the morning. It seemed to be going very smoothly.
[1602-Chang Hefeng: The two NPCs on the 16th floor have almost reached the green name. If I can maintain this progress, it shouldn't take too much time to clear the level!]
Chi Ting looked at the very optimistic message that had just been posted in the group and raised his head slightly while yawning.
He might love to see everyone leave here together happily, but his intuition told him that this environment had too many unknowns. Something would happen sooner or later.
He reached out and gently ran his hand through his slightly long hair. Then he turned and walked into the master bedroom.
The viewers in the live stream room were eager to see this newcomer face off against 1203. After finally waiting for him to wake up, they were impatient at his unhurried manner.
Then they saw Chi Ting take out a change of clothes from the closet and enter the bathroom.
The screen of the live stream room was instantly covered with mosaics.
The audience in the live stream room: "???"
Going to bed when full and remembering to take a shower when waking up… did he want to arrange a massage as well?
He really came to be a life player, right?
Chi Ting truly didn't mind staying here a few more days.
He had to say that apart from the unique weirdness brought about by the instance itself, every inch of this apartment was full of life. No matter whether it was the dazzling clothes in the wardrobe or the bathroom full of heat in the blink of an eye, this was undoubtedly what his dream life looked like.
Anyone who stayed for a few days in an apocalyptic world had no ability to resist such a day!
Chi Ting took a shower while thinking about this next arrangement. He seemed too unhurried for someone in an environment with an uncertain future.
The choker around his neck was taken off, and the red stone hanging from it was surrounded by the water vapor, causing it to glow with a strange luster.
The warm water slowly trickled down his skin, washing every corner of his body from his chin to his collarbone. It soaked his waist little by little, and his long hair was wetly attached to the side of his neck. It left a sobering coolness in this hot environment.
After rinsing, he came out of the shower. In the mirror, Chi Ting could see the messy scars on his body.
There was also a tattoo with a strange pattern on his left shoulder near his collarbone. It was twisted in such a way that nothing could be seen, only a red mark. At first glance, it looked like someone left a drop of blood and tears on him.
Chi Ting took one glance and looked away. He brushed his slightly wet hair aside and meticulously put on his clothes. It wasn't until the moment he pushed open the door and walked out that the mosaic on the screen of the live stream room finally returned to normal.
The audience, who were initially cursing, was shocked by the picture of a beautiful person coming out after taking a shower. Then they were relieved to find that this newcomer finally remembered there was such a thing as carrying out the capture strategy mission.
The corporate drone in Room 1203 had already left for work, so Chi Ting could only knock on the door of Room 1201 next door.
The door soon opened, and a charming face poked out.
Just as he learned from the owner group, this woman called Qiao Mei was a famous model. He was looking through a half-open door, but it was still difficult to hide the unique charm exuded by her graceful body.
At first, there was displeasure from being disturbed on her face. Then she saw Chi Ting's appearance clearly, and her expression changed into a soft smile. "Hello, are you my new neighbor next door?"
It was clear that she was smiling, but when her eyes fell on his body, there was a trace of coolness.
There was still a decent, gentle, and kind smile on Chi Ting's face as his eyes quietly completed the examination.
It was the same feeling that the little girl gave him yesterday. The only difference was that he seemed to be able to capture a trace of human breath from this woman.
In any case, there was a taste that he liked, so communication wasn't a big problem.
Chi Ting finished his examination, and there were no fluctuations on his face. "Hello, my name is Chi Ting. You can also call me Xiao Ting. In the future, we will be neighbors. You can always find me if you need my help."
"Help…" The corners of the female model's mouth rose a bit. With this action, her smile full of charm also seemed a bit strange. "The hanging light in my living room is broken. Can you help me fix it?"
The moment these words came out, a familiar virtual panel popped up in front of Chi Ting.
[Task name: Repair the hanging light.]
[Task introduction: Qiao Mei, who often walks the runways around the world, is actually a typical stupid beauty. She has almost zero life skills and is always troubled by very ordinary things. Look, she accidentally broke the hanging light in her home. Can you fix it for her?
Task reward: Qiao Mei's favorability +20.
Hidden effect: Unknown (???).
Do you want to accept the mission? Yes or no.]
Unlike the last time, Chi Ting didn't hesitate to press the 'yes' option.
The female model also seemed very happy after hearing his agreement. She turned to her side and let him enter.
Chi Ting walked inside while observing the layout on this side.
On the left front of the door was the kitchen. Further inside was the living room he was going to. A hallway extended inside. The two sides should have the master bedroom and guest bedroom. This seemed very conventional and simple.
Chi Ting was 1.82 meters tall, and he could easily reach the hanging light when stepping on a chair. The repair process was very easy.
The moment he reconnected the power, he clearly saw the progress bar above the female mode's head jump forward by a small block. The favorability value was +20.
Judging from the two tasks encountered so far, the tasks basically weren't very difficult.
It could be seen that the clearance of this game didn't rely on the players' physical strength.
Chi Ting put away the maintenance tools and turned his head to meet the female model's direct gaze. This feeling was like a pair of invisible hands gently caressing his face. It was extremely sticky.
From this angle, the female model's body was shrouded in shadows. Her eyes were particularly deep, and the curve of her mouth was becoming more and more distinct. "Why? Is there a problem?"
The moment they looked at each other, the surrounding air became several degrees colder.
The whole space was so quiet that there was only the sound of breathing left. To be precise, it was the sound of Chi Ting's breathing.
Then in the next second, he laughed like a spring breeze. "It is already repaired. How can there be a problem?"
He got down from the chair very naturally and handed the tools in his hand to the female model. He didn't forget to thoughtfully remind her, "However, I don't do this type of work very much. There might be some wiring that wasn't handled perfectly. If the light is broken again later, you can come next door and knock on the door to find me at any time."
The moment these words came out, he didn't forget to blink slowly. "It is my honor to serve my neighbors."
Under such an overly frank attitude, the female model's demeanor also softened. Her smile was like a strong blooming rose, the same as her name. "Don't worry. In the future, there should be many things that I need to trouble you with."
She stared at Chi Ting, her eyes full of greed. "By the way, I like your face."
The last words gently brushed past his ears. The lingering ending tone was like an invisible thread, piercing his ears from all directions. It was like a needle pricking him.
Chi Ting glanced at her, bid farewell, and left with a calm expression.
It wasn't until he got home and closed the door that the friendly smile on his face disappeared in an instant. His slightly lowered eyes covered the silent look in them.
He opened his phone to take a look at the group. Everyone was still sharing the progress of the task they had just completed. It looked very smooth.
But the more this was the case, the stranger it became.
In the next half a day, Chi Ting's door was knocked on three times. Every time, the female model used various excuses to ask him for the simplest help.
All of this seemed very normal under the foreshadowing of the rules, but this type of courtesy inexplicably gave Chi Ting the feeling that 'she' was more anxious about favorability than himself.
It wasn't until 9 o'clock in the evening that everything finally quieted down.
Judging from the progress statistics in the group, someone had successfully captured two NPCs on the same floor in a short amount of time. The collective green names meant they had obtained permission to act in a new area.
[Seven days! No, I feel like we can go out smoothly in less than seven days!]
[It should be faster if we cooperate.]
[Today, Grandma also gave me a basket of eggs. Our relationship has been qualitatively sublimated.]
[The NPC next door to me is also like this. This little brat, he is coaxed so easily by me. I think he will count the money for me if I sell him.]
[This is my first time playing this type of game, but it feels much simpler than what I have encountered before.]
[However, the look in the eyes of these NPCs always makes me feel uncomfortable. Still, it is within the acceptable range. I hope there will be no reversal later.]
[Shut up! Don't jinx it. I'm willing to continue like this according to the current rhythm!]
It was hard to tell from the texts whether everyone was really so optimistic or if they were simply trying to raise their own spirits by cheering themselves up. In any case, at least the positive energy expressed was quite exciting. Everyone was doing their best to clear the level.
Chi Ting didn't join the group chat. He slowly stroked the strange stone on his chest with his fingers.
At the end of the day, the content of the task might seem so simple that it was almost free, but the female model's gaze toward him was too blatant. It would be fine if she was really a human being, but there was always an inexplicable feeling of discomfort from being stared at by something he didn't know.
Chi Ting moved his shoulders and stood up from the sofa.
Just as he was about to go back to the master bedroom to sleep, the sound of small footsteps entering his ears made him stop.
He looked at the clock on the wall.
It was just past 10 o'clock.
Could it be that the corporate drone had returned?
Thinking like this, Chi Ting decreased the sound of his footsteps and looked out through the peephole.
However, what entered his view was still an empty corridor.
Chi Ting didn't move because he was very sure that he couldn't hear incorrectly.
In the long silence, something finally swayed slightly below his field of view.
It was a bit short and worked very hard to extend its height little by little in a strange posture.
This was until Chi Ting saw a pair of empty, dead eyes meeting his own
The light in the corridor happened to flicker slightly and Chi Ting also blinked slowly.
It was no longer the original white light but a dark and eerie green.
Under such a beam of light, he finally saw clearly the appearance of the person at the door.
It was Gloria.
"Brother, my doll is missing. Can you help me find my doll?"
It was the exact same question as before. The child's clear voice seemed to have a special magic. It squeezed through the gap in the door and clearly entered their ears.
Such a strange screen was enough to cause a person to scream, no matter who it happened to. Chi Ting was silent for a moment but only frowned slightly.
There was one question in his mind. Previously, Gloria couldn't come down from the 12th floor. Now she suddenly appeared here. Did it mean that the previous area restrictions had completely expired?
His phone vibrated twice. Chi Ting lowered his head and unlocked it.
[Ahhhh what is going on? Have you seen how the NPCs from other floors suddenly ran out?!!!]
[D*mn, that guy is standing in front of my door with an axe. I don't know what he wants to do.]
[Isn't that mother-in-law on the 8th floor? Why did she suddenly come to my 9th floor?]
[Woo woo woo woo, they are knocking on my door. They are desperately knocking on my door. Help, is there someone to save me—!]
[No, I don't feel like I can continue like this! Tomorrow, tomorrow, I must get full favorability and leave here!]
Once the first message came out, it seemed to be a signal. A succession of messages emerged in the player group. The strong fear and uneasiness conveyed from it instantly merged into the deadly silence of the night.
They couldn't see the barrage content in their live stream room.
One after another, it densely covered almost all of the screen in the live stream room. It was as if it was the demonic whisper behind the instance rules.
—[Finally, the game has officially started!]