For a moment, everyone's excitement in the previous second seemed to be their illusion.
A deathly silence shrouded the lobby of the first floor for a long time. At this moment, it seemed that even the wind that occasionally leaked into the safe passage was completely solidified.
Xiang Xianwan's body shook. She instinctively wanted to support herself against the wall but slowly fell to the ground.
What was this?
They persevered for so many days without collapsing. It was just to be able to go downstairs and leave this place smoothly. Now the results told them that all their previous efforts were meaningless?
It felt like their last hope had finally been stripped away.
The atmosphere of despair spread instantly. Gong Jing scratched his head and rushed over without giving up. He hit the wall that should've been the door of the apartment. "It isn't right! I'm not mistaken. It was obviously here! What about the door? There must be some type of illusion. Do they want us to think that the door has disappeared?!"
After another round of hitting, bruises gradually appeared on his palms and wrist. However, it was useless.
The heavy wall remained motionless. The solid residual force rebounded on Gong Jing's muscles again and again. It caused a tearing pain but also showed a very cruel fact.
"Stop hitting. It is useless. Let's calm down first."
Li Tao's emotions were also broken, but he knew very well that once everyone's beliefs collapsed together, there was really no hope. He rushed over and firmly controlled Gong Jing, comforting him over and over again. "Take our time and see if there are any other clues. This should be the last test of the instance. Hmm… it should be."
In the end, he obviously wasn't very confident. He gritted his teeth but still turned his head to look at another person. "Right, Chi… Brother Chi?"
At this time, he found that Chi Ting had walked up to Yue Ren at an unknown time. Judging from the atmosphere between these two, it obviously wasn't a friendly interaction.
Chi Ting's gaze slowly stopped on Yue Ren's body, and he got straight to the point. "Say it. What else do we need to do?"
Facing the other person's unconcealed killing intent at this moment, Yue Ren slowly raised his eyes. His puzzled expression didn't seem fake. "I don't seem to understand what you are saying, Mr Chi."
Chi Ting didn't fall for it. "Didn't you come all the way downstairs to see us panicked, desperate, and helpless? Now that everything you want to see has been seen, isn't it time to go to the next step in the process?"
Yue Ren stared straight at Chi Ting. After a long time, the corners of his mouth raised in an interested arc. "Are you sure that I have seen what I want to see?"
Chi Ting didn't answer this question.
Yue Ren put his hands in his trouser pockets. The slender figure leaning against the wall leaned forward slightly. He suddenly closed the distance, and his breath almost directly brushed over the tip of Chi Ting's nose. "Speaking of which, you have always had this calm look from the beginning to the present. Mr Chi, I am really curious. If such a face shows an expression of horror and despair, it must be very beautiful, right?"
Chi Ting glanced up and sighed a bit speechlessly. "Has anyone ever told you that being too curious isn't a good thing?"
He obviously didn't need the other person to answer this question. He pulled back and used the force to go in the opposite direction. In an instant, he was already directly pressed against Yue Ren's side.
This was accompanied by the elongated red string of beads reaching Yue Ren's neck. The words that came out without any hurry were cold, without the slightest emotion. "In particular, this type of excessively perverted bad taste."
Yue Ren lowered his eyes slightly. What fell into his eyes was the metallic luster reflected on the red string.
The soft cotton thread had become soft at some point. He had no doubt that if he displeased the person in front of him, he would be able to taste the thrill of blood splattering on the spot.
What a temper.
Yue Ren raised an eyebrow without the slightest panic. A smile appeared in his eyes, and he even sounded a bit sincere. "Thank you for the reminder. I will definitely pay attention next time."
Chi Ting: "..."
That was what he said, but looking at this person's attitude, Chi Ting didn't feel the slightest bit of self-reflection.
He stared at Yue Ren. Chi Ting finally felt it wasn't easy to get too entangled with this unpredictable guy. He reminded again, "So can you tell us what to do next?"
"Of course." Yue Ren smiled slightly, raised his hand, and obediently surrendered.
After confirming that the other person really wasn't thinking crookedly, Chi Ting finally took the beads back with a flick of his hand. He took two steps back and stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, staring firmly.
Based on the conversation between the two people just now, the others realized that the key to the final clearance of this instance was this Yue Ren.
However, even if they knew this, no one dared to continue to approach. They watched from a distance as Yue Ren tidied up his somewhat messy clothes. Then he meaningfully glanced in their direction.
Everyone saw the virtual panel that appeared in front of them again.
Chi Ting also received a new task. He read the content introduction clearly and couldn't help raising an eyebrow slightly. "?"
[Group Task: Emotional Cultivation (0/1)
Task introduction: The year-round busy work makes Yue Ren's life boring. He yearns for the sincere and never-ending friendship in the TV series. Dear neighbor, can you give him a loving kiss?
Task reward: Yue Ren's favorability +1.000.
Hidden effect: None.
Do you want to accept the mission? Yes or no.]
Chi Ting read it again before confirming he had read it correctly. He looked at the others. "What is your task?"
The sudden new task made everyone a bit stunned. Now Chi Ting questioned them, and they immediately gave an answer.
In this comparison, it could be found that the final task given by Yue Ren was different. It was completely different from person to person.
Chi Ting's frown immediately deepened.
Such an expression obviously made Li Tao feel wrong. In the face of this final puzzle, his expression was also very ugly. "So, is this the last level of the game? A collective task means that only one person needs to complete it. Isn't this making us sacrifice another person before we can clear the instance?"
Favorability +1,000.
If it was only the early stages of the game, everyone might still think it was a great reward. Now Chang Hefeng and Xiang Xianwan's previous experiences were still vivid. They only slightly exceeded the safety line when increasing favorability.
No one knew what would happen when favorability increased by 1,000. One of the most easily conceivable results was that they would quickly assimilate at an unstoppable speed, stay in the instance, and become a member of this Love Apartment forever.
In the disturbing, deathly silence, Yue Ren leaned against the wall and observed everyone's expressions with a smile.
Among these selfish, greedy, and fearful human beings, who would finally choose to step out?
Was it the boy who almost died once due to his stupid kindness, the girl who should've collapsed a long time ago but was still pretending to be calm, the coward who only knew how to shrink back in the rear and fish in troubled waters or…
The moment his gaze fell on Chi Ting again, Yue Ren's eyes couldn't help showing a trace of disappointment.
This man seemed to lack awe for the world. Yue Ren racked his brains to come up with such an unreasonable task just to find some different emotional changes on this man's face.
But as a result, it was just a few seconds of frowning.
It was boring. This person really didn't seem like a human being to him.
Yue Ren sighed silently in his heart.
The silence continued.
Gong Jing felt that his limbs had lost consciousness due to excessive tension. He finally recovered and was about to look at Chi Ting. Then the moment he raised his head, Xiang Xianwan glared at him.
He was stunned. Then he reacted immediately and felt a surge of heat in his numb body.
Yes, he didn't know since when, but they had all been under Chi Ting's care.
Advancement, survival, and even eating… subconsciously, they always felt that a person could protect them. Even at this time, they subconsciously hoped that Chi Ting would step forward again.
Gong Jing knew that he had a lot of bad roots. He was cowardly, self-interested, loved to take advantage, and was greedy for life while afraid of death. But as a person, he really couldn't forget his roots!
For a person like him, even if he was lucky enough to get out of this instance, it was estimated that he would soon die in the next instance. In contrast, other people with their own advantages should be able to go further than him…
The strong sense of fear made Gong Jing tremble a bit when he stood up. He slightly stuttered as he said, "Yes, or still, I-I…"
The next words were directly interrupted by a loud female voice.
"I'll do it!" Xiang Xianwan's eyes were red. She was obviously very scared, but when she felt the gazes of others, she forced herself to smile calmly. "If it wasn't for Brother Chi, I would've been assimilated by this instance a long time ago. It is good that I can live for two more days. I have made a lot of profit. Let me do it. You should clear the instance well. I think this apartment… um, it is actually pretty good."
The last few words were a bit reluctant, but she still stubbornly kept the smile on her face.
Li Tao was stunned by the two people speaking one after another. After a few seconds, he hurriedly said, "Don't do it! There must be another way. Let's discuss it well. How can anyone be in a hurry to send themselves to death? Xianwan, if you said that you are almost assimilated then I was almost sacrificed. We are equal. It might not be your turn. Sigh, Brother Chi, come and persuade them. At the very least, we should think of other methods!"
Chi Ting stopped and glanced back at Yue Ren. "There is no other way, right?"
Yue Ren hadn't expected that this person would actually choose to ask him so bluntly. He blinked and smiled, "That's right."
Looking at Xiang Xianwan's even more death-like gaze, Li Tao almost cried. "..."
Brother! My dear brother! I asked you to persuade people, not to let you dismantle things!
PART 2
Chi Ting obviously couldn't empathize with Li Tao's collapse. He looked at Xiang Xianwan and then at Yue Ren.
Fingertips slowly caressed the beads in his hands. He finally lowered his eyes slightly and suddenly pulled hard.
The white beads scattered on the ground like flowers. The sound of the beads falling like jade disks instantly became the only sound around them. The number of beads that lost their red string connection seemed to create a snowy landscape on the ground, making the several people rushing to die feel dumbfounded.
What was this situation?
"Don't fight. Only I can do this type of thing." Chi Ting's face wasn't full of joy or anger. Even the tone of his speech was still unhurried. "I have strong willpower. Even if assimilation really occurs after completing the task, I have more time than you."
As he said this, he slowly raised his hand. The red string scattered on the ground returned to him as if being dragged.
Then there was a clear snap of his fingers.
In the next second, the overly weird scene made everyone instinctively cover their mouths.
So far, everyone's impression of this exclusive item in Chi Ting's hand only stopped at the fact that it could grow short or long. They didn't pay much attention to the beads of different sizes on it.
At this moment, a bead scattered on the ground suddenly rose with a faint white light. Gradually, an illusory figure emerged from the bead and saluted respectfully toward Chi Ting. The voice was empty and distant. "Captain."
"Xiao Lu." Chi Ting acted like he was seeing a family member and pointed in Yue Ren's direction. "Pay attention to him later. If he wants to run, try to stop him."
"Yes!" The phantom replied.
Chi Ting nodded and snapped his fingers a second time.
This time, the phantom appeared next to Li Tao. He wanted to touch it. Then he saw the 'person' suddenly look back and was so frightened that he hurriedly withdrew his hand.
Chi Ting once said that these beads were made of human bones. Everyone thought he was joking. Now that he thought about it carefully, Li Tao suddenly felt that this statement was probably true!
"Old Song, prepare your domain. If I'm not sober later, be careful to wake me up as soon as possible," Chi Ting snapped his fingers again and spoke to the short phantom next to him. "If there is a situation, I might not be able to maintain my sanity for long. You need to end the battle as soon as possible before then."
The short phantom touched the illusionary machine gun in his hand. "Don't worry, Captain. He can't run away."
One phantom after another quickly filled the previously empty lobby.
Compared to the three people in the corner who no longer knew what to say, Yue Ren was in particularly high spirits despite becoming everyone's target. He saw Chi Ting walking toward him and smiled. "I knew that you weren't an ordinary person, Mr Chi."
Chi Ting glanced at him. "It is good that you know this."
He lowered his eyes slightly, and his gaze fell on the other person's lips. He didn't forget to give a warning at the end. "I agree to the last task. If you play tricks, I can't guarantee how much patience I will have."
Yue Ren also stared at Chi Ting. "As long as you complete the final task, it means you have accepted my deal. I am always honest and trustworthy when it comes to deals."
"Deal?" Chi Ting quickly noticed the keyword.
"The simple final tasks are my sincerity to you. Of course, you can also refuse. However, I have always been picky about food. I have finally chosen a partner who fits my vision. I really don't want to miss it."
Yue Ren blinked slowly. "I'm looking forward to working with you. I hope you won't let me down at that time."
There was a short silence before Chi Ting asked, "Since it is a deal, what do I need to pay?"
Yue Ren maintained a very decent smile. "Don't worry, I definitely won't embarrass you. It is just a bit of effort. You don't even need to have the slightest feeling of 'paying' something."
Such words sounded like the big cake that the boss had drawn when he mobilized them. Chi Ting was extremely doubtful about the authenticity, but he obviously didn't have more choices.
The corners of Chi Ting's mouth tightened slightly. He looked at the other person's lips again.
Yue Ren sensed the other person's hesitation and spoke thoughtfully, "If it is difficult, in fact, I can show you a special favor and change the task…"
"No need. This is quite convenient." Compared to the task content where he needed to prepare gifts or do other tasks, Chi Ting sincerely felt it was too simple just to kiss.
Without waiting for Yue Ren to finish speaking, he directly took two steps forward. He grabbed the collar with one hand and pulled this person forward, kissing him deeply.
Click.
A crack finally appeared in Yue Ren's playful expression. Under his feet, the shadows suddenly grew by several times.
A few seconds later, the other three people reacted and precisely represented the audience in the live stream room. Out of excessive shock, the trio directly called out, "Huh—?!!!"
The moment the kiss was released, Yue Ren stared directly at Chi Ting with an unclear expression.
They looked at each other. If it wasn't for the phantoms around them who were still gathering momentum, the atmosphere of everything would be like embarrassment after a sudden ambiguity.
Chi Ting inexplicably felt guilty for a moment.
He didn't know why. He was clearly the one who received this task, but it felt like he was forcing himself on the other person.
Chi Ting cleared his throat in a low voice while his fingertips rubbed against his lips that still had an aftertaste. After thinking about it for a while, he couldn't help muttering, "It turns out that kissing is like this."
"Oh? What does it feel like?"
"It isn't bad." Chi Ting subconsciously told the truth. Then he realized the identity of the person asking him this question. He looked up and met the eyes of Yue Ren, who seemed to want to smile.
The man stared straight at him and licked the corners of his lips meaningfully. "Is that so?"
Chi Ting: "..."
He wanted to say something, but his attention was drawn to something else when he raised his eyes.
The completion of the task meant that Yue Ren's favorability directly jumped up by +1,000.
However, the feeling of assimilation that Chi Ting imagined didn't happen. Instead, he watched the whole process of the favorability value jumping from green to pink in one fell swoop.
A pink favorability value?
Why did he feel like there was something weird?
Chi Ting stopped and waited a while.
He confirmed that Yue Ren really had no other evil intentions and raised the red string in his hand. All the phantoms returned to the beads and were instantly connected into a string of beads that fell into his hands again.
Chi Ting finally made a confirmation. "Is it considered cleared now?"
Yue Ren smiled slightly. "Of course."
Chi Ting asked, "So what do you need me to do?"
"Don't worry, you will know at the time." Yue Ren smiled slightly and made an inviting gesture for them in the direction of the elevator.
The elevator.
It was what they used to go upstairs.
Naturally, in the process of increasing favorability, there were people who checked it. Forget any special places. Even the operation permission of other floors wasn't opened. It seemed like a useless decoration.
At that time, everyone was naturally a bit hesitant about the invitation of Yue Ren. Then seeing that Chi Ting had already walked in, they immediately followed.
Yue Ren stood on one side while the other three stood behind Chi Ting. They were like guarding a chick from the big bad wolf.
Yue Ren seemed to be in a particularly good mood and didn't mind it.
It wasn't until the elevator doors closed that the shadow under his feet stretched out. The moment it neared the button, a '-1' floor selection suddenly appeared at the bottom of the row of buttons.
"F*k, an underground garage?" Li Tao felt that he was completely stupid.
This development also left the audience in the live stream room speechless.
This was indeed a route that no one had ever imagined. It was clear that the right way to exit the instance had always been in Yue Ren's hands.
No matter how the ultimate task was triggered, this man was the key to this instance from beginning to end.
The elevator reached the underground level, and the doors opened with a 'ding!' Then the progress bar of Love Apartment finally reached 100%.
In the live stream room, some people were already discussing the review of the instance, while some people were shocked by Chi Ting's personal skill. Then the image of the instance was cut off in the midst of the laughter and chatter.
In the instance, the group of people came out of the elevator and walked into the underground garage. Finally, they saw the complete appearance of this community for the first time.
At a glance, what fell into their eyes was the gate directly opposite them.
They could leave for real as long as they passed through this gate.
Chi Ting was the last one to walk in.
Looking back, what fell into his eyes was the tall figure of Yue Ren. In the endless building complex, this scene was indescribably lonely and desolate.
Chi Ting inexplicably thought of himself, who was left alone in the world at that time.
In such a world, it seemed like there was only silence.
It was out of place.
[Countdown to the instance closing: 10, 9…]
Yue Ren also stood at the door and stared at him. Their eyes met and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
[6. 5…]
Chi Ting heard the man speak.
"Mr Chi, can you extend your hand and invite me to see your world?"
[4, 3, 2…]
Chi Ting suddenly remembered what Yue Ren said at that time.
—"I hope you don't let me down at that time, Mr. Chi."
It turned out that this was the final deal?
The moment their eyes made contact in the air and looking at the man standing in this world that was about to collapse, Chi Ting still reached out his hand.
His slender fingers cast a small shadow in the sunlight.
He saw Yue Ren like this and suddenly smiled. The tangible figure instantly turned into a black shadow. The moment it merged, the door closed.
[1.]
[The countdown is over. The 'Love Apartment' instance has been closed. I look forward to you coming again.]
[Didi—! A data error was detected. A new database is being generated.]
[Congratulations to the players Chi Ting, Li Tao, Xiang Xianwan, Gong Jing, and '???' for achieving the first clearance of 'Love Apartment.']
[The instance reward is being calculated. Please wait…]
...