All the surrounding images quickly lost their color, like night lights that had suddenly lost power.
In the midst of darkness, Cheng Tingyu saw a line of text flash before his eyes—
[Congratulations to the player for clearing the dungeon, you have obtained the items [Stage Play Water Gun] ×1, [You Are the Postman] ×1.]
Cheng Tingyu slowly blinked his eyes.
She was still standing on the open ground in front of the inn, her feet on a chalk-drawn circle-shaped graffiti, surrounded by cartoon houses also drawn in chalk. The once bright colors seemed to be covered with a layer of dust, appearing dull and lifeless.
The dome was almost completely dark, with only a faint trace of the rich, deep orange of dusk still visible on the distant horizon.
Time seemed not to have passed for long.
Not far away, the sound of a car horn could be heard. The hotel receptionist waved to the guest waiting at the door from the window, signaling them to get in the car quickly.
Cheng Tingyu smiled, carrying his luggage as he walked over.
The hotel receptionist was quite skilled at driving and quickly took the guest to another branch closer to the station.
The branch's popularity was noticeably more vibrant than the place I had stayed before.
Cheng Tingyu received something called "no-rinse cleaner" at the new front desk—guests only need to spray the "no-rinse cleaner" on themselves to achieve a certain level of cleanliness, to some extent replacing the need for a bath.
After returning to his room, Cheng Tingyu lay on the bed for a while, then reached out and grabbed at the air.
A water gun and a rectangular card appeared in her hand.
——[Stage play water gun] and [You are the postman].
After clearing the level, Cheng Tingyu could sense that something had changed around him, but he chose to hold back for the moment, waiting until he was alone to verify it.
[Stage Play Water Gun] She had already used it in the instance, and as for [You Are the Postman], Cheng Tingyu patiently observed for a while before deciphering some information.
——After clearing the level, she clearly felt the power in her right eye gradually becoming stable.
[You Are the Postman] is a blank work permit belonging to a postman. Cheng Tingyu can fill in the name of the wearer and the purpose of the work in advance. As long as the named person voluntarily picks up the work permit within twenty-four hours, they will assume the role of the postman and fulfill the related duties.
Although there are significant limitations to its use, if utilized properly, it might achieve some excellent results.
Cheng Tingyu carefully put away the two props and then turned off the bedside lamp.
In just two more days, it would be the day she set off for the new territory.
The fields and roadside trees outside the window swiftly receded, left far behind by the speeding train.
Cheng Tingyu propped his chin with one hand, gazing absentmindedly at the scenery outside.
The day to go to the city finally arrived. The service at the inn was excellent; on the day of departure, they sent a car to take her directly to the station.
For the survivors after a century of silence, transportation capable of long-distance travel was an extremely valuable resource, and the ticket inspection process was very stringent. After verifying the authenticity of the ticket, Cheng Tingyu was led by the attendant to the third-class carriage.
There were not many passengers on the bus, and there was no one around Cheng Tingyu's seat.
During the time he was waiting for the train, Cheng Tingyu learned from the hotel staff what "Secret Eyes" meant.
After a century of silence, various replicas began to appear in the world. At the same time, a portion of humanity started to awaken special powers, which were diverse and varied. Researchers took a long time to make basic distinctions, and as for the "Mystic Eyes," it was a term for those who could always see things that others could not.
Cheng Tingyu shifted his gaze to the paper cup.
Five seconds later, a line of text that only she could see appeared: [An ordinary paper cup, it is recommended not to hold liquids over 70°C.]
"Secret Eyes" can easily obtain information that other types of players cannot access. This ability can sometimes help them clear dungeons faster, but it can also lead to their sudden death if they see something they shouldn't.
From the statistical data, the probability of sudden death is higher than that of obtaining useful information, and when "Secret Eyes" die, they often fall into terrifying madness, affecting those around them. For this reason, many cities have banned such players from entering.
"The train has arrived at the station. Passengers in the third-class carriage, please disembark in an orderly manner and proceed to the outer city under the guidance of the station staff."
The electronic broadcast sounded, and when Cheng Tingyu heard the words "Outer City," her gaze shifted slightly. She then grabbed her luggage and got off the vehicle. While inquiring about the players' abilities over the past two days, she also took the opportunity to learn about the situation in City F0631. This city covers an exceptionally vast area and is divided into the Inner City, Middle City, and Outer City. The closer one gets to the city center, the better the living environment.
When Cheng Tingyu first learned about the aforementioned situation, he deeply felt that the structural division of F0631 City had quite a bit of a cyber-futuristic style.
Gray stone tiles, a not-so-high dome, and two rows of empty, more formal than functional waiting seats made up the entire station. There wasn't even a place selling snacks or drinks. The emptiness felt almost perfunctory, with only a few station staff idly standing at their posts.
However, Cheng Tingyu had a feeling of being watched.
She lifted her head, her gaze sweeping briefly over the surveillance camera in the corner of the ceiling.
Clearly, it was a simple mechanical creation, yet it gave Cheng Tingyu the illusion that those were the eyes of a living person.
She reached up to press down the brim of her hat and walked out at an unhurried pace, as if completely unaware of it all.
The few sets of clothes that came with the original body all belonged to the "passerby A in the crowd" style. Even among the few passengers who disembarked with Cheng Tingyu, she was the one most easily overlooked.
After the passengers left.
In the duty room, a young man in a black coat, incongruous with his surroundings, grinned and said, "There are seventy-six passengers in total, and no players have infiltrated the outer district." He looked at a similarly dressed woman beside him, "Captain Zhuo?"
Captain Zhuo, as she was called, sat upright in her chair with a composed expression, wearing a coat. Her demeanor was slightly serious. When she heard the young man's question, she nodded gently. "I didn't sense anything either, but we can't rule out the possibility that there might be players with newly awakened abilities among them."
At this moment, it was already late. Cheng Tingyu planned to first find an inn to stay for the night and then consider his future livelihood the next day.
Before she arrived, she had already exchanged her belongings for the currency of City F0631. The amount wasn't much, but it wasn't little either; it should be enough to support her for a while in the new environment.
Cheng Tingyu, thinking this, walked to the entrance of a modest inn, planning to stay there for the night.
Five minutes later, Cheng Tingyu walked out again, her expression slightly bewildered—she had just inquired about the accommodation price and was told it was 1200 yuan per day.
"..."
All the money she had on her added up to just over three thousand.
Cheng Tingyu, still unwilling to give up, went around to other hotels, and finally confirmed that he had a huge misunderstanding about the purchasing power of F0631 city's currency.
Here, ten units are roughly equivalent to one unit before the time travel.
Before time-traveling, she had to find a job; after time-traveling, she still had to find a job. Cheng Tingyu didn't necessarily want to live such a steadfast life, but her empty pockets left her no choice but to be pushed forward by life..
Just as Cheng Tingyu was about to give up and spend the night on a park bench, she spotted an old-fashioned, somewhat dated capsule hotel across from the park.
Without delving into the deeper reasons why the builders placed the capsule hotel across from the park, Cheng Tingyu, having had prior experience, first checked the prices. Compared to the previous hotel, this capsule hotel was exceptionally affordable: one hundred yuan per day, two hundred yuan for three days, seven hundred yuan for ten days, and only fifteen hundred yuan for a monthly stay. Additionally, for guests who paid five hundred yuan upfront, the hotel offered a free luggage storage box and a simple breakfast.
The common area of the capsule hotel wasn't large, but it had all the necessary facilities. If converted to pre-travel amounts, it was unbelievably cheap.
After briefly surveying the interior, Cheng Tingyu, who had already accumulated some experience in time travel, quickly understood the reason for such a price.
The high density of residents in capsule hotels makes it easier to trigger instances.
Since it was a self-service capsule hotel, once the payment was made, you would receive a gray room card indicating your living area. Cheng Tingyu glanced around and confirmed that the hotel's environment matched its accommodation price quite well—the interior was filled with a sense of untidiness, there was a faint smell of smoke in the air, the lighting was dim, and the atmosphere was oppressive.
A man in a gray coat walked into the inn from outside, gave the newly arrived Cheng Tingyu an indifferent glance, and slipped into his own bed. Following him were two middle-aged women traveling together, a young man in his twenties, and a girl of middle school age.
In just five short minutes, more than twenty people had come and gone.
Some people seemed to have been staying in the capsule hotel for quite some time, their expressions revealing a weariness that stemmed from deep within their spirits.
People were conversing, yet in this oppressive space, their voices seemed muffled and indistinct.
Normally, Cheng Tingyu shouldn't be able to hear the conversations of people who are too far away from her. However, as a "Mithong," as long as the distance doesn't exceed ten meters, she can determine the content of their conversations by observing their lip movements.
[Where should I go to make money tomorrow?]
[More and more newcomers are arriving; the busy season is fast approaching.]
[The development zone isn't that dangerous, you can go and give it a try...]
Perhaps it was because she had only recently become a player, but Cheng Tingyu couldn't use her keen eyes for long periods. Otherwise, her eyes would feel intensely uncomfortable. Each time she used them to the point of exhaustion, she had to rest for at least an hour before she could use them again. She withdrew her gaze, stuffed her luggage, except for her backpack, into the storage locker, then found her bed and prepared to shake off the dust before lying down.
While tidying up the bed, Cheng Tingyu noticed a corner of paper peeking out from under the bedding. She casually pulled it out and found it was a not-so-new rental advertisement.
"House for Rent: Apartment No. 6, 704 Wutong Street, sincerely seeking tenants. Monthly rent (-10000~-1000) yuan. Certain risks involved. Outstanding performance may qualify for a residence permit."
Before she traveled through time, she had also rented houses. Typically, landlords would have to specify the condition of the house, contact details, and other particulars to make the property more appealing to strangers.
The result was that this advertisement only had the house address and the monthly rent, especially the negative sign before the monthly rent, which showed a kind of thoughtfulness that the landlord was willing to pay out as long as someone was willing to come.
Cheng Tingyu raised his eyebrows.
If it was a scam, then it was a rather half-hearted one.
"Are you thinking of renting the apartment at number six?"
Just as Cheng Tingyu was looking at the advertisement flyer, a voice came from her right side.
The man in the gray coat who was speaking had his bed right next to Cheng Tingyu's.
The man in the gray coat sneered, "The stuff on that piece of paper isn't a lie, but a person can only stay in Apartment No. 6 for a month at most. If this good thing could really go on forever, would anyone still be willing to live in this haunted place?"
Cheng Tingyu glanced at the other person and smiled slightly, "Do people often come to the capsule hotel to hand out flyers?"
The man in the gray coat shrugged. "Who knows? Anyway, everyone living here is poor. As long as nothing major happens, no one will come to check."
Cheng Tingyu stared at the advertisement paper for a while, then once again used his own power.
In the dim light, no one noticed the brief, barely perceptible red glow that spread around the edge of Cheng Tingyu's pupils.
She saw thick and illusory blood flowing out from the advertisement paper, yet within that blood, a strange radiance flickered.
Rental Flyer: This is a rental advertisement for Apartment No. 6 at 704 Wutong Street.
Current tenants in the apartment: 38
Total number of tenants: 4211;
Number of surviving residents: 3418;
Three seconds later, the bloodstains and writings that hovered between reality and illusion completely vanished. Based on the known information, Cheng Tingyu made a simple calculation of the situation in Apartment No. 6.
According to what the man in the gray coat just said, a person can stay in Apartment No. 6 for a maximum of one month. Assuming the current number of residents is the average, there should be around 456 residents each year. Combining this with the total number of tenants, it can be seen that this apartment has been around for more than nine years.
Over the course of nine years, there were a total of 4,211 tenants, with 3,418 surviving residents. This means that 793 people died during this period, nearly a fifth of the total. Spread out over each month, this averages to about seven people.
As for the survivors, it doesn't mean they haven't experienced danger.
Cheng Tingyu clasped his hands together, gently resting them against his chin, revealing a contemplative expression.
It seems that this F0631 city is not as safe as she thought.