Cheng Tingyu stared at the cola in front of him.
Even if she couldn't identify the explanation, she found it hard to refuse the choice before her.
——After all, this is cola.
After crossing over, Cheng Tingyu had the chance to drink a carbonated beverage for the first time.
Cheng Tingyu stepped forward, picked up the iced cola, and drank it all in one go.
The icy liquid slid down her throat into her stomach, bringing a certain calmness back to her mind. Cheng Tingyu glanced at the image in the mirror and noticed that her life value, stamina, and mental state had all slightly improved.
Cheng Tingyu, feeling somewhat relieved, didn't waste any time. He quickly took a brief walk around Room 501, swiftly ruling out the possibility that the two rooms were decorated in the same style
The items in the two houses were not new furniture. No matter how similar the living habits of the two homeowners were, it was impossible for all the traces to be old in the same way.
Moreover, the house number at the door had been changed. Although the windows couldn't be shattered, looking out from the window, one could tell that the height from the ground had changed.
Cheng Tingyu pondered for a moment and murmured, "A dream..."
She stayed in Room 501 for only half a minute. Remembering Wei Xuguang's reminder, Cheng Tingyu did not continue to explore further. After a few glances, she prepared to leave.
However, just as her right hand grasped the door lock, Cheng Tingyu's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, so fast that she even felt the pain in her chest as her organs were forced to contract.
She opened the door, darted out, but felt a sudden, unanticipated suffocation, then lowered her head as if realizing something.
"Drip."
A black claw crushed the freshly gripped neck bone, and bright red blood spurted out, drizzling down into the dimly lit stairwell.
"Cough, cough cough."
In Apartment 6, Room 606, Cheng Tingyu clutched his throat, sat up from the bed, and kept coughing.
Although she had already escaped from the simulation, the sensation of death just now was so real that there was still a lingering pain on her neck, as if it had been slowly crushed.
Cheng Tingyu calmed herself and replayed her experiences in the dungeon in her mind. She could now confirm that not only would she see monsters when going downstairs, but if she stayed too long in a certain place while going upstairs, she would also be attacked by monsters.
Moreover, those monsters not only have unpredictable movement patterns but are also highly agile and possess strong attack power. They have the characteristic of being able to instantly kill players upon contact. From the brief encounters so far, there seems to be almost no clear way to counter them.
Although she didn't rest well, Cheng Tingyu didn't plan to continue sleeping. She glanced at the time on her phone; it was exactly 2:30 PM—she had successfully slept through lunch.
With the help of the mirror's reflection, Cheng Tingyu had a clearer grasp of her condition. After a nap, her physical strength had somewhat recovered, but her mental state had directly dropped to "109/125."
Cheng Tingyu felt that it was fortunate his overall mental strength had improved through repeated training in the dungeons; otherwise, with those sixteen points of mental value dropping, he had the distinct feeling that the mild madness he had just parted with was ready to beckon him back.
Apartment No. 6 has a medical room. Cheng Tingyu plans to go over and ask the staff if there is any way to help players stabilize their mental state.
The "Check-in Instructions" indicated that the medical room was located on the second floor, on the same level as the cafeteria, though in a more secluded area.
Cheng Tingyu originally thought the cafeteria lacked any liveliness, but compared to the infirmary, the place where they had breakfast this morning was absolutely bustling with people.
Whether it was before or after the time travel, the color scheme of the medical room always seemed to be predominantly white. The interior of this room was cool and quiet, with not a single patient in sight. Only a gentle-mannered doctor was sitting on duty. The overall layout was quite simple, with a cabinet on the left side of the entrance filled with various bottles and jars. With the enhanced vision provided by the secret pupil, Cheng Tingyu saw more than one type of cold medicine, cough syrup, and fever reducer labeled with the "Screwdriver" brand inside.
——As an insurance company, "Screwdriver" has indeed expanded its business scope too broadly.
In the snow-white room stood a folding screen. When Cheng Tingyu entered, the screen was not pulled across, revealing the empty ward behind it.
The on-duty doctor gestured for Cheng Tingyu to sit behind the desk, then observed for a moment and said, "Your condition looks fairly good."
Cheng Tingyu said seriously, "It just seems like—I entered the instance last night, and when I was catching up on sleep just now, I went in again."
The on-duty doctor looked at the newcomer with interest: "Usually, people who have just been through a dungeon will experience insomnia for a while. Being able to sleep is a good thing." As she spoke, she took out a test strip and asked Cheng Tingyu to hold it for at least three minutes.
"This is a test strip used to detect power leakage. If a player is tainted by madness, their own power will also go out of control. Test yourself first and then we'll see."
Three minutes later, the doctor returned with the test strip and nodded. "The ability leakage level is low radiation, not reaching the threshold for treatment. If you feel uncomfortable, I can prescribe some medication for you."
Cheng Tingyu agreed with the doctor's opinion.
Although she didn't feel she was at the stage where she needed medication, she was indeed curious about what the medical room would prescribe for players who weren't too serious.
[The mental recovery agent in the medical room: The main ingredients are small tablets of starch and glucose, which can have a placebo effect for non-"Mithra" type players.]
Cheng Tingyu: "..."
Her right eye had indeed seen too much.
Picking up the probably useless mental restorative, Cheng Tingyu bid farewell to the doctor. Just before stepping out the door, he suddenly stopped and turned around.
Cheng Tingyu's eyes were unusually deep and intense, creating a subtle yet palpable contrast with the gentle smile on his face. "I'm a bit curious, if someone meets the treatment criteria, what is the procedure in the medical room?"
The doctor in the white coat paused for a moment, then relaxed and leaned back in the chair, answering, "If any abnormal situation arises, we will record your information and monitor your vital signs until the issue is resolved or your stay is complete."
Cheng Tingyu heard this, his gaze lingered on the doctor in front of him for a moment, then he smiled and said, "So that's how it is."
Since he was already on the second floor, Cheng Tingyu adhered to the "since I'm here" mindset and made a detour to the cafeteria.
Apartment No. 6, despite its considerable life-threatening risks and safety standards aligned with the desolate zone, offers decent dining benefits, including free afternoon tea every day.
When Cheng Tingyu passed by, he saw a sign at the door that read, "Each guest can receive a lemon cake or a brownie with their room key."
At 2:50 in the afternoon, there were seven or eight people sparsely seated in the cafeteria, including Wei Xujiu. Just like yesterday, she sat alone in the corner, drinking coffee.
Cheng Tingyu walked over with a lemon cake and greeted, "We meet again."
Wei Xuguang looked at her for a moment, his voice still hoarse when he spoke: "Yesterday, it seems you didn't rest well."
Cheng Tingyu admitted, "I entered the instance while sleeping." Then, curiously, he asked, "Can drinking strong coffee alleviate your current state?"
Wei Xuguang shook his head: "Drinking coffee... it's just a habit. My condition can only be alleviated after I get out."
——Perhaps due to discomfort in her throat, she spoke with many pauses.
Cheng Tingyu held the small round spoon, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Wei Xuguang: "Is there a problem?"
Cheng Tingyu smiled, "It's not really a problem." Then, with a slightly more serious tone, he added, "I've heard that strong coffee isn't very good for the throat."
—This, she wasn't entirely sure about either; it was just something she had heard a classmate studying vocal music mention before she traveled through time.
"..."
Wei Xu Gui remained silent for a moment, then said, "Are you also a resident from the central district?"
Cheng Tingyu shook his head, "I just came from the desolate area less than a month ago."
At this point, Cheng Tingyu suddenly felt something subtle in his heart
Wei Xu Gui didn't say anything more.
Her understanding of the desolate area was quite limited, making it difficult to form an opinion. However, Wei Xugu always felt that Cheng Tingyu carried a certain aura unique to those who grew up in stable and peaceful regions.
In the limited activities of Apartment No. 6, afternoon tea was evidently a popular event among the residents. After Cheng Tingyu came in, a few more people trickled into the cafeteria, some of whom were staff members on their day off.
Cheng Tingyu savored the small cake carefully; the cafeteria's dessert chef's skills were unexpectedly good. Just as she had eaten a third of the lemon cake, Shen Xingliu, whom she had parted with that morning, walked in through the door.
When he saw Cheng Tingyu, he was momentarily stunned, then he familiarly brought his own tray over.
Shen Xingliu greeted the two of them separately, then said to Cheng Tingyu alone, "I didn't see you yesterday afternoon."
Cheng Tingyu smiled slightly, "Do you plan to come every day to eat cake?"
Shen Xingliu replied, "I come here often, and so does Ms. Wei." He smiled, "After all, there isn't much entertainment in the apartment."
Cheng Tingyu: "As an employee of 'Screwdriver,' you can't leave the apartment either?"
Shen Xingliu: "Every thirty days, you can apply for leave to go out."
The brownie on the white porcelain plate was coated with a layer of chocolate sprinkled with crushed nuts. It looked much sweeter than the lemon cake, which clearly exceeded Shen Xingliu's tolerance for sweets. With each bite of the cake, he had to pause and take a sip of red tea.
The dining hall did not impose any restrictions on the volume of conversations, yet the residents of the apartment all tacitly chose to speak softly, resulting in a space that, despite being quite populated, felt distinctly lacking in liveliness.
The faint and subtle sound of human voices floated in the air like wisps of smoke, as if invisible flying insects were drifting about.
Cheng Tingyu maintained his original breathing rhythm, allowing himself to relax.
Although he had not yet succumbed to madness, the loss of sanity points from the dungeon drop had indeed affected Cheng Tingyu in some way.
When she listened to others speak, she could even hear the illusionary sound of insects fluttering their wings by her ears.
Shen Xingliu put down the small spoon, clasped his hands together, rested his chin on them, and said leisurely, "Actually, getting out and about from time to time is quite nice; it helps pass the time."
Cheng Tingyu's gaze swept past the person sitting across from him, taking in the entire dining hall, and then he smiled and said, "It's also convenient to get familiar with the apartment routes."
As the two were conversing softly, the crisp sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from the doorway.
The sound of those footsteps drew the attention of many, and the conversations in the cafeteria came to a halt.
Three elegantly dressed young men, complete with bow ties and brooches, appeared at the entrance of the cafeteria.
The moment Cheng Tingyu saw these people, a thought flashed through his mind—there were new tenants in the apartment again.
Shen Xingliu thought for a moment, then leaned in and whispered, "That seems to be someone from the 'Street Gang'."
——Good personal relationships are half of the KPI. As an insurance agent, he is very willing to share some relatively unimportant daily information with potential clients as a business gift.
Cheng Tingyu commented affirmatively, "It sounds like some special organization that needs to collect protection fees from passersby."
Shen Xingliu explained to the newcomer who had just entered the city, "'Street Gang' is a magazine company."
Cheng Tingyu nodded.
The magazine called "Street Gang" would feel unworthy of its name if it didn't branch out into some side businesses.
Shen Xingliu: "Seeking comfort in excitement and excitement in comfort is human nature, and it is also the source of income for many of our company's projects."
"The lives of the residents in the central district are much more stable than those in the outer district, leading some people to gradually forget the horrors of the outside world and instead develop an active interest in pursuing dangerous things."