Yu Zhishou also guessed that Ji Shilu had entered the dungeon last night. He helplessly tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "The luck of these three members of the Ji family isn't very good, is it?"
Cheng Tingyu raised an eyebrow: "Those two on the fifth floor entered the dungeon too?"
Yu Zhishou heard Cheng Tingyu's words and knew that this was a sensible person. She nodded, speechless.
Cheng Tingyu smiled and said no more.
Just now, there was actually one more thing she hadn't finished saying.
There are stairwells at both ends of the apartment building, so the resident of 601 can go out to buy breakfast without passing by the door of 604.
So this morning, Ji Shilu had been peeking through the crack in the door, waiting for the right person to appear in the hallway.
Room 604.
10 a.m.
The bright sunlight streamed in through the window, but it did not make Ji Shilu feel warm.
After asking the resident of 601 to help fetch the food from the first floor, the knock on the door he had anticipated never came. In the end, it was the phone placed beside his pillow that rang.
Yu Zhishou, representing the apartment management, sent a text message to Ji Shilu.
[Apartment No. 6: Dear resident of unit 604, your mental state appears to be unstable. Please visit the medical room during business hours as soon as possible.]
Ji Shilu stared at his phone for a long time. Finally, he raised his slightly trembling fingers, trembling from fear, and sent a text message to Wang Si.
[Ji Shilu: I want to buy something.]
Ji Shilu pressed his forehead. His mind was in turmoil at the moment, but judging by the attitude of the apartment management, it was likely that Zhang Zhuowei, who had been persuaded by money, had already encountered some trouble.
The medical room of Apartment No. 6 is on the second floor.
The on-duty doctor measured the energy levels in Ji Shilu's body with a test strip and then looked slightly solemn: "So, you plan to gain abilities by continuously entering the dungeons?"
Ji Shilu couldn't hide it: "...It's just an attempt."
The on-duty doctor didn't ask further, only said, "The energy in your body is nearing its critical point, making the probability of being captured closer to that of a player rather than an ordinary person. However, you haven't yet experienced the baptism of the spiritual world. If you enter the No. 6 apartment instance, you are likely to be shocked. Once your sanity value drops too much, the reaction will be very severe."
The dream replica of Apartment No. 6 can easily drive people mad. Although ordinary players are easily captured by the replica, most of them have once reached that deep-sea-like mental world and possess some degree of resistance. Just like Cheng Tingyu, whose maximum mental value has gradually grown to 125.
The duty doctor said, "Residents cannot leave Apartment No. 6 before their stay is up. I'll prescribe you some pills."
She walked behind the curtain and took out the medicine bottle, but the old bottle containing the mental restorative was already empty. The on-duty doctor had casually replaced it with a bottle of vitamin tablets.
——Anyway, it's just a placebo, so it doesn't make much difference what you take.
Ji Shilu's body trembled slightly. The duty doctor's actions were actually very discreet, yet he clearly saw all of the doctor's movements and realized that the so-called psychiatric pills were nothing more than vitamin C.
Apartment No. 6... didn't really care much about the survival rate of its residents.
Ji Shilu lowered his head, suppressing the tremor in his body, and reached out to touch his eyes.
The on-duty doctor sealed the pills and handed them over: "One pill each time, three times a day. Come back to the medical room for more when you run out."
Ji Shilu's expression turned grim: "I understand."
As soon as he left the medical room, he crumpled the paper bag containing the pills into a ball, stuffed it into his pocket, then gritted his teeth and headed to the recreation room on the third floor.
Ji Shilu decided to contact Wang Si.
He did not spend time waiting—many guests would choose to pass the time in the recreation room. The salesman who claimed to be from the "Plush Bear" store had come over early this morning and was now playing a game of Old Maid by himself with great interest. When he received the text message, he looked up and gave Ji Shilu a businesslike smile towards the door.
Although the lingering madness was still affecting Ji Shilu's thoughts, he tried to appear normal and politely nodded at Wang Si: "I'd like to get some [essential balm patches] and [chewable coffee candies] from you."
——Ji Shilu thought he was being very restrained, but his actions had unconsciously become urgent. As soon as they met, he revealed his intentions.
Wang Si put down the cards in his hand and smiled, "The current price for [Fengyoujing Stickers] is 270,000 city coins for ten pieces, and [Chewable Coffee Candy] is 330,000 city coins for five portions, sold only in full sets."
Ji Shilu's smile became increasingly strained: "You initially said it was thirty thousand city coins."
Wang Si said confidently, "Starting at thirty thousand city coins, no upper limit."
Ji Shilu suddenly understood—his sister Ji Shiqi had once received a warning from Wang Si, advising her not to do business with "Screwdriver" when there was no room for maneuver. This warning clearly applied to Wang Si himself as well.
He felt his temples throbbing.
Entering Apartment No. 6 might not have been a good idea. The three Ji siblings originally chose this place because all tenants were required to stay for at least thirty days. For people like them, who lacked practical experience in the central district, it was a great opportunity for self-discipline. If they could stick it out, they would have more say at home.
However, Ji Shilu deeply regretted it at this moment. After just one night, he felt that his life was under significant threat. Moreover, the improvement in his vision also made Ji Shilu deeply uneasy.
——This is the sign of the "Secret Eye," which is universally acknowledged as the ability type most prone to madness.
Wang Si: "You can share it with your younger siblings."
Ji Shilu's heart skipped a beat.
Just now, he had already contacted Ji Shiqi and Ji Shijiu. Unfortunately, all three of them had been captured by the replica while they were sleeping and experienced an unpleasant dream.
Ji Shilu: "Deal. But besides [Essential Balm Stickers] and [Chewable Coffee Candy], I also want to order another item..."
Before Ji Shilu could finish speaking, Wang Si interrupted, "We can't get our hands on such goods." After a pause, he added, "But you should know where you can make the trade."
Ji Shilu fell silent, and finally, he slowly nodded.
As a staff member of "Screwdriver" stationed at Apartment No. 6, Shen Xingliu's life was very routine; every afternoon, he would come to the cafeteria for afternoon tea.
Cheng Tingyu, who was out for a walk, saw the other person once again.
This afternoon, the cafeteria is serving strawberry pudding.
Shen Xingliu proactively greeted the potential client with a radiant smile, "How did you rest last night?"
Cheng Tingyu: "Not bad." Looking at the other person, focusing on their eyes, he mused, "You seem to have been resting well."
Shen Xingliu: "After all, as an employee of 'Screwdriver,' there are always some perks for being sent out."
Cheng Tingyu glanced at Shen Xingliu.
Every time he died in the dungeon, his spirit would suffer trauma, but Shen Xingliu clearly did not have a similar condition.
Either he had mastered the way to break through the level, or there was also a backdoor, or he had taken some measures to reduce the probability of being captured by the level.
Cheng Tingyu thought it should be the third option.
The power of any copy is limited. When the copy is breached, part of the power that originally belonged to the copy will be taken away by the participants. Shen Xingliu and other staff members have already been in the copy for quite a long time.
Considering that under normal circumstances, the probability of players being captured is quite high, if the method to clear the dungeon has indeed been mastered, then the dream dungeon should no longer be able to sustain itself.
As for the existence of a back door, Cheng Tingyu thought the possibility was not high.
——The damage mechanism of this instance is very unique. It doesn't only cause mental trauma to participants at the moment of death or injury. As long as they enter the instance, various values will continuously decrease, and over time, the staff's condition will be affected to some extent.
As for the method to reduce the probability of being captured by the copy, Cheng Tingyu had a vague guess in his heart.
She had previously taken on a task from Wei Xusheng to find her aunt's remains. The task required the person who accepted it to place the body in a sealed box, which would prevent the leakage of the body's power and its resulting effects.
When Cheng Tingyu placed [Flesh and Blood: Life Overload] into the sealed box, the anomaly within the instance disappeared.
After she placed Wei Heng's body into the sealed box, the entire replica area dissipated along with it.
Although there were still many incomprehensible aspects, Cheng Tingyu vaguely felt that the power of the players and the power of the dungeons had quite a few similarities. This might also be the reason why players could enhance their strength by conquering dungeons.
In that case, if one were to wrap themselves in materials similar to those of a sealing box, could they also isolate the player from other forces and avoid being captured by the instance?
Cheng Tingyu clasped his hands together, resting them under his chin, a slight smile playing on his lips. If his guess was correct, the reason why "Screwdriver" had sent people to occupy Apartment No. 6 would become particularly clear.
They, who can create sealing boxes, possess the power to isolate from being captured by the instance. Once a player finds themselves in a desperate situation, they will choose to seek help from the "Screwdriver." Whether the "Screwdriver" demands them to pay with what they currently possess as a price or sells them some possibility of the future, the likelihood of reaching a deal is significantly higher.
In the snow-white plate, the pink pudding wobbled slightly, its surface adorned with vibrant strawberry sauce, making it look especially appetizing.
Just as Cheng Tingyu was earnestly eating his dessert, he suddenly felt something in his heart and looked up towards the cafeteria entrance.
Yesterday, the new tenant who had just moved into the apartment, Ji Shilu, appeared there.
His expression was quite unpleasant, and the face that could once be called handsome had already become somewhat distorted.
Ji Shilu swept his panicked gaze around the cafeteria, finally stopping on Shen Xingliu. He walked over to this "Screwdriver" company's dispatched employee and said, "Is it convenient to talk somewhere else..." His throat moved twice, and he finally managed to finish the rest of his sentence with difficulty, "to talk business?"
Shen Xingliu regretfully put down his spoon and smiled, "Although it's a pity not to finish the afternoon tea, as an employee of 'Screwdriver,' serving clients naturally takes a higher priority." After bidding farewell to another potential client at the same table, he left the cafeteria with Ji Shilu.
Third floor.
The entertainment room, though a single unit, had its interior space divided by various bookshelves, providing a certain level of privacy, making it very suitable for guests to engage in some private conversations.
The veins on Ji Shilu's hand were already bulging.
As a resident of the central district, he had naturally dealt with the "Screwdriver" insurance company before and had received the warning to "avoid dealing with them unless absolutely necessary."
However, after just one day in Apartment No. 6, Ji Shilu was already nearing his limit.
Chewing coffee candy and Fengyoujing patches were both precious resources that were not so easy to obtain, and the staff sent by the inspection team were not as friendly as they had imagined.
Let's discuss the deal in a couple of days; his cards will only be fewer than they are now.
Ji Shilu got straight to the point: "I need M-grade sealing paper." He paused, lowering his voice, "I can pay three million, no, five million city credits."
The "Screwdriver" insurance company offers relatively inexpensive sealing boxes to the public, but these boxes only have the power isolation effect for items below the Common level. In most cases, they are used to seal the corpses of [Lightless] level players.
Shen Xingliu looked at Ji Shilu and shook his head, "I'm sorry, but the sealing paper cannot be traded with city coins."
Just as Ji Shilu's expression was becoming somewhat desperate, Shen Xingliu leisurely added, "But you can pay with something else."