Ji Shilu's face showed hesitation and struggle: "If it has anything to do with the 'Street Gang,' I can't guarantee..."
Shen Xingliu placed a stack of documents on the table, interlaced his fingers, and revealed the friendly smile of an insurance agent. "Don't worry, it has nothing to do with the 'Street Gang,' and you won't need to pay a large sum of money. The only requirement is that if you die as a player..." His gaze fell on the brand-new performance record in front of him, and his tone became particularly sincere, "the full rights to handle your body will be unconditionally handed over to 'Screwdriver' Insurance Company."
Ji Shilu's movements came to an abrupt halt, his entire body stiffening.
Shen Xingliu opened the file and patiently explained, "The sealing paper provided by our company is highly breathable and can completely isolate C-level powers. It can isolate most M-level powers, but it has almost no effect on H-level and above powers."
"The effective period is one month."
Shen Xingliu took the initiative to remove the cap from the pen, handed it to the guest with the pen held upside down, and spoke in a very gentle tone: "Please rest assured, when it comes to the agreed-upon transaction, 'Screwdriver' is very trustworthy. This deal will not have any impact on your life."
Ji Shilu's chest heaved violently. He stood there motionless, then suddenly snatched the pen, swiftly signed his name on the last page of the document, and then slammed the pen down on the table.
Shen Xingliu curved his lips into a smile. He retrieved the signed document and took out the sealing paper he had prepared in advance. "This is enough for one person."
He stood up, ready to leave, but suddenly stopped in his tracks and smiled again: "There should be some freebies outside of the normal transaction." The young man's voice gradually lowered, like the chirping of insects flying through the night, "The real footsteps of the peak season are approaching, and the power of the copy will undergo unknown changes. Please be extra careful, dear customer."
After the salesperson and the customer who had closed the deal left the entertainment room, Cheng Tingyu put down the magazine he was holding and picked up his phone to search the forum for information related to the "peak season," just a bookshelf away from where they had been sitting.
There aren't too many or too few related posts. To summarize, whenever the number of people in the city increases, the cost of living in the city, such as hotel rent and food prices, will rise accordingly. Some people refer to this period as the "peak season."
Cheng Tingyu quietly flipped through the posts, a hint of contemplation in his eyes.
She always felt that something was off.
Apartment No. 6, Room 604.
Ji Shilu returned to the room with the props he had bought and two large bags of food.
Although he had not actually been harmed, Ji Shilu had already developed a fear of going out. He put his things away and then began to stick sealing papers.
The staff of "Screwdriver" had given him some stands when they sold him the sealing paper. The buyer could attach the paper to the stands, and when the stands were opened, the internal space was just enough to allow an adult to lie inside.
To Ji Shilu, "Screwdriver" was clearly a very cunning company. They usually offered relatively inexpensive sealing boxes, but their effectiveness was not as strong as sealing paper, and they had to be completely closed to work. Even if he could hide himself in the box, he couldn't manage to go without breathing for long.
The sealing paper itself was quite fragile and had to be handled with care. Ji Shilu was busy until after eleven at night before he finally managed to get everything done.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and ran to the bathroom to take a shower.
After coming out, Ji Shilu canceled the alarm for tomorrow on his phone, preparing to have a good night's rest. Just then, he saw a message from his younger brother, Ji Shijiu.
[Jishi Jiu: Brother Lu, did you also enter the instance? Yesterday, Sister Qi and I also entered the instance. How about we meet up tomorrow and exchange information?]
Ji Shilu was slightly hesitant. After a moment of deliberation, considering that everyone still had to stay in Apartment No. 6 for a full month, meeting up to exchange information would be beneficial for their subsequent survival, so he decided to agree.
[Ji Shilu: Alright, let's meet up.]
[Message is being sent... Sending failed, please check your phone signal.]
Ji Shilu frowned. He tried a few more times, but the result was still the same.
He irritably tossed his phone back onto the bedside table, ready to go straight to sleep. However, at that moment, Ji Shilu's gaze inadvertently swept over the unused bed beside him.
"..."
There were two beds in the apartment, one for the guest and the other always kept vacant. The vacant bed was always covered with clean sheets, appearing neat and orderly. However, Ji Shilu clearly saw that the surface of the bed had various wrinkles and imprints, as if someone had lain on it.
In an instant, Ji Shilu felt as if his entire being had been submerged in icy water. A tremendous fear gripped his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.
According to the rules in the "Check-in Instructions," he should now leave the room as soon as possible and seek help from the staff on duty—
"Thud."
"Knock, knock, knock."
In the middle of the night, an eerie knocking sound suddenly echoed through the corridor without any warning.
The frequency of the sound was irregular and defied reason, especially in this dead silent night, making one's heart bristle with fear.
Ji Shilu's body froze, his face turning deathly pale with fear, almost unable to control his trembling. He reached into his pocket, fumbling twice before shakily pulling out the "Check-in Instructions."
The "Check-in Notice" originally had only twelve tips, but at this moment, a thirteenth reminder had been added below the original twelve
"Supplementary Clause One: In the event that multiple people appear to be living in the apartment and it is inconvenient to contact the staff, tell yourself that it is all an illusion. Lie down as quickly as possible and ensure that you fall asleep. Sleep is a protection for the residents."
Ji Shilu took a deep breath, slowly put away the "Check-in Instructions," forcibly moved his gaze away from the bed next to him, carefully lay down on the bed covered with sealing paper, and closed his eyes.
His heart pounded harder and harder, almost ready to leap out of his throat.
The sound of impacts outside was approaching Room 604, interspersed with faint, footstep-like noises. The more Ji Shilu desperately wanted to rest, the more uncontrollably he listened to every sound around him.
He must fall asleep! He must fall asleep right now!
Ji Shilu's emotions grew increasingly chaotic. He turned over and sat up again, trembling all over as he opened his backpack. Hastily, he took out some tools, shoved three [chewable coffee candies] into his mouth, and then used the meditation techniques he had learned in the general knowledge course for dungeons to force himself to sleep.
His current mental state had already shifted to "mildly insane," otherwise he should have realized that for someone showing signs of awakening player abilities, meditation combined with tranquility-inducing items could easily trigger another outcome besides sleep.
"..."
Ji Shilu's spirit was soothed by the power of the prop.
The clamor was replaced by tranquility, and he felt his bed gradually collapse into a cold liquid. The water engulfed his limbs and face, yet it did not cause suffocation, only deprived him of all sense of space.
The spirit is nurtured in the lightless depths of the deep sea.
Ji Shilu tried to open his eyes and observe, but he could only see darkness, as if he were submerged in the depths of a sunless sea.
Clearly, he couldn't hear any sound, but a strong desire from deep within urged him, compelling him to open his eyes and see.
Ji Shilu was driven by instinct to act. In his field of vision, a clear, expanding "point of light" suddenly appeared in the distance.
He stared at the "light spot," unable to move.
The vast ocean of the mind enveloped Ji Shilu, and the abilities belonging to the player were being enhanced—
[True Name Manifestation.]
[Level data open——]
[Name: Ji Shilu]
[True Name: Secret Eye · Magnifying Glass]
[Level: [No Light]]
Ji Shilu had already sensed his own abnormality. He tried to avert his gaze, but no matter what, he couldn't succeed. His mind was filled with emotions of both disgust and fascination, both hatred and indulgence. Something was stirring his rationality.
At the same time, the "light spot" in the distance seemed to come to life and began to change. Although the surface of the "light spot" emitted light, it protruded with dirty brown chunks of flesh.
Amidst the piled-up chunks of flesh, a blood-red crevice covered in black hair split open.
The gap slowly widened, revealing a swollen eyeball filled with intense malice.
In the boundless sea of the mind, Ji Shilu saw an eyeball.
That eyeball saw him too.
Apartment No. 6, Room 602.
The inspection team was always known for being short-staffed, and there weren't many people who could be stationed at Apartment No. 6 for long periods. Today, it was Qin Luosong's turn to be on duty on the top floor.
She went to bed early at nine-thirty, following the rules, and was very fortunate not to dream, thus avoiding the capture of the copy.
"Swish—"
During the night shift, Qin Luosong suddenly woke up with a start.
A faint sound came from outside the door, a rustling noise, like countless tiny feet skittering across the tiles.
Because the entire building was shrouded in a strange force, the soundproofing within Apartment No. 6 was exceptionally good. Normally, the residents would never hear any noise from the corridor, unless..
As a member of the inspection team, Qin Luosong immediately went to check the test paper hanging in the room.
Under normal circumstances, the test strip would only show one color, but now it was mostly stained black.
Qin Luosong murmured, "Moderate... no, it's severe pollution."
A strong sense of foreboding rose in her heart. She decisively opened a piece of paper titled "Rules for Employees of Apartment No. 6" and looked directly at the bottom—
"Supplementary Clause Four of the Employee Code: Under any circumstances, please try to maintain awareness. If it is confirmed that emergency measures have failed, please try to keep your sanity as much as possible to facilitate subsequent handling by colleagues."
Qin Luosong closed his eyes.
If the situation was already beyond saving, then at least she needed to remember what had happened in the apartment before the unexpected outbreak.
Apartment No. 6, Room 606.
At half past midnight, Cheng Tingyu suddenly opened his eyes.
After falling asleep yesterday, she was unusually fortunate not to be captured by the replica, but she still couldn't sleep through the night. Instead, she was startled awake midway by a strange sense of fear.
The room did not reveal any terrifying entities, but the instinct lurking in the realm of the subconscious still frantically urged Cheng Tingyu to wake up from his sleep.
"Swish—"
A faint sound, like leaves falling from a branch, echoed through the corridor. However, to Cheng Tingyu's ears, it felt as if someone had driven an awl fiercely into her temple. An indescribable, excruciating pain exploded in her mind.
The blood vessels were trembling in unison with the heart.
Cheng Tingyu reached out to wipe her face and found her palm slightly damp—blood spots had seeped from her pores.