Cheng Tingyu examined the tool in his hand once more. The description now included an additional line: "[Each use lasts for ten minutes. After use, it cannot be used again within one hundred and sixty-eight hours.]"
——Indeed, sufficient experience and knowledge accumulation are the necessary conditions to become an appraiser.
Although the use of the prop has a time limit, Cheng Tingyu, who increasingly realizes he has a bit of bad luck, originally thought this thing was just a one-time consumable. Now, discovering it can be used repeatedly, he is already very satisfied.
In any case, encountering a high-risk scenario requiring the use of the [Music Box] twice within a week is a low-probability event; she probably won't come across it.
Cheng Tingyu recalled the various experiences he had mistakenly thought were time travel to the present, and silently changed "shouldn't be" to "probably won't be" in his mind.
At this moment, looking again, the "Check-in Notice" in my hand had returned to its original appearance.
According to the rules, the apartment is relatively safe during the day. However, to be on the safe side, when Cheng Tingyu was about to go out, he first took out his phone and glanced at it, then sent an inquiry text message to a staff member he knew.
There was a mass text message on the phone, and Cheng Tingyu himself quickly received a reply from Qin Luosong.
[Apartment No. 6: The apartment is undergoing environmental cleaning. Please all residents be patient. Noise during the cleaning process is normal. The rooms are safe. Do not leave your room until permission is granted.]
[Qin Luosong: You can open the door and take a look, but please try to avoid entering the hallway. However, to be on the safe side, it's better to wait until nine o'clock.]
As someone with basic reading comprehension skills, Cheng Tingyu quickly understood the hidden meaning of the sentence—since it was safer to wait a while, he naturally decided to open the door now to seek some excitement. So, he slowly turned the doorknob.
Almost at the very moment the door opened, a strong scent of blood assailed the nostrils.
The once clean corridor was strewn with slimy, elongated red tendrils, and the walls were covered in dark stains and mucus.
Among those tentacles, there were also some humanoid figures whose mere appearance could drive one insane.
[Directly gazing at the former "Ji Shi Lu" [*unrecognizable*], mental stability decreases.]
In the moment of witnessing it, Cheng Tingyu felt a shudder from the depths of his soul. The object before him had long since lost its life, yet merely the lingering aura was enough to drive one mad.
"You really did choose to come out after all."
In the corridor, Qin Luosong, wearing sunglasses, turned around with a hint of helplessness upon hearing the commotion behind him.
——The maximum sanity level of players is generally slightly higher than that of ordinary people. Although the scene before them may be somewhat shocking, it is not entirely unacceptable.
Cheng Tingyu noticed that, besides her own, the door to room 603 was also open. Shen Xingliu, looking somewhat pale, was leaning against the door frame, contemplating life with a sorrowful expression. When he saw her come out, he forced himself to perk up and waved his hand.
Shen Xingliu sighed softly, "The deal I just made..."
Cheng Tingyu recalled the conversation he overheard in the recreation room and asked curiously, "Will turning a long position into a short position have a significant impact on you?"
Shen Xingliu cleared his throat lightly, then replied, "It's not a matter of time span, but because he awakened the ability of 'Secret Eyes' and was simultaneously severely contaminated. He can no longer be retrieved."
Qin Luosong, upon hearing this, turned his head and shot Shen Xingliu a warning look.
Shen Xingliu shrugged, "We've come this far, the apartment residents will definitely have to sign a confidentiality agreement. It doesn't matter much whether we say more or less."
Hearing Shen Xingliu's words, Qin Luosong's face, already haggard from overtime, instantly became even more gaunt.
Cheng Tingyu smiled, "Can't you force the guests to sign?"
Under the warning gaze of Qin Luosong, Shen Xingliu didn't say anything, just gave Cheng Tingyu a thumbs-up.
Qin Luosong cleared his throat and said, "Because the origins of the residents involved are quite complex, we need to communicate with various parties. However, under normal circumstances, to ensure the order of the city, the apartment residents will cooperate with the inspection team's work."
Cheng Tingyu could understand. After all, the deceased Ji Shilu was a resident of the central district and hadn't come to Apartment No. 6 alone. The inspection team would definitely need to offer some reassurance afterward.
However, even if there are benefits to be gained from this coordination work, someone like her, coming from a desolate area, must act cautiously; otherwise, it would be easy to be expelled from the city.
Cheng Tingyu looked somewhat understanding yet a bit puzzled at the insurance company agent watching the commotion nearby: "...If something happens to the apartment, won't 'Screwdriver' deduct your bonus?"
Shen Xingliu said seriously, "I've thought it over carefully. Given the current situation, the inspection team will definitely fight for the custody of the client's remains. This gives us the opportunity to claim breach of contract compensation from the actual owner of the corpse." He then spread his hands, "Moreover, considering the high mortality rate of players in the instance, in order to ensure the enthusiasm of our company's employees, the 'Screwdriver' leadership has always been relatively lenient about damages caused by unexpected incidents, at most urging subordinates to find ways to make up for the lost income from other sources."
"..."
Qin Luosong began to seriously consider the feasibility of forcibly destroying the "Screwdriver" transaction contract.
Cheng Tingyu withdrew his gaze from observing the tentacles outside the door and closed his eyes.
The conversation between the two revealed a lot of information—the pollution that Ji Shilu suffered at night could not be eliminated even by death.
In Wei Heng's former residence, she had once seen that heart named [Flesh and Blood · Life Overload] with a description that read "Under Aberration."
However, gazing at [Flesh and Blood: Life Overload] did not affect her mental state; rather, the "light spots" she observed in the spiritual world at that time bore more resemblance to the current situation.
Cheng Tingyu actually had a rough guess about Ji Shilu's experiences, so he probed, "I've heard that 'Mito' can easily see 'light spots' that don't belong to them."
Qin Luosong was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "You're right." He then slightly straightened his expression and continued, "Once the cleaning work is finished, please go to the office on the first floor. The inspection team needs to follow up."
For Cheng Tingyu, being invited by the inspector for a cup of tea was not a particularly novel experience.
Qin Luosong flipped through the files sent over by his colleague and felt that there was no need to rush to apply for verification tools this time. After all, this visitor from the desolate area named Cheng Tingyu had already undergone an inspection by the direct subordinates of Inspector Bu Wushang. Even though there might be some small secrets, there shouldn't be any significant danger.
Last night, a serious incident occurred that could have destroyed the entire No. 6 apartment. As an external member of the inspection team, Qin Luosong and his colleagues needed to gather information from all sides and submit a summary report.
Qin Luosong recalled the music from the night and the text message on his phone. He roughly guessed that it was Cheng Tingyu who had broken through the dream dungeon and obtained the item, causing those dangerous "residents" in the corridor to fall asleep.
But she had no idea how Cheng Tingyu managed to do it. Even though the file mentioned that he was a player skilled at capturing details, no matter how you looked at it, it had been less than a week since she moved into the apartment.
The entire process was unbelievably fast, it could only be described as a miracle.
If one were to say that Cheng Tingyu had obtained detailed information in advance, it would be unlikely. Every inspector stationed in Apartment No. 6 had a comprehensive investigation report in hand, yet their understanding of the dreamscape copies remained superficial.
Qin Luosong spoke up: "Yesterday's incident was unexpected. Now, on behalf of the inspection team, I need to ask you a few questions."
Cheng Tingyu smiled, "It is indeed a bit unexpected. I am now representing... myself, and I have some questions I want to ask."
Qin Luosong was unaware of Cheng Tingyu's ruthless arrangements for him before she lost her memory. He didn't take her words to heart, but he was somewhat troubled by the boundaries of their upcoming conversation.
Cheng Tingyu was originally from the desolate area, but it was clear she had done something last night to try to salvage the situation. Out of personal feelings, Qin Luosong was also reluctant to tear things apart and drive her out of the city. He preferred to pay a small price to exchange for information. Moreover, the reason he applied to come and question Cheng Tingyu himself was partly because he believed that if he handled it personally, he could manage the situation more gently.
...Given the situation, a confidentiality agreement definitely needs to be signed. Whether we say more or less doesn't really matter.
After finishing his own mental preparation, Qin Luosong said resignedly, "What do you want to ask?"
Cheng Tingyu: "603 mentioned that Mr. Ji from 604 is a 'Secret Eye'."
Although she had already guessed most of Ji Shilu's background before taking action last night, it didn't stop Cheng Tingyu from blaming Shen Xingliu for knowing that Ji Shilu was a "Mito" player.
Cheng Tingyu: "I guess Mr. Ji's experiences, for a player of his type, shouldn't be particularly uncommon?"
Qin Luosong stared at Cheng Tingyu for a moment before saying, "Indeed, it's not uncommon. In fact, you could say this is the inevitable end for the vast majority of 'Secret Eyes.'" He continued, "I'm not sure how much you understand about the mental world, but to explain that question, I need to start with a bit of science."
"The spiritual world is not merely a figment of the players' imagination; that place truly exists, and there are also many... other things there."
Qin Luosong pondered for a long time and finally used a relatively vague reference: "Those things are most likely alive. We don't really know what they are, but there's no doubt that they've been coveting our world all along."
She had only spoken a few words before she felt her thoughts begin to grow muddled.
Even if separated by a great distance, merely thinking or reminiscing can unconsciously lead to madness.
Cheng Tingyu rubbed her temples—being the listener, her temples were also throbbing.
Qin Luosong paused for a moment and said, "You must be [No Light], which means you must have been to the spiritual world. The darkness around the Sea of Spirits actually protects players, preventing us from seeing things we shouldn't. But the ability of 'Secret Eyes' is very special; their vision can penetrate the darkness and see farther things."
She dipped her finger in the water from the cup and wrote the characters "Ancient Source" on the table, then quickly wiped them away.
"We don't know, nor can we name that kind of thing. These three words are just a substitute. Under normal circumstances, they cannot descend into this world, but they can use the bodies of players as a medium."
Qin Luosong's gaze, due to his recent actions, revealed a slight hint of madness, and his voice was somewhat hurried: "When the 'Secret Eye' sees them, they can also see the 'Secret Eye'. Eye contact means connection, and this type of player finds it very difficult to break away from the gaze once they sense something is wrong.
"When they realize the situation has changed, they are already like frogs being stared at by a snake, having lost the ability to break free. Subsequently, those things will rely on the connection established during the eye contact to erode the players' sanity, turning them into vessels for their descent."
When she got to this point, she stopped, gasping for breath, using deep breaths to adjust her state and calm her emotions.
Cheng Tingyu immediately understood why so many tentacles appeared in the corridor.
This was not the mutation after Ji Shilu's madness, but the posture when the ancient originator descended.
"We were supposed to wait for headquarters to notice something was wrong and come to our aid. Fortunately, Ji Shilu had purchased a batch of sealing papers before his death. After the mutation occurred, those sealing papers fused directly with his body, somewhat reducing the impact of the contamination, making our cleanup work easier. And then there was the music last night..."
Qin Luosong glanced at Cheng Tingyu, who nodded and admitted, "It's an item obtained from the dream copy [Music Box - Lullaby]."