Even if you consider the current ten yuan equivalent to one yuan before the time travel, the price of fruit here is still quite high.
Cheng Tingyu paid the money with a hint of melancholy and walked home carrying the fruit.
There were more pedestrians on the road than before renting the house. Although it was already getting late, cyclists could still be seen speeding by on the road.
Cheng Tingyu quietly observed the surrounding scenery. Without considering the possible existence of duplicates, this could indeed be described as a serene and tranquil picture.
The soundproofing of the rental house was far inferior to that of Apartment No. 6, which was blessed with the aura of the "Ancient Source." Cheng Tingyu thought for a moment and decided to rest for a day in another building with a lower occupancy rate.
Although it wasn't the same building, Cheng Tingyu always reserved room 501 for herself. After reaching the fifth floor, she didn't hurry home but first knocked on the door of room 502 next door.
The "knock, knock, knock" on the door was particularly distinct in the night. Cheng Tingyu, with strained patience, continued to knock rhythmically on the door in front of him, finding a certain joy akin to playing the piano.
She knocked for almost five minutes, but there was no response. She couldn't tell if there was no one inside or if someone was there but didn't want to answer.
Normally, Cheng Tingyu should have turned around and gone back to her own home by now. However, as someone who has lost her sanity more times than she has eaten meals since her time travel, she was willing to test her patience against the person behind the door.
"It's you?"
It seemed that realizing the visitor was determined to knock until the door opened, the door of room 502 was finally opened, revealing the figure of Wei Xuji. Her face was slightly pale, and her eyes carried a clear hint of suspicion: "Why are you here? What do you want from me?"
The familiar face in front of Cheng Tingyu slightly curled his lips: "I'm planning to stay across from you today, just came over to say hello."
"…Why did you suddenly come over?"
Upon hearing the question, Cheng Tingyu's expression showed a hint of subtle distress: "Because it was a bit noisy over there." He added, "The children of the family that moved in cried too loudly, so I changed my residence."
Her eyes, dark as the night, reflected the outline of the other person, unchanged from when they were at Apartment No. 6.
Cheng Tingyu: "You don't turn on the lights at night?"
Wei Xugu didn't have much to say and curtly replied, "Not open." He then took a step back, "If there's nothing else, I'll close the door now."
Cheng Tingyu: "Please wait a moment, there's actually something I need to address."
Wei Xugui: "What's the matter?"
Cheng Tingyu blinked: "Guess?"
"..."
Wei Xuguang immediately showed a hesitation that suggested he wanted to slam the door heavily in the visitor's face. However, what he hesitated about was not the action itself, but the force with which he would do it.
Before the other person could explode, Cheng Tingyu smiled and said, "I just wanted to ask if you have any candy on you."
This time, although Cheng Tingyu provided specific requirements, her question still seemed somewhat untimely in the current context.
"..."
Wei Xu Gui, standing in the doorway, naturally couldn't comprehend the situation before him and fell into a puzzled silence.
The conversation, interrupted due to a lack of logic, held a different significance in Cheng Tingyu's eyes.
Her second ability as an "appraiser" required sufficient prior information to activate.
Cheng Tingyu would pay attention to those who piqued her curiosity, and Wei Xugui was one of them.
The other party's aunt was a member of the "Dangerous Mask," and not long after her aunt's death, Wei Xugu was drawn into the No. 6 Apartment instance, where he has remained until now. During this period, the player with the true name [Flesh and Blood · Life Overload], who had accepted her commission, died in the instance while searching for the lost item.
From the information obtained from her brother Wei Xusheng, it can be seen that the siblings were unaware of their aunt's true identity. However, it is also possible that those were just disguises used by Wei Heng to sever ties with his relatives.
From the subsequent interactions between Cheng Tingyu and Wei Xusheng, it indeed seemed that the older brother did not appear to be someone harboring secrets. Moreover, if Wei Xusheng had any knowledge about the "Dangerous Mask" incident, then inviting an unrelated person over on the day [Flesh and Blood: Life Overload] entered the copy would be somewhat difficult to explain.
Compared to his elder brother, Wei Xugui seemed more like the one who understood their aunt's situation.
Afterwards, Cheng Tingyu learned from Wei Xusheng that the flesh-and-blood player who went in had a decent relationship with his sister, which was why he chose to accept the commission in the first place.
Although it was not yet possible to confirm that their "relationship was okay," it was certain that Wei Xuguang had contact with members of the "Dangerous Mask" other than his aunt.
At that moment, Cheng Tingyu developed a certain curiosity about Wei Xugui, but unfortunately, it wasn't convenient to approach him right away.
After all, by that time, Wei Xuji had already moved into Apartment No. 6, and all direct communication channels with outsiders had been severed.
Just as Apartment No. 6 itself uses dream replicas to reduce the danger of real-life replicas, could Wei Xugui also be using the dangers of Apartment No. 6 to reduce his own risks in other areas?
In the replica, there are staff members from the inspection team present, and before the residency period is up, no tenants can leave the apartment. If there are guards from the "Dangerous Mask" around, they can relax their supervision and only conduct the most basic monitoring.
But after leaving Apartment No. 6, Wei Xuguang did not choose to stay in a hotel like the other tenants; instead, he returned to the rental house on Mulberry Street.
In the hallway, amidst the silence of mutual glances, Cheng Tingyu suddenly changed the subject and said with a smile, "Actually, I also like living on the top floor, especially when there are no neighbors."
Compared to other floors, the top floor is the one with the fewest passersby, especially when it is the only apartment on that floor. As soon as footsteps are heard outside, it can be almost certain that the person is coming for you.
The hallway had no lights. It was unclear whether there had never been any or if they had long since broken. The surrounding light was particularly dim, and the faint light seeping in from outside did not bring a sense of reassurance. Instead, it filled the field of vision with all sorts of twisted shadows.
When Cheng Tingyu returned home just now, he heard the neighbor's child crying. Usually, the child just asked for candy, but today he specifically mentioned the type of candy he wanted: "Golden Candy," a treat from the central district. Given the neighbor's financial situation, it was unlikely they would mention such a high-end snack, even to placate a child.
Children are accustomed to imitating and repeating; if someone had indeed given her similar candy before, the likelihood of her mentioning it again would be much higher.
Cheng Tingyu had a vague suspicion that during a certain period when he was not at home, someone had gone up to the fifth floor. The child sitting behind the iron door habitually cried out for candy, and to avoid drawing too much attention with the noise, that person had casually given the child a piece of golden candy to calm him down.
As for those who might be interested in him at the moment, Cheng Tingyu thought, it was probably the inspection team, or perhaps some entities related to his pre-amnesia self..
Or perhaps "Dangerous Mask."
——She accepted and successfully completed Wei Xusheng's task, and then rented a house next to Wei Xujun's residence, which indeed easily aroused the suspicions of this somewhat secretive organization.
Unlike the other two guesses, there are certain clues that can be searched regarding the arrival of the "Dangerous Mask."
If the members of "Dangerous Mask" came to Cheng Tingyu's place to scout, they would most likely also go to Wei Xuguang's place to check the situation.
So if you want to search for clues, just take a walk to the building at the back.
Cheng Tingyu wasn't entirely clear about her own personality. Sometimes she considered herself quite cautious, but other times she would follow her curiosity and willingly dance on the dangerous tightrope.
For example, today, after sensing someone coming to investigate, Cheng Tingyu went out to buy some fruit, walked to Wei Xuguang's rental apartment door, and knocked on it.
Through the silhouette blocking the doorway, Cheng Tingyu peered inside. However, it seemed as if all the scenery had been swallowed up; the pitch-black interior revealed nothing. Even with Cheng Tingyu's keen vision, he could only make out extremely vague black outlines.
[Detected item to be identified, proceed with identification?
Remaining identification attempts: 4/4.
After conquering the dreamscape instance, Cheng Tingyu's strength had also improved. When fully energized, he gained an additional appraisal attempt.
Cheng Tingyu calmly chose "yes."
In her field of vision, lines of information unfolded one after another—
[Name: Wang Si]
[Special Status: [Visual Camouflage], [Slightly Reduced Luck]]
[Note: Affiliated with the "Dangerous Mask" organization.]
This is indeed an existence that does not come as too much of a surprise.
After Cheng Tingyu moved into the apartment, only three residents took the initiative to communicate with her: Wang Si, Shen Xingliu, and Ji Shilu. Among them, Wang Si was the one who appeared immediately after she finished her conversation with Wei Xugui on the first day she moved in.
Wang Si's reason was very similar to Shen Xingliu's; both were trying to boost the company's performance. However, there was something peculiar: when this person came over to strike up a conversation, he specifically chose the moment when Wei Xugui had left, seemingly to maintain a deliberate distance and avoid direct contact. Moreover, he never appeared in their subsequent conversations.
Cheng Tingyu watched Wang Si, who was disguised as Wei Xugui, take out a [stage play water gun] from the [cheap and good-quality hiking bag], aimed it at the other party, and pulled the trigger.
Disguised as "Wei Xu Gui," Wang Si had no idea what that object was, but it didn't stop him from immediately retreating into the room with a horrified expression, choosing to dodge.
Cheng Tingyu, holding the water gun, did not aim precisely, yet the wide coverage of the water stream made it nearly impossible to avoid completely. The areas on Wang Si's body that came into contact with the water revealed their true state, as if the wax melted by flames had been washed clean.
The outline of the "Wei Xu Gui" before his eyes wriggled for a moment, transforming into a tall, slender man.
Wang Si continued to retreat, but the consequence of focusing too much on what was ahead was that he forgot there could also be danger behind him.
Losing awareness of one's surroundings is a terrifying thing. Even if you can still see and touch the things around you, it feels as if your sanity has been stripped away, leaving you unable to respond normally.
——Hiding in the darkness, Wei Xu almost thought she was about to be discovered, until the sound of a second person came from outside the door. The enemy who intended to attack her then paused their original plan, giving her enough time to catch her breath.
The [Stage Play Water Gun] is a prop capable of clearing away disguises. Once the distorted view became clear again, the true owner of Room 502 responded without hesitation, throwing the weapon they had long prepared at the intruder.
[Can of Spinach No. 389: Its creator initially hoped to invent a can of spinach that would grant immense strength to its consumer. However, the final product only caused significant swelling in parts of the user's body.]
The can was smashed open on the tall, thin man's body, and the parts where the spinach touched his skin quickly swelled up. The smooth surface appeared transparent as it stretched, muscle fibers tore apart, and a mixture of tissue fluid and blood formed strange, bizarre bulges on his skin.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to howl, but the swelling quickly spread to his throat, and all of Wang Si's sounds were stuck in his throat. His arms flailed wildly in the air, his lips moved, looking in Cheng Tingyu's direction, as if pleading.
Cheng Tingyu's gaze fell on Wang Si, patiently observing the information that only he could read.
——The text remained unchanged after the special state, and the [visual camouflage] still existed.
"..."
Thirty seconds later, the status changed to [Deceased], and an additional line appeared introducing the true name: [Mito·Phantom]. After confirming that the enemy had become a dead enemy, another Wei Xugui walked out of the room.
"Why are you here?"
Cheng Tingyu glanced at the additional corpse on the ground and, after confirming that this sentence wasn't a result of time reversal, replied, "In the evening, I noticed someone loitering around my house, so I came over to check."
"..."
Wei Xuguang, who always felt that the other party had omitted many psychological processes, paused and continued to ask, "Aren't you afraid something might go wrong?"
Cheng Tingyu: "If you dare to live alone outside, you probably have the ability to protect yourself."
"The nearly overturned Ewei Xu Jun still thought the person in front of him was too bold: 'What if I actually can't deal with him?'"
Cheng Tingyu thought for a moment and smiled, "Then both I and I would be particularly regretful."
Wei Xugui: "..."
She had previously heard her aunt say that the more formidable the players, the more likely they were to have mental issues. The big shots in the inner city rarely appeared in public, possibly because it was difficult for them to find a time when they were all mentally stable.
What she saw today proved that her aunt had not deceived her.