The hallway was shrouded in darkness.
The deceased body was not still; it was collapsing at an extremely slow pace, and the liquid in those bulges on the surface had turned into a kind of ominous murkiness.
No one spoke. The faint sounds of ordinary life from the second floor below drifted up, creating a strong sense of spatial separation.
Cheng Tingyu held a bag of fruit in one hand and a water gun in the other. She calmly put the props back into the [cheap and good-quality hiking bag], then curiously asked, "I visited your aunt's place the other day. The traps inside were quite interesting. Do they have anything to do with you?"
Wei Xuguang said coldly, "I was just making a suggestion."
Cheng Tingyu glanced at the strange corpse on the ground and smiled, "After such a terrifying accident, what do you plan to do now?"
Wei Xuguang didn't feel a shred of sincerity from the "terrifying" word uttered by the other person. She looked at the person in front of her and said, "As someone from the desolate zone, aren't you skilled at dealing with corpses?"
Cheng Tingyu spoke honestly, "In my memory, I have always been a law-abiding citizen."
Wei Xuguang listened expressionlessly.
She had long known from her aunt that it was hard to hear any objective evaluation from those strong individuals whose sanity values fluctuated.
Cheng Tingyu added, "Of course, if you want to get some advice, as a law-abiding citizen, I think you can contact the security bureau or the inspection team to handle it."
Wei Xuguang found it really hard to associate the person in front of him with the words "law-abiding citizen."
When she initially chose to return and live here, she was indeed prepared for the possibility of an attack. However, she hadn't anticipated that Wang Si possessed the ability to create illusions, causing her to almost lose her accurate perception of her own home.
"Before contacting anyone, I need to tidy up a bit."
Wei Xugui's deceased aunt was a collector, and she inherited some items from her. Among them was one called [Eraser], which had the ability to erase the residual power of other items. However, its effectiveness would be greatly reduced when dealing with items of higher quality than itself.
After confirming that there were no particularly disturbing signs left on Wang Si's body, Wei Xuguang called the Public Security Bureau.
In the city of F0631, the Inspection Team is a very special department.
Here, the higher the position, the longer the overtime hours—a characteristic mainly due to the department's perennial understaffing, the randomness of dungeon appearances, and the high mortality rate of missions. Additionally, most of the higher-ranking members are players, and the stronger the player, the less sleep they need.
Qin Luosong originally thought that being assigned to Apartment No. 6 meant his workload was already full. It was only after being transferred back to the team that he truly understood what it meant for overtime to be like water in a sponge—there's always more if you squeeze.
Qin Luosong, who had just finished handling the documents at hand, walked to the interrogation room with a thermos cup. He calmly observed Cheng Tingyu, who was sitting in front of him drinking tea again after only a couple of days, and suddenly felt an indescribable psychological pressure.
Cheng Tingyu wasn't being questioned by an inspector for the first time, but it was her first visit to the Inspection Bureau. She glanced at the plain water in front of her, which only had two tea stems in it, and earnestly asked, "Could you help me switch to juice? I prefer sweeter drinks."
"..."
The interrogation room was silent.
The intern who had just joined the team this year and was assisting the seniors was quite surprised. They had seen many individuals brought in for questioning, most of whom were either fearful, extremely fearful, or would soon become extremely fearful.
The interns turned their gaze towards Qin Luosong. They knew that this senior, who had been stationed in dangerous instances for a long time and had only recently been transferred back to headquarters, would soon make the interviewee named Cheng Tingyu feel the terror of the inspection team..
Qin Luosong, whose expression had become slightly serious, indeed stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "What flavor of juice do you like?"
"..."
With a soft "plop," the intern's documents fell onto the table, making a rustling sound.
Everyone's facial expressions went blank for a moment. After two or three seconds, the newly joined young members recovered and added the annotation, "The senior has been serving the residents in Apartment No. 6 for a long time and hasn't fully switched roles yet," to the situation before them.
Just then, the office worker Zhou Jianyun, who happened to be passing by, whispered to a colleague beside him, "Wow, I didn't know we could place orders here."
Walking ahead, having just finished his fieldwork, Li Yetai thought for a moment and replied, "The inspector probably never said it was forbidden, but no one has ever had the courage to do it before."
Zhou Jianyun nodded to show his understanding—unless someone as significant as the "Dreammaker" took special interest, ordinary people only had one life, not worth wasting on giving feedback about the Inspectorate's drinks.
Interrogation room.
Qin Luosong: "Actually, getting to know your tastes isn't a bad idea. After being transferred back to the team, I think we should be able to meet here often."
——From the way he conquered the No. 6 Apartment instance, it was clear that Cheng Tingyu was a bold, curious individual who wasn't afraid of causing trouble.
With such a personality, it's surprising he managed to grow up in the desolate zone... Qin Luosong reflected on the past, his thoughts taking a turn—considering the observational skills the other party displayed, even if he had a particular penchant for courting death, growing up smoothly actually made quite a bit of sense.
In the end, Cheng Tingyu still didn't get to drink any juice—thanks to the inspector's taste. The beverages supplied in the inspection team, apart from tea, were basically all kinds of coffee, coffee, and more coffee, making one suspect that the selection criteria for the inspection team required at least two livers: one for work and one for overtime work.
Although both sides were acquaintances, according to the procedures of the inspection team, Cheng Tingyu, who came over for tea, needed to first explain the course of events.
"…Today I moved to a new place, so I planned to visit my neighbors according to normal social etiquette. It was in the next room that I saw the deceased involved in this incident."
Qin Luosong: "Was that person still alive at the time?"
Cheng Tingyu: "Alive, and it was 'Wei Xugui' who opened the door, but he looked a bit strange." As she explained, she casually made up a reason, "When I was at the apartment, I chatted with both Wei Xugui and Wang Si. Their speaking rhythms were noticeably different. I felt something was off, so I took out a prop water gun and squirted it."
Her words left the intern quite puzzled. If he wasn't mistaken, the information showed that this person named "Cheng Tingyu" was just a newly awakened flesh-type player. It seemed unrealistic for someone like that to distinguish between the two from such minute details and respond appropriately... Thinking of this, the intern once again cast a hopeful glance at Qin Luosong—
Qin Luosong nodded continuously while writing furiously, "I see."
——As a detail-oriented expert who could decipher the mechanics of the dreamscape within just three days of moving in, Cheng Tingyu found it perfectly reasonable to think that the rhythm of their conversation was off, even if the given reason was that their breathing rhythms were mismatched.
Intern: "…??"
Is this kind of reason, which sounds completely made up on the spot, actually acceptable?!
Cheng Tingyu continued to explain the course of events, but in his description, he omitted many necessary details and his own psychological reactions when facing Wang Si, making himself in the narrative seem more like an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
While she was communicating with Qin Luosong, she also spared some effort to speculate about Wei Xugui's situation.
Cheng Tingyu thought, the other party didn't mind contacting the inspection team afterward, either because they had a tool that could confuse the inspector's judgment, or they had prepared an answer that could pass muster.
In another interrogation room far from here.
"..."
The pale light shone down, making Wei Xugu's already strained expression appear even more pallid and frail.
Her situation wasn't as easy as Cheng Tingyu's.
If it weren't for his status as an official resident of the central district, his treatment at this moment would be even worse. After all, Wang Si had entered Room 502 and was personally killed by Wei Xuji.
The attitude of the inspection team was sufficiently stern, and the clerk responsible for recording occasionally interrupted the other party, posing some sharp questions.
Wei Xu Gui rasped, "…When I noticed the visual effects in the room had changed, I didn't dare move recklessly. Then I heard voices outside but couldn't pinpoint their source. It was only when the visual distortion suddenly lessened that I found the exit to the living room."
Inspector: "He had the power of a player, but in the end, you survived, and he died."
Wei Xugui's gaze was cold and hard: "I have also awakened the power of a player."
"I am a cursed speech."
The inspector paused for a moment, wrote down a few more lines, and then asked, "So, what do you think Wang Si was looking for you for?"
Wei Xugui's voice had temporarily become rough due to the awakening of his powers, reminiscent of stone and blood: "There is nothing about me personally worth targeting, I just received some collectibles for self-defense from my aunt..."
The questioning in the interrogation room continued. In the adjacent room, several inspectors responsible for monitoring heard familiar footsteps behind them. They stood up in unison and slightly bowed to the newcomer. "Inspector General."
Not only did Cheng Tingyu sense a connection between Wang Si and the "Dangerous Mask," but Bu Wushang also began to harbor some suspicions.
An inspector dressed in first-class guard attire handed over the document: "Your Excellency, Inspector, this is the monitoring report from earlier."
Bu Wushang nodded and took the chair, sitting down and focusing intently on the situation in the other room through the one-way glass.
Considering the busy schedule of Inspector Bu, who is always on the front lines of overtime work, it was clearly not a normal situation for him to appear here.
As an inspector assigned to the outer district, Bu Wushang's reputation was exceptionally prominent. If someone asked the inspectors what their superior's hobby was, nine out of ten would answer "work," and the other would say, "The inspector has no hobbies."
Bu Wushang looked at the people inside through the glass and suddenly said, "Her eyes."
"Is that person also a Mìtóng?" the inspector immediately tensed up
"..."
Bu Wushang was silent for a moment, then had to make his meaning clearer: "There is a special emotion hidden in her eyes."
"Confirm whether they are members of the 'Dangerous Mask' or if there is any cooperation or employment relationship with them. If the answer is no, just release them."
As an innocent neighbor affected by the incident, Cheng Tingyu was released early and sent back home. It wasn't until the next evening that she heard the sound of a door opening across the hall.
The soundproofing of this building is truly disappointing. Fortunately, perhaps due to Wang Si's influence yesterday, the families downstairs didn't notice the unusual events above. Otherwise, Cheng Tingyu's fledgling rental business would have been doomed by a collective tenant exodus.
After being questioned for a whole day and night, Wei Xugui returned to his rented apartment.
The attitude displayed by the inspection team was somewhat subtle.
"Dangerous Mask" is a shadowy organization hidden within City F0631, with its members long occupying top spots on the inspection team's wanted list. Under normal circumstances, upon receiving their leads, Bu Wushang would undoubtedly want to investigate further.
She originally thought she would be temporarily detained, but in the end, she was released.
While Wei Xugui was deep in thought, he unconsciously walked onto the balcony.
The cool night breeze brushed against my face, bringing a hint of clarity to my mind.
Wutong Street is lined with old houses, and the balconies of the two rooms on the fifth floor remain unsealed.
"Would you like an apple?"
Cheng Tingyu's voice came from the next room.
She was currently sitting on the balcony railing, her legs dangling in the air, her body swaying back and forth. If a salesperson from "Screwdriver" saw this scene, they would definitely be tearfully urging her to buy an insurance policy that included corpse recovery rights to boost their KPIs.