Old Man, Why Are You Dropping Gold Coins for Me?

The landlord rubbed Zhu Yan's palm vigorously.

But no matter how it rubbed, the left hand giving off a rich aroma of meat remained pale and clean, without the slightest trace of a mark!

The landlord's faint anticipation turned to disappointment, and its loose, sagging face trembled with anger.

Watching the landlord's frustrated expression, Zhu Yan felt a faint, detached pleasure well up from the bottom of his heart and trickle through every vein.

He felt more relaxed than ever before.

The landlord angrily stuffed the filthy handkerchief back into its pocket, and Zhu Yan seized the chance to pull his hand free and step back.

"Uh, I'm leaving. Goodbye."

The instance hadn't started yet, so of course he could leave.

He had arrived over two hours early, and that time wasn't meant to be wasted.

This instance might be like the last, with other players on opposing sides.

The identity of a horror creature could be used to draw out more information.

Only by making good use of every possible information gap could he improve his chances of survival.

"What?" A wet, phlegmy sound came from the landlord's throat.

But in the blink of an eye, something unexpected happened.

The monster lunged forward, clamped a hand around Zhu Yan's arm, and dragged him into the garden with tremendous force!

"Who said you could leave?!" the landlord shrieked. "You're not leaving! Once you're here, you're not leaving!"

Damn human.

He wasn't a player, so he wouldn't drop any gold coins, but it wasn't as though there was nothing to be gained.

At least he could fill [Cannibal House]'s stomach a little, couldn't he?

Besides, there were two big fish coming tonight.

"You're staying here overnight!" the landlord roared. "Follow the rules here!"

There was nothing in the garden, and Zhu Yan was dragged across a bare lawn.

Alarm bells rang in his head as his thoughts raced.

Something unexpected had happened, but that wasn't strange.

But what could he do to get the landlord under control and turn the situation around completely?

Meanwhile.

An official car rolled over the asphalt and came to a silent stop at the entrance to a side road inside the quarantine zone.

In the car, Guan En fiddled with a voice recorder as he spoke to his superior on the phone.

"...Remember, record as much of what that person says as you can. Your own safety comes first, and completing the instance mission comes first."

The officer's tone was stern.

"Be careful, and don't get distracted!"

Guan En said, "All right."

"Our people have deduced that if that mysterious player is there too, and if he really is a tool [Merry Happy Land] uses to spread its infection..."

The officer paused briefly.

"Then there may well be more than two players in this instance!"

"Only collect biological information like the other person's fingerprints or hair if you can ensure your own complete safety."

"I've pulled Captain Huang over. He'll bring his people and be there in ten minutes. That player won't get away."

Guan En knew the superior here was concerned about him.

Everything he said, directly or indirectly, was meant to tell Guan En to come out alive.

But...

"What if there are only two players in the instance?"

What if, like last time, only one of them really could survive?

The officer fell silent on the other end of the line.

Of course they had considered the question Guan En had raised.

It was indeed possible.

Judging from all the known case files, the mysterious player could be said to have advanced quite quickly among those who had appeared since [Merry Happy Land] emerged.

He was also the first to possess items capable of affecting reality!

He was very likely someone chosen by [Merry Happy Land].

But if [Merry Happy Land] really did spread through a chosen person...

Then, given [Merry Happy Land]'s survival-of-the-fittest nature, the task of "spreading" it would very likely fall to Guan En if he directly killed the mysterious player.

Guan En was easier to control than the mysterious player.

Much easier!

The officer answered decisively.

"Prioritize completing the instance mission and ensuring your own safety!"

Guan En said nothing.

A few seconds later, he gave a very deliberate "Mm" and smiled.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll make sure the mission gets done."

Elsewhere.

Zhu Yan was dragged into the house by the landlord.

The house's old furnishings were a stark contrast to its modern exterior.

Zhu Yan concentrated and examined the furnishings inside.

There was a soft, tattered cloth sofa, yellowing, peeling wallpaper, a worn and aging floor, and a dusty fireplace.

It was stuffy and poorly ventilated, as though the insides of a century-old house had been forced into the shell of a modern villa.

The floor creaked inexplicably, and the fireless fireplace crackled.

Zhu Yan almost immediately understood what "Coexisting with Forbidden Things" meant by "[Cannibal House] makes noises."

It seemed the house had been hungry for a long time.

The landlord started pulling him toward the stairs, and Zhu Yan hurriedly spoke up, hoping to buy himself at least a little time.

"Wait. What's this about players?"

The landlord stopped.

It spun around and stared at Zhu Yan with its cloudy eyes for a while.

Its gaze was icy, and it didn't answer. Its throat merely bobbed with hunger.

Zhu Yan understood.

That expression meant that horror creatures didn't bother talking to ordinary humans, because they were merely the least valuable and easiest prey to deal with.

The only information he could probably obtain as an "ordinary human" was the location of [Cannibal House]'s mouth, by putting himself in danger and testing it out.

That would work too.

[Cannibal House] didn't kill horror creatures, and Zhu Yan had the [Roleplay] ability, so he could use that to escape.

If he acted convincingly enough...

The muted pleasure washed over his body once more.

Those faint electric currents appeared again, coursing through Zhu Yan's entire body and bringing a subtle, feeble pleasure.

Addictive.

Zhu Yan dug his nails hard into his palm, forcibly pulling himself out of the sensation and focusing all his attention on the present.

If he acted convincingly enough, he could also use [Cannibal House]'s nature to change his identity!

In the dim, pale light, the landlord finally pulled its lips into a grotesque grin.

"Players? Aren't you staying the night? Don't worry about that."

The arm that reeked of rot released Zhu Yan, and the landlord raised a skeletal hand and pointed toward the stairs at the far end of the house.

Zhu Yan noticed that [Cannibal House] was making even more noise.

"Come upstairs with me, child," the landlord rasped. "I'll show you your room."

The landlord's eyelids drooped, hiding the hungry, vicious gleam in its eyes.

It wasn't just its house; it was ravenous too.

This person might as well be split in two.

It would eat half itself and give the other half to the damned house!

Zhu Yan didn't dawdle any longer.

There was no point in stalling or trying to pry out information now, because the landlord wouldn't say any more.

On the contrary, it would very likely anger the landlord and make it kill him right there in the living room.

The landlord was a horror creature, after all, and Zhu Yan still didn't know whether it was level four or level five.

If the landlord was level five, really angering it wouldn't do him any good.

For one thing, his abilities weren't strong enough, and he couldn't beat it.

For another, the house's weakness, the most precious treasure in the house, and whether there might be other players.

There wasn't even a hint of any of those three pieces of information yet!

Zhu Yan nodded, signaling for the landlord to lead the way.

"All right," he said. "I'll come with you."

As soon as the landlord shuffled forward in its slippers, he immediately activated the level-four ability [Complaining] with a thought!

As Zhu Yan stepped across the creaking floor, he lowered his voice as much as possible, making sure the landlord couldn't hear him.

"The outside of this house is barely passable, but step inside and it's a toad jumping off a cliff pretending to be Batman, seven gourds hanging in the yard pretending to be grand..."