Residence

On the bus heading to the capital.

Luo Di sat alone by the window, feeding the crow with a large bag of diced meat he had just bought, while reminiscing about the entire experience Corner Experience.

Regarding the matter of "family," Luo Di had already accepted it from the bottom of his heart when he graduated from high school. He was also able to control his emotions well and was well aware that his current strength was not enough to take the final step.

Carefully recall the tugging sensation I felt when I saw the red balloon inside the train station.

It seems to have a deeper function than simply guiding him there.

"The red balloon, or rather the 'red' symbolism expressed by the clown, has a strong influence on individual thinking."

Especially for someone like me who had previously been in contact with him, it amplified my deepest desires more than tenfold, to the point that I almost lost my reason and did extremely unwise things.

Once the observation occurs, the traction will be achieved.

Yu Ze arrived at the train to reinforce me, he immediately noticed this and used a copper coin to cover his eyes.

If we encounter this again during subsequent explorations of this corner, Crow will be in charge of observation, while I will completely shut down my vision, like this.

Gaga~

Several gray tentacles crawled out from the eye socket, covering the entire eyeball.

It not only blocks the view, but also isolates everything that might get into the eyeball, leaving only gray.

Once feasibility was confirmed, the tentacles disappeared.

Luo Di then took out a small glass bottle from his waist, which contained the balloon-like substance extracted from his body. It was essentially an egg-like body composed mainly of stem cells.

"I wonder if the Exploration Bureau can directly determine the information about that clown, or even its specific residence in the corner, based on the sample and our experience this time."

If possible, the powerful human leaders at the top of the Exploration Bureau might try to capture the Joker, which could perhaps influence his actions to some extent.

I need to develop in the corner for a while and collect enough materials to open the door.

"Events," "Corner Coin," "Fear Entity"—there are many things yet to be revealed; my exploration has only just begun.

Although Luo Di has not yet chosen to join a specific department, he already belongs to the Exploration Bureau and can enter the World Bureau headquarters without any application.

This time, he doesn't need to take any tests; he only needs to step into a special teleporter to reach the Nexus.

Stepping into the metal passageway of the pipe structure, the surrounding walls begin to rotate and emit light.

Buzz!

In the blink of an eye,

Luo Di was back on the bus traveling between the islands, and not far ahead was the pure white building representing the Exploration Bureau.

However, the bus stopped shortly after it started moving.

A passenger actually boarded.

He wore a long, barrel-shaped robe, had an oval face, and black hair that naturally fell past his ears. His eyes, which weren't very big to begin with, were currently squinted together, and he was smiling as he watched Luo Di in the last row.

"You Zhen?"

The other person simply nodded in response, then sat down next to Luo Di. Without exchanging any words, he reached out and touched her temple with his index finger.

At the same time, there are also fine lines invisible to the naked eye scraping across the skin's surface.

"Huh? You've really fully recovered? It's only been less than a day since you left? When you escaped from the crevice, you were on the verge of death."

Even with the medical equipment provided by the Exploration Bureau, it will take at least a week to eliminate the fear and restore your body, and there is no guarantee that you will recover to this state.

Wait... was your body reassembled?

Luo Di naturally couldn't tell the truth. It would be too much of an exaggeration to say that the Hell's Big Three had worked together to repair his body, and he also couldn't talk about what happened between the three at the Fifth Hospital.

"Yes."

"I've heard of the Fifth Hospital. It started receiving attention from the capital around last year and has now become the number one hospital in the country outside the capital. What exactly is there there?"

"I can freely connect to the world from the Fifth Hospital, and I can quickly repair things through the methods there."

Upon hearing this, You Zhen immediately became interested. "A doctor from another world? Can I meet him?"

"If you're interested, you can go and have a look at the Fifth Hospital."

"I guess you'll need to bring me along for them to be willing to truly communicate with an outsider like me, right? It's okay, if it's inconvenient, then forget it."

"I'll take you next time I have the chance."

You Zhen heard that there was a real chance to make contact with another world, especially to come into contact with medical techniques that were not human, she immediately became happy.

"By the way, where is the sample you mentioned in your message?"

When Luo Di took out the small bottle containing the red substance, You Zhen immediately realized that this small bottle was extraordinary. It emitted heat and could isolate the monster substance from the outside world.

"Sure enough, just like the sample Yu Ze brought back, the balloon-like tissue in my body is also like this."

We were probably affected by this monster from the moment we entered the waiting room and were illuminated by the red light there.

The opponent's methods were extremely sophisticated; he could use the Fear Entity throughout the entire train station area to his advantage.

red,

Observation,

Traction,

And the balloon invasion, which are keywords associated with that monster.

The Exploration Bureau is currently verifying the monster's true identity, but it's highly likely to be an 'unregistered monster'. Otherwise, based on the information we've provided and the physical samples we've obtained, we should be able to identify it very quickly.

I came early this time for two reasons: first, to check if your body has truly recovered ahead of schedule.

Secondly, they might be asking if you have any other information that could confirm the monster's identity.

After all, this monster came looking for you. Based on our review of your personal information, there's one thing that seems to match up..."

You Zhen didn't say it directly. She was observing Luo Di's micro-expressions. If he showed any discomfort, she would temporarily stop the topic.

Luo Di looked out the window and calmly replied, "Five years ago, when that guy was still Pseudo-Human, he came to my neighborhood and caused the deaths of many residents, including my family. Even the investigators who arrived in time were killed."

This is the only information I can provide; the Jupiter City Investigation Bureau should have listed this as Stagnant Event long ago.

The clown must have gone to a corner after that massacre.

You Zhen, Youzhen smiled with relief. Her biggest worry was that Luo Di was still unable to let go of this matter. If he harbored great personal hatred towards the clown, he might fall victim to it again during the next exploration.

It seems that Luo Di is in a condition where he can continue exploring the corners.

"We've already transferred the documents from the Investigation Bureau. I came to see you to verify in person whether the monster we encountered on the train was the same as the Pseudo-Human."

"Same, I can be sure of that."

"That's good. The Jupiter City Investigation Bureau used to take this matter very seriously and had been tracking down the clown. Although they ultimately failed to capture him, they still collected a lot of important intelligence."

Here is a backup file that I think you, Luo Di, will find very interesting.

The Exploration Bureau will continue to investigate this clown, since breaking into the Shallow Layer and attacking newcomers is tantamount to a provocation against us.

Once his level and depth are determined, the Exploration Bureau will send special personnel to hunt him down.

Oh, and one last thing... are you sure the clown mentioned the word "residence" to you?

"Yes, he said that if the train continued on, it would reach his residential area."

"A monster that has already acquired a private residence in a corner? It seems this guy's danger assessment needs to be adjusted upwards."

"A house in the corner?" Luo Di was very interested in this; it seemed that the class monitor had mentioned it in an envelope before.

"Hmm... properties in the corner are allowed to be sold."

This is crucial for both monsters and humans.

The reason why the main forces of the Exploration Bureau can stay in the corner for so long is because we have already purchased a certain amount of real estate.

Remaining inside a private residence protects one from the Fear Entity, isolates most dangers, and allows for the use of the property as Transfer Station for resupply and personnel adjustments, facilitating deeper exploration.

Luo Di continued to ask, "Purchase with Corner Coin?"

"A large amount of Corner Coin required, and that's only one condition. To purchase private property, you also need to meet some specific Corner requirements."

Land in this corner of the world is more expensive than anywhere else in the world.

This is what our Exploration Bureau needs most right now; it's key to increasing the depth of our exploration... Okay, that's all for now. Go to your dorm and rest today.

The results of your Corner Experience will be available tomorrow.

You can then choose which department you want to join based on your performance in each of the various characteristics.

"We tried our best to pair you with Yu Ze; it's clear you two are old teammates."

The bus arrived at the apartment building.

When Luo Di got out of the car, You Zhen was still peering at him through the window.

"Luo Di ~ If you lack a doctor for the subsequent formal explorations, you can call me anytime... Exploring with you is quite interesting."

"OK."

See you tomorrow!

"Bye-Bye."