A Blood Wall, Background Story

Long Yuan narrowed his eyes, unwilling to get involved, and turned to head upstairs.

Standing before Room 102's door, Ji Yan raised his hand and knocked.

No one answered.

Looking at the dust on the doorknob, Ji Yan realized the room was unoccupied.

The Plague Eerie behind him stepped forward, grabbed the doorknob, and opened the door directly.

Creak.

The interior, however, surprised Ji Yan.

Every inch was spotlessly clean—even a vase, even a key tray.

The floor was polished to a shine, clearly lived in, yet the outside of the door was thick with dust.

The Plague Eerie that had barged in left dirty water splashing everywhere with every step, but the Mutant Rats didn't follow; they all clustered at the doorway.

Back in its former home, the Plague Eerie was unusually excited, carefully examining and touching everything inside.

"Nothing's changed, this is my original home... but where is it?"

Ji Yan stood behind it and glanced at the clock on the wall.

Less than an hour remained until the mission ended!

If the Plague Eerie didn't leave the Apartment with the Rat Plague within that hour, the bristling Eerie Residents would probably tear it apart before the mission penalty even kicked in.

"Ah--!"

"I just finished cleaning, and you've turned it into this mess—how did you get in?"

A girl walked in from the balcony.

Seeing her spotless home suddenly reeking and splattered with filthy water, she looked like her world had collapsed.

The drink in her hand fell to the floor.

Ji Yan could tell she was a player.

Dressed sharply, hair glossy, face round and soft, one hand carrying a pot of fresh meat stew, and even the spilled drink was freshly squeezed juice.

Such abundant living conditions made even Ji Yan pause.

He'd thought his own situation was pretty good compared to other players.

But this Dyed-Hair Girl in front of him—that was real living!

The girl saw the Plague Eerie, covered in dirty water and trash, moving through her home, and clutched her pale face.

"What kind of creepy thing is that?!"

"How did it get in—don't move, don't touch anything!"

"It's over, it's all ruined, I'm dead."

Having finally matched into such a comfortable Dungeon environment, the thought of being eliminated and sent to an even more terrifying one pushed her to the edge of a breakdown.

Ji Yan looked at her. "Are you the fixed player for Room 102?"

The Female Player didn't answer, staring at Ji Yan with pure hatred. "What did I do to you?"

Ji Yan knew what she meant. He pointed at the Plague Eerie and said, "Completing the mission—I have no choice."

"Besides, That Eerie seems to be the original Master of this Room 102."

"Bullshit. I live here—you think I don't know who the Master of Room 102 is?"

"You're XX$%#..."

Ji Yan had no patience for the Dyed-Hair Girl's noise. He reached out and touched any conspicuous object in the room.

It was like entering a database—endless streams of hidden information popped up, all absorbed by Ji Yan.

As he quickly scanned through that hidden information, his expression shifted constantly.

In just two minutes, he finally unraveled the backstory between the Plague Eerie and Room 102.

So that's how it was!

He raised a hand to cut off the Dyed-Hair Girl's stream of curses and asked instead, "How many days have you survived here?"

The Dyed-Hair Girl glared at Ji Yan, silent.

"If you want to keep surviving in this Dungeon, answer my question."

Ji Yan's expression was serious.

The Dyed-Hair Girl opened her mouth, then finally decided to try anything. "I've survived a month."

"Is there an invisible Eerie that gives you daily tasks? Where is it?"

"How do you know that?"

The Dyed-Hair Girl's eyes went wide.

A month ago, she'd been transported from Blue Star to this Dungeon, and she'd felt like her world had collapsed.

But gradually, she realized her living environment was extremely safe and comfortable.

Unlike other Players, who had to go out every day and face all kinds of perilous missions, she only needed to stay indoors. Her daily task was simply to clean the room.

Thoroughly.

Every speck of dust in every corner had to be wiped clean.

In return, she received three high-quality meals a day, along with daily necessities.

And so, the Dyed-Hair Girl survived like this for a month.

While other Players struggled to survive in desperate situations, she just had to hole up in Room 102 every day, play the part of a maid, and the rest of her time was her own.

But today, her idyllic life was shattered into pieces by the one person and one Eerie who had barged in.

"Where is it? Take me there."

The Dyed-Hair Girl turned and entered a bedroom, pointing at a bloodstained wall deeper inside.

"My daily task comes from this wall!"

"The task says that as long as I pass the daily cleaning inspection, I won't be evicted."

Ji Yan looked at the bloodstained wall.

Just then, the Plague Eerie that had been wandering around Room 102 also entered the bedroom. Seeing the wall, it grew agitated, its voice trembling: "I remember... I remember everything!"

Ji Yan said to the Dyed-Hair Girl, "Go outside. Don't interrupt the father-daughter reunion."

The Dyed-Hair Girl was stunned. "Father-daughter?"

"Once their reunion is over, you'll be safe, and my mission will be complete."

Ji Yan glanced at the wall, which was still seeping blood, then left the room and closed the door behind him.

Outside the room, the Dyed-Hair Girl was still dazed.

Her head was full of question marks, but before she could speak, Ji Yan cleared his dry throat and asked first, "Got anything to drink?"

"I'm only responsible for cleaning the stuff in this room. I don't have permission to use it." The Dyed-Hair Girl pouted.

Ji Yan looked at her, then at the drink in her hand.

The Dyed-Hair Girl hesitated, then reluctantly handed it over with a pained expression. "Don't chug it all. I saved up this bottle of juice for three days!"

Ji Yan, however, took a big swig without any courtesy.

The Dyed-Hair Girl gritted her teeth in anger. "So you can finally speak?"

Ji Yan wiped the corner of his mouth. "Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, a father and daughter lived together in an Apartment. Later, because the father couldn't afford the rent, they were about to be evicted by the Landlord. But the environment outside the Apartment was extremely dangerous—being evicted meant certain death."

"The father came up with a way to let his daughter live in the Apartment forever. Guess what it was?"

The Dyed-Hair Girl paused, thought of the bloodstained wall, and a chill ran down her spine.

"The father... sealed the girl inside the wall?"

"Correct. The father exploited a loophole in the Apartment's rules. None of the Apartment's walls could be moved. By merging the corpse with the Apartment, the Landlord had no way to deal with it. Worse, Room 102 became a 'haunted house' and couldn't be rented out anymore."

"The daughter was inside the wall. She couldn't move, but at least she was still 'alive.' After the father was evicted from the Apartment, he was corroded by the dangerous environment outside, turned into something neither human nor Eerie, and lost most of his memories."

"But one memory remained—that his home was in Apartment Room 102, and there was someone very important to him there."

"He forgot who that important person was. Clinging to that obsession, he survived like a walking corpse, becoming a Grudge Eerie, wandering aimlessly through the perilous world."

"One day, he returned to this Apartment. Some familiar memories were awakened, and he went mad trying to find a way inside..."

Ji Yan let out a small sigh.

Looking at the Dyed-Hair Girl, who was listening in a daze, he said, "That's the backstory of your Room 102."