Cleaning Up the Mess, Night Mission

"Uh... pretty melodramatic."

After hearing the backstory, the Dyed-Hair Girl was silent for a moment before finally summing it up.

"Melodramatic or not doesn't matter. What matters is getting the job done."

Ji Yan kept an eye on the time and listened to the sounds coming from the room, growing a bit anxious.

Fortunately, after more than ten minutes of interaction, the door slowly opened.

The Plague Eerie walked out, its face hidden by sticky black hair, staring like a water ghost—creepy enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

The Dyed-Hair Girl cowered behind Ji Yan.

"Thank you. Seeing my daughter settle down here safely, my last wish is fulfilled."

"I should leave now. Sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."

The Plague Eerie spoke slowly to Ji Yan, the obsession that had tormented it finally snapping like a broken chain.

Ji Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but then thought of the huge hole he'd chiseled in the wall, and worry crept back in.

How was he supposed to fix that gaping hole?

Who would fill it in?

The Plague Eerie raised a hand, reached into its mouth, and pulled out a key from its throat, handing it to Ji Yan. "If you run into trouble, use this key to open the door to Room 801."

"That resident isn't easy to talk to, but maybe—hopefully—out of our past dealings, they'll help you out a bit."

The Plague Eerie's tone was uncertain.

But it knew Ji Yan had risked angering the entire building's residents by forcing the wall open to let it in, stirring up a real mess. It owed him for that favor.

This was the only compensation it could think of.

The corner of Ji Yan's mouth twitched, and he gave a bitter smile. "Bro, don't give me a 'maybe hopefully.'"

"The residents on the eighth floor are all tough customers."

"If your reputation doesn't carry any weight, this isn't repayment—it's pure revenge!"

The Plague Eerie rasped, "I know how hard it is to survive in this building. I've done what I can."

"If you're in trouble, you can also come to this room. My daughter will help you."

With that, the Plague Eerie walked out of the room, and the rats gathered at the door quickly scattered to follow.

Ji Yan clutched the key in his hand.

A game prompt sounded in his mind:

"Congratulations player, you have received an additional quest reward—Key to Room 801."

"Tip: The residents of the eighth floor are tied to complex backstories and have bizarre personalities. Can you guess whether this key in your hand is a blessing or a curse?"

Why did even the game prompt have to be so annoyingly cryptic?

Ji Yan held the key, feeling it burn in his hand.

Liu Yitong had said before, and the announcements had confirmed, that there were only four residents on the eighth floor. As the top floor of the building, rent was double that of the other floors, and many rules didn't apply up there. Each resident had multiple backstories, and the quests triggered there were at least A+ rank.

Every single one was practically a Dungeon Mini-Boss!

Ji Yan squeezed the key repeatedly, hoping to trigger his talent, but no hidden information surfaced. He had to give up.

"What are you spacing out for? Get out already."

"It's almost dark. I need to hurry and clean up the room." The Dyed-Hair Girl rolled up her sleeves and said to Ji Yan.

Ji Yan snapped back to reality, muttered an apology to the Dyed-Hair Girl, and quickly left the room.

"What a guy. In the end, I get nothing, and I still have to clean up this mess."

The Dyed-Hair Girl grumbled under her breath.

But at least she hadn't been kicked out. She could keep freeloading in Room 102 and survive.

Then she got a summons from the Blood Wall and hurried into the room.

More blood was seeping from the Blood Wall. The mottled surface writhed, and the bloodstains coalesced into two words: "Thank you."

Back in the hallway, the Plague Eerie had already left, taking the invading rats with it.

But the first floor was a wreck after all that commotion.

Dirty water and trash were scattered everywhere, the stench unbearable.

"It's satisfied and gone, but what about me?"

Staring at the huge mess before him, Ji Yan clutched his head in frustration.

No sooner had he spoken than a chill crept up behind him.

Ji Yan's heart skipped a beat. He turned around, and the Old Landlord was already standing right behind him.

As the boss of this dungeon, even though the old man looked amiable, there was always an indescribable pressure about him.

Like an abyss—what you can't see the bottom of is the most terrifying.

"Good news and bad news—which one do you want to hear first?" The landlord squinted, his smile making people's skin crawl.

Ji Yan paused. "The good news?"

"The good news is, those annoying rats are gone. Consider your mission complete."

Ji Yan showed no joy. "And the bad news?"

"The bad news is, you used the worst possible way to finish it."

"The mission's rewards can't make up for that wall you tore open, or this mess on the first floor."

That didn't make Ji Yan's face fall. He asked bluntly, "So how do I make it right?"

Old Landlord laughed. "You're a brat who's been leeching off Room 404, can't even pay rent—what could you possibly offer?"

Ji Yan shook his head. "If I couldn't patch this hole, you wouldn't be wasting words with me here, old man."

"Those first-floor tenants who hate my guts would've already taken their anger out on me."

"You stopped them."

Old Landlord tapped his old pipe, looking mildly surprised. "Hah, sharp mind, aren't you?"

"I'll give you a night mission. If you finish it, I'll let that big hole in the wall slide."

A Night Mission.

The death rate was double that of daytime!

Ji Yan tried to find a way out. "But isn't the Apartment supposed to have all tenants resting at night? How about swapping it for a daytime task?"

"This mission can't be done during the day."

"You've got a Night Patrol Pass, kid. Can't fool this old man."

"You only have two choices. The other one is I hand you over to those tenants for them to deal with."

"What do you say, young man?"

Facing the landlord's kindly face, Ji Yan's smile was uglier than a grimace. "Old man, do I look like I have a choice?"

Old Landlord patted Ji Yan on the shoulder. "Kid, I think highly of your abilities."

"We're all tenants of the Apartment. Shouldn't we all do our part to keep the place in good shape?"

"Don't feel shortchanged. Do the task I give you well, and I'll personally gift you something."

The more genial the landlord acted, the more uneasy Ji Yan felt. He cut straight to the chase. "Old man, no beating around the bush—how many people have taken this night job?"

"So far, about eleven."

"Any of them alive?"

"Now, young man, that's a bit of a question..."

Old Landlord shook his head with a chuckle, then added, "Not many."

"..."

Ji Yan was mentally and physically drained.

This life-risking work just kept coming one after another!

Was the heavens testing how tough his fate was, or was someone pulling strings behind the scenes?

If he remembered right, today's first mission was just delivering a Sachet. He could've wrapped up nicely and scraped by for another day.

But just because he took one extra look at the notice on the hallway wall, he'd ended up in this deep water!

It really proved that saying—don't go picking roadside flowers.

"Be grateful. Compared to a few other unlucky bastards, you're at least still alive."

Ji Yan knew the landlord meant the other Players who'd taken the mission. He couldn't help asking, "What happened to them?"

"Mission failed. They were all used to fill the wall."

"..."