Mother looked at Ji Yan with such tenderness in her eyes, yet her tone was so vicious and full of killing intent.
"Child, if only one of your mother and grandmother could live, and the knife were in your hand, who would you stab?"
Danger!!
Hearing this Death Question gave Ji Yan an instant headache.
But one had to be tactful and say the right thing to the right person.
Ji Yan pretended to struggle with the question briefly before answering seriously, "If there really were no other choice, I would save Mother."
Upon hearing that, Mother's smile became even brighter.
"So, my good son, you would ruthlessly stab that old hag of a grandmother to death, right?"
Ji Yan found it hard to answer, afraid there might be some verbal trap or taboo hidden in the question, so he merely nodded in agreement.
He hurriedly changed the subject. "Does Mother have any plans for me today?"
"Mother is in a very good mood. You only need to take a box upstairs for me."
"She is one of Mother's good sisters. Remember to sweet-talk her a little. She lives on the Eighth Floor, after all. If you get along with her, hardly anyone in this Apartment Building will dare touch you later."
Mother said with a smile as she handed over an exquisite box.
Clearly, Mother's task was nothing but a benefit.
The moment Ji Yan heard the keywords "sister" and "Eighth Floor," his heart skipped a beat.
He tried asking, "It wouldn't happen to be Room 801, would it?"
Mother looked surprised. "What, have you met that sister already?"
"Isn't she beautiful? Don't tell me you weren't completely bewitched by her, boy?"
"..."
Ji Yan forced a smile.
"Actually, she really did leave me completely 'bewitched.'"
Looking at the box in his hand, Ji Yan's expression was as ugly as constipation.
The Landlord had told him to keep his distance from that woman named Xu Xin, but now, there was no way to keep that distance at all!
"What's in this box?"
"Just some skincare products."
"In this Apartment Building, Mother and your Sister Xu are each other's only good sisters. We often share whatever we have."
Mother propped up her cheek and looked at Ji Yan with a meaningful smile. "My son is so charming. Maybe you can win her over and make her Mother's daughter-in-law."
"Mother really knows how to joke."
Ji Yan smiled along with her, though his smile was extremely dry.
"Mother, I'll go take care of it first."
Ji Yan had no mood to continue chatting. After saying that simply, he left the room.
Watching Ji Yan leave, Eerie Mother continued gazing out at the gray, gloomy world beyond the window.
The smile at the corner of her mouth vanished.
After a while, she muttered coldly, "Hmph, that woman got to meet him first..."
"Has she set her sights on my son?"
After leaving the room, Ji Yan weighed the box in his hand.
It was very light.
Yet he felt uneasy.
"Was it really just a coincidence?"
"Could this be another setup aimed at me?"
He could not be blamed for thinking that way. That woman named Xu Xin was the most scheming person he had ever met, utterly full of tricks!
He carefully felt over the box with both hands.
The Hidden Information Panel really did pop up:
Good sisters? In this Apartment Building, stained with blood and built from piled flesh and bone, where could such magical things exist? There were only filthy transactions. As for what kind of transaction it was, why not guess whether this box really contained skincare products?
"Right, that's more like it."
"What sisterly affection could possibly exist in the Eerie World? Not even a dog would believe that!"
But Ji Yan's teeth began to itch again.
Why was it another riddle?
Did this Talent feel uncomfortable all over if it did not speak in riddles for a day?
He had thought putting together two Talent Fragments would eliminate this flaw, but it still could not kick that bad habit.
There was no sign of Grandmother's room opening. Liu Yitong was still receiving his task.
Ji Yan did not pay much attention to it and left to complete his task.
Before long, Ji Yan arrived on the Eighth Floor.
In the corridor, Ji Yan ran into the Bandage Eerie from before—the Landlord's assistant and an Apartment Building administrator.
Its entire body was still wrapped in layer after layer of blood-seeping bandages. At a glance, it looked like a walking mummy.
It stood outside Room 804, holding a report form.
Then it shut the door and placed a seal over it.
"Room 804 residents: A family bloodbath occurred. After killing his wife and son while drunk, the father chose to cut his own throat. The adopted daughter has been adopted by Miss Xu, the resident of Room 801."
Ji Yan listened, rubbed his nose, and said nothing.
However, the Bandage Eerie noticed Ji Yan and closed the report form. "I didn't expect you to actually survive."
"The Landlord mentioned you to me. There aren't many outside residents who can earn a word of praise from the old man."
Ji Yan curled his lip. He did not consider that an honor. That old man was also a scheming bastard. "How did he praise me?"
"He praised you as a child favored by the Goddess of Luck, someone who could always escape danger. He hoped that favor would also fall upon the Apartment Building."
"...The old man praised me so well."
After casually brushing it off with a few words, Ji Yan walked past the Bandage Eerie and knocked on Room 804.
The door opened, but the one who answered was not Xu Xin. It was Zhong Yi, the older twin sister from last night.
"Why are you here?"
They spoke at the same time.
Zhong Yi paused, then said, "My task today involves Room 804, so I came over to interact with it."
Ji Yan looked at her. "What a coincidence. Mine does too."
"Tell me, how could there be such a coincidence?"
Ji Yan asked in return. Even a fool could see something was off.
It seemed this older twin sister was not as innocent and honest as she appeared.
Clearly, some of what she had said last night had been false.
Zhong Yi stepped aside, avoiding his gaze. "You should hurry up and finish your task."
After saying that, she slipped away.
Ji Yan glanced around before entering the room.
Just like at night, Xu Xin was nowhere to be seen in the living room. Only that nightgown swayed gently.
The difference was that there was now a girl in white sitting on the sofa.
She watched the television with complete focus, though the screen contained nothing but black-and-white static.
"Xi Xi?" Ji Yan recognized the eerie girl at first glance.
She looked completely different from the eerie creature she had been last night, covered from head to toe in filthy water and slime.
Although the girl had indirectly saved him, thinking of how she had torn off Mother's head with her bare hands still made his scalp tingle.
Xi Xi did not turn her head. Her attention remained entirely on the television as she muttered to herself, "So miserable. They're all dead."
It was impossible to tell whether she meant those on the television or herself.
A chill suddenly ran down his back. Ji Yan turned his head and saw that familiar beautiful face.
But perhaps it was just an illusion—he felt that Xu Xin's body looked somewhat transparent and unreal today...
"What, we only said goodbye last night, and you've come looking for me again today."
"Don't tell me you've become infatuated with your sister?"
Xu Xin's tall figure leaned down slightly, her smile carrying an unclear meaning.
"Miss Xu, Mother asked me to bring this to you."
Ji Yan handed over the exquisite box in his hand, barely managing to force out a stiff smile.
Xu Xin did not take it. Instead, she asked Ji Yan, "Did your mother tell you what was inside?"
Ji Yan shook his head. "No. I don't particularly want to know, either."
"Help me open it. I'm actually curious too."
"Your mother can be mischievous sometimes. She always sends up prank gifts to scare me."
Xu Xin gestured for him to open it. Ji Yan paused.
After hesitating for a moment, he slowly opened the box.
The instant he saw what was inside, Ji Yan's expression froze slightly.
"This..."
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