Apartment Manager

On the balcony, there were three human faces covered in blood, wearing eerie smiles.

It was "Father," "Mother," and "Sister."

Blood continuously dripped from the balcony above. Gao Tian initially thought it was dripping from their faces, but then he realized that blood couldn't drip so densely and continuously onto his cheeks. The true source of the dripping blood came from their jagged necks.

The necks of the three had been severed, and only their heads remained. Three pale arms from behind held their heads out over the balcony, fresh blood still dripping from the severed necks, falling onto Gao Tian drop by drop from above.

Gao Xi, with only his head remaining, held out over the balcony by pale, long arms behind him, even cheerfully greeted Gao Tian:

"Hello, Gao Tian. Are you human or ghost? You almost fooled us.

"The ability to alter others' memories... we always thought only we had it. This is the first time we've seen something possess the same ability as us. You distorted my memory through words before, didn't you? We only just regained our senses. To be honest, having your memory altered feels terrible.

"So, you're also a ghost, which is why you have ghost abilities, right?

"But no matter what you are, it's all over. The Building Manager is here, and it's very angry because we didn't leave you here obediently as it demanded so it could open the door and eat you. Not only that, but you actually altered our memories, making us stay in the study to block the Building Manager for you. You're truly wicked.

"Given our incompetence, it's coming to handle it personally.

"Although ghosts are immortal, it doesn't mean we don't feel pain. After the Building Manager finishes eating you, what method will it use to deal with us?

"Just having our heads ripped off like this, our necks already hurt so much we're sweating cold sweat. We can't die, so we can only endure.

"Honestly, sometimes I envy humans. After enduring to a certain point, they die and no longer need to endure. In comparison, the torment the Building Manager has prepared for us later, and what we're suffering now, probably isn't even worth mentioning..."

This memory ghost was a chatterbox. Despite only having three heads left, held in mid-air by pale, monstrous hands, it still babbled on incessantly.

The one who twisted off the memory ghosts' heads, whom they fearfully called "the Building Manager," and who was incessantly knocking outside, "Li Xing," the owner of the pale arms, had made its move.

Even though three hands were holding three heads, Gao Tian saw a fourth, equally bloodless arm emerge from behind the balcony, stretching out like a twisted snake. This arm's extensibility was extremely exaggerated, reaching directly past the balcony below, grabbing towards Gao Tian, who was suspended in mid-air.

Its stretched length already exceeded two meters, far beyond a normal human arm. Yet, the thing still hadn't reached its limit. Four or five joints twisted together, constantly adjusting its position. The palm, like the head of a long snake, opened its five fingers and grabbed towards Gao Tian's head.

In fact, while "Gao Xi" was speaking, Gao Tian hadn't stopped his actions, carefully climbing down the blanket, trying to quickly reach the third floor's foothold.

But he had already lost two fingers on his left hand, rendering it useless. And the super-long arm, composed of several jointed segments, moved much faster than it appeared. In the blink of an eye, it was above Gao Tian's head. At this distance, Gao Tian could even see the countless patterns in its palm. And sweat stains.

It was just like a living person's hand.

This thing could rip off a person's head as easily as pulling out a cork. If it touched him, would he still have a chance to escape? Gao Tian's heart pounded wildly, knowing he had to move faster. But haste makes waste; the more he wanted to reach the third floor quickly, the slower his descent became.

Seeing the ghost hand about to touch him, Gao Tian grew increasingly nervous. His injured hand suddenly lost its strength, and he let go of the blanket, falling from the third floor.

This was the end of everything. Gao Tian, in mid-air, knew he was finished. Rather than falling into the ghost's hands for slow torture, it would be more satisfying to die from the fall.

Just as he thought this, he suddenly realized that even though he had released his hands from the blanket, his body only fell for a moment before he was standing at the same height as before, as if his feet had touched flat ground.

What in the world was going on?

Gao Tian was still in shock. He looked down and saw two slender arms reaching out from a third-floor window, firmly gripping his legs. It was the girl in the Lolita dress, whom he'd seen briefly in the first-floor lobby.

At that time, his memory had been corrupted, and all he could think about was getting "home" to his parents. He hadn't noticed the three strange people in the lobby, nor the sign at the entrance of the residential building that read "Living Person Apartment."

Seeing the girl's slender arms steadying his feet from below, Gao Tian, a healthy adult male, felt as light as a chick under her support. How could a normal human woman possess such monstrous strength? Only ghosts had such astonishing arm power.

Gao Tian asked, his voice filled with disbelief:

"Are you human or ghost?"

The girl's expression was blank, like a doll devoid of emotion:

"If I were a ghost, I'd tear you in half right now and shut you up.

"Just kidding. Below the third floor is the Living Person Apartment. Ghosts can't go downstairs. You should climb in through the window first."

She slowly lowered Gao Tian, who was suspended between the third and fourth floors. The delicate girl lowered Gao Tian, who was two heads taller than her, as if lifting a figurine. The scene was incredibly bizarre.

As if to confirm the girl's words about the "Living Person" apartment, three heads on the fourth floor shrieked in unison, "Don't let him escape!" The white arm, extending like a snake, continued to chase him down, unwilling to give up.

But when it reached the height of the third-floor window, the arm suddenly twitched violently. Fine green plants sprouted from its rotten exterior, as if trying to entangle it against the wall. Knowing it had crossed the boundary, the ghost's arm retracted as if electrocuted, quickly retreating back inside the fourth-floor balcony, along with the three human heads hanging outside.

The ghost surprisingly backed down. After suffering such a significant setback, it gave up chasing Gao Tian.

Just as the delicate girl had said—

Below the third floor was exclusively for living people. It was a forbidden zone for ghosts.

Gao Tian, still shaken, scrambled and tumbled through the third-floor window into the girl's room.

The room appeared to be in an old European style, with dim lighting, bookshelves filled with parchment books, a crackling fireplace in the distance, and a large, dark red carpet. The color of such a carpet was most ominous; even if someone died and bled profusely on the floor, the carpet's color would remain unchanged.

The three people standing in the room were the same three Gao Tian had seen in the first-floor lobby: the silver-haired youth in a black jacket with eyes narrowed into slits; the strong, delicate girl in a grand Lolita outfit, dusting off her hands; and the thin monk in a gray robe, his scalp gleaming, cleaner than the bottom of a wallet.

"Another one, tricked into the Living Person Apartment. It seems the number of new residents in the Living Person Apartment has increased this month.

"But the first thing this person did upon arriving at the apartment was to go up to the fourth floor and return alive. Truly bold and skilled."

The silver-haired youth played with a lighter while observing the newcomer, Gao Tian.

When he was in the lobby, he saw Gao Tian calmly walk to the elevator and press the up button.

He was unaware that Gao Tian's memory had been altered at the time. He had no idea this was the Living Person Apartment, nor that ghosts were forbidden below the third floor, while above it was a paradise for demons.

From the youth's perspective, Gao Tian's first day at the Living Person Apartment, voluntarily going to the fourth floor and returning unharmed, was both arrogant and somewhat capable.

The young monk made a gesture of prayer:

"Amitabha."

Lolita Girl, with eyes like emeralds, quietly looked at Gao Tian:

"Next time, don't rashly go upstairs without a thorough investigation.

"The ghosts on each floor, in each room, are all different. Some vengeful ghosts are absolutely unsolvable existences; once you enter, you will surely die.

"I know you're very capable, but now that you're in this apartment, you'll have plenty of chances to court death later. There's no need to rush to die like this right now."

Gao Tian knew she also thought he was pretending. This matter couldn't be clarified for the time being.

"Since you've come here, you'll also become a new resident of the Living Person Apartment. Either complete ten missions and leave, or die.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Shata. This bald man is Yusheng, and the one with dyed old man's hair and eyes that can never be opened is called Jiangyang."

Lolita Girl narrowed her eyes and introduced them one by one, "We are the administrators of this apartment. For now, someone dies in this place every month. Those who are lucky enough to survive, and live longer, become administrators. Perhaps we will die too, maybe tomorrow. It's possible that one day, residents with longer tenure than you will die, and then you will stand in my position, responsible for guiding newcomers who have just entered the apartment."

Her words were concise, and many things were left unclear, but Gao Tian had read many web novels and knew some of the most basic rules. Coupled with being chased by the vengeful ghosts released by the Jialan Society, he had long accepted that supernatural events existed in this world.

However, being caught up in two supernatural events within two days, his luck was truly terrible.

Gao Tian sighed, making his final confirmation:

"This apartment, once entered, you become a resident here, forcibly bound.

"Then, at regular intervals, it will issue dangerous supernatural missions to users. Those who can survive are considered to have completed a mission.

"Completing ten missions allows you to unbind and leave.

"If you don't comply with the apartment's requirements, you will be erased in various ways.

"My understanding is correct, isn't it?"