Sapphire Mall

Shata's WeChat name is [Rabbit King]. After accepting the friend request, she sent Gao Tian a photo. Judging by the background and texture of the wall, it should be inside the Living Person Apartment.

On the wall, written in neat rows of six lines with a glowing, unknown green liquid, were the words.

[Rabbit King]:

You see, this is tomorrow's mission.

Besides Boss Jin, myself, and Jiangyang, two other apartment residents will participate in the second green text mission.

[Rabbit King]:

Also, when we go out, I'll send you a specially modified walkie-talkie.

When supernatural events occur, electronic communications are severely disrupted. Most of the time, phones and radios are unusable.

This supernatural walkie-talkie is very durable and can operate normally under most circumstances. All residents who go on missions are equipped with one.

Gao Tian enlarged the photo and carefully examined the text written in green liquid on the wall. Judging by the date the photo was taken, it should be today, appearing on the first floor three hours ago.

[Second Mission]

Mission Requirements:

On January 3rd, at the Sapphire Mall all day, find six scattered body parts and piece them together into a complete human form.

Complete the assembly before 6 PM (before the Sapphire Mall closes).

After 6 PM, the corpse will undergo a transformation.

Game Participants: Big Elephant Jin, Su Jiu, Li Jin.

The location of the mission not only matched Xu Yuan's request; even the content of the mission, all related to a corpse, was in line with Xu Yuan's request.

To say there was no coincidence between the two would be deceiving ghosts.

If, hypothetically, the body parts the second green text mission required were the corpse Xu Yuan left in the Sapphire Mall before his death, then was Xu Yuan dismembered?

As long as he helped Shata and the others find the six body parts and seal them with the Ghost Transformation Spear, Xu Yuan's mission would also be completed.

Were the two missions actually one mission?

Of course, it's too early to jump to conclusions. The specific situation will be judged after arriving at the Sapphire Mall tomorrow.

Gao Tian suddenly remembered something. He should confirm the matter of the Ghost Transformation Spear with Shata. He really couldn't accept that a Supernatural Item, rumored to be capable of overturning an entire era, was just this kind of thing.

[Gao Tian]:

Right.

There's one more question I'd like to ask for your advice.

[Rabbit King]:

Please, go ahead.

I don't know much either. It's just that all the people stronger than me are dead, so I inexplicably became the apartment's administrator and the mentor for newcomers.

I might not know the answer to your question, but I'll still do my best to answer.

[Gao Tian]:

If there was a Supernatural Item, similar to a sword or a trident...

Its only effect is to turn the person it kills into a ghost.

How would you evaluate this Supernatural Item?

[Rabbit King]:

That sounds like a very dangerous Supernatural Item.

Just like the photo you brought today, the one that can alter people's memories.

Before understanding the specific principle, it needs to be contained within the Living Person Apartment. Once it's taken out of the Living Person Apartment, these Supernatural Items will cause trouble.

[Gao Tian]:

Would you consider it as your main weapon?

On WeChat, the rabbit avatar was clearly silent for a long time, as if thinking about his wording.

After a long while, Shata painstakingly typed out a line of text.

[Rabbit King]:

I don't understand what you're saying.

Do you mean that the weapon that turns people into ghosts after killing them, I would carry it with me as my primary weapon against ghosts when I go on missions.

Is that right.

[Gao Tian]:

...That's what it means.

[Rabbit King]:

This Supernatural Item you mentioned, does it have any other special effects?

For example, if it can turn living people into ghosts, then maybe it can also turn ghosts into living people?

[Gao Tian]:

It doesn't have that effect.

Its only effect is to turn the person who was killed into a ghost.

This time, Shata on the other end of the phone was silent for a longer time.

[Rabbit King]:

Gao Tian.

Is this your first time participating in a green-text mission? Are you too stressed?

Something like this, you tell me yourself, would you take it out of the Living Person Apartment?

[Gao Tian]:

No.

Is there a possibility that it could cooperate with other Supernatural Items to achieve an effect greater than the sum of its parts?

[Rabbit King]:

Goodnight, sleep.

Get up early tomorrow.

Without a doubt, Shata's opinion was the same as any normal person's.

This gun was trash. It only had negative effects and no positive ones. Who with a normal brain would take it on a mission.

Anyone who thought it contained some secret that could change this era must have a burnt-out brain to say such a thing.

The next day, the outskirts of Sapphire Mall.

Looking at the semi-enclosed shopping mall before them, Shata, Gao Tian, and the others had done their homework before coming. This mall was planned fifteen years ago and completed twelve years ago. It has eight floors above ground and two underground. Since its opening, there have been no reports of deaths inside or any urban legends.

How Xu Yuan, or the green-lettered mission, managed to hide a complete corpse in a bustling mall remains an unsolved mystery.

In addition to Boss Jin, Shata, Jiangyang, and Gao Tian, two other newcomers participating in their second green-lettered mission were also involved: Su Jiu, a female university student, and Li Jin, an ordinary office worker in his twenties. Two more hounds were brought along to search for the smell of decay.

After reading the mission details and arriving at Sapphire Mall, even though it was daytime, Su Jiu's lips were pale with fear, and her legs trembled as she walked. Li Jin, at least, managed to maintain a calm exterior, following closely behind the big shots like Shata.

At the main entrance of Sapphire Mall, a huge neon advertisement board was particularly eye-catching. Gao Tian saw the giant face of a female celebrity, repeatedly applying some popular pink lipstick to the countless passersby below, who looked like ants.

Gao Tian recognized this female celebrity. She was very popular recently and appeared frequently in various high-end advertisements. However, he couldn't recall her name.

"It's 9:11 AM now. There are about nine hours left until the mall closes.

"Confirm that the supernatural walkie-talkies in your hands are working properly. Then, we will proceed according to the plan we discussed yesterday."

Shata, who had experienced dozens of missions, was already calm and composed. He said lightly.

(Originally five missions, countless times leading other wealthy newcomers)

Last night, the participants of this mission had a long meeting. They had speculated about where the six body parts of the green-lettered mission could be hidden in the mall.

The garbage dump, inside concrete pillars, construction ruins, unopened shops...

Every place seemed possible. But if the body was hidden in any of them, these two specially trained hounds would immediately detect it in the crowded mall, even through concrete walls.

According to the nature of green-lettered missions, places that participants can easily guess are often not the correct answer.

To save time, the participants would split into two groups. Shata and Boss Jin would be one group, and Jiangyang would lead the two newcomers to quickly sweep through the suspicious areas on floors one to five and the underground levels. After confirming that there were no body parts in these areas, they would proceed to the next step of the plan.

During this time, Gao Tian, as an observer, would be free to move around. He only needed to observe how the old residents acted and did not need to personally participate in this mission.

However, Gao Tian had his own agenda. He also needed to find Xu Yuan's body.

After Shata and the others left the center of the mall's first floor, Gao Tian was left alone. He could finally use his ghost abilities.

So far, no one else in Living Person Apartment knew that Gao Tian had mastered the patterns of two ghosts (Shattered Face Ghost, Memory Ghost). This was not because Gao Tian was selfish. Everyone in Living Person Apartment was actually quite free. Yusheng had a stomach full of secrets and never spoke about them, and no one forced him to.

The main concern was Yusheng. He couldn't let the Gray Monk know that he had mastered ghost abilities. If necessary, Gao Tian would forcibly pry open Yusheng's lips.

He walked casually through the flowing crowd, looking at a few shops. As he passed an old security guard with graying hair and wearing black gloves, Gao Tian finally made his move. He patted the man's shoulder and greeted him as if they were old acquaintances.

"Hey, long time no see, old classmate. What a coincidence running into you here. It's fate.

"Let's see, it's been over twenty years since we last met, right? Yes, yes, I'm that little Gao, Gao Tian. We went to junior high together. Do you still remember my face?"

Hearing someone filming him, the old security guard slowly turned his head, looking at Gao Tian with an expression of disbelief and impatience:

"Who are you, young man, did you mistake me for someone else?"

It wasn't surprising the guard was impatient. There was over a forty-year age difference between them, and Gao Tian had just called him an old classmate. It was already a sign of good character that the guard hadn't chased him away.

Gao Tian pretended not to see the guard's expression and continued with a straight face:

"It's me, Xiao Gao.

"Do you remember, one day, you were passing by school, and Dao Ge and over a dozen people surrounded you, almost dragging you into an alley for a beating. I happened to pass by then and asked Dao Ge to do me a favor and let you go. How could you not remember such a big event?

"You're wearing these black gloves because back then, to block a knife, you got over a dozen cuts on your arm that haven't faded to this day."

The Memory Ghost's ability was activated.

Coupled with Gao Tian's earnest words and actions, a confused expression slowly appeared on the security guard's weathered face:

"It does seem like that happened...

"Yes, yes, yes, now that you mention it, I do have some impression.

"So it's Old Gao, you haven't changed at all after all these years.

"Ah, don't mention it, even though decades have passed, that day truly scared me to death. Don't laugh at me, I graduated so many years ago, but sometimes I still have nightmares, dreaming of the day Dao Ge cornered me in that alley..."

Seeing the old security guard getting more and more into character, Gao Tian knew the Memory Ghost's ability had been successfully activated. It had already invaded the ordinary person's brain, implanting a false memory.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go across the street, I'll treat you to a drink, and we can chat about our decades of friendship."

The old security guard was very enthusiastic, pulling the "old classmate" who was decades younger than him, insisting on treating him well.

Gao Tian certainly wasn't using the Memory Ghost's ability just to scam him out of a little money:

"Old classmate, how long have you been working at this Sapphire Mall?

"I have some questions about this mall that I'd like to ask you.

"Have there been any ghost stories or strange rumors circulating here?"