Future

The Nano World within the pot, the passenger sitting on the bus, though less than one percent of normal human size. At such a small scale, it was hard to make out his face clearly.

However, from his clothes and facial features, Gao Tian felt an intense sense of familiarity—he wasn't so out of touch that he couldn't recognize himself.

There was no mistake. The passenger sitting behind the corpse on the bus projected within the pot was Gao Tian himself.

What was going on? How did Gao Tian's projection end up inside the pot? What was this pot trying to convey?

The corpse in the front seat wore a tattered black leather jacket and sunglasses. Its attire suggested a modern person, but for some reason, it had died on this bus.

Judging by the degree of decay, none of the other occupants—neither the driver nor the passengers in front or behind—paid any attention to its state of death. They acted as if it simply didn't exist.

In the male corpse's hand, it still clutched a rusty long saber. The blade had long lost its chill and luster, leaving only rough patches of rust. Due to prolonged decay, the wrist had liquefied into a thick fluid, partially merging with the saber's hilt.

What was certain was that the pot's ability was definitely not to replay a past event. Gao Tian was sure that the incident of "him sitting behind a corpse" had never happened.

In fact, Gao Tian usually traveled by subway. He hadn't taken a bus in years. Let alone seeing a corpse on the bus and then deliberately sitting behind it.

If such a horrifying event had occurred, Gao Tian's memory would surely recall it.

If it hadn't happened in the past, then there was only one possibility...

Was this something that would happen in the future?

Was the pot using projection to display a prophecy?

This was just a guess. Gao Tian wasn't entirely sure. He could only continue watching to see what other tricks the mirage created by the pot would conjure.

If he were outside, he wouldn't dare to risk continuing to watch. Who knew if this was some kind of curse ability of the pot? For example, if the Gao Tian inside the pot died, would the real Gao Tian suffer the same fate?

But now, within the Living Person Apartment, while not one hundred percent safe, the safety factor was certainly much higher than outside.

Gao Tian observed as the bus within the pot continued to drive along the dark road towards the boundless distance. Beyond the light, in places unseen, one or two strange silhouettes would occasionally flash by, varying in size, their nature unknown. But the bus didn't stop, leaving them far behind.

Inside the bus, the four passengers, including Gao Tian, sat motionless in their seats, muscles tensed. They looked... extremely nervous, as if anticipating something or fearing something.

Amidst the unbearable silence, Gao Tian suddenly moved—it was the passenger Gao Tian on the miniature bus. He suddenly drew a sharp weapon from inside his outerwear. It was the Ghost Transformation Spear. Aiming at the decaying corpse in front, he thrust the spear into its back of the head.

The spear tip sank several inches into the corpse. Even so, "Gao Tian" didn't seem satisfied. He stabbed the male corpse's left shoulder, right shoulder, and back once each, then retracted the Ghost Transformation Spear. Facing the corpse with its four new holes, he clasped his hands together in a bow.

After completing this inexplicable sequence of actions, "Gao Tian" slowly stood up from his seat and did something even more outrageous.

He slowly reached forward, past the corpse's shoulders, and placed his hand on the rusty long saber, seemingly trying to forcefully snatch the saber from the corpse's grasp.

"Gao Tian" tried several times, his forehead beaded with sweat, as if snatching food from a tiger's mouth.

After the fifth attempt, the rusty saber remained unmoving. Just as the Gao Tian outside the pot thought the "Gao Tian" inside would have to give up, with a sixth effort, the decaying corpse actually slowly loosened its grip, allowing the passenger in the back seat to take the saber from its hand.

The blade was as thoroughly rusted as its former owner.

After obtaining the long saber, "Gao Tian" immediately sat back in his seat, wiping away a cold sweat. He looked extremely pleased, unable to put down the long saber in his hand as if it were a treasure.

Outside the pot, Gao Tian couldn't tell at all what was so exciting about this rusted saber snatched from a corpse.

Just then, the "Gao Tian" on the bus placed the long saber across his knees and, without any warning, glanced upwards towards the direction outside the pot.

He cast a meaningful look.

The "Gao Tian" inside the pot and the Gao Tian outside the pot made eye contact briefly.

Gao Tian shivered. Could it be that the "Gao Tian" inside the pot sensed he was being watched?

For a long time, he had always watched everything happening inside the pot with the mentality of observing a documentary. But Gao Tian had never considered the possibility that the "Gao Tian" inside the pot was also a living person, with his own consciousness, thoughts, and independence.

What was going on?

Was this "Gao Tian" inside the pot a future Gao Tian from some point in time, or was he a copy created by the pot?

Fortunately, the "Gao Tian" inside the pot didn't dwell on it. He glanced outside the pot, seemingly seeing nothing, and then withdrew his gaze. It was evident that most of his attention was now focused on this rusted saber, "Nine Deaths, One Life," snatched from the corpse.

The more Gao Tian looked, the less his doubts were explained. Instead, the mystery deepened.

The bus would occasionally stop at a station, allowing passengers inside and outside the vehicle to get on and off. Every time this happened, the darkness in the pot's world would surge forward like endless maggots, making it impossible to see what was boarding.

Gradually, the bus's originally semi-transparent exterior became solid, and the situation inside the carriage could no longer be seen. It was also impossible to determine if the "Gao Tian" who had obtained the saber was still alive.

The story within the pot world ended abruptly, without a clear beginning or end.

The bus stopped at a station. Although most of the scenery outside the road was shrouded in that Nameless Black Fog, a corner of the School Building could still be seen. The School Gate Sign bore the four golden characters "Pagoda Elementary School."

As the doors opened, the "Gao Tian," Bloodstained, hobbled off, still tightly gripping the rusted saber snatched from the corpse.

It was unknown what had happened on the bus during the journey.

Behind him, a Female Passenger also got off. Her Clothing was neat, and she didn't appear to have suffered any major injuries.

Was this Female Passenger... Su Jiu?

Gao Tian's attention had been entirely on the "Gao Tian" on the bus, and he hadn't noticed the other small figures. At this moment, only two people were getting off. With a quick glance, he felt that her Clothing and Hairstyle somewhat resembled Su Jiu's.

Su Jiu, the Newcomer Girl from the second Green Text Mission, didn't have much presence but was relatively obedient. She did whatever seniors like Jiang Yang and Shata asked her to do.

The small figure in the pot was unclear. Gao Tian could only vaguely guess that the person getting off was Su Jiu based on her silhouette and clothing, and he couldn't be 100% sure.

Just as he approached the pot's opening, wanting to confirm further, everything within the pot – all the projected illusions – instantly vanished like smoke. It returned to the previous scene of the Cave Mansion and the Skull.

The pot's prophecy had dissipated.

Gao Tian slowly stood up, his thoughts returning to his own room.

Right now, he was about seventy percent sure that the scene in the pot was a snapshot of some future event.

There was no way he would board a bus with a corpse on it, and Su Jiu was also in that bus. The only way both these things could happen simultaneously was if they were on a Green Text Mission.

If they were on a Green Text Mission, then everything "Gao Tian" did on the bus could be explained.

If the pot's ability was truly "to predict the future," then it would also explain why Xu Yuan valued it so highly even after becoming a ghost.

Developing the pot's abilities, how to predict, how to predict the desired future more accurately, how to interpret the predicted scenes. If his understanding of the pot deepened further, perhaps he could truly use its ability to successfully pass the ten apartment missions.

Gao Tian had a faint feeling that the pot's true ability was even more than that.

Yunshan Zhenren's pursuit of immortality had ultimately failed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have died and been turned into a figurine and placed here. In later generations, the supernatural had not been suppressed but had instead intensified.

While he was researching, his mobile phone vibrated again, and he received two messages simultaneously.

Opening his phone, one was from Shata, and the other was from the Jialan Society Chat Group.

Gao Tian hesitated for a moment and first opened the Jialan Society's message board. Seeing that someone had sent another Black Packet and there was nothing particularly important, he then switched to Shata's chat window.

[Rabbit King]:

Gao Tian, are you in your room now?

[Gao Tian]:

I'm on the Third Floor.

[Rabbit King]:

Please come downstairs. Your third Green Text Mission has appeared.

Although the interval between these two Green Text Missions is quite short, the sooner you complete the third one, the sooner you can return and join our Ascend Team.

[Gao Tian]:

One moment, I'll change my shoes and be right down.

Gao Tian's heart skipped a beat. This mission came at just the right time.

Whether the scene in the pot was a prophecy of the future would soon be known.

If he completed this mission, he could join the Ascend Team. What if he didn't complete it?

Shata didn't say, and Gao Tian didn't ask.

In this apartment, everyone was struggling desperately. If his third mission alone cost Gao Tian his life, it would mean Shata had misjudged him, and he simply didn't have the ability to go to the Fourth Floor with the other administrators to investigate, becoming a burden if he did.

Completing at least three missions was also an assessment of his abilities by Zhao Zhenjia and the others.