Pagoda Elementary School

[Third Mission]

Before February 5, travel to Pagoda Elementary School by any means of transportation and check in to complete the mission.

Mission participants: Gao Tian, Su Jiu, Ling Feifei, Zhou Yan.

After Gao Tian came downstairs, he found quite a few residents gathered in the First Floor Hall, staring at the green text that had appeared out of nowhere on the wall.

For ordinary people, after the first two missions, the death rate for the Third Mission would skyrocket. It was a true Ghost Gate. Not everyone was Boss Jin, with enough money to hire an administrator to help.

Some people wept with joy when they saw their names weren't on the mission list. In the crowd, Su Jiu's small face was deathly pale. She hadn't expected that, less than a month after completing the Sapphire Mall mission, the apartment would list her as a participant in the next mission again. It had come much sooner than she'd anticipated.

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Like a startled fawn, she turned her gaze toward Gao Tian's cheek. He was also looking at the mission list. Fortunately, this time she'd be going with the promising newcomer, Gao Tian. While Shata was away, if she stuck close to Gao Tian, perhaps she'd have a slightly better chance of surviving.

Looking at the green text on the wall, Gao Tian knew that what the pot had shown was most likely a glimpse of some moment in the future.

The strange things "Gao Tian" had done on the bus must have had some deeper meaning. He just didn't know what it was yet.

Once the residents had dispersed from the First Floor Hall and returned to their homes, only the four residents participating in the mission remained, along with Shata and Jiangyang, the two apartment administrators.

Shata had stayed specifically for Gao Tian. She kept an eye on promising newcomers. Administrators could die, too. If Shata died during the Sixth Mission, the apartment would need a new expert to lead everyone forward.

The other two participants, Zhou Yan and Ling Feifei, were a couple who had graduated from university not long ago. They'd moved into the apartment less than a month earlier and had made it through the first two Green Text Missions without much trouble. But there was something strange about them: every other participant assigned to their group had died during the mission. Not a single third person had survived. Every time, the couple had been the last ones standing.

Now that everyone involved had arrived, Shata wasted no time and spoke directly:

"Can you find any clues just from the wording of the mission?"

Her gaze fell on Gao Tian, but the first to speak was Zhou Yan, the young man in the couple.

He'd already searched for "Pagoda Elementary School" on his phone. The result was that no one had ever heard of such a school—not in Shanghai City, nor anywhere in all of Dragon Country.

"The Green Text Mission says we have to reach Pagoda Elementary School and check in, but it never says we have to go inside and explore."

"So the challenge this time is probably figuring out where Pagoda Elementary School is."

After Zhou Yan shared his thoughts, Ling Feifei smiled brightly and clapped her hands lightly.

"Honey, you're amazing. You figured out the approach so quickly."

The couple were quite something. To them, the terrifying Green Text Mission had become a backdrop for showing affection. They seemed completely oblivious to the tension and pressure brought on by the apartment's missions.

Leaning against the wall, Jiangyang spoke lazily.

"You're right. Pagoda Elementary School doesn't exist in the real world. It's in the Inner World."

Zhou Yan turned to him.

"How do you know?"

Jiangyang said, "Because my Fifth Mission took place there.

"The horrors inside are far beyond anything you newcomers can imagine. You should be glad this is only your Third Mission. The apartment only requires you to check in at the entrance. You don't have to go inside."

Zhou Yan wanted to ask what exactly was inside Pagoda Elementary School, but Jiangyang didn't want to discuss it and cut him off.

"There's a simple way to complete this mission: take Bus 444. It'll take you into the Inner World and get you to Pagoda Elementary School.

"The danger should be on Bus 444. It's a bus that travels between the real world and the Inner World. There are rules on board that you must follow, or the ghosts will kill you.

"But compared to Pagoda Elementary School, where death is all but certain, your chances of surviving a ride on Bus 444 are pretty good—as long as you follow the rules."

Zhou Yan didn't trust Jiangyang's word. He checked his phone again, then looked up as if to challenge him.

"I'm saying...

"There isn't even a Bus 444 route.

"Are you sure your information is accurate?"

Timid Su Jiu surprised everyone by speaking up.

"You said it yourself. It travels between the real world and the Inner World. How could you find it by looking up ordinary bus routes?

"Could you find the address of the Living Person Apartment on a rental app?"

Zhou Yan pursed his lips and smiled.

"Fine, I won't argue.

"You're so smart. Go on, then. I'm all ears."

The couple were clearly very forceful. They didn't seem inclined to listen to anyone else's opinions.

Jiangyang ignored him. After all, the two apartment administrators had come down mainly for Gao Tian.

They wanted to do everything they could to help Gao Tian survive the Third Mission, so he could eventually grow into someone who could stand on his own.

If someone like Zhou Yan were going on a mission alone, Jiangyang wouldn't have bothered coming down to see him.

When Jiangyang began discussing the rules on Bus 444, his usually narrowed eyes grew unusually serious.

"Gao Tian, open a note on your phone and write down everything I'm about to tell you. Think it over carefully.

"These rules may look simple, but the apartment's longtime residents figured them out one life at a time. Without their experience, once you're on the bus, you might not even know how you died."

Gao Tian opened his phone's notes app. Su Jiu sat down obediently beside him, like a schoolgirl listening closely in class.

"This bus travels through different Inner Worlds, so it carries not only human passengers but also ghosts.

"But don't worry. A ghost's power is greatly suppressed while it's on the bus. As long as you know the three rules, humans and ghosts can coexist peacefully.

"The bus also passes through countless Supernatural Places, each one no less dangerous than the Living Person Apartment. But as long as you stay on the bus and don't get off, the things outside won't dare do anything to it."

Jiangyang paused. The Supernatural Bus had three rules, each one clarified at the cost of the blood and lives of those who'd come before. He explained them one by one:

"First, passengers must not kill one another.

"Second, there must not be more than seven passengers on the bus.

"Passengers must not make a loud noise, damage property, or disturb the driver. And aside from getting on or off at a regular stop, they must not force their way off the bus by prying open a window or doing anything similar."

If passengers couldn't kill one another... humans and ghosts were both passengers on this bus, so the ghosts couldn't kill humans directly, either. They had to sit quietly.

This was a classic Rule Anomaly built on contradictory rules. Gao Tian quickly spotted the problem and asked:

"What happens if the first and second rules conflict?

"For example, if there are already seven passengers on board, and a ghost gets on at the next stop, bringing the total to eight.

"What should we do? Try to force the eighth passenger off?"

Jiangyang shook his head.

"In that situation, a vote begins."

Gao Tian asked, "A vote?"

Jiangyang replied, "Yes.

"All eight passengers, including the one who just got on, take part in a vote. Each person—or ghost—gets one vote and chooses someone they want thrown off.

"The one who gets the most votes loses their passenger status. The bus no longer protects them, and their fate is grim. The other ghosts on board can break free of their restraints and kill them directly.

"If you're chosen as the Ticket King, you have only two options: get off the bus or stay on by force and become the target of every other ghost."

His gaze fixed on Gao Tian. His tone was half joking, half warning.

"Probably no human could withstand attacks from four ghosts at once.

"But getting off would mean death, too. Most stops for the Supernatural Bus are terrifying places, teeming with even more Vengeful Ghosts."

He added, "If two passengers get the same number of votes, a new round of voting begins: Blood Vote.

"During the Blood Vote, each passenger must choose a different person from the one they chose in the previous round.

"If two passengers get the same number of votes again in this round, they both lose their passenger status.

"If a passenger suddenly dies or gets off the bus for any reason during the vote, bringing the number of passengers back down to seven or fewer, the vote ends immediately."

Su Jiu asked, "If we complete the check-in mission at Pagoda Elementary School, how do we get back to the real world?"

Jiangyang said, "A Gray Ticket Stub.

"When you return to your rooms, you'll find a Gray Ticket Stub for Bus 444.

"With it, you can ride this Supernatural Bus as much as you want for three days.

"After you get off at Pagoda Elementary School, if you're fast enough, you can run to the school gate, check in, and hurry back onto the bus. It'll take you back to the real world.

"Of course, if you can't make it back in time, that's fine, too. Just hold on to your ticket stub and wait for the next bus.

"Usually, another bus arrives at the same stop every five to ten minutes."

At that moment, Gao Tian spotted a loophole in the rules.

"There are four of us participating in this mission.

"If there are eight passengers on the bus, that means our votes make up half of the total.

"If we combine our four votes, the person we choose is guaranteed to become the Ticket King.

"After all, Vengeful Ghosts can't possibly be as united as human passengers.

"As long as we stick together, we'll be unbeatable from the start."