Ghosts Die for Money

"Snap!"

The table, which had already been flipped over countless times, suddenly popped open at one corner, revealing a hidden compartment that definitely hadn't been there before.

Inside were three items.

--Three very simple items.

One was a bone-chopping knife. The blade was extremely dull, and the handle was connected to a heavy iron chain. The blade was covered in rust, and dried blood and bits of meat were visible everywhere; even from half a meter away, one could feel a foul stench hitting the face.

Another was a meat grinder. The style was quite ordinary, but it looked like it had undergone some crude modifications. Zhou You couldn't tell exactly what had been done, but judging by the dark yellow stains at the discharge port, the purpose of this thing had likely changed from grinding meat to extracting grease.

The last item was a soldering iron. Although it was quite old, it seemed to still be in working order, and it was also the only item that had been well-preserved.

They all looked like common items from a wet market, but unfortunately, Zhou You had just read that candle, along with the note specifically marked beneath it.

<Hair for a wick, ghost oil for a base, two catties of flesh and blood, one candle, cheap and affordable, honest to all ages>

And the weight of a normal adult male's arm, after removing the bone, is roughly a little over four catties.

So, it went without saying what the other party wanted him to do.

After a long moment, Zhou You suddenly grinned.

There was no panic, fear, or despair in that smile; instead, it looked just like a neighbor greeting someone, showing nothing but his usual, calm composure.

"No wonder the previous tenant went mad. After all, the act of carving off one's own flesh and blood and then pressing it into grease is not something an average person can endure. But it seems something happened after he reached the fifth floor, causing his efforts to fall short, ultimately leading to his miserable death in this haunted building. As for the reason he failed..."

Zhou You picked up the bone-chopping knife and toyed with it casually, but didn't use it, instead glancing at the candle.

"It should be... insufficient weight, right?"

He muttered to himself.

"Since they specifically created such a manual, added to that 'Broken Existence' talent that seemed to be given on purpose just now, I'll make a bold assumption here—if I want to escape this residential building, I must first learn from the previous tenant and remove one of my own arms, then rely on the candle he left behind plus two newly crafted ones, along with the talent I just obtained, to barely make it out alive."

At this moment, Zhou You tilted his head and looked at the sealed window.

"So, am I right?"

No one answered.

However, Zhou You didn't expect an answer. He tossed the bone-chopping knife aside and prepared for his next move—

But just then, a familiar sense of anomaly washed over him again.

The dirty, filthy environment faded away in an instant, and everything became clean and tidy. The room was filled with the faint scent of aromatherapy. Walking out the door, all the neighbors were welcoming him with joy. The landlady was as kind and amiable as ever, cordially inviting him to have a simple meal. Everyone in the residential building took care of each other and cared for one another—so, why would you want to leave such a beautiful big family and return to that lonely, desolate reality? Think about it, your last relative has passed away, and you have suffered so much, so just forget it; you can just forget everything...

Zhou You bit down hard with his teeth.

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted from his mouth.

A thick, bloody taste flooded his throat, but Zhou You didn't care at all. He simply released his teeth from his torn tongue and looked up. Although he still wore a smiling face, there was no longer any warmth in his eyes.

A moment later, that mechanical voice sounded.

"You have been corrupted. Sanity reduced. Current sanity: 75/100."

"Please note, the longer you stay in this instance, the deeper the corruption will become, until you are completely integrated into this instance. Therefore, please complete the game as soon as possible."

A very obvious restriction once again.

But this time, Zhou You didn't bother to respond. He simply extinguished the candle, saved the game, and walked straight out of the room.

However, he wasn't in a hurry to go upstairs this time.

There was indeed a way to bypass the fourth floor, but Zhou You remembered very clearly—the keys to the entire residential building were still in the landlady's hands. Even though he had the candle now, he still had to find a way to get the fifth-floor key.

"Fortunately, this isn't a difficult task. After all, even though this thing is an instant-kill monster, its weaknesses are also too obvious."

"Disabled, blind, and most importantly... greedy."

Zhou You muttered to himself while closing the rusty and exceptionally heavy iron door. After pulling on it a few times to ensure it was locked, he suddenly lifted his leg, spun around, and kicked upward with force!

The thick sole of his shoe struck the steel, producing a loud, clanging sound—a few shrill screams instantly came from the unit doors downstairs, but those sounds immediately fell into a deathly, fearful silence, as if they had sensed something.

Very quickly, accompanied by the sound of a prosthetic limb tapping against the floor, the cold-faced landlady came up.

--It took about two minutes.

Zhou You silently noted this data in his mind, and the moment the creature saw him, he immediately put on an expression that was half-terrified and half-fawning, hurrying up to meet it while babbling in a panic.

"Landlady, I'm so sorry. I, I accidentally locked the door just now. I was in such a rush to call my parents to scrape together the rent that I got excited and... I really didn't mean to violate the rules, please believe me!"

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, the landlady's expression grew increasingly impatient. Its mouth opened wider and wider, and as maggots squirmed within, it looked like it was about to reveal its ghastly fangs, but when it heard the second half, its movements suddenly came to a dead halt.

"Yoo... mean... rent?"

Because its upper and lower jaws had split nearly twice as wide, its speech was somewhat slurred.

Zhou You, as if grabbing onto a life-saving straw, nodded frantically.

"Yes, yes, the rent! That's right, the rent! I'll be able to scrape it together very soon. I will definitely give you the money. Please forgive me this once, just this once!"

Hearing this, the landlady's mouth finally retracted, and after casting a mocking glance at the terrified Zhou You, she tremblingly fished a keychain from her waist.

"Remember your words; this is the only time. If you bother me again, this old lady will have to collect some 'interest' from you in advance. Oh, and don't forget what you said—make sure to pay the rent for the second half of the year early."

Seeing Zhou You nod in agreement once more, the landlady began to rummage through the keys with satisfaction. However, due to the poor lighting and her failing eyesight, she had to pluck out her eyes and wipe them several times before finally finding the spare key for 304.

But just as she inserted the key into the lock and gave it a turn, an unexpected incident occurred.

Perhaps because he had been so frightened earlier that his wits were now scattered, Zhou You didn't wait for the landlady to pull the door open and hurriedly tried to yank it open himself—

Naturally, the opposing forces caused the landlady and him to collide, and both of them tumbled over in front of the door. The keychain was knocked from her hand and skittered away. The landlady didn't rush to pick it up; instead, she slowly raised her head, staring at Zhou You with distorted pupils and letting out a cold, cackling laugh, as if she intended to teach someone an unforgettable lesson right then and there—

But before she could strike, she suddenly caught sight of something bright red.

It was money.

It wasn't a huge amount, but it was eye-catching enough.

—This was the money Zhou You had specifically saved half of earlier.

Dozens of hundred-yuan bills lay scattered on the floor, their vibrant color seemingly piercing through the light of the hallway and shimmering directly into the heart.

"My money!"

The feigned cry of distress had barely begun before it was stifled by a vicious glare from the landlady.

"What do you mean, your money? This is my money! This is the rent I'm collecting in advance!"

The monster couldn't be bothered to "educate" Zhou You anymore. Staring at the dust-covered banknotes, it hurriedly began fumbling around on the floor—but because of its poor vision, it couldn't find many after searching for a long time. Its eyes widened, and it barked at the person beside it: "Why are you just standing there like a wooden post? Hurry up and help me pick them up!"

Zhou You's face flushed red and then turned pale, but given the desperate disparity in their power, he could only deflate like a punctured ball and crouch down on the floor with her.

..

A few minutes later, the landlady tucked the keychain away, clutched a handful of cash to her chest, and left the third floor, satisfied.

Of course, Zhou You, who had been completely cleaned out, didn't feel much sadness; in fact, he was quite satisfied himself.

Once he was certain the monster had truly left, the look of unbearable shame on his face receded like a tide. With a brilliant smile, he fumbled in his pocket for a moment and pulled out a key.

A greasy key marked with the words "Fifth Floor."

This was something he had "accidentally" picked up while the landlady was busy gathering the money, taking advantage of her poor eyesight.

A few thousand yuan in exchange for this worn-out key.

This trade...

He didn't know what others might think, but as far as Zhou You was concerned, it was well worth it.