Better Stay Next Door

Just as Su Weiyu was sinking into despair, about to give up struggling to explain herself, a brilliant excuse suddenly came to her!

"It's because... I have to read books to that lizard. If I live too far away, commuting back and forth every day will be a hassle, so I decided to stay in the Containment Bureau's Staff Dormitory for a while."

I actually came up with that excuse. I'm a genius!

At that moment, Su Weiyu felt proud of her intelligence.

"Oh, right. You promised to read to 678 for a month."

Xia Shou remembered now. If Su Weiyu hadn't reached a series of agreements with 678 back then, that giant lizard would have eaten him already.

Su Weiyu felt a little guilty.

But to make her excuse more convincing, she explained in greater detail:

"You know no one can see me, so sometimes the cleaners can easily clear away my personal belongings.

When they don't realize those things belong to someone, my existence has no connection to those items in their minds. That means they won't ignore the items, and will clear them away instead.

So to keep my everyday things from disappearing for no reason, it'd be better if I stayed with you.

As long as you say they're yours, they won't take them away... so being with you would be more convenient."

Xia Shou nodded in complete understanding, his eyes conveying his sympathy.

In his previous life, he'd played plenty of games and watched plenty of anime about "living with a beautiful girl." That kind of daydream was the ultimate fantasy for many guys. If he said he'd never entertained similar thoughts, he'd be lying.

So Xia Shou had no objection at all to living with a beautiful girl like Su Weiyu.

But for some reason, ever since Su Weiyu had said she wanted to stay here, he'd found it hard to breathe.

Why was Alice's hand... tightening around his neck?

Was he imagining it?

Every time Alice had grabbed his neck before, something bad had happened. Was this another warning of danger?

"I wouldn't be bothering you, would I?" Su Weiyu tilted her head slightly and gazed at Xia Shou tentatively, looking a little shy.

"Ahem... I don't mind, but..."

Before Xia Shou could finish, he felt the grip around his neck tighten.

Oh no, it's real! My neck hurts so much!

No!

It feels like it's going to snap!

"Wait!! Weiyu, you'd better stay next door! I remember that room's empty too!"

Just before he lost consciousness, he hurriedly changed his answer.

The hand around his neck relaxed again, and fresh air flowed freely into Xia Shou's lungs once more.

Already suffering from severe anemia, Xia Shou nearly passed out on the floor after Alice's little stunt.

If Alice hadn't conjured two more transparent hands to gently support him from behind, he would have fallen over for sure.

Still, judging by this, living with Su Weiyu really did pose some hidden risk. Otherwise, Alice wouldn't have warned him like that.

Pale-faced, Xia Shou stared at Su Weiyu. After thinking for a while, he offered another, more reasonable suggestion:

"Leave your things here. I'll look after them for you, so they won't get lost."

Su Weiyu had been startled by his expression of extreme discomfort just now. She stood stunned for quite a while before nodding and replying, "That works too, and it wouldn't be too much trouble. Then... should I head over there?"

Suppressing her disappointment, Su Weiyu asked tentatively, hoping Xia Shou might ask her to stay a little longer, have some tea, chat, or something.

But after she waited ages, Xia Shou merely nodded absentmindedly, looking preoccupied, as though he had some unsolved mystery to ponder.

"Then... I'll go?" Su Weiyu scratched her head awkwardly, turned, and dragged her feet toward the door.

She felt that if she spoke again now, her disappointment would definitely seep into her voice.

"Take care. If I weren't anemic, I could help you move your things, but right now I need... need to get into bed and sleep first," Xia Shou said weakly.

He really couldn't hold out any longer. His legs were so weak he could barely stand.

He even felt he should talk to Shangguan Yan tomorrow and have someone from the Medical Department give him a blood transfusion. Otherwise, he feared he might die from lack of blood.

Xia Shou held on to the ladder, intending to climb up to the top bunk. As soon as he lifted a foot, numerous transparent hands appeared out of thin air, untied his shoelaces, and removed his shoes and socks.

Su Weiyu's eyes widened as she watched in shock.

She saw Alice fold the socks, then carry them into the bathroom.

Then Xia Shou clambered onto the top bunk.

Next came the sound of a belt being unbuckled from the top bunk, followed by the rustle of trousers being removed. Then pairs of transparent hands carried his trousers and jacket into the bathroom and tossed them inside.

Finally, Alice gently lifted the quilt, spread it out, and draped it over Xia Shou.

Su Weiyu frowned as she looked at the possessing spirit that floated behind Xia Shou at all times.

She turned and walked to the bathroom doorway, where she saw those hands washing Xia Shou's clothes.

"She's that convenient?!" Su Weiyu was utterly stunned.

Just as she was thinking of staying a little longer, the dormitory door opened by itself with a creak.

Alice neatly folded the quilt and sheet from the bed that had originally been meant for Su Weiyu, then carried them through the air and presented them to her.

What's this supposed to mean? Is she showing me out?

Su Weiyu accepted the quilt without thinking and walked out of the dormitory, looking bewildered.

The dormitory door closed silently behind her, then locked with a click.

Su Weiyu looked back at the door, her emotions complicated.

Since Alice could interact with her, she couldn't be human. She merely had a human appearance.

So, logically, Su Weiyu had no reason to care about her at all.

But for some reason, Su Weiyu still felt incredibly annoyed.

... Lightless, deep and still.

... Dark, icy cold.

After locking Idrisu behind the door, the five keys were no longer a burden to him. Not only could he store them in his shadow, but they no longer added any weight.

When he'd previously entered the Deep Sea Dreamscape, Xia Shou had tried swimming upward, but it seemed he couldn't rise or sink freely. This time, he intended to swim horizontally and see whether he could reach other parts of the sea at the same depth.

He began to swim.

The icy seawater slid across his skin. Apart from the constantly wavering, faint dark-green glow, the scenery around him showed

no changes at all. He couldn't tell whether he was moving forward or staying in place.

The profound darkness always remained at a distance neither near nor far, shrouding everything beyond it like a curtain. Aside from the sound of water flowing past, all he could hear were the tiny bubbles that occasionally rose from deeper below.

After swimming like this for an unknown length of time, he finally saw an even darker outline emerge within the darkness!

What was that?

Could there be some hidden danger?