[ Xu Shaowei ]: That's right. But the system doesn't allow newcomers who know the facts to reveal the situation in the real world; everything can only be guessed.
[ Xu Shaowei ]: Nobody knows if professions, Gene Lock, and items will disappear after returning to the real world. If they won't, then items are indeed very important.
Su Cheng cited Xu Shaowei's information to participate in the discussion:
[ Su Cheng ]: I've been wondering why anyone would want to enter the apartment complex, and this news might be the answer. The real world is facing unknown dangers, and the apartment system can grant people the ability to combat those dangers!
[ Su Cheng ]: If that's the case, then the physical changes brought about by occupation/ Gene Lock definitely won't disappear. Without a reward, those people won't willingly suffer.
[ Su Cheng ]: Whether or not we can take the props back is definitely something worth considering.
"After all, you can't buy props outside. If we could bring them back but didn't have them, we'd be at a huge loss," Su Cheng muttered to herself.
But no matter what, it's all just wishful thinking if you don't have enough points.
The question of whether the items can be taken out should be considered after we have accumulated 50,000 points.
But what are the unknown dangers?
Su Cheng pondered this question, but her mind suddenly became sluggish, growing increasingly confused the more she thought about it. Only by getting rid of the question could she regain clarity.
The system is preventing her from thinking.
Su Cheng's eyelids twitched slightly, a strange sense of urgency pressing down on her heart. The last time she felt this anxious was when she first arrived at the apartment.
That sense of urgency urged her to leave as soon as possible.
Taking a deep breath, Su Cheng tidied up her Smart Bag.
She wasn't too tired from the last dungeon, so she planned to freshen up and head to the next one.
Listen to your subconscious, accumulate enough points to leave as soon as possible, and then you'll know the answer to everything.
A note from the author:
none
Chapter 107
Where is this?
A soft gasp came from beside me.
Su Cheng adjusted her large-framed sunglasses, her eyes adjusting to the sudden change in light.
Before her stood a calm river, on its bank.
There were seven people scattered around her, seemingly four men and three women based on their build.
Some people, like Su Cheng, wore casual clothes that allowed for easy movement, while others covered themselves completely except for their eyes, and some even wore flowing ancient costumes.
The eight people secretly sized each other up; their only commonality was the black bracelet on their left wrists—they were all bound to the apartment system.
A system notification sounded in my mind:
Welcome to the special dungeon: Soul Heart Lotus
[1. Basic Task: The Blooming Red Lotus Flower. Completing the task will earn you 2000 points and allow you to return to your apartment.]
2. Side Quest: Grand Ceremony of Sacrifice to the God. Completion rewards 2000 points.
Both tasks yielded exceptionally high points, totaling a whopping four thousand points – a considerable sum.
"Wow, so many points! I'd heard that special dungeons give a lot of points, but I never expected this many!" the boy in the hat exclaimed excitedly.
"Hey? Is this your first time participating in a supernatural instance too? Me too, we can exchange ideas and cooperate more." A slightly plump middle-aged woman approached the man in the hat.
"Great, I found a team! This is my first time too."
Su Cheng glanced at the three people gathered together, taking in their expressions.
It was obvious that this was their first time participating in a supernatural instance, which explained their strong reaction. They also seemed unaware that the points awarded were directly proportional to the level of danger in the mission.
Among the eight, some have already begun to actively make friends with others and share their experiences.
But some people, like Su Cheng, are keeping their distance from others for the time being.
" Su Sister Cheng?"
A figure completely covered up approached.
Su Cheng was stunned for a moment, and tried very hard to recall, but she still couldn't identify the person just by looking at them.
"I'm Hao Ruoxue, do you still remember me, sister?" Hao Ruoxue took off her motorcycle helmet, shook her short, straight-cut hair, and revealed a tanned smiling face.
" Ruoxue?" Su Cheng simply couldn't match the Hao Ruoxue in front of her with the one in her memory.
The last time I met her, she had a fair and round face, but now she's not only thinner but also much tanned, and her whole demeanor has changed.
"Hehe, don't I look like I've lost a lot of weight? The baby fat I used to be so stubbornly chubby disappeared in less than a week in the dungeon." Hao Ruoxue touched her face.
Su Cheng smiled slightly, "You have indeed changed a lot. How many times have you come to this special instance?"
Hao Ruoxue scratched her face sheepishly, "The second time, I'm a little hesitant to enter special instances."
The two briefly exchanged information about the tasks released by the system, confirming that their tasks were the same, implying that all eight people present had the same task.
This was the first time Su Cheng had encountered a situation where all the mission participants were teleported to the same location in the instance.
Is there any hidden message behind this?
Before I could think it through, the sound of oars cutting through the water drifted over from afar.
A wooden boat appeared on the vast river and gently swam towards the bank where the group of people were.
The boatman was a thin old man, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, clearly heading towards the group.
All eight people looked at the boat on the river.
The man in the hat said confidently, "Based on my past experience, these are definitely indigenous people related to the mission."
The girl in ancient costume agreed, "That's what I guessed too. We can ask him more details when he gets here; maybe we can get some clues."
The man in the hat's eyes flickered, and he patted his chest with a smile, "Then I'll ask. I'm an E-person; socializing is my forte!"
Hao Ruoxue looked at the girl in ancient costume with curiosity in her eyes, and whispered to Su Cheng, "Is it really convenient to move around like this?"
Su Cheng shook her head, indicating that she was not sure either. Even in a dungeon where one might have to run for their life, such matters were still a matter of personal freedom. Although they were puzzled, they could not run up and ask.
The wooden boat swam faster than I expected.
Before the boatman even docked, the man in the hat couldn't contain himself any longer and stepped forward, asking in a loud voice, "Sir, where are you taking people with your boat?"
The old man ignored him and instead bent over, slowly and steadily bringing the boat to a stop.
The man in the hat, thinking he was hard of hearing, raised his voice and asked again.
The old man slowly straightened his straw hat, raised his sallow and thin face, and his old, cloudy eyes swept over the eight people.
He didn't answer the man in the hat, but instead said to himself, "Are you tourists from Red Lotus Village? Get on the boat, I'll take you there."
After saying that, the old man turned around and ignored everyone, appearing to be focused on his work and unwilling to engage in idle chatter.
"This old man is really like a human robot," the man in the hat muttered in dissatisfaction, but now was not the time to dwell on that.
He glanced back at the woman and boy who had formed an alliance, and beckoned to them, "Let's get on the boat, this must be a quest clue."
The man in the hat shared the same thoughts as the others.
Task 1 mentions "Red Lotus," and the old man is referring to " Red Lotus Village," so there must be a connection between the two.
To complete the mission, Red Lotus Village is definitely a place we need to go.
Su Cheng and Hao Ruoxue then boarded the wooden boat.
"Sit still, don't move around, or you'll fall into the river and pollute it," the old man instructed before starting to row away from the shore.
The wooden boat was neither too big nor too small; it was a bit crowded for eight people, but just right.
One more wouldn't do, but one less would leave some room for improvement.
After the eight people moved away from the shore, a white mist suddenly appeared on the river surface.
The fog blurred the surroundings, and as the wooden boat sailed further away, the opposite shore could no longer be seen; only the sound of the waves cutting through the water could be heard.
"It got foggy as soon as we boarded the boat, what a coincidence," the woman said nervously.
This was her first time doing a special instance, and she had heard that special instances were haunted by ghosts and monsters, so she was already nervous. Now that a thick fog had suddenly appeared, she couldn't help but overthink things.
The man in the hat swallowed hard. "It's normal for special instances to have some strange coincidences. Don't spread fear out of nowhere."
He changed the subject, "We're all from the same apartment complex, and we've all ended up in this instance together, so we can cooperate more to complete the mission as soon as possible."
"My name is Wang Zhichao. Although this is my first time doing a supernatural dungeon, I did a lot of research beforehand. Let's get to know each other."
Wang Zhichao's words did not elicit any opposition.
In dungeons, cooperation can mitigate some of the danger.
Everyone is working to complete the task; their interests are not conflicting, and may even be aligned.
" Xiaochao is right. My surname is Jin, and I'm the oldest, so I'll just call myself Auntie. You can just call me Aunt Jin. Although I've done many normal dungeons, this is my first time doing a supernatural dungeon." The slightly plump aunt smiled gently.
"My name is Yaya. This is my third time doing the supernatural dungeon. I hope we can all successfully complete the mission and leave together." The girl in ancient costume blinked, her beautiful face and sincere words easily winning people's favor.
The remaining people took turns introducing themselves.
Besides Wang Zhichao and Aunt Jin being newbies in this special instance, there was also a boy named Yao Yue sitting next to them.
The man who reported the most special copies was named Li Ren. He was about thirty years old, with a mature demeanor, and he reported the number five times.
Su Cheng didn't include the competitive dungeons she participated in; she registered for the same number of dungeons as Yaya, which was three times.
Hao Ruoxue and Wei Guhua were two young men.
After getting to know each other, the eight people got along well, but each of them had their own plans.
For example, after the three novices learned that Li Ren Li Ren was an experienced veteran, they squeezed around him and sat around him.
Wang Zhichao, true to his outgoing personality, kept calling him "Brother Li" and showing him great care and concern.
Li Ren responded with a slight smile, seemingly not disliking this kind of flattery. His calm and collected demeanor suggested he was very confident about this mission.
Hao Ruoxue, who was sitting next to Su Cheng, leaned close to Su Cheng's ear and whispered, "If it weren't for the wrong name, I would have thought I saw my class monitor. That's how he treats the counselor."