Lin Wenyu tapped himself lightly. Instantly, the black leather jacket and high heels vanished, replaced by a loose gray tracksuit and a pair of white sneakers.
This was his actual class skill, “Makeup Box,” which allowed him to switch between acquired outfits at any time to gain different bonuses.
He stretched his limbs and hopped in place a couple of times, a comfortable expression spreading across his face. “Tracksuits are so much more comfortable. Those damn high heels are bound to the outfit, so I couldn't even change out of them. It was so annoying.”
He fished his phone out of his backpack, expertly unlocked the screen, and tapped away rapidly while muttering to himself, “Let's see if there are any clues around here first. I should also see if there are any new women's clothes to collect... Sigh, Boss isn't here, so I have to fleece the NPCs for clothes myself.”
As he spoke, he opened the map on his phone to look up information about Chaosheng Apartments. After all, this instance was a team quest where cooperation was vital. Since his teammates this time seemed decent, he needed to get a handle on the situation as quickly as possible to coordinate with them better.
Lin Wenyu zoomed in on the map, scrutinizing every single detail. The phone provided by the instance was extremely basic; its map only covered Chaosheng Apartments and a tiny sliver of the surrounding area, offering very little information.
“Huh?” he muttered softly, his eyes narrowing slightly. Beneath the Chaosheng Apartments on the map, there was an extremely faint gray shadow. It had no name or designated purpose, looking almost like a rendering glitch.
“An underground passage?” he murmured, taking a screenshot to save the location.
He stood up, walked over to the door, and peeked through the peephole to check the hallway. Confirming it was empty, he gently cracked the door open and slipped out as silently as a cat. Having found a clue about an underground passage, he planned to head down to the first floor to locate it, avoiding any last-minute scramble during their meeting tonight.
Meanwhile, back in their fifth-floor room, Wang Qiang and Zhao Lei settled in. Wang Qiang carefully inspected every corner of the room first. Only after confirming there were no anomalies did he sit down to organize his things.
Zhao Lei, on the other hand, was completely unable to contain his curiosity. The moment he set his backpack down, he wanted to head out.
“Brother Wang, I'm going to wander downstairs to see who else lives in this apartment and get familiar with the place,” Zhao Lei said, heading toward the door.
Wang Qiang looked up at him and cautioned, “Don't run off too far. Just stick to the first-floor lobby and the immediate vicinity of the apartment. Don't rashly strike up conversations with the residents, and make sure to keep your identity hidden. Also, don't go alone.”
“I know, I know,” Zhao Lei replied dismissively. But as he pulled the door open, he saw Su Xiao standing in the hallway, looking timid and hesitant, as if she were debating whether to knock.
“Su Xiao? What are you doing here?” Zhao Lei asked, slightly surprised.
Su Xiao startled, shrinking back slightly. “I... I'm a bit scared,” she whispered. “I wanted to find someone to hang out with... Sister Bai is organizing her room, so I thought I'd come ask you guys...”
“Perfect timing! I was just about to head downstairs to investigate. Why don't you come with me?” Zhao Lei offered enthusiastically. He had already found the prospect of going alone a bit boring, so having a companion was perfect. Besides, Su Xiao seemed timid enough that she wouldn't steal his spotlight.
Su Xiao hesitated. Looking at Zhao Lei's excited expression and remembering how cold both Bai Ci and Lin Wenyu had seemed, she finally nodded. “Okay... sorry to trouble you.”
The two of them headed downstairs, one after the other. Zhao Lei walked ahead with a light, brisk step, his eyes darting everywhere, completely oblivious to how tense Su Xiao was behind him.
The first-floor lobby was completely empty, save for the sound of an old radio drifting out of the manager's duty room.
“Look at this lobby. Even though it's old, it's kept pretty clean. Doesn't look like there's anything wrong with it,” Zhao Lei said, poking at some graffiti on the wall. “Though, the atmosphere in this apartment is indeed a bit creepy. It feels like something out of a horror movie.”
He spoke of creepiness, but his tone was brimming with excitement. He failed to notice that Su Xiao, walking beside him, had gone pale, her hands tightly gripping the straps of her canvas bag.
They walked over to the bulletin board in the corner of the lobby. It was covered in various notices and flyers, with a yellowed sheet titled “Neighborhood Rules and Regulations” pinned right at the top.
Zhao Lei reached out, wanting to tear the paper off the bulletin board to see if there were any hidden clues, like some sort of rules-based horror scenario. Having read plenty of novels, he was confident he knew how these things worked.
Terrified, Su Xiao quickly grabbed his arm. “Don't... don't tear it! What if the manager catches us?”
“What's there to be afraid of? We're tenants. What's wrong with checking the bulletin board?” Zhao Lei brushed her hand off dismissively. He tore the regulations down anyway, turning the paper over and over. After examining it for a while, he realized it was filled with nothing but nonsense like bans on throwing things out of windows and paying property fees on time.
Disappointed, he tossed it back onto the bulletin board. “Boring. It's all useless garbage.”
Watching his reckless behavior, Su Xiao felt even more uneasy.
She could clearly tell that although Zhao Lei seemed friendly, he was far too impulsive and reckless. He completely lacked any awareness of the dangers within an instance, treating this place like an adventure scene out of a novel. In reality, someone with this kind of personality would easily cause trouble and drag others down with them, let alone inside an instance.
Su Xiao quietly took half a step back, putting some distance between herself and Zhao Lei. She resolved to stick close to Wang Qiang or Lin Wenyu from now on. If she had no other choice, even Bai Ci would do. She absolutely could not go running around blindly with Zhao Lei anymore.
“Hey, look at that. What's over there?” Zhao Lei suddenly pointed to a small door at the far end of the lobby. It was locked, with no signs or labels on it.
He tried to pull Su Xiao along to check it out, but she stood rooted to the spot, her voice trembling on the verge of tears. “I... I'm a little scared. Let's go back. We can come check it out with Brother Wang and the others when we meet up tonight.”
Zhao Lei frowned, about to argue, but then he thought better of it. He was indeed a newcomer, and if they really ran into danger, he wouldn't be able to handle it. He could only retract his steps reluctantly. “Fine, we'll do it your way. Let's head back first.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the elevator, completely missing the look of sheer relief on Su Xiao's face.
At eight in the evening, as agreed, everyone gathered in Wang Qiang's room one after another.
Wang Qiang's room was on the fifth floor. The layout was similar to the rooms on the fourth floor, except the window faced the interior of the residential compound, offering a view of the small park below.
“Have a seat, everyone,” Wang Qiang said, gesturing toward the chairs and the edge of the bed while he sat at the desk, pulling out a notebook to take notes. “Let's hear it. What clues did everyone find this afternoon, or did you encounter any anomalies?”
Zhao Lei was the first to speak. He recounted his and Su Xiao's exploration of the first-floor lobby, including the bulletin board, the locked door, and his general impression of the apartment's atmosphere.
He described it vividly, not forgetting to complain about how the bulletin board was full of useless junk, completely oblivious to Wang Qiang's furrowing brow.
“Don't be so reckless in the future,” Wang Qiang warned sternly once Zhao Lei finished speaking. “Anything in an instance could be a clue, but it could also be a trap. You can't just go around destroying things. Fortunately, the NPC didn't catch you this time, otherwise our identities might have been compromised.”
Zhao Lei shrugged, not daring to speak further.
Su Xiao added in a small voice, “I... I didn't find any clues either. I just felt that the atmosphere in the apartment was a bit oppressive, and the residents didn't look very happy.”
Rate on N.U.
