"Let's get to know each other. My name is Chi He. We should look out for one another."
"Nan Yue."
It was obvious that Nan Yue wasn't much of a talker, so Chi He took it upon himself to fill the silence. "I haven't been out of the Nameless City for long myself, so we probably have the most in common. Feel free to talk to me about anything."
Nan Yue nodded. At that moment, the elevator doors slid open to reveal a dusty, drab corridor.
"This place is a dump. They didn't even bother tiling the hallway."
There were only four units on each floor. Chi He's room, 801, was close to the elevator, while Nan Yue's room, 804, was near the emergency exit.
"Well, goodnight then."
Chi He gave a small wave and opened his door.
Nan Yue didn't enter her room immediately. She scanned the hallway, her nose twitching. She felt as though a strange scent was lingering in the air.
She carefully inspected the corridor one more time. After confirming she hadn't missed anything, she prepared to enter her room when a creak sounded from the door beside her.
The tenant in 803 was an elderly woman. She was short and stout, but her face bore an expression that suggested she was anything but approachable.
She pursed her lips, her drooping eyelids obscuring half of her eyes. "Are you new?"
Nan Yue immediately put on a polite, well behaved smile. "Hello, Grandmother. I'm a new tenant. I'm staying in 804."
However, the old woman didn't appreciate the gesture. She gave Nan Yue a sinister look. "Don't wander around outside at night if you have nothing to do."
With that, she slammed the door shut, giving Nan Yue no chance to respond.
Nan Yue slowly opened her own door, her mind still lingering on the old woman's words.
The NPCs in missions could be good or bad. Were the old woman's words meant to stop her from gathering more information, or was it a genuine warning?
Nan Yue locked the door and turned on the light, finally seeing the room where she would be staying for the next few days.
The layout was almost identical to the apartment she currently rented, but the facilities were much older. The sofa was heavily pilled, and the wooden coffee table was covered in scratches, some of which had even been chipped into small holes.
There was no telling how many tenants it had gone through.
A pink piece of paper sat on the coffee table, looking completely out of place in the room.
Tenant Rules:
Any tenant must stay for a full five days before they can request to check out.
The apartment is open from 7:00 to 24:00. Please manage your time accordingly.
The apartment encourages thriftiness. Do not waste food!
Everpeace Apartments is a harmonious and beautiful complex. All neighbors must respect and love one another and help each other. Do not create conflict.
If a neighborhood dispute arises, the apartment manager will initiate a vote to determine the party at fault.
New tenants must win the approval of the old tenants. Everpeace Apartments does not welcome unlikable tenants.
Nan Yue held the Tenant Rules, her expression complicated. Putting aside the fact that the contents of this list didn't match her understanding of a typical tenancy, the rules themselves almost overlapped with the initial mission prompts. This meant that the prompts didn't actually offer much extra insight.
Nan Yue sat on the sofa and read through the Tenant Rules carefully once more before reaching a conclusion.
'This definitely isn't a normal apartment.'
Based on the prompts, if they wanted to survive these five days peacefully, they had to gain the neighbors' approval. The scope of this approval was quite broad.
It could mean avoiding disputes with neighbors, or it could mean providing as much help as possible.
Nan Yue felt that both situations might occur. Avoiding conflict was easy enough—one could simply stay away from trouble.
But if someone requested help, that would be problematic.
Just then, a knock sounded at Nan Yue's door.
Was it going to be this intense on the very first day?
Nan Yue wasn't afraid. She looked through the peephole and saw a tall, thin man outside.
"Hello? Are you the new neighbor? I'm in 802. You can just call me Li Ge."
Nan Yue checked the clock in the room. It was nearly midnight.
She had no intention of opening the door and asked politely, "Is there something I can help you with?"
Li Ge paused for a moment. "I heard a new tenant arrived and wanted to introduce myself. I already said hello to the young man next door. You two are together, right?"
Nan Yue's mind raced. While she needed to win the approval of the old tenants, she had to ensure her own safety first.
"It's a bit too late tonight and not very convenient. How about I visit you tomorrow instead?"
The man didn't seem to expect Nan Yue to respond this way. He hesitated before saying, "Yes, yes, of course. That was thoughtless of me. It's just that I'm a photographer and usually work quite late. Sorry for the intrusion."
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before the man finally left. This interaction confirmed one thing for Nan Yue.
The Tenant Rules seemed to be providing them with misleading guidance, making them feel as though they had to cooperate with the old tenants unconditionally.
But that would be too unfair to them. If an old tenant told them to die, would they have to comply?
Therefore, they must have a certain level of autonomy. That was what they needed to explore.
Beep, beep, beep.
The phone Nan Yue had placed on the table rang. Lu Li had started a small group chat.
Nan Yue had checked this phone earlier. It didn't contain much useful information, only simple communication functions.
Everyone checked in to report they were safe. Lu Li was currently brainstorming ideas regarding the Tenant Rules, while Nan Yue separately added Chi He's contact.
Chi He: Hi there, little sister Nan Yue! :-D
Nan Yue: I wanted to ask if the tenant from 802 came to see you just now?
Chi He: The one from 802? No. But the grandmother from 803 did linger by my door for a bit.
Nan Yue: I see. Thanks.
Nan Yue narrowed her eyes. She hadn't expected the NPCs to start making moves on the very first day. If Li Ge had only sought her out, what could be the reason?
Was it because she was a woman?
When Nan Yue went to rest that night, she checked the door lock repeatedly before going to sleep. However, because she was in a mission, her sleep was restless. She felt as though some kind of sound was occasionally echoing in her ears.
In truth, a normal person wouldn't dare to sleep soundly on the first night. Even if they managed to drift off, they would be easily startled awake.
But for Nan Yue, a mission was one of the few times she could get a decent night's sleep. Normally, her body was constantly wrapped in a cloying, cold sensation that made it impossible to rest well.
So, even though there were noises around her, Nan Yue ignored them as long as she felt her life wasn't threatened and she hadn't violated any rules.
The curtains in the room were thin. Nan Yue woke up as soon as the sun rose the next morning. Her first task was to search the room to ensure nothing strange had appeared.
Could there be bugs in the room?
That noise really did sound like the scuttling of cockroaches.
Nan Yue wasn't afraid of ghosts, but she was quite afraid of insects. Even the smallest bug could make her shudder with disgust, though few people knew this about her.
She needed to buy some insecticide today.
Nan Yue remembered there were still a few hundred credits in her phone account, which should be enough.
Ding, ding.
When her phone chimed, Nan Yue realized she had been added to another group. The group name was Everpeace Apartments Family.
Everpeace Xiao Min: Dear tenants, breakfast is ready. Please come down to the first floor to eat.
Nan Yue was very satisfied. Both food and lodging were provided during the mission. For a fresh Scavenger like her, it was a very thoughtful arrangement.
However, when she arrived at the dining area, Nan Yue discovered that only seven people had come down to eat.
Rate on N.U.
