It was a man Luo Feifei would recognize in a heartbeat, the one who had been pestering her.
Zhao Ming.
However, the Zhao Ming at this moment was clearly not the person Luo Feifei had seen over the past two days, or rather, he didn't seem human at all.
The man had no human form, appearing instead as a vast, dark shadow, as if he had become the embodiment of sleep paralysis itself.
Only in the center of that black shadow was Zhao Ming's face.
Zhao Ming's face currently wore a bizarre, exaggerated smile, but there were no eyeballs in his eye sockets, only a faint, dark red visible within.
His mist-like face split open to reveal a bright red tongue.
Suddenly seeing such a scene, Luo Feifei instinctively let out a piercing scream.
The woman's scream echoed through the apartment for a long time, but no one paid it any mind.
Nan Yue had a good night's sleep and was already awake by eight o'clock the next morning.
After finishing her morning routine, she leisurely checked her phone and found the group chat was quiet.
It seemed there had been no danger last night.
With that thought in mind, Nan Yue went down to the first floor to eat, only to find everyone else already there, looking listless and as if they hadn't rested well.
Hearing footsteps, everyone turned around.
Seeing Nan Yue, who clearly looked well-rested, everyone's expressions became somewhat complicated.
"You... you didn't encounter anything last night?"
Luo Feifei's voice rang out with a hint of a sob, and only then did Nan Yue notice the dark purple bruises on her neck and wrists.
They looked like bruises left by someone pinning her hands down firmly and using a strap-like object to strangle her neck.
Nan Yue frowned and sat down at the dining table.
"What happened to you? Did someone break into your room last night?"
Everyone was well aware of Zhao Ming's intentions toward Luo Feifei, and Nan Yue assumed the man had broken into her room.
Luo Feifei shook her head, still feeling lingering fear.
"It wasn't him... no, that's not right. I mean, I was experiencing sleep paralysis, and in the dream, it was him pinning me down all night."
Luo Feifei composed herself.
"At first, I thought it was a problem with my psychological value, since I often suffer from sleep paralysis."
"But today, seeing the marks on my body... there is definitely something wrong with this apartment!"
Nan Yue agreed with that point, not expecting that Luo Feifei wasn't the only one who had encountered danger yesterday.
Pu Kun hadn't slept all night because that woman had been knocking on his door, asking him to open up and let her in.
"Forget about trying to win her approval, I didn't even dare open the door to let her in in the middle of the night."
Pu Kun's already gloomy face looked even worse.
"Fortunately, it was just a night of noise."
After listening to everyone, it turned out that everyone had experienced some sort of incident.
Lu Li dreamed of someone singing nursery rhymes, while Gu Xiang Kai seemed to have fallen seriously ill, coughing uncontrollably as soon as it was time to sleep.
Chi He mentioned smelling a strong scent of smoke in his room, making him think something was on fire.
Nan Yue looked at Zhang Qingyang.
"What about you? Did that woman come looking for you?"
Zhang Qingyang's gaze was somewhat evasive.
Gu Xiang Kai, being sharp-eyed, directly pulled back the other man's collar.
The red marks on it were incredibly suggestive.
"You..."
Lu Li was momentarily speechless.
She hadn't expected this honest-looking man would actually dare to have a relationship with an NPC during a mission.
"You're risking your life!"
Hearing Luo Feifei say that, Zhang Qingyang's face darkened.
"Don't make wild guesses, nothing happened between us..."
"It was just Qingqing coming to find me. We chatted in the room for a bit, but she didn't stay the night."
The others didn't know what to say for a moment, but it wasn't entirely unheard of for a Scavenger to have a relationship with an NPC during a mission, as some people prioritized pleasure over their lives.
"What about you? Nothing happened?"
The sound of clattering came from the kitchen.
Taking advantage of the fact that Xiao Min hadn't brought out breakfast yet, the others rushed to exchange clues.
"I encountered something."
Nan Yue briefly described her experience from last night in a few sentences, and the expressions of the others at the table shifted repeatedly.
"You... aren't you afraid?"
Just based on the events encountered, Nan Yue's was definitely the most terrifying.
Even Luo Feifei, who had been feeling resentful, stopped complaining.
She put herself in Nan Yue's shoes and felt that Nan Yue's psychological value must be terrifyingly high.
"Well, I was scared at first, but she couldn't hurt me."
Lu Li looked at Nan Yue's healthy complexion.
"And then you just went back to sleep?"
Nan Yue nodded.
"Yes, there wasn't much else I could do."
Everyone else: The problem is that a normal person wouldn't be able to sleep!
Before anyone could complain, Xiao Min walked in carrying the prepared porridge.
Everyone instantly fell silent.
The food was as delicious as always, but everyone ate quickly and quietly.
Xiao Min didn't leave either, standing to the side with a happy expression.
"Is it good? Do you like it?"
None of the Scavengers, who had previously thought this Apartment Manager was easy to get along with, dared to say a word.
Given Zhang Ping's death, everyone had become wary of this Apartment Manager.
Not knowing what might get them targeted, they simply chose to say nothing.
Seeing that no one was responding to her, Xiao Min's face was on the verge of turning cold.
"It's delicious."
Nan Yue's face was full of sincerity.
"It really is delicious."
Nan Yue's praise came from the heart, as the best food she had eaten so far was here at the apartment.
The others might take it for granted, but for Nan Yue, who had only eaten meal pastes and rice noodles, both the variety and the taste were very satisfying.
Xiao Min could also sense that Nan Yue was telling the truth, and a large smile appeared on her face.
"Then eat more."
Hearing those words, almost everyone simultaneously recalled Zhang Ping's miserable death, making the porridge in front of them feel difficult to swallow.
But Nan Yue didn't seem to feel it as she smiled.
"I usually can only eat one bowl, and this is already my second, but no matter how full I get, I won't let it go to waste. I'll definitely finish this bowl."
Xiao Min nodded happily and watched Nan Yue finish the porridge almost intently, yet she didn't say anything else.
If there were a favorability progress bar above an NPC's head, her favorability toward Nan Yue would likely have turned green by now.
The others were also somewhat impressed by Nan Yue's actions.
To be honest, doing a mission was like walking a tightrope between life and death.
No one was willing to take risks and everyone hoped others would pave the way, but when someone truly bold, meticulous, and capable appeared, they couldn't help but realize that being a Scavenger also required talent.
Pu Kun even tried to use the same rhetoric as Nan Yue to gain the Apartment Manager's favor, but Xiao Min could clearly sense he was saying it just for her benefit.
Not only was she not happy, but her mood actually soured.
Pu Kun: ...But I really do think it's just average.
After finishing their meal, no one wanted to stay with Xiao Min.
They dispersed, and a few even headed out of the apartment doors.
Nan Yue, however, stayed behind to help Xiao Min clear the table.
"By the way, do you know Li Ge from the 8th floor?"
Xiao Min nodded, showing a very good attitude toward Nan Yue.
"I do. Li Ge is busy with work, so I don't see him much, but he never falls behind on his rent."
Nan Yue spoke as if it were an idle thought.
"I see. Li Ge looks like he's getting on in years. Has he always lived alone?"
Hearing this, Xiao Min, who had been busy tidying things up, suddenly stopped her movements.
Rate on N.U.
