Nan Yue nodded, thinking the same thing. Since she had no interaction with Li Ge today, she wanted to see if that woman could still harm her.
It was all a gamble, but Nan Yue felt confident.
Her theory was that the real danger lay with the neighbors; supernatural events only occurred once one became too close to them.
However, the Tenant Rules stated clearly that one had to live in harmony with neighbors to survive the five days. Therefore, Nan Yue leaned toward the idea that if a relationship wasn't established, the neighbor would eventually become a threat.
Between supernatural occurrences and neighbors who became dangerous if not appeased, the mission seemed like a dead end.
Nan Yue and Gu Xiang Kai locked eyes. "The Apartment Manager."
Two of the Tenant Rules were actually contradictory. If there were to be no conflicts in the apartment, why emphasize that one could seek out the Apartment Manager for mediation?
This suggested that as long as one identified a neighbor's problem, the Apartment Manager would intervene.
In other words, they would no longer be your neighbor, and you would no longer need to please them.
"Any thoughts on your neighbor?"
Gu Xiang Kai's neighbor was an old man who seemed as harmless as Granny Zhao.
Gu Xiang Kai's expression was grim. "He's strange. He keeps inviting me over. I went today, and he didn't do anything but stare at me."
"Stare at you?"
Gu Xiang Kai leaned back, looking frustrated. He had run out of the cigarettes he brought, and the convenience store didn't carry his usual brand.
"Yeah. Just staring straight at me. His gaze is incredibly creepy."
Nan Yue tilted her head in thought. "I remember you mentioned coughing while resting the past few days. Keep an eye out and see if it happens again today."
Gu Xiang Kai already had a lead and understood her meaning, so he nodded in agreement.
"Also..."
Lu Li interrupted them. "I haven't seen Chi He, who lives on your floor, today either."
Nan Yue hesitated. Chi He's feedback had always been normal. Granny Zhao didn't seem to like him, so he hadn't tried to make his presence felt too much, which meant no supernatural events had occurred for him.
"I'll check when I go back."
Nan Yue stood up. "I need to head out for a bit."
Gu Xiang Kai and Lu Li both looked at her. "Out? It's ten o'clock already. It's almost midnight."
Nan Yue didn't explain much. She just told them to message the group if anything happened and left.
"Ding. Welcome home."
The automatic sensor doorbell chimed as the door opened, sounding strangely eerie in the silence of the night.
The small supermarket was still open. Nan Yue planned to wait there to see if anyone would show up at the crossroads tonight.
The mission map wasn't large, so every clue that appeared should have a traceable source.
To be honest, Nan Yue had already more or less deduced her own neighbor's secret. Since she had nothing else to do, she figured she might as well look for clues for the others.
Furthermore, mission progress was tied to personal points, and she wanted to earn as many as possible.
Before she even reached the supermarket entrance, Nan Yue heard the owner's voice on the phone. Because the street was so quiet, she could hear him clearly even though he wasn't speaking loudly.
"Doctor, I've told you. Use whatever medicine you need, but you cannot let him die."
"This isn't about being a good son. Do you know how much pension the old man gets every month? If he dies, we won't get a single cent."
"Parents only want what's best for their children. My dad can't speak right now, but if he could, I'm sure he'd be willing to sacrifice a little more for his son."
Nan Yue's pace slowed. In just a few sentences, she could picture the scene.
A sick, elderly man on the verge of death was being kept alive by various drugs and expendables, forced to endure rather than pass away peacefully, all so his family could collect a few more months of pension.
And the person ignoring the patient's wishes, indifferent to whether he was living in agony, was his own son.
Nan Yue felt a chill. The cold sensation rising from her stomach filled her with more dread than seeing that woman the night before.
She stopped heading toward the supermarket. She knew whose clue this was...
Just as Nan Yue turned to go back to the apartment to find Gu Xiang Kai, she saw a figure push open the apartment's main door.
Almost instinctively, Nan Yue shifted her steps and hid in the darkness.
The street was dark, and the person didn't bother looking around. She was hunched over, clutching a battered copper basin and carrying a large bag, slowly making her way to the crossroads.
Granny Zhao wasn't tall to begin with, and her back was so bent she looked as if she were broken in half. Her hands trembled as she placed the copper basin in the middle of the road. Nan Yue's sharp eyes noticed it covered the black ashes from before.
Then, Granny Zhao shook the bag into the basin, and paper gold ingots tumbled inside.
Watching Granny Zhao strike a match and toss it into the basin, Nan Yue knew exactly what she was doing.
Making an offering to the dead.
"My poor daughter... where are you? Just visit me in a dream..."
Granny Zhao's naturally raspy voice grew even more shrill with her sobbing. "Which villain harmed my baby? If I ever find out, I'll make them pay with their life to avenge you!"
A wave of sorrow washed over Nan Yue. She had always thought Granny Zhao was eerie, but now she saw her as nothing more than a pitiful old woman who had lost her daughter.
"Pretty pitiful, isn't it?"
A gentle male voice suddenly spoke behind Nan Yue. Had her fear threshold not been so high, she would have screamed.
Nan Yue turned and realized Chi He was sitting on the ground nearby, his body completely hidden in the apartment's shadow.
"What are you doing here?"
Fearing they might disturb Granny Zhao, Nan Yue lowered her voice.
"Granny Zhao is too strange. She refuses to have anything to do with me, so I had no choice but to stake her out."
Chi He's handsome and gentle features were blurry in the dark, but his voice remained soft.
"I didn't expect this gamble to actually lead to a clue."
In the darkness, Nan Yue heard Chi He sigh softly. "Do I need to help Granny Zhao find the killer? The world is so big, where would I even start?"
Nan Yue had an idea. "You could find a chance to ask Granny Zhao if she has a photo of her daughter."
Chi He stood up and gently tugged on Nan Yue's sleeve. "Let's go back. There probably aren't any more clues here."
Nan Yue agreed. It was past eleven, and she was worried about potential accidents.
Once they were inside the apartment, Chi He let out a long sigh. "Phew. I hope today passes peacefully. That old lady squats outside my door every day. I'm too scared to sleep."
As he spoke, he took out his phone, scrolled through it, and handed it to Nan Yue.
"You mentioned her daughter's photo. I happened to take a picture of it when I was at Granny Zhao's place the other day. Why?"
Nan Yue's eyes were drawn to the girl in the photo. She had a high nose and large eyes, smiling brightly and cheerfully. But at a glance, it was clear she was the same girl who had died in the small woods.
Rate on N.U.
