Chapter 7: Ghosts Die for Money

Clack!

A corner of the table, which had already been searched countless times, suddenly sprang open, revealing a hidden compartment that definitely had not existed before.

Inside were three items.

Three very simple items.

One was a bone-chopping knife. Its edge was dull, and a heavy iron chain was attached to the handle. The blade was covered in rust, and dried blood and bits of flesh could be seen everywhere on its surface. Even from half a metre away, a foul stench assaulted the nose.

Another was a meat grinder. Its design was fairly ordinary, but it appeared to have undergone some crude modifications. Zhou You could not tell exactly what had been changed, but judging from the dark yellow residue around the outlet, its purpose had likely shifted from grinding meat into mince to extracting oil and fat.

The last item was an electric branding iron. Although somewhat old, it still seemed capable of functioning normally, and it was also the only item that remained in relatively good condition.

At first glance, they were merely common tools one might find at a market.

Unfortunately, Zhou You had just examined that candle and the note written beneath it.

“Hair for the wick, corpse oil for the base. Two jin of flesh, one candle. Cheap and affordable, fair to young and old alike.”

And the arm of a normal adult man, after removing the bones, weighed a little over two kilograms (~4.4 lb).

What they wanted him to do was therefore obvious.

After a long silence, Zhou You suddenly grinned.

There was no panic, fear, or despair in that smile.

Instead, it was as calm and ordinary as if he were greeting a neighbour. The only thing visible within it was his usual composure.

“No wonder the previous tenant went insane. Stripping all the flesh from your own body and rendering it into oil isn’t something an ordinary person could endure. But it looks like something happened after he reached the fifth floor, causing all his efforts to come to nothing before he ultimately died in this haunted building. As for why he failed...”

Zhou You picked up the bone-chopping knife and casually examined it, but did not use it. Instead, he glanced at the candle.

“The quantity probably wasn’t enough.”

He muttered to himself.

“Since they specifically provided a crafting recipe, and also deliberately gave me that talent called ‘Fragmented Existence,’ then I’ll make a bold guess. If I want to escape this apartment building, I’ll first have to imitate the previous tenant and remove one of my own arms. Then, relying on the candle he left behind, together with two more that I craft myself, plus the talent I just obtained, I’ll barely be able to escape with my life.”

At that moment, Zhou You raised his head and looked toward the sealed window.

“So, am I right?”

No one answered.

But Zhou You had not expected an answer.

He casually tossed the bone-chopping knife aside and prepared to take his next step.

Yet at that moment, that familiar sense of wrongness returned.

The filthy, polluted surroundings vanished in an instant.

Everything became clean and orderly.

A faint fragrance drifted through the room.

When he stepped outside, all the neighbours welcomed him with smiles.

The Landlady was as kind and approachable as ever, warmly inviting him to join her for a simple meal.

Everyone in the building cared for one another and looked after each other.

So why leave such a wonderful family behind and return to that lonely reality?

Think about it.

Your last remaining relative is gone.

You have already suffered so much.

So forget.

You can forget everything.

Zhou You suddenly bit down hard.

A sharp pain instantly shot through his mouth.

The thick taste of blood flooded his throat, but he paid it no attention.

He released the teeth that had just torn open the tip of his tongue and raised his head.

The smile remained on his face.

But there was no trace of amusement left in his eyes.

A moment later, the mechanical voice sounded.

“You have suffered corruption. Your sanity has been reduced. Current sanity: 75/100.”

“Please note: the longer you remain in this instance, the deeper the corruption will become, until you completely merge with this instance. Please complete the game as soon as possible.”

Another very obvious restriction.

But Zhou You paid it no attention this time.

He simply extinguished the candle, saved the game, and walked directly out of the room.

This time, however, he did not hurry upstairs.

He now had a way to bypass the fourth floor, but he still remembered clearly that the master key ring for the entire building remained in the Landlady’s possession.

Even with the candle, he still needed to find a way to obtain the key to the fifth floor.

“Fortunately, that’s not a difficult job.”

“After all, while this thing is an instant-kill monster, its weaknesses are painfully obvious.”

“Disabled, blind, and most importantly... greedy.”

While muttering to himself, Zhou You shut the rust-covered, unusually heavy iron door.

Then he pulled on it several times to make sure it was securely locked.

Suddenly, he raised a leg, spun around, and delivered a vicious upward kick.

The thick sole of his shoe slammed into the metal with a tremendous Clang!

Several piercing screams instantly erupted from apartment doors below.

But those sounds immediately seemed to notice something and fell silent in terror.

Soon afterward, accompanied by the sound of a prosthetic limb striking the floor, the Landlady climbed upstairs with a cold expression.

It took approximately two minutes.

Zhou You silently recorded that piece of data in his mind.

Then, the moment she saw him, he immediately adopted an expression that was half terrified and half pleading and hurried over.

At the same time, he babbled nervously.

“Landlady, I’m really sorry. I accidentally shut my door just now. I was in a hurry trying to call my parents to borrow money for the rent, and I got too worked up. I truly didn’t mean to violate the rules. Please believe me!”

When she heard the first half of his explanation, the Landlady’s expression became increasingly impatient.

Her mouth grew wider and wider.

As maggots writhed within it, rows of terrifying fangs seemed ready to emerge once again.

But when she heard the second half, her movements abruptly stopped.

“Yuu mean rent?”

Because her jaws had split nearly twice as wide as normal, her speech was somewhat slurred.

As though grabbing hold of a lifeline, Zhou You frantically nodded.

“Yes, yes, rent! Rent! I’ll gather it soon. I’ll definitely pay you. Please forgive me this once. Just this once!”

Hearing that, the Landlady’s mouth finally shrank back to normal.

She glanced at Zhou You’s terrified face and let out a mocking laugh.

Then she shakily pulled out her key ring from her waist.

“Remember what you said. Just this once. If you trouble me again, this old lady will have to collect some ‘interest’ in advance. Oh, and don’t forget what you promised. Make sure you pay next half year’s rent early.”

After Zhou You nodded repeatedly in agreement, the Landlady finally began searching through the keys.

Because of the poor lighting and her weak eyesight, she had to remove her eyes and wipe them several times before finally finding the spare key for Room 304.

However, just as she inserted it into the lock and turned it, an accident occurred.

Perhaps because he had been frightened too badly earlier and was still somewhat dazed, Zhou You hurried to pull the door open before the Landlady had fully opened it herself.

The result was entirely predictable.

Under the force of both sides pulling, the two collided and tumbled to the floor in front of the doorway.

The key ring flew from the Landlady’s hand and landed off to the side.

The Landlady was not in a hurry to retrieve it.

She slowly raised her head and stared at Zhou You through her twisted pupils.

With a sinister sneer, she appeared ready to teach him a lesson he would never forget.

But before she could act, something bright red suddenly entered her field of vision.

Money.

Not a huge amount, but enough money to attract attention.

These were the banknotes Zhou You had deliberately saved earlier by spending only half of his funds.

Dozens of hundred-yuan notes lay scattered across the floor.

Under the corridor lights, their vivid colour seemed to pierce directly into the eyes and slowly worm its way into the heart.

“My money!”

The deliberately staged cry had barely begun before the Landlady silenced him with a vicious glare.

“What do you mean your money? This is my money! Rent I’ve collected in advance!”

At that moment, the monster no longer cared about disciplining Zhou You.

Staring at the dust-covered banknotes, she hurriedly groped around on the floor.

However, because of her poor eyesight, she searched for a long time without finding many.

Immediately, she widened her eyes and barked at Zhou You.

“What are you standing there for like a wooden post? Hurry up and help me pick them up!”

Zhou You’s face alternated between red and pale.

But faced with such overwhelming disparity in power, he could only crouch down alongside her like a deflated balloon.

Several minutes later, the Landlady casually hooked the key ring back onto her waist, stuffed a large pile of cash into her clothes, and left the third floor in satisfaction.

As for Zhou You, who had effectively lost all his money, he did not seem particularly upset.

In fact, he was equally satisfied.

After confirming that the monster had completely left, the humiliated expression on his face vanished like a receding tide.

Still smiling brightly, he searched through his pocket for a moment before pulling out a key.

A grease-covered key marked “Fifth Floor.”

While the Landlady had been busy collecting money, he had taken advantage of her poor eyesight and accidentally “picked up” this item.

Several thousand yuan in exchange for a shabby old key.

As for whether that was a good deal...

Others might have different opinions.

But Zhou You felt it was absolutely worth it.