Chapter 66 The Thirteenth Human Tenant (Bonus Chapter 22,000) Inspiration...

Zhou Fangdong arrived at the apartment entrance and saw the new tenant waiting outside the door.

Judging from her physique, the tenant appears to be a woman, slender, about 1.6 meters tall, carrying a suitcase and a backpack.

It's summer now, and the temperature can reach 30 or 40 degrees Celsius at noon. Yet, this tenant is wearing a black long-sleeved sweatshirt with the hood up, and the lower half of his face is covered by a mask. The only thing you can see is his eyes, which are wearing black-rimmed glasses.

Although the temperature is a bit low here at Liwan Apartments due to the heavy yin energy, this outfit is still too exaggerated.

The moment the tenant met Zhou Fangdong's gaze, he immediately lowered his head, using the shadow of his hood and bangs to cover his only exposed eyes.

...I see, it's social anxiety.

Tang Huili was conflicted; she didn't know whether she should enter the building in front of her.

On the one hand, the building felt extremely dangerous to her; on the other hand, it felt very safe.

This contradictory feeling also appeared in the young man standing in the entrance hall of the apartment.

The moment the pale-skinned young man appeared, Tang Huili felt that something was wrong with him.

This young man was like the embodiment of this building, a mixture of danger and safety, which made his eerie inhumanity very obvious, causing Tang Huili to have second thoughts again.

Just as she hesitated, she suddenly heard the young man inside the door speak up, "I'm the landlord of Liwan Apartments. Are you here to view an apartment?"

Upon hearing the man claim to be the landlord of Liwan Apartments, Tang Huili couldn't help but look up again.

How did he, at such a young age, acquire the property rights to these two buildings in Liwan Apartments? Why does he dare to rent out rooms in Liwan Apartments? Is it no longer haunted?

After hesitating for a moment at the door, Tang Huili finally made up her mind and stepped into the dark apartment building.

...Since we're already here, let's just let things take their course. Although it's a bit chaotic, at least we don't feel any fatal danger.

"Hello, landlord, I am Tang Huili, a professional cartoonist. I would like to rent a room in Liwan Apartment. I currently have a work being serialized and have a stable source of income. I can pay the rent on time." Tang Huili said in one breath, with her head down, as if reciting a memorized text.

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a child's head roll over and stop right at her feet.

Tang Huili stared expressionlessly at the child's head at her feet, silently meeting its dark, hollow eyes.

Is this a ghost? There's no danger at all... My intuition gave me absolutely no warning.

Zhou Fangdong also noticed the child's head that was rolling over.

He glanced at Tang Huili's reaction before waving her away, saying, "Go back to the hallway and play. Don't come over here to join in the fun when guests come over in the future, or you'll scare them."

The child's head obediently rolled away, round and smooth.

Watching Zhou Fangdong interact with that kid, Tang Huili suddenly realized something.

It's not that there aren't ghosts in the Liwan Apartments, nor are they harmless. It's just that in the presence of this landlord, the ghosts won't attack humans.

So that's why that contradictory intuition of both danger and safety arose.

The reason I feel safe is because there is a landlord in this apartment, so I am not harmed by ghosts... The danger comes from the inherent danger of those ghosts themselves.

No wonder the supervisory bureau dared to let this landlord re-rent out the rooms in Liwan Apartment; it turns out he could keep the ghosts in the apartment in check.

He is a truly terrifying person.

Although her inner thoughts were complex, Tang Huili did not show them.

She calmly followed Zhou Fangdong toward the stairwell, just like a long-time tenant of the Liwan Apartment.

Although there are no windows in this part of the hallway, wall lamps are installed on the walls, and the soft light clearly illuminates every ghost face.

Fortunately, Eri Tang draws horror comics and has become accustomed to various gory images during the research process.

It's just that the bloodshed on a two-dimensional surface has been transformed into a three-dimensional one.

As long as there's no danger, nothing matters; just treat it as visiting a holographic haunted house.

She calmly walked past the headless ghosts chasing and playing, their necks spurting blood, past the little girl dragging her intestines around, past the little boy whose flesh was mangled and broken into pieces, past the heads falling from the sky... passing by all the ghosts in the corridor, and followed Zhou Fangdong to the staircase.

After explaining the rules for going upstairs to Tang Huili, Zhou Fangdong led her to room 204.

When the door to room 204 was fully opened and Tang Huili saw the scene inside, she was stunned for a moment.

From the outside, all the windows of the Liwan Apartment were sealed shut with wooden strips, and she assumed the rooms were the same, prepared to see a dark room.

But to her surprise, the room actually had natural light and the windows were quite large.

Moreover, it was completely different from the haunted houses I had in mind. There wasn't a speck of dust or stains in the room, and even the furniture was brand new. It was a newly renovated house... This room must be very expensive to rent, right?

Zhou Fangdong stopped Tang Huili from entering the room, blocking her at the door.

"Don't go into the room yet. You can take a look at the lease agreement first. If you can accept it, you can sign your name below."

As he spoke, a piece of paper appeared out of thin air in Zhou Fangdong's hand.

He was very satisfied with the cartoonist tenant's behavior throughout the trip.

Before going to the door to meet the new tenant, Zhou Fangdong made a special trip to the activity room and bribed all the child ghosts inside with three sticks of incense, so that they would run out and scare the new tenant when she entered, the bloodier and scarier the better.

The little devils all happily agreed.

If Tang Huili acts overly dramatic, Zhou Fangdong will not take her up to the second floor and will directly refuse her request to rent a room.

But to Zhou Fangdong's surprise, Tang Huili's performance was completely unexpected.

This person was nothing like an ordinary person who had never encountered ghosts or monsters before; his composure was as if he couldn't see anything at all.

I feel this tenant would be a good fit for room 204.

Tang Huili took the paper and carefully read it from beginning to end.

[Room 204 Tenant Rules]

① When renting room 204, remain calm and slow down all your actions in the room. If any items fall to the floor, do not panic and bend down to pick them up; instead, slowly crouch down and pick them up. Open and close doors and windows gently to avoid creating strong drafts.

② All strenuous exercise is prohibited in the room, such as running, jumping, rapid squatting, aerobics, etc.

③It is absolutely safe to sit or lie still in this room.

④ If you suddenly feel tired and have heart palpitations, hear joint grinding sounds in your back, or feel an unnatural cold draft, please stop everything you are doing immediately, slowly sit down or lie down, and remain still for 15 minutes.

⑤ Cooking is prohibited in the room.

⑥ Tenants must carry the key to room 204 with them at all times. Losing the key will be considered an automatic termination of the tenancy agreement.

⑦ A monthly rent of 30 yuan must be paid in cash. If this is not done, the rental contract will be considered automatically terminated.

⑧ If you discover any outsiders or unwanted visitors invading your private space, please do not panic. As long as you follow the rules above, the landlord will come to resolve the issue for you as soon as possible.

After reading the tenant contract, Tang Huili had only one feeling: it didn't seem like a rental contract, but more like a guide to surviving safely in the room.

She vaguely sensed that there was something dangerous in the room, but it wasn't deadly, probably because the conditions for that thing to kill hadn't been triggered yet.

Following this survival guide was not difficult for her, because she was a person who did not show her emotions very much.

She doesn't like sports, and because of her work, she needs to spend long hours drawing, often for five or six hours at a time. When she's rushing to meet a deadline, she can draw all day long without even eating, and it's normal for her to remain completely still.

It's fine if she's forbidden from cooking; she simply can't cook.

After reading the entire tenant rules, what Tang Huili cared about most was the rent.

It only costs thirty yuan a month...

What's the difference between this and something that's free?

Even without any intuition, Tang Huili felt that renting a place in Liwan Apartment was a great thing... As long as you follow the rules, you can have a place where you won't be attacked by ghosts, and the rent is so cheap, it's such a good deal.

Tang Huili decisively signed her name on the tenant's handbook, then took out thirty yuan in cash from her wallet and handed it to the landlord.

Zhou Fangdong carefully put away the tenant's contract and handed her the key to room 204: "Keep the key with you, and the ghosts in the building won't attack you. There's a copy of the rules on the table in the room; you can go and check it if you forget any of them."

Tang Huili took the key.

The moment she held the key, an overwhelming sense of peace welled up inside her. The feeling of being enveloped in a warm protective shield made Tang Huili pause for a moment. As if she had grasped a lifeline, she reflexively tightened her grip on the key.

The apartment key, and the tenant's identity at Liwan Apartments, might be more useful than she imagined.

It's definitely not just about being protected from ghosts in the apartment.

...Perhaps this is the glimmer of hope that will allow humanity to survive in this dark world overrun by monsters.

After Tang Huili took the key, a system pop-up window appeared:

[Congratulations, host, on completing side quest 10. Rewards: 500 Ghost Coins, 2000 Experience Points, and 1 Random Skill Point]

[The tenant profile [Intermediate Tenant - A Highly Inspired Otaku Comic Artist] has been unlocked. Please claim your profile reward promptly.]

Zhou Fangdong felt even more relieved after seeing that the unlocked illustration was 'a highly inspired otaku comic artist'.

This tenant is a perfect fit for room 204 and should be able to live here safely.

"You pack your luggage, I'll go first..." Zhou Fangdong wanted to say 'I'm leaving first', but before he could finish speaking, Tang Huili stopped him.

Even though the tenant was wearing a hoodie and a mask, Zhou Fangdong could tell from her body language that she was tense and conflicted.

She seemed to want to say something, but hesitated whether or not to.

Finally, the tenant seemed to have made up his mind. He took a deep breath and said in a very fast voice, as if reciting a text, "Landlord, are you trying to use the apartment as a pilot project to test a method that can protect humans from ghosts and monsters by restraining the ghosts in the Liwan Apartment and renting out rooms that are not affected by supernatural forces to ordinary people?"

"I also want to do my part in your great cause of protecting the world."

After mustering the courage to say those words, Tang Huili quickly lowered her head, failing to see Zhou Fangdong's momentary astonishment.

Zhou Fangdong looked completely bewildered.

Protect the world...who? Him?

The atmosphere had already been built up to this point, and for a moment he didn't know how to refute it. Suddenly saying "I'm just a renter" in such a serious atmosphere just felt a bit inappropriate.

Tang Huili continued, head down, "It's like this: I've always had a very keen intuition. I could sense that a huge disaster was looming over Jinxi District and Penghu Jiayuan Community, so I took the initiative to find Liwan Apartment and moved here urgently."

At this point, Tang Huili's voice became somewhat heavy: "Penghu Home is in the city center. If a serious paranormal event were to occur there, there would definitely be a lot of casualties."

Previously, Tang Huili dared not tell others that she could foresee danger.

Because her parents died because of this keen intuition she had.

Lacking the ability to protect others, even if they foresee danger, they cannot extricate themselves from peril. They can only barely save themselves based on intuition, watching helplessly as others die because of their prophecies.

As a result, she became a well-known jinx, a "jinx," and was treated like a hot potato. No relative was willing to take her in, and she grew up stumbling along on her own with the help of government subsidies.

As she grew up, she tried to use this intuition to help others. As a result, her friends were outwardly grateful, but behind her back they ostracized and isolated her, calling her a "liar," a "pretentious" person, and a "clown" who pretended to have special abilities to attract attention.

Tang Huili became increasingly silent, completely shutting herself off.

But now, she has encountered a terrifyingly powerful ghost who can easily control the entire Liwan Apartments, yet possesses a heart full of love and a desire to protect the world. This powerful being is definitely not like her, who only has the ability to foresee the future but lacks the means to protect others.

If you tell this landlord about the Penghu Homestead incident, he will definitely be able to resolve this crisis very easily.

Penghu Residential Complex… When Tang Huili mentioned the name of this residential complex, Zhou Fangdong felt that it sounded familiar.

By the way, the girl that Miao Zheng mentioned on the phone yesterday, the one being targeted by the Bone Inheritance Society, lives in Penghu Garden.

The girl and her best friend have now been placed under protection by Hong Zhong's men.

Zhou Fangdong did not doubt Tang Huili's premonition, because this tenant's strong intuition was certified by the system.

Therefore, it is highly likely that the Bone Inheritance Association is going to cause trouble in Penghu.

Putting aside the potential casualties they might cause in the city... in short, we absolutely cannot allow those crazy cultists to kidnap those two girls, and the apartment must not be in the sights of the Bone Inheritance Society.

*

A warehouse near Penghu Home.

A bald, middle-aged man fiddled with a paper figure in his hand while looking at his phone screen: "Boss, I see that the live stream about the female ghost at Liwan Apartment is getting a lot of attention. Could it be that the anomaly at Liwan Apartment has disappeared? Should we go over there and take a look?"

The tall, fat, bald man next to him rolled his eyes when he heard this: "You mean that paranormal streamer's live stream room called [Ah Zheng, are you serious?]? Can't you see that huge Abnormal Monitoring Bureau certification under her account? Are you blind?"

The bald man looking at his phone scratched his head and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Boss, I... I don't quite understand what you mean. Aren't most paranormal streamers on video platforms certified by the regulatory bureau?"

"What's the point of your brain? Can't you think for yourself?" The tall, fat man slapped him on the head in anger. "What I mean is, this live stream was deliberately set up by the Bureau of Supervision! They're trying to lure us in; can't you see the bait is strong enough?"

The tall, fat man grew increasingly angry as he spoke, slapping his thigh forcefully: "We've already learned our lesson once, we absolutely cannot fall for it again!"

"Back then, two butlers who wore human skin hats saw a rental post for Liwan Apartments. The post was for room 103, which was once rented by the head of the Punishment Hall."

"So they went to Liwan Apartments to check, but after that, they never heard from them again."

"That rental ad for room 103 must have been posted by the Supervision Bureau. They're deliberately trying to lure us to Liwan Apartments and wear us down."

"And this so-called Liwan Apartment live stream room you saw, just like that rental post, is just a stage set up by the Supervision Bureau to put on a show for us! They used to go to the apartment to handle cases frequently, so they are very familiar with the apartment environment. As for the ghosts in the live stream and video... Ha, you think there are no ghosts in the Supervision Bureau? You underestimate them. They are not clean people. After all, in this world, only ghosts can deal with ghosts."

"Furthermore, if Liwan Apartments were truly safe, why wouldn't the Bureau of Supervision clean up the apartments? Why would they allow that human skin actor to break free of the seal and escape, and even allow him to sell all the cursed props from room 103, which ended up in the ghost market?"

"If the apartment is safe, would the Bureau of Supervision allow so many dangerous things to be out there unchecked?"

"They are using this paranormal streamer to put on a show, telling us that Liwan Apartment is fine, so that we can go there on our own initiative, and using the power of the apartment to wear down our manpower, just like the purpose of posting the room 103 rental ad in the first place."

The bald man was stunned, looking like he understood.

"Do you really think we're stupid?" The tall, fat man sneered disdainfully. "Only someone like you needs me to explain things to you step by step. The big shots in the church have known about this for a long time, and they've already guessed the intentions of the Inspection Bureau."

"Alright, forget about that attention-grabbing fake apartment livestream. We need to focus all our energy on that 'main god' now—the divine deity specifically gave us a divine decree to be wary of the 'main god.' The priest suspects that the main god is secretly spying on our base and has sent all the base locations to the Surveillance Bureau. It wants to sit back and watch the tigers fight, but we can't let it have its way."

The bald man nodded in realization: "That's why we didn't hesitate to give up two strongholds and plan in Penghu Home... We wanted the Control Bureau to think that it was the work of the Main God, to make them realize the danger of the Main God. Only when these two forces start fighting can we take the opportunity to gain some benefits."

The tall, fat man nodded. "That's right, so put your phone away and be careful. We suffered heavy losses in the ghost market last night, and the High Priest is furious. This operation on Penghu Homeland cannot fail again, no matter what."