Chapter 76 Imperial Apartment 3
Xia Bai immediately shrank back into the tent and pulled the zipper tightly.
Ling Changye thought about it, walked to the tent, and called out, "Xia Bai."
The strange thing was that this tent was completely light-proof. Ling Changye couldn't see Xia Bai, and didn't even know whether he was lying down or sitting. He only heard him say, "Go find the boss lady to wash your hair."
"I will go." Ling Changye said, "There is no water here, so I can only go to her place."
Xia Bai: "Oh."
Ling Changye said: "I want to ask you, do you want to go together?"
Xia Bai: “…”
A head popped out of the tent, just one head. "Captain, are you going to take me with you?"
Ling Changye smiled and said, "I think it would be more appropriate to take you with me."
Xia Bai came out of the tent reluctantly, "I don't have any money on me, but money may not be universal, I may need to pay for other things."
Ling Changye: "Well, I'll treat you as a thank you for giving me your bed."
Before leaving, Ling Changye reminded him: "We don't know anything about this game yet. We are just going to wash our hair. If possible, ask for some hot water. Don't ask sensitive questions to find clues. We must be back before eleven o'clock."
Xia Bai: “…”
He really just washes my hair.
He was just thinking, is there a possibility, even a small possibility, that he went to wash his hair to see if there were any clues.
Since he reminded him, Xia Bai also reminded him, "When you get there, don't show your charm to the boss lady casually. The gloomy man carrying the noodles might be the boss lady's husband. I think he would mind it a lot. If he hates you, it might be dangerous."
"Okay." Ling Changye said, accepting his suggestion in a good manner, not being arrogant because he was the captain, but asked: "Why do you think I would charm the boss lady?"
Xia Bai glanced at him blankly, "Weren't you exuding charm when you saw her at the door just now?"
Ling Changye recalled those short two minutes, "I just said a few words to her out of courtesy."
Xia Bai: "You praised her hairstyle and craftsmanship in one sentence."
Ling Changye: "Isn't this just polite talk?"
Xia Bai thought about it and thought, this sentence is really quite polite?
Xia Bai: “?”
Is he overthinking it?
Thinking about this question, Xia Bai and Ling Changye went to wash their hair.
They opened and closed the door. The two sounds of opening and closing not only opened the door next door, but also opened the door next door to the next door.
I don’t know if Lin Xiang was stuck to the door or what, but he heard them as soon as they closed the door.
Lin Xiang was not hiding like the old man next door. He opened the door a little and asked them, "What are you going to do? Captain Ling, are you carrying a bag of things to visit the residents?"
Xia Bai: "Go to the third floor and ask the boss lady to wash your hair."
Lin Xiang: “?”
Lin Xiang: "I see. You are going to look for clues. Do you want me to go with you? Wait, I'll be there soon."
Xia Bai: “…”
Sure enough, any normal person would think they were looking for clues.
Xia Bai: "No, we just want to wash your hair."
Lin Xiang: “?”
Washing your hair in a horror game?
The old man in room 204 next door said "Pooh" from behind the crack of the door, "Despicable!"
“…”
Before Xia Bai opened his mouth, Lin Xiang heard what he said. Xia Bai and Ling Changye were the first to get dissatisfied. "Old man, you have old-fashioned and dirty ideas. What's wrong with washing your hair? It's clean and hygienic."
He turned to Xia Bai and said, "Go quickly and come back soon."
"Yeah." Xia Bai was about to leave when he saw that the door of Room 205 was also opened.
Qian Xing looked at them, shook his head, took a deep breath, and closed the door again.
Xia Bai: “…”
When he went to wash his hair, he was surrounded by people from three rooms. Xia Bai immediately left, fearing that the door of the fourth room would be opened.
Their room 202 was right at the stairs, and it was very convenient to go upstairs to room 303. This was theoretically true, but there were a lot of things piled up at the stairs, and the small altar they had just discussed was right here. The two were afraid of touching some taboo, so they walked very carefully.
When passing by the small altar, Xia Bai took a closer look.
The altar was very small, made of a piece of yellow cloth that was eye-catching even in the dim light, spread directly on the stairs. On it was a black bowl with two burnt incense sticks, a stack of paper money, a plate of cakes and a plate of fresh fruits.
The plate of fruit was juicy, with water droplets still on the grapes. It was so fresh that it didn't fit in with the dilapidated apartment building.
There was something similar to a small tent set up next to the upper step. There was something inside, probably something for offerings on a small altar, but unfortunately the corridor was too dark to see clearly.
There are many taboos about this kind of small altar. Xia Bai kept Ling Changye's instructions in mind and did not squat down to look inside.
There is a smell of incense in the room of the old man in 204 next door, but there is no sign of burning incense in his room. This incense might be burned by him, but I don’t know what he is offering or worshipping.
There are three player rooms on the second floor, and it is uncertain how many original residents there were.
There are four player rooms on the third floor, and it is uncertain how many of them were original residents.
As soon as they reached the third floor, they noticed someone was watching them.
One of them was a player from 306, and he closed the door when he saw them.
One was the original resident of 305. His face could not be seen through the crack of the door. Just as Ling Changye was about to knock on the door of 303, the door of 305 opened. Behind the door was a little girl in a red dress. She was holding a rabbit doll and asked, "Are you new here?"
Xia Bai nodded, "Yes, we are new here and live downstairs."
The little girl hesitated for a moment and was about to speak when the door of 303 opened and a strong smell of perfume filled the air.
"I thought I heard the magpie calling. It turns out that a distinguished guest has arrived!" The proprietress stood at the door and said with a sweet smile, "Come on, come in!"
Xia Bai pointed at the little girl at the door of 305, and the proprietress took her hand and said, "Hey, come in quickly, don't bother with her. She must be asking you if you have met her mother."
Xia Bai was pulled into room 305. Unexpectedly, room 305 was very large. Xia Bai took a careful look at the wall near room 304. It was obviously newer than the other walls. He understood why this room was so big.
The room looks very large, and there is a curtain separating a space. The inside should be the sleeping area, and the outside is the beauty and hairdressing work area.
It was a mess, with the basin overturned on the ground, a chair also fallen over, the sponge pad tied to it half soaked in water, and some hairdressing tools also on the ground - it looked like a fight had just taken place here.
But it looks very clean.
The proprietress skillfully lifted up the stool and picked up the trimmer, continuing her complaints, "That woman is really cruel. She left the child here all alone when she was so young. If you want to say she has no conscience, she often sends things to the child, clothes, shoes, toys, everything."
Xia Bai remembered what Ling Changye said and didn't deliberately ask for any clues.
The less they asked, the more the proprietress wanted to say.
"If she has a conscience, how could she throw away such a young child?" She said, looking at the curtain. "Oh, I don't know who said she was like a fairy at the time. Is this how fairies behave?"
The gloomy man they had just met on the stairs walked out from behind the curtain. His hair was a little wet, and water dripped down when he lowered his head. He held the corner of his clothes with both hands and whispered, "I didn't say that."
"Didn't you say that?" The lady boss's expression changed in an instant, and her delicate voice turned stern: "Didn't you say that! That's what you said! Even if you didn't say it, you must have thought so in your heart!"
The man didn't say anything, but continued to tug at the corner of his clothes.
"What are you still standing there for? You're like a fool. Can't you see the guests are coming? Hurry up and find a seat for the guests and serve them some water!" The proprietress said irritably, "Just looking at you makes me sick!"
Xia Bai still said nothing. According to his understanding of Ling Changye, Ling Changye should have politely changed the subject and asked the proprietress to stop scolding the man. However, he said nothing and just listened quietly. He only spoke when the proprietress asked them questions.
The lady boss smiled and asked, "Two handsome guys, what kind of service do you need? A haircut or a perm? Oh, look, this handsome boy is so fair and tender, he's perfect for a hair curler."
Xia Bai stared blankly, unable to imagine himself with curly hair.
Ling Changye said: "Let's wash our hair."
"Washing your hair, that's fine." The lady boss said, "I won't cheat you, it's only five dollars per person. Five dollars is cheap, right? I have to pay for water and electricity, shampoo, skin care products, and labor costs. Where else can I find such a cheap price?"
Ling Changye said: "It's very cheap, but we don't have money."
"What? No money!" The proprietress's expression immediately changed, and she turned to face the man behind her, "You have no money..."
A small green jadeite Pixiu appeared in Ling Changye's palm. "Pixiu brings wealth. I think it is very suitable to stay here with you, the boss lady."
Xia Bai: “…”
Coins may not be universal, but in any era, gold is universal, followed by jewelry and jade.
Ling Changye, who has jadeite, is simply a hot commodity.
"Oh, oh~" The lady boss's eyes widened, and she held her hands at a distance, "I said you don't look like you have no money, is this true?"
"This piece of jade is not very good. When you shine the light on it, you can see a natural cotton wool. Fake ones should not imitate cotton wool." Ling Changye said, "It's enough for us to wash our hair here for a few days. Can we take a few more buckets of hot water back?"
"Enough, enough, enough! Enough!" The proprietress took the thumb-sized jadeite Pixiu and played with it for a few seconds. She glanced at Ling Changye who was still staring at it and was afraid that he would change his mind, so she quickly put it in her pocket and said, "Come on, I'll wash it for you two handsome guys right away. I'll use the best specifications."
Ling Changye handed her the bag in his hand, "We also brought toiletries, we are used to them."
"Oh, what a particular person." The proprietress said, "This is a rich man, please come in."
Ling Changye asked Xia Bai to wash first. Xia Bai lay on the sink. It was the first time for someone to wash his hair. The proprietress washed his hair while massaging his head. Her skills were really good. Xia Bai was so comfortable that he almost fell asleep. This was actually in a horror game.
Xia Bai couldn't imagine what a hard life he had lived in the past.
After washing his hair, the proprietress blew it dry and Xia Bai felt he could lie down and fall asleep.
While Ling Changye was taking a shower, Xia Bai sat on the side waiting for him, feeling drowsy. When he glanced at the man next to him, his sleepiness was much less.
He should be the boss lady's husband. When the boss lady was washing Ling Changye's hair and saying nice things to him, he was sitting on a small stool beside the curtain, half hunched over, staring at the boss lady with gloomy eyes.
The water dripping from the hair flowed to the corners of the eyes like tears. The right hand was biting the left thumb nail so hard that it was broken.
The boss lady must be really happy. She treated them like important customers and had endless things to say to them. She was also concerned about whether they were being harassed by the old man next door.
"That old guy loves to peep. Everyone in the whole building knows it. He used to sneak into other people's houses openly. He was like a psychopath. No one would let him go in. Later, he just started to peep."
Ling Changye said: "Thank you for reminding us in the corridor. We knew he was watching us."
"What are you thanking me for? Isn't that what I should do?" The lady boss said, "I've washed it. I'll blow dry it for you."
Ling Changye: "It's troublesome."
The hair dryer sounded like a tractor, and they stopped talking.
After blowing their hair, it was time for them to leave.
Xia Bai still couldn't help but asked a not-so-sensitive question, "Madam Boss, we are new here. Is there anything we should be careful about when living here?"
"What's there to be careful about? People living here are a bunch of rough people. You can do whatever you want." The proprietress said with a wave of her hand.
There was electricity in their room, but the lighting from the light bulb was not very good and it swayed when the wind blew outside. The proprietress smiled very sincerely under the dim, swaying light.
"Okay." Xia Bai said without asking any more questions.
When the two of them left, the proprietress warmly sent them to the door and said, "Take your time. I'll have my husband bring you some hot water after I boil it."
After saying that, he went back happily.
Xia Bai saw that the little girl in the red dress was still standing in the crack of the door. Her eyes were particularly bright in the darkness. This time she didn't say anything, but just stood in the darkness, watching them leave quietly.
At the front staircase, the old man from Room 204 was peeking into the corridor on the third floor again.
“…”
The two ignored him and went straight to the stairs and walked down.
The old man snorted at them again, continued to look into the corridor on the third floor, and greeted the little girl in Room 305, "Good evening, Xiaoou."
It was as if he was not here to see them.
When they were about to go down to the second floor, Xia Bai looked at the little girl again. She was still looking at them motionlessly.
Lin Xiang seemed to have been standing at the door the whole time. I don't know if he was waiting for them. When he saw them appear at the second floor stairs, he ran to the door of their room and asked, "Hey? Any new discoveries?"
Ling Changye said, "It's nothing important. Go back and we'll talk about it tomorrow morning."
Lin Xiang: "...I feel like we can discuss it tonight, just in case something happens tonight."
Yang Mei was standing at the door with a sad look on her face. "Lin Xiang, is my cheongsam ugly to you? Why do I feel like you are avoiding me?"
“…”
Xia Bai and Ling Changye pushed Lin Xiang at the same time, opened the door, and closed it.
Lin Xiang: “…”
Soon after the two entered the room, the man in 303 brought them hot water.
He is not very tall, maybe just 170cm, about 35 years old, and very quiet.
There was a bathtub in their room. After Ling Changye covered it with a disposable bathtub cover, he went back and forth several times to fill the bathtub with water for them without saying a word.
After washing his hair and taking a hot shower, Xia Bai really fell asleep as soon as he touched the bed, in his favorite tent.
Before going to bed, Xia Bai told Ling Changye what he thought of when he saw the small altar. "That altar might have been set up by the old man next door. He smells like incense. He might not have been at the stairs just now to see us, but to see the altar."
Ling Changye hummed, "That small altar may be an important breakthrough in our game."
Xia Bai: "The key is to know who is being worshipped or sacrificed on that small altar, right?"
"Don't think about it, go to sleep. When there are not enough clues, if you force yourself to think, you might end up on a wrong path." Ling Changye said.
"Yeah." Xia Bai was also sleepy, and even his voice was a little soft and husky, "Then I'm going to sleep, Captain."
Ling Changye replied after three seconds: "Good night."
After hearing what he said, Xia Bai fell asleep on the soft goose down pillow.
He was awakened by a loud crash at some point.
The soundproofing of this apartment is not much better than the stilt houses in Wugu Village. A series of thudding sounds came from an unknown room upstairs.
There were heavy knocking sounds, something falling, and heavy dragging sounds, and if you listened carefully you might also hear low cries and whimpering.
Then, a sound similar to that of chopping meat on a chopping board seemed to come from another direction.
Xia Bai glanced at his phone. Because there was a game app in his phone, after they entered the game, the time displayed on the phone was the time of the game world. It was 11:15 at this time.
He gently opened the zipper of the tent and saw Ling Changye lying on his side facing him with his eyes open.
Xia Bai silently called out "Captain".
Ling Changye said a little, "Don't worry about it, go to sleep."
This is not the first time that Ling Changye has entered a game set in an apartment building. Game maps like apartments, tube buildings, and dilapidated buildings are mostly inhabited by people living in poverty. The poorer and more desperate people are, the more likely they are to be drawn into certain beliefs and extremes, to have some dark and twisted stories, and to have some stubborn rules.
There are many taboos in such games, and even the rules of death may not be so clear. Not so clear means that it may be difficult for players to discover, or it may not be clear at all.
On the first night when you know nothing, it's best to be quiet.
Xia Bai nodded and lay down in the tent again, but did not sleep.
At this time tonight, there should be more than one person who is awake like him.
The sound lasted for more than half an hour and ended before midnight.
Xia Bai listened in silence for a while and could only hear the whistling sound of the wind. The windows were of poor quality and creaked, as if they would break in the next second.
I don’t know if any players were killed tonight.
Xia Bai was not cursing other players. In every game he had played, something happened to someone on the first day or the first night of each game. They might not have died, but it would have been terrible.
It seemed that he was overthinking it this time, as no player was in trouble.
Early the next morning, Lin Xiang came knocking on their door. After Ling Changye opened the door for him, he was stunned when he saw inside the room.
What happened? It was just one night and they seemed to have changed rooms.
Soft beds, cute tents, cashmere blankets with a delicate sheen on the sofa, and scented candles on the table - what kind of resort hotel is this?
"Come in." Ling Changye said to him and Yang Mei behind him.
"Oh." Lin Xiang was distracted for a moment at the door, but recovered as soon as he came in. He asked hurriedly, "Did you hear it last night? Those noises were so creepy!"
"I heard it." Xia Bai asked, "How do you feel?"
Ever since Lin Xiang acquired the purification and treatment skills, he has become much more sensitive than ordinary people. Last time in Wugu Village, he was the one who noticed the key black cat on the first night.
"Yes, it's cold." Lin Xiang rubbed his arms. "It's that kind of cold. Is there really a ghost in this apartment? Did it come out between 11 and midnight last night? This time period is indeed sensitive! And, it's too classic to say that there are ghosts in the apartment."
Seeing that he might talk about the movie he watched again, Xia Bai hurriedly said, "It's possible, but I can't be sure yet."
"But if it was a ghost, would it make the sound we all heard?" Xia Bai asked again.
"We may not be able to hear the voices of ghosts, but we can hear the voices of people when ghosts are demanding their lives," said Lin Xiang.
That makes sense.
Yang Mei asked: "Does that mean someone might have been killed by a ghost last night?"
"Don't speculate yet, we'll know when we go and take a look." Ling Changye said.
Lin Xiang asked: "Where can we go to see it?"
"The security guard specifically told us yesterday that there was fast food on the first floor. Let's go down and take a look." Ling Changye said.
"Oh yeah, how could I have forgotten that." Lin Xiang said, "Let's go."
When they were leaving, they saw Qian Xing just coming out of the room. She greeted them and said, "Going downstairs? Let's go together."
There were only five players living on the second floor. Everyone was safe and went downstairs together.
This Imperial Apartment building has 12 rooms on each floor from the second floor up, except the first floor.
As the security guard said, there is a fast food place here. It's a bit of an exaggeration to call it a canteen. It's just a food truck with a gas tank and a few tables around it. In addition, there is an empty convenience store and two closed rooms with unknown uses.
The players on the third floor might also want to know what happened last night and whether anyone died, so they came down early and sat at two dining tables, with all eight players present.
No one died last night.
Xia Bai wasn't the only one who was surprised.
If it wasn't the players, then the noise last night was caused by the residents here?
They really wanted to sit here and watch as the residents would come down to eat breakfast in the morning. However, they had no money to eat and were about to be driven away by the stall owner. However, Ling Changye solved the problem with his ability of money, no, his ability of jade.
Xia Bai saw that this time he was using the cufflinks he had worn yesterday.
Very good, while getting rid of clothes, I can also make good use of them.
After sitting here for two hours, they only saw four or five families coming down to buy or eat breakfast. They didn't know how many households lived in this apartment building. At least the people who came down did not seem unusual. Some of them chatted with the stall owners, but no one mentioned what happened last night.
The lady boss who lived on the third floor was the last one to come down to buy breakfast before the stall owner closed up. When she saw Xia Bai and Ling Changye, she greeted them warmly, "Hey, you two handsome guys are here too. Did you sleep well last night? Our apartment building is home to a bunch of unpresentable people. Their only advantage is that they don't make noise at night."
She must have been very satisfied with the Pixiu jade pendant, as her smile was very sincere and her words did not sound like nonsense.
It was as if those sounds were just their hallucinations, the unified hallucinations of all 13 players.
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