Chapter 79 Imperial Apartment 6
When Yang Mei came back, Lin Xiang had already given the gift to the boy from 211 University and had initially established a friendship with the boy, which might not be a deep one.
Yang Mei told them again the details and feelings of his conversation with Xiaoqi.
Xia Bai was suitable to raise the doubts he had just raised.
Lin Xiang's eyes lit up, "I know! I have a guess!"
Xia Bai: "...Is it related to the movie?"
Lin Xiang: "Maybe, probably, only a little bit, not much."
Xia Bai: "You said..."
"Could it be that this apartment is actually a mental hospital?" Lin Xiang said, "They all have different types and degrees of mental illness. The old man in 204 and Xiaoqi in 211 are both delusional. One of them fantasizes about having a filial son, and the other fantasizes about having a boyfriend who is like the typical male protagonist in a romance novel."
"Wait, actually the little girl in Room 305 might also be suffering from hallucinations. Her mother died a long time ago, and she imagines that her mother is still alive, but just left."
Xia Bai found the loophole, "The lady boss of Room 303 also said that she was abandoned by her mother."
"Oh, the boss lady is also mentally ill." Lin Xiang immediately changed his words under Xia Bai's slightly disdainful gaze, "Okay, okay, I know this is a bit far-fetched. The boss lady knew about the little girl's mother before, but she didn't know that the little girl's mother was dead. Didn't she not participate in setting up the altar?"
"The little girl knew her mother was dead and couldn't accept it, so she imagined a mother."
Yang Mei couldn't listen any more, "Her mother often sends her things."
Lin Xiang: “…”
"That's right, only Xiaoqi in Room 211 and the old man in Room 204 have hallucinations."
“…”
He was so adamant that this was a mental hospital.
As if seeing the confusion of the three people, Lin Xiang said: "211 Xiaoqi and 204 old man are very obvious. If it is obvious, it is not imagined, then it may be an important clue. The others can also make sense, such as the boss's wife. She is arrogant and proud, but she ended up marrying a cowardly and incompetent man. After a long period of marriage life and the outside world's discussions, she became depressed."
Ling Changye said: "If this place only has single people living in single rooms, it can be said to be an abandoned mental hospital. But there are two couples and a pair of grandparents and grandchildren here. It is rare to see a mental hospital with family units."
Lin Xiang thought for a moment and said, "That's right. Then why are they so obviously different?"
Xia Bai said: "It may be true as Lao and Qian Xing said, they are just afraid of being bullied or looked down upon by others, so they exaggerate and beautify the original situation."
Lin Xiang sighed, "Then we still haven't made any breakthroughs."
Ling Changye asked him: "What about you? Did you find anything about the boy?"
"Oh." Lin Xiang immediately told the details of the situation at 211. "The boy's parents are working in other places, and his grandmother is here to take care of him. He likes my gift very much. I said I would ask him to come out next time and buy him another one. He said he might not be able to come out because his grandmother is very strict with him."
Lin Xiang also learned to ask tricks, and asked him: "Why are you so strict? Are you naughty?"
"No! I've always been very well behaved in front of her. She wasn't like this before. But for some reason, she has to watch me when I go to pee. It's so annoying."
Xia Bai said: "Grandma wasn't like this before, but she has been very strict with him recently. This change may contain important clues."
"I think so too." Lin Xiang said, "I asked him, and he thought about it, but he didn't know why his grandmother suddenly changed. I was afraid he would resist if I asked him more deeply, and at that time his grandmother had already bought food, so I didn't ask any more questions."
Xia Bai: "What usually makes an old man suddenly watch his grandson very closely?"
Lin Xiang: "I immediately thought of child trafficking. His grandmother was so wary of outsiders that she refused to accept even gifts. It fits the idea. There was also a murder case or something like that. There was a very dangerous murderer in or near the apartment building. This also connected to the altar. Maybe someone was killed."
Xia Bai said "hmm". Normally speaking, these two situations are indeed the most likely.
Lin Xiang: "So, what should that grandma know?"
All three of them nodded. Based on the current clues, this seemed to be the case.
Lin Xiang: "Very good, I will continue to attack them."
After they sorted out the existing clues, Lin Xiang asked, "Hey? Where's Sister Qian Xing? Didn't she go to woo the old man next door? Could it be that she became autistic because of the old man's anger?"
Xia Bai: "...Not really. We think they should have a lot in common."
Lin Xiang didn't know where Xia Bai's feeling came from. One of them was a peeping old man, and the other was a bright and beautiful woman. How could they have any common topics? It was more like they were a bit hostile.
However, he naturally believed Xia Bai and thought that it was Qian Xing who said that the old man was afraid of being bullied. He understood this poor old man very well and could continue the conversation.
Speak of the devil; he will appear.
Qian Xing was knocking on the door outside.
Xia Bai opened the door for him and stared at him for more than ten seconds, which made Qian Xing confused. "What's wrong, Xia Bai? Is there something on my face?"
As he spoke, his hand had already touched his face.
Xia Bai: "Nothing, I just think you're pretty."
His eyes moved to Qian Xing's chest, "Her body is also very hot."
“…”
Lin Xiang immediately told Ling Changye and Yang Mei: "Xia Bai is not usually so wretched. He has always been free of desires and has no desires for anything else."
Yang Mei also whispered, "Then he suddenly became vulgar, did he fall in love with a beautiful woman?"
Ling Changye: “…”
"It's, it's OK." Qian Xing walked into the door stiffly, as if he was afraid that Xia Bai would continue this topic, and hurriedly said: "I got some information from Lao Wang next door."
Xia Bai didn't seem to be very interested in the news he had heard, and was still a little dazed, but he frowned slightly and stared at him with his bright eyes?
Fortunately, there was Lin Xiang. Upon hearing this, Lin Xiang immediately asked, "What did you find?"
Qian Xing quickly walked to Lin Xiang, turned his back to Xia Bai, and said, "There is nothing new about Old Wang, except that he has a filial and capable son. However, I learned some things about other residents from him. Alas, he is old and just wants to talk to someone. He is also afraid of loneliness, so he told me a lot."
Xia Bai: “…”
Carrying contraband.
Lin Xiang asked anxiously: "What did you say?"
"Don't worry, young man." Qian Xing said, "First of all, there's the girl in Room 209. She's a senior in high school with good grades. I don't know if she was blinded by greed, but she ran away from home with a gangster from school and they lived here together."
It turns out that Xiaoqi really has a boyfriend, but this boyfriend is not that good. She only tells others that he is handsome and clingy.
Mr. Wang next door also has a son, but his son is not as filial and capable as he says.
Lin Xiang's hypothesis of mental hospital delusion was shattered.
Qian Xing continued, "Later, the boyfriend probably didn't like her that much anymore and rarely came to stay with her. Lao Wang directly said that she was abandoned by her boyfriend."
So, she is afraid of being talked about and pitied, so she deliberately says in front of others that her boyfriend is clingy and possessive?
A 17 or 18-year-old girl who has never been truly loved may not know how to tell that a man loves her very much. Her experience only comes from the romance novels she has read. She has a strong possessiveness and won't let the man look at other men. She is very clingy and cannot disappear from his sight for a whole day.
That's what she told others.
Qian Xing continued, "The old lady at 211 was looking after her son and daughter-in-law's child. She didn't have a partner and raised her son since he was young. He was her only son, and after he got married, he wasn't as nice to her. She was very afraid of her son and daughter-in-law."
He even found out about the things on the third floor. "The lady boss of 303 upstairs is a money-grubber. I originally thought her husband was a rich man, but after they got married, I found out that all his money was spent on his father's compensation. Not only is her husband the son of a disabled laid-off worker, he is also extremely useless."
"The mother of the girl in 305 is very beautiful. I heard she is a mistress and is very unruly. Lao Wang said she must have abandoned her child to marry someone more wealthy."
"The old lady in Room 308, her husband may have passed away, anyway he hasn't appeared for a long time. She couldn't accept it, and kept telling people that she was going to buy sweet potatoes for her husband."
"There's a young couple living in 406. According to Lao Wang, they are not doing their jobs properly. They don't have a proper way to make a living. One of them is writing novels at home, and the other is taking photos and surfing the Internet at home."
"You're amazing, Sister Qian!" Lin Xiang said, "You actually found out the whole situation of the apartment building from an old man."
Qian Xing waved his hand. "These are just the most basic information. They are nothing. They must know it all upstairs. Elderly people are like this. As long as you are more patient, they will be happy to have someone to chat with them."
Lin Xiang: "Sister, you really understand old people."
"No way, I don't understand old people at all!" Qian Xing said immediately.
Xia Bai: “…”
You are an old man, and you spend the whole day watching a group of old people quarreling. Who can understand better than you?
"But it is true that these are all relatively basic information and we still don't have any clues," said Lin Xiang.
Ling Changye: "Let's see what they found when we go down to eat."
The findings of the player above are similar to what Qian Xing said, they are all based on these basics.
The only thing Wei Jingyun added was, "The couple in 406 bought the house they live in. They bought this kind of house because they have no money and they are waiting for the house to be demolished. Aren't all the houses around them demolished to build skyscrapers? They are waiting to get rich from the demolition."
"Speaking of which, both of them are the type who are not practical and rely on dreams. The man thinks he is a cultured person and looks down on other people in the apartment building. He always thinks he will write a masterpiece and become a great writer. As for the woman, how should I put it? This should be the period when the Internet was just emerging. She should want to be one of the first generation of Internet celebrities? She wants to attract attention on the Internet every day."
After saying that, Wei Jingyun sighed again, knowing that it seemed to be of no use.
What they found on the third floor was not as valuable as what they found on the second floor.
Xiong Xiyuan said: "This is already the second day... How about we try to find out who set up the altar tonight? This may be a breakthrough."
Wei Jingyun: "I agree, but we must be careful. We still have three and a half days to find more clues. There is no need to take risks on the second night."
Xiong Xiyuan: "How do you call it risky? Don't let them find out?"
"Yes." Wei Jingyun said, "If they find out that we are investigating something they are afraid of, they may unite to kick us out, and then the security guards may not dare to keep us."
"Then how come you weren't discovered?"
"It all depends on your ability."
What Wei Jingyun wanted to say was that everyone relied on their skills and props. This was private and it was difficult to discuss further.
He looked at Ling Changye and asked, "Captain Ling, is this okay?"
Ling Changye glanced at Xu Qingming, who was sitting on the side, drinking water and not saying anything, and nodded, "I have no objection."
This matter has been settled. Our goal tonight is to see who set up the altar.
The proprietress and her husband can basically be ruled out as suspicions, so Xia Bai and Ling Changye went to Room 303 to wash their hair earlier tonight, hoping to get some useful information from her.
"Bah! He is still a cultured man!"
The proprietress looked disdainful and even laughed out loud, "How dare he call himself a cultured person!"
When Ling Changye mentioned that they heard there was a cultural person who wrote books here, the proprietress sneered, "He better not tarnish the reputation of cultural people, how shameless!"
Xia Bai asked stupidly, "Madam Boss, did he do anything to insult intellectuals?"
The lady boss looked at his stupid and foolish appearance, and said, "It's okay to tell you. Everyone in the building knows it anyway. Just listen for fun."
She lowered her voice a little, "The man in 406 is having an affair with the woman in 305."
Xia Bai was stunned for a moment. Isn’t the woman in 305 the little girl’s mother?
At this point, the lady boss was even more disdainful, with anger in her disdain, "The woman in 305 hadn't broken up with her daughter's father yet, and now she's hooking up with other men. How indecent!"
The old man in 204 also said that she was not decent. The boss lady said that everyone in the apartment knew about it, and it seemed to be true.
Ling Changye smiled and said, "Madam Boss, you can't say such slanderous words without evidence."
"How could I say such nonsense about myself! Am I that kind of person?" Upon hearing him say that, the landlady became anxious, "I saw it with my own eyes, they were kissing on the fifth floor late at night! Shamelessly, right in the hallway, and it was the woman who took the initiative! I even saw her go to room 406!"
In order to cooperate with the boss lady and show that they trust her, Xia Bai made a blank face: "Wow!"
“…”
Perhaps realizing that the effect was not that good, Xia Bai added: "Eating melons is indeed human nature. It's really fun."
“…”
The proprietress looked down and saw that Ling Changye, whose hair she was washing, had a trembling throat and was laughing silently.
What's so funny about this?
He didn't even see what kind of face he used when he said this!
After Ling Changye finished washing his hair, as they were about to leave, he asked the proprietress, "Have there been any murders or child trafficking cases during this period?"
"No." The lady boss thought for a moment and said, "Why are you asking this, handsome guy?"
Ling Changye said disappointedly: "Schedule the melon-eating material for tomorrow, if there is none, forget it."
The lady boss was curious: "Is this a new service method in big cities? Telling gossip to customers while serving them?"
Ling Changye nodded seriously, "Especially in beauty salons, the service time is long and customers will feel bored. Telling them something interesting will make them happy. I'm used to it. Sorry, if you don't have it here, we will follow the local customs and don't embarrass you."
Xia Bai: “…”
He's also pretty good-looking when he's talking nonsense in a serious manner, just like when he's just been put together.
"So that's how it is. That makes sense." The lady boss looked like she had learned something new. "It's not difficult. What's so difficult about it? I'll tell you tomorrow night."
After Ling Changye thanked her, they left.
After coming out of 303, they saw the girl in 305 looking at them from behind the door. When they were about to go down the stairs, the girl finally came out. With red eyes, she asked, "Have you seen my mother? Have you seen her?"
She looked like she was about to cry.
Xia Bai said awkwardly: "I'm not sure."
The girl suddenly looked up. This might be the first time she heard an answer that was not negative. "What do you mean by unsure? If you have seen her, can you tell me?"
Xia Bai: "I have seen a very beautiful woman. Do you have a photo of your mother? Let me confirm if it is her."
"Yes!" The girl immediately said, "Brother, come here, I'll show you!"
Just as Xia Bai and Ling Changye reached the door, she said, "Mom said that we must not let men into the room. Can you just stand here and wait? Just one minute."
Xia Bai glanced around the room and said, "Okay."
The landlady said that although the woman in 305 had left, she would often send things to the girl, so she had everything she needed. It was indeed the case. In this room, the small coffee table in front of the sofa was filled with fruit snacks, and there were several skirts on the sofa, with the corner of a hundred-yuan bill sticking out of one of the pockets of the skirts.
The girl really seemed to have everything she needed.
She hurried over and handed a photo to Xia Bai, "Brother, take a look, is this mom?"
Seeing her staring at him with expectation, clutching the corner of her clothes nervously, Xia Bai felt a little guilty. He stared at the photo for several seconds and said, "Sorry, it's not her."
The expectation on the girl's face disappeared little by little.
When the two went downstairs, they saw her still standing there, at the junction of light and darkness, staring at the photo in her hand.
After returning, Ling Changye told Lin Xiang and Yang Mei the news they heard from the proprietress.
Lin Xiang and Yang Mei were in room 202. Through the crack in the door they could see a bit of the stairs. If someone went to the altar, they would be able to find out.
After listening to this, Lin Xiang said, "There are no murders or child kidnappings, so why did the old lady at 211 suddenly change? It can only be that she knew there was someone harmful in the apartment."
Xia Bai: "That should be the case. Seeing how nervous she is, she might have seen it with her own eyes."
Lin Xiang sighed, "But she's so hard to conquer. I'll think of a way tomorrow."
"Also, the woman in 305 was having an affair with the man in 406. At that time, the boss's wife asked the boss if he thought the woman in 305 was like a fairy, and if he was worried that he would cheat on her too?"
Ling Changye: "It seems that everyone in the apartment building knows about this. Let's ask other people tomorrow."
Yang Mei immediately said, "I'll go ask Xiao Qi tomorrow."
Ling Changye nodded, "Okay, now let's divide the time."
When going downstairs just now, Ling Changye "dropped" his surveillance prop on the stairs. This was what they had agreed on in advance.
At this time, Ling Changye's mobile phone was playing the picture near the stair altar.
It's too tiring for one person to watch it all night, and the same is true for two people taking turns. It's much better with four people, and at most you just have to lose two hours of sleep.
Because there might still be strange noises between 11 and 12 o'clock, they decided to take turns to watch and monitor starting from 12 o'clock.
It was only ten o'clock. Lin Xiang and Yang Mei took some hot water back to their room for a simple wash. They returned to their room before eleven o'clock and listened to the sounds and watched the surveillance footage together.
Just like last night, they heard the noise again shortly after eleven o'clock.
This time it seemed like the sound of a child hitting a ball, "bang bang bang".
There was also the sound of a knife chopping on the chopping board.
Occasionally, there were people's voices, very vague, like crying or shouting.
Xia Bai carefully poked the hole in the wall and did not see anything unusual in room 204. The old man went to bed early, and the old man in room 204 was already asleep at this time.
Lin Xiang lay prone on the door crack and looked out. At this point, the only small tile lamp in the corridor had gone out. In the dark corridor, there was only a sliver of light coming through the door crack. The visibility was less than half a meter, and almost nothing could be seen.
But it was very quiet in the darkness, and it didn't look like anything was happening inside.
Lin Xiang did not dare to look towards the stairs. He felt terrified just by imagining the altar in the dark, especially when he heard the sound of a child hitting a ball. In horror movies and stories, in this situation, the child would definitely hit a human head.
He was afraid that when he looked over, a bloody head would suddenly appear at the altar, or a ghost face would be quietly waiting for him there, smiling.
It’s okay, Ling Changye and Yang Mei are watching it on their phones.
The picture on the phone late at night was also blurry. There was a small window at the foot of the stairs, with moonlight shining in, but it was a little far away. Fortunately, the altar was a bright yellow, so they could see the altar hidden in the darkness. They could only see blurry shapes of other things around it.
Nothing seems to be going on there.
Until the sound disappeared, they still didn't find the source of the abnormal sound.
Lin Xiang: "The sound seems to be coming from upstairs, could it be on the third floor?"
Ling Changye: "Ask them tomorrow morning. Let's get ready for bed."
Xia Bai: "You guys go to sleep."
They decided to get up at six o'clock and each person would monitor for an hour and a half. The first one would be Xia Bai.
After Xia Bai finished reading, it was Lin Xiang's turn. After Lin Xiang finished reading, it was Ling Changye's turn. Yang Mei was the last one to read.
After the four people finished looking, they didn't see anyone going to the altar. After six o'clock, they went to the corridor and found that the altar had not changed and was the same as yesterday.
On this day, no one replaced the fruits and pastries.
Lin Xiang: "Do they know that we are secretly observing? It seems that this approach is not feasible."
Ling Changye said: "Let's go check out the other players first."
The three knew what he meant and looked to see if any other players had died.
No, not one.
All the players came to have breakfast.
In this case, the fact that no player died is actually a creepy thing.
Before they entered the game, they saw the bodies thrown out by the game in the information provided by the Game Management Bureau. One of the people had many earthworm-like scars on his body caused by hooks, with his internal organs exposed. His death was horrific and creepy.
And for them, this is the third day, they have already lived in this apartment for two nights, and not a single person among the thirteen has died, or even been injured or put in danger?
Is the game going to end with a death explosion at the end?
Most of the games they had entered had people die on the first day or within a very short period of time.
To put it coldly, this is a good thing for other players who are not dead, because death is an important way to figure out the rules of the game. Death means clues, and you can avoid your own death.
This situation, in which there is no death and they are still confused, has not made them feel fortunate, but has only made them more anxious and panicked.
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