Chapter 165: Spirit Exploration Live Room
White mold was washed into the sink, and there was so much flying dust that it moved and danced in the light.
As the master, Xu Zhiyan doesn't need to do any more work.
During this time, he tried to ask 'them' about other things, but found that even in the name of the game, it was difficult to get more detailed information.
These transparent monsters have dull minds, as if they are trapped in the rules and unable to take a single step forward.
However, Xu Zhiyan did not underestimate these monsters at all.
He tried to bring himself into the thinking of the main system.
The main system gives players some rule reminders at the beginning, which means that these monsters will not be too difficult to deal with, but if anyone violates the rules, they will definitely be severely punished, otherwise the rules will be meaningless.
The timid choose to avoid it.
The brave ones choose to challenge the rules.
"...I don't know what others chose." He sighed.
As expected, Yu Xiu was also in this copy. He was not sure whether the skinny burden could handle the current situation, but considering Yu Xiu's skills, Xu Zhiyan felt that he was worrying too much.
After taking a look at the transparent monster that was indeed working honestly, he took out a pen and paper and wrote down the newly figured out rules.
['They' are a kind of non-spiritual transparent monsters that cannot be seen by the naked eye but can be touched by the hand. ]
['They' can touch entities as they wish, but cannot avoid living things. ]
[You can reject 'them' or ignore them. 】
A good memory is not as good as a bad pen.
He has already determined that this is a world full of rules, and that some rules are right and some are wrong, so it is obviously necessary to sort out the correct content.
After recording the new content, he walked around the living room a few more times.
The monsters cleaned very well, but surprisingly, they didn't find any other rules or anything with content written on it.
I don’t know if it’s because the house is not fully occupied, but apart from the second bedroom, there are very few things in other places and it is extremely simple.
After hesitating for a moment, Xu Zhiyan put away the notebook and returned to the bedroom.
Only the second bedroom in this house shows obvious signs of human habitation. It seems that if we want to find other clues to the rules, we still need to start from the bedroom.
Returning to the second bedroom, the musty smell, even stronger than in the living room, appeared again.
The monsters hadn't cleaned up here yet, so Xu Zhiyan could only frown and pick up the phone on the table to look at it.
The phone was old and dirty.
It's clearly a plastic shell, but it's covered in black dust, and it feels a bit disgusting to hold in your hand.
Fortunately, the phone did not have a password set. After unlocking it, Xu Zhiyan quickly flipped through the contents.
Like the computer, the mobile phone is also clean, with only an "Exciting Live Broadcast" ICON and no other additional software.
“It always feels a little offensive.”
As he spoke, Xu Zhiyan clicked on the contact column.
【landlord】
【elder sister】
There were only two numbers in it, and no random people. Xu Zhiyan breathed a sigh of relief, wrote the word "sister" on the notebook, and put a question mark behind it.
Compared to the clean APP and only two contacts, the information interface is full and has quite a few messages.
From pickup reminders to credit card payment details, there are also several mobile phone reminders.
After searching for a while, he finally found the conversation with the landlord.
It was two weeks ago.
[Brother Yi, I spent too much on my computer, can you lend me some money? I want to buy a selfie stick, 200 yuan is enough, I will pay you back when I make money as a streamer.]
[Landlord: Your rent is almost due. Last time I visited you, you said you would clean the place properly, but you didn’t. I told you several times, but you still didn’t do it.]
[Landlord: I do have a selfie stick, but if you clean the room quickly so that I can rent out the master bedroom, I’ll give it to you.]
Although the conversation was short, it was enough for Xu Zhiyan to get more information.
He seemed to be a poor young man who had spent all his savings on a computer to become a host, and now he didn't even have 200 yuan left.
However, the landlord did not want to lend money and he knew the terrible state of the house, so he kept urging him to clean it.
Xu Zhiyan called up the key and entered new information.
[Brother Yi, the house will be cleaned soon and a new tenant can be arranged at any time. Where can I get the selfie stick from you? ] He imitated the tone of the original owner.
Just after the message was sent, the landlord's message came back within a few minutes.
[Great, someone just wants to rent my house. You can come upstairs and find me. And bring the bedding down to make the bed in the master bedroom.]
Xu Zhiyan glanced at the message and replied with an "OK".
Holding the phone, he checked the contents again, including the memo, calendar, and alarm clock, but found nothing useful.
"…Are 'their' rules the only ones in this house?"
When I came to the living room, I found that the few pieces of furniture had been wiped out. As a rental house, the landlord provided limited electrical appliances. Apart from the refrigerator, there was only an old TV, a big-butt model that was extremely bulky.
With the help of five transparent monsters, the whole room was cleaned.
Xu Zhiyan crossed his arms and praised the monsters' efforts.
"Good job. I see someone has gone in to clean the master bedroom. After they finish cleaning the second bedroom, everyone can rest."
He wasn't sure if he would be back that night, but the free labor was well spent.
If it weren't for the fact that these monsters were so stupid and seemed to be bound by rules, he really wanted to take 'them' back to the safe house and become a monster nanny who specialized in cleaning up the mess.
Seeing the garbage bags piled at the door and glancing at the dirty phone case, Xu Zhiyan thought for a moment and decided to throw the dirty case aside. It felt a little sticky in his hand, and he wondered if the original owner never washed his hands.
The moment I opened the phone case, a piece of paper fell out...
Picking up the piece of paper, Xu Zhiyan looked at the contents on it.
[I should have left here earlier and went home quickly, but I can't leave anymore. This place is too scary. There are monsters everywhere...]
There was something written in scribbled handwriting on the front. It seemed that the owner of the phone had encountered something here and was very emotional.
I just don't know what this monster refers to. Is it referring to 'them' or something else?
Seeing that there was still movement on the back, Xu Zhiyan turned the paper over.
[I am dying, but I feel relieved. I don’t know if I am the last one.]
【I seem to have forgotten a lot of things? 】
The two paragraphs of notes look less sloppy and much neater.
After reading the paper, Xu Zhiyan put it in his pocket and continued to pick the phone case. There should be more than one piece of paper under the black plastic case.
Sure enough, when he removed the entire phone case, there was a new piece of paper taped to the back of the phone.
[Sister's text messages should be deleted]
[Everything my sister said is ▇▇ (wrong)]
The handwriting is from the same person.
But compared to the previous note, the handwriting of these two lines is obviously more messy, as if they were written in a panic.
However, the first sentence did explain why the text messages with her sister were not found. If the original owner had been following these rules, then it would be normal to delete the messages from her sister every time after reading them.
The second sentence is more interesting.
The word "error" was added later, and the handwriting is a little neater, but the original two words have been crossed out into two pure black squares, making it impossible to tell what was written before.
The original owner later modified the note and pasted the modified note on the back of the phone.
Is what my sister said right or wrong?
Xu Zhiyan frowned and thought for a while, thinking of many possibilities, but there was too little known information now, so he didn't dare to jump to conclusions.
Did the sister kill the original owner with the wrong message, so the original owner put the modified note on the back of the phone? But if so, why did she use a phone case to cover the content...
Seeing that it was already five o'clock, Xu Zhiyan no longer waited. He wiped the dirty phone case slightly and put it back on the phone, covering the rules on the back, took the key and went out.
You have to find out where the landlord's home is first.
As soon as I went out, the air was much fresher and the corridor was very dark.
This should be an old building. There is no elevator, and there are no lights in the dark and narrow corridors. All kinds of old sundries are placed on both sides of the road, making it look cramped and depressing.
This corridor, which was filled with old furniture and debris, reminded Xu Zhiyan of the toilet in the rental house, which was also dirty and crowded.
He turned around and looked at his house number.
【701】
Carefully avoiding debris, finding the landlord was much smoother than expected.
When I reached the stairs, dim light came in through the dirty glass of the stairs, illuminating the faded advertisements on the wall.
There's all sorts of mess on it.
Locksmiths, sewer operators, roof leak repairmen...
Looking at the small advertisements on the wall, Xu Zhiyan held up his phone and searched for a while, and successfully found the advertisement of the landlord Brother Yi.
【↑Go upstairs, 802, rent a room. 】
【Tel: 18......】
The simple and clean signpost icon is completely different from other flashy and pretentious advertisements.
Looking up at the stairs that seemed like no one had walked on them for years, Xu Zhiyan took a deep breath and walked up.
He prayed silently in his heart, hoping that the landlord was a normal human being.
When we arrived at the eighth floor, it was unexpectedly lively.
A group of people were standing outside the door of Room 802. It could be seen that quite a lot of people were already crowded inside, but the strange thing was that among so many people, no one made a sound. One could only vaguely hear someone chattering at the innermost part of the room.
Xu Zhiyan originally planned to stand outside the door and watch.
As a result, as soon as he stepped onto the last step of the eighth floor, he saw the people gathered at the door of 802 looking at him in unison.
For a moment, Xu Zhiyan held his breath.
The people gathered at the door ranged from an elderly man in his sixties to students in their teens with ponytails. Although they all looked different, the look in their eyes as they looked over was very consistent.
...so consistent that it seems as if they are the same person.
Being stared at by more than a dozen pairs of eyes, even if there is no emotion in those eyes, is a very terrifying thing.
Xu Zhiyan did not act rashly.
The corridor was too quiet and no one spoke. He didn't dare to say anything first, so he could only take out his cell phone to send a message to the landlord.
[Brother Yi, why are there so many people at your door? I am blocked at the door and can’t get in. ]
Just at this moment, a middle-aged man who was originally standing at the door and looking at the stairs retracted his gaze and walked into 802. When he looked back again, although his eyes were still the same, there was a hint of smile on his face.
"Are you here to see the boss?" asked the middle-aged man.
Without waiting for Xu Zhiyan to answer, comments started to flash rapidly in the live broadcast room.
[Fuck, this look in the eyes is a bit shocking. ]
[Don't answer! ! I saw a player next door who didn't complete the task first. When he went out, he met a passerby and asked a few questions. His shadow changed! ]
[Eh——do you have to be so scary! ]
[Fuck! This dungeon has something special! I hate entering rule-based dungeons the most.]
[+10086, mainly because the rules are hidden very well, and there are many mistakes. Who knows what the consequences will be. ]
However, what relieved the players was that Xu Zhiyan did not speak during the questioning.
He stared at the middle-aged man, looked him up and down, then nodded and walked straight in.
There is not much difference between the seventh and eighth floors, and these people are standing at the door. He just stopped at the door for a while to look around. If this group of people were talking, he should be able to hear something.
But it didn't happen until I went upstairs and heard faint sounds coming from room 802.
In other words, these people standing at the door just stood there, and there was no communication during this period. The middle-aged man who spoke only spoke after entering the room.
At present, Xu Zhiyan has not received any other rules related to this building, so he chose to be cautious and refused to speak.
He walked over under everyone's gaze.
It was somewhat unexpected. He thought that with the group of people blocking the door together, it would be difficult for him to enter Room 802. However, after seeing him passing by, these people actually made way for him.
Xu Zhiyan arrived in front of the landlord without any obstacles.
The landlord was a middle-aged man with not much hair left. He was wearing big shorts, an old man's shirt, and a pair of pink flip-flops, which made him look quite funny.
At this moment he was shaking his head, rejecting something with an unhappy look on his face.
"No, no, no, this is too horrible."
Seeing Xu Zhiyan coming, the landlord ignored the group of people standing in front of him, pointed to the dusty selfie stick next to the cabinet and said, "Xiao Xu is here? Is the room clean? I'll check it later. If the house is clean, this selfie stick will be yours."
After saying that, he seemed to have thought of something, and pointed to the cabinet beside him: "There are quilts and mattresses in the cabinet. Take them down and make the bed in the master bedroom first."
"OK."
Xu Zhiyan answered in a low voice, nodded very obediently, walked to the cabinet and took something out.
Holding a set of bedding, Xu Zhiyan walked very slowly, swaying every three steps and stopping frequently as he walked.
He wanted to hear what the landlord was talking about with this group of strange people.
The landlord connected up Room 802 and turned it into a rental office. The landlord sat behind the desk with seven or eight people standing in front of him.
These people were different from those standing outside. Regardless of whether they were men or women, they all wore black suits and looked of some status. Leading them was a beautiful woman with big wavy hair. She was tall, but her eyes were the same as those of the others.
The landlord seemed to be frightened by her stare. He scratched his hairless head and muttered to himself.
"No, no, how can I rent this place...how can I rent it like this!"
He didn't seem to notice that he was the only one talking to himself the whole time, and the woman in front of him didn't say a word at all.
Finally, when Xu Zhiyan walked to the door hesitantly, the landlord finally gave in, but he couldn't hear it clearly and could only vaguely hear a few words.
"If you... do this... it will be just right..."
Xu Zhiyan frowned, having a bad feeling in his heart.
What can the landlord refuse but still charge extra for? It must be renting a room, most likely for a special purpose.
They may be difficult tenants.
Xu Zhiyan looked down at the quilt in his arms.
The landlord had just dried these beddings in the sun, and they still gave off a slight scent of sunshine, which made people feel much more at ease when they smelled it.
I shouldn't be so unlucky.
If this group of weird people were going to move in, the landlord would definitely have rented a few more rooms. Although his master bedroom is big, it is impossible for so many people to squeeze in.
Thinking of this, Xu Zhiyan felt relieved.
It looks like this building belongs to the landlord. At worst, I just have to be more careful when I go downstairs later.
Back at 701, 'they' have finished their work.
According to the rules of the game, Xu Zhiyan will summon them when needed until this time tomorrow.
Walking into the clean and bright master bedroom, he put the bedding on the bed.
A cleaned mattress stood against the wall opposite the bed, apparently something 'they' had found in the house.
Xu Zhiyan stared at the floor-to-ceiling window that let in the sunset, and his mind became active.
He had seen mold on the foot of the bed in the second bedroom. If he entered the copy to sleep, he would still feel quite stressed. It would be better for him to make the bed and sleep in the master bedroom. Who knows if someone will move in when he leaves.
A few minutes later, before the bed was made, a noise was heard from the living room.
It was the landlord who came down with a selfie stick.
The bald man looked around and exclaimed, as if he was shocked that Xu Zhiyan cleaned the house so cleanly.
"Sure, Xiao Xu. I thought you were planning to cancel the lease and run away in two weeks."
He walked into the master bedroom and found Xu Zhiyan who was making the bed. He threw the selfie stick to him and looked at the bed sheet that the dog had chewed with a look of disgust, but did not help.
Xu Zhiyan took the selfie stick and said to the landlord.
"How could that be possible? Am I that kind of person? But I just came to look for you, and there were so many people upstairs. What were they doing?"
This topic made the landlord frown, and he changed the subject and talked about other things.
"Xiao Xu, you only have two weeks left before you move out, right?"
Seeing the landlord's evasive eyes, Xu Zhiyan felt something was wrong. Sure enough, the next second the landlord lowered his voice and spoke.
"Someone will move in here soon, but don't be afraid, it's okay!"
"You go back to your room first, and then after this person moves in, I will lock the door of the master bedroom. Just don't go in."
Xu Zhiyan pursed his lips, expressing his dissatisfaction directly.
"...Brother Yi, there should be other empty houses here." This landlord should be a normal person and seems to be able to communicate.
While they were talking, the doorbell rang.
“Ding Dong——”
Ding Dong—Ding Ding Ding Dong!
I don’t know what the person outside the door is so anxious about, but he is ringing the doorbell as if it is a life-threatening situation.
The landlord hurriedly walked out, ignoring Xu Zhiyan's dissatisfaction.
Just before opening the door, he suddenly turned back and said, "Hurry, hurry, hurry back to the house."
Seeing Xu Zhiyan standing at the door of the master bedroom, peeking out, trying to get some information, the landlord pushed him into the second bedroom and took out twenty yuan from his pocket.
"Everyone will leave soon, I'll treat you to a meal."
Xu Zhiyan, who was about to explode, took the money and stopped at the door of the second bedroom: "Brother Yi, with the current prices, you can't eat anything with twenty yuan."
“Ding Dong——”
“Ding ding ding ding ding ding dong—”
The person outside the door was already impatient, and the doorbell was ringing loudly.
The landlord was forced to pay back the money. Looking at the young tenant who refused to cooperate, he snorted and took out another hundred yuan from his pocket.
"That's enough!"
Looking at the landlord who was on the verge of getting angry, Xu Zhiyan took the money, put it in his pocket, and went back to the second bedroom with a smile.
As soon as the door closed, he stood by the door and started touching the props.
Perspective props can often only see through one layer. Now there is a door in front of him. If he wants to know what happened in the master bedroom, it is better to use eavesdropping props.
After sticking a piece of paper that could record and translate sounds on the door, Xu Zhiyan slowed down his breathing.
There was a conversation going on outside, and it was displayed synchronously on the paper.
【Slow down, slow down, don't knock it, hey hey——Okay——Put it there, put it there first, where's the table, bring the table over——Hiss, you guys are still lighting a fire? What if it catches fire? It falls over? Help? Who will help? No, no, I can't... Ah, something bad will happen? Hiss! Okay, I'll tell Xiao Xu next door, but you have to put it away, otherwise people can't come to help. 】
There was only the landlord's voice.
The audio content showed that only the landlord was talking.
Xu Zhiyan's eyes darkened.
He began to be a little uncertain... were those guys in black clothes not human, or were the landlord not human?
There were messy footsteps leaving, followed by the sound of the door closing.
Before Xu Zhiyan could deduce anything from his boss's words, the group of people left 701 very quickly, as if they were being chased by something, and the door was slammed loudly.
“Buzz——”
Xu Zhiyan's cell phone rang.
It's a message from the landlord.
[Xiao Xu, you must pay attention to what I say next. You must not make any mistakes.]
[1. There are many old men and women living in our building, and no one likes noise, so when you leave home, please don’t talk in the corridor.]
【2. The lights in the corridor are broken, so try not to go out at night, especially after 10 o'clock. 】
[3. Someone has stored some things in the master bedroom opposite you. Remember to check on them regularly. If you see a photo on the table fall over, remember to help it up. But don't enter the master bedroom after 10pm.]
【4. Remember, don't look under the bed. I'm doing this for your own good.】
【5. Everything I say is true, you must listen to me.】
There were six messages in a row, even the format was arranged, revealing an indescribable weirdness, but the tone was similar to the landlord's, making it impossible to judge.
Xu Zhiyan walked out of the second bedroom and found that this group of people even turned off the lights in the living room when they left.
I looked at the time. It should be the last moment of daylight left today. If I wanted to see any dangerous places, now should be a relatively safe place.
Without hesitation, he pushed open the door of the master bedroom.
Anyway, given the master system's style, there will definitely be something strange in the master bedroom.
The landlord did not lock the door as he said at the beginning. The master bedroom was still the same as before, except that there was an extra table placed opposite the bed. Someone had made the bed with sheets that looked like they had been gnawed by a dog.
There was a photo frame display stand on the table, upside down, with a circle of candles around the display stand, but they were not lit.
Looking at the upside-down photo frame, Xu Zhiyan felt a little nervous.
The boss just sent new rules and he can't be sure whether they are true or not.
Should the photo frame be propped up?
He stood in front of the table, his hand on the edge of the photo frame, very hesitant.
There is a ghost-hunting mission at night, and he doesn't want to encounter strange things after returning to the room. Thinking of the previous conversation between the boss and the strange group of people... If he doesn't help them up, something bad might happen.
He took a deep breath, turned sideways, and picked up the photo frame.
Just as the photo frame was lifted up, the phone in my pocket suddenly started vibrating with a special text message.
[Sister: Don’t hold the photo frame! ]
“…”
Xu Zhiyan froze in place as he took out his cell phone with one hand and looked at the words on it.
He didn't know who was right between the boss and his sister. He only knew that when he was halfway through supporting the photo frame, the sunset outside the floor-to-ceiling window disappeared and the entire outside the window became dark.
Fortunately, the lights were on in the room.
Just as Xu Zhiyan's heartbeat was accelerating wildly and cold sweat was pouring down his face, he caught a glimpse of the black and white photo in the frame.
"Huh? Dead?"
He frowned and stood the frame up completely.
A familiar man appears in the photo.
It’s Bai Jin, but this time it seems to be a black and white photo version.
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