Chapter 129 Sea Amusement Park (Thirty-Eight)
When taking care of Ning Hanqi, Xia Yingnuan felt as if she had forgotten something, but thought that since she didn't remember it, it shouldn't be very important. It was not until poor Gao Yu escaped from the ghost ship and almost drowned in the sea that Xia Yingnuan remembered her because of the power she left in her body.
She quickly used some of her strength to pull her out of the sea. When Gao Yu said that he would never forget his great kindness, Xia Yingnuan felt a little guilty. All she thought about was whether Ning Hanqi would suffer from breathing difficulties, fever, pneumonia and other sequelae after choking on water. She forgot that Gao Yu might need help if he came back from the ghost ship.
But... it doesn't matter. Xia Yingnuan comforted herself by thinking that as long as she came out of the space where she couldn't interfere, she would always be able to sense when she encountered danger, so it wouldn't make much difference.
Zhang Wanjing's words exploded like a bomb in Xia Yingnuan's ears, making her feel dizzy.
Isn't Xinna the former administrator? Then who was the person who brought them in just now?
Or in other words, was the person who brought them in a human?
Thinking of Xinna's bloodless face and empty eyes, Xia Yingnuan felt a chill on her back and tried hard to calm herself down.
Ning Hanqi seemed accustomed to this and asked calmly, "Who was the previous administrator?"
"I don't remember. I guess he's dead." Zhang Wanjing laughed again, her tone very natural, as if she was talking about eating and drinking. "There's something wrong with this apartment. The people who come here are all desperate. No one would care if they died."
Ning Hanqi's eyes flickered, "What's the problem?"
"This building is cursed." Zhang Wanjing looked around cautiously and lowered her voice, "Every night at twelve o'clock... ghosts will appear."
No wonder the rules say they should return to their rooms before midnight. Xia Yingnuan pondered this and asked Zhang Wanjing, "Then why don't you move out?"
"I can't move, and no one can move." Zhang Wanjing stared at her and suddenly giggled, "No one can escape, not even one."
She pointed at Xia Yingnuan and Ning Hanqi, "The same goes for you two."
Ning Hanqi smiled and said nothing.
Zhang Wanjing had no intention of continuing the conversation, and immediately closed the door after saying this. Through the door, a vague and strange laugh could be heard again.
Ning Hanqi didn't care and started walking upstairs.
Xia Yingnuan was terrified when she heard this. As she walked, she asked Ning Hanqi, "What is this guy laughing at? Is he crazy?"
"You'll get used to it." Ning Hanqi said calmly, the light casting flickering shadows on her face. "The last thing this dungeon lacks is lunatics."
Xia Yingnuan thought about it and realized that anyone who stayed in such a strange place for too long would go crazy. Players and NPCs alike probably needed some psychological counseling.
The second household's resident seemed much more normal, a gentle woman named Ren Qiu. She looked to be in her thirties, with long curly hair and faint crow's feet around her eyes.
After learning about their purpose, Ren Qiu said politely, "Thank you for your hard work. It's too late today. I will definitely treat you well another day."
"Thank you, sister." Xia Yingnuan knew it was a polite remark from her tone. She smiled and waved her hand, "It's what we should do."
Ning Hanqi glanced at her room. It was much tidier than Zhang Wanjing's. The floor was spotless, and the furniture, though old, was clean. The room was lightly scented with incense.
She said, "If it's convenient, can I ask you a few questions?"
Ren Qiu nodded.
Ning Hanqi asked, "How long have you lived here?"
Ren Qiu: "I forgot. It's been a long time."
Ning Hanqi asked again: "It is said that ghosts appear here at night. Is it true?"
"Ghosts? I don't know." Ren Qiu said firmly, "I usually sleep soundly at night and don't hear anything."
Xia Yingnuan thought for a moment and asked, "Then do you know Miss Xina?"
Ren Qiu shook his head, "I don't know him."
At this moment, a black shadow suddenly flashed behind her, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.
Xia Yingnuan was startled. She looked back over Ren Qiu's shoulder and saw a figure lying straight on the ground.
Is there... anyone else in the room?
"It's my doll." Ren Qi's expression flickered slightly, and he quickly walked over to pick up the doll and carried it to the door.
The doll is a young man, half a head taller than Ren Qiu, with fine workmanship and lifelike appearance.
Xia Yingnuan took a look and suddenly reached out to touch it.
"I was too lonely, so I made a doll to keep me company." Ren Qiu explained. She calmly moved the doll back, as if not wanting Xia Yingnuan to touch it again. "I didn't put it firmly, and it accidentally fell over."
Ren Qiu is a very uncooperative NPC. No matter what you ask her, she can't give a clear answer, let alone the apple matter.
On the way to the third household, Xia Yingnuan asked Ning Hanqi, "Sister, is there something wrong with Ren Qiu's doll?"
She had just touched the doll on purpose and found that its touch was too similar to human skin. She didn't know if it was made directly from a living person or just the skin.
"Of course there is." Ning Hanqi was not surprised. "If there were no problems, it would be strange."
As soon as the door of the third house was opened, a strong smell of alcohol came out.
A drunk middle-aged man leaned against the door frame and looked over.
Xia Yingnuan checked the list and found that his name was Liu Zhou.
Liu Zhou looked a bit haggard, with an unshaven beard. He wiped his face with his hand, and when he took in the two men's appearances, his expression became excited. "The new administrator? He's quite good-looking."
Saying these words seemed to have consumed a lot of his physical strength, as if he would collapse in the next second.
Xia Yingnuan frowned. She had seen this kind of look too many times at the wine table: greedy and slippery, as if wanting to swallow someone whole. She took a half step back and asked, "Sir, are you feeling unwell?"
"Yes, I feel uncomfortable." Liu Zhou leaned forward with a playful smile. He pointed at the apples on the coffee table behind him and said, "Little beauty, can you help me with this? I can pay you. You'll need it."
After saying that, he seemed impatient and reached out to touch Xia Yingnuan's shoulder.
The strong smell of alcohol hit her face. Xia Yingnuan frowned and dodged his hand.
Out of personal interest, she has learned fighting and judo, and her physical fitness is very good, so dealing with such an ordinary man is a piece of cake for her.
But the "Work Instructions" stated that violence should not be used against residents, so she had to endure it.
Seeing that she didn't fight back, Liu Zhou moved closer to her even more aggressively.
At this moment, several flashes of light suddenly flashed before Xia Yingnuan's eyes.
The black ribbon on Ning Hanqi's wrist rose slightly, quickly winding out, and with a few "swishes" it closed the door of the room, separating Liu Zhou from the two people outside.
Those ribbons were like thin sharp blades, emitting a cold light, reflecting the pair of emotionless dark golden pupils.
Through the gap in the ribbon, Xia Yingnuan saw that Liu Zhou's face was full of fear.
He looked at her with resentment, and Xia Yingnuan glared back without showing any weakness. The two sides remained in a stalemate for two seconds, and then the door was slammed shut.
Ning Hanqi raised his hand and took the ribbon, "Let's go."
"Thank you for helping me, sister." Xia Yingnuan immediately thanked her. She pointed at the ribbon on Ning Hanqi's arm and asked, "Sister, is this your weapon?"
She had no doubt that if there were no restrictions, Liuzhou would have been a pile of minced meat by now.
Ning Hanqi: "It's just a small prop."
Xia Yingnuan: ...Okay, Versailles, right?
Forget it, she believed that she would become stronger in the future, maybe even stronger than Ning Hanqi.
The fourth resident was a young man named Lu Jun, a refined and handsome man with gold-rimmed glasses and a sickly pale complexion. He looked over warily, then relaxed slightly after double-checking the uniforms worn by the two men.
But he seemed to be in the late stage of social anxiety. As soon as Xia Yingnuan greeted him, he quickly and quietly said "thank you for your trouble" and quickly closed the door.
The owner of the fifth household was named Mo Shu. The door of her room looked a little strange, as it was covered with densely packed talisman papers with twisted red patterns drawn on them. The content was completely incomprehensible.
After knocking on the door, there was a slight noise from inside, but no one spoke.
Xia Yingnuan turned to Ning Hanqi and silently mouthed, "Someone."
Ning Hanqi nodded and said politely, "Miss Mo, we are the new administrators and we came here specifically to say hello to you. If it's not convenient, we can come back another day."
After he finished speaking, there was a light knock on the door, which seemed to be some kind of response.
Ning Hanqi said again: "Miss Mo, do you need help?"
This time the door was knocked twice, as if to say "no thanks".
No matter what was said afterwards, there was complete silence inside the room.
It was already past ten o'clock, and the two decided to go to the sixth household first.
After Xia Yingnuan knocked on the door, a timid female voice came from inside, "Who is it?"
Hearing the voice belonged to a little girl, Xia Yingnuan slowed down her tone and said softly, "You are Song Yun, right? We are the new administrators."
The person inside the door was silent for a few seconds and then responded softly.
Xia Yingnuan was not in a hurry and waited quietly for a few seconds. Song Yun spoke again.
"I don't dare open the door at night. I'm afraid..."
Ning Hanqi said calmly, "Can I ask a few questions?"
Song Yun whispered, "Let's wait until daybreak. I don't dare... I, I'm going to sleep."
Then there was no more sound from the door. Time was precious, so Xia Yingnuan asked Ning Hanqi for her opinion, "Sister, shall we go to the seventh floor?"
Ning Hanqi said, "Okay."
The seventh floor was the last house, and there seemed to be no one there. Xia Yingnuan knocked on the door for a long time, but there was still silence from inside.
According to the roster, the resident on the seventh floor is named Xue Lan, and she looks like a female.
Xinna had said they had to be back in their rooms before midnight. Xia Yingnuan looked at the task progress displayed on the panel, which read "6/7," and couldn't help but feel anxious. The main quest required them to greet the NPC, but if the NPC returned on time, would they be unable to get back to their rooms in time?
And most importantly, they had just been dealing with the tenants, and although their attitudes varied, they all acted cautiously when it came to the apples. Xia Yingnuan even thought that the NPC's reluctance to open the door and communicate was because they didn't want to provide apples.
Does Apple really have to use the beauty trap to get it from Liuzhou?
Thinking of this, Xia Yingnuan frowned in disgust. No, if she couldn't use violence, she would be manipulated by Liu Zhou if she made a deal with him. There had to be another way.
Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded at the stairs.
“Tick, tick, tick…”
The high heels tapped on the steps, slowly and steadily, getting closer and closer.
Xia Yingnuan quickly stood up and looked towards the source of the sound.
Ning Hanqi was standing against the wall. When he heard the noise, he looked over.
A slender figure slowly emerged from the stairwell. It was a woman with long black hair, a tall and thin figure, but she didn't look fragile.
Dim light streamed down from the ceiling, illuminating the scarlet bloodstains on her body. Her wrists were slender, and in her hands she held a bone-chopping knife, over a foot long, the blade itself stained with blood.
The moment she saw the two of them, the woman's eyes curved and she smiled silently.
Her eyes moved around Xia Yingnuan and Ning Hanqi, then she walked towards this side.
The smell of blood in the air grew stronger, and Xia Yingnuan subconsciously took a step back.
The sharp blade in the woman's hand reflected a little light. Her face and hands were covered with sticky blood, which was particularly glaring on her pale skin.
So this person came back so late because... did he kill someone?
Ning Hanqi didn't move, but greeted her calmly, "Ms. Xue Lan?"
"Hello." Xue Lan stopped at the door and opened the door with the key.
The blood on her hands was fresh, leaving a sticky red mark on the door handle.
Xue Lan looked over, the smile in his eyes not diminishing, "Would you like to come in and sit down?"
The opponent's intentions were actually quite easy to guess. Without the Sea Hare around, it didn't have to worry about anything and could easily make things more difficult for the other players. This time, it wasn't just targeting Ning Hanqi, but everyone except the Sea Hare! Because for it, there were too many people alive right now.
As the pirate ship began to swing, reaching its maximum amplitude, Ning Hanqi suddenly heard shrill screams from both sides of her. She glanced around and saw that the two pirate ghosts on either side of her seat were occupied. From the outside, the ghosts of the two pirates looked like they had been tortured. There was almost no healthy flesh on their faces and bodies, and even some knives and arrows pierced their bodies.
"call out!"
Ning Hanqi almost instinctively dodged to the side, but the line seemed to have its own aiming function and pierced her shoulder. Blood gushed out instantly. The pain was so real that it made her vision blurry.
Although the pain was stimulating her brain, her thoughts were still working quickly. Ning Hanqi soon noticed that the arrow on her shoulder was exactly the same as the one where the pirate on her right was stabbed. The game that she could have avoided seemed to have become more difficult.
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