Chapter 67 Pre-War Preparations: Two Tenant Profiles, The Strange Things About Penghu Homestead...
After leaving room 204, Zhou Fangdong sent a message to Miao Zheng, asking her to inform Hong Zhong about the danger at Penghu Jiayuan and to ask Hong Zhong to keep an eye on the community.
However, relying solely on the Bureau of Supervision is not enough; other preparations are needed, as the Bureau of Supervision is unlikely to send too many people there.
Zhou Fangdong trusted Tang Huili's premonitions so much because Tang Huili's strong intuition had been verified by the system, and he trusted the system's judgment.
But the oversight bureau wouldn't believe this intelligence like he did.
Because this is just a prediction, there is no actual evidence to prove that Penghu Home is really in danger. Moreover, there are paranormal events happening all over the city, and we also have to deal with cult members causing trouble. The Control Bureau is already short-staffed, so it is unlikely that they will mobilize too many people because of a prophecy.
Even with Hong Zhong's support, it wouldn't be of much use. After all, Hong Zhong is just a team leader of investigators in the Special Investigations Department, and the number of people he can mobilize is very limited. He can help protect two people, but protecting the entire neighborhood would be very difficult.
Thinking of this, Zhou Fangdong suddenly realized something and quickly opened the [Linjiang City Map].
On the map, all four small red dots representing tenants are clustered together at Penghu Home.
...Good heavens, the people Hong Zhong sent to Penghu Home to protect those two girls were actually the four investigators who rented room 201.
Now we have to take action even more. We can't just stand by and watch our tenants die in Penghu Home.
Sigh, he just wanted to rent out the house simply, how did it turn out like this?
At first, it only invaded a tourist town's main god instance, killed six bald men, and incidentally rescued four reserve players who had been captured by the main god.
Unexpectedly, the members of the Bone Heir Society found these four players, hoping to learn the reason for the town's strange changes from them... Then, when their attempt to kill them with the evil god's talisman failed, they simply kidnapped them.
Now it's even more outrageous. Seeing that the two girls were protected and couldn't be taken away, they planned to tear down the neighborhood where the two girls were staying.
Is it really necessary? Did they kill some high-ranking members of the Bone Heir Society or something in that small town instance? Why are those cultists so obsessed with investigating this matter?
Or do cult members also have monthly KPI performance evaluations? Are they trying to boost their sales figures here?
Those cult members are crazy, but not this crazy. Causing trouble in the city center will definitely come at a significant cost to them.
Zhou Fangdong began to consider the worst possible outcome of this matter.
The fact that Sigu is so obsessed with capturing those two girls suggests that they must have some way of obtaining their memories and knowing about their experiences in the town.
Zhou Fangdong remembered that he was using Mu Yuechan's body and sitting next to a girl. He had forgotten which of the two girls it was, but if the people from the Heirs of the Bone Society captured the two girls and read their memories, they would definitely know about this.
The worst-case scenario is that the cultists will find out that the anomaly in the town instance is because of Mu Yuechan.
It's unclear whether the members of the Heirs of the Bone Society know about Mu Yuechan's connection to the apartment, or whether they will try to trace the apartment's origins through Mu Yuechan.
Therefore, just in case, it is necessary to stop the plans of the bone-laying association in Penghu.
It's quite difficult for Zhou Fangdong to handle this situation. Even if he has powerful skills, it's useless because he can't leave the apartment and can only rely on the activities of the tenants to change the outside world.
He had considered whether to send Xiao Xiaoyu over to Penghu Homeland to have the main god instance descend upon the land and defeat magic with magic.
But after thinking about it again, I realized it wouldn't work.
The "Being Hunted by the Main God" buff on Xiao Xiaoyu only indicates a high probability of triggering the Main God instance, not a 100% guarantee. She had previously visited Penghu Homeland with Miao Zheng, but the instance wasn't triggered that time.
Moreover, if the main god instance descends, it could very well increase casualties. By then, the cultists of the Bone Inheritance Society will be dead, but there will probably be very few ordinary people left in Penghu Homeland.
Thinking of this, Zhou Fangdong called out to the system in his mind: "System, can the substitute function be used during the day?"
[It is recommended that the host not use this during the day, as the more powerful the ghost, the more its strength will be affected by the alternation of day and night.]
Most powerful ghosts are nocturnal, sleeping during the day.
“Zhang Zhiwu is active at Chuyun Temple during the day. I think that Taoist priest there is quite energetic.”
[Because both Izumo-kan and Guijia Furniture Store are located near the apartment, they are affected by the apartment's yin energy, which reduces the impact on the ghost tenants during the day.]
In other words, when using the substitute function during the day, the ghost tenant's abilities will be greatly weakened... If you use the substitute to go out and solve the Penghu Home matter, you might also get caught up with a ghost tenant.
Zhou Fangdong sighed.
Let's look for some powerful items that the tenant can use, and have the tenant carry the items and run a errand for him.
From last night until noon today, Zhou Fangdong has been busy the whole time. He hasn't even looked at the newly unlocked tenant profile, nor has he checked the reward for Mu Yuechan's full favorability rating.
Let's see if we can unlock any useful items from these.
Zhou Fangdong opened the newly unlocked tenant profile.
[Intermediate Tenant - A Highly Inspired Otaku Manga Artist]
Illustration description: An ordinary horror comic artist, whose record is five years without leaving his own house. His dream is to draw horror comics that he likes and that readers like.
Characteristics: Socially anxious, a homebody, physically weak, hates exercise, mild anorexia. She has strong intuition and can sense danger in her surroundings. The Liwan Apartments gave her a sense of security she had never experienced before, and she will absolutely not cancel the lease.
[Illustrated Guide Unlock Reward: 300 Ghost Coins]
This reward was somewhat expected. Zhou Fangdong noticed that the reward for unlocking the illustrations for intermediate tenants seemed to be 300 Ghost Coins, just like the reward for unlocking the illustrations for low-level tenants was 30 Ghost Coins... except for Zhao Dawei, who only got 3 Ghost Coins.
Zhou Fangdong continued scrolling down and clicked on the tenant profile of Ghost Tenant Ke Yan.
[Special Tenant: Researchers Who Came Back from the Dead]
Illustrated description: A research fanatic who killed himself and then revived himself. A rare research genius in the Bureau of Investigation, but due to his obsessive personality and impulsive actions, he stole the supernatural artifacts sealed by the Bureau of Investigation and defected. He is currently still wanted by the authorities.
Traits: Naturally naive, single-minded, and obsessive; once he gets hooked on something, he becomes reckless. Currently obsessed with merging ghosts and corpses to create new humans who are resurrected from the dead. He wants to eliminate the boundary between the living and the dead, to eliminate death, and to create a bizarre new world where humans and ghosts coexist harmoniously. After signing a contract with the apartment, he gained even greater power and wants to stay in the apartment to continue his research; he will not leave.
[Illustrated Guide Unlock Reward: Cursed Item - Human Skin Shadow Puppet Show]
Zhou Fangdong was shocked when he saw the reward item.
Isn't this supernatural gadget an important part of Ke Yan's current body? Is the system even taking advantage of ghost tenants?
Is it really okay to give him this item as a reward?
Zhou Fangdong opened the rental preview interface to check Ke Yan's current location.
Because he successfully unlocked the back building of the apartment and rented out a hidden room, he can now view the floor plan of the first floor of the back building.
After opening the rental preview interface, Zhou Fangdong found that the curly-haired pixelated figure was obediently staying in the hidden room, using pliers to modify the corpse on the morgue bed.
He breathed a sigh of relief and accepted the cursed item.
【Cursed Item: Human Skin Shadow Puppet Show】
Original Item Description: An evil cursed item created by the Bone Descendants Society. Its use alters a person's appearance and physical attributes, consuming five years of lifespan with each use. After death, the user's soul will become a shadow puppet, becoming part of the item.
Current item description: This is a cursed item created by the system based on the contract on the ghost tenant. This item can only be used by the host.
Usage: Consumes 50% of your health to create a shadow puppet. This shadow puppet is used in the same way as the substitute doll, shares the same viewpoint, can be controlled by the host, and can use the host's skills. The shadow puppet's skills have an attack power equal to 50% of the host's.
(Note: Shadow puppets cannot use the [Half-Body Shrine] skill, and two shadow puppets cannot exist at the same time.)
Seeing the effect of this prop, Zhou Fangdong's eyes lit up immediately.
It's so useful. The halved attack skills and the inability to use [Half-Body Shrine] are not big problems at all, since he doesn't have any useful attack skills anyway.
Soon, the tenant will bring the shadow puppet over. He can use the shadow puppet to use [Ghost Eye] to help check where there is anything unusual, and then the problem of Penghu Home will be easily solved.
After closing the tenant profile interface, Zhou Fangdong opened the favorability interface to check the rewards for Mu Yuechan's favorability score reaching 100.
The reward for Mu Yuechan's favorability rating reaching 100 is also a cursed item.
【Cursed Item: Red Thread of Fate】
Prop description: I only say, "When the husband prospers, the wife prospers; they grow old together." But who knows, one can know a person's face but not their heart. (Note ①)
Effect: This item requires two people to use, and there are no gender restrictions. After using this item, if one person is injured, both people will share the damage, reducing its effectiveness.
If both individuals are injured simultaneously after using this item, they become immune to all damage (including physical and cursed damage).
You must get married (hold a wedding and obtain a marriage certificate) within seven days of using this item. If you do not get married, the person who ends the use of this item first will suffer all the damage backlash.
After seeing the effect of this prop, Zhou Fangdong fell silent for a moment.
Compared to other cursed items, the cost of using this cursed item is quite mild.
It means that same-sex couples cannot use sex together, since same-sex marriages cannot be legally registered.
This cursed item is useless in the current situation, so let's not claim it for now.
Zhou Fangdong closed the system interface and then used [Cursed Item: Human Skin Shadow Play].
After depleting fifty percent of his health bar, a small paper figure cut from black paper appeared in his palm.
Zhou Fangdong first used 100 ghost coins to replenish his health bar, then opened the rental preview interface and began selecting the tenants he would send out later.
Let's select a few tenants who are both capable and have plenty of free time...
Xiao Xiaoyu from room 105 can be ruled out first; if she goes, the main god instance might descend.
Zhao Dawei from room 101 and Duan Wenyu from room 102 were also ruled out, as they were both ordinary people without the ability to protect themselves.
Hung Chung in Room 106 is handling official business, while the four investigators in Room 201 are currently at Penghu Home.
Although Zhang Qingyang in Room 107 has the ability to deal with ghosts, when it comes to cultists... Recalling Zhang Qingyang's trembling sword dance in the courtyard that morning, Zhou Fangdong silently shook his head.
He Yansheng in room 202 is still in a state of negative self-isolation, and his going out is likely to cause a riot by the cultists, so we can rule that out as well.
Tang Huili, who lives in room 204, had just fled from Penghu Homeland. She was just an ordinary person with no ability to protect herself.
Aside from the ghost tenant, the only remaining tenants are Miao Zheng from room 109 and Hou San, the furniture vendor from room 203.
Miao Zheng is quite capable in combat, so she's not worried about encountering cultists. If she encounters ghosts, preparing some talismans will allow her to easily handle the situation given her quick reflexes. Furthermore, she knows the girl targeted by the Bone Inheritance Society and has even visited Penghu Garden once, making her more familiar with the neighborhood than the other tenants.
Hou San is a half-ghost who frequently steals haunted furniture and collects the resentment of vengeful spirits. He should have a lot of experience dealing with paranormal events. Moreover, his ability to steal things, if used well, can play a crucial role.
After selecting the tenants to be sent to Liwan Apartment, Zhou Fangdong bought two substitute dolls in the mall, intending for the two people to carry them for survival.
The scapegoat doll is an essential tool for Zhou Fangdong to test the conditions under which the ghosts in the room commit murder. He'll have to buy it sooner or later, so it's not a waste. If the two tenants don't need it, he'll have them return the doll; he can keep it for when he cleans the room later.
Alright, everything is ready. It's time to go find Hou San and Miao Zheng and ask them to make a trip for us.
*
Penghu Garden, Unit 2, Room 301.
Su Wan sat on the sofa with some anxiety, glancing at her phone screen every now and then.
The day before yesterday was her birthday. Her boyfriend and her best friend Zhu Di's boyfriend disappeared on their way to buy her a birthday cake, and there has been no news of them since.
Yesterday, Zhu Di told her that they were being targeted by bad people and that she absolutely must not go out. Zhu Di said she had asked a friend for help, and that people from the supervisory bureau would come to protect them.
Su Wan did not doubt Zhu Di's words, because ever since she had that strange dream, coupled with her boyfriend's inexplicable disappearance yesterday, she had been restless.
Therefore, after receiving Zhu Di's instructions, Su Wan has not left home since yesterday.
Fortunately, there was some food in the refrigerator, so I could cook for myself and not go hungry.
Just as Su Wan checked her phone again to see if she had received a message from her boyfriend, the room suddenly went dark.
She paused for a moment, then looked up blankly.
Is there a power outage?
No, it's noon now. Even if there's a power outage, it shouldn't suddenly become this dark.
Looking out the window, Su Wan noticed that the sky had turned completely dark, just like nighttime.
Strangely, this darkness only exists within the Penghu Jiayuan residential community.
Because Su Wan's apartment building is located on the edge of the community, she can clearly see the distinct black and white dividing line in the sky.
It felt as if the entire Penghu community had been separated from the world by some unknown force.
Su Wan realized that this might be a very serious paranormal event, so she quickly moved away from the window and dialed the supervisory bureau.
Perhaps because too many people were calling at the same time, the supervisory bureau was constantly busy and unable to connect.
Su Wan composed herself and decided to turn on the living room lights first... The room was simply too dark; humans have an instinctive fear of the dark.
Su Wan breathed a sigh of relief the moment the warm yellow light appeared in the living room.
Fortunately, the power supply in the community is still normal.
After trying to call the supervisory bureau several more times and finding that it was still "busy and unavailable," Su Wan decided to wait a little longer.
For ordinary people like her, when encountering paranormal events, besides seeking help from the Bureau of Supervision, all they can do is wait. Running around aimlessly would only complicate the Bureau's rescue efforts.
Su Wan sat on the sofa and picked up her phone again.
She plans to check social media for any news related to Penghu Homeland.
Just as she picked up her phone, she seemed to see something on the ground suddenly move out of the corner of her eye.
Looking to the side, the floor was empty except for a long shadow cast by the light.
Just then, Su Wan suddenly realized something was wrong—her shadow was strange! She had short hair, so why did her shadow have long hair??
Su Wan suddenly stood up.
As she moved, the shadow changed... It was just an ordinary black shadow; the long-haired shadow from before seemed to be just her imagination.
...Am I really seeing things?
Su Wan dared not stay in the living room any longer and slowly backed away, trying to get away from that floor.
As she passed the television hanging on the living room wall, her image was reflected in the black screen. The image on the screen was like a lag in the television picture, half a beat slower than her movements.
Su Wan noticed the eerie scene out of the corner of her eye, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from her forehead.
She dared not move, nor dared she turn her head.
But the figure on the TV screen that looked exactly like her slowly turned its head, the angle of its head turning was very stiff, as if its neck was broken.
A bone-chilling cold pierced through the back of my neck, climbing up my spine to my scalp.
Su Wan's heart pounded, her breathing became increasingly rapid, and her remaining rationality told her to stay calm and not to act rashly.
But just then, she suddenly saw her reflection on the stainless steel kettle on the opposite coffee table.
The figure was very clear, without any distortion caused by the round shape of the pot, as clear as if looking in a mirror.
On the teapot, her shadow stared at her expressionlessly, a stiff smile twisted at the corners of her mouth.
That smile was like the last straw that broke the camel's back; Su Wan felt as if the string that had been taut in her mind had suddenly snapped.
She screamed in despair and rushed to the bedroom as fast as she could. Without even taking off her shoes, she jumped onto the bed and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket.
Su Wan huddled under the covers, trembling. She took out her phone, trying to call for help.
However, the moment she took out her phone, the screen reflected her panicked face, as well as the pale, ghostly face that looked exactly like her and had been perched on her shoulder.
When a person is extremely frightened, they cannot make a sound.
Su Wan rolled off the bed, her limbs weak, and threw her phone far away.
The moment she threw her phone away, all the lights in the room went out, as if there had been a sudden power outage.
The phone screen, lying on the carpet, lit up, becoming the only light source in the room.
Under the light of the phone screen, Su Wan's shadow appeared on the wall, growing longer and longer until finally, a graceful, long-haired black figure stepped down from the wall.
At first, the shadowy figure moved stiffly, but as it got closer to Su Wan, its movements became smoother.
Su Wan felt that she could not move her body. An indescribable coldness rose from the soles of her feet and slowly spread throughout her body.
As the heat dissipated, she felt as if she were being drained of all her energy; she felt her thoughts, memories, and sensations were all rapidly disappearing.
Su Wan's figure grew flatter and flatter, and the colors on her body slowly peeled off like melting paint. In the end, she turned into a flat black shadow and fell to the ground.
The shadowy figure standing behind her completely transformed into Su Wan's appearance, trampling the transformed Su Wan under its feet.
The bedroom fell silent again, then a few faint electrical buzzes sounded, and the lights that had disappeared reappeared in the room.
Su Wan slowly moved her body.
At first her movements were a little stiff, but they quickly became smooth.
She bent down, picked up the phone from the ground, unlocked it skillfully, found the pinned number in her contacts, and dialed it:
"Zhu Di, did you see the strange thing happening outside the neighborhood? I'm a little scared. Can I come to your house to find you?"
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Author's Note: There will be no extra chapter at midnight tonight, so don't wait.
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Note ①: Selected from the lyrics sung by Jiao Guiying in the Sichuan Opera "The Love Trial".
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