Chapter 3: The First Tenant – One Dared to Rent, and the Other Dared to Live There…
Zhou Fangdong was speechless as he looked at the new task.
"System, I can't even get out of the building right now, how am I supposed to hand out flyers...? Should I fold the flyers into paper airplanes and fly them out the window? Oh right, all the windows in this dilapidated building are boarded up, so I can't even fly paper airplanes."
[Promotional features are now unlocked; the host can purchase as needed.]
As the electronic voice announced the announcement, a black cell phone of unknown brand appeared out of thin air on the desk.
Zhou Fangdong, who had been lying paralyzed on the bed, suddenly perked up, sat up with a jolt, and rushed to the desk.
That's great! With a phone, he can watch videos, play games, and read novels without having to rush to complete system tasks and leave the building. Give him Wi-Fi, and he could stay in this room forever.
However, after turning on the phone, Zhou Fangdong discovered that it was just a brick that could light up.
—My phone is completely empty; there are no games, not even the ability to make calls or send text messages.
"System, what's the use of giving me this thing?"
[The promotional function has been unlocked in the system interface. After the host makes a purchase as needed, it will be displayed on the phone.]
Zhou Fangdong patiently browsed through the system interface and finally found a newly unlocked sub-interface in the store.
Currently, the only function on the promotional interface is distributing flyers, which can be purchased at three different price points.
① [Honesty Promotional Flyer] X10
Free, limited to one purchase per day.
②[Art of Language Promotional Leaflet] X10
30 Ghost Coins, Unlimited Purchases
③ [Top Salesperson Sales Script Promotional Leaflet] x10
300 Ghost Coins, Unlimited Purchases
(Guaranteed minimum: 100% chance of attracting a tenant to view the apartment after use)
Zhou Fangdong didn't hesitate much and directly chose ①[Honest Flyer].
If only flyer #2 had a guaranteed minimum return like flyer #3... He had just received 30 Ghost Coins and was reluctant to spend all his money on a flyer with uncertain results.
After Zhou Fangdong clicked to purchase the [Honest Promotional Leaflet], a light green app slowly appeared on his phone screen.
The app's name is quite straightforward: it's a forum for discussing rental options.
I think you can only distribute the [Honest Promotional Flyer] after opening this app.
Zhou Fangdong tapped it casually.
However, instead of the forum interface, a warning box appeared on the phone screen:
[My mobile data is insufficient to use the app. Do I need to purchase a data plan?]
Before Zhou Fangdong could react, his phone screen automatically redirected to the page for purchasing a data plan.
The cheapest package is 30 Ghost Coins per month.
Zhou Fangdong laughed in anger: "You actually need to buy data with ghost coins for a crappy mobile phone? System, just say you want to rob me."
In response to his questioning, the system explained in its emotionless electronic voice:
The building's interior is considered a gathering place for ghosts and monsters, with a chaotic magnetic field, making it impossible for ordinary signals to travel out of the building.
To improve the tenants' living experience, the host will need to use Ghost Coins to purchase broadband internet access in the apartment later on. Please complete tasks diligently to earn Ghost Coins.
Zhou Fangdong fell silent.
That seems to make some sense...
"But I've already purchased that [Honesty Promotional Flyer], can't the system just distribute it directly? Why do I need to do it on my phone again?"
Zhou Fangdong was still a little reluctant to part with the ghost coins.
Having been scared by ghosts, visited a murder scene, and even eaten a mouthful of dust, he really didn't want to waste the 30 ghost coins he had worked so hard to earn on a mobile data plan.
Most importantly, after buying this data plan, you can't do anything except access a rental forum, so it's really not worth it.
The system's power cannot directly alter reality; it requires the host's intervention.
Will I get Ghost Coins if I complete this beginner's guide quest ②?
[The reward will be announced after the task is completed. Please distribute the promotional flyers as soon as possible.]
"Okay, okay..." Zhou Fangdong sighed and clicked to purchase the 30 ghost coins data plan.
After purchasing the package, the rental forum app can be opened smoothly.
This forum page is so crudely designed it looks like a group project used by college students to get credits. It only has two sub-pages: [Rental Discussion Area] and [Advertising and Promotion Area], with the [Advertising and Promotion Area] being highlighted.
Zhou Fangdong opened the [Advertising and Promotion Area] and found the [Honest Promotional Flyer] that the system had already written in the draft box of the posting area.
After quickly glancing at the contents of the [Honesty Promotional Leaflet], Zhou Fangdong was speechless.
No wonder it's called "Honest Flyer," you're being way too honest!
[Liwan Apartments officially available for rent today!]
Are you still troubled by high rent? Are you still feeling lonely because your room is too cold? Are you still worried about not being able to afford funeral expenses? Come and rent a room at our Liwan Apartments!
Our apartment building boasts the most ghosts, the lowest rent, the least sunlight, and the dirtiest hygiene conditions in the city! Come and experience a cheap, thrilling rental adventure!
Room 101 in the apartment is now officially available for rent at only 30 yuan per month! You won't regret it! For just 30 yuan, you can have a room where you can both rest and die!
Our apartment building also includes after-sales service; we guarantee that any ghosts in this building will ensure your remains are never found, so you'll never have to worry about expensive funeral and cemetery fees again!
Click the link below to see our apartment's detailed address and contact information. Liwan Apartments welcomes you!
After reading this promotional slogan, Zhou Fangdong felt an urge to smash his phone.
This garbage system is deliberately trying to screw over its host; it's writing promotional materials with its feet.
It would be a miracle if this could be rented out. Would any normal person actually come to see the apartment because of this flyer?
Zhou Fangdong tried to revise the wording in the post, but then he discovered that this crappy phone didn't even have an input method, and all he could do now was click send.
Since things have come to this, we can only leave it to fate.
In despair, Zhou Fangdong pressed send ten times.
*
Zhao Dawei is 45 years old this year and is a very ordinary middle-aged man.
He was fired from his job this morning.
When he got home, he found that his eldest son, who should have been in college, was also there.
The eldest son confessed to him that he had racked up over 100,000 yuan in online loans. He had failed his college entrance exam and forged a university admission letter. For the past two years, he had been holed up in his rented room pretending to be a college student. Recently, he had also become addicted to online gambling, borrowing money from online lenders to pay off his debts. Finally, he couldn't keep going and chose to go home for help.
Zhao Dawei gave his eldest son a severe beating, but in the end, he still chose to help him pay off his loan first.
When he asked his wife for money, he discovered that his youngest son, who had dropped out of junior high school, was addicted to spending money on in-game purchases, and his housewife wife was addicted to shopping through live streaming. Together, they had spent all of the family's savings.
The eldest son discovered that all the family's savings were gone, and his pent-up emotions finally exploded. He grabbed a kitchen knife and tried to attack his younger son. His wife shielded him and was slashed in the carotid artery. Seeing his mother injured, the younger son also erupted, charging headfirst into his eldest son. The two lost their balance and fell from the 19th-floor balcony together.
By the time Zhao Dawei realized what had happened, his wife had already died from excessive blood loss, and his two sons had turned into a pile of indistinguishable flesh.
Zhao Dawei was utterly desperate.
All three died violent deaths, and to prevent the emergence of ghosts, the entire building where his family lived was sealed off by the Bureau of Anomalies.
Zhao Dawei left home in a daze.
Nighttime is when ghosts and monsters are active, and he must find a place to live before dark.
Before this, Zhao Dawei had always handed over his entire salary to his wife. Because of the company's poor performance, his severance pay (N+1) wouldn't be paid until next month, and he currently only had two hundred yuan in hand.
With this little money, I can't even afford a hotel, let alone rent a place in the city.
Sleeping on overpasses or park benches is also prohibited. Cities have curfews, and anyone found wandering outside at night, whether human or ghost, will be expelled from the city.
Rather than waiting to be driven to the suburbs, it's better to find a place to live in the suburbs in advance.
Zhao Dawei diligently sifted through a vast array of rental apps.
Since the paranormal events began, no one has been buying houses anymore; most people are choosing to rent, since no one knows when their house might be locked up due to ghosts.
As a result, all sorts of rental apps have sprung up, some even going so far as to categorize by price.
After scrolling through his phone for a while, Zhao Dawei found a rental forum app with a green icon.
This forum is full of cheap housing listings in the suburbs.
The more people there are, the fewer ghosts there are; conversely, the fewer people there are, the more ghosts there are.
In addition, houses in the suburbs are generally poorly maintained and have a weak ability to defend against ghost attacks. Unless someone is desperate, no one would come to the suburbs to find a house to live in.
Zhao Dawei gripped his phone tightly and opened the forum... He only needed to live in the suburbs for a month.
Just as he opened the forum, an advertisement post suddenly appeared and instantly flooded the forum's homepage.
Zhao Dawei paused for a moment, then subconsciously clicked on the link, before falling silent as he stared at the overly honest promotional slogan.
So honest?
Other haunted houses at least try to disguise their haunted status when listing them for rent, using some artful language. This landlord of Liwan Apartments really doesn't even bother to put on an act.
Zhao Dawei of Liwan Apartments knew that the infamous building was well-known even to people outside the city.
Before the paranormal events began, hundreds of people had died in this apartment building, and most of them were murders.
After the apartment building was abandoned, and because several people died inside, the building was completely sealed off.
I don't know when the apartment's ownership was transferred again, but now they dare to rent it out.
Zhao Dawei shook his head, exited the thread, and began browsing other rental posts.
However, after going through all the posts on the forum, Zhao Dawei discovered that the only place he could afford to rent was a room in the Liwan Apartment.
The cheapest other rooms are 150 yuan per month.
He only has two hundred yuan in hand right now, and it will take him some time to find a new job. He also needs to set aside some money for food.
Zhao Dawei gritted his teeth and finally reopened the post about Liwan Apartments.
Since they're all suburban houses and equally dangerous, I might as well choose the cheapest one.
After clicking on the attached link and noting down the address of Liwan Apartment, Zhao Dawei boarded a bus and headed there.
*
Zhou Fangdong was stunned when he received the tenant's request to view the apartment.
No way, someone actually came.
[Ding—Congratulations, host, for completing the beginner's guide mission ②. Reward: a set of basic fully automatic cleaning tools]
A broom-shaped icon appeared in the inventory. Zhou Fangdong clicked on it to check the item description.
[Basic fully automatic cleaning tool]
(Can be sold; the mall buyback price is 10 Ghost Coins)
Effective time: 30 minutes
Cleanable area: 50 square meters
Are you still bothered by the ubiquitous dust? Come and free your hands with fully automatic cleaning tools!
Zhou Fangdong noticed the mall's recycling price and casually opened the system mall.
This item has also been unlocked in the store and is currently available for purchase at a price of 30 Ghost Coins.
That's really shady, a system full of unscrupulous merchants.
Recycling would result in a direct loss of 20 Ghost Coins, so Zhou Fangdong abandoned the idea of selling the item.
Just then, the system notification sounded:
[Beep—Please complete the beginner's guide quest ③: Show the apartment to a tenant, get the tenant to rent the room, and complete your first rental transaction]
Zhou Fangdong was almost traumatized by the beeping sound.
"System, can we talk about something? Can you change the notification sound? This sound is too harsh."
[300 Ghost Coins unlock the live voiceover feature]
"Excuse me, farewell."
In order to keep his first tenant, Zhou Fangdong thought about it and decided to use fully automatic cleaning equipment in room 101.
After all, if this deal doesn't go through, it will be hard to find someone who isn't afraid of haunted houses next time.
While the fully automatic cleaning equipment was cleaning the room, Zhou Fangdong stood by the apartment entrance with a kerosene lamp, waiting for the tenant who was coming to view the apartment.
Half an hour later, a short, stout figure appeared outside the gate of Liwan Apartment.
Looking at the gloomy building in front of him, Zhao Dawei wiped the cold sweat from his brow and suddenly had second thoughts.
The building was completely abandoned; even the windows were nailed shut. The apartment door hadn't been used in ages; layers of dust had turned the glass door frosted. There was also suspicious blackish-red liquid on the doormat…
Just as he was hesitating in front of the door, the apartment door suddenly opened by itself.
Zhao Dawei was so frightened that he took a step back.
Then, to his surprise, he discovered that there was a person standing inside the dark building.
He was a thin young man, dressed in loose black clothes, carrying an old-fashioned kerosene lamp.
The cool, handsome face, illuminated by the dim light of the kerosene lamp, gave off an almost unreal feeling.
His skin was a pale, unseen white, and his long, narrow, almond-shaped eyes had upturned corners, giving him a sense of compassion even when expressionless. His nose was straight, and a small, vermilion mole hung beneath his thin, bloodless lips... He looked like a porcelain statue.
He was enveloped in boundless darkness, the lamplight flickering in his dark pupils, dust particles swirling in the warm yellow glow. His compassionate gaze pierced through the floating dust, landing on the newcomer, as if scrutinizing him, or perhaps expressing pity.
The moment their eyes met, Zhao Dawei felt a momentary daze, and inexplicably felt a sense of peace.
Is this the landlord who posted the ad? He looks so young... Since he dares to rent out the room, he must be able to guarantee the safety of his tenants, right?
While Zhao Dawei was sizing up Zhou Fangdong, Zhou Fangdong was also sizing him up.
Looking at this ordinary-looking middle-aged man, Zhou Fangdong wondered if this was his first tenant.
Although it looks very ordinary... since he dared to check in after reading the honesty brochure, he must be able to guarantee his safety, right?
A note from the author:
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