Chapter 24: Pay to Play

The situation was gradually becoming clear.

Xia Mi suspected that the reason the mother and son in 704 had grown stronger was that Y-054 had devoured 1127’s Y-056.

The reason the people gathered on the sixth floor were so obedient was that they had been sprayed with water infused with Y-057. Even if their corrupted parts had been severed, Xia Mi worried they were still being targeted by Y-057.

Then there was Sister Li.

The mosquitoes were being raised in the water meter box at Sister Li’s house. Sister Li had the longest contact with them, and Y-054, the “Zhuo,” had been observing the “Rong” through her home this entire time. Having spent so much time with the mosquitoes, there was no telling what kind of impact it had on her mental state.

Even if Y-054 did not intend to harm Sister Li, her corrupted power was overdrawing her very life force.

And the auntie in 704.

Their lives were already difficult enough, and they had lost so much vitality. Even if they survived this ordeal, they would likely fall ill in the future.

Xia Mi took a deep breath, feeling the weight on her shoulders grow heavier.

Fortunately, she was not the type to dwell on things or get lost in sentimentality. After less than ten seconds of melancholy, Xia Mi pulled herself together and resumed the game according to her original plan.

She first controlled “Xiao Mi” to enter 703 to check on the three young men.

Their condition was surprisingly good!

They were staying obediently in Xia Mi’s room. When “Xiao Mi” entered, the three of them were actually playing cards.

Xia Mi typed a few words on her keyboard. On the game interface, “Xiao Mi” asked them: [What have you been doing during this time?]

They told “Xiao Mi” that they had first slept on floor mats, sleeping all the way until 11:00 AM. They were a bit hungry when they woke up, but they felt awkward rummaging through someone else’s room. Furthermore, they felt an inexplicable fear of leaving the room, so they just endured it.

When they got bored, the three of them found a deck of cards and spent three hours playing Fight the Landlord¹.

While “Xiao Mi” had been busy for over a dozen hours, they had been living quite comfortably.

Not only had their corrupted parts not increased, but they had actually diminished significantly, and their sanity had returned to normal.

There seemed to be a power within 703 that could resist “Zhuo,” allowing them to maintain their clarity.

Meanwhile, some unseen force had prevented them from ordering takeout, stopped them from going out to work, and kept them from returning to 702 to look for food.

Although they were completely baffled by the situation, biological instinct drives creatures to seek benefit and avoid harm. They sensed that 703 was safe, so they had stayed put.

Seeing that they were dizzy with hunger, “Xiao Mi” found some instant noodles and bottled water in the cabinet for them. There was no hot water in the room, and “Xiao Mi” did not want them using her dishes, so she had them chew the dry noodles. They obediently agreed.

While eating, the three told “Xiao Mi” that someone had knocked on their door last night. They figured that with three grown men in the room, they did not need to fear a thief or a mugger, so they opened the door.

There was no one outside, but several mosquitoes flew in. After being bitten, their minds became hazy and their bodies felt strange.

A voice in their heads commanded them to enter 703 and force the occupant out.

They had intended to go immediately, but at the time, the pregnant auntie from 704 was blocking the door to 703, so they had not acted.

After that came the moment when Xia Mi stepped out and fought the three of them with her axe.

“Xiao Mi” asked them about the dragging and gnawing sounds in the hallway, but they all shook their heads, indicating they had not heard anything.

It seemed those events had occurred in 701.

“Xiao Mi” instructed them to stay put in 703 and not go out, then headed to 702 to track down the “Zhuo.”

The interior of 702 had become a mosquito nest.

The moment “Xiao Mi” entered, she was swarmed. Without weapons or a Protective Suit, “Xiao Mi” had no means of dealing with them, and a cloud of mosquitoes began biting her.

Just then, a skill prompt appeared in the bottom right corner of the screen. Xia Mi clicked it, and a pop-up window appeared:

[Player has mastered the basic skill “Silkworm.” You may use “Silkworm” to resolve the crisis.]

[Friendly Reminder: You should not just eat anything. The reason the player became a tentacle monster is a side effect of using “Silkworm.” If the use of “Silkworm” exceeds a certain limit, the player will gradually lose their “human” status.

Previously, the player used “Silkworm” to consume corrupted parts derived from humans, which had little impact. However, mosquitoes are not human, they contain toxins harmful to the human body. “Silkworm” will absorb not only the mosquitoes’ energy but also their toxins.]

Since it was just a game, Xia Mi wanted a quick resolution, so she used “Silkworm” to absorb the mosquitoes without hesitation.

The mosquitoes in 702 were wiped out, but “Xiao Mi” transformed from a little girl into a little girl with purplish-black skin.

A countdown icon appeared over “Xiao Mi’s” head. Clicking it for details revealed it was a countdown to death by poisoning, showing that “Xiao Mi” only had half an hour to live.

Due to the poisoning, all of “Xiao Mi’s” attributes were reduced by 50%, weakening her strength and speed.

Xia Mi: “…”

It seemed 702 was a trap carefully prepared for her by the “Zhuo.”

However, “Xiao Mi” had not come away from the action without clues.

People bitten by the mosquitoes established a connection with Y-054. Through this connection, “Xiao Mi” actually located Y-054’s whereabouts. Y-054 was in 701!

Racing against time, “Xiao Mi” kicked open the door to 701, only to find two men and one woman lying on the floor. It was impossible to tell which one was Y-054.

The connection with the mosquitoes told “Xiao Mi” that Y-054 was definitely among these three.

With little time remaining, “Xiao Mi” pulled out a Purification Grenade and tossed it at the trio.

The grenade exploded, and subtitles scrolled across the game screen.

[“Xiao Mi” has successfully purified Y-054. This Domain is about to dissolve.

Liao Tianhua and the others, seeing the Domain dissolve, assumed the “Zhuo” had been eliminated and led their team into the building to provide support.

What no one expected was that while the Y-054 that had spread its nest to occupy Building 6 was dead, another “Zhuo” was still hiding in the building: Y-057.]

[“Xiao Mi” succumbs to the poison and falls unconscious. Y-057 appears silently and devours her.

A powerful “Zhuo” is born.

The Domain blankets Building 6 once more. Everyone, including Liao Tianhua and his men who enter later, becomes food for the “Zhuo.”

The Second Team is completely wiped out.

“Project Queen Bee” has found a new test subject. The experiment continues. Who will be the next victim?]

The damn game even had the nerve to congratulate Xia Mi on reaching a new ending. She looked at the screen, feeling a sudden urge to smash the computer.

She hurriedly tried to load a save to play again, but this time, she could not even open Hani Apartments.

A prompt informed her that she had already reached two endings and exhausted her free limit. To continue playing, she had to purchase more game attempts.

One thousand zhuo coins per attempt.

Xia Mi’s balance was only 250 zhuo coins. Insufficient funds.

“This piece of trash game actually charges money?” Xia Mi snapped.

“Games either take your money or make you watch ads,” Xiao Pi muttered from his corner. “Even the electricity to play costs money. You’ve been using the computer and charging your phone, you’ve already used up one kilowatt-hour. If you keep playing, you’ll have to pay the power bill.”

Xia Mi shot Xiao Pi a glare before putting away the laptop and phone. She did not pay for more electricity.

The game was unplayable for now, and her phone was at 83 percent charge, enough to get by.

She glanced at the auntie. While she had been gaming, Xiao Pi had moved the unconscious woman to the bed. She was now sleeping deeply, looking as though she had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

Recalling the source of the Zhuo power, Xia Mi’s heart grew heavy.

She did not know if the auntie would ever wake up again.

Xiao Pi did not understand his mother’s true condition. Seeing Xia Mi stand up, he asked happily, “Big Sister, are you leaving?”

Xia Mi nodded. She reached out and patted Xiao Pi’s shoulder with uncharacteristic gravity. “Xiao Pi, you’re a man now. You have to protect your mother.”

Xiao Pi wanted to retort, “Weren’t you the one bullying my mom this whole time?” but seeing the rare, serious look on Xia Mi’s face, he did not argue. Instead, he gave a firm nod.

Xia Mi shouldered her backpack and walked out of Room 704.

The moment she left, Xiao Pi double-locked the door behind her, as if he were seeing off a plague god².

Xia Mi stood alone in the hallway. This time, she had no weapons, no game, and no Shield. She was truly on her own.

Just then, her phone vibrated. She saw a message from Liao Tianhua and remembered she still had Xiao Liao to keep her company.

Liao Tianhua: [The Second Team has completely lost contact. I’m preparing to undergo Rong modification. Once the modification is successful, I’ll be able to enter the Domain and rescue you.]

Xia Mi: [What is Rong modification?]

Liao Tianhua: [We froze the eggs taken from the survivors’ brains. Testing shows these eggs aren’t dead, they’re just hibernating. Someone proposed fusing these eggs with normal humans to try and create warriors similar to Shield and Eye. The proposal was rejected because it was deemed too inhumane, but the eggs were kept.

The situation is critical now. I can’t just stand by and watch you all die. As the captain, it’s my responsibility to protect your lives. Rather than sitting back here waiting, I’d rather try to become a Rong. There might be a chance.]

Xia Mi: [Wasn’t the proposal rejected?]

Liao Tianhua: [Yes. So I’m planning to break the rules.]

Xia Mi: “…”

Xia Mi: [Have there been any prior experiments with this?]

Liao Tianhua: [No formal experiments. However, there were incidents where people stole the eggs. Once they were caught, they swallowed the eggs in an attempt to become a Rong. They all died.]

Xia Mi: [So you’re saying the survival rate for Rong modification is zero?]

Liao Tianhua: [Theoretically, there is hope.]

Xia Mi sighed and typed back: [Xiao Liao, stop messing around.]

Liao Tianhua: [What did you just call me?]

Xia Mi: [Xiao Liao. You’re usually so level-headed, why are you getting impulsive at the finish line? Know your role. Just be a good chat buddy.]

Liao Tianhua: [Xia Mi, what happened to make you talk like this?]

Xia Mi: [I’m about to go risk my life. What’s wrong with enjoying a bit of authority for once? Xiao Liao, listen to me. Don’t be impulsive. Guard the rear. Also, even if the Domain is lifted, do not bring anyone in unless I message you first. Sometimes, just because a Domain is gone doesn’t mean the danger has vanished.]

Liao Tianhua: [I think you’re the one being impulsive.]

Xia Mi: [Doesn’t matter who’s impulsive. Just make sure you stay alive. If something happens to you, who’s going to finalize my Bianzhi, name me a martyr, and send the pension to my family?]

Liao Tianhua: “…”

Xia Mi: [Remember to add a Second-Class Merit. Send it to my house with drums and gongs³. Make sure everyone on the street sees it, you hear me?]

Translator’s Notes