Chapter 31

On the Avatar Interface, a pixelated character in the likeness of a Huadan¹ opera singer, dressed in a White Opera Costume, was swaying back and forth while flicking its long water sleeves.

Below the pixelated character, a line of text was displayed:

[Use this Ghost Tenant as an avatar?] [Yes] [No]

Zhou Fangdong clicked on the details of the Possession Feature to investigate. He discovered that this function allowed the Landlord to control a Ghost Tenant’s body, enabling him to move around outside from the Ghost Tenant’s first-person perspective.

Swiping left revealed the Map Exploration function. The interface for this feature was a miniature version of the Linjiang City Map, which was currently blank.

The details page for the Map Exploration function stated: When the Landlord moves outside using an avatar, or when a Ghost Tenant moves outside on their own, the Ghost Tenant’s power can be used to mark locations where supernatural energy is active. Afterward, the Ghost Tenant can teleport directly from Liwan Apartments to those locations.

The Instance Corrosion Function and the Map Exploration function shared the same interface.

The details page read: You can use the Ghost Tenant’s power to erode Supernatural Instances created by the Main God System, whether they are currently in progress or in the preparation phase before starting.

In addition, the Instance Corrosion Function had an unlocked hidden usage method.

After reading all this, Zhou Fangdong finally understood why the system had been so excited after unlocking these functions, even setting off little digital fireworks next to his task window… Zhou Fangdong was also very excited and happy.

Before having these functions, Zhou Fangdong couldn’t leave the apartments, nor could he leave his room at night. He could only endure the long nights by sheer willpower or by passing the time with Roleplay Tasks. But with this avatar, he wouldn’t need to immerse himself in Roleplay Tasks at night anymore—he could leave the apartments and go out to play!

At the thought of this, Zhou Fangdong felt a sudden surge of excitement.

He had originally thought he would be trapped in Liwan Apartments for a long time; he hadn’t expected to get a chance for some fresh air after only a few days.

However, using the Possession Feature required Favorability. If Favorability was too low, the attempt could fail due to the Ghost Tenant’s refusal.

Without much hope, Zhou Fangdong tapped on the swaying pixelated Huadan character to check Mu Yuechan’s Favorability toward him.

In truth, after their recent encounter, he expected Mu Yuechan’s Favorability to be very low, quite possibly zero.

However, when he saw the Favorability number, Zhou Fangdong froze.

For a moment, he wondered if the newly unlocked Possession Feature had a bug.

He simply opened the main Favorability interface, found Mu Yuechan’s name, and clicked on it.

On the Favorability page, Mu Yuechan’s rating remained the same number.

[70]

It was actually 70!!!

Zhou Fangdong was utterly stunned. “System, is there a bug in your programming? I just scolded him and mocked him like that, and Mu Yuechan’s Favorability toward me is 70?? Is he okay?”

The Favorability range of 60 to 80 was defined as ‘Sincere Heart-to-Heart – Absolute Trust.’ They had just had a massive argument, yet Mu Yuechan’s Favorability toward him was nearly at the level of absolute trust… My god.

[There is no issue with the system programming. The personality trait of the Ghost Tenant in Room 103 is ‘Admiration for the Strong².’ If you act too submissive or weak in front of him, he will look down on you instead.]

[To increase the Favorability of the Room 103 Ghost Tenant, Mu Yuechan, as quickly as possible, the Host can continue to suppress him. It is best to behave even more strictly and coldly. Once he has completely submitted, the Host can…]

Zhou Fangdong’s expression twisted for a moment, and he quickly interrupted the system’s unfinished sentence. “Alright, I get it. System, stop talking. This is getting weird.”

This mode of interaction was truly too strange; it felt like some kind of specialized roleplay.

Regardless, he couldn’t use the Possession Feature for the time being, so he set it aside. He still had other tasks to finish.

The most important thing right now was to complete Xiao Di’s Roleplay Task in Room 108. The 1,000 Experience Points from the task would allow him to level up again and unlock a new skill in the process.

He remembered that Duan Wenyu had given him a USB Drive containing the case files for the murders at Liwan Apartments…

Zhou Fangdong pulled the USB Drive out of his Inventory, scanned the room, and suddenly realized something.

He didn’t have a computer, and the USB Drive couldn’t be plugged into his phone… So, how was he supposed to check the murder case files inside?

“System, can you read this USB Drive?”

[The system can read the contents of the USB Drive. Please place the USB Drive back into the Inventory.]

The reading process would take some time. Zhou Fangdong thought for a moment, picked up the box of incense he had opened last time from the table, lay down on the bed, and used the [Provider] skill on it.

The familiar feeling of weakness washed over him again, but because he had lied down on the bed in advance, he didn’t end up in as pathetic a state as last time.

The “Wealthy Version” of Zhou Fangdong, now possessing 3,250 Ghost Coins, waited until he had recovered slightly before spending 100 Ghost Coins to refill his Health Bar. Then, he took out another bundle of incense and repeated the process.

After spending 200 Ghost Coins, Zhou Fangdong successfully obtained 74 sticks of Offering Incense. Combined with the 14 sticks he had left from before, he had exactly 88 sticks³.

The number was auspicious, and the quantity should be enough, so he left it at that.

Zhou Fangdong put the Offering Incense back into his Inventory with satisfaction.

He had 3,050 Ghost Coins left… Looking at the four-digit balance, Zhou Fangdong’s mood improved the more he looked at it. He felt an impulse to open the System Mall and go on a shopping spree for items.

No, spending money is getting to my head; I need to calm down. The Night Attack of a Hundred Ghosts is coming soon, and I still don’t know what that task entails. There will definitely be many places where I’ll need Ghost Coins then.

Zhou Fangdong suspected that the Night Attack of a Hundred Ghosts event involved the ghosts from the upper floors using the elevator to rush down.

After all, the prerequisite for unlocking the Night Attack of a Hundred Ghosts event was the opening of the elevator.

Mu Yuechan had once said that ghosts without rooms would turn into beasts controlled by obsessions—violent and completely devoid of reason.

The Yin Energy in the first-floor corridor had stabilized because he had rented out the rooms. The Yin Energy on the floors above the first floor was surely the same as before, and the state of those ghosts could well be imagined.

If the thing in the elevator he encountered that night was one of the ghosts from the Night Attack of a Hundred Ghosts event… Remembering how the Kerosene Lamp’s flare-up couldn’t stop the elevator from opening, Zhou Fangdong suddenly felt a bit panicked.

If the ghosts were of that level, he would need to prepare some high-grade ghost-repelling items for his tenants.

The amount of Ghost Coins still wasn’t enough; he had to work harder on his tasks.

The system’s data reading speed was very fast, so Zhou Fangdong didn’t have to wait long.

It imported the data from the USB Drive directly into the system database, then packaged all the information together into an app, allowing Zhou Fangdong to view it directly on his phone.

Zhou Fangdong opened his phone and immediately saw the new icon that looked like a folder.

Upon opening it, a dense collection of murder case files was clearly organized by room number.

There really had been quite a lot of murders at Liwan Apartments…

Zhou Fangdong opened the folder for Room 108 and found the case records related to Xiao Di.

After reading the files, a sense of awe rose in Zhou Fangdong’s heart.

Xiao Di was a pure god of war.

This boy, who had just started middle school, had single-handedly killed the six cultists in Room 103, as well as his own parents who had also joined the cult.

Eight adults hadn’t been able to subdue one child; he had even managed to kill them in return.

According to the case files, on the day of the incident, Xiao Di’s movements matched Zhou Fangdong’s actions in the Roleplay Task—he had also encountered that greasy, bald man as soon as he stepped out the door in the morning.

Later, while visiting that bald man’s home, Xiao Di must have discovered the secret room and run back to his own house.

However, for some reason, his parents didn’t act against him immediately upon his return. Instead, they let him hide in the kitchen.

Ultimately, Xiao Di poured cooking oil on the floor, scattered flour, and turned on the natural gas valve. When those eight adults smashed through the door and charged into the kitchen, only to slip and fall, he directly ignited the gas.

Natural gas plus flour created a massive explosion. The fact that the Liwan Apartments didn’t collapse from the blast was a testament to its solid construction.

Zhou Fangdong had wondered why Room 108 looked like a battle-scarred ruin when he inspected it; it turned out it had been blown up by natural gas.

Based on the case file and the information gathered from Mu Yuechan, the six bald men in Room 103 and Xiao Di’s parents were likely all cultists of the Sigu Society, who flayed people to make Human Skin Hats.

During the Roleplay Task, Zhou Fangdong had seen a human face behind his head in a glass reflection when he left the house in the morning… He suspected that face might also be a victim of those cultists.

That face was likely trying to warn him that the bald man was dangerous; it was very possibly the ghost of Room 108.

Knowing Xiao Di’s history made the subsequent Roleplay Task much easier. Even if he made mistakes, he could eventually recreate Xiao Di’s final moments with enough practice.

After confirming there was no unusual movement from Mu Yuechan in Room 103, Zhou Fangdong directly had the system start the Roleplay Task.

Only after experiencing it firsthand did he realize how difficult Xiao Di’s actions in the case file were to pull off.

Not only did he have to escape the pursuit of those six bald men, but he also had to act as if nothing was wrong upon returning home, waiting for a moment when his parents weren’t paying attention to dash into the kitchen.

It was a grueling test of stamina management and familiarity with the room’s layout and the distribution of kitchen items.

Zhou Fangdong failed several times, unable to reach the kitchen in time, and had his throat slit by the father.

During these deaths, Zhou Fangdong finally managed to hear the full conversation between the father and the bald men who had chased him.

Xiao Di’s parents were indeed members of the Sigu Society cult. They had given birth to Xiao Di specifically to skin him and offer his hide to the Sigu Society’s higher-ups to be made into a Human Skin Hat.

To ensure Xiao Di had the proper astrological birth chart⁴, his mother had even opted for a C-section two weeks early.

The reason Xiao Di’s father chose to kill his son himself that day was because the cultists from Room 103 wanted to steal the credit—they wanted to capture Xiao Di first, turn him into human skin, and present him as their own sacrifice to the leadership.

Enraged, Xiao Di’s father decided to end his son’s life with a single stroke.

Cults truly destroy lives, rotting the brains of their followers… They viewed Xiao Di entirely as an object to be fought over for merit, rather than a living human being.

Furthermore, before Xiao Di was born, his parents had a daughter who had also been flayed.

Perhaps these modern cultists weren’t as skilled at crafting human skins as those from the Republican era⁵. After Xiao Di’s sister was made into a Human Skin Hat, a wisp of her soul escaped the seal and had been attached to Xiao Di ever since—this was the face Zhou Fangdong had seen in the reflection of the hallway window during the task.

She was the one warning Xiao Di that the bald man in Room 103 was dangerous.

It was thanks to his sister’s warning that Xiao Di had sensed something was wrong with his parents and managed to dodge his father’s blade that day.

After dying and reviving more than a dozen times in the Roleplay Task, Zhou Fangdong finally executed everything perfectly. In the end, amidst a roar of an explosion, he successfully killed the eight cultists and completed the task.

[Ding—Congratulations Host, Roleplay successful.]

[Reward: 1000 Experience Points, Random Skill Point x1.]

Zhou Fangdong lay on the bed, exhausted and unwilling to move even a finger.

Although dying in an explosion this time didn’t involve much pain, he still felt a phantom ache in his neck.

In the dozen or so attempts prior, Xiao Di’s father had slit his throat every time; that sensation of pain seemed to have been branded into his body.

Since he had entered the Roleplay Task in the morning, it was only four in the afternoon by the time he succeeded.

Zhou Fangdong opened his special tenant watch list. After checking once more that Mu Yuechan had made no moves during the past half-day, he opened his Character Attribute Interface.

Those one thousand Experience Points had successfully leveled him up, unlocking a new skill.

With zero expectations, Zhou Fangdong wriggled on the bed to find a comfortable position and casually opened the newly unlocked skill.

It was likely another useless support skill. Getting the “Provider” bloodline last time was already a mercy from the system; the system couldn’t be that kind every time.

[Skill 5: Strange Shrine]

[Skill Description: Better to worship yourself than gods or ghosts.]

[Usage: Summon the shrine and use three sticks of Offering Incense to worship it.]

(Note: This skill continuously drains the Spirit Bar while active. If the Spirit Bar drops below half, the skill automatically disappears.)

After reading the skill description, Zhou Fangdong sighed.

What a garbage skill. Looking at the description, he couldn’t even tell if it was an offensive skill or a support skill.

Zhou Fangdong complained weakly, “System, this skill description is too cryptic. Can’t you be a bit clearer? What type of skill is this exactly?”

[The Strange Shrine is an offensive skill. Once used, it is effective against both humans and ghosts.]

Zhou Fangdong, who had been lounging like a couch potato⁶, suddenly bolted upright. “An offensive skill?!”

“System, you’re actually being generous enough to unlock an offensive skill for me?”

Zhou Fangdong jumped off the bed in excitement. His back no longer ached, his neck no longer pained him, and his exhaustion vanished instantly.

“I’ve finally waited for an offensive skill! The Skill Points I’ve been hoarding finally have a purpose! System, put all three of my Skill Points into this offensive skill!”

[Is the Host sure about putting all three Skill Points into the skill “Strange Shrine”?]

“Confirmed. It wasn’t easy to finally get an offensive skill; of course I’m putting the points into it. System, go ahead and add them!”

[Points added. Skill 5 “Strange Shrine” has been upgraded.]

[Skill 5: Eerie Shrine]

[Skill Description: Better to worship yourself than gods or ghosts; better to seek your own heart than heaven or earth.]

[Usage: Summon the shrine and use four sticks of Offering Incense to worship it.]

(Note: This skill continuously drains the Spirit Bar while active. If the Spirit Bar drops below half, the skill automatically disappears.)

After reading the description, Zhou Fangdong nodded in satisfaction.

Although he didn’t know the specifics of what it meant, the description was longer than it was before the upgrade, which meant it had definitely become stronger.

Excellent! This was exactly why he had saved his Skill Points. In the future, any Skill Points he earned would go into this offensive skill.

However, this skill had rather high requirements for the Spirit Bar…

“System, put all three Attribute Points I got from leveling up into the Spirit Bar.”

[Is the Host sure about putting all three Attribute Points into the Spirit Bar?]

“Confirmed.”

[Understood. Three Attribute Points have been added to the Spirit Bar.]

After finishing his upgrades, Zhou Fangdong left the room in high spirits.

He planned to take advantage of the daylight to clear out Room 108. Then, he would find the ghost of Room 108, figure out its Killing Pattern, and rent the room out.

He hadn’t used his daily Honest Flyer yet; it would be a waste not to use it.

Zhou Fangdong walked to the door of Room 108 and pushed it open.

The interior of this room no longer matched the “dry” character-shaped layout from the Roleplay Task. The hundred-square-meter space was filled with broken bricks and shattered tiles; not a single intact room could be found. Every wall except for the load-bearing ones had collapsed, and everything within sight was charred black, looking like a battlefield that had just endured heavy shelling.

After Zhou Fangdong stepped into Room 108, a system pop-up appeared:

[Side Quest 5: Clean and Rent Out Room 108]

[① Clear the construction waste within the room]

[② Repaint the walls]

[③ Find the ghost hidden in the room and determine the Killing Pattern]

[④ Draft a Rental Contract and find a tenant to move in]

Familiar with the process, Zhou Fangdong spent 60 Ghost Coins in the mall to purchase two Automatic Cleaning Tools. However, he didn’t use them immediately, instead beginning a search of the room.

He wanted to find the ghost of Room 108 first.

If his predictions were correct, the ghost of Room 108 should be the junior high boy, Xiao Di, or perhaps his sister who had died young.

However, to Zhou Fangdong’s surprise, he was completely wrong.

There were actually two ghosts in Room 108.

He stared at the two ghosts before him in silence, rendered speechless.

That familiar height, that familiar build…

If he wasn’t mistaken, these two fierce ghosts—charred black and mangled beyond recognition by the explosion—must be Xiao Di’s parents, who had been burned to cinders.

Where did they get the nerve to stay in this room? On what grounds was their resentment greater than that of their victims? What on earth did these animalistic parents have to feel aggrieved about?

Zhou Fangdong’s blood pressure spiked with rage.

He would absolutely not allow these two ghosts to remain in his apartment rooms; they were too disgusting.

They had to be cleared out. These kinds of deranged ghosts had dared to kill their own biological children for the sake of taking credit while they were alive; after death, they would surely dare to violate his Tenant Rules and harm his tenants for the sake of greater profit.

Zhou Fangdong didn’t care whether ghosts bound by the apartment’s constraints would actually dare to violate the Tenant Rules. Regardless, these two ghosts had to die. His apartment might have a lot of trash, but it didn’t take in human-shaped garbage like this.

It was the perfect opportunity to use these two ghosts for practice and see if his newly unlocked ghost-dispelling skill was effective.

Zhou Fangdong pulled four sticks of Offering Incense from his Inventory, preparing to use Skill 5: [Eerie Shrine].

Translator’s Notes