Chapter 36

Hong Zhong parked the car at the entrance of Liwan Apartments.

He pulled the door open and stepped out, lowering the tailgate of the pickup truck to let the furniture pieces disembark.

As the wind blew against the cold sweat on his back, a chill seemed to pierce through his spine and into his heart. Recalling that brief exchange of looks just now, Hong Zhong felt his heart rate begin to accelerate uncontrollably.

Right then, a ghostly, chilling voice drifted from behind him: “You’ve come…”

The six-foot-three man nearly jumped out of his skin.

Hong Zhong turned around in terror, staring in shock at the figure appearing in the apartment’s main entrance.

This landlord had been admiring flowers in the abandoned garden in the middle of the building just moments ago, yet he had appeared at the entrance in such a short amount of time. He truly moved like a ghost.

“Yes, I… I’ve brought the furniture back.” Hong Zhong forced a smile and walked into the apartment building.

One by one, the furniture pieces hopped down from the truck bed, as if they couldn’t wait to enter Liwan Apartments.

Hong Zhong stepped to the side slightly to make way for them.

He watched the passing furniture, lowering his head in deep thought, wondering how to broach the subject to test the landlord’s current state… Could he really leave the apartments now? If he could, what did he intend to do? Was he truly just targeting that Main God System?

Zhou Fangdong was also deep in thought, wondering how to poach a talent from the Paranormal Affairs Department—specifically, how to recruit a professional cleaner like Hong Zhong to work for his apartments.

The two men stood side-by-side in silence at the entrance foyer, like traffic guards watching elementary students cross the street, observing the ghost furniture lining up to head toward Room 107. Both were contemplating how to start the conversation.

Finally, Zhou Fangdong spoke first: “Hong Zhong, I remember when we first met, you seemed to be looking for a place. Have you rented a new home yet? If not, I happen to have vacant rooms here for you to live in. The rent is very cheap.”

Hearing Zhou Fangdong’s invitation to move in, Hong Zhong froze for a moment before quickly realizing what was being said.

Back when he was cleaning Room 109, he had heard the landlord mention renting it out and had volunteered to be the tenant. However, he was told the room was only for women, leaving him no choice but to let Miao Zheng take it.

He hadn’t expected the landlord to remember that…

Since he had been rejected before, why did the landlord want him as a tenant now? Did he possess some value now that made him eligible?

Due to professional habit, Hong Zhong’s thoughts began to spiral as he analyzed the situation.

Previously, because he suspected Liwan Apartments could use him as a medium to spread supernatural power, Hong Zhong had proactively applied to work in the field to prevent an outbreak at the department. He had not returned to the Paranormal Affairs Department since, and that was still his current status.

In that case, he could indeed take this opportunity to move into Liwan Apartments.

If he lived in the building, the department would certainly obtain more accurate and stable intelligence through him compared to other inexperienced tenants. Contacting the department would also be much more convenient for him than for others.

With this in mind, Hong Zhong made his decision: “Mr. Landlord, I am indeed preparing to move, and I haven’t found a new place yet. I would very much like to rent from you, but because of my job, I need to file a report with my superiors to change my residence. Once they approve, I’ll move in immediately.”

Hearing him mention his job, Zhou Fangdong’s eyes lit up, and he extended another invitation: “Since your job is so troublesome, have you ever thought about resigning and turning your part-time cleaning into a full-time career? Our apartment’s Trash Disposal Station currently needs a manager. I think you’re very professional at cleaning; you should be a perfect fit for the job.”

Hong Zhong’s Adam’s apple bobbed¹ as he instinctively took a step back.

Was it his imagination? He felt as though this mysterious landlord was strangely eager to keep him in Liwan Apartments permanently, preferably with both his work and life contained within the building… Could it be that he had been targeted?

Did he have something on him that caught the landlord’s attention?

Or was the landlord simply trying to poach from the Bureau?

Thinking about how the Bureau had already made off with all the apartment’s human tenants, Hong Zhong suddenly felt a bit guilty.

Could the landlord be trying to poach him from the Paranormal Affairs Department as retaliation?

However, regarding that job as a Trash Disposal Station manager… Hong Zhong remembered that Liwan Apartments’ trash used to be handled by specialists hired by the property management, who would haul it away at fixed times for destruction. He had never heard of the apartments having its own internal Trash Disposal Station.

…Wait, if he accepted this job, wouldn’t he be able to go deep into the building’s interior?

Hong Zhong’s heart began to race again.

Perhaps this was a golden opportunity to investigate the depths of the apartments. He might even find the cause of the building’s anomalies and discover the mysterious landlord’s true purpose.

He only needed to inform the department. He could resign on the surface while maintaining contact in the shadows, synchronizing the information he gathered from Liwan Apartments.

Although this was dangerous, it was what he should do—what he had to do. It was his duty as the captain of the Paranormal Affairs Department’s investigators. He would not hesitate even if it meant sacrificing his life.

At this thought, Hong Zhong felt an impulse to agree immediately. He wanted to start as the manager of the Liwan Apartments trash station right now.

Though excited, Hong Zhong didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he gave an ambiguous reply: “Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Landlord. I’ll have to consider the career change. Let’s talk about it after I’ve moved into the apartments.”

Although he didn’t get a definitive answer, Zhou Fangdong didn’t push further.

He could tell from Hong Zhong’s words that he intended to rent a room, and that was enough. As long as he lived in the building, there would be plenty of time to convince him to become the trash station manager. Poaching someone required patience; it couldn’t be rushed.

Once Hong Zhong confirmed his tenancy, Room 106 could be reserved for him, leaving only Room 105 as the last unrented room on the first floor.

While Zhou Fangdong and Hong Zhong were chatting in the foyer, Miao Zheng was in Room 101 peeling an apple for Zhao Dawei.

Zhao Dawei looked at the apple, which had been peeled down until only the core remained, and hesitated to speak.

He wanted to advise Miao Zheng not to waste food. Even though the items in the convenience store were free, such waste was still a bit improper.

But Miao Zheng had saved him yesterday. If not for this brave girl, he would have been dead long ago. He didn’t really want to lecture his savior.

While Zhao Dawei was hesitating, to his surprise, the unceremonious girl saw that her peeling had failed and simply took the mangled, skin-covered apple chunks, balled them up, and stuffed them into her mouth.

…Well, that was fine. Nothing was wasted.

Seeing Miao Zheng eagerly preparing to attack a second apple, Zhao Dawei quickly spoke up: “Um, Little Miao, I can actually take care of myself. Why don’t you go take care of your own business? Go do some work or go shopping with friends. You don’t need to stay here with an old uncle like me.”

After swallowing the apple in her mouth, Miao Zheng shrugged. “I don’t have any friends. As for work, my job is just editing and uploading videos, and doing the occasional livestream. Now, the Female Ghost Sister in my room has learned how to use the livestream equipment herself; she doesn’t need my help at all. I didn’t want to be in the way in Room 109, so I thought I’d hang out here for a bit.”

As she spoke, Miao Zheng picked up her phone, seemingly intending to show Zhao Dawei the livestream of the “Dismemberment Ghost” in Room 109.

However, after turning it on and seeing the “no signal” icon on the screen, she belatedly realized that her phone couldn’t be used inside Liwan Apartments.

Miao Zheng sighed and put the phone away. “Sigh… even though there’s broadband in the rooms, it’s still quite inconvenient not having a signal on my phone.”

Seeing her disappointed look, Zhao Dawei handed her his own phone. “Use mine; my phone can connect to the internet.”

Miao Zheng froze for a moment, taking the phone from Zhao Dawei and flipping through it. “Holy cow! Uncle, how did you do it? Your phone can actually access the web in the apartment!”

“The landlord helped modify it. He was probably afraid I wouldn’t be able to contact him if I ran into danger,” Zhao Dawei laughed sheepishly. “After all, among us tenants, I’m the one with the poorest physical fitness and a bit of a slow mind. I don’t have much resistance against danger.”

Miao Zheng patted his shoulder comfortingly. “Everyone has their strengths. You have your own shining points, Uncle. You don’t need to put yourself down like that.”

“Shining points? Me…?” Zhao Dawei’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Miao Zheng expectantly, as if hoping to hear what virtues he possessed.

Miao Zheng thought for a moment, then finally took Zhao Dawei’s phone and opened her account’s livestream room. “Uh, let’s watch the stream first. I’m telling you, the Female Ghost Sister in my room is a total livestreaming genius.”

Zhao Dawei’s attention was diverted, and he looked at the livestream on Miao Zheng’s phone.

The name of the livestream room was [Gentle Female Ghost Sister Teaches You Quick Home-Cooked Meals].

The livestream showed a panoramic view of an open kitchen. Two black plastic bags sat on the counter, and two pale ghost hands covered in purple cadaveric spots² reached out from the bags, busily chopping vegetables.

Occasionally, when a cooking tool was out of arm’s reach, those two ghost hands would extend completely out of the plastic bags, dragging a long string of human bones or other mangled limbs behind the cross-section of the arms.

Whenever this happened, a massive flood of gifts would scroll across the screen.

Miao Zheng said proudly, “Impressive, right? To prove the ghost hands aren’t special effects, I specifically placed all the kitchen tools far away to make Female Ghost Sister stretch her hands out as much as possible.”

“And there’s more, look at this…” Miao Zheng pulled up several clips of past livestream highlights for Zhao Dawei to see.

Zhao Dawei discovered that besides teaching cooking, the Dismemberment Ghost in Room 109 would also write recipes in blood. She taught the audience how to effectively clean dead corners in a room, how to make DIY cleaners from common household items to remove grease, how to kill drain flies, and how to organize clothes in small apartments.

Because of these practical tips, combined with the visual impact of the Dismemberment Ghost’s starkly contrasting appearance, her stream was unexpectedly popular. Even though she only streamed for three hours a day, she hit the trending charts every time she went live.

Zhao Dawei was stunned because he realized something from these clips.

He looked at Miao Zheng in disbelief and confirmed, “Are you saying the ghost in your room not only cooks for you and cleans up, but also helps you organize your clothes??”

Miao Zheng nodded. “Yeah, Female Ghost Sister is super gentle and kind. I don’t even need to edit or film videos anymore. The combined gift donations from her streams over the last few days are higher than the monthly salary the Paranormal Affairs Department gives me. I feel like I could just retire and live out my days in the apartment.”

Zhao Dawei fell silent. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

What an enviable life… He had seen young people who didn’t work and lived off their parents, and parents who didn’t work and forced their children to be child models to support them, but this was the first time he had seen someone living off a ghost³.

Too strong. This young girl was simply too strong, in every sense of the word.

How on earth did Miao Zheng do it? Did the landlord know she was living such a sweet life in the apartment?

Not only could she get a ghost to take care of her daily life, but she even had the ghost livestreaming to earn money to support her… Zhao Dawei felt a twinge of jealousy.

As fellow tenants of Liwan Apartments, the ghost in Zhao Dawei’s room had almost no presence at all.

From the time he moved in until now, because he strictly followed the Tenant Rules, Zhao Dawei had never seen the ghost in his room. He didn’t even know what type of ghost it was.

The two watched the stream for a while longer, and Miao Zheng made a comment that made one want to hit her: “Actually, having nothing to do is quite boring. Now I just play games on the computer every day, lie in bed playing on my phone, and occasionally give Female Ghost Sister some praise.”

“You have no idea. In just these few days, I’ve suddenly gained over eight hundred thousand followers. My career reached its peak so easily that I suddenly feel very empty and lost.”

“I think I should still go out for a walk. If I keep lounging in the apartment, I feel like I’m going to be turned into a useless person by Female Ghost Sister.” Having said that, she looked at Zhao Dawei. “Uncle, before you came to Liwan Apartments, did you ever accidentally wander into any scary supernatural locations?”

Hearing her ask this, the first thing that flashed through Zhao Dawei’s mind was his experience at the Delicious Slaughterhouse.

“There actually is one. It was probably the day I first moved into the apartment. I went out to look for a job and happened to see a recruitment flyer near the station…”

Zhao Dawei recounted his experiences at the Delicious Slaughterhouse to Miao Zheng in detail.

Miao Zheng’s eyes instantly lit up. “That slaughterhouse sounds very interesting! I kind of want to go!”

Zhao Dawei hurriedly tried to stop her. “It’s very dangerous there. If you want to go, I suggest you talk to the landlord first.”

After confirming that the furniture had been moved into Room 107, Zhou Fangdong approved Hong Zhong’s delivery order.

Hong Zhong didn’t linger. He wanted to report his experiences today to his superiors as soon as possible, as well as his plan to live and work at Liwan Apartments.

Not long after seeing Hong Zhong off, Zhou Fangdong suddenly received a system notification. The Apartment Surroundings Beautification interface popped up automatically:

[Tenant Miao Zheng of Room 109 has a need to increase her Combat Power; application to visit the Delicious Slaughterhouse.]

An application to visit the Delicious Slaughterhouse?

He glanced at the description of the Delicious Slaughterhouse on the system page. It said the place could increase a tenant’s Combat Power, but didn’t explain in detail how.

Zhou Fangdong figured that since the Delicious Slaughterhouse was part of the apartment’s surrounding facilities, it should be similar to Chuyun Temple. A tenant holding a room key shouldn’t encounter any danger.

With that thought, he directly approved Miao Zheng’s request to visit the slaughterhouse.

Back in Room 101, Miao Zheng suddenly noticed the key to Room 109 hanging around her neck flash briefly. Immediately after, a small badge appeared out of thin air and fell from the sky.

Miao Zheng raised an eyebrow in surprise and picked up the badge from the floor.

It looked like a red work ID with a lanyard to hang around the neck.

Miao Zheng brushed the dust off it. The badge read:

[Delicious Slaughterhouse Visitor’s Pass]

[Duration of Use: 48 Hours]

Below that was a one-inch photo of Miao Zheng, her name, and the room she rented in Liwan Apartments.

Miao Zheng flipped the badge over and found visitor instructions written on the back.

(Tenants of Liwan Apartments can travel to the Delicious Slaughterhouse via the Ghost Bus.)

[With this pass, the Manager of the Delicious Slaughterhouse will personally come out to greet you, provide weapons for free, and take you on a tour of the factory.]

[On the premise of obeying the Factory Manager’s rules, tenants may release their stress to their heart’s content within the slaughterhouse and utilize the factory’s internal resources to increase their Combat Power.]

(Note: Tenants should perform warm-up exercises and stretching before heading to the Delicious Slaughterhouse to prevent muscle strain.)

(Note: This area is not recommended for tenants without a fitness habit or basic combat skills.)

Miao Zheng became instantly excited after reading this.

Did the sudden appearance of this small card prove that the landlord had agreed to her request for a visit? Besides, this slaughterhouse sounded far too interesting! She wanted to go right now!

Miao Zheng bid farewell to Zhao Dawei and happily left Room 101 with her visitor’s pass. As she opened the door, she happened to run into Zhou Fangdong, who was walking back.

“Boss Landlord!” Miao Zheng greeted him loudly. “Thank you for agreeing to let me visit the Delicious Slaughterhouse!”

Zhou Fangdong nodded to her and said, “To prevent you from losing contact if you encounter any danger, let me modify your phone for you.”

With that, he spent one hundred Ghost Coins in the System Mall to buy a phone, then spent another thirty Ghost Coins to set up a data plan for Miao Zheng.

Zhou Fangdong had already noticed when he was modifying Duan Wenyu’s phone that the System Mall didn’t sell actual phones. Instead, they were more like phone cases that could boost signals, modifying a tenant’s original phone so it could be used within the Liwan Apartments.

“Take this phone. You’ll be able to contact me no matter where you are.”

Seeing her phone transform into the same style as Zhao Dawei’s, Miao Zheng thanked him happily and ran back to Room 109 to pack her bags.

Zhou Fangdong also teleported back to his own room. Now that Room 107 was mostly tidied up, it was time for him to write the Tenant Contract based on the Killing Pattern of the Blood Shadow Sac.

This was likely the easiest set of Tenant Rules Zhou Fangdong had written so far, because Zhang Zhiwu had explained the Blood Shadow Sac’s killing conditions very clearly. He only needed to apply them directly to the template.

Around five-thirty in the afternoon, Zhang Qingyang returned to the Liwan Apartments carrying his luggage, two chairs, and a stool, while also lugging recording equipment and a bag full of cassette tapes.

Because Zhang Zhiwu was a Ghost Tenant, he could teleport directly from the Taoist temple back to Room 108. Furthermore, since Zhang Qingyang needed to go into the city to buy supplies, Zhang Zhiwu hadn’t taken the Ghost Bus with him.

The luggage Zhang Qingyang carried was just some changes of clothes. Larger items like bedding had already been moved back to the apartments and placed in Room 107 by Zhang Zhiwu after much pestering from his disciple.

When he arrived at the Liwan Apartments, Zhou Fangdong was waiting for him at the entrance.

Zhou Fangdong took the recording equipment from Zhang Qingyang’s hands and stored it in his Inventory. He then gestured for Zhang Qingyang to stop carrying the furniture and told him he could let them go; inside the apartments, they would carry themselves.

Sure enough, just as he said, the moment Zhang Qingyang let go, the ghosts inside the furniture all emerged. Carrying their respective pieces of furniture, they dashed into the corridor without looking back.

Zhang Qingyang’s hands were still outstretched, but the furniture had already vanished.

He silently withdrew his hands and clutched his chest, suddenly feeling the bittersweet heartache of an old father watching his children grow up and leave home.

Zhou Fangdong led Zhang Qingyang into Room 107 and handed him the Tenant Contract.

[Room 107 Tenant Rules]

1. Snoring is prohibited while the tenant is sleeping in Room 107.

2. The tenant must wear earplugs while sleeping.

3. If strange bloodstains are discovered in the room, do not clean them and do not panic; this is a normal occurrence.

4. Bloodstains appearing in Room 107 will have the scent of rotting fruit. If bloodstains are found in the room without a sweet, metallic scent, please notify the landlord immediately.

5. The tenant must carry the key to Room 107 at all times. Loss of the key will be regarded as an automatic termination of the rental contract.

6. The tenant must pay 30 Yuan in cash every month. Failure to do so will be regarded as an automatic termination of the rental contract.

7. If you discover an outside person or ghost invading your private space, do not panic. As long as the above rules are followed, the landlord will arrive immediately to resolve the issue for you.

Zhang Qingyang scanned the Tenant Rules quickly and immediately guessed what was in the room. “Landlord, you’re keeping a Blood Shadow Sac in this room? That’s a real eye-opener. I never expected to encounter an extinct ancient monster like this in an apartment building.”

“It’s not just one; it seems four of them have fused together,” Zhou Fangdong added. He gave Zhang Qingyang a brief overview of the four university students. “That’s the situation. Your master said they likely offered themselves as sacrifices and were turned into this by the ritual.”

A look of pity crossed Zhang Qingyang’s face. “How tragic. In that case, their souls are likely gone. Both their bodies and souls have turned into this man-eating monster.”

With a soft sigh, Zhang Qingyang signed his name at the bottom of the Tenant Contract and handed the 30 Yuan and the contract to Zhou Fangdong.

The moment the contract touched his hand, the system’s electronic voice rang out:

[Side Quest 6 Completed. Rewards: 300 Ghost Coins, 1000 Experience Points, Random Skill Point x1]

[Tenant Illustrated Guide: Intermediate Tenant · Growing Young Taoist, unlocked]

[New Tenant Illustrated Guide lit up, please claim rewards promptly]

Zhou Fangdong opened his character attribute panel to check. Counting the skill point from Room 108, he now had two skill points in hand. His Character Level was only two thousand Experience Points away from leveling up.

After giving the key to Room 107 to Zhang Qingyang, Zhou Fangdong teleported directly to Room 103.

In Room 103, Mu Yuechan was practicing his vocal exercises. Fortunately, the apartment rooms were well-insulated, otherwise he would surely have been reported by the neighbors.

Noticing Zhou Fangdong’s sudden appearance in the room, Mu Yuechan approached with a beaming smile, as if there had never been any friction between them.

“What brings the landlord to my humble room?” Mu Yuechan flicked his flowing sleeves and struck a pose. “Well? Is my body still to your liking?”

Zhou Fangdong ignored his teasing and took the recording equipment out of his Inventory, handing it over. “Read and memorize the contents of this.”

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Mu Yuechan’s eyes as he took it happily, like a child receiving a gift. “What is this? A record player from this era? Landlord, do you want me to learn the operas inside and sing them for you?”

As he spoke, he pressed the play button. Immediately, a voice with perfect, standard pronunciation and a broadcasting tone rang out from the recorder. The content was exceptionally dry and monotonous. Mu Yuechan’s smile stiffened, and his face nearly crumbled.

“It’s not a record player; it’s a personality corrector,” Zhou Fangdong replied expressionlessly. “Inside are audio files for ‘Common Knowledge of Ideology and Morality’ and ‘Common Legal Knowledge.’ Memorize all of them first.”

“Huh? Why do I have to memorize this? It’s so boring… Landlord, how could you treat me like this…”

Zhou Fangdong completely ignored his complaints and teleported back to his own room immediately after delivering the items.

Back in his room, he pulled up the system panel and habitually checked his account balance first.

After completing Side Quest 6, he now had a total of 4,960 Ghost Coins.

Next, he clicked on the Tenant Illustrated Guide to check the newly unlocked entry.

[Intermediate Tenant · Growing Young Taoist]

(Growth-type tenant. Placing this tenant together with [Zombie Taoist Master · Zhang Zhiwu] will double the growth experience points this tenant receives.)

Guide Description: A young Taoist still in his growth phase. His dream is to become a great Celestial Master like his master. He originally vowed to revitalize his sect and restore its former glory, but since his master’s return, he currently only wants to cling to his master’s coattails and fulfill his filial duties at his master’s side.

Traits: Upright character, optimistic, informal, and adaptable. Having lived in a temple away from society since childhood, his emotional intelligence is somewhat low, and he is ignorant of worldly ways. To protect the ordinary people within the temple, he will never proactively terminate his lease.

(Note: This tenant is quite active. Due to his habit of meditation, he does not require sleep and enjoys following [Ghost Tenant · Zombie Taoist Master] during activities—please note, do not let him leave the apartment room at night! If this tenant follows the Zombie Taoist Master out at night, the host may lose this tenant forever.)

After seeing the note at the very bottom of Zhang Qingyang’s illustrated guide, Zhou Fangdong frowned instinctively.

The Zombie Taoist Master, Zhang Zhiwu, would leave his room to go out at night? How did he not know this? Why hadn’t the system warned him?

Zhou Fangdong opened the Special Watchlist and found that Zhang Zhiwu’s name was not on it.

Right, after the second Ghost Tenant successfully moved in yesterday, his mind was still under the influence of the Dementia Debuff. He hadn’t added Zhang Zhiwu to the Special Watchlist, so the system hadn’t reported Zhang Zhiwu’s movements to him.

His Special Watchlist had a total of five slots. Currently, the list contained four tenants: Zhao Dawei, Miao Zheng, Duan Wenyu, and the Ghost Tenant · Mu Yuechan, leaving one empty slot.

After a moment of thought, Zhou Fangdong called out to the system, “System, how many Ghost Coins does it cost to open a new slot in the Special Watchlist?”

[100 Ghost Coins.]

That wasn’t too bad; it wasn’t overly expensive.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Fangdong said, “System, open three more slots for me.”

This way, he could put all the first-floor tenants on the list and observe their movements at any time.

[300 Ghost Coins deducted. Three Special Watchlist slots have been successfully opened.]

Zhou Fangdong added both Zhang Zhiwu and Zhang Qingyang to the list. Once that was done, he continued to check the rewards for unlocking Zhang Qingyang’s entry in the guide.

Intermediate Tenant Illustrated Guide Unlock Reward: 300 Ghost Coins.

Although it wasn’t an item, it was still good; it exactly covered the Ghost Coins he had just spent.

Zhou Fangdong stood up, preparing to go find Zhang Qingyang to warn him that he must never go out at night.

Then, he would stop by Room 106 next door. Hong Zhong had a strong intention to rent a unit at Liwan Apartments, so he needed to clear out Hong Zhong’s room in advance.

Translator’s Notes