Participating in Thriller World under the protection mechanism means that identity information is recorded by the federal government system. Each completed instance raises one's level, but being forcibly sent in doesn't count.
Thus, John was categorized as a rookie with 1 experience!
In an instant, six pairs of eyes converged on John.
There was disdain, and there was sympathy.
The female participant known as "Black Rose" glanced at John: "Admirable courage."
The young female participant named "Cherry Cupcake," while looking sympathetic, also kindly advised: "If you die once, just choose to exit the instance, or else there really won't be any hope left!"
John smiled slightly: "That won't do, it would be too boring that way."
"You can never dissuade an idiot bent on courting death," Black Bear snorted coldly.
"You guys continue chatting, I'm heading in," said Cobra, not wanting to waste time on a level 1 individual, and moved towards the light inside.
The rest of the participants followed suit.
The light bulbs flickered erratically, the wiring seemingly faulty, casting an intermittent glow. Cobra approached the reception desk and said to the apartment owner, "Do you have any rooms available?"
The owner, an old man, was squatting down, fiddling with something in a drawer.
Hearing the voice, he straightened up, and with the help of the light, one could clearly see the rotting flesh on half of his face, a particularly unsettling sight!
The participants present all had some experience with Thriller World, only Cherry Cupcake took a step back, while the others were unfazed.
"How do you seven want to stay?" the apartment owner asked, scanning the group with an expressionless face.
"Single rooms, seven of them."
"You're in luck, there are exactly seven rooms left."
"The rent is 20 ghost Coins a day, with a deposit of 30 ghost Coins. The water and electricity may cut off at times, the apartment has no cleaning staff, so you'll need to take care of your room. For living supplies, apply at the reception for replacements."
"At eleven o'clock at night, the power in the apartment will go out. If you encounter problems like a clogged toilet or bathroom sanitation, you'll have to deal with it yourself."
John and his six companions found these conditions somewhat unbelievable.
Well, that's something.
With such terms, charging 20 ghost Coins a day? It's a miracle they haven't gone out of business!
Cobra didn't think twice, promptly handing over the rent and deposit, and the others followed suit.
Then, each person was allocated a key.
The room number on John's key was 405!
Soon, the seven of them made their way upstairs.
The apartment owner at the reception called out one more thing: "Also, some of the tenants here have a bad temper, don't wander around carelessly. We're not responsible for any accidents."
In front of room 405.
John held the key, glancing left and right. The long, dim corridor was deserted, except for him.
Or rather, on the fourth floor, he was the only participant staying there.
"Now I have 320 ghost Coins and 100 Ghost cash, which is more than enough for a 100-day stay, but food is going to be a problem."
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Moreover, the system store also required ghost Coins or Ghost cash for purchases, so he needed to save some for emergencies.
Creak. The key went into the lock, and as he was turning it to open the door, two other doors opened.
John turned his head to look at the adjacent room 406.
The door was only slightly ajar, revealing a pair of eerie eyes sizing up John.
"Hello, I'm the new tenant..."
Bang!
Before he could finish, the door slammed shut.
John, already accustomed to the oddities of this place, opened his door and entered the room.
The room's condition was predictably poor, with a cup soaking in some unknown yellow liquid, and a kettle boiling yellow-stained underwear.
The bathroom's drain was clogged with hair, but fortunately, the water that came out of the tap wasn't blood, so at least John could take a shower.
This Instance lasted for 10 days. If it were Ava, unconcerned with the score, she'd probably just stay in her room and wait out the 10 days to leave.
But John, with his four lives, how could he choose such a method?
Extra points were awarded for establishing relationships with the other tenants in the apartment, the more the better.
The tenants all liked to gossip, and building good relationships could effectively help identify the serial killer hiding in the apartment!
Of course, there was no rush for now. First, he'd get some sleep and leave everything else until tomorrow.
After a cursory wash, John tossed the filthy bedsheet under the bed, took off his shirt to use as a makeshift pillow, and finally lay down.
But he hadn't been asleep for long when a series of thuds against the wall came from the neighboring room.
Damn it!
Who the hell is doing renovations in the middle of the night?
However, remembering the need to foster friendly relations with the neighbors, John tried to endure it.
The noise was coming from room 406 on the left, the same one he had encountered at the door earlier.
John listened carefully and realized that, despite the load-bearing wall between them, the sound was exceptionally clear, as if someone was using their head to bang against the wall.
What's gotten into them?
Feeling increasingly agitated, John covered his ears, attempting to fall asleep.
But clearly, John had underestimated the hardness of the tenant in 406's head; the noise continued relentlessly for a full 30 minutes without a sign of stopping.
Finally, at his wit's end, John sprang up, pulled out his Bloodied Bone Mallet, and gave the wall a couple of fierce whacks.
"Fuck's sake, what are you up to, keeping people awake at this ungodly hour? Did your girlfriend hop into bed with another guy?!"
Surprisingly, after John's outburst, the noise from the next room stopped.
"Devil System: You have successfully angered your neighbor in 406, gaining +40 Hatred Points!"
"Reward Item—Sexy Maid's Black Stockings!"
As the system's voice echoed, a pair of seductive black stockings materialized in John's hand.
They were silky to the touch and still warm, as if they had just been peeled off a pair of alluring thighs, sparking the imagination.
But John's expression was clearly one of shock.
What the hell, the system's rewards are getting more and more absurd! What's the meaning of rewarding a pair of black stockings in this situation?
Just as John set the stockings aside, two more heavy, fierce thuds came from the wall!
The wall shook, and chunks of plaster fell off.
Clearly, the guy on the other side was not lightly angered by John.
He wouldn't actually break through the wall to come at me, would he?
Fortunately, John's fears did not materialize; it seemed that the two thuds were just an act of venting frustration, and after that, there was silence.
"These neighbors aren't as easy to get along with as I thought," John mused helplessly.
He had intended to establish a good rapport, but on the very first day, he had already made an enemy of the tenant in room 406.
John didn't dwell on it much longer; he lay down and quickly fell asleep.
In this world, there was no bright sunshine, only the gradually brightening light that indicated morning had arrived.
The morning mist hung thick in the corridor, with all the room doors tightly shut.
"Do none of these guests ever leave their rooms?"
Pondering this, John descended the stairs, his mind now focused on finding something to eat; his stomach was growling so loudly it was practically hoarse.
He remembered that there was food for sale in the lobby on the first floor.
Around the corner from the staircase, there was a vending machine, filled with human food.
Holding a 20 ghost Coin note, just as he was about to insert it into the coin slot, John suddenly had an idea and kicked the vending machine twice.
No response.
John stepped back, sized it up, and kicked it a few more times with force.
"If you're not here to buy something, then move aside and don't waste my time."
A cold voice came from behind him. Black Rose looked at John as if he were a lunatic.
John explained, "I just wanted to see if this was really just a vending machine."
After saying that, even John felt there was something off about his words.
"Idiot."
Black Rose uttered the word, tossed in her ghost Coin, grabbed two bottles of water, and left.
John inserted his ghost Coin and received two fast-food meals in exchange.
"Could it be that this instance, aside from the guests and the apartment owner, is all normal?"
Muttering to himself, John walked away with his fast food.
At the front desk, the apartment owner was squatting under the counter again, fiddling with something.
John couldn't help but sneak a peek out of curiosity. There was no horrifying scene to be seen.
The old man was simply sitting on a low stool, playing a game of chess.
Hmm...
The ghosts in this second instance even engaged in normal human activities.
The old man was clearly playing against himself, pondering each move for a long time.
But John noticed that next to him, there was a box labeled "Trophies."
Arms, legs, tongues, eyeballs—these so-called trophies were nauseating.
Even more disturbing, John saw a heart.
A beating heart! As if still connected to a body, it was full of vitality.