Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

Not long after, footsteps could be heard in the passageway.

The receptionist followed another figure out.

The newcomer was wearing a black leather jacket covered in studs, ripped jeans, and an extremely exaggerated afro—although the hair looked like dry weeds. His head was a complete skull with green flames dancing in its eye sockets.

A skeleton musician? Or rather, a skeleton producer?

However, it looks alright. Compared to those oddly-looking creatures outside, it at least doesn't look so strange and is quite pleasing to the eye.

To be honest, even though he had only been in this game world for a little over an hour, Lin Yu felt that his aesthetic standards had dropped significantly.

On the other side, the frizzy-haired skull stared at Lin Yu, his jaw clicking and creaking, followed by a hoarse voice as if grinding bones: "You're the deliveryman responsible for order number 12?"

Lin Yu nodded: "Yes."

"Come with me," the skeleton said, turning and walking back.

Lin Yu frowned. Do I really have to go inside just to pick up takeout? Something's not right with this process.

But in order to complete the mission, he suppressed his doubts and followed them.

At the same time, they secretly increased their vigilance.

As you walk through the dimly lit passage, the stench of blood and a strange smell, a mixture of metallic corrosion and ozone, grows stronger in the air.

Faintly, suppressed, painful groans and howls could be heard coming from deep within.

The skeleton pushed open a heavy, seemingly well-insulated metal door.

The sight behind the door made even Lin Yu's pupils shrink slightly.

This is indeed a "recording studio," with a large space, sound-absorbing cotton covering the walls, and professional microphones and recording equipment standing in the middle.

However, what is even more striking about this room are the various instruments of torture displayed all around.

Red-hot branding irons, barbed iron maidens, rusty stretching clamps, barbed whips, electric shock chairs... almost everything imaginable!

At this moment, seven or eight monsters of various shapes and sizes were bound to these instruments of torture and were being "treated".

What they emitted were not songs, but rather agonizing screams and wails of extreme suffering.

Several monsters, dressed in aprons resembling those of staff members but covered in blood, were expressionlessly operating instruments of torture or adjusting the angle of recording equipment.

At the other end of the room, in the "control room" separated by a huge soundproof glass window, a fat monster whose body was made up of countless pale white worms was roaring and cursing into the microphone:

"Not enough! Not enough! Not desperate enough! Not tragic enough! Not sharp enough! You useless bunch of trash! The customers want the most extreme, perfect, and desperate wails! And this is the garbage you come up with to fool them?! Ugh! I'm so angry!"

It waved its short, worm-like tentacles aggressively.

At that moment, the spiky-haired skull led Lin Yu in.

The worm-like monster in the control room seemed to sense something and suddenly turned its head; the soundproof glass did not seem to obstruct its view.

Its compound eyes, composed of countless tiny worms, instantly locked onto Lin Yu.

The next second, green, viscous saliva flowed down from its split mouth like a waterfall!

"Humans...humans! Fresh humans!!" Its voice instantly became extremely excited and greedy: "Perfect creature! Ultimate emotion! You! You can definitely utter the most desperate, perfect, and beautiful wail! You can definitely make a recording that will satisfy your customers!"

Just then, the frizzy-haired skull silently left the recording studio and closed the heavy metal door from the outside.

Click.

The door was locked.

Lin Yu glanced at it expressionlessly. This guy was a bit strange; he hadn't even sensed it leaving his side.

On the other side, the worm monster in the control room, the staff members who were carrying out the torture, and even a few "customer" monsters who were tortured to the point of death but also had hungry eyes, all turned their heads and cast malicious and greedy gazes at Lin Yu.

The worm monster let out a sharp screech, and its obese body smashed open the control room door with a physics-defying agility, lunging at Lin Yu.

Other staff members and the moving monsters also put down what they were doing and roared as they surrounded them.

Lin Yu: "..."

He instantly realized—what a load of rubbish! This order was a complete trap.

This shady shop couldn't even produce the "products" that met the requirements; its business model was to capture outsiders and make and sell them on the spot.

And he, as a delivery driver, seemed to be the best "raw material" in their eyes.

"Damn it, do I have to risk my life to deliver food?" Lin Yu cursed under his breath.

But Lin Yu remained calm in the face of the worm-like monsters that pounced on him and the various strange "staff" who surrounded him. These monsters were of average strength, and none of them were beyond his ability to fight.

He let out a low shout, and the accumulated lightning power within his body suddenly erupted!

Sizzle—!!!

A dazzling blue-white electric snake shot out wildly in all directions from him.

A violent surge of electricity filled the entire recording studio.

"Awooo!!"

"Ughhhh!"

The worm monster, which was the first to be struck, was electrocuted and convulsed. The worms on its body were instantly charred black, making crackling sounds and emitting a burnt smell. Its momentum suddenly stopped.

The staff and monsters around were also struck by the sudden wide-range lightning, screaming in agony, their bodies paralyzed, and their movements distorted.

Almost at the same moment the lightning struck, Lin Yu's mind stirred again!

The [Heavenly Cloak] roared up like a bolt of blood-red lightning, lashing fiercely at the temporarily paralyzed worm monster!

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the worm monster's obese body was sent flying, crashing heavily into an Iron Maiden behind it, knocking the Iron Maiden to the ground and splattering countless worm fluids out.

Lin Yu flipped his left hand, and the [Blessing of the Earth - Willow Branch] appeared in his hand. He then flung it around violently!

Whoosh—!

Hundreds and thousands of emerald green willow branches appeared out of thin air, like countless whips, gleaming with a clear light, precisely striking all the monsters around them.

Chi Chi Chi!

Like a red-hot iron being branded onto butter, the monster struck by the willow branch phantom immediately emitted blue smoke and let out a shrill scream.

The Hun Tian Cloak then took advantage of the situation to fly nimbly in the air, like a red dragon, using whips and curls to forcibly drive away and gather the monsters, who were dizzy from being shocked by electricity and hit by willow branches, to the central area of ​​the recording studio, piling them into a small monster mountain.

Lin Yu strode forward and kicked the worm monster that had just struggled out of the Iron Maiden's remains, knocking it over again. With a flick of his cloak, he threw it into the monster pile as well.

Clear the area instantly!

Lin Yu didn't even glance at the group of monsters howling and struggling under the lingering power of the willow branch light and the paralysis of lightning, and walked straight to the control room.

The control room was a mess, with many pre-recorded tapes scattered on the table.

Lin Yu casually picked up a few plates and looked at them.

[Screaming Recording] (Normal) Description: Screams mixed with pain and fear, barely acceptable.

【Screaming cassette tape】(Good quality) Description: Filled with screams of excruciating pain and despair, of acceptable quality.

【Screaming Audio Tape】(High Quality) Description: Painful screams before death, quite good.

……

Lin Yu curled his lip; none of them were of "perfect" quality.

No wonder that worm monster was so excited to see me.

"Damn it, this is a rip-off! You don't even have the ingredients in stock, and you're just trying to rip off delivery drivers by making things to order? And you still dare to take orders? This is blatant consumer fraud!" Lin Yu complained speechlessly. "After I finish this delivery, I'm definitely going to give you a huge negative review and report you!"

His gaze swept across the control panel and quickly settled on the most professional-looking and cleanest-looking recording device. Next to the device was a black cassette tape, still unopened and with a blank label.

A large red "record" button on the device is particularly eye-catching.

Lin Yu glanced again at the group of monsters in the center of the recording studio, who were still struggling in pain and emitting continuous, shrill screams.

A thought flashed through my mind.

Lin Yu's lips slowly curled up, revealing a cold smile.

He picked up the blank cassette tape, unpacked it, and inserted it into the recording device.

Then, he walked to the huge soundproof glass of the control room, looked down at the suffering monsters below, raised the [Azure Rose] in his hand, and began to charge up again - Charged Shot 2!

Blue light converged from the muzzle of the gun.

"As business people, you probably don't want your customers to be unable to get the right products, right? So, I can only ask you to do your best."

boom!

The fully charged magic bullet wasn't fired at the horde of monsters, but rather at the ceiling above them.

boom!

The demonic fire flared up again, and scorching waves of air and sparks rained down, intensifying the monsters' suffering.

At the same time, the deafening explosion completely shattered their last psychological defenses.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

"No! Spare me!!"

"It hurts! It hurts so much!!"

"Kill me! Kill me!!"

The worm monster's voice was particularly prominent: "My body! My precious worm! It's burning! Ahhh! This feeling of despair!! Ah~" (It even seemed a little intoxicated?)

The screams of extreme pain, fear, and despair instantly reached an unprecedented peak.

They blended together perfectly, forming a chilling yet "layered" death "symphony".

Lin Yu remained expressionless; he had no artistic sense to appreciate this chaotic performance and simply pressed the red "record" button.

The recording equipment began to operate at high speed, capturing every note, every vibrato, and every desperate scream coming from below.

The equipment stopped automatically after three minutes.

The device then automatically rewound, playing a short sample segment.

That sound... even Lin Yu felt a slight chill run down his spine when he heard it.

【Screaming Audio Tape】(Perfect) Description: Combining pain, fear, despair, and collapse, this is the pinnacle of screaming art, enough to satisfy even the most discerning customer.

"OK." Lin Yu took out the freshly made "perfect" quality cassette tape with satisfaction. Now he had what he needed.

He put the tape in his backpack, ready to leave this uncomfortable place.

However, when he stepped out of the control room, the worm monster, still engulfed in demonic fire, with many worms charred and emitting a strong acrid smell, struggled to crawl to the doorway and blocked his way.

It looked utterly wretched, but its compound eyes, composed of tiny worms, gleamed with an unusually fervent light.

It extended a charred tentacle, trembling as it pointed at Lin Yu, its voice distorted by pain and agitation: "Wait...wait! Human...human! Let...let me hear it! Please! Let me hear what I just recorded! My wails! My despair! Isn't it...is it perfect enough! Isn't it the ultimate art!"

Lin Yu scoffed, too lazy to pay attention to this masochistic pervert, and raised the azure rose, ready to give it a quick death and send it on its way.

"No! Don't kill me!" The worm monster seemed to sense the threat of death and screamed suddenly, shouting at an extremely fast pace.

"Humans! For this...for this I am willing to pay the price! Just let me hear it! Hear my perfect wail!"

Lin Yu's finger, which was about to pull the trigger, paused slightly.

cost?

He raised an eyebrow and lowered the gun slightly: "What's the price? Show it to me."

He wouldn't mind making some extra money before completing the task.

The worm monster seemed to see a glimmer of hope. It let out a sharp screech and then plunged its charred tentacles into its still-burning body, tearing and ripping it frantically, as if enduring immense pain.

After a few teeth-grinding tearing sounds, it ripped a large chunk of still-wriggling skin tissue off its own body and threw it onto the ground in front of Lin Yu.

After the piece of skin tissue hit the ground, it was still twitching slightly and emitting an extremely faint yet incredibly sharp moan, as if countless tiny souls were screaming inside.

Lin Yu focused his gaze, and the item information automatically appeared:

[The skin of the Howling Worm]

Category: Materials

Rank: Bronze

Effect: A special material containing the energy of extreme pain and despair, suitable for crafting items or equipment that enhance mental attacks, curses or sonic abilities, and can also be used as a medium for certain special summons or rituals.

Description: Listen carefully, and you can hear countless subtle yet endless perfect cries of agony, a work of art condensed from pain.

Seeing this thing, Lin Yu curled his lip: "Only bronze level... But it's better than nothing."

Based on the principle of "if you don't want to take it, you might as well take it," he used a willow branch to lift it up and then put it into his backpack.

"Now, can I hear it?" the worm monster asked impatiently, its eyes practically overflowing with fervor.

Lin Yu put away the materials, nodded, and the transaction was considered complete.

He walked back to the control room, while the worm monster struggled to follow behind, dragging its burning body.

Lin Yu inserted the [Screaming Cast] (Perfect) into a playback device and pressed the play button.

In an instant, the high-end audio equipment in the control room released that perfect wail, which was condensed with extreme pain, without reservation.

The sound was extremely penetrating, even causing the soundproof glass to vibrate slightly.

Lin Yu frowned as he listened, feeling slightly unwell. Listening to this for too long would definitely cause problems.

However, the worm-like monster seemed to hear the most beautiful celestial music in the world.

It collapsed to the ground, its burning body trembling violently from extreme excitement, while the tiny worms writhed wildly.

"Ah...ahhh...perfect! So perfect!" It groaned in a dreamlike voice, tears mixed with charred mucus and green bodily fluid streaming from its compound eyes.

"This is my lament! This is my despair! This is true art! The ultimate enjoyment! I can die without regret!!!"

Its voice grew softer and softer, and finally, in the ecstasy of its perfect wail, its body was completely consumed by the demonic fire, turning into a small pile of ashes and charcoal, with only the fervent aftertaste seemingly still lingering in the air.

Lin Yu stopped playing the tape with a blank expression and took it out.

"What a twisted world."

He shook his head, ignoring the ashes, and quickly left the eerie recording studio.

Lin Yu kicked open the heavy, somewhat warped metal door of the recording studio and walked out.

Inside the passageway, the skull with the afro was leisurely leaning against the mottled wall, its jaws opening and closing with a soft "clattering" sound, as if it were laughing silently.

The green flames in its eye sockets flickered as it looked at Lin Yu.

Without saying a word, Lin Yu raised the Azure Rose in his hand, its cold muzzle aimed at the skull.

The frizzy skull showed no fear. It raised its bone claws, made a gesture to calm down, and a hoarse grinding sound rang out: "Click-clack... What an efficient and professional rider."

To meet the client's specific needs, they even personally "manufactured" a qualified product. I'm truly impressed.

Lin Yu sneered and said sarcastically, "You really are an 'excellent' businessman."

The customer placed an order, but you can't even get the goods out yourself, so you have to rely on me, the delivery guy, to make it for you? You're making business so easy!

The skull tilted its head, making a sickeningly sharp, grinding sound: "Click... Mr. Rider, you've misunderstood."

The owner of that "Screaming Studio" is that Howling Worm, and I... am actually the owner of this music production studio. We're not affiliated; it just rented my space and equipment.

It paused, the green fire in its eyes intensifying: "Also, I suggest you don't attack me."

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, the gun remaining perfectly still: "Oh? You think you can threaten me?"

The skeleton shook its head, its bone claws tapping lightly on the wall, making a rhythmic clattering sound: "Threat? No, I just want to offer a suggestion... that might be more beneficial to you."

Dear rider, I greatly admire your professional, efficient, and... creative work ethic.

If you spare my life, perhaps in the future you'll gain a loyal and generous customer; after all… I'm always very generous with tips.”

Lin Yu stared at it for a few seconds, then slowly put down the azure rose. After what had just happened, he seemed to understand why the monsters in this world didn't drop anything, so he wanted to try again.

"My rider number is 003," Lin Yu said, raising an eyebrow.

The skull with the afro split its jaws wide, making an even more cheerful "clattering" sound: "Click! I've got it, rider number 003, a very interesting human."

I look forward to your next visit; perhaps... I will have a private order for you.

Lin Yu said no more and turned to leave the passage filled with a strange aura.

Return to the ruined streets and find the electric scooter parked in a hidden spot.

The first takeout order finally arrived. Although the process was full of twists and turns, the result was not bad.

He put the tape into the takeout box.

Next, the target—the Ghost Opera House.

Lin Yu hopped on the electric scooter and glanced at the navigation.

The distance is about 10 kilometers, and there is still more than an hour left for delivery, which is quite a lot of time.

He turned the ignition, and the electric vehicle emitted a deep, powerful hum once again.

Lin Yu rode his bicycle on the road.

The closer you get to the opera house, the more gloomy and ominous the surroundings become.

The dilapidated building seemed to have been corrupted by some dark force, presenting an unnatural, distorted state.

After driving for about twenty minutes, Lin Yu had to stop the car again.

Ahead, the entire area was completely shrouded in a thick, impenetrable black mist that seemed to writhe like living creatures.

The black fog covered an extremely wide area, with swirling inky blackness as far as the eye could see, and its height reached straight into the dim sky, with no top in sight.

Clearly, he couldn't use the Heavenly Cloak to fly over this black mist this time.

Furthermore, the navigation map clearly shows that the Ghost Opera House is located in the center of this black fog, and he cannot detour around it.

Lin Yu sighed, turned around and unleashed a [Charged Shot 3], blasting several monsters that had been chasing him into pieces. Then he frowned and stared at the black mist in front of him.

This fog... gives me a very bad feeling.

He drew the [Demon Sword], and with a thought, summoned a wandering spirit of no level.

"Go in and check out the situation inside."

The wandering spirit let out a silent wail, transforming into a faint gray shadow that merged into the black mist.

In fact, the shadow clone would be more effective at investigation, since Lin Yu could use the vision after the other party disappeared to check the situation inside the black mist. However, Lin Yu was also worried that the shadow clone might suffer an accident in the black mist, as he did not want to experience the feeling of death.

After waiting for about a few minutes, the wandering spirit drifted back from the black mist and conveyed the information inside the black mist to Lin Yu.

There were a large number of zombie-like creatures inside the fog, but they were as still as statues, as if they were asleep or dead, but they still stood in the same place.

Moreover, the black mist itself is extremely eerie; once you enter, you will feel a chilling sensation as if you are being stared at by countless eyes.

However, it did not find any other obvious proactive threats.

"Sleeping monsters? The feeling of being watched?" Lin Yu pondered for a moment, then swung the [Demon Sword] again. This time, in addition to the sword spirits of Liu Xiangxiang and her daughter, he summoned all 20 remaining ghosts in the Soul Nest (3 bronze ghosts, 15 black iron ghosts, and 2 ghosts without level).