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

"Nightmare Building..."

Lin Yu stroked the bracelet, his eyes gleaming.

The messages in the group chat continued to flow, and the panic subsided slightly, replaced by more analysis and speculation.

"Has anyone tried going to that Nightmare Mansion?"

"I'm too scared! What if I wear it and get teleported to some weird place?"

"Would any expert like to give it a try?"

……

Lin Yu did not participate in the discussion.

He activated his third eye and carefully examined the bracelet.

Apart from the information displayed on the panel and the gentle, protective white light, he did not discover any hidden curses, traps, or mental imprints.

This seems to be a purely functional prop.

"It seems I have no choice but to go." Lin Yu took a deep breath.

He is never afraid of taking risks, and staying cooped up in his apartment is definitely not his style.

He did not put it on immediately, but returned to the Taoist study and respectfully bowed to the statue of Zhenjun and the portrait of Nezha.

The devastating annihilation just now once again proved just how reliable the protective power of these two "great gods" is.

He then checked his equipment and status, and Jinling flew onto his shoulder.

Having done all this, he no longer hesitated and put the [Guardian Bracelet] on his left wrist.

The moment the bracelet was put on, a faint light shimmered, as if it had subtly resonated with the magical power within him.

A stream of information flooded into my mind, not a system notification, but the usage instructions inherent in the bracelet itself:

Silently recite "To Nightmare" to open a temporary passage to the Nightmare Building. The passage's duration is synchronized with the bracelet's remaining usage time.

Please return to the entrance before your usage time ends, otherwise you will be stranded in Nightmare Building and face unpredictable dangers.

"A temporary passage?" Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat. This was quite interesting. He had originally thought that they would go out directly through the main gate.

He glanced at the remaining time on the bracelet: [02:59:57].

"Three hours is enough." Lin Yu's eyes sharpened, and he silently chanted in his mind, "A path to a nightmare!"

hum!

The bracelet suddenly shone brightly, projecting an oval-shaped light gate in front of him, its edges constantly undulating like the surface of water.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yu stepped into the portal of light.

……

When Lin Yu stepped out of the portal, he found himself standing in an endless, pale corridor.

The air was cold and carried a strange smell, like a mixture of disinfectant and old paper, and felt sticky when inhaled.

Above them were neatly arranged grid-like light tubes, emitting a pale white light.

The carpet underfoot was dark red, badly worn, and felt soft and spongy.

silence.

A deathly silence.

Is this the "Nightmare Mansion"?

Almost the instant he stepped into this place, an invisible, viscous force began to surge from all directions, trying to penetrate his consciousness like a tide.

Chaotic whispers echoed directly in the depths of my mind, and distorted images flickered at the edge of my vision, triggering the fear, anxiety, and negative emotions hidden deep within me.

"Mental pollution?" Lin Yu frowned slightly and immediately activated his inner fire to protect his mind.

But the corrosive force was so pervasive that it still made him feel somewhat uneasy.

Just then, the [Guardian Bracelet] on his wrist emitted a soft, almost invisible white halo, like a thin bubble, enveloping his entire body.

Instantly, the whispers and hallucinations in my mind seemed to be muted, decreasing by about 70-80%.

Although he could still sense the presence of that twisted power, it could no longer easily affect his mind.

"I see, so this is your true purpose." Lin Yu raised his wrist and looked at the seemingly ordinary white jade bracelet: "Without the protection of this bracelet, staying in this environment for too long would probably lead to a mental breakdown sooner or later."

Just then, Lin Yu's gaze suddenly turned to the front of the corridor.

Not far away, a hunched-over "person" in a dirty security guard uniform stood motionless in front of a closed metal door with his back to him.

Its uniform was a dull color, stained with unidentified dirt, and its hat was askew on its head, revealing a hollow darkness underneath, through which neither its neck nor its face could be seen.

"NPC?"

Lin Yu activated his Heavenly Eye while thinking, but after examining the area, he frowned.

According to his observations, he discovered that this thing was not a living being, but a "monster" formed from negative emotions and distorted rules.

He didn't make any rash moves, but instead tried to move to the side, intending to go around it.

However, just as he deviated from the central axis of the corridor and approached the wall, the security guard's grotesque head... or rather, the place where it should have been a head, made a teeth-grinding "click" sound and suddenly rotated 180 degrees, facing Lin Yu directly.

It had no facial features, no eyes, only a chaotic, writhing darkness that seemed to suck in one's soul.

A cold, locked sensation came over me.

But it didn't take any further action; it just kept "staring" at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu stopped and met his gaze.

The security guard did nothing; he simply stared at Lin Yu.

A few seconds later, Lin Yu thought for a moment, then slowly retreated to the middle of the corridor. When he stopped trying to get closer to the door or wall, the security guard's grotesque head clicked and stiffly turned back, resuming its back-facing posture.

"It doesn't seem to be the kind of intelligent NPC monster. Is it subject to domain restrictions? Or some kind of behavioral rules?" Lin Yu instantly understood.

He chose to go in another direction, bypassing the security guard and continuing forward, remaining vigilant, alternately activating his Sharingan and (fake) Heavenly Eye to observe his surroundings.

The corridor is lined with uniform gray-white metal doors, none of which have any markings, only cold numbers.

Some doors were tightly shut, while others were ajar, with darkness peeking through the cracks or faint, indistinct sounds coming from behind them—like typing, sobbing, suppressed laughter, or the scraping of something being dragged along.

The bracelet provides protection for a limited time, so we must gather useful information as quickly as possible.

He chose a slightly ajar door numbered "0704" and slipped inside.

The interior of the room resembled a long-abandoned office.

A dusty desk, an overturned swivel chair, and yellowed documents scattered all over the floor.

The air was filled with an even stronger musty smell.

A faint blue light on top of a filing cabinet in the corner of the room caught his attention.

He carefully avoided the clutter on the ground and walked to the filing cabinet.

The light originated from a translucent, crystal-like rhomboid crystal.

[Fragments - Strengthening Mental Resilience]

Category: Consumables

Grade: Silver

Effect: Permanently increases the user's mental resistance after use.

Description: Fragments containing faint, pure spiritual power; absorbing them will strengthen your will.

"Good stuff."

Lin Yu's eyes lit up.

He reached out and touched the crystal, choosing to use it. The crystal transformed into a stream of light and merged into his body.

A cool sensation flowed through my brain, and I did feel that my thoughts were clearer. The pressure from the mental pollution around me was also reduced by a negligible amount.

"It seems there really is a treasure hidden in this building."

He was preparing to leave the office to explore the other rooms when he suddenly heard footsteps in the hallway outside.

It wasn't the stiff, slow movement of a monster, but rather relatively light, yet slightly hurried, footsteps—the kind of footsteps that belonged to humans.

Players?

Lin Yu immediately concealed his aura, hid in the shadows behind the door, and peered out through the crack in the door.

A young man dressed in a black bodysuit and with a pale face was seen running past in a panic.

He gripped a dagger that gleamed green tightly in his hand, and wore a protective bracelet on his wrist.

Behind him, two monsters dressed in suits and ties, with no facial features but only a mouth that opened and closed, making a "click-clack-clack" sound like a typewriter, were slowly chasing after him.

Their speed didn't seem fast at first glance, but their movements were strange. Even though the player was running quite fast, he just couldn't shake off these two monsters.

The man tried to push open a door next to him and hide inside, but the door didn't budge.

He turned around and saw the increasingly bizarre "smacking lips" approaching, and the look of despair on his face deepened.

Seeing this, Lin Yu frowned. He noticed that the two "white-collar workers" had bizarre strength, which was only around the intermediate level of the Gold rank, not particularly strong.

This player should also be at the Gold level, and seemingly not even the weakest among Gold level players, so logically he shouldn't be so afraid.

Do these monsters have some other special characteristics?

He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should make a move.

The man was cornered against the wall. He gritted his teeth, raised his dagger, and prepared to fight to the death.

Swish!

Just as Lin Yu had expected, this man was quite strong. In a flash, he appeared behind one of the white-collar monsters, and his dagger swiftly sliced ​​across the monster's neck, severing its head, which fell to the ground.

The man was not happy with his successful attack, but continued his actions. His left hand flashed with white light and he slammed it into the chest of another monster.

boom!

With a muffled thud, the monster's entire upper body exploded instantly, turning into countless pieces of flesh that fell to the ground.

"Isn't this easy?"

After witnessing this scene, Lin Yu stroked his chin and continued to look at the player.

The player wasn't happy after "killing" the two monsters; instead, he quickly turned around and ran towards another corridor.

Lin Yu was stunned for a moment, then immediately looked at the "corpses" of the two monsters.

Only then did they realize that the two guys were not dead at all. The monster whose head had been cut off went forward, picked up the head that had fallen to the ground, and precisely reattached it to the cut on its neck.

The monster, whose upper body had been blown apart, wriggled around for a moment, and then its upper body grew back, looking fresh and healthy.

What's even more frightening is that these two "resurrected" monsters have actually become slightly stronger.

It was really just a tiny bit, so little that it was barely noticeable, but it did improve things.

Immortality + resurrection to become stronger.

Holy crap, is this some kind of bug in the system?

Lin Yu finally understood why that player had run away.

The two monsters once again chased after the player with that eerie gait, but just then, something unexpected happened.

A green iron door next to it, which was originally closed and marked "Emergency Exit," suddenly creaked open by itself.

Standing inside the door was... someone who was somewhat normal.

He was an old man wearing overalls, thick glasses, and messy hair.

He held an instrument that flickered with irregular light in his hand, his face showing the focus of a researcher mixed with a hint of impatience.

"What's all the noise about! Can't you see I'm conducting an important experiment?!" the old man shouted at the two bizarre "smacking mouths".

Surprisingly, the two grotesque figures actually stopped, tilting their "heads" and "looking" at the old man with their clicking mouths, as if trying to figure something out.

"Get lost! You're interfering with the energy readings here!" The old man waved the instrument in his hand, and an invisible wave spread out.

The two grotesque "smacking mouths" seemed to be driven by something. They twisted their bodies a few times, made a few meaningless "smacking" sounds, and then really turned around and left with stiff steps.

The man in the tight-fitting clothes slumped to the ground, panting heavily, still shaken.

The old man then turned his gaze to the area where Lin Yu was hiding, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Hey you over there, stop hiding. The energy reaction was so obvious, I saw you a long time ago."

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, but still pushed open the door and walked out.

Of course, the reason Lin Yu was willing to listen was simple: this old man... was special.

He lacked the intense twistedness and malice found in other monsters.

"Thank you for your help." The man on the other end struggled to his feet and quickly expressed his gratitude.

He knew he had probably encountered a harmless NPC.

As for Lin Yu, he had no intention of negotiating.

This is quite normal, since the two don't know each other at all and don't yet have a foundation of trust.

The old man waved his hand, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Yu, especially on the faint mark of the third eye on his forehead and his scarlet Sharingan. An interested look appeared on his face: "Tsk tsk, interesting... Both eyes are talents? And that one on his forehead... is it the prototype of some kind of advanced sensory organ? Such a strange ability, it doesn't seem to be of the native style..."

Lin Yu didn't answer his question, but instead asked, "Who are you? Where is this place?"

"Me? You can call me Old Chen. Here... well, I'm one of the maintenance workers, or as you would say, an NPC." Old Chen patted the instrument in his hand: "This place, you should know it, 'Nightmare Building,' a junkyard where consciousness and rules intertwine. Of course, for you now, it can also be... a treasure trove."

He pointed to the protective bracelets on the man's and Lin Yu's wrists: "Thanks to these things, you can stay conscious here for the time being. Time is precious, don't waste it on meaningless hiding and fear."

"Those monsters... can't we kill them?" the man in the bodysuit asked, still shaken.

"Of course," Old Chen smiled. "They are essentially the embodiment of the rules and negative emotions of this building. As long as the building, the rules, and the negative emotions remain, they will never perish."

If you break them apart, they will quickly come back together.

Unless you can fundamentally twist or override the rules here... hey, that's not something you people can do.

He paused, then looked at Lin Yu: "However, that strange fire energy in your body... is a bit special. It seems to be able to interfere with them to some extent, but it's just interference. You can't completely eliminate it."

Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat. Fiery aura? Was it the Samadhi True Fire?

The other party was actually able to sense the Samadhi True Fire within his body? It seems that this Old Chen is indeed no ordinary person.

"This monster seems to get stronger after it revives, right? How is that possible?"

Lin Yu continued to inquire.

"You were able to observe that? That's quite interesting."

Hearing Lin Yu's question, Old Chen looked somewhat surprised. He said, "Is this the effect of your eye talent? It's really amazing. They can indeed become stronger after being resurrected. But you don't need to worry, their ability also has an upper limit; they can't become stronger indefinitely."

Hearing his words, Lin Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If unlimited resurrections can even increase strength after resurrection, and if this ability has no upper limit, then what's the point of these players? They might as well just wait to die.

"You just said this place is a treasure trove for us, so what's worth acquiring here?"

Lin Yu thought for a moment and then asked.

Old Chen pointed to the depths of the corridor: "There are plenty more!"

He wore an expression similar to that of a salesman: "Skill fragments, attribute crystals, equipment blueprints, rare materials scattered throughout the rooms... and even some 'memory crystals' that record special knowledge and power."

These are all good items; they can directly boost your strength!

"However..." He changed the subject, pointing to his head, "There are many good things, but for you, the most important thing is to stay clear-headed here."

You know, once the bracelet's aura disappears... hehe, you'll be stuck here forever, becoming one of them.

The man in the tight-fitting clothes shivered and subconsciously glanced at the faint glow on his wrist.

Clearly, his bracelet hadn't been on for as long as Lin Yu's.

"I don't have much time left... I have to find a place to go back quickly..." he muttered, nodded hastily to Old Chen and Lin Yu, and ran back in the direction he came from.

Old Chen ignored him and continued to say to Lin Yu, "I've answered so many of your questions, shouldn't you repay me? I think you have a good foundation, much better than that kid from before."

"How about it, interested in doing me a small favor? Of course, the reward will definitely satisfy you."

[Hidden Quest Triggered: Old Chen's Request]

[Task objective: Help Maintenance Worker Chen collect three [Fragments of Escaped Nightmare] (0/3). This item may drop from certain specific grim spawns or generate at energy anomalies.]

[Task Reward: Unknown (Old Chen claims it will satisfy you)]

A hidden quest?

Lin Yu looked at the mysterious old Chen in front of him and quickly weighed his options.

Helping NPCs complete tasks is usually a way to obtain high rewards in the game.

Moreover, this Old Chen seems to know a lot of inside information.

I have enough time now, so maybe I can give it a try.

"Okay, but I need to know exactly what the compensation is?" Lin Yu did not accept immediately.

Old Chen chuckled: "Young people are very cautious. Don't worry, I, Old Chen, am the most honest person when it comes to business."

As for the reward... I can give you a [temporary privilege upgrade], which will grant you the ability to open the 'Special Resource Room' for the next three hours.

The stuff inside is much better than this junk scattered in the garbage dump!

Special resource room?

Lin Yu was tempted; after all, high risk usually means high reward.

"Okay, I accept."

[Side quest accepted: Old Chen's Request]

"Great!" Old Chen nodded in satisfaction and handed him a small device that looked like a compass: "This thing can sense the general direction of the [dissipated nightmare fragments]."

The stronger the energy reaction, the brighter the pointer. Go ahead and collect enough, then come back here to find me.

Just a heads-up, some of the fragments might be being watched by some rather troublesome "guys," so be careful.

Lin Yu took the sensor compass and glanced at the direction the pointer was pointing—the deeper part of the corridor.

Without hesitation, he turned and walked in that direction.

The corridor seemed endless, with the door numbers on both sides constantly changing.

During this time, he entered several more rooms.

In a room that resembled a tea room, he found a small bottle of [Physical Enhancement Potion (Small)] behind a coffee machine that was constantly dripping black slime.

It can improve physical attributes a little, which is not bad, better than nothing.

At the same time, he also felt more clearly the "immortal" nature of these monsters in this world.

During his search, he encountered a monster resembling a corporate slave. He blasted the monster several times with his Azure Rose, but in less than ten seconds, the surrounding shadows began to gather again and it was quickly restored to its original state.

Therefore, Lin Yu had no choice but to avoid these monsters.

Fortunately, Lin Yu discovered that these monsters had no intelligence and no initiative. As long as he didn't get too close or trigger certain rules, he wouldn't be attacked by them.

Just avoid it from a great distance.

……

In a corridor.

The sensory compass in Lin Yu's hand began to emit a pale blue light, and its pointer pointed to a heavy door on the right marked "Archives Room".

The door was locked.

Lin Yu tried to push it away, but found he couldn't.

When the Demon-Slaying Sword struck, it only left a shallow white mark.

This door is very well-defended; it seems a key is required to enter.

Lin Yu thought for a moment, took a step back, and raised the azure rose.

Charged Shot - 1!

boom!

The demon bullet struck the door lock with a dull thud.

The door shook violently, and dust fell in a flurry, but it still wouldn't open.

It seems that greater power is needed, or... a special method of activation.

"Go find the keys?"

"Fine, let's try again!"

Lin Yu's eyes narrowed, and he decided to try one last time. He circulated his internal magical power according to the route recorded in "Comprehension of Samadhi True Fire - Nezha".

The power of essence, qi, and spirit converges, compresses, and ignites in the heart area.

A scorching power instantly flowed through his body, and faint flames and thick smoke once again emanated from his eyes, nose, and mouth, causing the surrounding air to distort.

He did not release the Samadhi Fire directly, but instead guided its power to his right hand and clenched it into a fist.

The surface of the fist was covered with a thin, almost invisible layer of transparent flame, radiating extreme high temperature.

He punched the door lock!

laugh--!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a soft sound, like a red-hot iron being dipped into water.

The heavy metal door lock area was instantly melted, leaving a fist-sized hole with dark red, molten edges.

Lin Yu raised his foot and kicked.

"Bang!"

The door to the archives opened with a click.