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

The entire process, from the sudden self-destruction of the deceased into a black snake, to its eventual being devoured by Zhenjun and Nezha, took only two or three seconds.

The living room returned to calm, leaving only a faint, lingering smell of burning and a faint scent of sandalwood in the air.

Lin Yu stood there, his brows furrowed, his heart filled with turmoil.

That scene just now revealed so much information!

Judging from its behavior just now, this guy seems to be just a pawn being used.

Behind it, there is another "person" or something else directing it.

Lin Yu even felt that his entry into this game world was most likely its doing.

Its ultimate goal is probably that [World Power Core].

"The shelter... is that you?" Lin Yu instantly thought of this organization.

He was almost certain that the so-called "Apartment Game Special Item Containment Facility" was behind this.

Unable to reach a direct deal, they resorted to this method to forcibly take custody!

After all, the so-called special envoy had said that "if a player refuses to hand over a confirmed high-risk special item and there is a clear risk of misuse or proliferation, we have the right to take necessary coercive measures before an accident occurs."

Judging from the current situation, if Lin Yu is not mistaken, these guys are probably planning to use the distorted energy in this game to make the core absorb this energy in order to achieve some kind of goal.

Lin Yu guessed that the purpose was probably the so-called "risk propagation".

Once their goal is achieved, they can take coercive measures to take the core.

To be honest, if it weren't for the presence of the two great gods Zhenjun and Nezha, they probably would have succeeded just now.

Lin Yu walked to the door of the Daoist study, looking at the [World Power Core] that still lay quietly on the offering table, its light seemingly more restrained, and then at the solemn and majestic statue of the True Lord and the menacing portrait of Nezha, feeling somewhat at ease.

With these two around, this apartment is the most fortified fortress.

"Trying to mess with me? Then let's see how many of these 'supplements' you have to send!" Lin Yu's eyes flashed with cold light.

The more urgent the other party is, the more they use various means, the more it demonstrates the importance of this core, and the more it proves that their choice was correct—this thing is very useful.

Furthermore, he would have to figure out a way to fight back; taking a beating without fighting back was not his habit.

He glanced at the time; there was still a little time before midnight.

He needs to process the information he received tonight and think about his next move.

Clearly, this knocking game is most likely a game that the shelter was using against him.

Although Lin Yu didn't know how they managed to interfere with his game choices.

However, this is not hard to guess. After all, given the current situation, the containment facility is indeed an organization under the system's control, and it will definitely have methods that exceed the player's authority.

Therefore, his condition will only become more and more dangerous over the next five days.

Lin Yu quickly sorted out his thoughts:

The primary objective is naturally to survive the main quest, abide by the game rules, and live for seven days.

Secondly, we must protect and study the core.

No matter what, we must not let the enemy succeed. At the same time, since the True Lord statue can do it, we can use the power of the True Lord statue and the Nezha portrait to draw energy from the Nightmare Building in reverse.

Finally, there's the matter of how to deal with it. Lin Yu doesn't yet know how the enemy will deal with him next, so he can only deal with things as they come, but Lin Yu doesn't like this passive approach.

If given the chance, he will definitely have to find a breakthrough.

Having thought all this through, Lin Yu made up his mind.

He glanced at the time; it was already past midnight.

He returned to the living room, sat cross-legged to rest, and at the same time checked on the statues and paintings to see how they were absorbing the distorted energy.

Jinling stood quietly beside the statue, preening her feathers.

Several hours later, Lin Yu awoke from his meditation, full of energy, with a flickering light in his eyes.

He glanced at the player chat and saw that the number of survivors had become 85/100.

Seven more people died overnight.

"..." After glancing at the group chat and finding nothing noteworthy, Lin Yu closed the chat and stopped paying attention.

He took out the Guardian Bracelet and the Temporary Permission Card.

We have plenty of time; it's time to head to Nightmare Mansion.

"A path to nightmares," he muttered to himself as he put on the bracelet.

The oval-shaped portal reappeared. Lin Yu, with Jin Ling in tow, stepped inside.

Upon arriving at Nightmare Building again, Lin Yu acted without hesitation.

"Time is precious, let's go straight to the resource room."

According to Lao Chen, the access card can open all the doors on the first floor that are marked "Resource Room" or "Storage Room".

He moved quickly along the path he remembered, while keeping an eye on the door signs on both sides of the corridor.

Soon, he found a heavy metal door in a secluded corner, marked with scarlet lettering: [Level 1 Resource Storage Room - Materials].

"This is it." Lin Yu took out the [Temporary Access Card] directly.

The card felt cool to the touch, and data began to flow on its surface. The countdown [02:59:59] started ticking.

Place the card in the sensor area at the door.

With a soft "beep," the metal door slowly slid open to one side, revealing the interior.

The room was small, about forty or fifty square meters, with rows of metal shelves that exuded a cold aura.

The shelves were categorized with all sorts of strange materials: minerals that shimmered with an eerie light, organs soaked in an unknown liquid, plant roots that emitted a strange fragrance, and even distorted shadows sealed in crystals.

Lin Yu's eyes swept across the area, and a series of information surfaced:

[Inferior Nightmare Energy] (Silver grade, containing weak chaotic mental energy)

[Sap from Twisted Vines] (Silver grade, can be used to make poisons or hallucinogens)

[The Finger Bone of the Decaying Guardian] (Silver grade, with a faint undead aura)

【Active Shadow Dust】(Gold grade, rare material, can be used for enchanting or crafting shadow-related items)

[Twisted Crystal] (Platinum Grade...)

There are many types, with the highest grade being platinum, and materials of this grade are very rare. Most are silver or gold, with a small number being bronze.

For ordinary players, this is undoubtedly a treasure trove, but for Lin Yu, who is wealthy, most of it is just a waste.

"Something is better than nothing." Lin Yu didn't stand on ceremony. He opened his storage ring and, like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, collected all the materials that caught his eye.

The shelves emptied at a visible rate.

After looting the materials, he immediately headed to his next target.

The access card shows that there are also an [Equipment Storage Room] and a [Skill Scroll Storage Room] on the first floor.

The equipment in the [Equipment Storage Room] is also of low level, ranging from bronze to gold. There is only one platinum-level piece of equipment, which is a weapon. It is not very meaningful to Lin Yu, as its attributes are average and its special effects are mostly weak bonuses against monsters in Nightmare Tower.

Of course, Lin Yu didn't mind and took them all.

Lin Yu then arrived at the [Skill Scroll Storage Room], which truly interested him.

The scrolls here do not directly grant skills, but rather record knowledge and techniques on dealing with mental pollution, recognizing rule traps, and even briefly utilizing the environmental energy of Nightmare Tower.

Although the level is not high, it is very targeted.

Of course, the most important thing is that these are all knowledge, not skill cards.

[Basic Mental Barrier Construction Method] (Silver Level): After learning, it can slightly increase resistance to mental attacks.

[Introduction to Trace Identification] (Gold Level): Teaches you how to observe discordant details in the environment and discover hidden energy traces.

[Nightmare Energy Synchronization Technique] (Gold Rank, One-Time Use): Guides a wisp of nightmare energy to empower oneself, temporarily increasing a certain attribute, but there is a risk of losing control.

[Nightmare Meditation] (Platinum level: Enhances mana quality through nightmare meditation, while gaining the power to control nightmares.)

……

Lin Yu accepted all the knowledge without question. Regardless of whether he would use it or not, keeping it was definitely the right thing to do, since no one knew whether they would need it in the future.

The three hours of exploration time passed quickly.

Lin Yu swept away all the valuable resources on the first floor, and the countdown timer for the access card was almost over.

Just as he finished searching the last storage room, the access card in his hand suddenly emitted a rapid "beep beep" sound, the data stream on the surface became chaotic, the countdown flashed wildly a few times, and then went out completely.

The temporary access card has expired.

Almost simultaneously, the metal door of the storage room behind him slammed shut with a loud "click," locking itself completely! Even the cracks in the door were tightly sealed, as if it had never been opened at all.

"Luckily, I timed it right." Lin Yu wasn't surprised by this.

Old Chen had warned him that the door would automatically lock when the time was up. He tried to push it hard, but the door didn't budge. He even slashed at it with the Demon Slayer Sword, but it only left shallow white marks. The material and defense of this door far exceeded those of an ordinary room.

Even the Samadhi True Fire couldn't break through it, so this was clearly not an ordinary room; it was probably protected by a system.

Fortunately, he had timed it perfectly and managed to search all the rooms on the first floor just before the last minute.

Looting complete.

The bracelet has a little over an hour left.

Lin Yu thought for a moment and decided to go to the second floor to take a look.

He headed straight for the elevator he had discovered earlier.

The elevator is still functioning normally, and the words "Jinhui Foot Bath" are clearly visible on the buttons.

"The fifth floor is that foot massage parlor, the sixth floor is the Emperor's Hall where the rift caused trouble, and the second floor... what could it be?" Lin Yu pressed the button for the second floor.

As the elevator slowly ascended, the mental pollution inside the car seemed to intensify.

A moment later, with a "ding," the door opened.

The scene outside the door startled Lin Yu slightly.

The second floor is no longer an office area or entertainment venue, but a... ruin?

Ruins and broken walls are everywhere, the scorched earth is empty, and the air is filled with the smell of gunpowder and death.

The sky was dark red, devoid of sun, moon, and stars, only a distorted halo of light.

The spiritual pollution here carries a sense of deathly stillness, quite different from the oppressive atmosphere of the first floor and the allure of the fifth and sixth floors.

"Battlefield ruins? How come the second floor of this building is like this?" Lin Yu stepped out of the elevator, his Sharingan and Heavenly Eye scanning his surroundings warily.

The space here seems very unstable, visibility is greatly limited, and thick fog hangs in the distance.

Lin Yu could sense that this place seemed to be an ancient battlefield. The killing intent, bloodlust, and malevolent energy here were extremely strong, and he could easily perceive them.

He tried to venture deeper, but the ground beneath his feet was soft and muddy. Before long, he encountered new monsters—skeletal soldiers clad in tattered armor and wielding rusted weapons.

They wandered aimlessly, their eyes flashing with a ghostly blue flame of their souls.

Their strength is generally between silver and gold level, but there are quite a few of them, and they seem to be inexhaustible. After being scattered, new ones will quickly crawl out from underground.

"That's interesting. Isn't this place practically my home turf?"

Feeling the overwhelming abundance of souls and soul fire power around him, Lin Yu chuckled and took out the diamond-grade equipment [King's Skull] that he hadn't used in a long time.

It has to be said that the terrain on the second floor is perfect for the [King's Skull] to perform. Lin Yu can easily absorb a large amount of soul fire. At the same time, because this is a battlefield, he can easily use the undead calamity to revive a large number of undead creatures to help him fight.

Soon, at Lin Yu's summons, thousands of undead creatures of varying strengths gathered around him.

And the number is still rising rapidly.

With summoned creatures, Lin Yu naturally didn't need to do anything himself; when encountering monsters, he would simply let the undead creatures gang up on him and beat them up.

In this situation, even if the monsters on the second floor still possess immortality, they cannot have much impact on Lin Yu.

He explored the ruins for about half an hour, but found nothing except for endless skeletons and an even harsher environment.

There were no obvious signs for a resource room, nor were there any stairs or other elevators.

Soon, Lin Yu arrived at a place where the fog was so thick that it completely blocked his vision.

"It seems that the second floor is much larger than the first floor, and much more difficult to explore. The resource points are hidden deeper, or they may require specific conditions to be activated."

Lin Yu did not venture rashly into the rather eerie thick fog area ahead, as it gave him a very dangerous feeling.

Under the observation of the Sky Eye, that area of ​​dense fog was filled with the aura of death.

He tried to control a group of undead creatures into the dense fog, but almost the instant they entered, he lost control of them.

He also tried sending a shadow clone in to check the situation.

However, the shadow clone was shattered in less than ten seconds.

Based on the memories he brought back, Lin Yu discovered that this dense fog was terrifyingly corrosive, and his shadow clone was instantly interfered with by the distorted energy as soon as it entered.

After careful consideration, Lin Yu decided not to get involved and returned to the first floor.

Just as he approached the elevator, something unexpected happened.

The elevator button in front of me suddenly lit up, and then with a creak, the elevator door opened, and a familiar figure slowly stepped out.

Dressed in pure white, wearing a faceless mask, he was none other than the liquidator.

He stood quietly at the elevator entrance, watching Lin Yu's white figure stand out starkly against the dark red ruins.

"It's you." The liquidator's voice came through the mask, still muffled and devoid of emotion: "Now is not the time for us to meet."

Lin Yu stopped and frowned as he looked at the liquidator in front of him. A deep blue rose quietly appeared in his hand, and his Sharingan slowly rotated.

"I have other matters to attend to," the liquidator said calmly. "Goodbye."

After saying that, he walked towards the area of ​​thick fog.

Watching his actions, Lin Yu thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What's inside the thick fog?"

He always felt that this guy must know a lot of things.

Upon hearing Lin Yu's question, the liquidator turned slightly, glanced at the large group of undead creatures surrounding Lin Yu, thought for a moment, and said, "The dense fog is just a barrier to prevent players from getting in. If you want, you can get in with the diamond-level equipment you have, but there's nothing useful for players inside."

After saying that, he turned and left.

It quickly disappeared from Lin Yu's sight.

"barrier?"

Lin Yu pondered the liquidator's answer, unsure whether it was true or false. However, he didn't think about it for too long, since he was certain he wouldn't explore it again today.

He has less than an hour left to be safe.

This timeframe is still too risky; even if I wanted to go, I could only do it tomorrow.

"We need to get more protective bracelets."

Lin Yu stroked his chin, pondering this.

Currently, the only way to obtain the bracelet is by knocking on doors every night. Some players are also selling their bracelets in the chat channel, but since the trading market is prohibited in the game, the transactions can only be conducted offline.

However, without a map, it is quite difficult for players to find each other, let alone trade.

"Sigh, I should have known better than to save those three guys yesterday. Wouldn't it have been more satisfying to wait until that robot took them down before I went to reap the rewards?"

Lin Yu felt a little regretful; he shouldn't have shown kindness yesterday.

While pondering, Lin Yu took the elevator back to the first floor.

As for those undead creatures, they can only stay here. However, it's not a big problem. The undead resurrected by the King's Skull can be controlled indefinitely. As long as Lin Yu returns here again, he can use the King's Skull to control them once more.

"Lin Yu?"

Just as Lin Yu stepped out of the elevator and was about to return to his apartment, a slightly surprised voice appeared behind him.

Hearing someone call out his name directly, Lin Yu frowned and turned around to check.

They discovered three people standing in a nearby corridor, and the one who called their name was one of the short-haired female players.

"You are... Wang Junyue?"

Upon seeing this somewhat unfamiliar figure, Lin Yu pondered for a moment before finally finding a familiar face in his memory.

She was the female player who had previously experienced the "ghostly death" game with him.

At that time, Lin Yu still relied on the other party's talent, "Unexpected Fortune," to obtain a lot of information.

If Lin Yu remembered correctly, she added him as a friend after the game ended, but he ignored her.

Surprisingly, she's still alive, and seems to be doing quite well in the game, having reached the Gold level.

His two teammates were also Gold-level, and judging from their clothes, they seemed to be members of the same organization.

"It really is you." Wang Junyue seemed relieved to see Lin Yu recognize her, but the wariness in her eyes did not lessen. "I didn't expect to run into you here."

The two male players beside her also looked at Lin Yu with slight nervousness. One of them held a uniquely shaped energy rifle, while the other held a shield that shimmered with runes.

"You two know each other?" the burly man with the shield asked Wang Junyue in a low voice.

"I encountered him in a game before," Wang Junyue explained simply, then turned her gaze back to Lin Yu.

"I really didn't expect to have such a connection. It seems you're doing quite well too."

Lin Yu nodded casually and spoke.

These three were all of average strength and posed no danger to him.

"Not bad, barely alive." Wang Junyue's tone was complicated. She knew Lin Yu's strength. He had shown abilities far beyond ordinary people in the Ghost Game, and now he seemed even more unfathomable.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "We're about to explore a place that looks like a resource point, but there's a very troublesome 'Crying Nurse' guarding it. Its crying attack covers a wide area, making it difficult to get close... Would you be interested in joining forces?"

Her two teammates looked at Lin Yu nervously upon hearing this, clearly having doubts about cooperating with this stranger.

Of course, they weren't fools. Lin Yu's aura was so strong that it was almost suffocating them, so naturally they didn't dare to refuse Wang Junyue's invitation.

If someone is genuinely interested, they'll be in big trouble. This game doesn't restrict competition.

Lin Yu glanced at the forty-odd minutes of protection time remaining on his wrist and shook his head directly: "Not interested."

Cooperation? In this environment, cooperating with unfamiliar people is too risky, not to mention that he doesn't need to.

With his abilities, if he really wanted to acquire resources, he could simply rob them himself... or wait for someone else to "help" him get them before "receiving" them.

Yesterday's act of kindness was enough.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Wang Junyue's eyes, but she didn't insist: "Alright, then... be careful."

Lin Yu glanced at them, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Do you plan to sell the guardian bracelet? I'll buy it at a high price; the price will definitely not disappoint you."

Upon hearing Lin Yu's question, Wang Junyue and the other two exchanged glances. After a few seconds, Wang Junyue finally spoke, "Not for now. The bracelets we have won't last much longer either."

Hearing her words, Lin Yu was slightly disappointed, but Wang Junyue quickly spoke up again: "However, there is a player in our guild who is selling Guardian Bracelets. If you want to buy one, I can tell you his ID, and you can message him privately in the channel."

However, I must mention one thing beforehand: the price is very high, and I do not accept in-game currency transactions; it's only barter. Also, I can't offer you any discounts.

"Can."

"After the darkest hour comes the dawn," Lin Yu said, raising an eyebrow upon hearing Wang Junyue's words.

"Her ID is Fox Charm. You can just message her privately in the channel. Transactions can only be done offline, but she has a way to find you."

Wang Junyue spoke first.

"Thank you."

Lin Yu didn't say much. After thanking her, he casually tossed an item to Wang Junyue and then turned and left.

The figure quickly disappeared at the end of the dimly lit corridor.

Wang Junyue hurriedly took the thing Lin Yu threw at her, and upon closer inspection, she realized it was one hundred game coins.

The burly man with the shield glanced at them and asked in a low voice, "Junyue, who exactly is this guy? He threw out a hundred game coins right away, and his aura is so terrifying. I feel like the way he looks at us... is no different from how he looks at roadside stones."

Wang Junyue said with a wry smile, "He's a monster-level guy. He was ridiculously strong when we played games together before, and now he seems even more terrifying."

It's fine if he's unwilling to cooperate; if a fight really breaks out, the three of us combined probably wouldn't even be enough to fill his teeth.

After saying that, the three of them turned around and left.

……