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

He quickly checked his equipment: the executioner's cleaver was tucked into his waistband, the bulletproof windbreaker was on, his long-distance running shoes were on, and Yan Shuangying's two pistols were tucked into the gun holster at his waist.

The gun holster was made by Lin Yu himself; the blueprints had been leaked before.

He put the [Precision Watch] on his wrist and glanced at the time; it was exactly 9:00 AM in the game.

The backpack contained some basic supplies and tools.

After confirming that everything was correct, he took a deep breath and, with a relaxed attitude, opened the apartment door.

But Lin Yu was dumbfounded when he opened the door.

Outside the door was a narrow, dirty corridor. The walls were mottled and yellowed, covered with unknown stains and layers of small penises.

The air was filled with a pungent, nauseating smell of musty, sweaty, cheap cooking fumes, and fermenting garbage.

The corridor is lined with doors, many of which are broken, revealing equally cluttered and cramped spaces inside.

Lin Yu glanced around and noticed that the place resembled the Walled City style of Hong Kong in the 1980s.

In addition, unlike the last game, this time there were many people standing or leaning in the corridor, including men, women, young and old.

Most of them wore faded, old-fashioned clothes, were sallow and thin, with numb and dull eyes, exuding a sense of exhaustion crushed by the heavy pressure of life.

Lin Yu's modern trench coat, cargo pants, and hiking boots looked out of place here.

However, these people merely glanced at him with their murky eyes and showed no surprise.

Just as Lin Yu was wondering, a system message appeared in his mind: [Hint: From the NPC's perspective, the player's clothing is consistent with the current environment, and the NPC's behavior is highly realistic. Please proceed with caution to avoid conflict.]

"I see, the system automatically corrected the 'art style'." Lin Yu understood.

He ignored the apathetic NPCs and scanned the corridor with his eyes.

The mission description states there are five players and that killing each other is prohibited, meaning that teammates are worth trying to cooperate with, at least in the early stages.

With the statue of the True Lord, Lin Yu's problem of self-preservation was completely solved, and completing the main quest was definitely not a problem. Therefore, Lin Yu was naturally confident and wanted to try his luck with the two side quests.

To complete the side quest, sufficient clues are needed. This stronghold is very large, and it is difficult for Lin Yu to explore it all by himself. Lin Yu needs other players to help him gather information.

Therefore, he needs to find other players as soon as possible.

It's actually quite simple.

Players appear "normal" to NPCs, but to other players, their "skin" that clashes with the environment is too conspicuous.

Sure enough, not long after, Lin Yu saw a young man, also dressed in a modern windbreaker, looking around nervously near the stairwell leading to the first floor.

Their eyes met, and they both saw the confirmation that the other was a "player".

The search became easy. Within the narrow fortress, several players, also searching for companions, quickly drew together like magnets.

About ten minutes later, the five people met in a relatively open corner near the entrance on the first floor, which was filled with clutter and garbage.

Apart from Lin Yu, the other four all looked grim. A slightly overweight man wearing glasses had cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

A girl with a ponytail, who looked like a college student, was clutching the hem of her clothes tightly, her lips pale.

Another tall, muscular man in sportswear had a furrowed brow and a serious expression.

There was another girl with short hair who seemed relatively calm, but she was also trying to remain composed, though her clenched fists betrayed her unease.

For newcomers, eerie dungeons are synonymous with nightmares.

To avoid appearing out of place, Lin Yu quickly adjusted his expression, adopting a serious and worried look, and joined them.

"Is everyone...is everyone here?" The bespectacled man's voice trembled slightly. "My name is Zhang Jun. This is my second time playing the game...why am I so unlucky to be in a horror movie?!"

"My name is Liu Yueyue, and this is my second time," the girl with the ponytail said, her voice trembling with tears.

"Wang Junyue, the second time," the short-haired girl said succinctly.

"Liu Dashan," the tall, burly man said in a deep voice, his voice hoarse with the huskiness of someone who had been through a lot, "This is my fourth time playing the game. But don't expect me to be some kind of superstar. I barely managed to survive the first three times by completing the main quest. My strength is just average."

His words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads. Even the only "veteran player" couldn't be relied on? The despair in Zhang Jun and Liu Yueyue's eyes deepened.

"Four times...that's better than us, right?" Wang Junyue looked at Liu Dashan. "At least they have more experience than us. Brother Liu, what should we do now?"

Her words also roused Zhang Jun and Liu Yueyue, who looked at Liu Dashan with hope.

Liu Dashan gave a wry smile and rubbed his face: "What else can we do? We have to find a way to survive. Didn't the mission say that we should explore the game and find a way to fight against the evil spirits?"

This indicates that a method definitely exists; it could be some kind of prop, a ritual, or a key NPC who knows the clues.

Besides, the demon only kills one person every two days, so we still have time!

He paused, then added seriously, "Also, remember, don't overlook the NPCs here! The system notification said they are highly realistic."

In my experience, these NPCs are no different from real people. They have their own joys and sorrows, they feel fear, they feel greed, and they feel revenge.

Never do anything outrageous in front of them, such as showing off superpowers or talking nonsense, and definitely don't do anything shady, otherwise you might be locked up as a madman, or even beaten to death by angry residents.

"At that point, let alone fighting the evil spirits, you'll be doomed first. Don't think I'm exaggerating; I've witnessed this happen with my own eyes."

Everyone felt a chill and quickly nodded.

This experience is extremely important.

"So, shall we... split up to look for clues next?" Wang Junyue suggested. "That would be more efficient. After all, this stronghold looks quite large, and we have limited time. If we work together, we definitely won't be able to finish searching within two days."

Liu Dashan nodded: "I agree. The rules of the game are inviolable. Since it says that the evil spirit will act in two days, it certainly won't appear in the first two days. Therefore, as long as we don't do anything reckless, we are probably safe."

Therefore, it is reasonable for them to act separately and each find their own way to fight the evil spirit.

The key is to pay attention to unusual items, unusual locations, or NPCs who seem to know something.

But be sure to pay attention to safety. If anything seems wrong, run immediately. In the evening... well, around six o'clock, we'll return here to meet up and exchange information.

How was it?

No one objected.

In a place where death could happen at any moment, sticking together provides a sense of security, but it is too inefficient. Exploring separately is an unavoidable but necessary choice.

"Okay, that's settled then." Liu Dashan gave a final instruction: "Stay vigilant, and come back alive to regroup!"

The five people exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes they saw unease and a hint of determination.

Soon, the five people dispersed in different directions, their figures disappearing into the complex and dirty passages and stairwells of the walled city.

Lin Yu did not choose to go upstairs. His gaze fell on the homeless people and scavengers huddled in the shadows near the entrance of the walled city, dressed in rags and with empty eyes.

These people live at the very bottom of society, but that doesn't mean they are useless. Often, they are the most well-informed and the least noticeable group.

He straightened the collar of his trench coat, subconsciously concealing the butcher's knife at his waist with the hem, adjusted his expression, and walked toward an elderly homeless man who seemed relatively lucid and was huddled next to a tattered cardboard box, with just the right amount of vigilance and a touch of "outsider" curiosity.