I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

After discussing it, they finally decided to live together in pairs.

Chen Xi and Kang Xiaojia moved into room 1702, the room with the portrait.

Wang Lei and Lin Jianguo live in safe house 1703.

Zheng Wenxuan and Jiang Chen moved into the memorial tablet house.

"Take a quick rest; the second night patrol starts at four o'clock."

Chen Xi gave a final instruction: "Lock the door, and don't open it if you hear anything."

"clear."

The group went into their respective rooms and locked the doors behind them.

With a few clicks as the lock clicked shut, the corridor on the seventeenth floor fell into dead silence.

……

……

Lin Jianguo sat down on the bed; the mattress was rock hard.

"See? Their arms are bulging. They probably just finished some side quest and got some items."

He lowered his voice again and added very quickly:

"Look at room 1702 next door, they're serving sweet soup and family photos. Who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause tonight?"

"Yes, Uncle Lin, you are indeed experienced."

Wang Lei sat shivering on the narrow bed, sniffing, "This wretched place is full of ghosts, and we have to stay here for a month..."

Lin Jianguo remained silent.

The bed was narrow; even a tall person couldn't turn over. He managed to turn around and brace his back against the wall.

Lin Jianguo fumbled in his pocket for the items he had brought from the last dungeon, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his face.

You never know what will happen to a person until they die.

Just a few months ago, he was so indebted that he was contemplating suicide because his friend ran off with the payment for goods.

Back then, he had mortgaged his house and car, his wife took the children back to her parents' home, relatives and friends avoided him, and even his own parents refused to lend him a single penny.

During the most difficult times, he would sit in the factory and drink.

He drank until late into the night that day, and it's no exaggeration to say that he really wanted to hang himself in the factory.

Who knew that things would take a turn for the better, and the world's spiritual energy would be restored?

He randomly clicked into a live stream, entered a dungeon, awakened his class, and even got some item rewards.

Everything changed the day the instance was released.

The bank that used to treat him like a deadbeat and make relentless collection calls every day now has its manager personally visit him, shaking his hand as if they wanted to become sworn brothers.

Not only was the loan extended directly, but they also proactively increased the loan amount by five million.

The bosses who had previously severed ties with him, upon hearing that he had become a player, called each of them to apologize.

The factory's orders are booked until the year after next, and the advance payments are pouring in. Even the props he has are attracting bids from several groups of people.

……

Although the Special Investigation Bureau intended to conceal the players' identities, Lin Jianguo scoffed at this rule:

The spiritual energy has been restored, so why should these new humans hide? What right do they have to hide?

Players risk their lives in dungeons, so why can't they enjoy themselves when they return to the modern world?

Players are special.

Players who have become professionals should be treated specially.

To put it bluntly, but realistically:

In the past, those with power and money were the elite; in the future, professional gamers will be at the very top of the pyramid!

— Lin Jianguo volunteered to come to Hong Kong to provide support this time.

The bureau stipulates that individuals can keep 80% of the duplicate output, a point that Lin Jianguo is quite dissatisfied with.

Why should the Special Investigation Bureau take 20% of the revenue just for helping to gather information on instances, train players, integrate resources, and provide psychological counseling?

To put it bluntly, it's just using players' resources to protect ordinary people who do nothing.

This is not worthwhile for the players at all.

……

In short, if he can get a couple of good items from this dungeon... even if he can't sell them for millions, at least he won't have to worry about money for the rest of his life.

At that time, he will continue to expand and strengthen the factory, and let those who look down on him see whether Lin Jianguo can turn things around.

—Especially that bastard who ran off with the money, he'll definitely throw the money in the other person's face and see what their expression is like.

At that time, wealth, status, and everything else will be within easy reach.

Lin Jianguo became happier and happier as he thought about it, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

The bed was against the wall, and he lay on his side facing the wall, his nose almost touching the wall.

The wall felt cool to the touch, not as hard as a cement wall, but rather—it had a bit of elasticity, like human skin.

Lin Jianguo thought vaguely, his breathing gradually becoming shallower.

His eyes were closed, so he didn't see the slight, rhythmic breathing that rose and fell across the wall, less than a millimeter away.

Very slow, very gentle.

One beat and one pull, like the chest cavity of a living creature.

The wall surface gradually became softer and stickier, like melted asphalt.

First, the arm that was supporting itself against the wall sank in a little, the fabric stuck to the wall, and it was slowly sucked in.

Then there's the skin.

Lin Jianguo was fast asleep, dreaming of being a superior person, completely unaware that he was sinking deeper and deeper into his trap.

The skin on my arm melted first, blending into the wall without any pain, like soaking in warm water.

Next comes muscle, fat, and human flesh, which are gradually "filtered" by the wall, ground into a fine paste, and seeped into the cracks in the wall.

The bones began to soften, making a soft "crunching" sound, as if they were being slowly ground up with flesh and blood.

Finally, little by little, it was sucked into the wall.

Lin Jianguo didn't even have time to react before he was "eaten".

With a "gulp," the wall made a swallowing sound.

Lin Jianguo disappeared completely.

A black, human-shaped mark slowly appeared on the wall, exactly like Lin Jianguo's figure:

The head, body, arms, and legs were all clearly visible, as if there was a person inside the wall, lying on their side.

……

……

……

In room 1702, Chen Xi was still awake.

She sat on the bed near the door, carefully examining the props she had just received, using the faint light coming in from the window.

Raw glutinous rice and lime packets, paper packets the size of a baby's fist, wrapped in yellow paper with red patterns drawn on them.

[Props: Raw glutinous rice and lime packet]

[Made of glutinous rice mixed with cinnabar and lime, sprinkled on doors and bed edges, can repel evil spirits, prevent the theft of one's yang energy, and avoid nightmares. (Note: Ineffective against vengeful ghosts.)]

—It's a reward from the previous "junk" cleanup mission, and it's perfect for use.

Chen Xi glanced at Kang Xiaojia, who was already fast asleep, got up, opened a packet, and carefully sprinkled it around the edge of the bed, the door crack, and the bedside.

The white glutinous rice mixed with gray lime was inconspicuous when scattered on the ground.

……

After finishing these tasks, Chen Xi sat back down on the bed, closed her eyes, and began to sort through the information she had gathered.

Three taboos have been unlocked so far:

First, you must not be perceived as "different" by the indigenous people.

This, taken literally, means that one's "living" identity cannot be discovered.

Second, do not grant any requests from tenants.

Third, when patrolling at night, if you see a light outside the window, do not look out.

As for Uncle Biao's reminders, such as not touching Sister Fang's human skin, not going to the rooftop, not talking to anyone while patrolling at night and burning incense, and running away if you encounter a vengeful ghost...

These shouldn't be considered taboos that lead to death, but rather a kind of survival wisdom.

Thinking this, Chen Xi gently turned over in bed.

Before entering the building, she took a quick look around—the view outside the building was also a projection of Hong Kong City, unlike the previous instances.

In the past, if a dungeon exceeded a certain range, it would be erased by the rules, or simply become a white fog.

It looks like an unrendered game map.

If he could get outside the building, Chen Xi wanted to find out where the missing citizens had gone and what was outside the building.

We have to do a second round of inspections at 4 a.m., and offer incense to 44 households. It will probably take a long time to finish.

Just then, Chen Xi suddenly heard a soft "click" sound.

She opened her eyes alertly, followed the sound, and looked at the family photo frame hanging on the wall.

"Clang!"

The next second, the picture frame crashed down, shattering the glass and shards of glass everywhere.

"Splash!"

"team leader!"

Kang Xiaojia, who wasn't sleeping soundly, shuddered in fright and buried her head in Chen Xi's arms.

The latter then embraced her from behind, sat up straight, and stared intently at the portrait on the ground.

Suddenly, a sweet aroma of sugar water filled the room.

"Glug glug glug glug..."

From the direction of the kitchen, the sound of boiling water could be heard, and the sound of bubbles bubbling and rolling grew louder and louder.

The aroma of the syrup instantly intensified, becoming cloyingly sweet, even bittersweet, and mixed with a rusty smell.

The air became thick and warm.

Chen Xi tensed his body, bracing all his muscles, and stared intently at the wall.

"Clatter".

Suddenly, a sticky drop of liquid landed on her forehead.

It was scalding hot, with a sweet, fishy smell, like boiling sugar water splashed on my skin, instantly burning a small patch red.

[Note: After being attacked by scalding heat, a slight loss of Yang energy has occurred.]

It's up there!

Chen Xi suddenly exerted force from his waist and abdomen, and his right fist, carrying a strong wind, slammed down directly above his head!

Justice will prevail!

[...For targets tagged with "evil," "evil spirit," or "ghost," all damage is increased by 25%, and the duration of crowd control abilities is extended by 30%.]

The fist's wind was tinged with a faint gold, and the sound of it cutting through the air was sharp and piercing, like a series of cracking whips suddenly exploding.

"Bang!!"

Chen Xi's right fist slammed solidly into a semi-transparent black shadow.

"Sizzle—"

Like a red-hot iron pressed onto fatty meat, white smoke rose, and a sharp screech exploded in their ears.

The dark figure was sent flying backward, crashing hard into the kitchen wall and splattering a sticky sugary liquid.

With a clang, an old-fashioned black revolver fell to the ground.

The gun gleamed coldly, and the word "Item" floating on it was particularly eye-catching.

[Blood Bullet Revolver (Silver): Uses blood as bullets; different blood types trigger different effects. Unlimited reload; rate of fire increases with the user's physique.]

Chen Xi lightly lifted her toes, and the prop covered in slime flew up, landing deftly in her palm. Ignoring the filth, she expertly cocked the gun with a "click," aiming it at the ghostly figure—

The dark figure slowly rose from the ground.

It was a man, with dark skin and thick lips, exactly like the man in the family photo.

But along with the aroma of sugar water, his whole body began to burst with blisters of varying sizes, densely packed together.

Some blisters burst open, oozing yellow pus and sugary fluid, with the skin and flesh curling up and chunks of sticky flesh falling off.

Like a melting candle.

Kang Xiaojia felt a churning in her stomach, but she forced herself to swallow it back down.

……

The male ghost was a bloody mess, his eyelids stuck together, revealing two cloudy eyeballs embedded in their sockets. His voice was also indistinct, as if his throat had been scalded.

"Making soup...sugar water...delicious sweet potato syrup...(making soup, sugar water, delicious sweet potato syrup.)"

"Drink a bowl...drink it while it's hot..."