Chapter 15: First Meeting with Grandma, the Sachet Mission
Morning.
The pendulum clock chimed as white mist lingered.
With a creak, Liu Yitong’s bedroom door slowly opened.
Seeing the residual bloodstains in the hallway, she muttered, “Last night was really lively. I don’t know which ghost was banging on my door like they were pumped full of adrenaline, kept knocking nonstop—so annoying!”
She was angry.
Not because of morning grumpiness.
But because when players don’t get enough rest at night, their status stats drop the next day.
They become listless, their minds foggy, and missions easily suffer.
She headed to the living room to freshen up quickly.
But soon, she noticed something was amiss.
The hallway had shortened.
After surviving 22 days in the dungeon, she had walked this path countless times; every inch of this home was etched into her muscle memory.
There was no mistake—the dormitory hallway had indeed become shorter.
She turned her head, glanced left and right, and her expression suddenly changed.
Two rooms that had once been there had vanished!
The six-room, one-living-room suite had shrunk to four rooms and one living room.
Her first thought was Ji Yan, but upon closely inspecting the missing rooms, she realized they belonged to Dong Chu and the father ghost!
She tilted her head, stunned.
At that moment, Ji Yan also came out of his room.
“Morning. Another day full of energy.”
Ji Yan greeted simply.
“Ji Yan, what about Dong Chu...?”
Ji Yan turned back with a slight smile. “You heard it too? That guy kept banging on my door last night. I thought it was some eerie imitation.”
“Now it seems it really was him. How could such an old player make such a rookie mistake?”
Liu Yitong fell silent.
She knew Dong Chu wouldn’t make such a mistake unless...
Her eyes flickered for a moment, but she didn’t press further.
Indeed, no matter the environment, the battle of hearts is terrifying.
She didn’t feel sorry for Dong Chu—someone so self-centered, expecting everyone to revolve around him, was better off gone; it was one less ticking time bomb.
“But how did the father ghost die? And you... how did you manage that?”
Liu Yitong couldn’t help but ask.
The father ghost was the deadliest threat in the 404 house, the most dangerous mission. Overnight, this greatest menace to players was just eliminated!
At the dining table, Ji Yan swallowed a piece of wheat bread.
“Whether I killed him or not isn’t important.”
“I only know that without that cancerous father ghost, the 404 house feels much warmer and safer.”
“Don’t you think so?”
His words indirectly admitted his deed and implied—when someone does a great favor for the group, no need to ask questions; just quietly enjoy the benefits.
Liu Yitong suddenly understood.
She nodded. “Absolutely right.”
Indeed, not rejecting this newcomer as Dong Chu did was the right call.
Dong Chu was just a fool!
After a simple breakfast, a summons came through the hallway.
The new day’s missions were ready to be claimed.
Liu Yitong was assigned her mother’s task again.
---
She could say she now felt completely at ease.
Her mother’s favorability toward her had accumulated to 70%!
Once over 65%, it activated the “Blessing” benefit.
Even if she failed a mission once or twice, it would only slightly reduce favorability, with no penalty.
When favorability reached 100%, she would achieve the “Perfect Strategy” achievement and no longer have to nervously complete daily missions.
The ghost she was cultivating would no longer risk turning hostile, and if other ghostly residents caused trouble, they would even step in to protect her.
Only then could the little house truly be called a safe haven.
This was why Liu Yitong and Dong Chu painstakingly completed missions daily, striving to please their ghostly family.
Without cultivating them, survival in the dungeon was impossible!
It was just like a strategy simulation game.
“Don’t worry. Grandma’s far kinder than father. Though she isn’t fond of male players, she won’t deliberately target them.”
Liu Yitong warned Ji Yan.
She was afraid Ji Yan might impulsively take down the ghostly grandmother too!
That would waste all her efforts spent on the grandmother.
“Don’t worry.”
“I want to cultivate too. If we kill off all the ghosts of 404 house, it’ll be no different from a ruined, lifeless home.”
Ji Yan understood her thoughts—did she think he was some reckless brute who just kills anyone who displeases him?
Without more words, the two returned to their respective ghostly family member’s rooms.
---
Grandma’s room retained an old-fashioned style, with many items showing signs of age. The air was filled with the cottony scent of knitted garments.
On the bed, Grandma sat knitting a sweater, with a mountain of finished sweaters piled beside her.
It seemed she could knit forever.
“Child, though this is our first meeting, you’re much easier on the eyes than that noisy kid.”
Grandma drooped her eyelids, commenting on Ji Yan.
Ji Yan knew she meant Dong Chu, who had a tough time—he had even been bullied after logging off.
With poor relationships in both human and ghost circles, surviving more than twenty days was a miracle.
“I wholeheartedly agree, Grandma.”
So far, Grandma was indeed much easier to interact with, far better than that overly macho ghostly father...
“Here, help Grandma thread this; my eyesight isn’t good.”
Grandma handed over a needle and thread.
Ji Yan took it; his eyesight was still sharp enough to thread it on the first try.
“I won’t ask how you killed your father. If I couldn’t even leave my room, that ungrateful wretch would’ve been crushed by me long ago.”
“Several of my good granddaughters were taken by that beast and given away as booze money to that fox spirit in 101!”
“You’ve done Grandma a great favor.”
Grandma’s hoarse voice revealed the deep grudges among the ghosts of 404 house—they, like players, each played their roles.
No wonder, after killing the nightmare-eating ghost, Ji Yan had gained 20% favorability both with Grandma and Mother for free.
“Want Grandma to love you even more? Grandma has two emotional knots. Resolve one, and in the apartment, no one but the landlord will be able to touch a single hair on your head once you step into 404.”
Emotional knots!
Hearing the keyword, Ji Yan raised his eyebrows.
A small number of ghosts had emotional knots; once helped, you gained at least 50% favorability!
“Do you know what Grandma’s knot is?” Ji Yan asked carefully.
Grandma asked, “Has your mother seen it?”
“I’ve met her once.”
---
“Kill her. Once she disappears from 404 house, Grandma will love only you.”
Grandma put down her knitting, eyes narrowed with a kindly smile.
Ji Yan: “...”
Knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
“Well, I won’t make it hard for you.”
Grandma casually tossed over a sachet and resumed knitting.
“Take this sachet to room 605.”
“Whether you accept it or not doesn’t matter; just deliver it.”
“When you return, Grandma will personally knit you a sweater.”
“You’re the first boy I’ve ever knitted for.”
Grandma lifted her kind, wrinkled face.
“This favor, most grandmas wouldn’t give anyone—only because of the great deed you did last night.”
Ji Yan was slightly taken aback.
He looked at the sachet.
Embroidered on it were the characters for “Peace Year after Year.”
So simple?
Ji Yan couldn’t help but smile—was this a pure welfare mission?
Grandma’s sweaters, Liu Yitong also had one.
Ji Yan had obtained information that they were at least rare quality.
Wearing one granted 30% immunity to ghostly damage—essentially a bulletproof vest.
“Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ll deliver it.”
Ji Yan accepted it gladly—this was a simple errand; only a fool would refuse.
Grandma chuckled softly and continued knitting.
As Ji Yan stepped out of the room, the sachet in his hand triggered a talent, opening a hidden info box:
“The sachet is one of the essential materials for ‘Building the Tower.’ Grandma spent half a month’s effort to sew it, even breaking three sets of needles and threads. Guess why this old, crumbling apartment stands firm in the ghostly world?”
Ji Yan glanced at the panel, puzzled.
“Building the Tower.”
Did this mean that the sachet was a material for constructing the apartment building?
The hidden info was cryptic.
Ji Yan shook his head, not paying much attention.
In short, just deliver it; what the sachet’s purpose or background was didn’t concern him.
Just then, Liu Yitong emerged from the opposite room, holding an empty soy sauce bottle.
“Not again, another soy sauce-fetching mission? Does Mother ghost consume soy sauce?”
Seeing the bottle, Ji Yan couldn’t help but tease.
This was the benefit of high favorability!
Others might have barely survived with great difficulty to complete the same mission, but Liu Yitong just went downstairs to get soy sauce and was done.
Who wouldn’t envy that?
Liu Yitong scratched her head, a bit embarrassed.
Her mother’s favoritism was indeed glaringly obvious.
She deflected, “What’s your mission today?”
“My mission panel hasn’t popped up yet, but Grandma already gave me a sachet.”
Ji Yan held the “Peace Year after Year” sachet.
But seeing the sachet, Liu Yitong’s delicate face turned somewhat pale...