Chapter 23: Cleaning Up the Mess, Nighttime Mission

“Uh… it’s a bit melodramatic,” the dyed-hair girl finally said after hearing the background story, breaking the silence.

“Whether it’s melodramatic or not doesn’t matter; the important thing is to complete the mission,” Ji Yan replied, constantly checking the time while listening to the voices in the room, growing a bit anxious.

Fortunately, after more than ten minutes of interaction, the door slowly opened.

Kan Jinggui emerged, his face concealed beneath thick black hair, resembling a water ghost’s gaze—unnerving to anyone who looked upon it.

The dyed-hair girl instinctively hid behind Jingyan.

“Thank you. Seeing my daughter settle here safely fulfills my last wish,” Kan Jinggui said slowly to Ji Yan, the tormenting obsession in his heart finally lifted like chains being broken.

Ji Yan exhaled quietly but immediately grew concerned again, thinking of the huge hole he had made in the wall.

How was this big gap supposed to be fixed?

Who would fill it?

Kan Jinggui raised a hand, reached into his mouth, and pulled out a key from his throat, handing it to Ji Yan.

“If you run into trouble, use this key to open Room 801’s door.”

“That tenant is not easy to deal with, but perhaps, maybe, out of our acquaintance, they might help you with some difficulties,” Kan Jinggui said uncertainly.

He knew Ji Yan had caused quite the commotion by forcing open the wall to get in, offending the entire apartment’s residents. This favor was his only way to show gratitude.

Ji Yan’s lips twitched as he forced a bitter smile. “Brother, please don’t say ‘maybe’ or ‘perhaps.’”

“Everyone living on the eighth floor is a tough character.”

“If your face doesn’t hold weight, this won’t be repayment—it’ll be pure revenge!”

Kan Jinggui’s voice was hoarse: “I understand how hard it is to survive in this apartment. I’ve done all I can.”

“If you encounter trouble, you can also come to this room; my daughter will help you.”

Having said that, Kan Jinggui walked outside, and the mice gathered at the doorway quickly dispersed.

Ji Yan clasped the key tightly.

A game prompt sounded in his mind:

“Congratulations, player, you have received an extra mission reward—the key to Room 801.”

“Note: The residents of the eighth floor have complex backgrounds and eccentric personalities. Guess whether the key in your hand is a blessing or a curse?”

Even the game’s hints were cryptic and irritating.

Ji Yan felt the key burning hot in his hand.

Liu Yitong had mentioned earlier that, according to the public notice, only four tenants lived on the eighth floor. As the top floor of the apartment, rent there was double that of the others, and many rules didn’t apply there. Each tenant had multiple background stories, triggering at least A+ level tasks.

Each one was like a mini-boss in a dungeon!

Ji Yan squeezed the key repeatedly, hoping to trigger a talent or hidden message but found nothing. He had to give up.

“What are you still standing there for? Get out already.”

The dyed-hair girl rolled up her sleeves and urged Ji Yan. “It’s getting dark; I need to hurry up and clean the room.”

Ji Yan snapped back to reality, apologized for the disturbance, and quickly left the house.

“What kind of person are you? In the end, I have nothing, yet I still have to clean up the mess,” the dyed-hair girl muttered, though thankfully, she wasn’t evicted and could continue freeloading in Room 102.

But soon, she was summoned by the blood-stained wall and rushed back inside.

The blood seeping from the wall had increased, the mottled surface crawling with bloodstains that eventually formed two characters: “Thank you.”

Meanwhile, when Ji Yan returned to the hallway, Kan Jinggui had already gone, taking the intruding mice with him.

However, the first floor was a mess after all the chaos.

Dirty water and garbage were scattered everywhere, and the stench was overwhelming.

“He left satisfied and walked away, but what about me?”

Looking at the huge mess before him, Ji Yan scratched his head in frustration.

Just then, a chill crept up his spine.

He turned to find the landlord standing right behind him.

As the boss of this mission, though the old man looked amiable, he exuded an indescribable pressure.

Like an abyss with no bottom—the scariest kind.

“Good news and bad news—which do you want to hear?” The landlord’s eyes narrowed, his smile unsettling.

Ji Yan hesitated. “Good news?”

“The good news is those annoying mice have left; consider the mission accomplished.”

Ji Yan showed no joy. “And the bad news?”

“The bad news is you completed the mission in the worst possible way.”

“The benefits of the mission can’t make up for the hole you drilled in the wall or the mess on the first floor.”

Ji Yan’s expression remained calm as he straightforwardly asked, “So how do I make up for it?”

The landlord chuckled. “You’re just a kid who ‘parasites’ in Room 404, barely paying rent. What can you possibly offer as compensation?”

Ji Yan shook his head. “If I can’t fix this hole, you wouldn’t be wasting words with me here.”

“The tenants on the first floor, who hate me with a passion, have already taken their anger out on me.”

“It was you who stopped them.”

The landlord shook his old tobacco pipe, surprised. “Ha, you’re sharper than I thought.”

“I’m giving you a nighttime task. If you complete it, I won’t hold you accountable for the big hole in the wall.”

A nighttime task.

The mortality rate was twice that of the daytime!

Ji Yan tried to find an excuse. “But isn’t there a rule that all tenants keep to a schedule at night? Why not switch it to daytime?”

“You can’t complete this task during the day.”

“You have a Nighttime Patrol Permit, but you won’t fool an old man like me.”

“You have only two choices. The other one is to let me hand you over to the tenants for disposal.”

“So, what’s it going to be, kid?”

Faced with the landlord’s kindly yet sinister smile, Ji Yan’s grin was more of a grimace. “Old man, do you think I have a choice?”

The landlord patted Ji Yan’s shoulder. “Kid, I have high hopes for your abilities.”

“All tenants should contribute to maintaining the apartment’s good environment, right?”

“Don’t feel it’s a loss. If you finish the task well, I’ll personally give you a gift.”

The more amiable the landlord became, the more uneasy Ji Yan felt. He decided to ask directly, “Old man, no beating around the bush—how many people have done this nighttime job so far?”

“About eleven, at this point.”

“Are any of them alive?”

“You’re saying things…” The landlord smiled wryly, then said, “Not many.”

Ji Yan felt exhausted in body and mind.

These life-risking tasks just kept coming, one after another!

Was fate testing his resilience, or was someone pulling strings behind the scenes?

If he remembered correctly, his initial task today was just to deliver a sachet, then he could finish and lounge around another day.

But simply because he glanced at the hallway’s notice board, it all turned into this perilous situation!

Truly, some roadside flowers are best left unpicked.

“Be grateful. Compared to the other unlucky souls, at least you’re still alive.”

Ji Yan knew the landlord meant the other players who had taken on the task and couldn’t help but ask, “What happened to them?”

“They failed the task. They were used to patch the wall.”

“...”