Chapter 8: A Late-Night Knock, a Familiar Scent

Night quickly fell.

Darkness seeped into Room 404 like ink.

Following Liu Yitong’s advice, Ji Yan obediently lay down and fell asleep before midnight.

Perhaps from exhaustion, Ji Yan fell into a deep sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

But in the middle of the night, a faint knocking on the door stirred him awake.

Someone was knocking on his door?

"Ji Yan... Ji Yan, are you asleep?"

"If you hear me, hurry up and open the door. Don’t just lie in bed—those three phantoms are about to assign tasks again!"

"You have to come out quickly. If you don’t receive the task, something serious will happen!"

The voice was Liu Yitong’s, anxious and whispered, as if afraid of something.

Ji Yan listened, turned over, and went back to sleep.

He didn’t know what was outside the door that could imitate a player’s voice.

But the trick was too clumsy.

Even if it was truly Liu Yitong outside, he wouldn’t get up to open the door. Once the lights were out, as long as players obediently slept, no supernatural force could touch them.

The “Liu Yitong” outside continued calling anxiously. When no response came, the voice grew impatient—harsh and unpleasant.

Then came the chilling sound of fingernails scraping against the door...

After an unknown length of time, Ji Yan heard a door open.

He opened his eyes.

The noise came from next door—the room belonging to Dong Chu. Why was he opening the door? He should know the dangers of the apartment at night…

Though puzzled, Ji Yan heard nothing else unusual besides the door opening.

He soon drifted back into a deep sleep.

At six o’clock the next morning, the clock in the living room chimed.

Ji Yan got up promptly. Liu Yitong and Dong Chu were already seated in the living room, waiting for the day’s tasks.

Perhaps due to hunger, Dong Chu looked worn out, with dark circles under his eyes and greasy, disheveled hair.

Ji Yan glanced at him. Dong Chu snorted coldly, “What, is there a sign on my face?”

Liu Yitong looked fairly refreshed and asked Ji Yan, “How did it feel sleeping in the dungeon on the first night? Nothing happened, right?”

Ji Yan replied, “Last night, I heard you calling me by the door, sounding like the room was on fire.”

Liu Yitong’s expression shifted slightly. “Those are the tricks of the phantoms. To make you open the door, they’ll make you hear any sound.”

“One night, I even heard the voice of my deceased sister begging for help.”

“At the time, I was half-asleep and almost got up to open the door because I thought it was a dream!”

“You weren’t affected, were you?”

Ji Yan shrugged. “I treated it like a lullaby and kept sleeping.”

“...”

“And I also heard the door next door opening,” Ji Yan added, glancing at Dong Chu.

Dong Chu didn’t look pleased. “Do you think I’m crazy enough to open the door?”

Ji Yan said nothing but caught a strange scent on Dong Chu.

The smell was oddly familiar.

At that moment, the clock chimed again—time to assign the day’s tasks.

The three hurried into the corridor, looking toward the three eerie rooms.

First came a summons from Grandma’s room: “Good granddaughter, Grandma knitted you a sweater today. You’ll surely like it. Come in and show Grandma!”

Liu Yitong was called first.

Hearing it was Grandma, she sighed with relief.

In this house, Grandma held the highest favor for her. Upon hearing “knitted sweater,” she guessed today’s task wouldn’t be difficult, and might even improve her favor level.

Next, a voice came from Mother’s room: “Little Dong, Mom’s coughing badly today. Come in and help me see what’s wrong.”

Dong Chu’s expression improved.

Among the rooms, Mother’s was the least hostile. It was stable and predictable, tasks could be completed, and food wouldn’t be scarce.

Seeing the two enter their eerie rooms, Ji Yan was left alone in the corridor with a sinking feeling.

Could it be... again?

Sure enough, the next instant, the mocking laughter of the Nightmare Phantom rang out.

“Good son, come in quickly. Today, Daddy will spoil you all alone again!”

“…Damn, it’s still that thing?”

Ji Yan cursed inwardly. Was this phantom really fixated on him?

Wasn’t the task assignment supposed to be random? Was his luck really this bad?

No choice—Ji Yan braced himself and entered the filthy room once more.

Apparently having tasted the sweetness of a whole bottle of Blood Pipa yesterday, the Nightmare Phantom’s task remained the same today.

Tasks being identical meant no added difficulty.

But when Ji Yan was about to leave the room, the Nightmare Phantom tossed him a glass bottle.

“Use this to fill up, and it must be full!”

Seeing the bottle even larger than yesterday’s, Ji Yan frowned.

“This damn thing is insatiable. Next time, will it want a barrel?”

Ji Yan didn’t linger, nodded, and left. Yet as he exited, the playful glint in the Nightmare Phantom’s eyes unsettled him.

After leaving the room, the task panel popped up.

“Ding! Congratulations, player, you have triggered the daily task. Please proceed to Room 101 to obtain the Blood Pipa, personally brewed by the Enchanting Phantom, and fill the bottle. Task difficulty: C-level.”

“No problem with the task—that means the Nightmare Phantom isn’t scheming this time,” Ji Yan murmured, examining the bottle to ensure it was intact.

Soon after, Liu Yitong and Dong Chu emerged.

Their tasks were rated D-level. Dong Chu was to find cough medicine for Mother, while Liu Yitong’s was simpler—wear the festive sweater Grandma knitted and have the neighbor tailor downstairs adjust it for a perfect fit.

In fact, the red sweater was a [Common Phantom Item], able to resist 20 points of supernatural damage.

The two were speechless.

Was this a difficult task or a blessing?

As expected, once favorability rose, not only did difficulty decrease, but they occasionally received bonus equipment.

For some reason, the Grandma phantom favored female players, especially fair-skinned ones like Liu Yitong.

Liu Yitong happily caressed the sweater and asked Ji Yan about his task.

Bad luck had him assigned the father phantom’s room two days running.

“Same as yesterday, but the quantity has increased,” Ji Yan said, raising the bottle.

“So you have to go to Room 101 again?” Liu Yitong was surprised.

“Heh, didn’t you say yesterday that lucky streaks don’t last? What’s there to worry about?”

“Maybe you’ll perform even better today and conquer that tough nut, the father phantom,” Dong Chu sneered, brushing past Ji Yan to begin his task.

Ji Yan’s expression shifted.

As Dong Chu passed, the scent on him grew stronger and more familiar.

Wasn’t that the same smell from the Nightmare Phantom’s room?

The Nightmare Phantom had summoned Ji Yan two days in a row; Dong Chu had no reason to interact with it.

Ji Yan recalled the door opening last night and the strange look in the Nightmare Phantom’s eyes as it closed the door, his brow furrowing.

“Don’t mind him, that’s just how he talks.”

“Good luck again today. Don’t give up.”

Seeing Ji Yan’s odd expression, Liu Yitong thought he was shaken and offered some comforting words before leaving to complete her task.

After they left, Ji Yan studied the plain bottle in his hands, pondering as he carefully examined every part.

Suddenly, a [Talent] triggered, revealing a hidden information panel.

“Phantom Item: Artist’s Wine Bottle.”

“Effect: Any liquid poured into this bottle becomes a sedative with 90% anesthetic potency.”

“Rank: Common.”

“Description: An artist obsessed with the study of life, who likes to intoxicate his prey with wine secretly laced with anesthetics. These victims ultimately become his so-called artworks under the blade. Life is truly wonderful, isn’t it…”

Ji Yan frowned.

This bottle was a phantom item?

Could it be Dong Chu’s phantom item? Why was it in the Nightmare Phantom’s possession, then handed to Ji Yan?

The bottle only revealed this hidden information, but Ji Yan’s intuition told him there might be secrets unknown to others.

In this eerie world, he dared not be careless.

He wanted to enter Dong Chu’s room to uncover more hidden information, but the door was firmly locked.

After some thought, Ji Yan glanced at the doorknob of the Nightmare Phantom’s room. If Dong Chu entered there last night, then...

He reached out and grasped the doorknob.

In the next moment, another hidden information panel appeared...