Chapter 16: Main Storyline Character, The Landlord

Chapter 16: Main Storyline Character, The Landlord

Ji Yan noticed the change in Liu Yitong’s expression. "Judging by your face, is there something wrong with the sachet?"

Liu Yitong hesitated before finally saying, "This sachet is tied to the apartment’s main storyline."

"Main Storyline Task?"

Ji Yan’s expression shifted slightly as the Information Panel finally popped up.

Ding! Player has accepted the Grandmother Supernatural Entity’s sachet, triggering an A-grade task. Deliver the sachet to Room 605 to complete the mission.

(Hint: This task involves a main storyline character. During the mission, there is a certain probability of encountering uncontrollable dangers. Proceed with extreme caution.)

Ji Yan frowned.

That old woman promised a simple, easy task, but it turned out to be an A-grade mission involving the main storyline!

Main Storyline Tasks weren’t just the most dangerous—they also implicated every resident in the apartment. Completing one meant clearing the entire instance outright.

But failing? That meant offending every Supernatural Entity tenant and facing endless waves of corrupted entities.

There were too many examples of this.

Like that one restaurant instance where a player challenged the main storyline, messed up, and caused all the restaurant’s ingredients to spoil, resulting in incalculable losses. The outcome?

Death would’ve been a mercy.

That’s why most players, unless fully equipped and confident, avoided the main storyline like the plague. Even if they accidentally stumbled upon a main storyline-related item or clue, they’d toss it away immediately, terrified of getting involved.

"Did you piss off the Grandmother Supernatural Entity?" Liu Yitong couldn’t help but ask.

Ji Yan: "From start to finish, she never stopped smiling at me."

"She even said that after delivering this sachet, she’d personally knit me a sweater."

Liu Yitong was stunned, momentarily speechless.

Despite her many dealings with the Grandmother, she couldn’t understand why the old woman would take such a liking to Ji Yan on their first interaction.

Was he really born with some kind of grudge-attracting constitution?

"It’s just related to the main storyline, not actually diving into it."

"See you tonight."

Ji Yan waved her off. He’d already taken down one Supernatural Entity—just being involved with the main storyline wasn’t enough to scare him into hiding.

Leaving Room 404, Ji Yan headed straight for the 7th floor.

After all, his heart was still being held as collateral.

He knocked on the door of Room 702—still unlocked—and pushed it open.

Stepping into the living room, he saw the resident of Room 702 reclining on a rattan chair, eyes closed in repose.

The one black and one white cat lay curled in his arms, fast asleep.

"My father—"

"Dead. I know."

The resident of Room 702 cut him off before he could finish. "The stench of alcohol in the apartment vanished the moment that drunkard died."

"I don’t know how you pulled it off, but you’ve got guts."

"Your heart’s in the box. Take it back."

"As for that Rusted Hatchet, it’s yours now."

Ji Yan opened the box. His heart pulsed with vitality, perfectly preserved.

Then, the resident’s Information Panel appeared in his vision:

Ding! Congratulations, Player, for completing the Resident of Room 702’s wish task. You’ve gained 70% favorability with the "Resentful Supernatural Entity." You may now request assistance from this Supernatural Entity tenant within certain limits.

"70% favorability?"

Ji Yan was inwardly shocked.

Just one task, and he’d already hit 70%?

After a moment's thought, it made sense—this was a Resentful Supernatural Entity, and the source of its resentment was the murder of its wife. With the grudge resolved, the favorability shooting up to 70% seemed perfectly reasonable.

"I owe you a favor."

"If you run into trouble in the apartment, you can come to me."

"I carry some weight around here."

Liu Nianqing spoke slowly.

A simple statement, but for a Player, it was the greatest reward imaginable!

Gaining a Supernatural Entity resident as a backer meant the Player's survival odds in the instance had skyrocketed.

Hearing this, Ji Yan thought to himself, What a coincidence.

"There actually is something I’d like to ask for your help with."

Liu Nianqing cut straight to the point: "Who do you want dead?"

Ji Yan: "..."

"Not that, for now. I just wanted to ask—do you recognize this sachet, Uncle?"

Ji Yan took out the red sachet.

The moment Liu Nianqing saw it, his face twisted as if he’d swallowed a fly.

Ji Yan asked, "What’s wrong?"

Liu Nianqing: "I’d like to take back what I just said."

"..."

"That sachet belongs to the Landlord. If you’re asking me to take him on… you might as well just kill me now."

Ji Yan’s expression turned grave.

According to the apartment instance’s background, the Landlord was likely the final boss. How did the Grandmother Supernatural Entity end up with something of his?

Staring at the sachet in his palm, Ji Yan couldn’t help but feel it was more like a hot potato—he was tempted to toss it away on the spot.

"Don’t worry, I don’t have any grudge against the Landlord."

"I just wanted to ask about the sachet’s origins."

"All I know is that it’s one of the Landlord’s personal belongings."

"But a while ago, it got damaged, so he gave it to your grandmother for repairs."

"Did she give it to you so you could return it to the Landlord?" Liu Nianqing guessed the reason.

"Yeah," Ji Yan nodded.

In that case, simply returning the repaired sachet shouldn’t pose any danger.

Both Liu Yitong and he had overreacted—just hearing the word "main storyline" made them feel like the sky was falling.

"When you deliver it, don’t say a word. Stay silent the whole time."

"The Landlord’s temperament is… peculiar. If he’s in a bad mood, he’ll raise the Rent."

"And if the other residents find out the Rent went up because of you, they’ll tear you to shreds. Even I wouldn’t be able to protect you." Liu Nianqing warned.

Ji Yan’s eyelid twitched.

"A Rent hike causes that much of a reaction?"

"That so-called Rent—even the slightest increase drives the residents insane. Myself included."

Leaning back in his rattan chair, Liu Nianqing spoke slowly, sighing as he did.

"Not just anyone can live in this apartment. All of us who became residents here paid a heavy price—that price is the Rent."

What exactly the Rent entailed wasn’t clarified in the end. Ji Yan left Room 702 and headed straight for Room 605.

He had no interest in the Landlord or the Rent.

The more he knew, the deeper he’d be dragged into the main storyline.

And once he fell into that abyss, there’d be no climbing back out.

Soon, he knocked on the door of Room 605.

The door was opened by a hunched old man.

Ji Yan blinked. This was the Landlord? He looked rather kind and gentle, but Liu Nianqing’s words had been dripping with fear of him.

The old man: "Young man, what can I do for you?"

"I live in 404. Grandmother asked me to deliver this."

Ji Yan took out the sachet and handed it over.

The old man picked it up.

The Eccentric Old Man glanced at it and shook his head. "Take it back."

"That old hag didn’t sew it properly. Her needlework is getting worse and worse."

Ji Yan kept in mind the Grandmother Supernatural Entity’s instructions—whether he accepted it or not was another matter, as long as it was delivered.

"Alright." Ji Yan replied with just one word before turning to leave.

He was just a messenger—why bother with the rest?

"Wait!"

But the moment he turned around, Ji Yan was called back. The Eccentric Old Man stared at him. "You really took me seriously when I told you to take it back?"

With that, he snatched the sachet and examined it carefully before praising, "Not bad. That old hag’s hands are getting more skillful."

Ji Yan’s lips twitched.

Liu Nianqing was absolutely right—this landlord really had some issues, changing his mind in an instant. Could he have a dual personality?

"I’ll keep the sachet. Tell your grandmother that this month’s rent is canceled."