Chapter 22: A Blood-Stained Wall, The Backstory

Chapter 22: A Blood-Stained Wall, The Backstory

Long Yuan narrowed his eyes, unwilling to get involved, and turned to walk upstairs.

Standing before the door of Room 102, Ji Yan reached out and knocked.

No one answered.

Seeing the dust on the doorknob, Ji Yan realized the room was unoccupied.

The Kanjing Gui behind him stepped forward, grasped the handle, and pushed the door open without hesitation.

Creak.

The interior of the room, however, surprised Ji Yan.

Every inch was spotless—even a vase or a key tray. The floor gleamed as if freshly polished, clearly indicating someone lived there. Yet, the outside was covered in dust.

The Kanjing Gui, barging in, left dirty water splashing everywhere with each step. Strangely, the mutated rats didn’t follow, instead gathering at the doorway.

Returning to its former home, the Kanjing Gui grew visibly excited, carefully examining and touching everything in the room.

"Nothing has changed... This is my home... But where is it?"

Ji Yan stood behind, glancing at the clock on the wall.

Less than an hour remained before the mission ended!

If the Kanjing Gui didn’t leave the apartment with the Rat Plague within this hour, the enraged supernatural tenants would tear it apart—no need for mission punishment.

"Ah—!"

"I just finished cleaning, and now it’s ruined! How did you even get in?"

A girl walked in from the balcony.

Seeing her immaculately cleaned room now reeking and splattered with filth in an instant, she felt as if the sky had collapsed.

The drink in her hand fell to the floor.

Ji Yan recognized her as a player.

Dressed sharply, with glossy hair and a plump face, she carried a plate of fresh meat in one hand. Even the spilled drink was freshly squeezed juice.

Such abundant living conditions stunned even Ji Yan.

He had thought his own survival situation was relatively privileged compared to other players.

But this Dyed-Hair Girl—this was living!

The girl stared at the Kanjing Gui, dripping with grime and garbage as it wandered through her home, clutching her pale face.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

"How did it get in? Stop! Don’t touch anything!"

"Damn it, damn it! Everything’s ruined. I’m dead..."

After finally matching into such a comfortable instance environment, the thought of being eliminated and sent to an even more horrifying one pushed her to the brink of mental collapse.

Ji Yan looked at her. "Are you the permanent player of Room 102?"

The female player didn’t answer, glaring at Ji Yan with hatred. "What did I ever do to you?"

Ji Yan understood her meaning and pointed at the Kanjing Gui. "Completing the mission. No choice."

"Besides, that supernatural entity seems to be the original owner of this Room 102."

"Bullshit! I live here—you think I don’t know who owns 102?"

"You %$#@&..."

Ji Yan had no patience for the Dyed-Hair Girl’s screeching. He reached out, touching every noticeable object in the room.

It was like stepping into an information vault—streams of hidden details surfaced, all absorbed by Ji Yan.

As he rapidly processed the hidden information, his expression shifted repeatedly.

In just two minutes, he finally unraveled the backstory between the Kanjing Gui and Room 102.

So that’s how it was!

He raised his hand to stop the Dyed-Hair Girl's torrent of curses and countered, "How many days have you survived here?"

The Dyed-Hair Girl glared at Ji Yan in silence.

"If you want to keep surviving in this Instance, answer my question."

Ji Yan's expression was serious.

The Dyed-Hair Girl opened her mouth, then finally spoke as a last resort: "A month."

"Was there an Invisible Supernatural Entity assigning you Daily Tasks? Where is it?"

"How did you know?"

The Dyed-Hair Girl's eyes widened.

A month ago, she had been transported from Blue Star to this Instance, feeling as if the sky had collapsed.

But gradually, she realized her survival environment was remarkably safe and comfortable.

Unlike other Players, who had to venture out daily to face perilous Missions, she only needed to stay inside her room. Her Daily Task was simply to clean thoroughly—every speck of dust in every corner.

If she did it well, she would receive three high-quality meals a day, even daily necessities.

And so, the Dyed-Hair Girl survived for a month.

Compared to other Players struggling in desperate situations, she only had to stay in Room 102, play the role of a housekeeper, and enjoy her freedom the rest of the time.

But today, her peaceful life was shattered by the sudden intrusion of one man and one supernatural entity.

"Where is it? Take me there."

The Dyed-Hair Girl turned and led him into a bedroom, pointing at a Bleeding Wall in the depths.

"My Daily Tasks are assigned from this wall!"

"The task states that as long as I clean the room satisfactorily every day, I won’t be evicted."

Ji Yan stared at the Bleeding Wall.

At that moment, the Kanjing Gui, which had been wandering around Room 102, also entered the bedroom. Seeing the wall, it trembled with emotion, its voice shaking: "I remember now… I remember everything!"

Ji Yan said to the Dyed-Hair Girl, "Leave. Don’t interfere with their reunion."

The Dyed-Hair Girl froze. "Reunion?"

"Once they’re done, you’ll be safe, and my Mission will be complete."

Ji Yan glanced at the continuously bleeding wall, then left the room and closed the door behind him.

Once outside, the Dyed-Hair Girl was still dazed, her head full of questions. Before she could speak, Ji Yan cleared his dry throat and asked first, "Got anything to drink?"

"I’m only responsible for cleaning in this house. I don’t have the right to use anything here." She pouted.

Ji Yan looked at her, then at the drink in her hand.

Hesitating, the Dyed-Hair Girl reluctantly handed it over. "Don’t drink it all at once! I saved up for three days to get this juice!"

Ji Yan, however, unceremoniously took a big gulp.

The Dyed-Hair Girl gritted her teeth. "Care to explain now?"

Wiping his mouth, Ji Yan said, "Let me tell you a story. Once, a father and daughter lived in an apartment. Later, the father couldn’t pay the Rent and was about to be evicted by the Landlord. But the environment outside the apartment was extremely dangerous—being driven out meant certain death."

"The father came up with a way to let his daughter stay in the apartment forever. Can you guess what it was?"

The Dyed-Hair Girl froze, then thought of the Bleeding Wall. A chill ran down her spine.

"The father… sealed his daughter inside the wall?"

"That's right. The Father exploited a loophole in the Apartment Rules—none of the walls in the apartment can be altered. He merged the body with the structure, leaving the Landlord powerless. Worse, Room 102 became a 'Haunted House,' making it impossible to rent out."

"The Daughter remained in the wall, unable to move but at least still 'alive.' After being driven out of the apartment, the Father was corrupted by the harsh environment outside, turning into something neither human nor ghost. He lost most of his memories."

"But one fragment remained—he remembered that his home was in Room 102 of the apartment, and that someone extremely important to him lived there."

"He forgot who that person was, but clinging to that obsession, he survived like a walking corpse, becoming a Resentful Supernatural Entity, wandering aimlessly through the dangerous world."

"One day, he returned to this apartment. Fragments of familiar memories resurfaced, and he went mad trying to find a way back inside..."

Ji Yan let out a soft sigh.

Looking at the stunned Dyed-Hair Girl, he said, "That's the backstory of your Room 102."