Chapter 25: Midnight Privilege, Rooftop Mission

Chapter 25: Midnight Privilege, Rooftop Mission

Entering the living room, Ji Yan saw Liu Yitong already finished with her meal at the dining table, wiping the corners of her lips with a napkin. She asked him, "Where’s your dinner?"

"Kitchen."

Ji Yan walked into the kitchen, where a steaming clay pot sat beside the stove. Lifting the lid, he saw white vapor rising from a bubbling meat soup.

Black chunks of meat floated in the greasy broth. The aroma was pleasant, but the appearance was unsettling, making it hard to muster an appetite.

"Whatever. As long as it doesn’t kill me."

Ji Yan carried the pot out of the kitchen.

Liu Yitong’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of the steaming soup.

"Want some?" Ji Yan offered.

"No... This is your special dinner. It wouldn’t be right for me to have any. It might affect the Grandmother Supernatural Entity’s favorability."

"But how did you manage this? I’ve completed seven Daily Tasks for the Grandmother Supernatural Entity, and she’s never personally made me a meal."

"And it’s only your first day interacting with her. This is unbelievable!"

Ji Yan wasn’t particularly surprised.

He had reduced half of Room 404’s Rent for seven days—a dinner as a reward made sense.

But thinking about tonight’s unknown night task, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the Grandmother Supernatural Entity was preparing him a farewell meal.

He quickly dismissed the thought.

Too ominous.

Since Liu Yitong refused, Ji Yan didn’t press further. Starving, he ladled a bowl and dug in.

He had no idea what kind of meat the black chunks were.

Sour.

Not unpalatable, though. It had been stewed so long that it fell apart at the slightest bite.

Ding!

"Player Alert: After consuming the special nutrient meal, your body has absorbed additional benefits. All stats have been restored to full."

"Specter Power +1, Specter Power +1..."

Watching the green Information Panel pop up, Ji Yan’s expression shifted. He immediately began eating even more voraciously.

After devouring everything, he didn’t leave a single drop of broth behind.

Liu Yitong sat nearby. "Looks like you were really starving."

Wiping his mouth, Ji Yan felt the surge of energy in his body. "Nutrient meals are about replenishment. Taste is secondary."

Suddenly, Liu Yitong remembered something. She pulled a flashlight from her pocket and handed it to Ji Yan. "Here, take this."

Ji Yan frowned. "Why?"

"The Mother Supernatural Entity asked me to give it to you."

"Don’t ask me—I don’t know either."

"You haven’t even interacted with her, yet you’re already getting equipment rewards from her. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this."

Liu Yitong couldn’t hide her astonishment.

At first, Ji Yan had seemed cursed by bad luck. But ever since the Father Supernatural Entity was taken out, his misfortune had somehow turned into incredible fortune?

"She only said one thing: take this tonight. If you’re lost in the abyss and can’t find your way home, turn on the flashlight. The light will guide you back."

The words confused Liu Yitong.

But Ji Yan fell into thought.

Both the Mother and Grandmother Supernatural Entities had warned him to be careful tonight. Just how dangerous was this mission going to be?

Taking the flashlight, an equipment notification popped up—though there was no Hidden Information attached.

"Congratulations, Player! You have obtained the equipment: Wandering Ghost Flashlight."

After a quick glance, Ji Yan tossed it into his Toolbar.

Thinking carefully, the Mother and Grandmother had indeed taken excessively thorough care of him. But then again, considering he had killed the Supernatural Entity Father and reduced the Rent, the double favorability boost made these protective rewards quite reasonable.

Soon, the sky darkened.

The Players who had been bustling around the apartment all returned to their own rooms.

Ji Yan lay on the bed but couldn’t sleep—not because of insomnia, but because he was too energized.

Thanks to that pot of soup, all his stats were now at full capacity. Clearly, the Grandmother had planned this step in advance. If a Player lacked sufficient sleep, their stats would drop significantly, leading to symptoms like confusion, dizziness, and vertigo, severely affecting their in-game performance.

Taking advantage of the spare time, Ji Yan opened the unclaimed treasure chest in his Toolbar.

Opening a mystery box was always exhilarating.

With a click to claim, the item popped up before his eyes.

"Successfully opened a Collector's Grade Purple Treasure Chest. Congratulations, Player, on obtaining the Supernatural Artifact—Blood Coffin Nails ×3." (Collector's Grade) (Single-use)

"Description: Nails capable of sealing a Blood-Clad Vengeful Ghost. Their value speaks for itself—no further explanation needed."

That was it.

Just three nails?

Ji Yan examined the three rusted, finger-length nails in his palm.

Though they looked like ordinary rusty nails picked up from the roadside, their Collector's Grade rating meant their lethality was undoubtedly formidable. Still, for such a large treasure chest to yield only three nails felt somewhat underwhelming—falling short of Ji Yan’s expectations.

One more Supernatural Artifact meant one more layer of security.

Ji Yan was just an ordinary person, valuing his life and fearing death. Those high-risk, high-reward maneuvers were nothing more than acts of desperation.

He continued resting in his room, gradually hearing the movements of the nighttime-spawning NPC Supernatural Entities outside.

Unsurprisingly, his door was knocked on again, but Ji Yan ignored it.

Only when the clock struck midnight did he open his eyes, get out of bed, and retrieve the Night Patrol Permit, fastening it to his chest.

"Ding! Supernatural Artifact Activation. You have gained the privilege to go out at night. Before 3:00 AM, you will be immune to all hostility from nighttime Supernatural Entities."

(Hint: Immunity only—do not provoke them actively.)

The knocking on the door persisted. Ji Yan opened it.

Outside crouched a Supernatural Entity with no lower body, dragging its bloodied waist, its half-rotted face lifting as if ready to attack.

But in the next second, it seemed to lose its target, its expression turning dull and vacant.

Then, it silently turned and went to knock on Liu Yitong’s door next door.

Ji Yan blinked, then turned and walked toward the living room.

The late-night living room was, as usual, bustling with activity.

Terrifying, indistinct shadows of Supernatural Entities—like homeless, aimless wandering spirits—drifted through every corner of Room 404.

Ji Yan, a living human walking among them, felt every hair on his body stand on end.

But thanks to the badge on his chest, these nighttime Supernatural Entities passed by him as if he were invisible.

"It’s midnight—why hasn’t the Old Man arrived yet?"

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the door was knocked again.

In the next instant, the nighttime Supernatural Entities in the living room scattered like startled Rats, fleeing in panic.

"What could scare them like that?"

Though Ji Yan muttered the question, he already had a good guess who was outside.

Sure enough, when the door opened, the old man in a white Tang suit stood in the corridor, holding an old tobacco pipe in one hand and a birdcage in the other.

The parrot inside stared straight at Ji Yan.

"Taking the bird for a stroll at this hour? Quite the enthusiasm," Ji Yan said dismissively.

Inwardly, he scoffed—who the hell takes a bird out for a walk past midnight? That’s just plain insane.

"Smart mouth."

With that, the Landlord handed him an old-fashioned key.

"Get to work."

"This is the key to the rooftop door."

Ji Yan took the key, baffled. "What am I supposed to do?"

"The apartment’s rooftop water tank has been acting up. Lately, tenants have been complaining about dirty tap water. Go clean it."

As he spoke, the wrinkles on the Landlord’s face smoothed into a disturbingly eerie smile.

"Just some filth in the water tank. Clean it up, and it’ll be fine."

"The mission is simple."

The Landlord patted Ji Yan’s shoulder.

No matter how hard Ji Yan tried to believe his words, everything—from that smile to the carefully chosen phrasing—screamed at him.

This job wasn’t simple. It was downright deadly!