Chapter 33: The So-Called Rent, Building Materials

Chapter 33: The So-Called Rent, Building Materials

The Father Supernatural Entity charged into the hallway and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Ji Yan turned his head and saw only the Mother Supernatural Entity’s torn remains on the ground—the Daughter Supernatural Entity had also disappeared.

"What kind of supernatural entity is that daughter? So vicious?"

A chill ran down Ji Yan’s spine.

For a brief moment, he had felt as if his skull might have been split open.

Zhong Yi, the elder sister, held her unconscious younger sister in her arms, her face drained of color. "T-This was your plan?"

Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

This was sheer madness.

It was practically suicidal!

Ji Yan caught her expression and stood up, forcing composure as he wiped the sticky fluid from his shoulder. "Yes."

"Though there were some deviations, everything was still under control."

Zhong Yi glanced down. "You might want to pat your legs first—they’re shaking so badly."

"Just numb from sitting too long."

Ji Yan coughed twice.

He turned and leaped onto the water tank, shining his flashlight inside through the stone slab.

After a moment, he closed it again.

Hopping down, he dusted off his hands. "With that, the water tank issue should be resolved."

"By dawn, the households affected by the contaminated water should calm down."

"What about the family in Room 804…?" Zhong Yi trailed off.

"That’s a problem for the family of three to solve themselves. Why should outsiders interfere?"

"I was just being helpful—reuniting a pair of parents with their long-lost daughter."

Zhong Yi couldn’t stand Ji Yan’s glib tongue any longer and simply shut her mouth. If the Mother Supernatural Entity had been even a second faster in her breakdown and blackening, she would have torn him apart. Yet here he was, still talking tough. She couldn’t help but feel a grudging admiration.

"The mission’s done. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go report to the Landlord."

Ji Yan exhaled in relief.

Tonight had been exhausting.

The only thing that pained him was losing the Rusted Hatchet.

Footsteps echoed from the doorway, and Ji Yan froze mid-step, his heart skipping a beat.

Had the Father Supernatural Entity circled back for revenge?

Instead, the White-Dressed Female Supernatural Entity from Room 801 stepped out, her delicate face wearing that same incongruous smile. "So? How was my idea?"

"Quite effective, wasn’t it?"

Ji Yan was stunned. The deranged daughter was now cradled in her arms, either unconscious or asleep.

"What about her father and that brat?" Ji Yan asked.

The White-Dressed Female Supernatural Entity shrugged. "Torn apart by this little one, of course. What else?"

Ji Yan looked at the sleeping girl. Though her fate was none of his concern, he couldn’t help but ask, "What will happen to her?"

"She and I get along quite well."

"Poor thing. I’ll take care of her from now on."

"Though the rent will go up, what can I say? I was born kind-hearted—I can’t bear to see such a tragic child suffer."

The White-Dressed Female Supernatural Entity gently stroked the girl’s smooth hair, her smile serene.

But Ji Yan couldn’t shake the feeling that both her words and her smile were laced with deceit.

Choosing not to pry further, Ji Yan nodded. After a brief farewell to the twin sisters, he turned to leave.

"Don’t forget—you still owe me a favor."

The White-Dressed Female Supernatural Entity’s voice drifted after him, her smile radiant.

"My name is Xu Xin, and I live in Room 801."

"When I've made up my mind, I'll come find you."

Ji Yan felt a headache coming on.

This was truly endless...

Climb out of one pit, only to leap into another.

Upon reflection, it seemed he'd been played by this woman.

Though he was the one who proposed the solution to stall the Ghostly Couple, he was the one who executed it and risked his life.

If he died, she lost nothing.

If he survived, he owed her a favor.

The worst part was, he had no choice—no way to weasel out of it, nor any grounds to argue.

Watching Ji Yan leave the rooftop with unspoken words, Xu Xin turned, her beautiful eyes settling on the twin sisters.

Her red lips curled. "Well done."

Zhong Yi, the elder sister, met her gaze. After a moment, understanding dawned. "You were targeting him."

"You had us participate in the [Water Tank Pollution] mission just to use us as a way to get to him."

Xu Xin smiled. "Quite sharp. I almost wonder if your younger sister gave all her brains to you."

Zhong Yi didn’t respond. As long as the mission was complete, she only cared about her sister.

But she knew one thing clearly:

Once prey was marked by the occupant of Room 801, escaping was nearly impossible...

She just didn’t know what this woman wanted from Ji Yan.

"What an unlucky guy," Zhong Yi murmured, holding her sister close.

---

Meanwhile, Ji Yan descended to the first floor of the apartment.

In the lobby, the Landlord lounged in a rattan chair, gently rocking. Beside him hung a birdcage, where the white-and-yellow parrot stared at Ji Yan and mimicked human speech:

"Big Sucker! Big Sucker! Big Sucker’s here!"

Ji Yan’s expression darkened.

He addressed the Landlord. "Old man, the water tank mission is done."

The Landlord kept his eyes closed, lazily waving an old palm-leaf fan. "Knew I didn’t misjudge you. You’re efficient and diligent."

"Whether it’s the drainage ditch outside or the rooftop water tank, you cleaned them faster than I expected."

Ji Yan forced a smile.

What, should I get a cleaning award or something?

"Still, your methods are as messy as ever."

The Landlord shook his head, offering praise only to undercut it.

Ji Yan’s face darkened further.

It was a life-or-death job. Surviving is already a win—who cares if it’s ‘satisfactory’?

"You shouldn’t have gotten involved with that woman from 801."

"She’s nothing but trouble. Once you’re tangled with her, good luck shaking her off." The Landlord jiggled his leg, speaking leisurely.

Ji Yan knew he was referring to the favor. He opened his mouth but could only say, "I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"You think she helped you out of kindness?"

"The ones who really killed the family of three in 804 weren’t their daughter—it was her. That family’s probably in her Room 801 by now, mostly eaten."

Ji Yan froze.

"Eaten?"

"Room 801 is the most vicious in this apartment. You think she’s the only one living there? Heh. Naive brat."

"That woman often uses others to kill tenants, then reaps the rewards to feed the original occupants in her room."

"And that’s how the ‘rent’ gets paid."

Ji Yan listened up to this point and finally asked the question he had been wanting to ask: "What exactly is the rent for the Crimson Apartment?"

All the supernatural entity tenants in the Crimson Apartment would go to great lengths to pay the rent in order to avoid being driven out.

But for Ji Yan, a Player, this rent had always been a huge question mark.

The Landlord fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "When you chiseled the wall, didn’t you see those bleeding walls?"

"I did."

"That is the rent."

Ji Yan grew even more confused.

The Landlord opened his eyes, his murky gaze slanting toward Ji Yan. "Paying the rent is what keeps this apartment standing firm in this world."

"And 'their' flesh and blood are the best materials for building the walls."

"Tenants who want to live here must pay the rent. The more tenants there are, the sturdier the apartment becomes—a cycle that feeds itself."