Chapter 51: Blood-Stained Paper Figure, A New Instance

Chapter 51: Blood-Stained Paper Figure, A New Instance

"Betting?"

Ji Yan was puzzled by Miss Xu's mention of "betting." It sounded like she had given him the Three-Word Paper-Cut Figure in exchange for something more valuable from him. But he was penniless—what treasure could he possibly have?

Though Miss Xu was clearly an NPC in the instance, every time they spoke, Ji Yan felt she wasn’t some dull scripted character but a flesh-and-blood player...

"You’ve obtained the key to the apartment’s main door. Where will you go next?" Miss Xu asked.

Ji Yan shook his head. "I don’t know."

"The world outside is vast. You should explore it."

Completing the main plot of this instance marked a standard conclusion. Unlike those conservative players who feared the dangers of the outside world and chose to remain trapped in a single instance like caged birds, Ji Yan believed that without venturing into the seemingly perilous and unknown fog, one could never truly see the world or find a way back to their original Blue Planet.

To him, staying in one instance was tantamount to a slow death.

"Many tenants before you took the key and left this apartment. They were like people trapped behind walls, desperate to see the outside world."

"None of them ever returned."

"Since you’re leaving, I’ll give you one more gift—a small farewell present."

As she spoke, Miss Xu handed him a small cosmetic case. Inside was another paper figure, but this one was soaked in blood, its entire body crimson.

Ding! Congratulations, Player, for obtaining the hidden instance reward—[Blood-Stained Paper Figure].

Quality: ???

Description: Legend has it that when a person’s path is plagued by endless calamities and bloodshed, a Blood-Stained Paper Figure will appear by their side. It will guide its host through countless paths of blood and disaster, leading them to the sole path of survival. So, will you be the one destined for blood and ruin?

Easter Egg Description: This reward is a blessing from a "Specific NPC" in the [Crimson Apartment] instance. Detailed abilities will be unlocked in the new instance. Stay tuned.

Specific NPC?

What kind of identity was this? What role did it play in the instance?

Ji Yan was intrigued, his curiosity about Miss Xu’s true nature growing even stronger.

Holding the thin, palm-sized paper figure, he activated his Talent through focused observation.

With the bug-like Talent [Omniscient Understanding], uncovering hidden Easter Eggs was supposed to be effortless!

But the next moment, he was proven wrong.

Talent Analysis: Warning! This reward is a special Supernatural Artifact. Its effects vary across different instances and cannot be precisely explained.

Ji Yan understood.

It wasn’t that his Talent couldn’t analyze it—it was that the artifact couldn’t be pinned down.

The [Blood-Stained Paper Figure] was like a volatile substance, capable of triggering different reactions in different instances.

Yet this indirectly revealed one crucial detail: the Blood-Stained Paper Figure was compatible with any instance!

"A blessing reward, a Specific NPC... Just how many unknown mechanics does this instance have?"

Lost in thought, Ji Yan exchanged a few more words with Miss Xu before finally leaving Room 801.

As he departed, Miss Xu smiled and said, "The next time we meet, you’ll know exactly what I am."

This statement led Ji Yan to several conjectures.

Would their next meeting mean he would return to the Crimson Apartment?

Or was Xu Xin, a Specific NPC from this instance, capable of breaking free from fixed instances, wandering between different ones and assuming various roles?

Ji Yan didn’t dwell on it. There was no need to overthink things that lay ahead.

Returning to Room 404, though the lost items of the Mother and Grandmother Supernatural Entities had not been recovered, resulting in the failure of the Daily Task, the completion of the Main Storyline Task directly refreshed the side tasks.

The next day, the apartment looked as if it had been hastily renovated overnight, with all traces of damage completely erased.

It was evident that the number of Players had significantly dwindled.

A single Main Storyline Task had weeded out most of the slackers who had been idling by.

When the number of Players in an instance dropped to its lowest threshold, the Forced Matching Mechanism would trigger.

Thus, on the other side of Blue Star, several unlucky souls who had been fast asleep one moment found themselves tragically transported to the Eerie World the next.

Room 404 was no exception.

With Dong Chu’s elimination, a new Player arrived the following morning to take his place.

The newcomer appeared in the living room, their expression mirroring Ji Yan’s on his first day— shifting from blankness to shock, then from shock to despair.

Ji Yan paid little attention to the new Player. Welcoming newcomers seemed to have become Liu Yitong’s duty as a veteran Player.

After a day of transition, Ji Yan wasted no more time and concluded his stay in this instance.

In the first-floor lobby, the Bandaged Supernatural Entity, the apartment manager, stood by the entrance, watching Ji Yan. "I don’t understand. Others fight tooth and nail to live here, yet you can’t wait to leave."

Ji Yan shrugged. "Walls, you know."

"People always yearn for the unknown, no matter where they are."

"The world outside is far more cruel and filthy than you imagine."

"You’ll soon regret your decision to leave this safe haven."

Whether the Bandaged Supernatural Entity’s words were sarcastic or a sincere warning, Ji Yan couldn’t tell.

He dug at his ear and tossed the apartment’s Key to the entity. "That’s my problem."

"Even my Grandmother and Mother aren’t as concerned about me as you are. Open the door."

The Bandaged Supernatural Entity shook its head, took the Key, and unlocked the apartment door.

As the door swung open, thick fog obscured all vision beyond, as if foretelling that Ji Yan’s departure would lead him to any unknown instance.

Suddenly, the Bandaged Supernatural Entity produced four paper boxes and turned to Ji Yan. "Pick one."

"What’s this?"

Ji Yan raised an eyebrow.

"Every departing resident must choose one as an Escort Talisman—for good luck."

Though that was the explanation, Ji Yan was certain.

The instance wouldn’t include something so pointless without reason.

Ji Yan randomly selected one and opened the box.

Inside lay a Blood-Stained Delicate Knife, eerie and unsettling at a glance.

"Heh."

At the sight of the knife, the Bandaged Supernatural Entity let out a strange chuckle. "What an auspicious sign."

It stepped aside and gestured for him to leave. "You may go now."

Without further thought, Ji Yan stepped forward and crossed the threshold. In the next moment, the heavy fog swallowed his figure whole.

"Another foolish bird yearning to fly free from its cage."

"Thinking that leaving the apartment means escaping the cage, but how could they know this world itself is a vast prison?"

The Bandaged Supernatural Entity murmured as it slowly closed the apartment door.

...

When the thick fog obscured his vision, Ji Yan felt as though he was standing in an isolated space.

Unable to discern direction or see the path beneath his feet, Ji Yan simply kept walking forward.

After an unknowable amount of time, a game notification suddenly echoed in Ji Yan’s mind.

"Ding! Player 'Ji Yan' has successfully cleared the instance [Crimson Apartment]. Beginning matchmaking for the second instance."

"Based on the 'wish' selected by the player at the end of the previous instance, a related instance has been successfully matched—[Undead Hospital]!"

As the announcement concluded, Ji Yan suddenly realized— Damn!

So those four paper boxes at the end were for selecting the next instance!

That Blood-Stained Delicate Knife… wasn’t it just the chief surgeon’s scalpel...