"He's coming. Get upstairs—now."
Liu Jian scooped up his daughter's corpse and shoved it into Duan Lang's arms before turning back to block the stairwell.
With a deep breath, Duan Lang braced himself and carried the body. Oddly enough, once the girl saw her father—if she could even still "see"—her hand released its grip on the railing.
"I'm trying to save you, alright? Don't make it harder than it already is, Auntie Ghost."
Saying he wasn't scared would be b*llsh*t. The girl was deader than dead—skull cracked open and brains splattered—and yet she still reacted like something alive. It was creepy beyond words.
He finally made it back to the sixth floor and exhaled heavily. Normally, he could run up to the sixth in no time, but this trip felt like it lasted a d*mn hour.
From below came the chaotic sounds of combat. He didn't know if Liu Jian could handle it, but one thing was for sure—he wasn't going back down there to help.
Eventually, Liu Jian staggered up to the sixth floor, battered and bleeding. His usual calm was replaced with weakness and exhaustion.
"Thank you," he said, his voice low. "For helping me."
"We're neighbors. Comes with the territory."
Terror Notification:Mission completed. You have received 5 Free Attribute Points and 1000 Terror Value.
Terror Notification:You have completed a hidden F-rank quest and unlocked the skill [Hyper Reflex].
Skill: Hyper ReflexDescription: Your brain's reaction speed increases dramatically. You can think through 10 seconds of decisions in 1 actual second.Tip: Perfect for dating. With this skill, you'll be a god-tier flirt. Congratulations on becoming the mudslide of the romance world.
Duan Lang stared at the last line, speechless.
As ridiculous as it sounded, it actually made sense. If he could instantly simulate different outcomes in his head, he could always pick the best one.
Girl: "I want cake."Old Duan Lang: "How much is it?"New Duan Lang: "Is it your birthday today?"
That was next-level smooth.
But jokes aside, the real use of this skill was in life-or-death situations—reacting like freaking Spider-Man when things went sideways.
Terror Notification:Liu Jian's affection for you has increased.Liu Xin's affection for you has increased.You have completed the quest [Making Friends].
Rewards: 3 Free Attribute Points and 500 Terror Value.
F-rank rewards were way juicier than G-rank ones—double the pay for double the pain.
"Check Liu Jian's Affection Level," Duan Lang muttered.
Character: Liu JianAffection: Friendly
Liu Jian added, "Be careful around the tenant in 604."
Wow. So now the cold-as-ice uncle was looking out for him?
Duan Lang blinked. "I stay home and game all day. Never seen the guy from 604. What's he like?"
"Same as you—rarely leaves his room," Liu Jian said. "But… he's been watching you. Every time you walk by 604, he's spying through the curtains."
A chill ran down Duan Lang's spine.
He was being stalked before the terror invasion even began? That was some serial killer behavior.
"What about 606?"
"Fat guy. Around thirty. Also barely ever comes out."
Liu Jian's expression softened as he cradled his daughter's body. "My daughter said she saw the 604 tenant once. The way he looked at you—it was like… he saw prey."
Duan Lang's scalp tingled.
He looked down at the girl. Motionless. Totally a corpse. And yet somehow… still aware. Still alive—in some twisted way.
"She wants to know if you'll come over tomorrow," Liu Jian said. "She wants to thank you properly."
Duan Lang's mouth twitched.
What is this, Dinner with the Dead?
His mind spun. In that one second, Hyper Reflex kicked in and ran a dozen simulations.
Fact was, his family was a mess. He needed to keep completing missions to help them.
So yeah—play the game. Play it hard.
"Check Liu Jian's daughter's affection level," he thought.
Character: Liu XinAffection: Friendly
Jackpot. Two birds with one corpse. Not only did he finish a hidden quest, but now he had allies on the sixth floor. It was finally starting to feel less like he was surrounded by enemies on all sides.
"I'll come," he said.
Liu Jian nodded and carried his daughter home.
But Duan Lang didn't return to his own place. He walked over to the corridor and stopped in front of Room 604.
Something about it sent a shiver up his spine. Thanks to Hyper Reflex, he had a heightened sense—he knew someone was watching him.
Liu Jian's warning echoed in his mind.
There were eight rental rooms on the sixth floor, laid out in a rectangle. You could hear anything from anywhere. So far, only four of them were occupied: 604, 605 (his room), 606, and 608. Upstairs was the roof.
Duan Lang walked quickly to the stairwell, then spun around and looked at the 604 window.
Just in time to catch a pair of human eyes spying through the curtain.
The curtain snapped shut.
"D*mn it," he hissed. That was way too creepy.
The 606 wall-smasher was one thing—at least the system warned him that guy would take seven days to bust through the wall. But 604? Total mystery.
Then he heard a voice.
"Friend, do you eat instant noodles?"
The hell?
He looked around. It came from the corridor ghost.
"No," came the response—words scrawled on the floor.
"What do you eat then?" Duan Lang asked.
"Others."
Wait… ghosts eat ghosts?
Now that was valuable information.
"Check the corridor ghost's affection level."
Entity: Corridor GhostAffection: Hostile
Well, yeah. After what he'd pulled earlier, of course the ghost hated him.
His plan was simple: make friends with Corridor Ghost, so it'd block monsters from coming upstairs.
Especially with that headless brat still running around and the s*xy demon neighbor downstairs. If the ghost could gatekeep the floor, the sixth might actually be the safest zone.
"I want to lure the 604 guy into the corridor. Can you deal with him?"
"Yes."
"You strong?"
"Corridor. Territory. OP. 666."
The words scribbled on the ground were messy, arrogant, and cocky as hell.
The ghost couldn't leave the corridor—but inside its territory, it was a beast. That explained why the headless boy never came up. He knew.
"So it was you blocking him! You're not totally useless after all," Duan Lang grinned.
Mischief Skill Triggered:[You really are a smooth talker!]
You obtained: Red Incense
Item: Red IncenseDescription: A mouthwatering delicacy for unknown entities.Hint: Smells delicious. Everyone wants a bite. How much are you selling it for?
This was a huge win. He could use it to draw fire or earn favor with ghosts.
Suddenly, Duan Lang felt the ghost was kinda cute—a solid partner for grinding rare items.
"Look, we don't have to hate each other. It was just a misunderstanding. You started it. I just fought back."
The ghost paused.
Almost wrote "GTFO," but held back.
"Let's team up. You stop the weirdos downstairs, I'll bring you snacks."
"Okay."
Lying b*st*rd. I'll rip your soul out the first chance I get.
Terror Notification:Corridor Ghost's affection has decreased.
Duan Lang scratched his head.
"Wait—decreased? We just became allies!"