Chapter 15 The Newspaper

The girl opened her eyes and gazed hopefully at Ji Linmo.

Ji Linmo set the mirror aside and turned his head.

Inside the birdcage, the parrot’s eyes mirrored the girl’s hope, its feathers full and glossy.

Just as Ji Linmo had suspected.

Room 301—or perhaps its owner, Nie Xiaolan—had deliberately woven an intense psychic contamination here.

—Everything in your mind is turned into something beautiful.

That was why the warmth of this place felt so jarringly out of place, why the food seemed so especially sweet and fragrant.

But such powerful pollution had its limitations.

It could only affect rooms other than the bedroom.

Ji Linmo put down the mirror and rubbed his brow, choosing for the moment to ignore the girl’s silent plea for help.

“Haohao, did you find anything interesting?” he asked.

“No... There’s nothing good in Mom’s room, just a pile of trash, nothing else.” Nie Haohao absentmindedly tossed over a few tattered newspapers he’d fished out of the trash can.

“Tragedy at Ruolan Community! Twelve players brutally murdered inside the complex!”

Recently, in a certain D-level instance named “Ruolan Community,” a large number of players were suddenly attacked.

Twelve players were killed with cruelty, and their organs removed.

The list of deceased players includes: Lin Xiaohong, Wang Xiaoming, Ma Jianguo, Niu Huilan, Nie Xiaolan, Nie Haohao...

Hm?

Ji Linmo picked up the newspaper, surprise flickering in his gaze.

Nie Xiaolan, Nie Haohao?

And this Xiaoming and Xiaohong...

“Haohao, I think the videotape you made is really valuable,” Ji Linmo said.

“If you can find it, I’ll consider you the winner of this round. How about it?”

He offered Nie Haohao a warm, encouraging smile.

“Really? Brother, you think I did a good job filming it?!”

The boy’s face lit up with joy, his laughter ringing out.

“That’s great! Mom really hates it when I film these! Every time she catches me, she always says...”

After searching fruitlessly for a while, Nie Haohao’s attention finally settled on a locked drawer.

“Brother, I think Mom put the tape in this drawer.”

“Can you open it?” Ji Linmo asked.

“No! It won’t open, Mom must have locked it.”

Ji Linmo’s brow furrowed.

The key was likely on Nie Xiaolan herself. He couldn’t enter the bedroom, and having Nie Haohao force the drawer open wasn’t wise.

While he pondered, Ji Linmo’s eyes drifted to the large clock in the living room.

It was already 11:20.

In ten minutes, Nie Haohao would go for lunch.

After lunch, it would soon be one in the afternoon.

If he watched TV afterward, it wouldn’t be long before Nie Xiaolan returned home.

Would this exploration end here?

After a moment’s thought, Ji Linmo waved at Nie Haohao.

“Haohao, stop searching. I’ll give you one more chance.”

“Let’s play a little game at lunch. If you can finish all your carrots in one go, then I’ll...”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At three in the afternoon, the clock struck. Nie Xiaolan turned the key and entered her home.

She was greeted by a spotless living room and kitchen, and neatly arranged toys.

“Mom, you’re back!”

Nie Haohao, who had been leaning against Ji Linmo’s arm, engrossed in the children’s channel, jumped up delightedly and ran to his mother.

“Mom, I was really well-behaved today. I played lots of games with Brother Ji, and we even helped tidy up the house together!”

He then signaled for Nie Xiaolan to extend her hand.

The earring he’d found under the sofa was gently placed into her palm.

“Oh! Sweetheart, you were so good today!” Nie Xiaolan hugged the boy tightly, casting a grateful glance at Ji Linmo.

“Mr. Ji, you’ve done so much—thank you! If you don’t mind, could you help look after Haohao again tomorrow?”

Ji Linmo nodded without hesitation.

Once he had received his payment, he was courteously shown out.

As he left, the parrot in the living room cried out in despair, gazing at him with pleading eyes.

“Squawk! Don’t go! Squawk! Don’t leave me!”

With a heavy clang, the door to 301 shut, muffling the parrot’s desperate cries behind the iron.

“Huh? Ji... Ji Linmo, big brother...”

Wang Dazhi, emerging from the door of 302, stared at Ji Linmo in disbelief.

“How did you come out of Room 301? I remember that room was...”

He trailed off, realization dawning in his eyes.

It was obvious—so far, he was still intact, which meant he must have established connections with other residents, triggering tasks and earning rewards to pay his rent.

Ji Linmo said nothing, merely shrugged and walked away as if nothing had happened.

As he watched Ji Linmo leave, Wang Dazhi’s expression grew dark and complicated.

“It’s just because he’s got an S-level item. Nothing special about that. Brother Zhu said, tonight...”

Whatever he imagined, it made Wang Dazhi grin, his white teeth flashing against his dark, creased face.

Having completed the “Watch Haohao” task, Ji Linmo didn’t hurry home.

Instead, he left the community and, braving his nerves, sought out Old Master Ma again.

The chess-loving old man was, as always, in his usual corner of the complex, engrossed in his game. When he saw Ji Linmo, it was as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Heavens—you—you’re still alive?”

Old Master Ma reached out a trembling hand, pointing at Ji Linmo in disbelief, as if he were the real monster of the instance, not the other way around.

Ji Linmo raised an eyebrow, half amused.

“Sir, why do you say that? Why curse me for no reason?”

“No, not at all! I meant nothing by it. Just nonsense, just nonsense!” The old man waved his hands, insisting Ji Linmo was overthinking it.

After a few pleasantries, Ji Linmo managed to coax out the information he wanted: Old Master Ma’s real name was Ma Jianguo, and his wife was Niu Huilan.

Moreover, the other residents Ji Linmo had not yet met all bore names matching those on the death list from the old newspaper in Nie Xiaolan’s house.

“Tragedy at Ruolan Community! Twelve players brutally murdered inside the complex!”

“Recently, in a certain D-level instance named ‘Ruolan Community,’ a large number of players were suddenly attacked.”

“Twelve players were killed with cruelty, and their organs removed.”

“The list of deceased players includes: Lin Xiaohong, Wang Xiaoming, Ma Jianguo...”

“How interesting... Could it be that all the NPCs in Ruolan Community were, at the beginning, the very game players who died in that D-level instance?”