Chapter 24 The Singer

Most instances of the game would release their missions after this period of time. Because of that, Ji Linmo’s body had developed a habit; no matter how exhausted he was, he would always try to wake up, dazed and groggy, during this interval.

“Ugh…”

Ji Linmo, whose throat ached unbearably, opened his eyes.

At that moment, the young man sprawled over him was still fast asleep. Gone was the wedding attire; dressed in a blood-stained school uniform, the boy looked utterly different from the terrifying specter he had been before.

His eyelashes were long, and with each rise and fall of his chest, they trembled delicately like the wings of a butterfly.

Ji Linmo glanced at him a few times, then climbed up from the floor. He summoned the whip from his inventory and, without mercy, bound the young man tightly.

The Lightning Whip would release a jolt of electricity when striking an enemy. Used as a binding rope like this, it would shock the boy half to death if he struggled too hard.

“Hey, wake up. Don’t sleep. I have questions for you.”

Ji Linmo raised his hand and slapped the boy across the face, hard.

A red mark bloomed across the youth’s cheek, but he remained motionless, deeply asleep.

After confirming the boy’s pulse was normal, Ji Linmo washed his face in the bathroom, took the ring from the boy’s hand, and headed out.

Last night, it was thanks to Old Master Ma’s item—the ring—that he realized the “Ghost Bride’s” elaborate headdress and robes were actually artifacts. That discovery had saved his life.

No matter what, he owed Old Master Ma a debt of gratitude.

With that in mind, Ji Linmo headed for the elevator.

After paying the rent, he’d get something from the vending machine and bring it to Old Master Ma.

Thinking this, Ji Linmo opened his status panel:

[Player—Ji Linmo]

[Status: Normal]

[Strength: ?]

[Speed: ?]

[Perception: ?]

[Funds: 1000 Ghost Coins]

[Inventory: “Schoolgirl’s Skirt” (Intermediate Item), Chilled Human Brain x2]

“I’m running low on money…”

Ji Linmo frowned.

He hadn’t kept a close eye on his finances lately. Now, after paying rent and buying a few organs for sale, he’d barely have any Ghost Coins left.

It looked like he’d have to play chess with Old Master Ma to earn some coins.

“Big Brother!”

A child’s voice rang out by the elevator. Ji Linmo looked up to see the “Ghost Boy—Nie Haohao” hanging upside-down from the elevator’s ceiling.

Nie Haohao looked different than usual. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles, as if he hadn’t slept at all.

“What’s wrong? Why do you have dark circles under your eyes?”

Ji Linmo pointed at Haohao’s bruised eyelids and asked.

“Big Brother, you have no idea. My mom and I barely slept all night!”

Nie Haohao pouted, voicing his dissatisfaction loudly.

“The big sister across the hall started singing in the middle of the night again! Nighttime is for sleeping, but she refuses to rest, doesn’t go out to eat like the others—just holes up in her room singing.”

“This morning, my mom was already in a bad mood, and then that big sister knocked on our door to complain that the sound of my mom cooking disturbed her!”

Nie Haohao rattled off the events of the morning in a flurry of words.

Ji Linmo patted his head and asked softly, “Is your mom still arguing with that big sister?”

Nie Haohao nodded rapidly. “Yes, she’s really angry!”

“Then take me to the third floor. I’d like to see this big sister you mentioned.”

Ji Linmo pressed the button for the third floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a cacophony of shouting.

“You old hag, let me tell you—it’s your lack of taste! I sing so beautifully, and yet you knock on my door in the dead of night to tell me to keep it down? Are you kidding me?”

Ji Linmo didn’t rush forward; instead, he hid at the corner, quietly observing the confrontation.

A girl with a high ponytail and colorful knee-high socks stood arrogantly, raising her middle finger at Nie Xiaolan.

“You… you’re impossible!” Nie Xiaolan, clad in a sheer nightgown, frowned as she leaned against her doorway, glaring at the flamboyantly dressed girl.

But somehow, that single phrase seemed to ignite the girl’s fury.

She jabbed her finger at herself and shouted, “I’m impossible? 302, you’re the unreasonable one! Who sleeps at night anyway? Look around—everyone else in this building waits for night to hunt down a few lone players. Only you lock your door and sleep with your son!”

“I don’t complain about you cooking all day, but you dare to make trouble for me? Hmph! Kindness is just an invitation to be bullied!”

Bang!

Nie Xiaolan could bear it no longer. She rolled her eyes at the girl and slammed her door shut.

To think, even in this instance, neighborly disputes persisted. Ji Linmo couldn’t help but sigh at the scene before him.

Just as he was about to return to the elevator, a cold voice rang out from afar.

“Peeping—enjoying yourself?”

The hoarse voice scraped like rough glass across a blackboard, sending a shiver of discomfort down his spine.

He’d been spotted.

Ji Linmo looked up, his gaze meeting the girl who now stood directly before him.

Her high ponytail and garish makeup gave her a strange harmony with the dilapidated hallway.

Ji Linmo was about to speak when she suddenly seized him by the face.

“Hey, pretty boy, you’re quite good-looking. Want to be friends?”

[Prompt: Favorability with “Ghost Singer—Yang Xingxing” +10. Current favorability: “Strangers at a Crossroads.”]

[Ghost Singer—Yang Xingxing]

[Level: Advanced Evil Spirit]

[Profile: Resident of Room 302, loves singing, usually carefree, but lately beset by worries.]

“You want to be friends with me?”

Ji Linmo was cautious, not answering immediately.

But she circled him, examining him as if he were a new and fascinating toy.

“Yes, friend. Will you be my friend?” Yang Xingxing pointed at Ji Linmo with dissatisfaction. “Or are you not pleased to be the friend of a lady like me?”

[Mission Triggered]

[Become friends with “Ghost Singer—Yang Xingxing.”]

[Mission Success Reward: Well, you’ll be friends, silly!]

[Mission Failure: Death.]

“A mission with no option to refuse…”

Looking at the brash and domineering girl before him, Ji Linmo pressed a weary hand to his forehead.

Although meeting every resident was part of his plan, he hadn’t wanted to get entangled so early in the morning—especially with the rent due before eight o’clock.