Chapter 6: Vanished Without a Trace

"I don't need any organs."

Ji Linmo glanced at the girl, his face impassive, and pointed toward the main entrance on the first floor of the apartment complex.

"Rather than the second floor, I want to take a look outside this building."

Liu Bi was dumbfounded, thinking he must have misheard.

He pointed incredulously at the door. "Outside? You mean outside the instance?!"

In this world of horror, players were trapped within the boundaries of each instance, unable to leave the designated area. If anyone tried to force their way out, stepping beyond the limits, they would be considered to have abandoned the instance, resulting in instant death.

Noticing the shock on everyone's faces, Ji Linmo said nothing, simply pushing the front door with force.

The rusty iron door, unlocked, creaked open slowly under his push.

A cold breeze swept in, and harsh, pale daylight spilled into the dark, narrow corridor.

Beyond the threshold, the scene revealed a leaden-gray sky and a dark green lawn.

"Sorry, our instance is called Ruolan Community, not Ruolan Building," Ji Linmo remarked. "This is an S-level instance—don't underestimate it."

He gazed into the distance, ignoring the astonished group, and was the first to step outside.

As he crossed the threshold, Ji Linmo seemed to hear a soft chuckle—a laugh unique to a young boy.

He froze, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"It's really fine! We can actually come outside—"

Wang Dazhi followed closely behind, stepping out after Ji Linmo.

Looking toward the nearby lawn, Wang Dazhi saw scattered groups of "people" walking about—residents, just like the little boy from the elevator.

"There's someone over there..."

Instinctively, Wang Dazhi wanted to retreat inside, but he suddenly noticed that these residents, upon seeing them, wore expressions of intense fear.

No—it wasn't directed at them, but at Ji Linmo!

They all avoided meeting Ji Linmo's gaze.

What was going on?

Just as he was about to ask, Ji Linmo suddenly strode forward, walking toward something in the distance as if nothing else mattered.

Ji Linmo's goal was a patch of red not far ahead.

—

A vending machine.

Amid the vast stretch of dark green lawn, the blood-red vending machine stood out starkly in the distance.

Everyone mustered their courage and followed Ji Linmo, studying the array of goods within.

The top three rows were filled with all kinds of food—from instant noodles to drinks, everything one could wish for.

The newcomer, Zhang Lanlan, pressed closely behind Ji Linmo, her gaze fixed on the food inside the machine. She swallowed hard.

She hadn't had a drop to drink since the night before.

The others were in much the same state, their eyes drawn to the food and water on the shelves, licking their lips unconsciously.

Zhang Lanlan looked up at Ji Linmo, whose face remained cold and showed no sign of hunger or thirst. She tugged at his sleeve and quietly slipped a piece of candy into his pocket.

"Um, Mr. Ji, thank you for earlier... in the elevator, and..."

Ji Linmo didn't respond, not even sparing her a glance.

"My god, a box of instant noodles costs seventy soul coins—that's half a month's rent," Wang Dazhi muttered, scratching his head and eyeing the vending machine with frustration.

"Instead of worrying about that, you should look down here," Ji Linmo interjected, rapping his hand on the lower compartment of the machine.

The black panels of the bottom three rows slid away, revealing something entirely different from the top shelves—

Fresh human brains, livers, spleens, kidneys...

Various human organs were displayed on the shelves like ordinary products.

"These are... human..." Liu Bi stammered, pointing at the bottom rows, unable to finish his sentence.

Zhu Jun, standing nearby, was less surprised. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Everyone, look here. This vending machine is more than it seems."

Wang Dazhi spotted several lines of tiny print at the bottom and pointed them out.

[Vending Machine Instructions]
[1. Do not damage the vending machine.]
[2. At 5 a.m. each day, the machine will collect the goods from the bottom three rows. Selling is encouraged.]
[3. There are currently no weddings in this community. The machine does not sell 'Double Happiness' stickers. If you see any in the machine, leave immediately.]
[4. If a resident asks you to buy 'Double Happiness' stickers, distance yourself from them immediately.]

Ji Linmo frowned as he read the fine print.

This instance was called "Night of the Ghost Bride." After what happened last night—a wedding—how could there possibly be no celebrations in this community?

And what exactly were these "Double Happiness" stickers?

Though puzzled, Ji Linmo knew these questions were secondary for now.

The immediate concern was where they could obtain soul coins to sustain themselves.

—Daily rent, elevator rides paid in organs, and food for survival.

All told, they'd need at least four hundred soul coins each day.

"There's only two hours left until eight o'clock," Wang Dazhi said, terror in his eyes. "If we can't pay the rent, do we die?"

"The second rule says we can sell organs. Are we supposed to sell our organs every day just to survive?"

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Ji Linmo clapped his hands to get their attention.

"I have an idea," he said. "In this instance, we can earn soul coins."

Liu Bi eyed him skeptically. "Are you sure about that?"

Ji Linmo nodded. "Absolutely. Look at the last rule on the vending machine: we're forbidden from helping residents buy Double Happiness stickers. That means we can actually establish positive relationships with other residents—help them out, that sort of thing."

"So I think this is a trigger-based instance. We need to interact with the NPCs, ask them for tasks or jobs, and that's how we'll earn soul coins."

Everyone looked at each other in disbelief.

Asking NPCs for tasks in an instance—such a thing was unheard of!

Was Ji Linmo trying to get them killed?

Ji Linmo simply stood to the side, watching them quietly.

"Why don't we give it a try? We have no other option anyway." In the silence, Wang Dazhi—dark-skinned and sturdy—scratched his head and flashed a row of white teeth, breaking the tension.

"Brother Ji Linmo, you’ll try with us, right? Otherwise, we..."

Wang Dazhi turned to where Ji Linmo had been speaking—and froze in astonishment.

Ji Linmo had vanished into thin air!