Chapter 68: Not a single normal person

Yin Junchi shook his head and said, "It seems there wasn't one at that time."

Wen Xishu memorized the details of the day and said:

"I need to study this, but don't be afraid, remember, don't be afraid! I will come to visit you later. Rest assured, as long as I am here, you will be fine."

Wen Xishu had a few guesses; it didn't amount to deduction, just pure speculation. He guessed that the situation Yin Junchi was encountering had to do with fear.

After confirming there were no other note-worthy items, he chose to first soothe Yin Junchi, then returned to his own room to think it over carefully.

He had to do this because the hour was up.

【Interaction with neighbor has ended. 50 Action Points have been deducted. Current remaining Action Points: 45.】

Wen Xishu's body began to walk back uncontrollably. After returning to his room, he began to organize the clues he had obtained.

But there were truly few clues, making effective deduction difficult. He could only hope that by combining the clues from the other four people, he would be able to infer something useful.

"Some things are still just guesses, but combined with the others' clues, perhaps a breakthrough can be found on the first day."

……

……

First day, night. One hour remains until the end of the day.

Wen Xishu and the other four people had all completed the "Interaction with neighbor" option. Wen Xishu, Amiao, Xiaowu, and Wu Xiangjiao all had 45 Action Points remaining.

And Amiao, Xiaowu, and Wu Xiangjiao had not conducted their investigations as thoroughly as Wen Xishu.

In the end, it was Xiaowu who initiated the meeting. Because Xiaowu was truly fearful inside, and feeling inferior for not having made any contribution, he thought he must make up for it.

The five people began to communicate again.

In fact, after interacting with their neighbors, several people had already pondered some things that felt wrong.

"I-I'm sorry, I wasted fifty Action Points. My fault, my fault... I shouldn't have made such a mistake. Perhaps I should have been a bit tougher?"

"But seeing that he was a lawyer, I was naturally afraid. The information I could provide is very limited."

"He must be a very excellent lawyer, with many trophies, but he seems to have severe mysophobia. He spoke a bit stiffly; perhaps he has also encountered something terrifying recently."

"Ah, I should go take a shower. I feel like I'm a bit dirty."

"No, I must finish speaking first. It's just that he might have severe mysophobia. He felt the room was too dirty to host me, so he closed the door. At that moment, it prompted me that I should go back, and my Action Points had already been deducted."

"I'm really sorry, I... I've been useless since I got out of prison."

"I think I'll go take a shower first. Oh, what's wrong with me? I have to wait for everyone to finish speaking."

Xiaowu patted his own head, then lowered it.

Wen Xishu silently observed Xiao Wu's changes. Recalling how Xiao Wu looked when they first met, was he really such a sensitive person?

Did he feel that he was dirty? Was he that eager to shower?

There was a problem.

Wen Xishu had a feeling that Xiaowu had already begun to be influenced by some strange power.

The second to speak was Wu Xiangjiao.

"I don't seem to have discovered anything either. It's really strange. I just met a shut-in. I figured, although the university knowledge of the Three Towers and the Bunker aren't the same intensity, university students are university students, after all—at that age, they're all much the same, the age of 'taking care of business' three times a day."

"Plus, his room really had that smell... you know, heh, hehehe. He might have been in his 'sage time.' As soon as I started talking to him about women, he very seriously chased me away."

"Damn, could it be a super 'sage time' after continuous 'taking care of business'?"

Wen Xishu asked:

"Did you notice anything else? Or what do you think was the most prominent impression this university student gave you?"

Wu Xiangjiao shook his head:

"Nothing else. To be honest, he was quite ordinary. He said he wanted to be a prosecutor in the future, but the books in his hand weren't study-related books."

Wen Xishu took note of this.

The third to speak was Wen Xiange:

"Cough, cough, shame, shame. I thought that with my cooking skills, I would definitely be able to make the neighbor across from me like this new neighbor, but I have failed everyone."

"Now that I think about it, that thing wasn't even that delicious. I overestimated my own abilities too much. How could I have thought of using this method to interact?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. He is a somewhat obese person. He must have a big appetite, but the food I made was too unpalatable, I guess. As soon as he saw it, he felt nauseous and vomited, then closed the door."

"I, I actually wasted fifty points just like that!"

Wen Xishu realized that Wu Xiangjiao was actually quite normal.

But Xiaowu and Wen Xiange seemed to have something wrong with them.

Although Xiaowu had just finished his labor reform at the time, he had a face of peace and serenity, and Elder Wen was in exceptionally good spirits.

But now, both of them seemed to be overly guilty and self-blaming.

Wen Xishu began to listen to the last person, Amiao's statement.

Amiao said:

"I met a comedian. If I had to say what the most prominent part was, it's that he was really optimistic and happy. He also infected me; his smile was very healing to me."

"I think, actually, there's nothing to be afraid of. I also feel very happy!"

"Everyone shouldn't be too nervous either. What could there be? My Lord will protect us; there is no hurdle in life that cannot be overcome!"

That was it.

Amiao's statement was too brief; Wen Xishu hadn't expected it to be like this. Looking at it this way, Amiao was the most normal one.

But he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

"Amiao, do you feel very happy now? But at the beginning? At the beginning, before you visited your neighbor, what were your feelings?"

"A bit afraid, I suppose. You also know that I'm actually here to gamble with my life. With the Level 6 hospital brought by Sect Leader Wen Xishu, I, who was originally destined to die, now have a chance at life."

"That's why I thought, under the policy incentives, to come to the Mysterious Tower to earn some money. But when I discovered that there is a strange power in the Mysterious Tower that can directly control my body, I was indeed very afraid, and also a bit annoyed. If this power keeps controlling me, wouldn't I be unable to do anything?"

Wen Xishu said:

"And are you still afraid now?"

Amiao shook her head:

"Not afraid anymore. Life should be full of laughter. I think my neighbor is very good; I should learn from him."

It's ruined... Now, truly, except for Wu Xiangjiao, not a single person is normal.

Wen Xishu faintly captured that common point:

"My neighbor is a bestselling author, here to find inspiration, currently in a particularly excited state, overflowing with inspiration."

"But the things he writes are horror novels. Whenever he wants to rest a little, he starts having hallucinations."

"The content of these hallucinations is terrifying."

"Xiaowu, Elder, have you had any feelings of fear?"

Xiaowu and Wen Xiange lowered their heads, thought for a while, and said together:

"Yes!"

Xiaowu stated the reason for his fear; he felt that the lawyer was abnormal. The room was bright as day, yet he still complained that the room was dirty.

Wen Xiange thought that without Action Points in this place, one couldn't even go out. One couldn't even escape... so he felt afraid involuntarily.

He didn't want to die here; he still wanted to spread the deeds of the Holy Wen to every corner, letting the Xishu Divine Sect grow big and strong to create brilliance together.

Wen Xishu sighed:

"It seems that's how it is. I think even if I tell you not to be afraid, it will be of no use."

"Everyone..."

Wen Xishu suddenly shut his mouth. He realized that not everyone had a heart as big as his.

If at this moment, he emphasized saying such a sentence:

"You are all very different from before you came in, have you noticed?"

Once this sentence was pondered carefully by them, they would discover that peaceful people became inferior, desperate people became optimistic, and it might just cause them to fall into even greater fear.

Now he could be certain that fear was the switch that opened the strange.

The writer felt fear, so he began to have hallucinations. Amiao felt fear, so she began to become extremely optimistic. Xiaowu and Elder Wen felt fear, so they began to feel inferior...

The inferiority of these two might even be subdivided into differences.

Only Wu Xiangjiao had no changes. Because this person wasn't afraid, but it was hard to say what would happen later.

Wen Xishu was still thinking about whether the reactions of these people after fear could string together any clues.

Wen Xiange asked:

"A-Shu, what did you want to say just now? Your analytical ability, I think, is quite reliable. As the future of my Xishu Divine Sect, you can speak your mind."

Wen Xishu shook his head:

"Nothing. This mission is actually not difficult. I have some clues. Everyone, don't be nervous. As long as we cooperate with each other, nothing will happen."

"Currently, it's only the first day. I can't draw conclusions yet. Everyone, wait a bit longer."

The other few people had their own concerns, but they all nodded, and the meeting soon ended.

Only a few dozen minutes remained until the end of the first day.

Before the end of the first day, Wen Xishu decided to spend 25 Action Points to search this room.

Facing his teammates falling into a dilemma, Wen Xishu instead had a surging desire to work.

……

……

There were actually very few places to explore in the room.

After confirming the consumption of Action Points, Wen Xishu could freely check every corner. And use the network equipment in the room to view some information.

Wen Xishu first looked at the current status of Anzhen. Then he checked the names of the family members of the chaebol behind the Three Balls Company.

He noticed someone named Anzhen Qi. At this time, Wen Xishu paid extra attention to "Seven," so he checked Anzhen Qi.

By the way, he checked the works under the pen name Yin Junchi, as well as the website and novel categories he belonged to.

He discovered some clues, but they were not enough to constitute a complete lead.

Subsequently, Wen Xishu began to search the room.

He searched very carefully, but did not choose to search the entire residential area in a general way, but only in the bedroom. Because the bedroom was adjacent to another room.

That is, Room 14-1.

After all the items had been searched and it was discovered that there was nothing special, Wen Xishu did not continue to look for items. He put his ear directly against the wall and began to listen to the movement next door.

"Great! That's it!"

Yin Junchi's voice came through.

"Just write it like this! Just write it like this! I can write all night. I have never been so smooth before, just like thirty years of constipation, suddenly gushing out smoothly!"

Approaching twelve o'clock, Yin Junchi had no sleepiness at all. He seemed to be full of inspiration again and began to tap the keyboard continuously.

Wen Xishu felt a sense of incongruity.

But he hadn't figured out any exact clues, and time was passing ruthlessly.

【Exploration of the room you are in has been completed. 25 Action Points have been deducted. Remaining Action Points: 20.】

【The second day has arrived. Remaining Action Points: 100.】

The sudden prompt made Wen Xishu feel a bit nervous.

The first day had passed just like that.

Now his Action Points were replenished to one hundred. He decided not to sleep first and go do other things.

However, before doing these things, Wen Xishu still sorted out the current clues:

"Xiaowu, Amiao, Elder Wen, Wu Xiangjiao—the objects visited by these people all have a distinct characteristic."

"But with just these few people, it's hard for me to find a pattern."

"A mysophobic lawyer, a university student who wants to be a prosecutor, a comedian with a happy life attitude, and a fat man who is quite picky about food."

"These people seem to have no connection... the only connection is that they will all die."

"We have five people, corresponding to seven households. Coincidentally, it seems we all encountered single-person households. The neighbors of the five people are all of the kind without any family members."

"Then what about the remaining two households?"

Wen Xishu decided to look for the remaining two households.

"I am on the 14th floor, Amiao is on the 35th floor, Xiangjiao is on the 21st floor, Elder is on the 7th floor, Xiaowu is on the 28th floor."

"This pattern is actually very easy to find; they are all multiples of seven. So the remaining two households should be on the 42nd floor and the 49th floor."

"Let's just go directly to the 49th floor."

Wen Xishu arrived at the door again, and the familiar prompt appeared again:

【You are about to step out of the room. You seem to have some clues, what do you decide to do?】

【1: Explore the Miracle Apartment building: Consume 50 Action Points.】

【2: Interact with neighbor: Consume 50 Action Points.】

This time, he chose 1. His body was once again controlled by the strange power, only this time he arrived in front of the elevator entrance.

Actually, twelve o'clock at night is not an excellent time for exploration, because normally, these residents are all asleep.

But in this building, the word "normal" does not exist.

Now is the second day of the seven-day survival. After a first day that was devoid of danger but faintly abnormal, the second day immediately had danger and strangeness.

When Wen Xishu entered the elevator, there was already a person in the elevator.

He was wearing a green uniform and looked like one of the staff members of the Miracle Building. He had his back to Wen Xishu, facing the elevator wall.

Even after Wen Xishu walked in, he still had his back to Wen Xishu. Wen Xishu was facing the elevator door, he was facing the elevator wall, with his head slightly lowered.

His appearance and expression could not be seen. He just stood there motionless.

Wen Xishu discovered that he could only go to the 49th floor; the 42nd floor required a special door card to be pressed. After he pressed the elevator floor button for 49, the elevator door slowly closed.

At this moment, Wen Xishu discovered that the inside of the elevator door seemed different from the daytime.

During the day, he saw the inside of the elevator door flashing with metallic luster, and he could faintly see his reflection, but now, under the illumination of the lights in the elevator, he couldn't see any reflection at all.

Wen Xishu suddenly became alert and turned around immediately.

Behind him, the "staff member" who was originally back-to-back with him still hadn't moved. Motionless, almost completely still, as if he wasn't even breathing.

But... his posture had changed.

He seemed to be about to turn around. His face had already turned halfway. Wen Xishu could see his side profile, his mouth wide open, as if his mouth had split open.

Wen Xishu's gaze stared at him, and he remained completely still.

The elevator kept rising. But it seemed like a long, long time had passed, and it still hadn't reached the forty-ninth floor.

The Miracle Building at midnight was indeed a strange place.

Wen Xishu had a premonition that if he handled it carelessly... he might die in the elevator.

He decided to make a bold attempt, turning around instantly to look at the elevator door.

At this moment, the elevator rose from the 14th floor to the 15th floor.

At the same moment, Wen Xishu turned around rapidly again, looking at the elevator wall behind him.

The figure of that "staff member" was still still, but his posture had changed again. He had already revealed most of his face, his eyes were open exceptionally wide, his bloodshot eyes were still looking straight ahead, and his two hanging hands had already been raised slightly.

If it were anyone else, they would feel horrified at this time.

"He is trying to turn around, it looks like he wants to attack me. As long as I stare at him, he won't move. This setting is a bit like a Weeping Angel... but my situation is worse. If I don't look at the elevator door, the elevator won't move either."

Yes, if Wen Xishu's gaze did not cover the elevator door, then Wen Xishu was currently in an abnormally slow space.

Wen Xishu did not act rashly. At this time, it seemed the correct thing to do was to walk into a corner.

There are four corners in the elevator. As long as you ensure you stand in a corner where you can see both the door and the person, you can crack the strangeness in front of you.

But Wen Xishu noticed a detail:

"This person's eyes are not looking at me..."

Although there were no clues to infer what would happen if the other party's eyes stared at him, Wen Xishu still felt that he should perhaps avoid this gaze.

He always felt that if his figure appeared in the other party's line of sight, something even more horrifying would happen.

The elevator floor buttons and counter were on the left side of the elevator door, on the same side as this "staff member."

The staff member occupied one corner, and the elevator floor buttons and counter also occupied one corner. If Wen Xishu chose either corner on the left, he would either be too close to this "staff member," or he wouldn't be able to see the floor counter at all.

But if he chose the corner on the right, he would either not be able to see the elevator floor buttons and counter, or he would be seen by that "staff member."

"View attributes."

Wen Xishu was not panicked and directly summoned the mirror.

The Three Towers Guide had said that after completing registration, one could summon this mirror at any time in the Three Towers.

This was a mirror that only players could view. And only players could see it. The mirror would display the character's attributes, and at the same time, it could be used as a normal mirror.

15th floor, 16th floor, 17th floor, 18th floor...

The elevator finally began to move at a normal speed, and that "staff member" who wanted to turn around was finally unable to move.

When the elevator door opened and finally arrived at the forty-ninth floor...

Wen Xishu did not turn around either, but stared at the mirror and the "staff member," walking backward out of the elevator.

Until the elevator door closed, Wen Xishu let out a long breath.

"A narrow escape."

"Unfortunately, I don't know what it would be like to take the elevator during the day on the first day. During the ascent, would I also encounter this? Or is it that the first day wouldn't be so strange, just like visiting a neighbor, leaving behind some places that are terrifying to think about?"

"Without a variable comparison... I can't judge, but I can feel that there are some points in this building that go against common sense, slowly making people feel psychological horror."

"And once you fall into the emotion of fear, you will establish a connection with the strange. This is a vicious cycle. Once a connection is established, it is very likely that more terrifying experiences will be triggered, and the connection will be deeper, and so on..."

Wen Xishu speculated in his heart about the possibilities of this building, because currently, he still couldn't find out how those seven households would die.

Wen Xishu was walking in the corridor on the forty-ninth floor. Not long after, he heard footsteps and knocking on the door.

"Hehehe, hahahaha, Mommy, is it okay if I do this?"

"Of course it's okay. As long as you like it."

The voice of a little boy and a woman came. Wen Xishu followed the sound, walked towards the left side of the corridor, and saw the owners of the voices.

This was a mother and son. The woman was in her early thirties, and the child looked like six or seven years old. The lights in the corridor were still on, but the other residents had indeed already fallen asleep.

But what the little boy was doing now was standard behavior for a "spoiled brat." He was running back and forth in the corridor, making ear-piercing laughter, and occasionally knocking on doors. After knocking, he would hide.

He looked at his mother with a probing gaze.

The woman just looked at her child with a rather tolerant gaze:

"It doesn't matter, do whatever you want."

"Mommy, will I be very ignorant if I do this? You didn't allow me to do this before. You used to praise other people's children and were very strict with me."

"How could that be, my baby? Mommy was ignorant before. Now Mommy feels that life is very happy."

The two did not see Wen Xishu, because Wen Xishu was standing at the end of the corridor. The Miracle Building was a columnar building; one floor was actually surrounded by seven corridors.

After Wen Xishu discovered the two, he immediately hid at the corner of the corridor and listened silently.

"Mommy, I, I want to pee."

"Then let's go back, my baby."

"Mommy, can I pee in the corridor?"

"Of course, baby, you're great, you're really a little genius."

A spoiled brat and a mother who dotes on him?

This child's behavior is too heaven-defying, right? Is this mother not angry at all?

"Forget it, Mommy, it's not right to do this. You taught me before that I must go to the toilet. Let's go back. I'll go back to the toilet. Mommy, can you carry me back?"

"Okay, okay, I love carrying you."

"Mommy, how did you become so good?"

"Because Mommy loves you. It doesn't matter if you do something wrong; Mommy will forgive you."

It was past twelve o'clock in the middle of the night. In the corridor, there was only the sound of the woman's high heels. The whole floor was quiet.

Wen Xishu frowned.

In fact, those conversations just now already had some strange meaning.

A six or seven-year-old child, not sleeping at this time, making noise in such a quiet corridor, and even knocking on other people's doors...

But no one opened the door, and his mother didn't stop him at all.

It seemed that no matter what he did, his mother wouldn't be angry.

It was somewhat similar to the comedian Amiao mentioned who was always happy and faced everything with joy, but he always felt that something was wrong.

Wen Xishu pondered slightly and perceived some clues:

"No, this is not happiness and joy... this is indulgence."

"I understand. For these households, a certain spiritual attribute has been excessively magnified."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 69 =====