Chapter 29: The Scamming Gui, Murder to Silence

Chapter 29: The Scamming Gui, Murder to Silence

One moment, Ji Yan was praising Liu Nianqing for his decency, and the next, he was ruthlessly kicked out of the apartment.

"That woman’s husband is an unreasonable brute. The Rusted Hatchet is yours, so stabbing her counts as your doing."

"If you want to live, run back to 404. Maybe those two family members of yours can save you—though I doubt it..."

"Since it’s not dawn yet, the Landlord won’t intervene either. Good luck surviving on your own."

The door slammed shut, leaving only Liu Nianqing’s scattered words lingering in the cold wind.

Ji Yan patted the flashlight in his hand, its light flickering weakly.

A few drops of blood clung stubbornly to the tip of the Rusted Hatchet—the one that had wounded the Mother Supernatural Entity—like glue, impossible to shake off.

And it reeked of a pungent, metallic stench...

Because he was holding the Rusted Hatchet, his Talent’s Information Panel triggered, revealing lines of bloody text:

【The indelible scent of blood will attract the Mother Supernatural Entity’s husband in 10 minutes. He is a "Dead-Eyed Gui"—blind but exceptionally vicious, with an acute sense of smell.】

【The path home is not one of salvation. Ascending further offers the only chance of survival.】

【So, how will you save yourself?】

Perhaps it was due to acquiring another Talent Fragment, but 【Omniscient Understanding】 now activated much more easily.

Not only did it provide Hidden Information, but it also guided Ji Yan on how to survive.

"My Talent is hinting that running back to 404 won’t save me."

"Even if 【Grandmother】 and 【Mother】 have some goodwill toward me, whether they’d risk their lives for me is questionable. Besides, a 4th-floor Gui standing against an 8th-floor Gui is a long shot."

Ji Yan stared at the Rusted Hatchet in his hand, muttering to himself.

Ascending further is the only way out.

Was his Talent suggesting that the resident of Room 801 could save him?

With only ten minutes left, Ji Yan had no time to overthink. He turned and headed for the stairwell.

He had to try everything. After all, he’d helped the Kanjing Gui resolve its lingering regret—surely it wouldn’t betray him now?

But as he re-entered the stairwell, Ji Yan froze mid-step when his Information Panel popped up again.

【Hidden eyes covet your Rusted Hatchet. A trap has been laid in the stairwell, where many passing Players have met their downfall.】

【Haven’t you noticed an extra step on the stairs? What seems like a trap might actually be a rare opportunity to rid yourself of this Hot Potato.】

Hidden eyes?

A sneaky Player in the game?

Reading the second, blatantly obvious hint and glancing at the Rusted Hatchet in his hand, Ji Yan smirked in understanding.

He continued upward, "carelessly" stepping onto the extra stair.

The next second, the step cracked and collapsed beneath him, his right foot sucked into an unseen force.

Then, a pair of eyes opened beneath the stairs, and hands covered in corpse spots slithered up Ji Yan’s legs.

A hoarse voice rasped, "Young man, you’re so careless. You broke my leg—didn’t you see?"

"So, how will you compensate me?"

Ji Yan’s lips twitched.

Even in the Eerie World, there were scam artists like this?

"Granny, why are you sticking your foot out in the stairwell in the first place?"

The Scamming Gui ignored him. "None of your business. Pay up."

"What treasures do you have on you? Hand them over, and I’ll let you go."

Ji Yan felt a headache coming on.

The hands grew bolder, reaching toward his crotch the next second: "If you won’t choose, I’ll choose for you—this treasure of yours will do!"

Reflexively, Ji Yan swung the Rusted Hatchet in his hand, stabbing it into the pitch-black Scamming Gui beneath his feet.

The moment the hatchet struck, it was as if it had been sucked in, instantly slipping from his grip.

The next second, the Scamming Gui, slippery as a loach, snatched the hatchet and swiftly slithered away.

Ji Yan froze for a moment before shouting, "Damn it, my hatchet!"

Once he confirmed the other party had stolen the weapon, Ji Yan stopped yelling, patted his hands in relief, and turned to continue climbing the stairs.

...

Meanwhile.

The Scamming Gui emerged from the stairwell, tearing open a layer of black corpse-like skin, revealing a yellow-haired male player inside.

Holding the Rusted Hatchet, his eyes gleamed with excitement: "This hatchet is a treasure!"

"Another fruitful night."

With that, he entered a room.

"Brother Long, I just snatched a treasure. Take a look at its quality."

Long Yuan, still engaged in his Nighttime Task, turned his head at the words: "What is it?"

Then he saw the Rusted Hatchet, and his expression shifted slightly: "This hatchet looks familiar. Who’d you take it from?"

"Just some fool. Scared him a little, and he dropped it immediately."

"With nerves like that, he dares to go out at night for missions?"

Yellow Hair grinned, handing over the hatchet with pride.

The moment Long Yuan held it, he recognized it as Ji Yan’s Supernatural Artifact, his brow furrowing tightly.

"That kid isn’t dead?"

"Shouldn’t be."

"Brother Long, you know him?" Yellow Hair asked.

Long Yuan shook his head, carefully examining the hatchet.

Glancing at the food on the table, Yellow Hair’s mouth watered. He had survived 44 days in this Instance by relying on his B-grade Talent, Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell, disguising himself as a Supernatural Entity at night to steal equipment from other players.

Decent gear would then be traded to Long Yuan for food.

Now, Yellow Hair’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. After starving for two days, this was his chance for a proper meal.

"It’s worth three loaves of bread."

"Deal!" Yellow Hair agreed without hesitation.

But then, Long Yuan noticed the bloodstains on the blade.

His fingers couldn’t wipe them away, and the stench was overpowering!

Long Yuan’s frown deepened: "Where did this blood come from?"

The next moment, realization struck him. His expression darkened as he flung the hatchet back at Yellow Hair: "Take this damn thing and get out!"

Yellow Hair, who had been about to pick his bread, caught the hatchet in confusion: "What’s wrong?"

"A life-threatening weapon, and you bring it to me?"

"Ten seconds. Get out of my room!"

Long Yuan’s face was stormy, his eyes murderous.

Yellow Hair shuddered under his glare, clutching the hatchet as he reluctantly turned to leave.

But as he turned, he noticed the door at the entrance slowly rotting away, its surface crumbling into dust.

Long Yuan cursed under his breath: "What a stroke of bad luck."

...

Meanwhile.

Ji Yan knew full well that losing the Rusted Hatchet was only a temporary solution.

The reason the Mother Supernatural Entity harbored such killing intent toward him was that she had caught the scent of the rooftop Supernatural Entity on him.

From the information he’d gathered, he could roughly guess—

Back then, the parents played a game with their daughter, telling her to hide inside the rooftop water tank. Unsurprisingly, it was the parents who sealed it with the cement slab.

They never intended for their daughter to come out alive!

As for why they wanted to kill their own daughter, the reason remains unclear for now, though it likely had something to do with that family's rent.

So, seeking help directly from this family would be a dead end.

Worse, it might even lead to being hunted down and silenced!

The Mother Supernatural Entity's relentless pursuit, seemingly provoked by the injury from the Coffin Nail, was actually a cover for something else...

At this point, only one person could possibly help him—the resident of Room 801.

"Let’s see if Huang Sheng’s influence holds any weight here."

Holding the key given by the Kanjing Gui, Ji Yan muttered to himself as he inserted it into the lock of Room 801’s door...