Chapter 46: Underground Residents, Hogging the Cake

Chapter 46: Underground Residents, Hogging the Cake

Watching the blood spreading across the floor, Ji Yan couldn’t help but hold his breath. He hadn’t expected the method of opening the basement to be so gruesome.

He turned to the Bleeding Wall and asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

The Bleeding Wall didn’t respond.

After a long pause, the blood slowly twisted into a distorted word: "Pain..."

Ji Yan’s eyes flickered. There was no time to waste. He quickly pulled out the Mother’s Flashlight, switched it on, and stepped into the basement.

At that moment, his scalp tingled.

The three paper figures leaped out from between his strands of hair. Like three flat, hopping sparrows, they scurried around his body, curiously observing their surroundings.

Ji Yan didn’t know why the paper figures had emerged, but their presence gave him a slight sense of security.

Just then, a new system prompt appeared in his vision.

Ding! Congratulations, Player, for discovering the Instance’s hidden new map area—the Forbidden Basement.

Map Area Description: This is a prison that holds residents who have severely violated the Apartment Rules. It contains many unknown dangers. It is recommended that players avoid entering recklessly without sufficient preparation.

Hint: The hidden map area is tied to multiple core missions and conceals a large number of high-quality equipment.

"So this is the hidden map area."

"No wonder there were no hints at all."

As Ji Yan muttered to himself, the flashlight in his hand suddenly flickered and sputtered.

He froze. Even the Mother’s Flashlight was useless here?

Thinking about it, he really had been reckless to come down here unprepared. But given the urgency of the situation, he had no choice—his means of survival were limited, practically nonexistent.

"Guess I’ll have to see how much these three paper figures from Miss Xu are really worth."

Even as he said this, the three paper figures, each no bigger than a palm, didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

A short while later, he reached the bottom of the stairs.

As his shoes stepped onto the thick layer of dust, Ji Yan knew he had entered the new map area.

Through the flickering beam of the flashlight, he surveyed his surroundings. Despite being called a forbidden land—a prison for sinful residents—it was actually a wine cellar that had been sealed for who knew how long.

Clay jars of wine were scattered everywhere.

After taking a few steps, the flashlight suddenly went out, plunging him into darkness.

At first, he thought the flashlight had malfunctioned, but the next second, he realized something was covering it.

Pulling the flashlight away, Ji Yan got a clear look at the culprit.

It was an Eccentric Old Man with wild, unkempt hair and a hunched, grotesque frame—like a real-life goblin.

Grinning, the old man chuckled, "I knew it! Sooner or later, someone sharp would figure out the problem lies in the basement!"

As soon as he finished speaking, shadowy figures emerged from hidden corners—all of them twisted, malnourished Eccentric Residents. Their exaggeratedly thin bodies bore no trace of healthy flesh, resembling refugees fleeing famine.

When they saw Ji Yan, their faces lit up with smiles.

"We’re saved! Our hearts can finally rest."

"Our apartment won’t collapse now!"

The Eccentric Residents imprisoned in the basement looked at Ji Yan as if he were their savior, their joy indescribable.

This wasn’t the scene Ji Yan had imagined.

Weren’t the basement and its prisoners supposed to be extremely dangerous?

Weren’t the Eccentric Residents supposed to be filled with hostility?

The imprisoned Eccentric Residents seemed to understand Ji Yan's thoughts as they explained, "Though we once made mistakes and were imprisoned here, we don’t wish to see the apartment collapse. After all, our loved ones still live above."

"So we’ve been waiting for someone to come down and save this building!"

Ji Yan studied the faces of the Eccentric Residents, noting that the Three Paper Figures showed no signs of aggression. He asked, "Then who exactly is damaging the apartment’s foundation?"

Just as the imprisoned Eccentric Residents were about to answer, footsteps echoed from the stairs behind them.

Ji Yan’s expression darkened.

He knew—another Player had already caught up to his progress.

It was faster than he’d anticipated.

What made his mood worse was recognizing the Player descending the stairs—an old acquaintance.

Holding an Old-fashioned Oil Lamp, its orange flame illuminating his face, Long Yuan narrowed his eyes at the sight of Ji Yan.

Enemies meeting, eyes burning with hostility.

"Fancy seeing you again," Ji Yan said with a hollow smile.

"If I recall correctly, you still owe me a bet."

"The wager was a Kitchen Knife, wasn’t it?"

Long Yuan smirked coldly. "I’ve got something better for you."

With that, he tossed over a Supernatural Artifact.

A closer look revealed it was Ji Yan’s own Rusted Hatchet.

??

Hadn’t some unlucky fool snatched it? How did it end up in this guy’s hands?

"Clever move. This hatchet gave me quite the headache."

"That trick you pulled—I haven’t forgotten."

Long Yuan’s smile was icy.

Ji Yan picked up the Rusted Hatchet. It was even more damaged now, a piece of it broken off.

No wonder Long Yuan returned it. To him, it was probably worthless. But in Ji Yan’s eyes, as long as his Talent, Omniscient Understanding, remained, this hatchet was still a Collector's Grade treasure or better.

Back then, to escape the Father Supernatural Entity in Room 804, he’d reluctantly abandoned the hatchet as a decoy.

Who’d have thought it would circle back to him like this?

"You say I tricked you? I don’t know what you mean."

"All I know is some scammer stole my hatchet. How’d it end up with you?"

Ji Yan shook his head as he pocketed the hatchet.

Long Yuan narrowed his eyes, gauging the truth of Ji Yan’s words, then chose to drop the subject.

"How did you find this Basement?"

Ji Yan countered, "How did you?"

Silence hung between them.

Then Ji Yan chuckled. "Let’s not waste words. We both know the truth."

"If I’m not mistaken, you knew from the start that the real culprit damaging the apartment was in the Basement."

"But you kept quiet. To thin out the competition, you even posted the multi-faced supernatural entity’s location in the group, luring all Players to hunt it down—deepening their misdirection."

"Am I wrong?"

Back in the lobby, Ji Yan had spotted Long Yuan lurking in the shadows. He’d already suspected then. Now, seeing him here in the Basement, his guess was confirmed.

Long Yuan smiled. "This game rewards the clever. You should thank me. Without me, there’d be more than just the two of us down here."

Ji Yan didn’t deny it. "True enough. I should thank you."

"In that case, rather than fighting to the death, why don’t we team up to complete this Main Storyline Task?"

"After all, we don’t have much time left."

"Those fools have already hunted down and killed that multi-faced supernatural entity. They’ll soon realize the truth."

"This cake—we can split it between the two of us now!"

Long Yuan took the initiative, extending an olive branch.

He truly didn’t want to waste any more time and miss the opportunity.

Ji Yan didn’t object either—this was the most critical moment.

Then, he turned to the imprisoned Eccentric Residents: "Do you know where the real culprit damaging the apartment’s foundation is?"

"We do, but that thing is vicious. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Before Ji Yan could respond, Long Yuan cut in dismissively: "Just lead the way. Leave the rest to us!"