"Nan Yue, ID FCY091452, resident of City State 66, participating project: Scavenger Routine Work."
"Multiplayer Evaluation Mission, Code 28534: Everpeace Apartments."
"Topic: Neighborhood harmony is the standard for improving living quality."
"Wishing you a successful evaluation. Eden is waiting for you."
The Verification Room was filled with technology, just like back in the Nameless City, and Nan Yue listened to the broadcast with a hint of surprise.
This mission code... as expected, there were many missions, and the school was right about one thing: there were too many tasks requiring purification by a Scavenger.
Even though they were treated as consumables to some extent, it seemed there was no other choice.
As Nan Yue pondered, her surroundings gradually began to shift.
...
Nan Yue stood at a crossroad where it was late and the surroundings were dark, save for a single flickering streetlamp overhead with a faulty connection.
Before her stood an ancient-looking building with a gray exterior that was mottled and peeling.
The pitch-black windows looked like the gaping maws of monsters, waiting for them to enter.
"Eh?"
While observing the building, Nan Yue noticed other Scavengers nearby, and among them, one tall figure was particularly striking.
Even among Scavengers, who already possessed impressive physical traits, Gu Xiang Kai stood out.
With his hands stuffed into the pockets of his ripped jeans, he also spotted Nan Yue.
Their eyes met briefly before they both looked away to size up their other teammates.
There were eight people in total, an even split of four men and four women.
The first to speak was a woman with short, capable-looking hair. "I'm Lu Li. If no one minds, perhaps we should introduce ourselves first."
"The mission is clearly set in this apartment building, and the prompt mentioned that neighborhood relations are important, so we might even be neighbors ourselves. If anyone has any thoughts, feel free to share."
While the others were fine with someone taking the lead, Gu Xiang Kai was clearly impatient.
"What's the point of talking here? We won't learn anything just standing outside. I'm going in."
With that, he took the lead and walked toward the apartment building across the street.
Lu Li didn't seem upset by Gu Xiang Kai's dismissal, and she simply nodded. "In that case, let's head inside first."
As the group crossed the road, the apartment building seemed to sense their approach, and lights slowly flickered on.
A dim, yellow glow seeped through the windows, and it was only then that they realized a figure was standing at every single window.
The black silhouettes remained perfectly still under the light, creating an eerie sight.
The thought that these neighbors had been silently watching them this whole time sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"Ding-dong. Welcome home."
Amidst the dead silence, Gu Xiang Kai pushed open the main door, and the sensor at the entrance dutifully announced their arrival.
The group filed in one by one, and the lobby lights didn't turn on until the last person had entered.
The place resembled a studio apartment complex with a reception desk in the lobby and an elevator directly opposite it.
A gaunt man was currently sitting behind the desk.
"You must be the new tenants."
"You've arrived too late," the man said, his eyes dark and his voice sounding like a broken bellows. "You'll disturb the other neighbors' rest."
The group fell silent, but a cute girl with twin tails immediately offered an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry! This place was a bit hard to find, and we got delayed on the way."
"It won't happen again."
Nan Yue looked at the reception desk, which was cluttered, but there was a small sign placed on the counter.
【For any requests, please contact the front desk. Day shift staff: Xiao Min. Night shift staff: Uncle Song.】
"Uncle Song, please show us the rooms."
As soon as Nan Yue spoke, the people in front of her turned around.
There was no denying that Nan Yue stood out, and wearing a student uniform, she looked like a complete newcomer who had just arrived at the digital city state.
Several Scavengers even moved further away from her, fearing she would be a burden.
Nan Yue had remained silent and followed the group until now, so her sudden response was somewhat unexpected.
Following Nan Yue's lead, the others finally noticed the small sign, and Lu Li quickly regained her composure, her tone becoming a bit more assertive.
"That's right. We're new here and don't know the rules, but it's not right for us to keep waiting here, is it?"
The sign made it clear that the front desk was for service, and for them as tenants, the staff should fulfill their requests.
Uncle Song kept a cold expression as he rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out eight keys.
"Choose for yourselves."
Nan Yue was pushed to the back, as no one here wanted to look after a rookie, and by the time it was her turn, only two keys remained.
Nan Yue looked at the person smiling beside her, a boy who looked like a clear-eyed, somewhat naive student with two dimples when he smiled.
"You go ahead and pick first, little sister."
Nan Yue paused for a moment before choosing room 804.
The boy naturally took the last key, room 801.
"Fine. Go back and rest early. I'm finishing my shift."
Hearing this, the twin-tailed girl whispered, "Uncle Song, aren't you the night shift staff?"
Uncle Song glared at her. "Do you have any idea how cheap this apartment is? You still want someone on duty all night? Why don't you ask for breakfast to be delivered to your room while you're at it?"
The girl was silenced by his retort.
They all knew that NPCs in missions weren't real people, but they could very well be real ghosts.
The eight of them entered the elevator, and Uncle Song watched them intently until the doors closed.
"Whew... that was terrifying."
The twin-tailed girl shook her head and looked at her key. "Is anyone else on the fourth floor?"
A somber-looking man frowned impatiently. "Didn't you look when you were grabbing them? Except for the eighth floor, everyone is on their own level."
The girl pursed her lips, as she was only thinking that lower floors were safer at the time and hadn't noticed.
The others had thought the same, which was why the two rooms on the eighth floor were left for last.
Even if it meant having a teammate, no one could be trusted in this environment, so it was better to rely on oneself.
Gu Xiang Kai had grabbed the fifth floor, and it wasn't that he couldn't get another one, as he was the first to take a key.
He simply didn't think things would be that simple, and the height of the floor might not matter much.
"Ding."
The second floor arrived, and Lu Li was the first to step out. "Let's get familiar with the environment today. We'll talk on our phones if anything comes up."
Indeed, as soon as Nan Yue entered the mission, she found a white flip phone on her person.
They usually communicated through their ID bracelets and had never used such a device, but it was covered in school, so she knew how to use it.
It seemed this was a piece of equipment provided by the mission.
The others got off one by one, and soon only Nan Yue and the baby-faced boy were left in the elevator.
The elevator moved slowly, accompanied by a creaking sound that felt like it was carrying them on a path to hell.
Rate on N.U.
