Chapter 929: The Man of Room 302

"Later, Gao Yang saw it and started joining Xiao Xue in running the TikTok account, and gradually got to where they are now."

Zhang Xue: "Actually, I should thank the fishpond rental video from last time. Otherwise, I'd still be just barely past one million followers."

That fishpond video really had brought her a massive surge in followers.

The three women chattered on endlessly, and Jiang Ran couldn't get a word in edgewise, nor did he particularly want to.

The meal went by quickly.

After eating, everyone returned to Zhang Xue's place.

Wang Qingzhao was now essentially part of Zhang Xue's team, so once they got back to Zhang Xue's home, she and Zhao Yiwan stayed behind to help Zhang Xue handle the breakup and asset division negotiations with Gao Yang.

As such, Jiang Ran left Zhang Xue's place alone.

The weather was lovely right now, perfectly clear and cloudless.

And in this season, clear skies meant a blazing sun hanging overhead.

Hot enough to bake people alive.

Even though it wasn't quite summer yet.

Still, on the streets, people drinking iced water and eating ice cream were becoming a common sight.

Jiang Ran walked into a nearby convenience store and bought a Suibian ice cream bar.

In his memory, Suibian still cost two yuan and fifty cents, but this time it set him back three yuan.

Vanilla-flavored Suibian, popped into his mouth, sent a delicious icy coolness spreading from his lips through every limb and fiber of his being, bringing an involuntary wave of physical and mental bliss.

One bar wasn't enough to satisfy him, so he popped into another small convenience store and bought a Qiaolezi.

That little shop carried Magnum bars priced at eight or nine yuan, even some at ten-plus.

Too expensive, so he passed on those.

The owner of that small store was a man in his early thirties, and when Jiang Ran walked in, he saw the guy binge-watching a show on his iPad.

It was an American TV series.

Taking a glance, Jiang Ran actually spotted a man draped in the American flag on the screen... Homelander.

Well, Jiang Ran knew exactly what show this was.

"This show's really blowing up, huh."

Jiang Ran remarked as he paid.

The owner chuckled: "Yeah, it's a global phenomenon. But the reason this show got so big in our country is all thanks to that Homelander guy."

"That actor is absolutely incredible!"

But then the owner added: "Too bad Homelander died in the end, and at the Hunter's hands no less. Kind of feels like he was done dirty by the plot."

"Though that does fit the style of a lot of American shows, start strong, fizzle out."

After a few more exchanges, Jiang Ran turned and left the little shop.

Enjoying his Qiaolezi, he made his way to the subway station and rode the train home.

Alice Apartment.

By the time Jiang Ran got back, it was just past 4 PM sharp.

The moment he returned, the danger warning in his mind began blaring relentlessly again.

And during the few days Jiang Ran had been away from Alice Apartment.

The organizers of the Far Neighbor live stream game.

Had increased the bounty on his head.

Originally, killing Jiang Ran meant your privilege level would skyrocket straight to level 50 like a rocket.

But now, they'd upped it to level 60.

"Hey, handsome, are you a resident of this apartment complex?"

At that very moment, having just stepped through the entrance of Alice Apartment and standing inside the main gate, Jiang Ran turned his head to look at the man who had asked him the question.

The man was dressed in a black suit with a tie, his feet shod in a pair of high-end black leather shoes.

His overall bearing didn't resemble that of a salesperson, nor did he look like someone who sat in an office all day.

"Yeah, I am. What's up?"

The suited man stepped through the gate and fixed his gaze on the apartment buildings before him:

"I looked it up online and checked the records on Alice Apartment. Everything's legal and above board, ordinary and unremarkable."

Jiang Ran didn't follow: "Isn't legal, ordinary, and unremarkable exactly how it should be?"

The suited man smiled, pulling a business card from his pants pocket.

Taking the card, Jiang Ran could tell it was well-designed, the paper had a smooth, slippery feel to the touch.

Beyond that, the card's overall design was minimalist yet luxurious.

The man's name was Chen Sanshui.

Based on the card's contents, he was a lawyer.

"If you ever need legal representation in the future, look me up. As long as the money's right, the scales of justice will tip in your favor."

Leaving behind that cryptic string of words, Chen Sanshui strode off toward Building No. 2.

"Legal representation? What would I possibly need a lawyer for?"

Even though he figured he'd never have use for it, tossing someone's business card into the trash was still an incredibly rude thing to do, so Jiang Ran tucked it into his pants pocket instead, planning to leave it at home.

He headed back to Building 1.

Glancing toward the management office, he didn't see Manager Wu Wen anywhere.

He took the elevator up to the third floor.

The moment he stepped out of the elevator, a pungent stench of blood slammed straight into his face.

Jiang Ran covered his nose with his right hand and walked out of the elevator, glancing left and right before quickly spotting a man sitting in front of the door to Room 302.

The man held a knife in his hand.

With that knife-wielding right hand, he was methodically slicing into his left arm.

That blade was remarkably sharp.

Every cut left a fresh gash, blood seeping from the wounds, trickling down his arm past his fingers, dripping onto the floor, while simultaneously evaporating into the air, dispersing continuously until the entire third-floor hallway was saturated with the smell.

Jiang Ran, nose covered, stood by the elevator doors, staring at the scene, hesitating.

Should he go over or not?

After all, this was the only path to his own door.

Yet some random person was just sitting there. ℯ

The one saving grace was that the man was harming himself, not wielding the knife at others.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?! You should stop! I don't know why you're hurting yourself, but the way you look right now, you really ought to get to a hospital and have that treated."

Jiang Ran stood in front of the elevator, holding the doors open with his foot so they wouldn't close.

The man in his thirties over there heard him and turned his head to look at Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran could now see his face clearly.

Twisted, contorted with agony, eyes bloodshot, face streaked with tears.

At the same time, what appeared to be old scars were etched across his features.

It was a face no human being would ever want to approach.

Jiang Ran instinctively swallowed hard, then added: "I see you're sitting in front of Room 302. Are you the resident of 302?"

The man opened his mouth slightly, several times, before a weary, world-worn voice emerged:

"Yes, I'm the one who lives in 302."

This man in his mid-thirties had moved in around the same time as Zhang Yao from Room 301.

Zhang Yao had actually crossed paths with him once back then.

Of course, that one encounter had left a poor impression on Zhang Yao, because at that time, the man had been acting like a raving lunatic.

Chasing people with a kitchen knife one second, then slamming his head against the wall in frenzied self-harm the next.

"Oh, is that so? Then what are you doing? Why are you hurting yourself?"

Jiang Ran's tone softened considerably.

The man of 302 seemed to be in tremendous pain as he sobbed: "I... I can't control myself..."

Jiang Ran: "You can't control yourself from self-harming?"

The man of 302 shook his head: "It's that I can't control myself from hurting others. There's always a voice inside me, a compulsion driving me to hurt people, but... I don't want to. The only way I can fight it is by hurting myself."

It all clicked for Jiang Ran in an instant. This man before him was just like him, he had a mental illness too!