Chapter 30: Yusheng's Testimony

As the only person in this batch of Living Apartment residents to survive six Green Text Missions, the monk Yusheng had completed one more than the administrator, Xia Ta.

If not for his eccentric personality, his reticence, and his habit of speaking in riddles, the administrator position would certainly have been his.

Unsurprisingly, Yusheng held immense prestige among the residents, rivaling even Xia Ta's. Once he spoke, everyone else shut their mouths. Zhao Zhenjia stared intently at him:

"And what evidence does Mr. Yusheng have?"

Yusheng said calmly, "One night around two in the morning, I was deeply troubled. I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, and I couldn't focus on my Buddhist scriptures. I felt that inner demons were invading my six senses.

"So I opened my door, intending to take a walk down the corridor. Right then, I heard bursts of strange laughter, and the sounds of children playing drifted from a distance. A round object rolled right to my feet.

"Fading in and out, a little boy's voice echoed from a distance, asking, 'Bald uncle, can you kick the soccer ball back?' I knew immediately that something was wrong. While the Living Apartment does have parents who moved in with children, families with minors are generally placed on the second floor. This prevents the children from hearing the ghosts on the fourth floor, which would damage their physical and mental health over time.

"It was the dead of night; how could children from the second floor run up to the Third Floor corridor to play? I didn't dare drop my guard. When I reached out to grab the soccer ball, I was already wary. Looking up, I saw a few short, childlike figures standing on the landing halfway between the Third Floor and the fourth floor. Judging by their posture, they were looking in my direction.

"When my hand touched the soccer ball, it came away covered in blood. The ball, which should have been smooth, felt bumpy and uneven, like human facial features. When I looked down again, what had rolled to my feet wasn't a soccer ball at all—it was a freshly severed human head..."

Yusheng told the story so vividly that a chill rose in everyone present. Expressions changed across the room. If Yusheng was telling the truth, the Third Floor had been eroded by supernatural forces long ago, and Gao Tian's encounter was not an isolated incident.

Zhao Zhenjia couldn't help but interrupt.

"Master. When did this happen? With something this important, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Yusheng replied calmly, "It happened about three months ago.

"There were two reasons I kept quiet.

"First, the very moment I touched the severed head on the ground, everything suddenly vanished. The blood on my hands, the head by my feet, the children standing on the stairs coming down from the fourth floor—they all disappeared without a trace.

"I was the only one left in the empty corridor. If I had shouted for help, the residents of the Third Floor would have rushed out only to see me standing alone in the deserted hallway in the middle of the night, raving like a madman. You all would have thought my mind was broken.

"The second reason concerns you, Mr. Zhao Zhenjia—"

Yusheng's gaze, as calm as a deep pool, fell on Zhao Zhenjia.

"That night happened to fall right on the eve of your fourth Green Text Mission.

"If I had announced that the ghosts on the fourth floor could affect the Third Floor corridor, it would have caused panic among the Third Floor residents, and perhaps the entire Living Apartment. It would have also dealt a massive blow to your state of mind. After all, whether you survived your fourth mission or not, the Living Apartment you returned to would no longer be an absolute safe haven.

"So I took it upon myself to keep the matter hidden. A week later, you returned successfully. Although I could have announced the strange incident then, I had no evidence left. With so much time having passed, it was even less likely that anyone would believe my claims.

"Over these past three months, I have been gathering evidence, waiting for a suitable time to tell everyone. Today, the newcomer, Gao Tian, also encountered the supernatural forces from the fourth floor. Whether people believe it or not, this matter can no longer be delayed."

Zhao Zhenjia, a resident of the Third Floor, had passed his fourth Green Text Mission about three months ago. He was only one mission behind Xia Ta and Jiang Yang. He was also a candidate for administrator, which was why he had proactively chosen to live on the Third Floor to temper his courage and psychological resilience.

Naturally, no one took a newcomer like Gao Tian seriously when he claimed the ghosts on the fourth floor could affect the Third Floor. Subconsciously, they assumed another rookie with a bit of potential had been driven mad by fear. But when the exact same claim came out of Yusheng's mouth, providing cross-verification, it carried an entirely different weight.

A newlywed couple living on the Third Floor turned pale and immediately looked toward Xia Ta.

"We demand to change rooms. Move us to the second floor immediately.

"When we first arrived at the Living Apartment, there was no space on the second floor, and you swore up and down that the Third Floor was just as safe. Only then did we reluctantly move up here.

"Now that the Third Floor is no longer safe... and my wife just found out she's pregnant. If anything happens, it will cost two lives! I'm begging you, let us move to the second floor."

He wasn't the only one; several other Third Floor residents had also turned pale and started whispering amongst themselves. One after another, they began considering a move to the second floor, even if it meant cramming into a room with other residents.

Although the Fierce Ghosts on the fourth floor hadn't killed anyone yet and had only passed down some messages, who could guarantee that things wouldn't escalate?

Xia Ta remained composed. She had known all along that the majority of the residents were cowardly. They didn't care about the truth or the future of the Living Apartment; their only concern was their own safety. The entire apartment could only rely on a handful of people.

"I understand. Jiang Yang, record the names of everyone applying for a room change and make arrangements.

"There are currently only two empty rooms left on the second floor, so it's obviously impossible for all the Third Floor residents to move down there. The only solution is to temporarily cram two households into one room. If you want safety, your comfort will definitely take a hit. Is that acceptable?"

From beginning to end, Xia Ta spoke with absolute calm:

"Those residents who are certain about moving to the second floor may leave this room. What we are about to discuss doesn't concern you."

In supernatural events, numbers didn't guarantee survival.

Those demanding to move to the second floor were extremely cowardly; keeping them around held little meaning anyway.

After a brief period of chaos, the jam-packed room emptied, leaving only a sparse few: the three administrators, Gao Tian, Zhao Zhenjia, and a couple of others. Once the rest of the residents had registered, they hurried out of Xia Ta's room and rushed back to pack their luggage, desperate to move downstairs tonight.

Naturally, Zhao Zhenjia wouldn't leave the Third Floor. He only needed to complete one more Green Text Mission to be on equal footing with Xia Ta. He harbored the ambition to fight for the position of Living Apartment administrator.

The only slight surprise was that the newcomer, Gao Tian, who had only been on two Green Text Missions, stayed on the Third Floor of his own accord.

Jiang Yang narrowed his eyes into thin slits as he looked at Gao Tian.

"Oh, this is quite interesting.

"As a newcomer with only two missions under your belt, and someone who took the direct brunt of the supernatural incident from the fourth floor, you still chose not to leave?"

Gao Tian replied, "When I first came to the Living Apartment, I took a trip right through the Ghost Gate on the fourth floor. I luckily managed to come back alive, and I even got a Black Card.

"Although I hold a certain level of fear toward those 'residents' on the fourth floor, I'm even more curious. Otherwise, when choosing a room back then, I wouldn't have actively picked this floor."

He turned to Xia Ta.

"I remember you saying that in the logbook left behind by the previous apartment administrator, she theorized that the entire Living Apartment was completely safe at the very beginning. It was only because more and more residents died that the upper floors were gradually corrupted by supernatural forces and turned into ghost territories?"

Xia Ta nodded.

"That's what the logbook says."

Zhao Zhenjia stroked his chin with keen interest.

"Kid, following your train of thought... do you believe that if the previous administrator's theory is correct, then since the fourth floor was corrupted by supernatural forces, the Third Floor can be corrupted now as well?

"And that these strange occurrences in your room are the signs of the ghosts on the fourth floor starting to infiltrate the Third Floor?"

Yusheng turned his Buddhist beads.

"Looking from the outside of the Living Apartment, this building has far more than four floors.

"Above the fourth floor, there is at least a fifth, sixth, and seventh floor.

"It's just that the entire fourth floor is occupied by ghosts, and hardly any living person can enter it and come back alive. Let alone the fifth floor, which is even higher."

Gao Tian, a novice who had joined the Living Apartment less than a month ago, spoke words so radical that the apartment administrators gave him sidelong glances:

"If the previous administrator's hypothesis is true—which currently seems quite possible—

"Then allowing the supernatural forces from upstairs to continuously descend means that sooner or later, the second floor, and even the first floor, will be forcibly incorporated into ghost territory.

"When that time comes, the entire Living Apartment won't have a single safe place left. We won't need to worry about how to complete our upcoming Green Text Missions either. Returning to the Living Apartment will mean death anyway, and failing to return within a set timeframe will also mean death according to the rules."

He proposed his own plan:

"Before the situation spirals completely out of control, we should form an elite squad, proactively go up to the fourth floor, and investigate what is happening up there.

"If conditions permit, we should explore the fifth floor and the sixth floor as well."

He confirmed one detail:

"Using this Black Card allows one to return to the apartment. But if I use the Black Card on the fourth floor, will I just stay where I am?"

Xia Ta answered, "You'll return to the lobby on the first floor."

This feature was actually quite humane.

In other words, the Black Card would still function when exploring the interior of the Living Apartment.

Free from the worry of dire consequences, Gao Tian said, "I am willing to be the first to sign up for this squad.

"If we do nothing and just sit around waiting to die, then there's no need to fight tooth and nail to complete the upcoming Green Text Missions."