Chapter 17: Property Management Office

“Why haven’t those police officers arrived yet?” Sister Mei took out her mobile phone, dialed a number, then held it close to her eyes. “Huh? Why is there no signal?”

“The police can’t come. Now we can only rely on ourselves. Come with me.” Lü Yang’s phone could connect, but… he already knew the police weren’t coming.

“Oh.” Sister Mei responded, trembling as she glanced nervously around. Though terrified, she still stood up. She obviously knew following Lü Yang was safer than hiding here alone.

“Wait a moment.” After walking a few steps, Sister Mei stopped Lü Yang.

“Hmm?”

“I… I need to use the restroom… Could you…” Sister Mei looked towards the direction of the residential area’s property office shed, speaking to Lü Yang with some embarrassment.

“I’ll go with you.” Lü Yang knew Sister Mei was too scared to go alone, so she made this request.

“Thank you.” Sister Mei smiled. “Lü Yang, you’re such a good person. Your girlfriend is lucky to have you.”

“Is she?” Lü Yang shook his head. If only he had cared more about Yi Yi, if he had promised to buy her that Apple iPad 2, Yi Yi wouldn’t have picked up that eerie computer by the roadside… and wouldn’t have been erased because of it.

Yi Yi hadn’t found much fortune following him; only hardship. If he couldn’t save her, he’d regret it for the rest of his life… if he even had a life left.

…

To the left of the property management office shed was the men’s restroom, and to the right, the women’s restroom. Upon reaching it, Sister Mei went to the women’s restroom on the right, while Lü Yang entered the men’s restroom on the left. After relieving himself, Lü Yang washed his hands before the sink mirror. Staring vaguely at his own reflection in the dim light, he felt an overwhelming sense of unreality.

Was all of this a dream?

Impossible. Ever since returning to the Qingyuan Residential Area that afternoon, he hadn’t even dozed off. How could he be dreaming?

If it wasn’t a dream, then the Mysterious Domain truly existed. And if that was real, then once he saved up enough Eerie Points, he could bring back Yi Yi, who had been eliminated.

Taking advantage of Sister Mei’s absence, Lü Yang took out that eerie computer. Powering it on, he touched the icon for the Mysterious Domain application, entering the system.

It only displayed that the Mysterious Domain was active, and indicated a triggered Side Quest for this instance: Kill four Porters to earn six Eerie Points. However, it held no clues about the Main Quest.

It seemed discovering the Main Quest required meeting specific triggering conditions, much like this Side Quest had been activated when the four Porters tried to assault Sister Mei.

Could it be… that only by killing the four Porters first would the Main Quest for this Mysterious Domain be triggered?

Lü Yang, who had some background in computer games, acknowledged this possibility couldn’t be ruled out.

But…

Killing people wasn’t easy. Especially the first time.

Was the task he accepted earlier that day—to break a cat’s leg—related to this Mysterious Domain?

Did it refer to that black cat?

Why were these tasks either murder or animal cruelty?

The thought of needing to kill people or torture cats to save Yi Yi gave Lü Yang a headache. He wasn’t a cruel person. And getting only one or two Eerie Points for a kill? Saving up a hundred points to save Yi Yi meant he might have to kill dozens of people. This Mysterious Domain was pure evil.

It kept pairing every positive task with a twisted, evil one, forcing him to complete both.

…

After meticulously studying the Mysterious Domain system for a while longer, confirming he hadn’t missed any clues, Lü Yang put the eerie computer away. The moment he stepped out of the men’s restroom, Sister Mei rushed from the shadows of the bushes near the property office doorway. She stared at him, trembling, as if confirming his identity.

“Sister Mei, it’s me. Don’t be afraid. Let’s go.” Lü Yang called out to her. He still needed to continue searching for that black cat.

“I… I didn’t go yet…” Sister Mei looked towards the women’s restroom. “There’s… there’s a ghost in there…”

“A ghost?” Lü Yang frowned. Before all this, he’d have found her claim ridiculous. But being inside a Mysterious Domain changed everything; the impossible now seemed plausible.

“A woman ghost… an injured ghost… moaning inside…” Sister Mei explained further.

“Could it just be someone using the restroom… you mistook it?” Lü Yang reasoned.

“Please go look… It’s probably not… I called inside several times, but no one answered… If it was a person, they’d hear me…” Sister Mei started shivering as she spoke, having fled the restroom wanting to scream earlier, but feared attracting the Porters or more ghosts. She’d hidden, waiting for Lü Yang.

Lü Yang stayed silent for a long moment. He briefly considered suggesting Sister Mei just use the men’s restroom. Then he pondered the ghost being a clue. Investigating might reveal the trigger for the Main Quest.

Ultimately, he decided exploring the women’s restroom was necessary to discover what ‘ghost’ lurked inside.

“Alright, let’s check it out. Don’t be scared. Ghosts don’t exist,” Lü Yang told Sister Mei once he made his decision.

Lü Yang had watched ghost movies, read ghost stories, even played horror games. He knew women’s restrooms were considered spiritually dark, favored by vengeful spirits. Though he firmly believed in materialism and scoffed at superstitions, a chill still crept down his spine as he prepared to enter.

What if an actual Vengeful Ghost leaped out? Like the Black Mist outside the residential area that had violently torn the skinny Porter into pieces…

But… if a Vengeful Ghost was inside, why hadn’t it attacked Sister Mei?

Weighing the risks, Lü Yang knew the only way to learn the truth was by entering. If it led to triggering the Main Quest and escaping this Mysterious Domain, even better.

“You’re not afraid of ghosts?” Sister Mei asked, her fear lessening as Lü Yang remained composed.

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Lü Yang smiled ruefully. Acting cowardly in front of a woman was embarrassing. And fear solved nothing.

Armed with Sister Mei’s small flashlight, Lü Yang approached the women’s restroom door, with her following close behind. He peered inside. Green, eerie light emanated from one of the center stalls, accompanied by faint moans.

“Is anyone there?” Lü Yang stood outside the restroom, rapping his knuckles against the doorframe.

No response.

He knocked again, calling out louder. Still, nothing answered him.

“You see? If it were a person, they’d hear us shouting,” Sister Mei whispered fearfully to Lü Yang.

Hearing the strange, low moans drifting from the stall, Lü Yang, too, began to suspect a ghost might actually be inside.