After quickly exchanging the codes, Wang Zhifan proceeded to describe the on-site investigation that he and the girl player in sporty attire had just conducted, and he requested their assistance in entering the building together to help.
"Little brother, although the two of you didnât encounter any issues this time entering, we canât be sure what unexpected situations might arise later on. I still think itâs better to have one or two people stay outside to coordinate."
The middle-aged player with an oily face heard Wang Zhifanâs request but didnât agree immediately. It seemed he was still quite wary of the building. However, it might also be that he wanted to use this reason to slack off, leaving the risks to others while he reaped the benefits.
Under normal circumstances, Wang Zhifan wouldnât be happy with this approach. He wouldnât be willing to let some people sit back and enjoy the fruits of othersâ labors. However, upon thinking about it, he felt the objection wasnât entirely unreasonable.
"In that case, why donât you three split up, with one entering the building and two staying outside to keep an eye on things. Leaving only one person outside feels fairly dangerous."
He pondered briefly and made a decision.
"Let me join you in entering the building. Iâd rather go fight monsters than just wait around."
The young man with dark eye circles immediately volunteered himself.
"Alright, Iâll leave the outside surveillance to you two. A team of Mage and Warrior is a reasonable setup, capable of handling various situations."
Wang Zhifan then addressed the middle-aged player with an oily face and the cold-faced woman, deciding to let them continue their vigil outside the building.
"Alright then, thank you for your effort. If unexpected situations occur, please contact me anytime with this paper crane."
Before the teams separated once again, the middle-aged player with an oily face handed Wang Zhifan a red origami crane, intending it as a communication tool between them.
"No need, if necessary, Iâll use my avatar to notify you."
Wang Zhifan glanced at the offered item for a moment and decisively declined.
"Thatâs fine too, I wish you all progress smoothly."
The middle-aged player with an oily face didnât dwell on the matter, smiling and putting the red crane away.
Thus, after regrouping a second time, the five players split again. Wang Zhifan led the young man with dark eye circles and the girl in sporty attire into the building to continue clearing ghosts, while the middle-aged player with an oily face and cold-faced woman remained outside as backup.
However, once the three of them had completely entered the building, the smile on the middle-aged playerâs face unexpectedly thinned. He lowered his voice and said to the cold-faced woman beside him:
"What a shame he didnât accept my cursed paper crane. Otherwise, I had a seventy percent chance of wiping them out after they finish the quest. Our rewards would be extremely abundant that way."
His eyes sparkled, showing a deeply hidden desire.
"Couldnât you just give it to the other two? Or you could set up Alchemy Bombs here in advance, and blow up the entire building the moment they complete the quest."
The cold-faced woman player at his side glanced over at him. Despite them not appearing to get along in front of others, privately, they were quite reliable partners.
"Haha... Those two definitely wouldnât accept it; theyâre wary of us."
The middle-aged player chuckled lightly, shaking his head.
"But your suggestion about using Alchemy Bombs is worth a try... Though itâs a bit premature right now. It will take them a minimum of two hours to finish clearing the building, so letâs just wait and see how things unfold."
This player, known for ambushing teammates on a train during blackout, pondered for a few seconds before replying.
Returning the focus inside the building, Wang Zhifan and the other two players were already on the second floor, starting the clearing process. Much like his previous clearance of the basement floors, he didnât encounter anything noteworthy on the second floor. It was a monotonous task of following the investigation results to hunt and eliminate ghosts. The only difference this time was having the young man with dark circles under his eyesâhis job class being a shooterâas assistance.
However, he was much weaker compared to Wang Zhifan, akin to the girl player in sporty attire. He could only deal with the most ordinary ghosts, and often, to avoid wasting time, Wang Zhifan would lend assistance after dealing with stronger ghosts. These relatively strong players were hardly better than burdens in his eyes.
The tedious clearing task extended from the second floor to the third, then the fourth, fifth, sixth... Despite encountering several relatively strong ghosts in between, everything else remained unchanged. It was consistently Wang Zhifan swiftly eliminating ghosts or the tag team of young man with dark circles and sporty girl extinguishing ordinary ghosts, following a mechanical workflow.
"Big brother, why donât we call those two up to help? This building genuinely seems like a very ordinary haunted house. Thereâs really no need to be so cautious, letting them enjoy leisure outside."
After clearing the tenth floor, the young man with dark circles under his eyes couldnât hold back any longer, no longer believing the information obtained earlier, thinking the haunted building rumors about the Evil Spirit Building to be completely unfounded, undeserving of such cautious treatment.
"It doesnât matter. Even if we summon them to assist, it wonât make much of a difference. If youâre tired, just rest more, and remember to lure the ghosts to me."
As the absolute main force among the three, Wang Zhifan displayed considerable generosity. Although exerting the most effort, he didnât mind others enjoying the fruits of his labor. Despite slaying so many ghosts, he didnât show the slightest fatigue, not even catching his breath, profoundly impressing the young man with dark circles and the girl in sporty attire.
Soon the clearing work in the Evil Spirit Building continued, led by the three of them. After another hour or two, they finally reached the top floor. Inside a rundown office on the top floor, they encountered the last ghost of the building, and also the most formidable ghost.
This entity, suspected to be the Evil Spirit Buildingâs boss, differed significantly from the other ghosts within the building. It didnât have a terrifying, grotesque appearance but rather was the soul image of an old man dressed in a suit, hair meticulously groomed, and capable of engaging in communication.
"Welcome, esteemed guests! How do you find my buildingâs construction? Would you call it a masterpiece?"
As Wang Zhifan pushed open the office door on the top floor, the soul of the old man, seemingly waiting for some time and floating midair, immediately spoke upon spotting their entry. A slight transparency on his face revealed a look of anticipation.
However, Wang Zhifan didnât respond to the speaking evil spirit. He charged forward wielding the Ocean Envoy Curved Saber, displaying zero courtesy, focusing on delivering a pounding to this elderly spirit.
Given his sensory abilities far beyond what other players could imagine, he was well aware of the old man spiritâs considerable strength, incomparable to other building ghosts. Unfortunately for the spirit, it was facing someone even strongerâWang Zhifan. He was confident he could single-handedly defeat this boss in less than thirty seconds.
With the first strike, Wang Zhifan hit the spiritâs chest with the Ocean Envoy Curved Saber but didnât trigger the saberâs kill passive. This enraged the old man spirit, unleashing sinister energy and extending its arms for an attack.
Wang Zhifan immediately activated the Invisble Deceitful Clothingâs invisibility skill to increase defense, dodging skillfully with astonishing speed. In an instant, he reappeared behind the spirit and struck again. This time, he was rather lucky, as the saberâs blade emitted the sound of waves crashing against rocksâa sign of the Abyss Triggered passive activating.
The enraged old man spirit was instantly dealt immeasurable damage, its body abruptly disintegrating like a physical entity, shattering and subsequently dissolving into bubbles, utterly destroyed.
"Finished."
Since the instant kill effect had activated, it meant this enemy had indeed been vanquished. Wang Zhifan felt a sense of relief.
However, just as he anticipated the reward list would appear next, a faint sense of daze suddenly coursed through his body. When he regained consciousness, he found himself standing at the entrance of a dilapidated skyscraper, alongside the young man with dark circles and four other players.