Chapter 44: Haunted Community?

"BEEP!"

Evening. At the library entrance, the time clock on the wall emitted a pleasant sound.

"Clock-out confirmed! Qin Yang. Time: 5:00 PM."

Qin Yang gave a lazy yawn, put away his ID card, and leisurely strolled out the library’s main doors.

’Another day, another on-the-dot clock-out.’

It was a good habit he had always maintained.

After leaving the library, Qin Yang strolled leisurely under the setting sun. The surrounding streets were bustling with voices. Many food vendors had rolled out their carts, and the sizzle of oil in iron woks filled the air with the lively aroma of street food.

With the Blood Demon incident over, Jianghai City had returned to its former tranquility, and he had gone back to his previous "slacker" lifestyle.

Working nine-to-five every day, living a simple and unremarkable life, even slacking off until closing time—it was a comfortable existence...

Just then, a long HONK— sounded from the side of the street.

"Hey, Old Qin, heading home? Hop in! I’ll give you a lift!"

A luxurious red sports car pulled up and stopped by the curb. The window rolled down, revealing Xia He’s smug face.

The eye-catching car immediately drew glances from many passersby.

"It’s not far. I can get back on my own."

Qin Yang waved his hand dismissively, feeling a little speechless as he glanced at the staring onlookers.

’Hanging out with a guy like Xia He for so long, I almost forgot what a rich bastard he is...’

"Alright then. Be careful on your way home. I’m heading out, man."

Seeing this, Xia He didn’t press the issue. He stomped on the gas, and the luxury car sped away, leaving nothing but a cloud of exhaust behind...

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

Qin Yang covered his mouth and nose to block the dust, cursing inwardly as he watched the car disappear into the distance.

’Rich bastard!’

’Big deal! Your billions make you so "approachable"!’

He was out here making his own way, a far cry from an old-money capitalist like Xia He. He couldn’t even afford to rent anything but a cheap apartment.

’Whatever. No point thinking about it. I should just get home.’

Qin Yang shook his head to clear his thoughts, bought a chive flatbread from a street vendor, and ate it as he walked. He soon arrived back at his rented apartment complex.

The complex wasn’t large and was located in a relatively remote part of the city. Many of its facilities were a bit run-down.

The elevator was either under repair or on its way to being repaired, and in the winter, the water pipes would burst from the cold from time to time.

But setting aside these shortcomings,

it did have one good point.

It was cheap...

After all, at this price, what more could you ask for?

Qin Yang navigated the winding paths of the complex, expertly making his way toward his own building.

Just as he reached the entrance to his building, however, he saw a moving truck. It looked like someone was moving out, bustling about as they loaded box after box of appliances into the cargo hold.

And the person directing the movers was someone he recognized—

his upstairs neighbor!

But right now, the man looked terrible. His eyes were haggard, as if he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a very long time.

Seeing this, Qin Yang couldn’t help but stare for a moment before walking up to greet him.

"Moving to a new place?"

"Yep, moving. Can’t stay in this place anymore."

The neighbor shook his head helplessly and sighed. "Jianghai City hasn’t been safe this year. It’s been one disaster after another. I’m planning to head to Forest City to lay low for a while."

"Yeah, life’s tough."

Qin Yang nodded in understanding.

In this world, Star Beasts ran rampant, and powerful experts could fly through the sky and burrow through the earth.

But in the end, it was ordinary working people like them who suffered.

’If I didn’t have the system, what would I have become?’

’I’d probably be just like my neighbor, running from place to place just to survive...’

"By the way, you should find a time to get out of here soon, too."

The neighbor glanced at Qin Yang, sizing him up with bloodshot eyes, and said wearily,

"This complex isn’t safe. You’d better move out soon. Don’t stick around just because it’s cheap, or you’ll end up getting yourself hurt..."

"What do you mean?"

Qin Yang was taken aback.

He’d been living here for over half a year, and this was the first time anyone had advised him to move out.

However, just as Qin Yang was feeling confused, the neighbor glanced around furtively, as if on guard against something, and whispered mysteriously,

"This place isn’t clean. There’s something... dirty... wandering the halls... Just last night, Aunt Wang on the third floor saw it... Said it looked like a woman. Aunt Wang fainted on the spot. When she woke up this morning, her son rushed over to pick her up and take her away!"

"A haunting? A female Ah Piao?"

Hearing this, Qin Yang suddenly remembered.

The complex had been on edge for the past few days. People kept saying they saw a white shadow in the hallways and heard a woman’s sinister laughter late at night.

At first, Qin Yang had thought it was just a prank.

But now, it seemed there might be more to it...

"So, Ah Yang, you should hurry up and move out too!"

The neighbor looked at Qin Yang, then glanced up at the scattered lights in the building above and said,

"In a few more days, almost everyone in this building will have moved out. When that happens, you’ll be living here all alone... Aren’t you scared!?"

"Well... I can’t say I’m scared."

Qin Yang pondered for a moment, then said,

"I’m used to this place, and the rent is cheap. It won’t be easy to find another apartment... Besides, with this whole haunting situation, I can probably bargain with the landlord for a lower price..."

’While others are fearful, I’m greedy. This is actually a huge win!’

"???"

The neighbor was rendered speechless.

’What kind of twisted logic is that?’

’You can actually play it like that?’

"Kids these days. They’ll risk their lives just to save a bit of money. Sigh. You can’t reason with someone who’s determined to die."

The neighbor shook his head, his expression saying that Qin Yang was a hopeless case.

"A poor sod versus a female ghost. You two are a real power couple!"

"You flatter me."

"..."

...

「Nightfall.」

The stars were brilliant.

Qin Yang lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He wasn’t sleeping. Instead, he had released his Star Force perception to monitor the movements within the complex.

In an instant, his powerful Star Force enveloped the entire complex. Like a spring rain falling silently, it wouldn’t miss the slightest disturbance.

The squeaking of rats in the pipes, the low conversations of other neighbors, and even some panting sounds that would make one blush... he could hear it all with perfect clarity.

’Tsk, getting so wild this late at night. Public morals are really declining!’

Qin Yang listened to the various sound sources in the complex and then rolled over in bed.

This Star Force coverage was incredibly powerful, like having a map-wide eavesdropping mode enabled.

If his neighbor hadn’t mentioned the female ghost, he never would have activated it.

After all, peeping on his neighbors’ private lives... wasn’t exactly a good thing to do.

But he had no choice.

The female ghost was pushing her luck, practically walking all over him...

’How can I let another snore beside my own bed?’

’If I don’t drag you out, I definitely won’t be able to sleep peacefully!’

Just as Qin Yang was thinking this, a ripple of Star Force suddenly spread and surged in his mind.

The location was instantly locked onto a nearby building!

’It’s here!’

At this, Qin Yang shot up from his bed and immediately used the Seven-Star Dragon Roaming Step, following the disturbance.

「A moment later.」

He arrived at the source of the disturbance.

The cold, silent hallway was eerily illuminated by the green glow of an exit sign. Accompanied by the faint sound of ghostly laughter, it felt as if he had stepped into the Underworld.