Chapter 53: Crimson Apartment 13

The shock of the events in such a short span of time left Zhou Zhou feeling like a wandering soul as she stumbled out to grab a bite to eat.

The streets outside the apartment building were nearly deserted, shrouded in a hazy, white gloom, with only a few desolate shops remaining open.

The few NPCs present were so blurred that even their facial features were indistinguishable. This was likely because it was merely a horror副本, where NPCs outside the domain held no importance.

After much searching through hidden alleys, Zhou Zhou finally found the right place.

Inside the gloomy cell phone shop, the owner's face was surprisingly clear.

"What model is the phone?" the owner asked lazily, his eyes half-closed as if he were perpetually half-asleep.

"……It's this one." Zhou Zhou bit her lip, naming the brand and model while holding up the phone for him to see.

The owner lowered his eyes casually, glanced at the phone, and handed her a charger. His extended fingers were slender and fair.

She stuffed the new charger into her pocket. "Thank you..."

Everything seemed completely normal.

If there was one abnormal thing, it was that the shop owner was overly, outrageously handsome.

The young woman looked away, quickly scanned the QR code to pay, and was about to leave when he abruptly called out to her.

"……Hey."

Driven by some unknown impulse, the owner found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the young woman. By the time he realized what he was doing, he had already called out to her.

Still... there was indeed something unusual about her.

"The thing is," the owner seemed unsure of what to call her, letting out a phrase after a long pause.

"Little one... wait a moment."

Zhou Zhou froze in her tracks, her eyes filled with confusion as she parted her lips in disbelief. "……Boss?"

Wait, "little one"...?

Did—did she really look that small?

Being called "little one" by a boss who clearly looked to be in his early twenties made the fair skin on her face flush red.

Enduring her embarrassment, Zhou Zhou lifted her gaze to look at the man. "……Is there anything else?"

"Ah... there is indeed, little one."

The man smiled lazily. "I was just hesitating whether I should tell you."

Hearing that humiliating address a second time made her numb all over.

"Don't call me a little one!"

Zhou Zhou said with a serious expression, "I'm almost twenty years old, Boss. And besides... since you stopped me, just spit it out. What is it?"

Moreover, since he had already stopped her despite his hesitation, he might as well just say it.

Perhaps it was related to the副本.

After all, the shop owner was truly bizarre. Not only could his face be seen clearly, but he was also ridiculously attractive, resembling the hidden god-tier NPCs found in game character models.

Zhou Zhou blinked, perking up her ears and adopting an expression of utmost attention.

The man gazed at her pretty face. "……I wasn't planning on saying anything."

Yet, he simply couldn't control himself anymore.

How could anyone be so entirely to his liking?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhou's expression shifted into one of even greater seriousness, thinking it must be an extremely important clue.

"Do you even know?"

Instead, the man spoke in a tone that sounded almost like a sigh, uttering perverted words that instantly made Zhou Zhou want to dig a hole and crawl into it.

"The fragrance on your body... why is it so sweet... and your skin is so white... why is every single part of you impossibly pretty."

"What... did you say...?"

Zhou Zhou stared at him in disbelief, wondering if something was wrong with her ears.

She felt like a fool for stopping to listen to him in the belief that he was an important NPC.

He was—he was clearly a thorough and utter pervert.

The handsome, fair-skinned man inhaled the sweet fragrance emanating from her—a scent so sweet it made one want to lick her clean—and wore an intoxicated expression. Yet... there was faintly a powerful and overbearing scent masking her sweetness.

It was cold and full of possessiveness, like a mark.

In every inch of her fragrant skin, especially... lingered the disgusting stench of that bastard.

"Even though she still smells so sweet, a cake tainted with shit is quite irritating."

The owner couldn't help but wear a gloomy expression. "You've been targeted by a demon, you know."

Huh?

Zhou Zhou's body trembled, a wave of numbness washing over her scalp for a fraction of a second.

Targeted... by a demon.

Was he talking about... the monster knocking on the door?

Realization dawned on her, and she more or less understood what that implied.

Even without fully understanding this副本, having experienced terrifying and horrific events—coupled with the landlord's intimidation that morning—she knew that tenants whose doors were knocked upon would meet the tragic fate of room 312.

Just as that player had said, having one's body hollowed out alive, drained of all blood.

Then... was the one doing such things the demon this perverted boss spoke of?

Seeing the young woman freeze in place, the owner said airily, "Ah... are you scared? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Zhou Zhou felt chilled to the bone, her mind entirely blank, momentarily not knowing how to respond to him.

He could see the stunned look on her face. Her bright pupils were slightly contracted, a seductive flush tinging her soft, fair eyelids. Her lips trembled slightly, making her look as fragile and pitiful as bruised flower petals.

"It seems you know it yourself."

The owner shifted his posture in the chair, crossing the legs he had previously sprawled out.

"Those targeted by demons meet only one end: death."

"Then..." Zhou Zhou's body trembled as she forced herself not to let fear bring her to tears. "What do you mean by telling me all this?"

"Is it just to scare me? Do you want to see someone pitifully begging for mercy?"

She didn't believe he had good intentions in warning her.

Such a pervert... someone who uttered obscene words upon their very first meeting—how could that be possible?

"Hehe... do you want to live?" The man asked instead of answering.

Of course she wanted to...

Zhou Zhou stared at him blankly.

"I can let you live," he raised his fair face, his profile quite handsome with slightly arched brows. "As long as... you satisfy my physiological needs."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Zhou Zhou was completely stunned by this unexpected remark.

"I'm not talking nonsense," the owner said with a smiling expression. "Although I can't leave this place, protecting a little one is still quite simple for me."

"The apartment building you live in is the demon's territory," he chuckled lowly. "Humans can't survive there. You all will face the most terrifying judgment."

"A cute little thing like you might have your skin peeled off alive, your blood drained, and they'll enjoy your screams before eating you up."

He was terrorizing her.

Seeing the young woman shivering, he actually found it quite amusing internally. No, he was barely holding back his laughter.

All of this was simply too entertaining.

Zhou Zhou was so frightened she felt close to fainting. Her eyes were slightly red, moist and alluring. Swallowing hard, she spoke with a trembling voice.

"C-Could it really be that terrifying..."

Despite her words, the young woman's trembling voice clearly betrayed her; she was shaking uncontrollably.

The man's gaze seemed to pierce right through her body, staring straight at her fragile, helpless soul.

"Well, have you considered it?" He raised his chin, an eyebrow arching. "If you don't answer, I'll take that as a yes."

No way... Why were there so many strange people in this副本, and all of them were perverts?

[022... He is simply too absurd.]

The system echoed her thoughts, [Indeed.]

"Pervert!" Zhou Zhou bit her lip and actually bolted.

"I'm not going to consider anything a pervert like you says!"

Her voice still lingered in the air, causing his ears to grow gradually warm. The man chuckled lowly, his voice husky and pleasant to the ear.

So cute.

—

The temperature outside the apartment building was barely over ten degrees, freezing cold to the extreme. Her nose was red from the chill, and the breath she exhaled formed a hazy white mist as she stumbled back into the apartment building.

Her delicate face was pale, but her nose was flushed, her eyes red, and her lips quivered with a rosy tint, resembling a fallen rose petal.

"Are you alright?"

Shen Yi spotted the young woman from afar. Today, Shen Wen had gone to the company early, and Shen Yi had always disliked dealing with corporate matters. Besides, last night...

He couldn't get the young woman out of his mind, yet he hadn't seen her livestream all morning.

Bored after eating out, he had only just learned from others about what happened that morning.

He wasn't surprised; this apartment building was always like this.

It was just... Shen Yi was only worried if the young woman had been frightened.

She was so fragile... and she worked so hard at her livestreams just to afford the rent for this downtown apartment.

She had easily kissed a stranger just for the anti-fan's one million.

What if someone asked her to harm herself... or demanded something even more obscene and filthy?

What if they made her pregnant...?

Would she be willing to do it?

Shen Yi reached the obvious conclusion: absolutely, she would.

Because she desperately needed money.

If she hadn't put on a gold-digging facade to scare away those scumbags, she would have been devoured without even a trace of her bones left.

As for... that friend of his, it was his own insistence on spending a fortune; he had no one else to blame if he went bankrupt.

No one forced him to gift those tips.

He only had himself to blame for lacking money yet harboring delusions about something that didn't belong to him.

Serves him right.

"What's wrong?" Shen Yi grasped the young woman's wrist, his voice raspy. "Were you exhausted last night...?"