Chapter 93: Should I Slap It a Few Times to See If It Changes?
While feeding the cat, Zhang Yangqing began organizing the information he had gathered.
The so-called “landlords” he had encountered were all individuals with varying degrees of animal-like features.
He glanced at the black cat eating in front of him.
A thought crossed Zhang Yangqing’s mind: What if this thing is actually the landlord?
In the world of strange tales, people could turn into statues—so an animal transforming into a human wasn’t out of the question.
Besides, how else could one explain the beast-like aura emanating from those violent ghosts?
Maybe this black cat could morph into something like a catgirl?
Zhang Yangqing wondered if he should slap it a few times to see if it would change.
Or maybe beat it until it did transform.
But after some consideration, he decided against it—who knows what problems that might cause?
The black cat was tied to a crucial rule:
Rule 2: There is a black cat in the room. If it turns white, throw it out the window.
Based on this, Zhang Yangqing came up with two possible interpretations:
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The real landlord is afraid of cats—meaning the cat is stronger than the violent ghosts.
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The landlord might be using tenants to kill the black cat (by making it turn white).
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Once the white cat is thrown out, the landlord would appear.
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The cat itself is the landlord, but due to certain rules, it can’t revert to its original form.
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Forcing it to turn white and throwing it out might trigger its transformation back into the landlord.
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These were likely the methods ordinary participants could deduce as they gathered more clues.
But Zhang Yangqing, with his experience, had a third approach—the one he had considered earlier: becoming the landlord himself.
Back in Smiling Hospital, he had learned that participants could change their identity by meeting certain conditions.
In that scenario, the key was stealing specific uniforms, as hinted by the rules.
But in this eerie rental world, there were no distinctive outfits.
After all, in a hospital, uniforms clearly indicated roles—but in an apartment building, tenants came from all walks of life, and the landlord had no obvious identifiers.
Could it be a keychain? A property deed? Flip-flops?
Zhang Yangqing reviewed the sixteen rules again but found no hints about identity transformation.
However, one rule stood out to him:
Rule 13: If anyone invites you to the basement, remember—never go.
Since the rules mentioned the basement, it was definitely worth investigating.
The rule was straightforward: if invited, refuse.
But if no one invites you… you can go on your own.
It seemed the rules were subtly telling participants that only by going alone could they uncover crucial information.
Before that, though, they’d need to find the person who wanted to invite them—someone who knew where the basement was.
The rules only prohibited accepting invitations, not going voluntarily.
Any location mentioned in the rules was bound to be useful for clearing the scenario.
Veteran participants would recognize this immediately.
By the time Zhang Yangqing finished his thoughts, the cat had finished eating.
“Guard the house properly, or I’ll slaughter you.”
The cat froze at his words—Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t kill me?
Zhang Yangqing’s gaze seemed to reply: While I’m living here, I make the rules. Got a problem with that?
Under his unreasonable threat, the black cat became hyper-vigilant.
If any ghosts caused trouble tonight, this terrifying man would skin it alive tomorrow.
So, after sleeping all day, it was now the cat’s turn to stand guard.
What happened next amused viewers watching Zhang Yangqing’s livestream:
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“LMAO, look at this cat—it’s actually patrolling the place like a security guard!”
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“The cat clearly knows who the scariest being in this apartment is.”
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“Gotta give it credit—even if it’s just acting, it’s doing a convincing job.”
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“In other participants’ runs, the cat’s the boss. Here? It’s the damn security.”
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“Seems like Zhang Yangqing has a talent for taming animals.”
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“You call that ‘taming’? More like ‘terrorizing.’”
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“Same difference. As long as it obeys, it’s a good cat!”
The cat meticulously checked every corner—the living room, kitchen, bathroom—for threats.
But it avoided the bedroom, either out of respect… or fear.
Seeing this, Zhang Yangqing decided to rest in the master bedroom.
He had already deciphered the rules about “people in the rooms.”
The second bedroom was clearly where supernatural events would occur.
He wasn’t afraid of ghosts, but after being awake for so long, he was exhausted. Better to sleep somewhere normal.
As for surviving the night? Did it even matter?
If anything dared wake him up, he’d kill it.
Wrong choices only triggered supernatural events—they weren’t instant death sentences.
If ghosts encountered Zhang Yangqing, they’d be the ones scared out of their minds.
As some international viewers joked: If the rules didn’t require staying 12 hours a day, Zhang Yangqing wouldn’t even be sleeping here.
Just as he considered calling a repairman to fix the cabinet, a knock came at the door.
Who the hell is visiting at this hour?
Zhang Yangqing frowned.
The sudden knocking also startled many viewers, who felt a chill down their spines.
Outside, it was a pitch-black rainy night—both in the scenario and in real life for those watching late.
The eerie atmosphere was so immersive that some viewers on their couches flinched, wondering if their own doors had been knocked on.
They couldn’t help but admire Zhang Yangqing’s calm demeanor—he didn’t even bat an eye.
Inside the apartment, the black cat had positioned itself near the door, ready to pounce if a threat entered.
Zhang Yangqing walked over and peered through the peephole—it was the curly-haired woman from earlier.
He opened the door and asked, “Ran into trouble?”
In these scenarios, avoiding trouble wasn’t always the best move—sometimes, more trouble meant more clues.
As he spoke, his eyes scanned her up and down.
The first thing that caught his (and the audience’s) attention was her long, slender legs, accentuated by sheer thigh-high socks.
Even in flat white shoes, her legs were undeniably eye-catching.
Many viewers’ gazes lingered on the soft flesh pressed by the sock’s edge—a detail some considered “the pinnacle of human aesthetics.”
Some even wondered how they’d missed such a sight earlier.
But Zhang Yangqing wasn’t focused on that—he was checking for signs of corruption.
With the increased difficulty this time, the “contamination” mechanic likely caused physical changes.
The hint had advised participants to “observe carefully,” meaning alterations should be visible.
It wasn’t like he could just cut someone open to inspect them, right?
The only difference he noticed was that she now carried a purse.
This detail puzzled some viewers as well.
The woman shook her head. “Thanks for helping me earlier. I thought I should return the favor.”
Many NPCs in these scenarios remembered kindness and reciprocated.
Zhang Yangqing raised an eyebrow. “What kind of ‘favor’?”
Viewers’ heart rates spiked—was this about to get spicy?
Then, the woman pulled out a set of tools from her bag: screwdrivers, a power drill, pliers, a hammer, a hot glue gun…
Proudly puffing her chest, she grinned. “I’m actually a high-end repair technician. Earlier, I noticed your apartment’s locks are faulty. In a place like this, broken furniture can be dangerous—so I can fix them for you. Maybe even customize them to your liking.”
Zhang Yangqing blinked. So the ‘service’ you offered in the middle of the night… was home repair?
The woman’s puzzled look seemed to reply: “Uh, yeah? What did you think I meant?”
Just because I dress like this doesn’t mean my job isn’t legit!
