This situation either meant that the ghosts and monsters hadn't appeared yet, or there was something inherently wrong with the building itself.
Nan Yue shared the information Yin Qian had gathered with Zhu Xi Ning. “It’s possible people have died in this building.”
Zhu Xi Ning nodded, agreeing with the possibility.
Naturally, countless people had died on any given plot of land, and many buildings too. There might have even been fatalities during construction, not to mention accidents that occurred inside.
However, the constant flow of people and their vitality could dilute past resentment and death energy.
But this place was known as a “living mass grave.” Only those desperate for money or with nowhere else to go would be willing to live here. With everyone who could move already gone, the building felt even more eerie.
“Let’s wait and see.”
Zhu Xi Ning wasn't a god; she couldn’t pinpoint all the causes and dangers of the pollution world immediately.
“There are no cleaning supplies in the room. I asked Su Xiaoxi, and she said they’re communal for each floor, but Granny Li often keeps them to herself.”
Nan Yue nodded. “I’ll go ask for them.”
Nan Yue went out and knocked on Granny Li’s door. She hadn't closed her own door, and she could feel someone staring at her from behind.
The rundown building even had peepholes, so Su Xiaoxi and her friend were probably watching her.
Nan Yue waited a moment before the door was pushed open. It was chained from the inside, only allowing a small gap.
“Who is it?!” Granny Li’s voice was rough and full of vigor, her tone quite harsh.
“I’m a new tenant. I heard the broom is communal. May I borrow it?”
Bang! The door slammed shut, then a rustling sound came from inside before it opened again.
A short old woman appeared before Nan Yue. She only reached Nan Yue’s chest, her eyes large and round, as if constantly glaring. Her face was deeply wrinkled, reminding Nan Yue of Amin’s grandmother from a Qualification Exam.
“New tenant?”
Nan Yue pointed to room 505.
Granny Li craned her neck to look, but Nan Yue subtly shifted, blocking her view completely.
Unable to see anything else in Nan Yue’s room, Granny Li glared up at Nan Yue, who met her gaze with an expressionless face.
Granny Li snorted heavily, went inside, and tossed out a broom. Without a word, she slammed the door shut again.
Her attitude was extremely hostile, but Nan Yue didn't care. Granny Li hadn't seen her room, but Nan Yue had gotten a clear look at Granny Li’s.
Granny Li’s room was dim, with thick curtains drawn. It seemed to house a shrine, with red electric candles flickering in a corner.
The room indeed smelled strongly of traditional Chinese medicine, just as Su Xiaoxi had said, even more potent than the clinic next door.
This was likely due to the lack of open windows and ventilation.
Tomorrow, I’ll have Gu Xiang Kai come and take a sniff, Nan Yue thought.
Granny Li seemed to live alone; Nan Yue’s eyesight was good, and she didn’t see anyone else.
Upon entering Granny Li’s two-bedroom apartment, the first room was a bedroom. The door to the adjacent room was half-open, revealing herbs spread on the floor and a raised platform, possibly used as a kitchen.
In that brief moment, Nan Yue got a general sense of Granny Li’s home. There were no particularly suspicious areas.
Moreover, Granny Li’s personality was simply like that. No matter how polite Nan Yue was, they wouldn't get along harmoniously. Nan Yue didn't want to be too obvious and draw attention, so she simply acted like an ordinary tenant, took the broom, grumbled a few words, and returned to her room.
The room was small, and there weren’t many things, so the two of them cleaned it quickly.
Nan Yue swept out many items belonging to the previous occupant of the room.
The vast majority were medicines.
Unlike Granny Li, the previous tenant had taken Western medicine, but judging by the packaging, it didn’t seem to be legitimate medicine.
It looked more like counterfeit drugs, with shoddy packaging and illegible writing.
“Treats… internal bleeding…”
The packaging was so poor that not only the ingredients but almost everything was unclear, though some of the indications could be made out.
Internal bleeding? Was this from an injury or an immune system problem?
Whichever it was, it suggested someone who should have been in a hospital receiving proper treatment. But someone living here likely didn't have the money to fight for their life against fate.
Nan Yue and her companions found many such poorly packaged medicine bags. The packaging varied, but the indications were similar: from internal bleeding to improving immune function, and even exaggerated claims of curing all diseases and prolonging life.
“The previous occupant was probably very ill, but with two households on the same floor taking medicine, that clinic looks suspicious.”
Making people sick then selling them medicine—the clinic owner here probably didn’t have much professional ethics and would do anything.
Nan Yue finally had time to check the contents of her backpack.
Like Jiang Haoyu, they all had an identity document. Nan Yue’s identity was a founder, and Zhu Xi Ning was a senior reporter.
There was only one newspaper, used just to record the address, with no further information.
Comparing it to the time on her phone, the newspaper was from last week. Why would Mingmu News Studio come here? Something must have happened that caught their attention.
The incident must have occurred before last week.
Normally, no one would pay attention to a place like this, unless one of two things happened.
One, a major event reported in the newspaper or on TV made them feel something was amiss. Two, someone commissioned them to investigate the area.
“Both are possible. If someone wanted to investigate the residents across the hall, that’s even more likely.”
Zhu Xi Ning was silent for a moment. “But a commission would leave traces, and we don’t have any in our bags.”
Nan Yue looked through her phone. From the stored chat logs, she had apparently discovered valuable news and brought her team to investigate.
This flip phone only had one-on-one SMS functionality and no recording function. It only showed that “Jiang Haoyu” had reported to her that the preliminary preparations were complete.
In chats with “Gu Xiang Kai” and “Chi Yu,” both asked if they needed to bring self-defense items, but “Nan Yue” refused.
“We are reporters; we can’t cause any deaths.” That was her original message.
Nan Yue frowned. This was an unspoken rule of this pollution world: they couldn't harm the residents here.
Even if they found someone suspicious, they could only report it to the police. They couldn’t take a life, or they would violate the rules.
This greatly restricted their actions, and they had to be careful when using many of their abilities.
Nan Yue looked at her ID. It wasn't a business card but an identification document with a photo, name, and studio, meaning it could be used as an ID card in this pollution world.
However, since they were here to “dig for news,” this identity couldn't be easily exposed.
Reporters, after all, thrived on secrets.
Nan Yue had a general guess about how to break through this mission world: uncover the secrets that had occurred in this demolition building, and they would pass.
The mission was clear, which meant the process would be complex.
This was a chaotic mission in a pollution zone, not to be underestimated by anyone.
The setting sun painted the sky golden. From the broken window on the fifth floor where Nan Yue was, she could see the exquisite residential community across the street.
Rate on N.U.
