Ghost Amusement Park [Infinite] 83

The four of them descended from the sixth floor, and when they reached the third floor, they encountered a young girl emerging from the elevator.

The elevator was very old, with its doors plastered with all sorts of small advertisements. Earlier in the morning, the players had opened it on the first floor and taken a quick glance. The inside was lined with wooden boards, dimly lit, and full of trash in the crevices, emitting a foul odor. The elevator car wobbled as it moved, giving the impression that it might fall apart at any moment.

Moreover, in horror movies, elevators are often the prime location for a ghostly killing. So, everyone preferred to take the stairs rather than risk riding that elevator.

However, the residents of South Street Apartment seemed to have grown used to the elevator. The slender and delicate-looking girl quickly lowered her gaze when she saw the group of strangers standing in the hallway. Gripping the bag slung across her shoulder, she sped past them without a word.

Li Zhi had initially wanted to strike up a conversation with her, but seeing her shy, introverted demeanor, she refrained from calling out to her.

The four continued downwards. When they reached the second floor, Qiao Junyuan, who had been silently following Li Feng the whole time, suddenly turned his head to glance at the hallway a few times. Though he was about the same age as Meng Yuhan, and had always appeared obedient and quiet, his dark, deep-set eyes made him seem devoid of the youthful liveliness typical of his age.

Li Zhi noticed his movement and gently asked, “What’s the matter? Did you notice something?”

Qiao Junyuan shook his head.

The siblings exchanged a glance but didn’t press further. As they walked out of the apartment, they ran into a group of players who had returned from exploring outside. The players all had grim expressions and quietly said, “There’s nothing outside. Apart from a fresh food store at the corner, everything else seems shrouded in white mist, and we can’t get close.”

Li Zhi nodded knowingly.

It seemed like they were restricted to this apartment building for their exploration, just like in the previous game’s school setting, where they couldn’t access the outside world. Therefore, all the clues they needed would have to be uncovered within this apartment complex.

Fu Huan and Xiang Ling were still trying to gain favor with Granny Qiu, helping her scrub pans, wash dishes, and clean tables. Breakfast service hadn’t ended yet, and Granny Qiu had already begun preparing lunch boxes. Li Zhi watched her work for a while, admiring her deft knife skills. She recalled the lavish spread they had seen set out in the first-floor hallway the night before, which must have been her handiwork.

Next to her stall was a drinks cooler. Li Zhi bought a bottle of water and smiled, “Granny Qiu, may we borrow your stools to sit for a while?”

Though her face remained stern, Granny Qiu didn’t shoo them away.

The players sat at the stall, and after taking a few sips of water, Li Zhi started sharing the clues they’d gathered on the sixth floor. “…Mr. Chu is very good to his wife. Not only does he work, but he also takes care of the cooking and laundry. His wife just stays home and doesn’t do any chores at all. She’s really lucky to be married to a man like that.”

She deliberately spoke loudly enough for Granny Qiu to hear. Facing away from the elderly woman, she winked at the other players, who quickly caught on and echoed her sentiments. “Yeah! Where do you find a man like that nowadays? His wife is really fortunate!”

As expected, hearing their comments, Granny Qiu—who had been rhythmically slicing carrots—suddenly chopped down heavily on the cutting board, letting out a cold snort. “You won’t think she’s lucky once you get beaten.”

Fu Huan and Xiang Ling had spent the whole morning working for the old lady, yet hadn’t managed to get her to open up. However, with just a few words from Li Zhi, they had already triggered a clue.

Li Zhi turned around, feigning surprise. “Huh? Beaten? What do you mean?”

Granny Qiu lifted her head, gripping the knife that was still covered in bits of carrot, her voice cold. “Everyone in this building knows that Chu Guangyan beats Chen Meiqian. Anyone who calls him a good man has a rotten heart!”

“Domestic violence?” Fu Huan said in disbelief. “But Mr. Chu doesn’t look like that kind of person. Granny, could this be a misunderstanding?”

Granny Qiu sneered. “A wolf in sheep’s clothing! He may look cultured on the outside, but at home, he beats his wife until she’s unrecognizable. Even living on the first floor, I’ve heard Chen Meiqian’s cries. A woman marrying a man like that is truly cursed with bad luck!”

Everyone recalled seeing Mr. Chu that morning. It was hard to believe he could be the type to engage in domestic violence.

Li Zhi’s face took on a look of anger, and she said with a hint of indignation, “I can’t believe that man is like that! Granny, have you ever seen Chen Meiqian? Was she badly hurt by him?”

“I’ve seen her a few times,” Granny Qiu lowered her head and continued chopping vegetables. “That girl is timid and doesn’t like to interact with the neighbors. Every time she comes and goes, she keeps her head down, rushing past. One time…”

Her hands paused as she narrowed her eyes, recalling, “She bought a bag of oranges and was coming back home. Right there, at the steps of the apartment entrance, the bag tore, and the oranges rolled everywhere. She crouched down to pick them up. My two…”

Her voice turned bitter but quickly suppressed it. “My two good-for-nothing grandsons ran over to help her pick them up. But that girl didn’t even want the oranges. She hugged a few to her chest and ran upstairs without looking back.”

She sighed heavily, her tone filled with a mix of anger and sorrow. “Chu Guangyan scared her out of her wits!”

“It’s definitely because Chu Guangyan won’t allow her to talk to other men!” Fu Huan said indignantly. “He probably forbids her from speaking to strangers, and if she does, he beats her! That Chu guy must be a pervert—obsessed with control and possession!”

“I heard from the neighbors on the sixth floor that Chen Meiqian hasn’t left the apartment in months,” Li Zhi chimed in, her eyes filled with dread. “Granny, have you seen her recently? Could Chu Guangyan have killed her already?”

Granny Qiu shook her head. “No, I just saw her yesterday evening.” She lowered her head again. “I was preparing offerings for Xiao Bo and Qiang Zi’s spirit pacification feast, and she came over to help.”

Although Granny Qiu harbored anger toward Chu Guangyan, she couldn’t bring herself to resent Chen Meiqian, the poor woman. She had accepted her way of offering help as an apology.

“However, it’s true that in recent months, I’ve hardly heard Chu Guangyan beating her,” Granny Qiu added after a moment of thought. “When I saw her last night, she seemed much more cheerful than before—no longer as timid.”

Of course, not being abused would make anyone more cheerful. But what had caused Chu Guangyan’s sudden change? Domestic violence often recurs, especially for someone like Chen Meiqian, who had endured it for years. Could it be that Chu Guangyan stopped because of something else? Perhaps, as the gossip from the sixth floor hinted, Chen Meiqian might be pregnant?

At the very least, Granny Qiu’s words confirmed that Chen Meiqian was still alive, which disproved Li Zhi’s earlier suspicion that Chu Guangyan had killed her and hidden the body.

But then again, this was a game world. Just because someone is alive, does that mean they are still human? They still needed to find a way to meet Chen Meiqian.

After their investigation, it was time for lunch, and Granny Qiu’s lunchboxes were almost ready. The players all gathered around. As lunchtime arrived, more people appeared at the base of the apartment, many of whom were there to buy lunch from Granny Qiu.

The players took the opportunity to observe the residents of the building. Besides the man in the floral shirt they had met earlier, there was also the delicate girl Li Zhi had seen on the third floor.

Li Zhi overheard the man in the floral shirt greet her, “Xiao Ke, lunchbox again?”

Xiao Ke shyly nodded, quickly grabbing her lunchbox and running off.

The man in the floral shirt casually sat down at the stall. Li Zhi bought a drink for him and asked, “Is she also one of your third-floor neighbors?”

The man nodded. “You mean Xiao Ke? Yeah.”

He opened the drink and said nonchalantly, “I heard she’s a writer, always locked in her room working on her book. We asked her to show us her novel, but she’s too shy.”

Li Zhi smiled, propping her chin on her hand. “Seems like there are some interesting folks on the third floor. This morning, I ran into a woman named Qu Rong—she didn’t seem like an ordinary person either.”

“Qu, the reporter? Of course not,” the man said with a grin that seemed to hint at something.

His face took on the animated expression men often have when discussing rumors, his eyebrows dancing as he teased, “Why do you think a big-shot reporter lives in this rundown place? Wanna guess?”

Li Zhi chuckled. “Why?”

The man snapped apart a pair of disposable chopsticks, his tone playful. “Obviously, to be closer to her secret lover!”

“You gossip worse than an old lady!” Granny Qiu snapped from behind, waving a broom at him angrily. “How dare you spread rumors about a decent girl like that!”

The man dodged, holding his lunchbox, annoyed as dust from the broom floated onto his food. “What rumors? I’m just telling the truth! Her and that Chu Guangyan—”

“Get back to your room to eat!” Granny Qiu didn’t let him finish, chasing him off with the broom.

The man in the floral shirt left grumbling.

Granny Qiu turned back to find the players staring at her. After a brief hesitation, she explained, still fuming, “It’s that Chu Guangyan always pestering her! Xiao Qu isn’t that kind of girl!”

As lunchtime continued, Li Jianxi, the guard from the security office, locked up and joined them. Even though he was only wearing a regular security uniform, on him, it looked like cosplay from a manga—a broad-shouldered, slim-waisted, long-legged figure that gave the simple uniform an impressive, tailored look.

Li Zhi waved cheerfully at Li Jianxi from a distance.

Li Jianxi quickened his steps, bought a lunchbox from Granny Qiu, and sat down next to Li Zhi. Sitting across from them, Fu Huan was biting her chopsticks, looking around excitedly. She was practically glowing with the thrill of witnessing her favorite pairing in real life. All those forum posts she had devoured about “Zhi-Xi” were now materializing before her eyes—how could she not be excited?

Ever since they entered the game and she saw Li Zhi, Fu Huan had been eagerly waiting for this moment!

To her, Li Jianxi had always been like a character in a story—someone she fangirled over but never truly believed in. Now, with him sitting right in front of her, the excitement was overwhelming. But before she could fully indulge in her CP moment, a lunchbox was suddenly thrown onto the empty seat next to Li Jianxi with a thud.

Li Feng sat down, his face expressionless, exuding a menacing aura.

Li Jianxi: “…”

Fu Huan: “???”

Wait, what’s going on? Why is Li Feng acting like someone’s stolen his precious little cabbage?

Li Zhi sighed, glancing helplessly at her older brother, fully aware of why he was so displeased. After thinking for a moment, she leaned in toward Li Jianxi. Without hesitation, Li Jianxi leaned in to meet her, and she whispered, “Activate the jammer.”

Li Feng’s fists clenched as he watched the two of them being all close and cozy in front of him. He was just about to speak when Li Jianxi nodded in agreement.

Then, Li Zhi turned to her brother and said with exasperation, “Brother, he’s my friend.”

Li Feng frowned instinctively, scanning the surroundings.

Li Zhi added, “It’s fine. He’s turned on the jammer—no one in the audience can hear us.”

Li Jianxi chimed in, “The people nearby can’t hear us either.”

As expected, aside from the small group at their table, everyone else continued eating their meals as if nothing unusual was happening. It was clear that Li Jianxi had plenty of useful gadgets.

Fu Huan, sitting nearby, was stunned. “Brother? He’s your brother?”

Li Zhi nodded, then turned to Li Jianxi, explaining, “This is my brother, Li Feng. He doesn’t mean any harm.”

Li Feng: “…”

That couldn’t be more wrong. His intentions were absolutely brimming with hostility!