Chapter 83: South Street Apartments

The child ghost clearly hadn't expected his ball game to take this turn. His pitch-black eyes widened in dismay as the ball rolled silently into the bathroom, his grayish face twisting into something almost comically betrayed under the dim red light. His lips trembled—he looked seconds away from bursting into tears.

Meng Yuhan panicked. "Hey, don't cry! Want some candy?"

She pulled out a handful of fruit candies—gifts from Granny Qiu's stall earlier. This was her go-to move back when she ruled her neighborhood playground: bully first, bribe later. Take the candy, no tattling to mom and dad.

Li Zhi didn't stop her.

So far, Meng Yuhan hadn't had many standout moments this dungeon. With Li Zhi keeping her safe, she'd missed opportunities to boost her popularity. But now, under Li Zhi's watchful eye, if she could handle this ghost child on her own? That'd earn her some serious viewer points.

And if things went south, Li Zhi could always intervene.

Shockingly, the candy tactic worked just as well on ghosts.

The overalls-clad child sniffled, his dark eyes fixated on the colorful sweets. "...Mom and dad say no candy."

Meng Yuhan, a veteran negotiator, countered smoothly: "They're not here now! They'll never know!"

The child's face lit up. "Oh... right!"

He shuffled forward, his small feet casting elongated shadows in the red glow.

Meng Yuhan's outstretched hand trembled, but she held her ground, even stepping closer. The child picked through the candies with solemn deliberation before looking up hopefully. "All for me?"

"All yours!"

He eagerly pulled open his overall pocket, letting her pour them in. Patting the bulging fabric, he grinned. "Thanks, sis!"

Seizing the moment, Meng Yuhan asked, "When will your parents be back? Eat them quick before then!"

His smile faded. "Don't know. They left me here and never came back."

He unwrapped a peach candy, cheeks puffing as he sucked happily.

Li Zhi crouched down, all warm big-sister energy. "Which uncles and aunties won't play with you?"

The child pointed toward the lantern-lit doors.

Just as suspected.

Li Zhi planted the seed: "Better hide your candy before those uncles and aunties see it. They might take it."

The child gasped, clutching his pocket. "No!"

"Then hurry back to your room. Don't come out again."

Nodding vigorously, he dashed to retrieve his ball from the bathroom before scampering back to his unit. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the hallway eerily quiet once more.

Room 205

Meng Yuhan arranged the newspaper-wrapped lilies in a makeshift vase, their heavy fragrance overpowering the room's musty dampness. As she crumpled the paper, Li Zhi stopped her.

A black-and-white photo caught her eye: a slender figure standing on a rooftop ledge.

The headline read: "Parents' Relentless Matchmaking Drives Daughter to Suicide Attempt."

The article detailed how "Xiao Qin," a 23-year-old reclusive writer, had been pushed to the edge by her parents' constant marriage pressure. Firefighters had talked her down from the ledge.

A happy ending—on paper.

But the grainy photo matched Xiao Ke's gaunt frame perfectly.

Meng Yuhan frowned. "Do you think her parents stopped pressuring her after this?"

Li Zhi folded the paper grimly. Parents who drive their child to suicide don't change.

"We'll investigate tomorrow."

Midnight. First Floor

Two players—live-streamer Cao Xun and minor actor Shen Zhijian—crouched in the stairwell's grimy alcove, their breath shallow.

"We have to do this!" Cao Xun whispered fiercely. "If we don't boost our popularity now, we're dead anyway!"

Shen Zhijian adjusted his glasses nervously. "But that thing—"

"It only attacks when you breathe! We know how to beat it!" Cao Xun addressed his invisible audience: "Watch closely, folks! Tonight, we hunt the monster!"

Above them, faucets suddenly screeched open.

Water gushed in the second-floor bathroom, the sound echoing down the stairwell.

The men froze.

Shen Zhijian sniffed. A coppery tang filled the air—thick, fresh.

"Smell that...?"

A shadow blotted out the faint streetlight glow.

From above, a voice giggled:

"Found you~"

The last thing they saw was a face—upside-down, grinning—stretching impossibly long from the ceiling toward them.