Chapter 34: Happiness Residential Complex

As luck would have it, the very thing feared most came to pass.

At the next stop, another ghost—a woman in a red dress carrying a red umbrella—boarded the bus. She closed her umbrella as soon as she stepped on, then froze for a split second upon seeing the packed vehicle. However, when her gaze fell on Xie Yun-Jun, a flash of apprehension crossed her face. The woman was more than a full level stronger than her. If the bus were to stop due to overcrowding, she risked being killed by the other woman in a fit of rage after disembarking.

Having weighed the pros and cons in her mind, the woman in the red dress lifted her head. She scanned the bus casually, then snatched up the tattooed man sitting closest to her. The man never expected a woman barely five-foot-three to be able to hoist him up. Before he could struggle free from her grasp, she snapped his neck. The woman in the red dress then sat down in the seat she had "stolen."

The ordinary passengers who had boarded with the tattooed man began to shriek in terror. The bus conductor, who had been keeping a close eye on Xie Yun-Jun, saw her frown in annoyance and immediately shouted through the bus: "Please remain quiet! Do not disturb our passengers."

After speaking, the conductor shifted into his ghastly form and glared viciously at the screaming humans. *Can you people stop howling?* the conductor thought. *Don't you see that she's getting angry? What if she kills us all because you upset her?*

Xie Yun-Jun had been in a fairly good mood, listening to the constant chime of fear points accumulating in her mind. But she loathed loud, noisy people. These humans hadn't provided her with any fear points and were only serving to annoy her. It was truly enough to make a ghost furious.

Seeing that Xie Yun-Jun was about to stand up, a player ran over from the back and slapped each of the noisy passengers hard across the face. The power of a solid slap was quite effective; the people went silent instantly.

"Shut your mouths! If you make another sound, that tattooed man will be your fate!" the player barked. "Couldn't you have opened your eyes and looked properly before getting on? Was this even the right bus? You just hopped on! You ended up on a ghost bus. Who are you going to blame for dying? Blame yourself for having eyes that were bought for free with a phone plan—useless!"

The player's tirade left the ordinary people stunned. After scolding them, the player sat back down, feeling refreshed in body and mind. The gloom of the past few days had been swept away in an instant.

When the bus reached the next stop, the Toy Factory, ten players gathered together and got off. Seeing so many people leave, a few ordinary folks gritted their teeth and followed suit. Only one person, whose legs were too weak to function, remained slumped in their seat.

At the third stop, the conductor announced, "Happy Residential Complex."

Xie Yun-Jun stood up upon hearing this, and she noticed the D-rank ghost with the umbrella also rise. Once Xie Yun-Jun stepped off the bus, she saw the umbrella-wielding ghost standing nearby. She curled her lips into a smile and approached to make conversation. "Are you a resident of this complex?"

The D-rank ghost didn't understand why Xie Yun-Jun was asking, but nodded anyway. "I am a psychologist who was invited here."

Hearing this, the D-rank ghost relaxed. "You must be Director Xie. Truly young and promising!"

Xie Yun-Jun smiled, and in the next second, she unleashed a lethal strike. Before the D-rank ghost could react, Xie Yun-Jun had teleported behind her and pierced through her chest. Once her heart was crushed by Xie Yun-Jun, the ghost perished.

"Ding! Congratulations to player Xie Yun-Jun for successfully killing the D-rank titled ghost, 'Soul-Reaping in the Rain'."
"Ding! Congratulations to player Xie Yun-Jun for gaining 60,000 fear points."
"Ding! Congratulations to player Xie Yun-Jun for gaining 1,500 ghost coins."
"Ding! Congratulations to player Xie Yun-Jun for gaining a property in Happy Residential Complex."
"Ding! Congratulations to player Xie Yun-Jun for gaining the D-rank supernatural item, 'Red Umbrella'."

*Red Umbrella: Allows the user to be immune to the erosion of other supernatural powers while under the umbrella. It can also help the user resist supernatural attacks. (Note: This item cannot fully block supernatural powers that far exceed its rank.)*

Seeing the last note, Xie Yun-Jun understood why she had to break through a layer of barrier before reaching the D-rank ghost earlier. She examined the umbrella carefully, sighed, and mused to herself. These low-level items were immensely useful to human players, but they held little value for her.

"Ying-Ying, put this item up for sale in the system store."
"Understood, Host."

After the system, Xie Yun-Ying, spoke, she put the red umbrella away. Xie Yun-Jun then picked up the door plate labeled "306" and the key from the ground. "An unexpected bonus, at least."

Xie Yun-Jun remarked, tucking the key and the door plate into her white lab coat. When she reached the entrance of the complex, she looked up at the large characters hanging above the gate. Confirming she was in the right place, she walked into the dark, shadowed complex.

As soon as she entered, the main system prompt sounded.

"Ding! Congratulations to player Xie Yun-Jun for arriving at the horror game instance—Happy Residential Complex."
"This instance has not yet reached its start time; players are free to explore."

Xie Yun-Jun raised an eyebrow, unfazed. *It hasn't started yet, and I'm free to explore?* In that case, she would delay the slaughter and first harvest a wave of fear points from these ghosts and the incoming players.

There were no lights in Happy Residential Complex, but as a ghost, Xie Yun-Jun could see the path clearly. She hadn't taken more than a few steps when the property management ghost appeared beside her out of nowhere. Reflexively, Xie Yun-Jun delivered a side kick. The poor property manager didn't even get a word in before being sent flying.

After kicking him, Xie Yun-Jun stood quietly in place, waiting for the property manager to return.

"Doctor Xie certainly has a nimble physique!" The property manager clutched his stomach, grimacing in pain as he offered a compliment.

"Apologies, it was an instinctive reaction," Xie Yun-Jun said with an apologetic smile. Anyone would be startled by something suddenly appearing right next to them. Besides, as a psychologist, she had encountered so many manic patients in the past that her reflexes had been honed to perfection.

The property manager knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't hold the kick against her. "Doctor Xie, would you like to buy a house here? Running back and forth every day is quite troublesome, after all."

"Renting a place is also an option, and it’s very cheap!"

"How much for rent, and how much to buy?"

Seeing Xie Yun-Jun show interest, the property manager immediately smiled. "Why don't you come to the office to discuss it, Doctor Xie? Standing out here isn't very comfortable."

Xie Yun-Jun nodded. She was eager to find out how much the property she had just acquired was worth.