Chapter 9: Reunion with the Enchantress, The Girl on the Seventh Floor

"He opened the door last night and entered his father's room. Inside, the man and the specter struck a deal unknown to anyone else."

"Guess why this wine bottle artifact ended up in your hands?"

"You have unknowingly fallen into a dead end. Whether you complete the task or not, you will die. So, how will you break this deadlock?"

Looking at the triggered information panel, Ji Yan’s expression turned grave.

As expected, this guy Dong Chu was setting a trap for him. Was it really just because of some minor verbal altercation yesterday?

Ji Yan found that unlikely. It was more probable that the guy had used him to trade for some benefit from the Nightmare-Eating Specter.

As for what kind of dead end this was, Ji Yan had already roughly guessed.

If he carried this wine bottle and filled it with the Blood Pipa, the flavor would surely spoil, leading to task failure, at which point the Nightmare-Eating Specter would make him pay.

If he used a different bottle, that would be a violation of the task rules, and the Nightmare-Eating Specter would have grounds to punish him all the same.

Either way, the task was doomed to fail—it was indeed a dead end!

So, how could he break it?

Although the hidden information was cryptic, it implied that a way out existed.

Ji Yan pondered for a moment. Suddenly, his brow furrowed. No matter how he thought about it, the only solution seemed to be a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble, and the risks were immense.

However, he needed to consult with another original resident before executing it.

Ji Yan picked up the wine bottle and left Room 404.

...

Soon, Ji Yan arrived at the first floor of the apartment and knocked on Room 101.

The door opened, and Cheng Fang’s head poked out.

Seeing Ji Yan, he was stunned: "Wait, why is it you again?"

"Buddy, are you addicted to grinding the Charm Specter mission at my place?"

Ji Yan: "I have no choice. I don't want to come here either; my body can't take it."

Cheng Fang looked at his own body and gave a thumbs up: "I admire you!"

Once the door opened, Ji Yan entered, took off his coat, and rolled up his sleeves, looking as if he was ready for a fierce battle.

Cheng Fang thought about the cleaning he had to do yesterday—the blood and skin fragments everywhere—and broke into a cold sweat.

Just how twisted was this game?

"Master, that person from yesterday... is here to see you again."

Standing by the door, Cheng Fang spoke cautiously.

"Bring him in quickly! I’ve been waiting to see when he’d come back!" the Charm Specter’s voice echoed from within, filled with delight.

Cheng Fang glanced back at Ji Yan, who, without hesitation, drew the Slasher's nail hammer and stepped into the room.

Soon, sounds of agony mixed with pleasure began to emanate from inside. Cheng Fang shook his head and returned to the living room to continue gnawing on his bun. "Too brutal."

...

Perhaps due to being trapped in a desperate situation, Ji Yan was filled with an inexplicable rage. He took it all out on the Charm Specter with his nail hammer. The intensity was even more savage than the day before, which only made the Charm Specter more infatuated.

About half an hour later.

Ji Yan lay exhausted in a pool of blood on the floor. Beside him, the Charm Specter, whose body was covered in terrifying wounds, dragged her broken, mangled frame and slowly began to put on her clothes.

The seductive face was filled with the satisfaction of having been satiated. She looked at Ji Yan with surprise: "You were even more vigorous today than yesterday."

"It seems your addiction is even greater than mine. How about I dig you out of that drunken bastard's hands and have you replace little Cheng's position?"

"You, my big treasure, are much