Chapter 44 – Is the Community Haunted?

“Beep!”

At dusk, the time clock by the library entrance emitted a pleasant sound.

“Clock-out recorded! Qin Yang, departure time: 17:00.”

Qin Yang lazily stretched and yawned, retrieving his access pass before strolling leisurely out of the library.

“Another day ending right on schedule.”

This had always been his good habit.

After leaving the library, Qin Yang ambled leisurely under the sunset. The surrounding streets buzzed with activity as numerous food vendors fired up their grills, the sizzle of oil rising from iron pans filling the air with the rich aroma of street food.

Following the conclusion of the Blood Demon incident, Jianghai City had regained its former tranquility, and he had returned to his previous laid-back lifestyle.

Working nine-to-five, living a simple and uneventful life—even skiving off early—his days were quite comfortable…

Just then.

Honk—

A prolonged car horn sounded from the roadside.

“Hey, Old Qin! Heading home? Hop in, I’ll give you a ride!”

A luxurious red sports car pulled up beside the curb, its window rolling down to reveal Xia He’s smug face.

The flashy car immediately drew sidelong glances from passersby.

“It’s not far, I’ll walk back.”

Qin Yang waved him off, glancing at the surrounding stares with mild exasperation.

Hanging out with Xia He for so long, he’d almost forgotten this guy was loaded…

“Alright then, be careful on your way home. I’m off, buddy.”

Seeing this, Xia He didn’t press further, stepping on the gas and speeding away in his sports car, leaving only a cloud of exhaust behind…

“Cough, cough…”

Qin Yang covered his nose and mouth against the dust, glaring at the retreating car as he cursed inwardly.

Rich bastard!

Think you’re something special just because you’re rolling in it?

Making his own way alone, he couldn’t compare to old-money capitalists like Xia He with their solid family fortunes—he could only afford to rent cheap apartments.

“Whatever, no use dwelling on it. Better hurry home.”

Qin Yang shook his head to clear his thoughts, bought a leek pancake from a street vendor, and munched on it as he walked, soon arriving at the residential complex he rented in.

The neighborhood wasn’t large, located relatively far from the city center with many aging facilities.

The elevator was either under repair or on the verge of breaking down, and water pipes would occasionally freeze and burst in winter.

Putting these drawbacks aside…

There were still advantages.

Namely, it was cheap…

At this price point, what more could you expect?

Qin Yang wound his way through the complex, expertly heading toward his building.

But just as he reached the entrance, he spotted a moving company truck. It seemed someone was relocating, busily loading boxes of appliances into the vehicle.

And the person directing the move was someone he recognized—

His upstairs neighbor!

However, the neighbor looked terrible—pale and haggard, as if he hadn’t slept well in ages.

Noticing this, Qin Yang couldn’t help but take a closer look before stepping forward to greet him.

“Moving to a new place?”

“Yeah, moving. This place is unbearable now.”

The neighbor shook his head helplessly and sighed. “Jianghai City has been unstable this year, one disaster after another. I’m planning to lay low in Lin City for a while.”

“Yeah, life’s tough.”

Qin Yang nodded in understanding.

In this world, Star Beasts roamed freely while powerful beings soared through the skies and burrowed underground.

Yet in the end, it was ordinary laborers like them who suffered the most.

If he didn’t have his system, what would he have become?I’d probably end up like my neighbor, avoiding danger everywhere just to survive…

“You should find a time to leave this place soon too.”

The neighbor glanced at Qin Yang, examining him with bloodshot eyes, and said wearily:

“Our neighborhood isn’t safe. It’d be best for you to move out early. Don’t get greedy for cheap rent and end up harming yourself…”

“What do you mean?”

Qin Yang was taken aback by these words.

Having lived here for over half a year, this was the first time he’d heard someone advising others to move out.

Just as Qin Yang was feeling puzzled,

the neighbor furtively glanced around as if guarding against something, lowering his voice mysteriously:

“This neighborhood isn’t clean – there’s something dirty wandering in the corridors… Just last night, Aunt Wang on the third floor saw that thing… seemed to be female too. Aunt Wang fainted on the spot after seeing it! Her son came to take her away this morning after she woke up!”

“Haunting? A female ghost?”

Hearing this, Qin Yang suddenly remembered.

These past few days, the neighborhood had been jittery, with people claiming to see a white shadow in the corridors and hearing sinister, woman-like laughter late at night.

Initially, Qin Yang had thought it was just a prank.

But now it seemed there might be more to the story…

“So, A-Yang, you should move out quickly too!”

The neighbor looked at Qin Yang, then raised his head to gaze at the scattered lights in the building, saying:

“In a few more days, almost everyone in this building will have moved out. When you’re the only one left living here… aren’t you afraid?!”

“Well… I’m not really afraid.”

Qin Yang pondered for a moment before saying:

“I’m used to living here, the rent is cheap, and it wouldn’t be easy to find another place… Besides, with this ghost scare, I might even negotiate lower rent with the landlord…”

“When others are fearful, I increase my position – this could actually be quite profitable!”

“???”

Hearing this, the neighbor was rendered speechless.

What kind of logic was this?

Could people actually play it this way?

“Young people these days would rather risk their lives than save some money. Ah, good advice falls on deaf ears.”

The neighbor shook his head, wearing an expression that said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

“A poor ghost battling a female ghost – you two are truly a match made in heaven!”

“You flatter me.”

“……”

……

Night fell.

The stars shone brilliantly.

Qin Yang lay in bed, staring at the ceiling without sleeping, instead releasing his Star Power perception to monitor the neighborhood’s movements.

Instantly,

powerful Star Power enveloped the entire neighborhood like spring rain falling silently, not missing any rustle or stir.

The chattering of rats in the pipes, the hushed conversations of other neighbors, and some breathless sounds that would make one blush upon hearing… everything could be heard crystal clear.

“Tsk, playing so wildly late at night – how the morals have declined!”

Qin Yang monitored the various sound sources in the neighborhood, then turned over in bed.

This Star Power coverage was incredibly powerful, like activating a full-map eavesdropping mode.

If he hadn’t heard his neighbor mention the female ghost incident, he would never have activated it.

After all, spying on neighbors’ privacy… really wasn’t proper.

But there was no choice.

When the female ghost was getting increasingly bold, almost riding on his head…

How could he allow others to snore beside his bed?

“If I don’t root you out, I definitely won’t be able to sleep peacefully!”

Just as Qin Yang was thinking this,

suddenly!

A ripple of Star Power surged, churning in his mind.The location was instantly locked onto the adjacent building!

“He’s here!”

Seeing this, Qin Yang immediately rose to his feet, directly employing the Seven-Star Dragon Step as he moved toward the source of the sound.

Moments later.

He arrived at the origin of the sound.

The chillingly silent corridor was illuminated by the eerie green glow of emergency exit signs, accompanied by faint, ghostly laughter that made it feel as though he had descended into the underworld.

(End of Chapter)