Courtyard House: Starting with handing over the keys, the state helps me abuse birds.

Night was falling.

The hustle and bustle on the other side of the riverbank has been left far behind.

Xie Weihong walked back along the path she had come from, her steps unhurried and her breathing gradually returning to normal. The coolness of the river water had long been dispelled by the surging heat within her body, and her limbs felt warm and swollen. Walking in the night breeze, she felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

This is the feeling after eating your fill, the true meaning of "being full".

It wasn't like the original owner's memories, where one would force themselves to eat something to suppress the emptiness in their stomach; rather, it was a state where the body was completely filled with energy from the inside out, and every muscle and every nerve was back online.

Xie Weihong could clearly feel that the power was still lingering.

My steps became more steady, my senses became clearer, and even the sound of the wind in the night and the chirping of insects in the distance became distinct.

Reason gradually returned to its proper place.

At that very moment, a detail that had just been completely obscured by hunger and instinct suddenly jumped into his mind without warning.

Xie Weihong paused, stood still, and frowned slightly.

"wrong……"

He subconsciously recalled everything that had happened that day; in the courtyard, the system notifications had been almost constant.

"【warn!】

[Extremely dangerous!]

[A ninth-tier king-level demon has been detected!]

[High-risk targets are present within the detection range!]

From Jia Zhangshi to Yi Zhonghai, and then to Sha Zhu.

The system's "judgment" of them was almost tiresome.

But what happened next?

From the moment he pushed open the door and stepped onto the path leading to the river, through his journey into the river, catching fish, eating them raw, and recovering his energy, the system remained completely silent.

It wasn't a delay, it wasn't interference, it was complete silence.

It was unusually quiet.

Xie Weihong stood by the roadside, the night wind ruffling his clothes, but his gaze gradually darkened.

"It's not that I didn't notice."

"It really didn't give any notification."

He was quite certain of this because, by the river, he was highly focused, and he couldn't possibly ignore even a single "warning" from the system.

But there was nothing there.

There are no "monsters".

There are no "dangerous targets".

There weren't even the most basic environmental prompts.

This forms a stark contrast with the traditional courtyard houses.

Xie Weihong slowly raised her head and looked at the outline of the courtyard house hidden in the night not far away.

Old walls, mottled eaves, dim yellow lights.

It looks no different from any other old courtyard in the city.

But the system labeled each living person as a "monster".

"Could it be...?"

An idea slowly took shape in his mind.

"The system's judgment range..."

"Only in courtyard houses?"

When the idea first came to her, even Xie Weihong herself thought it was absurd.

But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

He recalled the prompt the system made the first time it sounded.

You are currently in the territory of the ninth-tier king-level monster, "Insatiable Flesh Mountain".

Please escape as soon as possible.

"territory".

This word itself is quite intriguing.

If it's simply a matter of "detecting a monster," the system has absolutely no need to emphasize the concept of "territory."

The so-called "territory" often means—scope.

"If the system truly takes effect, it won't just affect the entire world..."

"Or is it an area governed by special rules?"

Xie Weihong's thoughts became increasingly clear.

Inside the courtyard, the system was frequently alarming, indicating that the monsters were of an absurdly high level and that rewards were being obtained at an unusually high rate.

Outside the courtyard, the system was silent, without any abnormal prompts, as if we had returned to a "normal world".

This cannot be a coincidence.

He stopped and stood at the entrance of the alley, looking back at the familiar yet unfamiliar courtyard.

For the first time, a complex emotion welled up inside me.

It wasn't fear, but rather... a sense of confirmation.

"If that's really the case..."

"Those courtyard houses are not just places for people to live."

It's more like—

A "special copy" that was singled out by the system.

"interesting……"

Xie Weihong chuckled softly.

This time, there was no anger or hostility in the smile.

There is only one kind of clarity: a clarity that gradually cools down.

"In other words, as long as I am in the courtyard house, all the birds are in the courtyard house too."

"As long as the system exists, the monsters will keep spawning, and the rewards will continue to come in a continuous stream."

This conclusion stirred a dangerous expectation within him.

But the next second, he forcibly suppressed that emotion.

"No rush."

"It's not entirely certain yet."

He needs to verify, needs more samples, needs to confirm whether the problem lies with the courtyard itself, or whether this area just happens to be a gathering place for these "monsters".

Regardless of which type it is, one thing is certain: the courtyard house is definitely not simple.

Xie Weihong took a deep breath and continued walking forward.

The outline of the courtyard house gradually became clear in the night.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, the familiar, cold, mechanical voice rang in his mind once again.

【warn! 】

[High-risk monster gathering activity detected]

[Host, please remain vigilant]

Xie Weihong stopped walking, slowly raised her head, and looked at the windows deep in the courtyard, which were lit up but also concealed malice.

The corners of her mouth slowly curved upwards.

"It seems..."

"My guess was right."

He said softly.

"That's good, that's really good."

From this moment on, this courtyard house was no longer just his residence, but also his place of cultivation and his hunting ground.

Those who thought themselves safe and were still plotting against him were completely unaware that they had already been marked by Xie Weihong.