The male supporting character was actually myself.

Jiang Chen gestured with her chin, indicating that he should look at the long table.

"That's... something from the dungeon can be brought out?" After he saw the bottle clearly, he immediately stepped forward, picked it up, and examined it closely.

It feels slightly cool to the touch; it is indeed the fake antique bottle that Li Xiangping buried in the ground in the dungeon.

"If everything is virtual, then it makes sense!" Duan Chengze turned to look at the beautiful and quiet scenery outside the window, his feelings complicated.

A strange countdown timer on the wall;

The fog outside the apartment that seemed impossible to penetrate;

In addition to the backpack given as a gift by the death game and various supplies and items purchased over time.

Everything is virtual—it really is a death game, just a game.

“Imagine our minds are confined to a virtual world,” Jiang Chen patted his shoulder and guessed. “We have normal touch and perception, so it’s hard for us to realize that everything around us is fake.”

The key to breaking the deadlock might be finding a connection point.

Like a switch, the entire apartment building should have a mechanism that can be turned on and off to accommodate newcomers.

Duan Chengze's eyes lit up. "Tang Zixuan and Shi Xiaotong died in the game. Their original rooms, numbers three and four, should be empty. New players will be coming in today!"

“That’s right, we can try to look for anything unusual in the apartment when the newcomers come in.”

Also, if you have the opportunity, talk to other people more.

If our thoughts enter the virtual world, our bodies will most likely be placed inside some kind of machine.

Everyone who gets here must have something in common; finding this clue will be very helpful for our escape.

Duan Chengze was impressed by the teammate's thorough analysis, thoughtful consideration, and quick identification of the right direction. He thought to himself that finding such a teammate was a great decision. He asked curiously, "Are you sure he's a recent college graduate?"

This thinking ability is amazing!

Jiang Chen smiled slightly and casually said, "My hobbies are reading detective novels, playing adventure and puzzle games, and studying various suspense and science fiction movies."

I've read quite a few novels with a death game theme.

Duan Chengze looked bewildered. "Are there novels with this kind of background?"

Sure enough, my knowledge was too limited. If I had read more books and learned more about this subject, I wouldn't have been fooled and plunged headlong into it.

I wonder how my sister is doing now.

"Host, a newcomer is coming this way!" The little white cat squatted in front of the window, its furry paws on the glass, and shouted loudly.

Jiang Chen stood up and looked over. Sure enough, a girl in a white dress was walking towards them through the tree-lined path.

"Quick! The new recruits are here, let's get moving." He reminded them, "We already surveyed the entire apartment building when we arrived, now check for any changes!"

"It's a girl." Duan Chengze glanced through the window before leaving.

Jiang Chen also sent out the little white cat to scan the surrounding area for any changes that needed attention.

"Hello, my name is Dreamweaver."

As soon as the girl in the white dress pushed open the door to the lobby on the first floor, she saw two handsome men standing at the entrance of the corridor.

The super handsome chestnut-haired guy on the left is wearing sportswear and looks at me with a gentle expression and curious eyes;

The handsome guy with black hair on the right isn't as eye-catching, but he's taller than the guy on the left. He has a cold expression, his right hand is in his pocket, and his gaze is full of scrutiny.

Zhimeng blushed slightly and her voice became a few decibels softer, "I...I rented room 206 in this apartment building."

To prove her point, she showed the key.

"Where's your luggage?" Jiang Chen asked bluntly.

Dreamweaver never expected the cool, handsome guy to speak in such a gentle tone. Her face flushed even more, and then she realized what was happening and screamed, "Oh no! My suitcase! I..."

Duan Chengze comforted him, "Don't worry, think carefully about how you got here."

After the three introduced themselves, they sat down on the sofa in the living room on the first floor. Zhimeng blushed and thanked Jiang Chen, then unscrewed the bottle cap and took a couple of sips of water to soothe her throat.

"I was a records administrator before I left my job."

Last month, there was a job change at the company, and I was transferred to the sales department. I couldn't adapt to the pace of that department, so I thought I'd try a different job and resigned, then moved out of the company dormitory.

I found the house online.

I was very satisfied with the pictures I saw, and then the landlord sent me the keys by express delivery. He said he was out of town and asked me to go see the house first. If I was satisfied, I could sign the contract and pay the money when he came back.

I thought I'd come and take a look first, and since I have a lot of stuff, I'll bring some of it with me.

I clearly remember that I was carrying my suitcase when I got off the bus! There was a section of that tree-lined road that was covered with paved bricks, and I was worried that I would break the wheels because my suitcase was clattering around, so I carried it for a while.

But later…

She rubbed her temples, feeling that she couldn't quite remember.

Jiang Chen looked through the floor-to-ceiling window and said, "When I saw you, you weren't carrying anything on the tree-lined path. So, getting onto that path is the key."

Where did I leave my suitcase?

“You should be worried about yourself, not your suitcase.” Duan Chengze looked at her slender arms and legs, her dress and high heels, and couldn’t help but frown. “This apartment is very strange. Once you come in, you can’t get out.”

Exercising more is good for you.

Let's go upstairs and see your room first. Someone will explain the details to you.

Zhimeng was completely bewildered. Just as she was about to ask a question, she heard the door open. She turned her head and saw a man with short hair and an earring, who looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, enter. He exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.

"Wow, it's quiet outside, but it's lively inside." The man glanced around and was clearly satisfied with the layout of the first floor. "It's my style."

Fitness enthusiast Song Gang came down the stairs with a barbell in his hand and said in a muffled voice, "Another new guy has arrived. What's his name?"

The man with the earring clearly had a somewhat arrogant air about him. He glanced at his muscular physique and gave a wicked smile. "My name is Lin Yuan."

"Okay, I'll call you Xiao Lin from now on." Song Gang's casual reply made the other person's face darken. "Lin Yuan, it means facing the abyss, understand?"

The meticulous and somewhat old-fashioned Liang Rumeng also came down, and frowned slightly as she looked at the newcomer through her reading glasses. "She looks quite old, yet she's still so immature."

Forget about the abyss; here, survival is the most important thing.

Your previous tenants have already paid a heavy price for their selfishness, arrogance, and laxity. Hopefully, you'll learn from their mistakes and live longer.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Close Your Eyes When It Gets Dark 1

As darkness fell, soft lights illuminated the apartment.

Zhimeng stared blankly at the food and water Jiang Chen and Duan Chengze had given her. She tried very hard to hold back her tears, but she felt both fear and confusion.

Lin Yuan tried everything but still couldn't escape. He sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

He was very uncooperative, only introducing himself as a fashion designer, aside from his title.

But Liang Rumeng, who doesn't tolerate any nonsense, immediately saw through his lie, saying that he was at most a third-rate tailor. After all, no fashion designer would be so down on his luck as to rent a place here and dress so plainly and cheaply.

Each person can only enter one instance per day;

When a new person joins the apartment, everyone enters the same instance to "promote relationships and increase understanding," so according to the rules, we won't be entering the instance today.

There's a high probability that all members will enter the beginner dungeon early tomorrow morning.

But after experiencing the "Desert Island Horror" beginner dungeon together, even Song Gang no longer dared to confidently tell newcomers that the beginner dungeon was a freebie dungeon for giving out rewards and practicing skills.

When Zhimeng and Linyuan came in, Jiang Chen and his group of three didn't find anything unusual, but it was understandable since it was their first time.

There's plenty of time. As long as the protagonist's goal shifts from finding his sister to escaping the apartment, success won't be too far away under the halo of his ambition.

There wasn't much entertainment in the evening, so everyone went back to their rooms to rest early.

The apartment was quiet at night.

After the lights were turned off, the scenery outside, devoid of starlight and moonlight, became a black silhouette, and the silence was so profound that not even the chirping of birds could be heard.

The little white kitten curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly under the covers;

Jiang Chen read two pages of the book, then quickly turned off the lamp and went to sleep.

In a daze, he seemed to hear some sounds, and immediately woke up and opened his eyes.

The room was dark, and it was so quiet that you could only hear your own breathing.

After waiting quietly for a while, just as Jiang Chen thought he was dreaming and was about to go to sleep, he suddenly heard clear footsteps coming from the roof!

"Da da da!"

"Da da!"

Is someone on the roof?!

"Little White, go check the rooftop!" Jiang Chen shook the little white cat awake. Startled, Little White heard the noise, jumped up and disappeared.

Jiang Chen got up and looked out through the peephole in the door.

The six rooms on the second floor face each other. Directly opposite his room, 205, is Duan Chengze's room, 202; to his left is Song Gang's room, 204; and opposite Song Gang is Lin Yuan's room, 203.

Zhimeng lives across from Liang Rumeng in rooms 206 and 201.

Looking from Jiang Chen's room, the stairs leading up and down are right in sight.

Corresponding to the staircase is the communal storage room to the right of his room.

"Host, there's nothing on the roof!" The little white cat quickly ran back and snuggled into his arms, trembling as it said, "Is there a ghost here? I clearly heard footsteps too!"

"Go see what the others are doing."

Having received the order, the little white cat hopped and skipped around to each room.

"Everyone's asleep, not a single one is missing, and I even touched them—they're warm." The little white cat trembled even more violently, its white fur bristling slightly. "Host, is it haunted?"

Jiang Chen pondered for a moment, then hugged it and went back to bed to continue sleeping. "Let's try putting a camera on the roof tomorrow night."

Camera?

Are you waiting to film ghosts?

The fluffy little thing had no idea what its host was planning, so it simply curled up against him and continued to sleep soundly.

{There are ten minutes left before entering the dungeon. Players, please make your preparations quickly.}

Sure enough, the next morning, right after they had washed up and eaten breakfast, everyone received the same message.

The group of people who had gathered in the living room on the first floor all went back to their rooms.