Xia Ta's WeChat display name was [Rabbit King]. After accepting his friend request, she sent Gao Tian a photo. Judging by the background and texture of the wall, it was likely taken somewhere inside the Living Apartment.
Written neatly on the wall in six lines of an unknown, glowing green liquid were the following words:
[Rabbit King]:
Take a look, this is tomorrow's mission.
Aside from Boss Jin, Jiang Yang, and myself, two other residents of the Apartment will be participating in the second Green Text Mission.
[Rabbit King]:
Also, during the operation, you'll be issued a specially treated Supernatural Walkie-Talkie.
When a supernatural event occurs, severe interference disrupts electronic communications. Mobile phones and standard radios become utterly useless most of the time.
But this Supernatural Walkie-Talkie is extremely durable and functions normally under almost all circumstances. Every resident on an active mission gets one.
......
Gao Tian enlarged the photo to carefully examine the glowing green words. Based on the timestamp, it had been taken today; the writing had appeared on the first floor three hours ago.
[Second Mission]
Mission Objective:
On January 3rd, throughout the day at Sapphire Mall, locate six scattered body parts and assemble them into a complete human form.
Please complete the assembly before 6:00 PM (prior to the closure of Sapphire Mall).
After 6:00 PM, the corpse will undergo a corpse transformation.
Game Participants: Jin Daxiang, Su Jiu, Li Jin.
...
Not only did the location match Xu Yuan's requirement, but the objective itself aligned perfectly too—both involved a corpse.
To call this a mere coincidence would be an insult to anyone's intelligence.
If he hypothesized that the body parts required for the second Green Text Mission belonged to the corpse Xu Yuan had left behind in Sapphire Mall when he was alive, did that mean Xu Yuan had been dismembered?
As long as he helped Xia Ta and the others find the six body parts and then sealed them with the Ghost Transformation Spear, Xu Yuan's mission would also be completed.
Were these two missions actually one and the same?
Of course, it was too early to jump to conclusions. He would have to wait until he arrived at Sapphire Mall the next day to assess the situation.
Gao Tian suddenly remembered something else—he needed to confirm the details about the Ghost Transformation Spear with Xia Ta. He simply refused to accept that a Supernatural Item heralded as capable of overturning an entire era was nothing more than this worthless junk.
[Gao Tian]:
By the way.
I have one more question I'd like to ask you.
[Rabbit King]:
Go ahead.
I don't know that much either. It's just that everyone more capable than me died, so I inexplicably ended up as an Apartment administrator and a mentor for newcomers.
I might not know the answer to your question, but I'll do my best.
[Gao Tian]:
If there was a Supernatural Item, like a sword or a harpoon...
And its sole effect was turning anyone it killed into a ghost.
How would you evaluate this Supernatural Item?
[Rabbit King]:
That sounds like a very dangerous Supernatural Item.
Just like that photo you brought in today, the one that can alter human memories.
Until its specific mechanics are understood, it needs to be contained within the Living Apartment. The moment these Supernatural Items are taken outside, they will cause chaos.
[Gao Tian]:
Would you ever consider using it as your main weapon?
...
On WeChat, the rabbit avatar noticeably fell silent for a long time, as if considering her words.
After a long while, Xia Ta typed out a line of text with great difficulty.
[Rabbit King]:
I don't understand what you're saying.
You mean to ask if I would carry a weapon that turns the people it kills into ghosts on a mission, and use it as my primary weapon against ghosts.
Is that right?
[Gao Tian]:
...That's exactly what I mean.
[Rabbit King]:
Does this Supernatural Item you're talking about have any other special effects?
For instance, if it can turn a living person into a ghost, could it perhaps turn a ghost into a living person?
[Gao Tian]:
It doesn't do that.
It only has one effect: turning the person it kills into a ghost.
...
This time, the silence on the other end of the mobile phone lasted even longer.
[Rabbit King]:
Gao Tian.
Are you under too much pressure because it's your first Green Text Mission?
Tell me honestly, would you take such a thing out of the Living Apartment yourself?
[Gao Tian]:
No.
But is it possible that it could synergize with another Supernatural Item to produce an effect where one plus one is greater than two?
[Rabbit King]:
Goodnight, go to sleep.
Wake up early tomorrow.
...
Without a doubt, Xia Ta's opinion was the same as any normal person's.
This spear was garbage. It only brought negative effects with zero benefits. Anyone with a functioning brain would never take it on a mission.
Whoever believed it contained some world-changing secret must have fried their brain circuits to say such a thing.
...
The next day, outside Sapphire Mall.
Gao Tian looked at the semi-enclosed shopping complex before him. Before coming here, Xia Ta, Gao Tian, and the others had done their homework. This mall was proposed fifteen years ago and constructed twelve years ago. It had eight floors above ground and two basement levels. Since its opening, there had been no reports of deaths or any urban legends associated with the place.
Whether it was Xu Yuan or the Green Text Mission, how they managed to hide a complete corpse inside a bustling mall filled with people remained an unsolved mystery.
Besides Boss Jin, Xia Ta, Jiang Yang, and Gao Tian, the participants in this mission included two newcomers taking on the second Green Text Mission: a female college student named Su Jiu, and Li Jin, an ordinary office worker in his twenties. They also brought along two hunting dogs to sniff out the stench of the corpse.
After reading the mission brief and arriving at Sapphire Mall, Su Jiu's lips were pale with fear, and her legs trembled slightly as she walked, even though it was broad daylight. Li Jin, at the very least, maintained a calm exterior, sticking closely behind Xia Ta and the other senior residents.
At the main entrance of Sapphire Mall, a massive neon billboard was particularly eye-catching. On it, the giant face of a female celebrity gazed down at the countless pedestrians swarming in and out like ants below; the video looped as she continuously applied a trendy shade of pink lipstick.
Gao Tian recognized this actress; she had been extremely popular recently and frequently appeared in various luxury advertisements. However, he couldn't recall her name at the moment.
"It is currently 9:11 AM. We have about nine hours left until the mall closes."
"Make sure the Supernatural Walkie-Talkies in your hands are functioning normally. After that, we'll proceed according to the plan we agreed upon yesterday."
Having experienced dozens of missions, Xia Ta was already completely unfazed, speaking in a calm tone.
(She had survived five missions herself and had led countless wealthy newcomers through theirs.)
Last night, this group of mission participants had held a lengthy meeting. They had guessed every possible location inside the mall where the six body parts for the Green Text Mission could be hidden.
The garbage dump, inside concrete pillars, in construction rubble, inside unopened shops...
Every one of these places seemed like a possibility. But if a corpse was truly hidden in any of them, the two specially trained hunting dogs would instantly sniff it out in the crowded mall, even through concrete walls.
Knowing the twisted nature of Green Text Missions, any place the participants could easily guess was usually not the right answer.
To save time, the participants would split into two groups. Xia Ta and Boss Jin formed one group, while Jiang Yang took the two newcomers. They would sweep through the suspicious areas from the first to the fifth floor and the basements as quickly as possible. Only after confirming there were no body parts in those areas would they proceed to the next step of the plan.
During this period, Gao Tian was free to move around as a bystander. He only needed to observe how the veteran residents operated and wasn't required to personally participate in this mission.
However, Gao Tian had his own agenda; he also needed to find Xu Yuan's corpse.
After Xia Ta and the others dispersed from the center of the first floor, Gao Tian was finally left alone, allowing him to freely use his ghost abilities.
Up until now, the others in the Living Apartment did not know that Gao Tian had mastered two ghost rules (the Shattered Face Ghost and the Memory Ghost). This wasn't because Gao Tian was selfish; everyone in the Living Apartment was actually quite independent. Yusheng was full of secrets he never shared, and no one forced him to speak.
He was mainly guarding against Yusheng. He couldn't let the gray-robed monk know he had harnessed the power of a ghost. When necessary, Gao Tian would pry Yusheng's mouth open by force.
He strolled casually through the endless stream of people, browsing a few shops. When he passed by a gray-haired old security guard wearing a black glove, Gao Tian finally made his move. He patted the man on the shoulder and greeted him warmly, as if they were old acquaintances:
"Yo, long time no see, old classmate! What a coincidence bumping into you here, it's truly fate.
"Come to think of it, we haven't seen each other in over twenty years, right? Yes, yes, I'm Little Gao! Gao Tian, we went to middle school together. Do you still remember this face of mine?"
Feeling someone tap his shoulder, the old security guard slowly turned his head, looking at Gao Tian with an expression that was both incredulous and impatient.
"Who are you, young man? Did you mistake me for someone else?"
It was no wonder the guard was so impatient. There was a forty-year age gap between the two, yet Gao Tian had approached him calling him an old classmate. The guard was already showing great restraint by not physically shooing him away.
Gao Tian pretended not to notice the guard's expression and continued without a change in countenance:
"It's me, Little Gao.
"Don't you remember? One day, you were walking past the school and got surrounded by Brother Dao and his dozen guys. They almost dragged you into an alley to beat you to a pulp. I happened to walk by and told Brother Dao to do me a favor and let you go. How could you forget such a major incident?
"You're wearing this black glove because you blocked a knife with your arm back then, leaving a dozen scars that still haven't faded."
The power of the Memory Ghost was activated.
Coupled with Gao Tian's earnest words and gestures, a confused look slowly crept onto the security guard's weather-beaten face.
"There seems to have been something like that...
"Right, right, right! Now that you mention it, I remember a bit.
"So it's Old Gao! We haven't seen each other in so long, how come you haven't changed a bit?
"Ah, don't even bring it up. Even though decades have passed, that day really scared me to death. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but despite having graduated so many years ago, I still have nightmares sometimes about getting cornered by Brother Dao in that alley..."
Seeing the old guard get more and more into character, Gao Tian knew the Memory Ghost's ability had been successfully activated. It had already invaded the ordinary man's brain, implanting a fabricated memory.
"Come on, let's go across the street! I'll buy you a drink, and we can slowly catch up on our decades of friendship."
The old guard grew very enthusiastic. He grabbed his "old classmate"—who was decades younger than him—and insisted on treating him properly no matter what.
Of course, Gao Tian hadn't used the Memory Ghost's ability just to scam the man out of a little money:
"Old classmate, how long have you been working here at Sapphire Mall?
"I have a few questions about this place that I want to ask you.
"Are there any haunted legends or bizarre rumors spreading around here?"