Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

Muscular isnt content with only staying a Carddealer. The Devils Mask has amplified the malic, greed and ambition in his mind, which is causing him picture increasingly outlandish scenarios in his mind he shall use this scene he saw, to be able to stir the waters beneath the bottom floor of the Tower, and achieve prominence in life

Hes just trapped in a game, you say?

For someone as ambitious as Muscular is, so what?

Others see a hopeless future, but Muscular is seeing the barren present.

Couldnt he as well establish a name for himself in the Tower, and cause waves and dictate movements within? Whether he gets to be the hand behind it all who secretly manipulates everything, or just simply being an outright ruler of the entire Tower These have all become within reach for him!

The imagination is running high in his mind. Right now, he could almost chuckle at the vision of his dreams coming true. The feeling of defeat he felt when Lin Qin launched him out of the bookstore has entirely dissipated.

He quietly retreats before running away. He will have to find somewhere safe and hide If the Nightmare is resolved this run, great; otherwise, the next run on, he will not leave his apartment unit again.

He will leave this Nightmare alive, and achieve his ambitions.

X Beijin saw Muscular leaving, but he only learns where he is heading from the panel on the right side of his streaming screen.

He is once again grateful for the convenience the streaming system brought to him.

He has a vague idea of what Muscular must be thinking right nowNaturally, not the part where Muscular thought Lin Qin is courting him, of course.

X Beijin only thought that Muscular would conclude Lin Qin must know what his Nightmare was, or at least clues about what it was.

Someone as cunning as Muscular would definitely try to do something with that information, whether it is himself or, like he did in the past, incite a mob of Missiontakers into doing it.

Those are things he can only get to doing after leaving this Nightmare and returning to the Tower, though.

So X Beijin is able to deduce that Muscular must be planning to hide somewhere and rely on free labour from the other Missiontakers and leave this Nightmare as effortlessly as possible.

Maybe not this run yet, but if there is another run coming, then Muscular would definitely stay put inside his apartment unit and never leave again.

However, up to this point, Muscular is still unaware that, in this Nightmare, its all electronic devices having possibly gone rogue, and not a vague, general sense of theres issues with the facilities in the apartment building

X Beijin, sitting behind the bookstore counter, rests his chin on his hand, and smiles when he thinks of that.

Fine, hell admit that he is finding amusement at Musculars expense, for the potentially tragic fate that awaits Muscular.

Not like its anything hed rather hide, anyway, right?

X Beijin turns his attention back to the stream with a smile. Musculars arrival, and the events following, has distracted him from the stream for a while.

Right now, he can see the Missiontakers having made some discoveries, apparently.

In the Management offices, there was a drawer where they found the master keys inside Or, more accurately, a file recording the emergency passcode that applies toall electronic locks in this apartment building.

Of course, the drawer was locked, but Shen Ynj retrieved a hammer from the Security office and smashed it open to reveal the paper records inside.

None of them know whether Management offices would contain such items in real life, or if this is just a clue the Server put here on purpose to aid in their quest.

No matter what, though, Jiang Shuangjie heaves a big sigh of relief. She really wants those two utility cards back, theyre too important!

Other than this file recording the passcode, after investigating the Management office further, they found other documents.

Maintenance records for the facilities of the apartment building, a whole pile of letters of complaint from the tenants, all dated earlier than the letter in the Security office, and a Summons from the court dated a few days ago.

It would appear the Luoke Apartment Management didnt just ignore the tenants complaints, but in all the reports of the regular and additionally ordered maintenance checks, the result was universally No issues found.

That Court Summons was stashed beneath a whole pile of useless documents, seemingly ignored by the Management already, but it is some information in this Summons that triggered a reaction in Thin, making him yell out.

The rest of the Missiontakers all come to his side to check.

Thin quickly summarises the information gleaned from the Summons, saying, about one week ago, one of the tenants, because of the elevators unpredictable, sudden dropping down the floors, had a heart attack and died inside the elevator!

So the tenants have filed a Class Action suit against Luoke Apartment Management, citing their failure to maintain the facilities in the apartment building and asking for damages.

Jiang Shuangjie falls into thought, saying, the records from the Management show that everything was normal even in the most recent maintenance records.

Thin gulps, and nervously asks, it couldnt really be the devices have gone sentient?

He really doesnt want to face the possibility of a rogue, sentient toilet!

The teenage girl just coldly replies, other than the fact these devices are acting up inexplicably, we still know nothing else.

Thin bitterly smiles and says, lets keep going, then.

They check the Management offices one last time, but does not find anything they may have missed.

Then Jiang Shuangjie says, well Ill be going to that guys house to look for my utility cards, then.

Thin nods, sure, and hesitantly adds, do you

They have confirmed that there are definite dangers in this apartment building. It would be best if they moved together.

He doesnt voice it out loud, though, because Jiang Shuangjie is recovering her utility cards. If they seemed too enthusiastic, it could be taken as them showing too much interest in her utility cards.

Jiang Shuangjie understands, and shakes her head, saying, you do you. Ill just go with my younger sister.

Jiang Shuangmei reflexively pinches her older sisters sleeves tightly.

For the first time ever, she feels like going against what her sister says. She is sure that her older sister has no idea No idea, how unsettling, hopeless it all was.

In fact, she is even feeling slightly angry at her decision to take her with her.

Although she still complied and didnt say a word, but shes still fearful in her mind, and would rather bolt from heading into an apartment unit again.

Then Thin, the teenage girl and Shen Ynj decided to go outside of the apartment unit to look for clues, while the sisters head for Musculars apartment unit on the fourth floor.

They dont dare ride the elevators anymore, and choose to walk on the stairs.

Their footsteps echo in the otherwise silent stairwell.