The task of choosing her favorite clothes for the female neighbor was completed without any danger.

Actually, there were some hints in the rules, such as the chosen clothes being the most fitting, and observing the female neighbor's makeup. The female neighbor was not wearing any makeup.

Her face was just too perfect, without any blemishes, not even pores, which I also found questionable.

Additionally, the feel of the fabric was too good, it didn’t seem like ordinary material at all.

Jin Fei was thoroughly impressed by my analysis.

After resting for a few days and organizing all the clues, we waited for the old man to announce the next task.

“The last task is to find the building manager. This needs to be done independently by you all.”

“The building manager is hidden among all the residents.”

“Each of you has three chances to ask the upstairs neighbors.”

“Some of what they say will be true, some will be false. You have to discern this yourselves.”

“Alright, the final task starts now. The task will be considered successful if you find the building manager. If you fail to find them within three days, you will stay here permanently, just like the upstairs neighbors.”

The old man, hunched over, spoke in a complicated tone and walked away with a slightly desolate figure.

Looking at the tightly closed door on the second floor, I walked to the door of 4009.

My first choice was him, as I had the most contact with this neighbor, and he seemed somewhat easier to talk to.

After I explained my purpose, he was silent for a while.

“The building manager is very kind, even in hell, their heart remains bright.”

“Is that all?”

He shook his head, pointed upwards, and then fell silent.

I bid him farewell and headed to the brat’s house.

This time, it was the brat’s father who opened the door. He still faced me with his head, but his body turned to the side.

His expression was unpleasant, glaring at me.

“I’m here to ask about the building manager.”

His expression turned strange, looking at me oddly, and after a while, he finally spoke.

“The building manager is a very strange person. He always thinks he can save everyone, but it’s not that easy.”

Suddenly realizing he had said too much, he added:

“The building manager is a very responsible person.”

Without waiting for my response, he hurriedly closed the door.

Now I had two clues: the building manager is very kind and very responsible. The neighbors seem to hold the building manager in high regard.

As I was about to knock on the female neighbor’s door, I found someone was already there.

I turned to look at other neighbors I hadn’t visited yet.

During this safe period, it should be safe to ask questions.

When I knocked on the door of 4011, my scalp tingled.

This neighbor was the woman I saw through the peephole the first night.

Her eyes fell out of their sockets and rolled to look at me.

“Hello, I’m your downstairs neighbor. I’m here to ask about the building manager.”

Her voice was hoarse and cold.

“The building manager is dead.”

I was shocked. The building manager is dead? The old man said the building manager was among all the residents, how could they be dead?

After bidding her farewell, I connected the three pieces of information I had gathered.

A very kind and responsible building manager is dead?

Which one of them is lying? I first ruled out the possibility of the kid’s dad and 4011’s neighbor lying.

The old man said the building manager was among all the residents, and there were still some neighbors I hadn’t met yet.

While I was thinking, Jin Fei returned.

She took a few big gulps of water and then came over to exchange information with me.

The building manager described by the three neighbors she visited was a lunatic, a ruthless person, and very fierce.

We looked at each other, wondering why there was such a big discrepancy.

We spent the next two days carefully connecting all the clues and studying them meticulously, but still had no leads.

There were still some neighbors in this building I hadn’t seen yet. I didn’t know if the building manager was hidden among them.

“Sis, this is for you.”

Jin Fei suddenly handed me a lollipop with colorful wrapping paper featuring stars and moons, and it smelled sweet and fragrant.

“I bought this the day before I came here.”

“I like you a lot, but I have nothing to give you, this is all I have.”

I touched her cold hand and smiled at her.

Soon, three days passed, and the old man arrived on time.

Everyone on our floor stood outside their doors. Due to the previous tasks, there were only a few of us left.

“Have you found the building manager?”

Everyone else looked troubled and shook their heads, then all looked at me in unison.

The old man followed their gaze and looked at me.

I felt a bit helpless. Everyone was relying on me. If I made a mistake, we would be stuck here forever.

I sighed and spoke up.

“If I make a mistake, are you willing to be trapped here forever?”

“We’re not smart enough. If we hadn’t followed you during the previous tasks, we would have died long ago. If you’re wrong, it’s our fate.”

I looked at them, their faces full of trust, which moved me deeply. I hoped what I thought was correct and would allow them to go home.

I turned to the old man.

“The building manager is no longer here, right?”

Everyone was stunned, looking at me in disbelief, even the old man was surprised.

“Are you saying the building manager is gone?”

The old man’s voice was hoarse, his expression ambiguous.

“The previous building manager is gone, but this task’s rule was to find the building manager among all the residents.”

“After I returned, I kept thinking about it. There are some neighbors upstairs we didn’t have time or opportunity to contact, but we only had three chances to ask three neighbors.”

“We didn’t have the chance to meet all the neighbors, which is a flaw in this place.”

“I thought about it for a long time and finally understood. The real reason is that there is no building manager among the upstairs neighbors.”

Saying this, I turned to look at Jin Fei.

“Actually, I first suspected you were the building manager.”

Jin Fei was taken aback. I smiled at her.

“But I found you weren’t. You’re probably here to observe us. Every task, you were always beside me, quietly watching me.”

“My thought is, the building manager is among the residents on this floor and can be chosen.”

I took out the candy from 4009’s neighbor and Jin Fei, and also the smiling doll.

“Jin Fei and 4009’s neighbor aren’t ordinary residents, right?”

After I finished speaking, the atmosphere turned eerily silent. The old man looked at me for a long time without speaking, and Jin Fei’s eyes were also complicated as she looked at me.

“When did you find out?”

“Every time I touched you, your body temperature wasn’t normal. That’s when I started suspecting. Also, you seemed panicked but were actually very calm, not like a newcomer experiencing life and death.”

The old man clapped his hands, his face showing a gratified expression.

“As expected of the one he chose, so smart.”

“You’re right. The building manager is chosen from among you on this floor. They have chosen you, you are the new building manager.”

“The previous building manager lost himself in time trying to save those trapped here. Through time, he saw you and brought you here. The previous building manager was a native, a presence to suppress the abyss. Through the future, he saw your excellence and influenced your heart with the allure of the abyss. Only by agreeing could you come here.”

I recalled a long time ago, that sentence that appeared in my heart, suddenly understanding everything.

“Then what kind of existence are you here?”

“Me?”

The old man spoke with a bit of melancholy:

“I’m an inspector appointed by the previous building manager, responsible for issuing tasks and explaining the rules.”

“Only a new building manager can suppress this place. The monster that took 4009’s eyes came from the abyss. With the building manager gone, the abyss’s gap is unsuppressed, and monsters keep coming out. At that time… the human world will also face a catastrophe.”

After the old man finished, he looked at the remaining girls.

“Your tasks are completed. Your wishes can be granted.”

They excitedly stepped forward, talking about their wishes all at once.

I shook my head at this scene, knowing that human greed is never satisfied.

After the girls expressed their wishes, they suddenly froze one by one.

Because their bodies were undergoing significant changes, looking more like the upstairs neighbors, not like ordinary people.

Jin Fei stood by my side, looking at them with pity.

“Their wishes were granted, but none of their wishes was to go home. They can only stay here forever.”

(The End)