Apartment Building No. 5 (Complete)
A sudden flash of light pierced her eyes, causing Lan Fengtong to squint and pause for a moment… then she confirmed the scene before her had returned to normal.
The chaotic power from yesterday had lost its effect.
Lan Fengtong sat up, feeling the quilt tucked neatly around her waist.
She realized she had been dressed and carefully placed back into bed.
“Woof!”
The barking was not a hallucination.
She stood up blankly and opened the door for the dog.
It wasn’t just the dog—standing beside it was Luo Chenyi.
“Lan Fengtong,” Luo Chenyi said with concern, “How’s your body feeling today? Still uncomfortable?”
Lan Fengtong moved aside, letting them in.
“It’s okay.”
Luo Chenyi stood by the doorway, not intending to come inside.
“I’ll take you for a check-up.”
Lan Fengtong got up. Today was scheduled for a brain scan for her.
“I’ll wash up first. You guys wait inside?”
Before Luo Chenyi could decline, the yellow dog wagged its tail and trotted into Lan Fengtong’s space.
“Come inside and close the door, Team Leader Luo,” Lan Fengtong instructed, then turned to head to the bathroom.
Once inside, Luo Chenyi stood still for five seconds, his gaze catching the chair he had quietly sat on by Lan Fengtong’s bedside last night.
He straightened his clothes and sat upright.
Lan Fengtong quickly finished washing up.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Luo Chenyi rose, his eyes briefly falling on a damp strand of Lan Fengtong’s hair… it seemed like he had unintentionally woken her.
Lan Fengtong was getting used to being woken up by the dog’s barking now.
She lowered her head and looked at the skinny dog.
“Team Leader Luo, why did you bring it along?”
“Yesterday’s tests showed it has power—F-level Omniscience attributes. It’s especially sharp in spatial awareness.”
“No wonder it’s so confident.”
Lan Fengtong asked, “You tested its abilities?”
Luo Chenyi replied, “Zheng Wen is level 8 Omniscience.”
“…” Even though Lan Fengtong hadn’t fully understood those with Omniscience abilities, just from the level, she could guess Zheng Wen’s strength.
She felt uneasy in Zheng Wen’s presence because he was truly peering into her—body and soul.
From past to future.
Though it was supposed to be a brain scan, it ended up being a comprehensive check-up—blood tests, CT scans.
The results showed malnutrition accompanied by anemia.
Her body was weak, as if she had just run out from the slums.
Her brain was fine.
Lan Fengtong sat back down in Zheng Wen’s office.
“Since no obvious brain issues were detected, Miss Lan, you can rest assured,” Zheng Wen said with a faint smile, flipping through the report.
Lan Fengtong: “…No problems, then what’s my condition?”
Zheng Wen: “Perhaps… it’s still related to the insect nest.
After all, it was chaos.
That kind of insect is highly uncertain.”
“Try to interact more with friends; it might help with memory recovery.”
Lan Fengtong lifted her eyelids and looked indifferently at the man opposite her.
“Can’t you see it?”
Zheng Wen feigned ignorance, “See what?”
Lan Fengtong: “You have Omniscience.”
Zheng Wen chuckled, “I’m not truly Omniscient; I just possess part of the Omniscience ability… I can’t see your memories or fully understand your situation.”
“Unfortunately, Miss Lan, I’m only level 8.”
He relaxed from his upright posture, mimicking Lan Fengtong by leaning back in his chair with a sigh.
“True Omniscience and omnipotence—that is the privilege of gods.”
Lan Fengtong: “Gods?”
Zheng Wen: “Do you think there are no gods in the world?”
Lan Fengtong’s face was expressionless.
“I don’t know.”
Zheng Wen: “The mother insect, the nest, and the powers appearing on us—don’t they seem like blessings from gods?”
“Just like you, Miss Lan, your ability to modify or even create rules is like a god arbitrarily creating and changing the world.”
“Do you believe in gods?” Lan Fengtong stared at him.
Zheng Wen smirked mysteriously, “It’s not about religion. I’m convinced there are gods in this world.”
Lan Fengtong: “What is my ability then?”
Zheng Wen: “Rank B. Your power is very strong, but it also brings severe side effects.”
“Like playing a game… Miss Lan, you might not understand.
If we digitize a person, your life is a red health bar.
When you use your power, that health bar decreases accordingly.”
Lan Fengtong: “If I overuse my power, I will die.”
Zheng Wen looked at her with pity.
“Yes, so you must use your power cautiously.”
“But your mental resilience is very strong. Forgive me for only being level 8 Omniscience, but I estimate your mental value is at least 5. To clarify your exact mental value and abilities, you need to join us.”
“I mean, organizations dedicated to fighting the insect nest, including but not limited to Green Shield.”
Lan Fengtong: “The Special Administration Bureau?”
Zheng Wen: “The Special Administration Bureau is absolutely official and authoritative.”
Ending the conversation, Lan Fengtong opened the door and saw the familiar figure guarding it.
The yellow dog stretched and wagged its tail.
Zheng Wen rubbed the dog’s head.
“By the way, this dog’s name is Xiao Jiu.”
“It has the intelligence of a teenager. Animals generally gain higher IQ after awakening. It can understand your conversations.”
Zheng Wen bent down and looked at Xiao Jiu.
“Right, Xiao Jiu?”
Xiao Jiu responded: “Woof!”
On the way back to the reception center, Luo Chenyi spoke up: “Tomorrow, I will re-enter Apartment Building No. 5.”
Lan Fengtong: “You alone? You’re not in the best condition to enter the insect nest.”
Luo Chenyi: “My teammates and Special Administration Bureau personnel will be with me. This time, we’re going to destroy the nest.”
“Once the nest is completely eradicated, you can choose to return home. Until then, you can stay at Green Shield.”
After a pause, Luo Chenyi added, “Lan Fengtong, my mental value has risen to 5 now.”
Lan Fengtong: “…Congratulations.”
Living in Yunli, Lan Fengtong was indifferent.
There was nothing much to entrust to.
She lowered her eyes and gently tapped the dog’s head with her slender fingers.
“If possible, bring the dog along.”
Xiao Jiu’s loyalty was to avenge its owner.
Luo Chenyi seemed to have expected this and nodded, eyes hesitant.
“Lan Fengtong, do you have a job?”
Lan Fengtong: “…No.”
She flipped through her phone.
Notes showed she was currently in the job-hunting stage.
No job meant no income.
Originally, her parents supported her, but now what?
Her four-digit bank balance was far from enough to sustain her life.
Lan Fengtong pondered deeply.
To survive in human society, she needed a job.
Luo Chenyi: “Have you considered joining Green Shield?”
Lan Fengtong blinked and looked at him.
Luo Chenyi: “Green Shield offers decent benefits, room and board included. The salary… is not low either.”
Room and board included.
There was salary.
Lan Fengtong… felt a little tempted.
Tempted as she was, she still had concerns.
She had eaten the insect eggs in Apartment No. 5.
The black mist from back then—she had a gut feeling she didn’t want anyone peering into her.
That black mist, which once twisted like ropes around her arms, had vanished at some point, seemingly merging back into her body.
Back at the reception center in the afternoon, the Special Administration Bureau called.
They asked again if she wanted to join.
Lan Fengtong answered cautiously that she needed to think it over, then called Di Qing to inquire about the Bureau’s benefits.
Di Qing: “I chose the Special Administration Bureau mainly because it has an official establishment.
The salary and benefits aren’t as good as Green Shield’s… but it has formal rank.”
Work was a problem.
Lan Fengtong lay on the bed, thinking about how to summon that black mist again when a notification sound went off.
Lan Fengtong opened her phone.
A message from someone saved as Xin Xin appeared.
[Shall we get together tomorrow? I’ve booked a hot pot place that’s supposed to be amazing.]
There was a note indicating Xin Xin was an old acquaintance.
Lan Fengtong had seen Xin Xin’s name before in her notes and chat logs; she was her college dorm mate.
Contacting old acquaintances might help recover memories, so Lan Fengtong quickly agreed.
[Alright, see you tomorrow.]
The next day, Lan Fengtong naturally woke up and checked her phone.
[7:00.]
“…Well, I’m awake.”
After washing up, Lan Fengtong was about to head out at the agreed time when Luo Chenyi’s call came in.
It was an unknown number. Lan Fengtong hesitated a moment before answering.
“Hello.”
“Lan Fengtong?”
“The mother insect has been captured. I’m at Apartment Building No. 5. Do you need me to bring anything back?”
Lan Fengtong: “No.”The giant leech had been caught? Lan Fengtong had come face-to-face with the mother insect and knew how powerful it was… although its intelligence was somewhat low. Yet Luo Chenyi used the word “captured.”
They had actually caught it!
Lan Fengtong thought for a moment and decided to probe: “Team Leader Luo, are you injured?”
Luo Chenyi’s cold voice came through the screen: “No. When we arrived, the mother insect was quite weak. We didn’t find any eggs—guess the property management destroyed them.”
Lan Fengtong was stunned.
“Property management?”
Luo Chenyi: “Yeah, on the fifth floor, we found remains of the property management.”
“Your mother… we haven’t found her yet. She’s not in room 524.”
“…” Lan Fengtong’s eyes darkened.
The air fell silent for a moment before Luo Chenyi’s voice came again.
“Any plans for today?”
Lan Fengtong: “Today, going to eat hot pot.”
She added, “With my dorm mates.”
Luo Chenyi: “Alright.”
The meeting place with her dorm mates was at a station near Green Shield.
Green Shield was composed of two areas: front and back.
Lan Fengtong exited the reception center at the rear and navigated for ten minutes before seeing two girls already waiting at the station.
A high ponytail and a spirited presence belonged to Lan Fengtong’s old friend Lan Fengtong.
Her hair falling to her collarbone was Meng Lingling, dressed in a long skirt.
Lan Fengtong had previously checked photos with her dorm mates to avoid confusion.
Lan Fengtong greeted them proactively, “Lan Fengtong, Meng Lingling.”
Both girls were chatting and looked up upon hearing her voice, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Lan Fengtong tilted her head to remind them, “It’s Lan Fengtong.”
The two suddenly realized who she was, as if clearing away the fog in their minds.
Meng Lingling: “Ah… Lan Fengtong, you’ve changed so much! Cut your hair short?”
“Short hair looks good on you. Maybe I should get one too?” Lan Fengtong twirled around twice.
Lan Fengtong didn’t intend to reveal her amnesia yet, opting first to try blending in.
Soon after, Chen Xin, who usually gathered their group, hurried over.
She waved her arms broadly, running up breathlessly, “Almost thought I’d miss the ride…”