Wang Xixi was truly terrified by the scene before him, goosebumps rising all over his body. He retreated to the door, unable to open it, so he kicked it with all his might, but the door was unusually sturdy. 

The door wouldn't budge.

Turning his head, he saw Zhang Le getting closer, so he screamed for help at the top of his lungs. 

But after shouting for a long time, not only did no one come to rescue him, but the corridor remained completely silent, deathly quiet.

He then took out his phone, preparing to call for help.

But bizarrely, his phone had no signal at all!!!

Zhang Le stopped about three meters away from Wang Xixi, chuckling darkly:

"Stop struggling. When I renovated this apartment, I soundproofed it and installed signal jammers. So don't expect anyone to save you."

Hearing this, Wang Xixi felt despair creeping in.

But staring at Zhang Le, who was even skinnier than himself, despite the sharp cleaver in his hand, Wang Xixi thought he might still have a fighting chance.

So he tensed his body, preparing to lunge forward and snatch the cleaver away.

Yet at that very moment, he discovered his body wouldn't obey him.

His legs went weak.

This weakness gradually spread throughout his entire body, his arms and hands becoming limp as noodles.

The next second, he collapsed to the floor, leaning against the door.

Now helpless as a lamb, he realized he was truly doomed.

"Zhang Le! Seriously, stop joking around! Murder is illegal! And even if your instruments are made from human bones, they must be from people who died long ago, right?! You wouldn't use living people?!"

Wang Xixi desperately hoped Zhang Le was just playing an elaborate prank on him.

"Long-dead people have dead musical cells in their bones too."

"That's why I need fresh ones, just like fish. Would you prefer soup made from live fish or dead fish?"

Zhang Le only uttered these two sentences before approaching Wang Xixi.

His left hand was surprisingly strong as it grabbed Wang Xixi's right leg and dragged him toward the bedroom.

Wang Xixi struggled with all his might, but his limbs remained limp.

In this life-or-death crisis, he suddenly remembered a movie character's line:

"My fate is mine to control, not heaven's! Whether I become demon or immortal is my choice..."

"AAAAAH! HELP!!!"

He screamed helplessly in complete breakdown.

Finally, he was dragged to the bedroom doorway, where he saw the scene inside through the open door.

There stood a silver metal execution table, with various metal tools hanging on the walls. Despite the cleanliness of the space, a faint scent of blood still lingered.

At this moment, Wang Xixi truly despaired.

He could literally smell his own death approaching.

In his despair, he suddenly remembered why he had come to Alice Apartment.

He seemed to understand now why they offered such favorable conditions - 10,000 yuan per day.

But no one had ever told him the price would be his life?!

...

The "Neighbors Over Distant Relatives" live stream room.

This was the top-ranked live stream room on the Black Software platform.

With at least 100,000 viewers online 24/7, the numbers would sometimes suddenly drop by 50,000-60,000.

Those moments were exactly like now - when a guinea pig was being executed.

Because the scenes were too gruesome, some viewers couldn't handle it and would exit, only returning after it was over.

After all, this wasn't a movie or documentary - everything was happening in real time.

While the wealthy viewers here were clearly twisted to be watching this, even they had their limits.

Some couldn't watch more than a few seconds without feeling sick, while others watched with relish.

Like Diamond Bachelor, a real-life wealthy heiress.

Currently eating sushi prepared by her chef, she watched as Zhang Le skillfully used his tools to perform inhuman "artistic processing" on Wang Xixi.

Wang Xixi's agonized screams emanated from her computer, echoing through her princess-themed bedroom as Diamond Bachelor watched entranced.

Her appetite whetted, she popped sushi into her mouth one after another.

The execution lasted nearly three hours.

The Wang Xixi on screen was now beyond "horrifically mutilated."

Motionless, he appeared to have peacefully departed.

Then.

The long-haired beauty host reappeared on stream.

Now wearing a form-fitting purple-red cheongsam that accentuated her curves.

A smile graced her delicate features as she spoke softly: "Of our five guinea pigs, the second one - Wang Xixi - has died."

"The 50.98 million yuan in bets have all been transferred to the final prize pool."

On the large electronic screen behind her, five portraits were displayed. Wang Xixi's was now grayed out with a large red X over it.

[My money...]

[Sigh... This sucks. The two most normal-looking ones were Wang Xixi and Murong Fu, yet Wang Xixi was first to go. Damn idiot Wang Xixi!]

Those who bet on Wang Xixi cursed him relentlessly.

Then Middle-aged Uncle chimed in: [Don't blame Wang Xixi for your losses - blame yourselves. As longtime viewers, you should know Alice Apartment has that Zhang Le who specifically targets musical guinea pigs for his instruments.]

[We knew, but Zhang Le hadn't been active for so long, and didn't participate in recent welcome activities. Who knew he'd show up this round?]

The welcome activities, ostensibly ordinary, actually introduced new prey to all Alice Apartment residents.

Domineering Female CEO joined: [Middle-aged Uncle, who did you bet on?]

Middle-aged Uncle: [Murong Fu!]

Domineering Female CEO: [What a coincidence - me too.]

Fairy Sister: [Me too.]

Little Dragon Girl: [Same here.]

I am the Hero: [I also bet on Murong Fu, but now I'm more curious who's next to die?]

[Well, Wang Xixi's experience serves as a warning - never accept drinks from strangers.]

[If Wang Xixi hadn't drunk that tea Zhang Le gave him, he might've stood a chance to resist.]

...

The day after Wang Xixi's skull was transformed into a microphone.

Jiang Ran woke early for work. In the elevator down, he encountered Murong Fu.

Murong Fu also appeared headed to work.

As new residents, they exchanged greetings.

Alice Apartment Room 302.

Qin Fei's first act upon waking was checking his phone.

Having stayed up gaming in bed last night, intending to wait until 1 AM for the 10,000 yuan transfer, he'd unexpectedly fallen asleep.

Thus his morning priority was checking for messages.

Unlocking his phone, he saw an unread notification.

After reading it, he literally jumped for joy.

"Holy shit! 10,000 yuan! A full 10,000! It's real! The money's here!!!"

Yesterday he'd still doubted the promised daily 10,000 yuan, but now with cash in hand, all reservations vanished.

"Perfect timing - I need equipment upgrades. This 10,000 should cover it."

With the money secured, Qin Fei immediately recharged over 9,000 yuan into his game, completely forgetting about the tens of thousands he'd already spent of his parents' hard-earned money and his online loans.

In Room 904, Xiao Nuo found herself in the same situation.