"The fifth lab rat, Li Mengmeng, female, 30 years old, dance streamer, signed a contract with us for 10,000 yuan per day."

"Now all five lab rats have been introduced."

"Please place your bets. The betting period will end in half an hour."

Soon, half an hour passed.

The Long-haired Beauty began announcing the betting amounts for the five lab rats.

"The first lab rat, Jiang Ran, has received bets totaling: 60 million."

"The second lab rat, Zhou Wu, has received bets totaling: 10 million."

"The third lab rat, Xiao Q, has received bets totaling: 51 million."

"The fourth lab rat, Ke Bei, has received bets totaling: 10.99 million."

"The fifth lab rat, Li Mengmeng, has received bets totaling: 6 million."

In the live stream room:

Middle-aged Uncle: [I knew Jiang Ran would have the highest amount.]

Domineering Female CEO: [Last time he was the lowest, this time the highest. But I bet on Xiao Q.]

Jiang Ran having the highest amount was normal. As the survivor from the previous round who had lived through another week without streaming until the 26th round began, his strength was undeniable. Of course, what really made people confident in betting on him was that he was a patient with dissociative identity disorder - the brutality of the alternate personality that had once taken control of his body remained fresh in the viewers' memories.

The second highest was Xiao Q. As the friend of Xiao Nuo's boyfriend Xiao Peng from the previous round, he had left a deep impression on the viewers. A smart guy majoring in criminal investigation.

Third highest was Ke Bei, who benefited entirely from the "Conan effect" (referring to the famous detective Conan) and his missing detective father - very story-like.

Fourth was Zhou Wu.

Fifth and last was Li Mengmeng.

These two clearly lacked any standout qualities that would attract bets.

If there was any standout point, many viewers wanted to see Jiang Ran cuckold Zhou Wu (NTR scenario).

In reality, the Diamond Bachelor (wealthy heiress) had already placed her bet long ago. For the 26th round, her intuition told her Xiao Q would be the last one standing. Normally she would directly bet on Xiao Q, but this time she hesitated, torn between Jiang Ran and Xiao Q. Ultimately, she still chose Xiao Q, trusting her sixth sense.

At this moment, the Long-haired Beauty said: "Since everyone has finished betting, I declare - a near neighbor is better than a distant relative - the 26th round game begins now!"

"All five lab rats have moved in!!!"

...

Day 1 of the 26th round.

7:00 AM.

It happened to be Saturday.

Xiao Q in Room 904 was looking out at the beautiful morning scenery through his balcony window. Careful observers might notice that Room 904 was previously Xiao Nuo's residence, now assigned to Xiao Q.

"This Alice Apartment definitely has major problems," Xiao Q muttered to himself.

A few days earlier, a middle-aged man had approached him with an offer - sign an agreement to live in Alice Apartment for 10,000 yuan per day. Had it not been for his previous experiences coming to Alice Apartment with Xiao Nuo and Xiao Peng, he would have scoffed at such an offer, dismissing it as some new scam. But after what he'd been through, he knew better.

Especially after meeting Xiao Nuo's parents a few days ago, he became even more convinced. They - including Xiao Peng - had all thought Xiao Nuo's parents were wealthy entrepreneurs living in a mansion. But when her parents came to handle their missing daughter's affairs, they turned out to be ordinary folks - one worked in a factory, the other as a waiter in a local restaurant. Nothing like what they'd imagined.

This confirmed one thing for Xiao Q - Xiao Nuo must have signed this agreement too. So now he had signed it and moved into the apartment as well. Unlike Xiao Nuo, who he guessed was in it for the 10,000 yuan per day (though that was certainly attractive), Xiao Q was primarily motivated by his growing fascination with Alice Apartment.

"Too bad that middle-aged man wouldn't say anything - I'll have to investigate myself."

Xiao Q opened his phone and checked the Alice Apartment residents' group chat. He saw a message from the manager Xiao Zhang about a welcome party for new residents at 7:30 PM that evening. New residents were encouraged to attend, while existing residents could come if interested.

Putting away his phone, he left Room 904 and headed for the elevator to go find Xiao Zhang on the first floor.

"Wang Ju encountered that perverted criminal Lin Shengli."

"The human-skin kite maker Wang Nuli that we met."

"And those two foreign chainsaw-wielding psychopaths that night."

"Normally encountering just one of these freaks would be 'lucky' enough. But to have so many in one apartment building? Unbelievable."

"Also, there must be a reason behind this 10,000 yuan per day agreement. What makes that middle-aged man seek out people like me or others to live in Alice Apartment?"

Reaching the first floor, he found the manager Xiao Zhang in the management office.

"Oh, Mr. Xiao Q! What can I do for you?" Manager Xiao Zhang was as enthusiastically friendly as ever with everyone.

Xiao Q: "I wanted to ask - aside from me, are there any other new residents moving in recently for tonight's welcome party?"

Manager Xiao Zhang: "Yes, of course there are."

Xiao Q: "How many?"

Manager Xiao Zhang: "Including you, there are five new residents this time. Though two of them are an engaged couple who bought an apartment here as their marital home."

Xiao Q: "What about last time when my friend Xiao Nuo moved in? Was there a welcome party then?"

Manager Xiao Zhang: "Yes, we hold them regularly."

Xiao Q: "How many new residents were there last time?"

Manager Xiao Zhang: "Five."

Xiao Q: "I see. Can I ask - are those other residents who moved in around the same time as Xiao Nuo still living here?"

Manager Xiao Zhang: "Well... your friend Xiao Nuo went missing from our apartment. Jiang Ran is still here. The other three - Qin Fei, Murong Fu, and Wang Xixi - moved out long ago."

Xiao Q: "Do you have contact information for those three who moved out?"

Manager Xiao Zhang: "Of course we do."

Xiao Q: "Could you give it to me?"

Manager Xiao Zhang shook his head: "Sorry, no. Our apartment has an obligation to protect residents' privacy, whether current or former."

Xiao Q: "Alright then."

Xiao Q realized he'd have to wait for tonight's welcome party to get more information.

After leaving the management office, instead of returning to Room 904, Xiao Q decided to ride his bicycle around the neighborhood for a while.

At the apartment's ground-level parking area for residents' bicycles and electric scooters, Xiao Q noticed something very strange.