So, the elevator really was the problem!

Soon, Ding Deng also replied in the chat group:

【That’s right! My package disappeared in the elevator too! I have no idea how it happened—it was just suddenly gone! I searched everywhere, but I don’t even know what took it!】

As soon as this shocking news came out, the students quickly reached a conclusion:

【So for those of us doing Errands, we can’t take the elevator, or our packages will mysteriously vanish?!】

【Holy sh*t! Good thing I haven’t gotten in the elevator yet!】

【Wait, that doesn’t make sense! I just took the elevator to deliver my first package, and it didn’t disappear!】

【Maybe it’s only a probability thing, not a 100% chance!】

【We can’t take that risk! If we lose an expensive package like Ding Deng, we won’t be able to afford the compensation!】

Gao Chang: 【It’s not just about affording it! I got a notification after my package was lost—it said that at Errands Level 1, if you lose three packages, your account will be “banned”!】

【What the f***? Banned?! Doesn’t that mean you won’t be able to do Errands anymore?!】

【So this job basically forces us to take the stairs!】

【Take the stairs? Damn, I have to deliver a package to the 12th floor, and you’re telling me I have to climb up there?!】

【It’s just the 12th floor. Think about it—would you rather exhaust yourself and safely deliver the package, or gamble with the elevator, lose the package, and end up with a massive debt?】

【Plus, I bet the higher the floor, the more valuable the package! Which means the compensation fee will be even higher!】

【Sh*t! So we really have no choice but to take the stairs! If we gamble with the elevator, we won’t even be able to make enough for rent today!】

【But climbing stairs... One or two trips might be fine, but if we need to make enough for rent, how many times do we have to go up and down? We might actually die from exhaustion!】

【Looking at it this way, wouldn’t it be better to do cleaning instead? That seems way easier!】

【Yeah, right! We just discovered the pitfall in the Errands job—it’s avoidable if we just don’t use the elevator. But cleaning? There’s definitely a hidden danger we don’t know about yet, and it might even be life-threatening!】

【Good point! I think we should just stick to Errands. It’s exhausting, sure, but at least it’s not dangerous!】

【Ugh! Fine, whatever! I’ll start climbing the stairs to deliver my package!】

【Damn it, this package is so heavy! I have to carry it up to the 8th floor… F***!】

After realizing the hidden danger in Errands, the students who had chosen this job all decided to avoid the elevator and take the stairs instead.

Meanwhile, those who had picked cleaning or other jobs started feeling uneasy.

After all, if there was a catch in Errands, then the other jobs probably had their own hidden dangers too!

If it was just about losing money, that would be fine.

But what if it was life-threatening?

So, while the chat group was full of complaints about how exhausting the stairs were, more and more students decided to climb them to complete their deliveries.

Lu Shen checked the chat and felt relieved that he hadn’t taken the elevator yet.

He let out a breath and turned to Jiang Ye, sighing, “Climbing the stairs will slow us down a lot. I need to get moving too, or I won’t make enough for rent today!”

“Jiang Ye, you…”

He wanted to give Jiang Ye some advice, but he knew that higher rewards always came with higher risks.

There was no easy suggestion to make.

But to his surprise, Jiang Ye put away his Cleaning work badge and said directly, “I’ll just do Errands and take the stairs too.”

Lu Shen frowned immediately.

From his perspective, Errands was a low-risk, low-reward job.

If Jiang Ye relied on this, his earnings would be way too slow!

It was a complete waste of his initial placement on the 20th floor!

Lu Shen wanted to convince him otherwise, but seeing that Jiang Ye had already made up his mind, he decided not to bother.

Deep down, he felt disappointed in Jiang Ye.

He subconsciously thought that someone with Jiang Ye’s personality had no future—and probably wouldn’t even survive the day.

Not wanting to waste his energy on a dead man, Lu Shen simply shook his head and went back to his own Errands task.

Jiang Ye didn’t care what Lu Shen thought of him.

He went straight to the Errands service station and picked up an Errands work badge.

After quickly familiarizing himself with the task rules, he accepted an 8th-floor delivery job.

Since taking the elevator was no longer an option, he had to climb the stairs.

Conveniently, the apartment’s stairwells were located right next to the Errands station.

But there was something odd—

This apartment had only one elevator, yet the students never ran into each other inside it.

Meanwhile, there were twelve separate stairwells, arranged side by side, forming twelve safety doors on the first floor.

Jiang Ye chose one of the twelve doors and stepped inside, beginning his climb.

Strangely enough, he never encountered any other Errands students along the way.

It seemed like there was something strange about both the elevator and the stairwells in this apartment…

As he climbed, he kept thinking about it, silently making his way up to the 6th floor.

His delivery target was on the 8th floor.

But suddenly, he stopped at the stairwell on the 6th floor.

Breathing heavily, he looked like he was exhausted.

But in reality, his dark eyes were quietly scanning his surroundings.

He confirmed that there were no security cameras and no other students nearby.

At that moment, Jiang Ye, who had been panting just moments ago, suddenly held his breath and focused his gaze on the package in his hands.

It looked just like a normal cardboard box used for deliveries.

Sealed with transparent tape.

A white shipping label was attached to one side, showing the recipient’s apartment room number and an order ID.

Other than that, there was no useful information.

After carefully inspecting the package, Jiang Ye’s expression turned serious.

Then, he took out the kitchen knife he carried for self-defense—

And sliced open the transparent tape on the package!

Just like that, the package meant for the 8th floor had been secretly opened by him!

This was his real reason for choosing the Errands job!

The moment he heard about Ding Deng and Gao Chang losing their packages—

He had immediately come up with the idea of stealing packages!

Because he knew that when a package was lost, the courier had to compensate for its value.

Which meant—the package itself had value!

And the only consequence for losing a package was paying for it.

Plus, the payment wasn’t due immediately—he only had to compensate before midnight.

That meant he had a buffer period to work with.

So, Jiang Ye’s plan was completely feasible!

All he had to do was report the package as lost, and then pay for it before the deadline.

Other students hadn’t considered stealing packages because the compensation fees were too high.

Losing just one package could mean not having enough money to survive the day.

But Jiang Ye’s situation was different.

He was already 125,000 in debt to the apartment.

Owing a few thousand or even tens of thousands more in compensation fees didn’t seem like a big deal anymore.

The other students didn’t dare steal packages for another reason—they had no idea what was inside.

If the package contained something useless, they’d be stuck with a massive debt for nothing!

Jiang Ye had the same concern.

But his sky-high rent had pushed him to the edge, leaving him no choice but to take this desperate gamble.

As he tore open the package, his hands were shaking.

Afraid that it might contain something dangerous.

Afraid that it might be worthless.

But also trembling with excitement.

Because if he found an item that could boost his strength…

Then his next move would be much more confident!

With a mix of nervousness and anticipation, his shaking hands finally peeled open the package…