"Hmm, it was pouring out there. I got completely soaked, but luckily, the takeout didn't get wet," Yang Ping said, lifting the takeout bag.
Looking at the woman's friendly face and her talkative demeanor, it was hard to believe she was actually dead—apart from her slightly pale complexion, she just seemed like any other person.
In Li Ran's eyes, she was more like a hardworking older sister hustling for a living, someone optimistic and full of life.
Of course, aside from all that, her eerie value was enough to make his heart race.
A-Class Eerie Value: 1200. Spiritual Infectious Entity.
This was the highest weird force value Li Ran had seen among the native residents, aside from Grandma Mi and the bartender
A-Qing—whose stats were completely “???” anyway.
Not someone to mess with. Definitely not.
Thankfully, with the system hints, unexpected accidents were less likely to happen.
"What floor are you going to? I'll press it for you," Li Ran asked.
"17th floor, thank you," Yang Ping said while toweling off her dripping wet hair.
Li Ran pressed the button for the 17th floor.
Ding!
The elevator doors closed, and it began to ascend slowly.
It was clear Yang Ping cared a lot about her appearance—she pulled out a dry towel she carried with her and repeatedly wiped her hair.
Ding!
The elevator reached the first floor. The doors opened slowly.
"Grandma, hurry up!"
A kid with straight-cut bangs bounced into the elevator, followed by a richly dressed elderly woman. The grandma's gaze toward her grandson was full of doting affection.
"Xiao Hao, slow down," she said, walking into the elevator at a snail’s pace.
"Grandma, you’re so slow and boring!"
The child pouted angrily and started slapping every floor button with both hands.
With a rapid series of thump thump thumps, seven or eight floor buttons lit up in a row.
The old lady didn’t stop him at all—just let the kid do whatever he wanted with the panel.
Yang Ping’s motion of toweling her hair gradually came to a halt. Her brows furrowed as she said, “Grandma, control your child. He’s disturbing others.”
Li Ran was also getting annoyed at the little brat. If it weren’t for the old lady standing there, he would’ve already smacked the kid to teach him some manners.
(Xiao Hao)
(C-Class Spiritual Infectious Entity)
(Eerie Value: 40)
(A brat from Building 4. Mischievous, spoiled, domineering, and disrespectful.)
(If he likes something about you, you must give it to him. If you refuse, he’ll get angry and kill you.)
(But with your current strength, no need to worry. You can crush him one-handed.)
……
(Xiao Hao’s Grandma)
(C-Class Spiritual Infectious Entity)
(Eerie Value: 130)
(A grandma who spoils her grandson endlessly without any limits.)
……
After seeing the information about the brat and his grandma, a sense of dread crept over Li Ran.
“He’s just a kid, why take it so seriously? If you're in a hurry, take the stairs,” the old lady glared at Yang Ping. Not only did she not restrain the kid, she even encouraged his chaotic behavior.
In just a short moment, more than a dozen buttons had been lit up.
The elevator now stopped at nearly every floor, crawling upwards at a painfully slow pace.
Seeing this, Li Ran stepped forward, pulled the brat aside, and tried to cancel the buttons by holding them down.
Unfortunately, this elevator didn’t seem to have a long-press-to-cancel feature. They’d have to wait for it to stop at every floor.
The brat got annoyed and shoved his way back to the panel, mashing buttons again with both hands.
Li Ran shoved him away once more, glaring fiercely, “If you keep it up, I swear I’ll throw you out of here!”
He didn’t bother sugarcoating it. Brats like this needed to be dealt with harshly.
The kid's face darkened instantly. His gaze turned venomous, and suddenly, he plopped to the ground and began bawling his eyes out.
In that moment, the entire elevator started shaking. The lights flickered erratically, and the whole thing felt like it was about to spiral out of control.
Just as the elevator was about to drop—
Li Ran grabbed the brat by the collar and hoisted him up with one hand.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened. Li Ran tossed the kid straight out into the hallway.
“Xiao Hao!”
The grandma panicked, glaring daggers at Li Ran.
“Indulging a kid like that is the same as killing him. Spoiling leads to monsters. If you can’t discipline your child, I’ll do it for you,” Li Ran said coldly.
“You—you just wait. I’m going to report you to the building committee!” the old lady yelled, storming out after her grandson.
“Thanks,” Yang Ping said with a smile. She knew Li Ran had done it for her.
“Brats like that need someone to put them in their place. Let’s take the other elevator—those buttons can’t be canceled.”
“Mm.”
Li Ran stepped out of the elevator, intending to switch, but to his dismay, the brat had already entered the other elevator ahead of them and was now making faces at him from the doorway.
Yang Ping followed out and saw this scene, her expression slightly annoyed.
Just as Li Ran was about to go over and give the brat another lesson, Yang Ping stopped him. “Forget it. Let’s just take this elevator. The order’s already overdue anyway.”
If she got a late penalty and a bad review, a whole day of hard work would be wasted.
“…Alright,” Li Ran sighed.
Yang Ping needed to go to the 17th floor. No point wasting more time on some spoiled brat.
“Grandma, that delivery lady’s face is so pale. She’s really scary,” the brat’s voice came from the adjacent elevator.
Li Ran’s face changed drastically.
Damn it. That’s the one thing he shouldn’t have said! If Yang Ping realizes she died in that accident, she’ll go berserk and slaughter everyone here!
He was starting to think he’d gone too easy on the brat.
Upon hearing the kid’s comment, Yang Ping’s expression turned puzzled. She looked toward the reflective wall inside the elevator, studying her own face and trying to see clearly in the blurred reflection.
Li Ran could already guess what the brat would say next—“She looks like a dead person” or something similar.
He couldn’t let that happen.
“She looks like one of those dead people on TV—ah, ah! What are you doing?! Grandma, help me!”
Before the kid could finish, Li Ran lunged and grabbed him by the collar.
Xiao Hao’s grandma, panicked, sprouted deadwood-like vines from her limbs, trying to wrap around Li Ran’s legs. “My sweet grandson! Grandma’s coming! I’ll teach that bad man a lesson for you!”
Li Ran’s Eerie Value was 930—he wasn’t about to be threatened by some old lady with 130.
The vines she grew were completely useless. Li Ran, unimpeded, dragged the brat to the stairwell window, said nothing, and booted him straight out.
The kid drew a perfect arc in the air before crashing into the lawn below. After rolling several times, he sat up bawling, his tears turning into a black liquid that instantly corroded the grass.
“My darling grandson~!”
The grandma cried out and dove out the window after him.
“Brats like that need a good beating.”
Li Ran clapped the dust off his hands and walked back toward the elevator. Just as he stepped inside—
A deathly pale face appeared in front of him.
“Do I really look that scary?” Yang Ping asked.
(End of Chapter)