Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 93: The Strange Tenant

Translator: StellarNovels Editor: StellarNovels

“When you have some free time, let’s go to the beach. You can take lots of bikini photos; I have a friend who loves that kind of stuff.”

As Ma Lu spoke, he opened the 2.4-second video clip. It ended before he could take a good look.

He replayed it, this time focusing on the second-floor window. He finally caught the corner of the curtain moving—someone had lifted it slightly and then quickly dropped it.

When Ma Lu slowed the playback to 0.25x speed, he finally saw what was behind the curtain: a pair of blood-red eyes that looked extremely sinister.

“A vampire?”

Ma Lu had already met werewolves, so encountering a vampire didn’t seem too surprising.

But Old Wang disagreed. “No.”

“No? But whose eyes would be that red if not a vampire’s?”

“They’re red because they’re bloodshot—most likely from severe sleep deprivation.”

“Seriously? How long would you have to stay awake to look like that?”

Ma Lu leaned closer to get a better look. “Whatever species that thing is, it’s clearly at home but doesn’t bother coming downstairs after hearing the doorbell. That’s kind of rude, don’t you think?”

“I think her reaction in this clip is closer to fear,” Old Wang suggested.

Ma Lu thought about it. Two strangers knocking on your door late at night could be pretty terrifying, so it wasn’t surprising if the person upstairs got scared.

“Let’s come back tomorrow during the day.”

With that, Ma Lu decided not to waste any more time and headed home to sleep.

The next day, once Old Wang had prepared the ingredients, the two rode their tricycle back to the hotpot restaurant.

Ma Lu noticed that Ms. Chen’s white GLC was parked by the curb again, and Boss Zhang’s Lexus RX was also there.

This wasn’t a good sign—it seemed the two had continued their discussions after last night, and Boss Zhang’s interest in the shop was far greater than he had initially let on.

Ma Lu found a place to park the tricycle. He initially planned to bring Old Wang along, but on second thought, he decided against it. The person upstairs was timid, and seeing two people might make them play dead again.

Ma Lu slipped into the complex using the access gate alongside some residents, made his way to the iron door, and crouched down to press the doorbell three times.

As before, there was no response from inside.

Looking up, Ma Lu saw that even during the day, the second-floor curtains were tightly drawn, completely blocking the view inside.

“And you still say you’re not a vampire?” Ma Lu muttered as he glanced around, eventually fixing his eyes on a nearby trash can.

He walked over, picked out a relatively clean-looking cardboard box, and placed it upside down in front of the iron door, making it look like a delivery package. He then quickly pressed the doorbell twice and slipped into the shadow beneath the ledge, out of sight from the second-floor window.

After standing there for about fifteen minutes, Ma Lu finally won this patience game.

He saw the iron door quietly open a crack.

A pale little hand reached out from inside, stretching toward the box.

“Hey, let’s talk.”

Ma Lu stepped out of the shadows.

Startled by the sudden voice, the person behind the door panicked, grabbed the box, and desperately tried to drag it inside.

She seemed intent on retrieving her “package” and locking the door before Ma Lu could react, but she misjudged the box’s weight and fell flat on her backside.

“Are you okay?”

Seeing this, Ma Lu stepped forward, reaching out his hand.

The person on the ground didn’t say a word, turning around to run up the stairs. In her rush, she even banged her knee.

"I'm not a bad person, I just want to talk to you about the rental situation on the first floor," Ma Lu said, but the person didn’t stop, dashing up the stairs. Shortly after, a loud bang came from above.

Ma Lu leisurely climbed the narrow steps to the second floor, where a door stood at the end of the hallway. Even through the door, he could hear rapid breathing and a pounding heartbeat on the other side.

“I don’t know what your relationship is with Ms. Chen and Mr. Zhou, but as far as I know, they plan to rent out the first floor and turn it into a card and chess room.

“You know what a card and chess room is, right? It’s a place where people play mahjong day and night, so it’ll be very noisy. The upstairs will no longer be suitable for living; you’d better find another place to stay.

“Alright, I’ve said what I needed to say. If you don’t want to meet me, then we won’t meet.”

Ma Lu finished speaking and actually turned around to leave. He wasn’t playing hard to get—while he was interested in the shop, it wasn’t to the point where he had to rent it no matter what.

Since the other party didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t waste any more time.

However, just as Ma Lu had made it halfway down, the door behind him opened a crack.

“Do… do you also want to rent… the first floor?”

Her voice was stilted, like a jammed cassette tape.

“Yes.” Ma Lu stopped. “Want to talk about it?”

She was silent for a few seconds, seemingly engaged in an intense internal struggle, before finally saying, “O-okay… come on up.”

Ma Lu returned to the second floor.

Before he even stepped inside, he was stunned by what he saw.

Though it was already ten in the morning, the living room was as dark as if night had fallen.

The floor was littered with empty drink bottles and snack wrappers, leaving barely any space to step. Clothes, including underwear and socks, were strewn all over.

The coffee table was piled high with instant noodle cups and takeout boxes, and not just one or two—there seemed to be a week’s worth of food left uncollected, with some partially eaten and already spoiled, filling the room with a strange odor.

Ma Lu looked over at the room’s owner—

A girl wearing a baggy sweatshirt and pajama pants, her skin pale and her eyes bloodshot.

She was looking at him, but as soon as Ma Lu turned to her, she immediately averted her gaze.

As the host, she didn’t invite Ma Lu to sit on the couch, nor did she offer him a drink.

She just stood there silently, her small hands fidgeting nervously. She would clasp them behind her back, then cross them in front, switch to crossing her arms, and within two seconds, drop them again, standing upright. Then she’d unconsciously tug at her messy hair…

Severe social anxiety?

Seeing her behavior, Ma Lu had already guessed, so he didn’t force a conversation. He stepped over the pile of trash in the living room and went to the floor-to-ceiling window.

He pulled open the tightly drawn curtains, letting light flood the dark room.

But as the warm sunlight streamed in, a scream echoed through the room.

“Ah! No, quick! Close it!” The girl covered her bloodshot eyes in agony.

Although Ma Lu had never met a real vampire, he figured their reaction to sunlight would probably be similar.

It seemed that the girl had been living in darkness for so long that her eyes had become sensitive to light.

Ma Lu didn’t continue to push her. After opening the window to let in some fresh air, he closed the curtains again, leaving just a small gap so the living room wouldn’t be completely dark.

Previous

Next