Chapter 5: Moving into a Cheap Rental? The Neighbor Next Door is the school beauty Succubus
The corridor of this tenement building was dimly lit, flickering like a scene from a horror movie with unstable voltage, tugging at the primal fears in one's heart.
The air was a mix of moldy wall plaster, the crying of a child next door, and that faint yet increasingly strong scent of honeyed peaches.
Lin Ji stood before door 404, his key just inserted into the lock when the door behind him creaked open.
Before he could turn around, a wave of heat rushed against the nape of his neck.
"New here? I haven't seen you before."
The voice was sickly sweet, like stretched syrup, laced with an uncontrollable breathlessness and tremor.
Lin Ji turned around, his brow slightly raised.
Leaning against the doorframe of 403 was a woman wearing a silk camisole nightgown that was clearly too big, the neckline loose and drooping, revealing a dazzling expanse of pale skin. Her long hair was disheveled, cascading over her shoulders. Her face was stunningly beautiful, almost unnaturally so, especially those pupils shimmering with a purplish-red hue, fixed intently on Lin Ji's carotid artery. A faint, barely audible swallowing sound came from her throat.
Su Qing.
Lin Ji recognized her at a glance.
The universally acknowledged school beauty of Jinghai Ability Academy, the dream girl of countless male students, also notoriously known as the 'unattainable ice queen.' At school, this woman walked with an air of aloofness, her gaze as cold as ice. Who could have imagined she lived in such a dump in private, and in a state of... insatiable desire?
"The great school beauty Su?"
Lin Ji took a step back, creating a safe distance. His tone was flat, as if he'd run into an acquaintance at the market. "Not sleeping this late? Practicing performance art here?"
Su Qing clearly didn't recognize the drenched, somewhat disheveled young man before her.
At this moment, her rationality was being devoured by the wildly agitated succubus bloodline within her.
The influence of the Crimson Moon tide was growing stronger. Her innate succubus instincts demanded 'nourishment,' demanded essence, demanded male hormones to fill that bottomless void of emptiness. Normally at times like this, she could only lock herself in her room and tough it out with sedatives. But today...
The scent on this man before her was too intoxicating.
Not the repulsive stench of sweat, but a clean, crisp fragrance, like a forest after rain.
"Give me... give me..."
Su Qing couldn't even process Lin Ji's words. Like a dying fish finally finding water, she stumbled forward, her burning fingers clutching Lin Ji's arm desperately. "Help me... I can't hold on... I'll die..."
Her strength was astonishing, her nails digging deep into Lin Ji's flesh.
If it were any ordinary man, having such a peerless beauty throw herself at him, he'd likely be overcome with lust, willingly letting himself be drained dry.
But Lin Ji merely frowned.
[Detecting high-concentration charm pheromone attack.]
[God-Tier Purification Physique has automatically triggered defense mechanism.]
[Purifying current environment...]
A hum.
An invisible wave emanated from Lin Ji, instantly spreading outwards.
Su Qing, who had been lost in a haze of passion and was just about to bite Lin Ji's neck, suddenly froze mid-action.
In that instant, she felt as if she had been pulled out of scalding lava and thrown into a pool of cool, clear spring water. The scorching heat and craving inside her, which had nearly burned her to ashes, receded and dissipated rapidly upon contact with Lin Ji's aura, as if encountering a natural predator.
In its place was an unprecedented clarity and tranquility.
The purplish-red hue in Su Qing's eyes gradually regained focus. The madness faded, leaving only bewilderment and shock.
She stared dumbfounded at Lin Ji, who was so close. That soul-tremblingly delightful scent still lingered at the tip of her nose.
What was this?
A sedative? No, even the most expensive Grade S sedatives on the market didn't have such an immediate effect!
"Sober now?"
Seeing the change in her eyes, Lin Ji unceremoniously pushed her shoulder away, then patted his wrinkled sleeve with distaste. "If you're sober, let go. My clothes are already wet. Don't make them dirtier."
Pushed back to her doorway, Su Qing staggered, completely stunned.
Who was she? Su Qing!
Even in her succubus-out-of-control state, her allure was enough to drive any man wild. Yet this man looked at her as if she were a bag of just-emptied trash?
No desire, no greed, even a hint of... impatience?
"You... who are you?"
Su Qing leaned against the doorframe, her voice still trembling slightly, but this time from shock. "What are you carrying? Why did my agitation stop just by being near you?"
As a succubus awakener, she knew all too well how terrifying that loss of control was. It was a curse at the genetic level. Unless she absorbed sufficient essence or used powerful drugs, it simply wouldn't stop.
But just now, she hadn't done anything. She had merely grabbed his arm, and that agony that could have driven her insane had completely vanished?
"I'm your new neighbor. Also your schoolmate."
Lin Ji took out his key and unlocked his door, not even giving her an extra glance. "As for why... maybe I'm naturally cold-bodied, a specialist for all kinds of 'overheating.' school beauty Su, remember to take your medicine next time you have an episode. Don't go faking injuries in the hallway. You're lucky it was me. Anyone else, and you'd be in a police station by now."
"Hey! Wait!"
Seeing him about to close the door, Su Qing instinctively stuck a foot in the gap, asking urgently, "What's your name? Which department are you in? How come I've never seen you before?"
Her mind was now full of questions.
This man was a complete mystery. Wearing the cheapest street vendor clothes, living in the most dilapidated rental, yet possessing a terrifying ability to instantly suppress her succubus instincts.
Was he some hidden big shot experiencing life among the common folk?
"Lin Ji."
Lin Ji glanced down at the pale foot blocking the door, his expression impassive. "From the Logistics Department, Class F. That 'laughingstock of the whole school.' Ring a bell?"
"Lin Ji? You're that fake young master the Lin family kicked out?"
Su Qing's eyes widened in disbelief, her hand covering her mouth.
That waste known throughout the school? That freeloader who served as the Lin family's nanny for eighteen years?
Impossible!
The rumors said he was timid and useless. But the man before her had eyes as cold as knives, and that mysterious aura around him was unfathomably deep.
"Rumors really are unreliable..." Su Qing murmured to herself.
"Move your foot."
Lin Ji couldn't be bothered to explain. He yawned. "If you don't move it, I'll assume you're trying to break into my place in the middle of the night and call the cops on you, you pervert."
"You!"
Su Qing was speechless with anger. In all her life, this was the first time she'd been called a 'pervert.'
But feeling that long-lost peace within her, she didn't dare act rashly. This man was her antidote. She absolutely could not offend him.
She awkwardly withdrew her foot, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, trying to reclaim a shred of her school beauty dignity. "Um... thank you for helping me just now. Since we're neighbors, let's look out for each other from now on. I'm Su Qing. You probably know that, right?"
"I know. A succubus. Every guy at school knows."
Lin Ji tossed the reply over his shoulder, then, under Su Qing's murderous glare, slammed the door shut with a loud 'bang.'
The impact shook a layer of dust loose from the door, nearly hitting Su Qing in the face.
Su Qing stood in the corridor, staring at the closed door of 404, her chest heaving with anger. But strangely, she didn't feel the slightest bit of disgust. Instead, a strong sense of curiosity and possessiveness welled up inside her.
"Lin Ji..."
She ran the tip of her tongue over her red lips, a strange glint flashing in her eyes. "Interesting. It seems I might not have to move out of this dump after all."
...
Inside the room.
Lin Ji locked the door and tossed his suitcase into a corner.
"What a hassle."
He took off his soaked jacket and went into the cramped bathroom for a cold shower.
Though he complained, he knew very well that the brief contact just now had verified the sheer dominance of his system's ability.
Even a creature like a succubus, which relied on instinct, could be instantly suppressed. It seemed this 'God-Tier Purification Physique' was even more useful than he'd imagined.
After drying his hair, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep.
That night, he slept soundly in the moldy room, even dreaming a pleasant dream where he didn't have to wait on anyone.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, at the Northern Frontier Military's Jinghai office, the scene was entirely different.
BOOM——!!!
A deafening explosion shook the entire office building three times.
The bulletproof glass of the top-floor command room shattered, countless documents fluttering down like snow.
Lin Qingge's eyes were bloodshot. She gripped the military tablet displaying 'No Record Found' and smashed it violently against the floor, reducing it to scrap metal in an instant.
"A bunch of wastes! All useless!"
She kicked over the solid wood sand table in front of her, like a furious lioness. "Three hours! And you can't even find a trace of him? Is this the 'all-seeing system' you bragged to me about?!"
The adjutant beside her, Thunder Tiger, was drenched in cold sweat. Steeling himself, he stepped forward. "Commander Lin, your... your contamination level has soared to 85%! If this continues, something terrible will happen. Should we administer a sedative first?"
"Get out!"
Lin Qingge backhanded Thunder Tiger, sending him flying. Pointing at the screen full of static, her voice hoarse like a demon crawling out of hell, she snarled, "Sedative? What I need right now is Lin Ji! Turn the entire Jinghai City upside down! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find him for me! Do you hear me?!"