Chapter 81: The Human-Skin Kite Maker Makes His Entrance
[This was the turning point for the old man. Now he was completely alone. However, he was wealthy, having inherited a golf course from his parents. With all his relatives gone, he no longer cared about anything. So he spent a considerable amount of money hiring professionals to help him exact revenge personally, killing that white male pig farm owner.]
[After killing his son's murderer, he thought everything was over. But then he discovered his mental state was deteriorating further.]
[Later, he killed his son's former boyfriend, blaming the man for seducing his son. He believed that if not for this, his son wouldn't have suffered psychological trauma, become promiscuous, and encountered that white male pig farm owner.]
[The old man's psyche grew increasingly twisted. He believed homosexuality had destroyed his son, his wife, and his parents. If homosexuality didn't exist in this world, he wouldn't have ended up like this. From then on, he began approaching other gay men, embarking on a murderous path targeting homosexuals.]
[In the end, he was caught. He became quite notorious in the U.S., where the police gave him a nickname: The Gay Butcher.]
After the Domineering Female CEO finished her account, the live stream room fell silent for quite a while as everyone digested the information.
Then Little Dragon Girl commented: [Sister CEO explained it so well! The apartment's records weren't this detailed—they only had about 70-80% of what you shared!]
The Ultimate Rich Kid said: [Honestly, without your explanation, who could have guessed that elegant old man in a suit was actually a deranged serial killer? He looked so refined...]
[Wait! That means Jiang Ran going to Room 503 isn't dangerous, since he's not gay.]
The Domineering Female CEO sent a sly smile emoji: [Not necessarily!] The Ultimate Rich Kid: [Are you telling me Jiang Ran is gay? Or bisexual?]
Domineering Female CEO: [Jiang Ran definitely isn't, but even the straightest man can be turned.]
[You all joined the stream too late—though I wasn't much earlier myself.]
[There was an early round where another lab rat became assistant manager—a completely straight man. But the old man used money to turn him, and after he was turned, the old man...]
[Now we'll see if Jiang Ran can resist the temptation of money!]
...
Meanwhile, Jiang Ran was already inside Room 503.
He was somewhat surprised by the resident of 503.
An elderly gentleman in a suit, appearing refined and cultured—he rarely encountered such people in real life.
"Hello, I'm Assistant Manager Jiang Ran. Is there anything you need help with?" Jiang Ran asked the elegant suited old man.
The old man gave him a warm smile: "The fill valve and flush valve in my toilet tank are broken. I bought new ones—do you know how to replace them?"
Jiang Ran was relieved—he'd thought it would be something complicated. He patted his chest confidently: "Of course I can. No problem at all."
He'd replaced these parts two or three times before—it was simple.
The suited old man nodded and led Jiang Ran to the bathroom.
After inspecting, Jiang Ran confirmed both valves in the toilet tank were indeed broken—several plastic components inside had snapped.
"Where are the new ones?"
"Over there."
Brand new blue-and-white fill and flush valves sat atop the washing machine.
Jiang Ran began the replacement, first shutting off the water supply valve.
Though he knew how, having done it only a few times before, he worked rather slowly.
The suited old man stood silently behind Jiang Ran, only his breathing audible.
Suddenly, the old man asked: "Jiang Ran, how much does this assistant manager job pay monthly?"
Still working, Jiang Ran answered: "Ten thousand a month."
The old man sounded surprised: "Ten thousand? Would you be interested in making quick money?"
Jiang Ran chuckled jokingly: "Quick money? I don't do anything illegal."
The old man reassured: "Don't worry, it's completely legal."
Curious, Jiang Ran asked: "What is it then?"
The old man proposed: "I'll give you thirty thousand a month to be my sugar baby. How about that?"
Jiang Ran's hands froze mid-task. He quickly turned around, stood up, and covered his rear, thinking he'd misheard: "Sir, did I hear that correctly?"
The old man confirmed: "You didn't. So, are you willing?"
Jiang Ran grew wary: "No. I wouldn't sell myself for even a hundred thousand."
He believed money couldn't buy certain things, and one shouldn't compromise their principles for cash—once you start, your standards just keep dropping.
Unless you're truly desperate—then you might break your rules.
"Heh, I quite like your type," the old man smiled gently.
Though shocked and somewhat frightened to learn this refined gentleman was gay, Jiang Ran relaxed slightly when the old man made no further inappropriate moves beyond that proposition. The surprise actually made him work faster.
Soon, the replacement was complete.
Afterwards, the old man had no other requests.
Jiang Ran had worried he might invent another task to keep him there, but fortunately, the man was straightforward.
Bang!
As the door to 503 closed, the danger warning in Jiang Ran's mind changed from:
[Ding! Dangerous individual detected! Evacuate immediately! +7 points! +7 points...]
to:
[Ding! Dangerous area detected! Evacuate immediately! +5 points! +5 points...]
"The system was right this time—that old man really is dangerous. If I'd been assaulted, I'd have wanted to die."
For a straight man, such an experience would be psychologically devastating—like a nuclear bomb to the psyche.
After leaving 503, Jiang Ran pressed his worksheet against the white wall to record the valve replacement for the suited gentleman.
His phone rang again—another private request from the apartment residents' group chat.
This time, it was a resident from Room 801.
Name: Wang Nuli.
Room 801.
Inside 801, whether in the living room, balcony, or bedroom—everywhere was covered with kites, kite-making materials, and tools.
Amid this sea of kites sat a craftsman on a small stool, silently working on a kite with his tools.
Ding-dong!
Hearing the doorbell, the craftsman's lips curved into a smile: "Finally here, Assistant Manager Jiang Ran."
The man appeared honest and simple—his smile should have been amiably foolish.
But this smile carried an eerie, chilling quality.
Had Xiao Q been present, he would have recognized this as none other than the human-skin kite maker Wang Nuli!
Indeed—this was the human-skin kite serial killer Wang Nuli!
Though Wang Nuli preferred being called the human-skin kite craftsman, as he didn't consider himself a killer.
So why had he summoned Jiang Ran?
During the welcome party for new residents that Jiang Ran attended, the human-skin kite maker Wang Nuli had already noticed him.