The Cozy Monster Apartment

When I woke up, I had lost most of my memories and found myself somewhere unfamiliar.

This place seemed to be my home, but not quite. Everything around me was strange, and the only one who spoke to me was a peculiar robot.

It told me I owned a small, six-story apartment building and needed to collect the rent.

It gave me a booklet of rules listing all sorts of odd instructions. Each one directed me to knock on a different tenant’s door.

When the doors opened, the “people” inside looked bizarre.

Some were covered in fur. My favorite is Auntie White Bear, a chubby white bear who serves me freshly baked cookies on her broad, padded paws when I collect the rent. Oh, and when Auntie White Bear is happy, a flower pops out of her head!

Others have three heads and six arms. I’m a little scared of Uncle Compound Eye. There are lots of eyes under his cloak, and he sounds pretty fierce when he talks. But he’s always the first to notice when I’m feeling down, and his cooking is amazing! I wonder where Uncle Compound Eye learned to make so many different dishes.

The robot spoke again. It said I had to fulfill the tenants’ “special requests” to get my memories back.

Every time I get close to a tenant, I feel like I’m getting closer to the truth. But the closer I get, the more confused I become. Who exactly are these “people”? And who am I?

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A low-key slice of life.

Written in third person, with lots of original worldbuilding.

Not horror, not a business-management story, and not a farming story.

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Coming next:

“Has the Zombie King Been Converted by a Do-Gooder Today?”

Chi Cheng is an ordinary new graduate on her way to report for work when she’s forcibly bound to the Zombie King System.

The Zombie King System proudly declares that it has a discerning eye and spotted Chi Cheng’s potential to become a Zombie King. Then it forces a task on her: bite a living creature.

Chi Cheng has no idea how it figured that out, but one thing’s for sure: no forced sales!

She argues with the System, insisting it get out of her body. The next second, a commotion breaks out ahead. Someone suddenly twists their body into a pretzel, makes a strange “heh-heh” sound, then clamps down on the neck of the person beside them and tears off a chunk of flesh.

Right after that, the person who was bitten starts making the same strange “heh-heh” sound.

“Zombies! It’s zombies!”

The panicked crowd flees, shrill screams pierce the air, and the world falls into chaos in an instant.

Chi Cheng swallows hard and hurriedly asks, “What’s the reward for completing the task?”

The System replies, “You can exchange it for a total of one hour in zombie form. You’ll retain your reason during that hour, and zombies won’t attack you.”

Isn’t that basically a one-hour get-out-of-death-free card? Just think how many supplies she could collect in an hour!

She’s in!

But her legs have gone weak. How is she supposed to find someone to bite if she can’t run…

The next second, someone grabs Chi Cheng firmly by the wrist and drags her along. “Hurry! It’s dangerous here!”

Chi Cheng’s eyes light up. Don’t worry, she’ll only take a tiny bite!

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On some day in some month, Lin Qianjun was on the brink of death after a car accident when he bound himself to the Do-Gooder System and managed to survive.

The Do-Gooder System tells him that in a few days the world will be overrun by zombies. He must find the Zombie King, care for it, love it, protect it, and win it over, so it will abandon its hostility toward humanity. Then humans and zombies can share a common destiny and work together toward a brighter future.

Lin Qianjun wants to ask, “Are you out of your mind?” But when you’re under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head. The System saved his life, and it can take it back at any time.

One day, the System tells him to witness the birth of the first zombie. Only by understanding zombies firsthand, it says, can he appreciate their struggles, empathize, and see things from their perspective.

When he arrives at the designated location, the Do-Gooder System suddenly issues its first mini-task: [Rescue the girl whose legs have gone weak with fear, and take her away from the zombie’s point of origin. Reward for completion: none. Penalty for failure: life revoked.]

Grinding his teeth, Lin Qianjun rushes over and leads the girl away.

“Hurry! It’s dangerous here!”

The next second, she bites down hard on his shoulder.

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·A kind-hearted, big-dog-energy heroine who’s a fake Zombie King vs. a laid-back, true do-gooder hero who’s always getting the short end of the stick

·Unless something unexpected happens, this will be a lighthearted, silly romance and a sweet little treat.

Theme: The world is a more beautiful place when we help others and stand together!