At nine in the evening, Gu Jiu entered the Grey Mist space on time.
The mechanical voice of the system announced: [Player is about to enter the C-level game field: The Resentful Spirits Hotel.]
[Game Mission: Find the Lingyuan (灵怨, Spiritual Grievance).]
[Items: Red Thread of Fate, a defensive item, available for purchase at 2000 points each, limited to one per player.]
Gu Jiu looked at the item for this game. A rare defensive item—expensive at 2000 points, yet it was something every player would likely choose to buy upon seeing it.
Luckily, Gu Jiu had saved up over 2000 points this time; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to afford it.
She had already noticed that each time players entered the game world, the items allowed for purchase were specially tailored to be extremely useful in that world, offered at a relatively low price—likely to prevent too many players from perishing in the game world.
After buying the “Red Thread of Fate,” Gu Jiu was left with only around 700 points.
Reflecting once more on how scarce points were in the Multiverse game, Gu Jiu didn’t linger any longer and said, “Send me into the game world.”
×××
As the mist cleared, Gu Jiu found herself standing in a spacious hotel lobby, brightly lit with floor-to-ceiling windows and furnished in a minimalist yet elegant style.
The sunlight streaming in from the large windows looked as warm and bright as in the real world, with no trace of gloom. However, the grey mist lingering a hundred meters from the hotel hinted that this was still an unusual game world.
From the name of this game world, Gu Jiu could vaguely understand that this time, the players’ main setting would be the hotel.
The lobby held other people—all players who had entered this game field. A quick scan revealed there were 23 players in total, indicating a relatively high difficulty level for this game world.
“Miss!”
Wan Xingzhou ran over joyfully, grinning at Gu Jiu with a face like a friendly puppy—a look that easily endeared him to women.
After all, women sometimes needed the charm of a cute puppy, not just that of a fierce wolf.
Lu Ji arrived a step later, looking at Wan Xingzhou with an expressionless face before stepping forward, holding Gu Jiu’s hand. Meeting her gentle gaze, he suddenly thought it was actually nice to be a girl.
If he presented himself as a man, could he still be this close to her, holding hands with such intimacy and being indulged in his small habits? Would they still be sharing the same bed in the game world? Even with his limited understanding of human customs, he had come to realize that, generally, men and women wouldn’t casually share a bed without a formal relationship—aside from certain exceptions.
And he didn’t like being casual.
So, staying a girl felt nice.
With this thought, Lu Ji the “girl” decided that until he successfully dated Gu Jiu, he would continue “surviving” as a girl.
As the three of them gathered, the other players also began grouping up, quickly forming their own teams.
The most conspicuous was a young man with ash-gray hair surrounded by six other players. Judging by their expressions, the other players appeared eager to please and accommodate him, agreeing with everything he said, even as he made picky comments.
With Gu Jiu’s keen hearing, she could hear their conversation clearly.
“Young Master Hong, there are quite a few players entering the game world this time. Seems like it’ll be a tough one, so should we be cautious?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? I have tools from my brother. With those, I don’t fear any vengeful spirit or ghost!”
“Young Master Hong is absolutely right.”
“We’re counting on you to help us clear this level, Young Master Hong.”
A female player, who was stunningly beautiful with a flirtatious demeanor, leaned in close to Young Master Hong, her chest brushing lightly against his arm. With a sweet, playful tone, she asked, “Young Master Hong, can I stay with you? I get scared sleeping alone at night~”
He put his arm around her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Of course you can.”
Feigning shyness, she nestled her face against his chest, playfully tapping her fist against his chest and complaining in a teasing tone.
The other male players laughed, praising Young Master Hong’s charm. Even their “goddess,” Chai Yingying, seemed to be taken with him, which made Young Master Hong even more pleased, a smug expression appearing on his face.
Off to the side, another female player with delicate features, though smiling outwardly, showed a hint of annoyance in her eyes. Seizing a moment when no one was watching, she shot a disdainful glare at Chai Yingying, clearly disgusted by her shameless flirtation with Young Master Hong.
Lu Ji glanced over, observing Young Master Hong and the player called Chai Yingying, feeling a bit puzzled.
Are they a couple?
Something about the atmosphere between them just seemed… off.
Looking at Young Master Hong, aside from his ash-gray hair, his appearance was merely average, and his grin felt greasy and overly smug—not appealing at all.
This interaction also caught the attention of other players.
Wan Xingzhou turned to look and let out a small exclamation. “That’s Zhan Shaohong, known as Young Master Hong. He’s…”
Before he could finish, a sweet, pleasant female voice rang out in the lobby. “Could all guests please come over to register for check-in.”
The players turned toward the sound, spotting a female receptionist who had somehow appeared behind the hotel counter. Although the lobby was brightly lit, just seeing the receptionist’s appearance sent a chill down their spines.
Dressed in a fitted uniform with her hair neatly tied back, the receptionist had a young woman’s body—but her face was aged, covered in deep wrinkles, an unsettling sight that was anything but normal.
As the players approached the counter, they noticed her holding the registration book with hands that were pale and smooth, matching her sweet, youthful voice.
If not for her face, anyone would have assumed she was a young woman.
“Please each select a room card and register according to the card,” the receptionist said in her sweet tone, seemingly unaware of her own unsettling appearance. “Each person must draw a room card.”
Gu Jiu spoke up. “Are there no double rooms?”
Her sudden question made the other players turn to look at her, their eyes lighting up with amazement.
Zhan Shaohong, too, looked stunned, his gaze fixed on her, captivated.
Seeing Young Master Hong’s reaction, the six players around him quickly realized that he might be interested in this new female player.
The receptionist said, “Each player must draw a room card. The room card serves as proof of your residence at the Ai Hui Hotel.”
Gu Jiu’s eyes flashed. The receptionist hadn’t directly answered her question, indicating that players staying together might indeed be possible. However, drawing a room card was still mandatory, suggesting some connection between each player and the room they drew. This would require further investigation.
The other players were likely thinking the same thing.
As they looked at the box holding the room cards that the receptionist handed over, her hands appeared exquisitely delicate and beautiful—but her face…
Zhan Shaohong looked between Gu Jiu and the receptionist, noting the stark contrast between her beautiful hands and her aged face. The disparity left him feeling repulsed, souring his attitude.
“What age are we living in? How does your hotel not have electronic registration?” he scoffed.
The receptionist, unfazed, explained with a gentle tone, “Our Ai Hui Hotel is newly built, so many facilities are still under development. For now, we are using a manual system for registration, but this will be improved in the future.”
Zhan Shaohong remained dissatisfied. In his view, unattractive women were inherently offensive; this receptionist’s appearance, to him, was particularly offensive. If this weren’t a game world, he would have lashed out and chased her away by now.
The players around Young Master Hong, knowing his temperament, worried he might try to attack the NPC and quickly moved over to register.
The box held numerous room cards, shuffled randomly. When one of Hong’s followers tried to swap his room card to find one adjacent to his friends, the receptionist quickly intervened.
“Apologies, but once a room card has been drawn, it cannot be exchanged. Please keep your room card safe.”
One player argued, “We came as a group. We’d like adjacent rooms on the same floor to look out for each other.”
The receptionist, however, repeated firmly, “Apologies, but once you’ve drawn a room card, it cannot be changed.”
The players exchanged glances, recognizing this as one of the game world’s rules, and didn’t push the issue further. Even the brash Zhan Shaohong knew better than to mess with the game’s rules.
When it was Gu Jiu’s turn, she casually drew a room card. It bore the Ai Hui Hotel logo and the room number “608” in gold lettering. It seemed her room was on the sixth floor.
Next, Lu Ji drew his room card: “404,” an ominous number.
When Wan Xingzhou’s turn came, he muttered under his breath, “Miss, I hope to draw a room right next to yours.” He looked at his card, and his face instantly fell.
His room card showed “503.”
Of course, with his luck, things would never go his way.
Finally, all 23 players had drawn and registered their room cards.
The receptionist, still using her sweet voice, announced, “Now, please proceed to your rooms to rest. During your stay, the hotel will provide three meals a day. Meals will be served in the dining room on the second floor. Dining hours are as follows…”
After the receptionist finished explaining the dining hours, the players confirmed there was nothing more she needed to say and headed toward the elevators.
As the receptionist mentioned, the hotel seemed newly built—everything appeared brand new, even the elevators.
Once inside, the players noticed the numbers on the elevator panel, guessing that the hotel had ten floors.
“A ten-story hotel? That’s way too short. Absolutely no class,” Zhan Shaohong sneered.
The players surrounding Young Master Hong naturally echoed his sentiments.
He continued to make comments, his gaze frequently drifting toward Gu Jiu. Seeing her completely indifferent to his words only intensified his desire; although Chai Yingying was pretty, she was too easy. The challenge of winning over a beauty like Gu Jiu was far more exciting.
The players weren’t foolish; they all noticed Hong’s interest.
Those familiar with Zhan Shaohong’s background figured Gu Jiu wouldn’t refuse him outright. Even if she tried, she probably wouldn’t dare provoke him too much and would eventually give in.
Some players who didn’t know Zhan Shaohong found his behavior distasteful—who pursues romance in a game world? But seeing others defer to him, they figured he wasn’t just anyone and wisely decided to pretend they hadn’t noticed anything.
Lu Ji, expressionless on the surface, was a storm of dark fury inside. If Young Master Hong dared to act on any ill intentions toward Gu Jiu, Lu Ji was ready to throw this “wild man” straight into a void storm and grind him into pulp.
In his eyes, anyone interested in Gu Jiu was nothing more than a “wild man.”
Wan Xingzhou, on the other hand, was conflicted.
He figured that if Gu Jiu and Young Master Hong had a confrontation, Hong would undoubtedly end up on the losing end. His main worry was that dealing with Hong might bring more trouble—particularly if Young Master Hong’s powerful allies got involved. After all, Gu Jiu, though formidable, was still a C-level player and couldn’t take on an S-level player from the Star Zone 0.
If Gu Jiu got annoyed and ended up pummeling Hong…
Ugh, just the thought of it gave him a headache.
As the elevator ascended, it stopped on each floor starting from the third, allowing players to exit.
On the fourth floor, Lu Ji stepped out with his stoic expression. On the fifth, Wan Xingzhou exited. And on the sixth floor, Gu Jiu stepped out.
Alongside her were Chai Yingying and a male player.
Chai Yingying was the bold, seductive type—her bewitching, fox-like eyes made her an instant favorite with men, few of whom could resist her allure.
Chai Yingying’s room was 610, two rooms away from Gu Jiu’s.
The male player had room 601.
Without Young Master Hong around, Chai Yingying dropped her coy demeanor and, with an elegant yet direct manner, said to Gu Jiu, “Beautiful, if you’re not interested in Young Master Hong, I’d suggest keeping your distance. But if you are, just ignore what I said.”
Gu Jiu smiled. “Thank you. Noted.”
Not particularly caring what Gu Jiu took from that, Chai Yingying waved and used her room card to enter her room.
—
Author’s Note:
Regarding the question of whether the owner of the paper doll can see what it sees—well, that depends on whether the owner wants to. ╮(￣▽￣)╭
As of now, the male lead doesn’t have the courage to watch.