Lu Ji walked silently down the quiet corridor.
The doors of the rooms on either side of the hallway silently opened a crack. From within the darkness behind the doors, pairs of blood-red, ferocious eyes watched him. Hideous murderous intent, greedy malice, and the foul essence of devouring surrounded him, invading every corner of his senses. It felt as if he were walking through a hell unimaginable to ordinary people.
Yet his expression remained calm. He had long grown accustomed to all the negativity this world could throw at him.
As he passed one door, it swung open.
A blood-drenched ghost, dragging its shattered innards from its abdomen, crawled out. It extended a blood-soaked hand toward him. As droplets of blood hit the floor, they corroded it into dark stains, a testament to their extreme toxicity.
Just as the ghostly hand was about to touch him, the ghost let out a sharp scream. Its entire body ignited in black flames.
The black flames sprang up from nowhere, clinging to it like an unshakeable curse. No matter how the ghost struggled, it couldn’t extinguish the fire. The highly corrosive blood on its body was burned away by the black flames, which even seeped into the ghost’s very soul, devouring its ghostly essence.
Lu Ji looked down at the ghost with indifference. The black flames represented his emotions, born from within. The darker his heart at the moment, the more ferocious the fire burned.
The ghost howled in agony, scrambling desperately to retreat back into the darkness of the room.
A foot came down, stomping on the ghost’s outstretched hand.
The black flames on the ghost’s hand flared even brighter, and before long, the hand dissolved into nothingness.
The ghost’s presence grew increasingly feeble, barely clinging to existence.
Lu Ji gazed coldly at the now powerless ghost on the ground. His black eyes were like an endless abyss, a void with no discernible light or ripples, exuding the chilling indifference of a god devoid of emotions or desires.
Just as the ghost thought it would perish at the hands of this terrifying “human,” Lu Ji suddenly turned and walked away.
Reaching into his pocket, Lu Ji touched a small paper heart he had folded for Gu Jiu. He had made so many that a few remained unused.
Whenever he thought of her, the unrelenting onslaught of negativity and darkness became just a little easier to bear.
She still had tasks to complete here, so he couldn’t let his emotions destroy this game world.
He had to wait for her to uncover the hidden truths within this world.
Witnessing the ghost’s fate, the other monsters lurking behind the cracks in the doors quickly withdrew into the shadows. The entire world seemed to grow quieter.
Lu Ji paid no attention and continued strolling leisurely through the desolate corridor, waiting for the moment he could leave.
Finally, the elevator that had vanished reappeared.
When he saw the reemerged elevator, his previously stagnant heart rippled with subtle waves. A faint smile appeared on his face, and the black vortex in his eyes briefly swirled before vanishing.
The oppressive gloom in his heart suddenly lifted.
He walked briskly to the elevator, pressed the down button, and stepped inside when the doors opened, waiting for it to descend to the first floor.
—
Wan Xingzhou consumed yet another Six-Spirit Resentment Bead, fending off the attacking ghosts and forcing a pitifully disfigured ghost back into its room.
Wiping away the sweat and blood stains on his face, he glanced at the bead string, now left with only two beads. He couldn’t help but sigh.
Spending three Resentment Beads in one game world was a serious loss! Wan Xingzhou could only hope that after clearing this level, the game would offer better items in the shop to make up for it.
Gripping the Red Demon-Slaying Sword tightly, Wan Xingzhou didn’t dare relax even for a moment.
Ever since being trapped on this floor, every room except the office at the far end concealed a vengeful ghost. Each ghost bore a gruesome and horrific appearance—rumored to be how they looked in the moments before their death.
Judging by their appearances, these ghosts must have endured unimaginable torture and brutality in life. It was this torment that turned them into vengeful spirits after death, giving them immense strength and making them exceedingly difficult to deal with. The only way to survive was to drive them back into their rooms.
Initially, Wan Xingzhou had thought the “Lingyuan” might be hidden somewhere on this floor and that he could find it in one of the rooms to clear the level and escape. But instead of discovering the item, he had been relentlessly hunted by the vengeful ghosts, barely escaping with his life.
The memory of opening the first door and being ambushed by a ghost still made his heart race.
Who would have thought there would be a ghost waiting inside?
Now, Wan Xingzhou only dared to move in the hallway and avoided entering any of the rooms. He remained vigilant for ghosts that might emerge from behind the doors.
Fortunately, only one ghost ever emerged at a time. If all eleven rooms released their ghosts at once, survival would be impossible.
Steeling himself, Wan Xingzhou kept his eyes trained on the hallway.
Suddenly, he blinked and glanced toward the elevator. Had he seen that correctly?
The elevator, which had disappeared, seemed to have reappeared.
If the elevator was back, did that mean he could escape this terrifying place?
Without hesitation, Wan Xingzhou made up his mind. He bolted toward the elevator at full speed, keeping his guard up in case of ambushes. As he passed one of the doors, it swung open abruptly, and a blood-drenched ghost lunged at him.
Wan Xingzhou spun and slashed with his sword. The Red Demon-Slaying Sword lived up to its name, slicing through the ghost’s clawed hand with ease.
Reaching the elevator, he pressed the button frantically. Within ten seconds, the doors opened. Wan Xingzhou dodged past the ghost, diving into the elevator.
The vengeful ghost could only glare furiously as the doors closed. Its claws raked against the metal, producing harsh, grating sounds.
Wan Xingzhou slumped against the wall of the elevator, his breathing ragged. Listening to the sound of the ghost scratching at the doors, he felt as though he had just cheated death once more.
—
The elevator chimed softly, announcing its arrival in the lobby.
Gu Jiu and the waitress at the counter turned to look. The doors opened, and Lu Ji stepped out.
Seeing Gu Jiu standing by the counter, a rare smile appeared on Lu Ji’s face. Though not particularly bright, it was enough to reveal his improved mood.
“Ah Ji, you’re here! Not bad, you made good time!” Gu Jiu praised.
Lu Ji walked over, his gaze locking onto the waitress behind the counter. His eyes met hers directly, unflinching.
For a brief moment, the waitress’s sweet smile faltered—so quickly it was almost imperceptible.
Barely ten seconds after Lu Ji’s arrival, the elevator chimed again. Chai Yingying emerged, holding a paper-thin throwing knife in her hand. If not for the blood dripping from it, no one would have noticed its presence.
The knife was clearly a special item.
Chai Yingying resembled a blood-drenched warrior goddess, her tall, curvaceous figure as flawless as a divine sculpture.
Players called her a goddess not only for her radiant beauty but also for her incredible combat prowess and calm judgment. No matter how dangerous the situation, she always found a way to lead her teammates to victory, earning their trust and admiration.
Upon seeing Gu Jiu and Lu Ji at the counter, Chai Yingying wasn’t surprised. She greeted them with a smile, her voice warm and steady.
Her gaze fell on the waitress behind the counter, and a flicker of understanding crossed her mind.
Back when she saw Gu Jiu take the registry, she had immediately realized its importance. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.
The registry was a crucial tool in this game world, but her quick thinking hadn’t matched Gu Jiu’s, allowing the latter to snatch it first. That was why Gu Jiu had been the first to uncover the secrets of Ai Hui Hotel and to return to the lobby, gaining the opportunity to interact with the waitress behind the counter.
Seeing the registry now, pressed under the waitress’s hand, it was clear how important it was to her. Gu Jiu’s act of returning it must have earned her significant benefits.
Then there was Wan Xingzhou.
When Wan Xingzhou appeared, he was drenched in blood and looked utterly disheveled, practically tumbling out of the elevator in a heap.
His state didn’t surprise Gu Jiu or Lu Ji at all. It seemed that whenever he acted alone, he inevitably encountered far more misfortune than anyone else.
“Miss Gu, Lu Ji, finally! I’m so glad to see you both,” Wan Xingzhou said, grinning as he clung to the counter. A bloody handprint stained the previously spotless surface.
The waitress frowned at the mark, her lips pressing into a thin line.
“You’ve dirtied the counter,” Gu Jiu reminded him. “Hurry up and clean it.”
It was only then that Wan Xingzhou noticed the waitress standing behind the counter. He blinked, blurting out, “You’re the waitress who checked us in on the first day, aren’t you?”
The waitress gave him a small nod.
“Wow, so you’re actually this pretty!”
The waitress responded with a sweet smile. Even though she was no longer human, women still liked being complimented on their looks.
Wan Xingzhou apologized profusely as he pulled out a wet wipe to clean the bloodstain from the counter. Afterward, he even struck up a casual conversation with the waitress.
Chai Yingying: “….” Does this guy not realize the waitress isn’t human?
Watching Wan Xingzhou chat so naturally with a ghost, Chai Yingying had to admit it was a talent. This guy had potential. If he could maintain this attitude, his future achievements would likely be impressive.
While Wan Xingzhou rambled on with the waitress, Zhan Shaohong finally arrived on the first floor.
Though a bit disheveled, with his usually neat ash-gray hair puffed up like a dandelion, he seemed otherwise unharmed.
When he saw Gu Jiu, he lit up with joy and ran over. “Gu Jiu! Are you okay? Back on the third floor, we all got separated, and I couldn’t find you anywhere. I was so worried—”
Gu Jiu cut him off. “I’m fine. Nothing dangerous happened. I even met this lovely lady here.”
Following her gesture, Zhan Shaohong turned to look at the waitress behind the counter. His eyes sparkled. “Oh, are you an employee of this hotel?”
The waitress gave him a sweet smile but didn’t say a word.
Zhan Shaohong had endless patience for beautiful women. No matter how cold they were, he never felt slighted—if anything, he considered their indifference their right.
Chai Yingying couldn’t hold back and said coolly, “Didn’t you call her ugly on the first day?”
“I did not! That’s nonsense—” Zhan Shaohong started to refute, but then a memory struck him. His gaze turned stiff as he looked at the waitress.
The waitress’s smile remained sweet.
But to Zhan Shaohong, her expression only grew more terrifying. A chill crawled up his spine.
Swallowing hard, he asked himself the unthinkable: Could this waitress really be the same unattractive woman who had checked them in on the first day?
One by one, more players emerged from the elevator.
Their disheveled appearances rivaled Wan Xingzhou’s. Upon seeing the waitress standing behind the counter, their expressions grew uneasy, and they instinctively raised their guard.
Wu Wei was the last player to appear.
After another ten minutes passed, no more players arrived.
The waitress’s sweet and unmistakable voice rang out. “It seems your other companions won’t be joining us.”
There were now eight players gathered in the lobby. Three were missing, including Liang Lifei, who had followed Zhan Shaohong earlier. There was no need to ask—their fates were clear. They must have perished on the hidden third floor.
Gu Jiu said nothing, her expression remaining as gentle as ever.
The waitress continued, “Now, will you help me?”
Though her tone remained sweet and pleasant, her expression subtly shifted in an unsettling way.
“Of course, I’ll help you right away,” Gu Jiu replied with a calm smile.
As soon as the waitress’s face lit up with delight, Gu Jiu swiftly slipped a red cord around her wrist. The waitress froze in shock, her expression one of stunned disbelief. Offering an apologetic smile, Gu Jiu turned on her heel and bolted.
“Run!” she shouted, grabbing Lu Ji’s hand and calling out to the other players without waiting for their reactions. It was up to them to decide for themselves.
Lu Ji glanced at their clasped hands, his expression softening with visible pleasure. He tightened his grip on her fingers in return.
The other players, though momentarily stunned, relied on their well-honed instincts from countless games and instinctively followed her lead.
Chai Yingying, running alongside Gu Jiu, yanked Zhan Shaohong along by the arm. She wasn’t about to leave this idiot behind to figure out what was happening too late.
Zhan Shaohong was completely dumbfounded. Just a moment ago, the two beautiful women had been chatting pleasantly. The waitress’s sweet voice and charming demeanor had been the epitome of top-tier enjoyment. Who could’ve guessed that in the blink of an eye, Gu Jiu would slap a “Red Thread of Fate” on the waitress and take off running?
As they fled, he glanced back at the counter—and immediately regretted it.
The waitress’s face was twisted with fury, a mix of shock and rage. Her once youthful beauty seemed to drain away, as if time itself had been stolen from her. Wrinkles spread across her face at an alarming rate, and she quickly reverted to the grotesque appearance from their first encounter.
The eyes buried within the folds of her wrinkled face radiated pure malice, as if she wished to tear them all to shreds.
A flood of crimson surged from behind her, spreading out like a sea of blood. Her body began to swell unnaturally, her skin bulging and splitting apart to reveal grotesque, blood-red threads. These threads shot out from the cracks in her skin, whipping through the air and disappearing into the blood pooling behind her.
In this horrifying transformation, the waitress now resembled a spider bound in a web of blood-red threads, suspended in a sea of crimson.
Seeing this, Zhan Shaohong felt his scalp prickle as though his hair were standing on end. His entire body shuddered with the realization of just how wrong things had gone.