"Mountain Inn": Was Boss Xu Xi Being Singled Out?

[He cleared two instances so easily and could casually get a teammate killed without anyone noticing. I don't think this instance can stump him.]

[Wasn't that bit about him getting a teammate killed still just speculation?]

[Boss Xu Xi really has zero enthusiasm for this instance.]

[You put exactly what I was thinking into words. I kept feeling there was something strange about Boss Xu Xi, and it turns out he's just way too passive about the instance. Other players actively work hard to find clues, items, and ways to clear the instance as soon as they enter. Boss Xu Xi is just... casual.]

[More than that, he just quietly follows his teammates and lets them do whatever they want.]

[Come to think of it, Boss Xu Xi is a better spectator than us viewers.]

[I'm crying. How can you say that about Boss Xu Xi? He's only treating himself as a player. What's wrong with that?]

[Hahahaha, damn, you guys are brutal.]

After a preliminary discussion, everyone had a rough idea of what they were dealing with in this instance.

But even the High-Ponytail Woman, who had barely spoken at first, joined the discussion. Only the young man beside them remained silent from beginning to end.

The Burly Man grew dissatisfied again.

Everyone else was working hard to analyze the clues, but this guy hadn't said a word the whole time.

Just as he was about to make a couple of snide remarks, the High-Ponytail Woman said calmly, "There's something I need to mention. Just now, when we came back from Room 103, I noticed that the door to Room 101 didn't seem to be locked."

The Burly Man immediately swallowed the mocking words that were about to come out.

He knew what mattered most. Clearing the instance was the priority, so he said, "Then let's go take a look at Room 101 next."

But the High-Ponytail Woman shook her head. "I clearly remember that when we passed Room 101 on our way to Room 103, its door was shut tight."

What...?!

Xu Xi had still been wondering whether the Short-Haired Woman with Glasses had been indirectly killed by what he had done. When he heard this, he was so startled that he immediately put those so-called worries out of his mind.

Either way, the Short-Haired Woman with Glasses was already dead.

If it really was because he'd shone his flashlight, then... he sincerely apologized. Sorry ＞_＜.

If not, then, since she was already dead, he would generously forgive her for snatching his clue earlier.

But Xu Xi racked his brains. Had he noticed whether the door to Room 101 was locked when he passed it?

...Apparently, he hadn't noticed at all.

He'd been watching the room numbers the whole time.

Before anyone else could speak, the High-Ponytail Woman continued, "We stayed by the front desk with our candles lit for so long without attracting that thing, but after we split up and entered the rooms, it came out."

"So you think that thing was originally inside Room 101, and someone—or rather, something—let it out after we entered the rooms," the Refined Man asked, his expression grave.

"That's right." The High-Ponytail Woman nodded without hesitation.

The Burly Man immediately took out the key ring and began looking for the key to Room 101. After a while, his expression turned ugly. "The key to Room 101 isn't here."

Just as expected.

At the thought that, besides the strange White Humanoid, there was also something unknown lurking in the shadows and secretly watching them, everyone broke out in goosebumps and felt a chill.

"We still need to explore Room 101. Although we're no longer completely in the dark about this instance, we still don't have the slightest idea how to clear it," the Refined Man said seriously after thinking for a moment.

He didn't believe in avoiding danger at every turn. The more they avoided it, the more they would lose the initiative. Sometimes, dangerous places were precisely where important clues were found.

None of them objected.

None of them wanted to waste time in the instance. The longer they dragged things out, the lower their chances of clearing it would be.

Even if they might die the next second, they had to face it head-on.

After all, these instances required players to gamble with their lives.

"But we can't just rush in blindly either." The Refined Man was brave but not reckless. After pondering for a while, he suggested, "For now, there's nothing we can do about the thing in the shadows. But we can find a way to lure the White Humanoid out in the open to a fixed location, so we don't accidentally run into it face-to-face."

"What way?" the Burly Man asked curiously.

He had figured it out: the Refined Man really was clever.

"Since the White Humanoid was let out, that proves it can be shut inside a room. We just need to light a candle in a room, lure it in, then close the door and lock it inside."

The Refined Man smiled slightly.

"The thing in the shadows needs a key to open doors. We have the keys to every room except Room 101, so we won't have to worry about it letting the White Humanoid out again."

Genius!

Xu Xi marveled inwardly.

How on earth does the Refined Man's brain work?

The Burly Man and the High-Ponytail Woman's eyes lit up.

It really was a good idea.

But there was a problem.

The Burly Man asked pointedly, "Who's going to light the candle? And what if there are White Humanoids like that in the other rooms too?"

The Refined Man said helplessly, "There's no other way. We can only take the gamble."

As for who would light the candle...

"You!"

The Burly Man suddenly lifted his chin and looked at Xu Xi.

Me?

Xu Xi froze.

"You're the one going! We were all seriously discussing things just now, and you didn't take part at all. You can't just sit back and reap the benefits. You need to make a contribution too."

When the viewers saw this, the bullet comments erupted.

[Well, damn. Just... damn.]

[Is Boss Xu Xi being singled out?]

[But the Burly Man does have a point. Boss Xu Xi's participation has been a little low.]

[Oh, give me a break. If Xu Xi hadn't reminded them to put out their candles earlier, would they still be standing here ordering him to light one?]

[True. Who was it that said earlier the Burly Man wouldn't pick a fight unless someone provoked him? I'd like to ask what he's doing right now.]

[Burly Man, don't go courting death. The last woman with glasses who offended Boss Xu Xi is already very, very dead.]

[I have a feeling the Burly Man might be the next one to die.]

[Same feeling +1.]

Xu Xi didn't know that people outside had already begun betting on whether he would kill the Burly Man later. He was still surprised that the Burly Man had actually told him to light the candle.

He could naturally tell that the Burly Man seemed to be singling him out, but he didn't remember offending him.

"I'll go instead."

To everyone's surprise, the High-Ponytail Woman had volunteered.