Survival Mission

Early the next morning, Ji Li was already seated in the center of the lobby.

He hadn't rested much the previous night. Instead, he had compiled and printed five copies of the hotel's rules and ghost details left by previous managers.

He sat on the solid wood chair in the lobby early in the morning, eyes closed, waiting for the new employees to arrive.

"So, I really have no other choice..."

The Third Personality's voice, tinged with melancholy, echoed in Ji Li's mind.

The Second Personality had been silent all morning, seemingly still dormant. However, the Third Personality had chatted with Ji Li for a long time and gradually accepted this unfortunate reality.

Ji Li kept his eyes closed, listening to the Third Personality. His fingers trembled slightly as he murmured in a low voice:

"None of us had a choice..."

On October 22, 2015, as the clock hands struck ten, a unique beam of light suddenly appeared in the center of the lobby.

A dazzling and mysterious white light split the golden hotel into two halves.

As the light subsided, five panicked and bewildered figures materialized out of thin air at the hotel entrance!

"Holy crap! What's going on!" a defiant youth with an unconventional hairstyle and a ring through his nose looked around in confusion, his words surprisingly vulgar.

His reaction was relatively normal, just shock. But the two people next to him were even more exaggerated.

The young woman in an apron, holding a bottle of soy sauce, sat down on the ground with a thud. Seeing the unfamiliar surroundings, she kept screaming.

Next to her was a boy who looked like a high school student. They didn't know each other, but they huddled together, clearly terrified by the current situation.

The most composed was a middle-aged man with fair skin, a slight beard, and glasses.

He wore a dark gray Zhongshan suit. Upon seeing everything before him, he subconsciously adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and stepped back, but without any haste.

His eyes, dull yet sharp, immediately focused on Ji Li, who sat like a withered tree in the center of the lobby.

A thin young man beside him was even bolder. After scratching his head for a moment, he suddenly realized something.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and began filming the hotel's structure wherever he stood, muttering to himself, saying who knows what.

After a brief period of confusion, the unconventional youth turned his attention to Ji Li.

"Who are you? Did you bring us here?!"

As soon as he spoke, the scene fell into a dead silence. Everyone's attention, following the thin youth's question, shifted to the sole, solitary figure in the eerie hotel.

Ji Li slowly opened his hazy gray eyes. His handsome yet pale face looked at the five people, and a smile of satisfaction curved his lips.

But this smile, in their eyes, carried a different meaning.

The young woman in the apron, pulling the high school student along, had retreated to the hotel's main entrance, desperately banging on it, not daring to meet Ji Li's gaze.

"What the hell are you smiling at! I'm asking you a question! Didn't you hear me!" The unconventional youth was extremely hot-tempered, seemingly unimpressed by Ji Li, this man who appeared decadent and lonely.

He rushed forward, grabbed Ji Li by the collar, and forcefully lifted him up.

"Speak! Is this all your doing!"

Ji Li didn't even glance at the fist coming his way. His attention remained fixed on the two men behind him who displayed unique characteristics.

"I can see that among these five newcomers, there will be some extraordinary individuals."

Seeing Ji Li's disregard only fueled the unconventional youth's anger further. He punched Ji Li in the face.

But then...

Under everyone's gaze, his face suddenly turned bright red, and an abnormal flame seemed to surge beneath his exposed skin!

"Ah!!!"

Within two minutes of entering the hotel, the unconventional youth turned to ashes in full view of everyone.

Ji Li rubbed his slightly sore left cheek and said with a light smile to the remaining four:

"Welcome to Tianhai Hotel."

With the unconventional youth's fate as a warning, everyone became more compliant.

During this time, Ji Li also got a general understanding of the situation of the remaining four.

The high school student was named "Cao Yuan." He had been pulled into the hotel to become a new employee right when he was in class.

The young woman in the apron was a housewife named "Ding Miaoxin." She had been teleported in hastily while making lunch at home.

It was clear that these two had no special abilities and were very slow to process information.

What truly caught Ji Li's attention were the remaining two.

The bespectacled man in the Zhongshan suit was named "Fang Shenyan." He appeared unremarkable on the outside. According to him, he was a teacher.

However, Ji Li felt that this man was a bit too calm. His entire demeanor seemed less like rationality and more like rigid lifelessness.

Furthermore, he could sense a deathly aura surrounding the man's hands...

And the bold, thin youth was named "Yu Guo."

He was an outdoor streamer by profession, and his previous job involved exploring eerie locations.

The moment he arrived at the hotel, he pulled out his phone and started a live stream.

"We... we've all been cursed?" Cao Yuan asked, his legs trembling uncontrollably, his voice shaking.

Ding Miaoxin was even worse off, having collapsed onto the ground. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, and she remained silent.

Only Fang Shenyan and Yu Guo could still stand, steadying their minds to listen to Ji Li's narration.

Ji Li nodded, distributing the envelopes in his hands to everyone, and said softly:

"That's how things are. I can only tell you that what you need to do now is accept your fate, then carefully study the ghost rules in the envelopes. Otherwise, a single mission could cost you your lives."

The others had many more questions, but Ji Li sent them upstairs.

As they walked, Fang Shenyan suddenly stopped and turned to Ji Li, asking, "Are you the manager of this hotel?"

Ji Li gave him a deep look and replied softly, "Currently, yes."

The commotion in the lobby had just subsided, leaving only Ji Li and the pile of dead ashes.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the center of the lobby. Following what Tianhai Hotel had said earlier, someone should have arrived to fill the vacant spot after the non-mainstream youth's death.

"Fang Shenyan... his name truly suits him.

I can see he's full of questions, yet he's extremely restrained. Of the four, he's the one who understands the current situation the clearest. It seems he wants to understand the hotel and ghost rules before coming to find you."

The Third Personality analyzed the newcomers silently from the side.

Ji Li nodded. "Besides him, I think Yu Guo is also quite good.

When the non-mainstream youth died, everyone averted their gaze, but he boldly observed. Yet, I didn't explain, and he didn't ask further.

He's a bold, meticulous, and smooth character."

But as he waited, Ji Li noticed something was wrong.

Ten minutes had passed since the non-mainstream youth's death, but he still hadn't received the replacement person, which clearly violated the previous rules.

"Could it be that someone who died in an internal hotel conflict isn't covered by the replacement rule?"

Before Ji Li could figure out what was happening, his pocket vibrated.

His heart immediately tightened, knowing a new mission had been issued. He quickly took out his phone.

The harsh cold light of the screen illuminated his pale face. Large amounts of text appeared on the white background in black font.

"Recipient: Tianhai Hotel, Shop No. 7 Acting Manager Ji Li.

Please arrive at Room 701, Unit 4, Building 2, Sanhe Residential Area, in the eastern suburbs of this city by 8:00 PM on October 22, 2015.

Survive until 8:00 AM the next morning to complete the mission and receive new residents.

The replacement person is already waiting at the mission location. Proceed there to rendezvous.

Sender: Tianhai."