Alice's Hell (5): Corpse Researcher

The flavor was very faint at first, but as Yu Xing focused his attention, the flavor grew stronger and stronger.

It had a pungent smell, mixed with the odor of preservatives, air fresheners, and other chemicals, which even seemed somewhat familiar to Yu Xing.

He frowned beneath his mask. "Can you smell it?"

"What's that?" The gambler paused upon hearing this, and after smelling it, he said, "I don't smell anything."

"No, there is." Yu Xing relaxed her brow and looked around.

From the observation deck, he could barely make out the outlines of all the surrounding buildings. A nerve in his mind was triggered by the smell. "It smells like medicine."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a screeching sound suddenly came from the third-floor corridor on the right side of the observation deck, at the other end of the kitchen.

The gambler reacted quickly, crouching down to hide his body behind the fence and peering through the gaps to the source of the sound—though this did little to conceal his figure, it wasn't entirely futile.

When he glanced at his temporary companion out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Xing's reaction was no slower than his. She had already hidden in the corner of the observation deck, the one least likely to be seen from the left and right sides. Only a phoenix eye with upturned corners was visible behind the crescent-shaped hole in her mask, reflecting a pale golden light in the lamplight.

"Squeak--" Another unpleasant scrape drew the gambler's attention back. This time, he also smelled the medicine that Yu Xing had mentioned, and had the illusion that he had entered a chemistry laboratory.

The scraping sound was very rhythmic, like a piece of hard metal scraping against the wall as something moved forward.

Yu Xing covered his throat uncomfortably. From the smell, he could roughly tell which ghost was walking in the corridor on the third floor opposite.

It's very likely his own.

The thought had barely formed when a huge figure slowly emerged from the shadows opposite.

The third floor is entirely curved, with walls appearing and disappearing intermittently. At this point, what can be seen from the viewing platform is a semi-circular corridor, usually hidden by walls, with only a half-person-high railing visible on one side, allowing tourists to view the kitchen on the second floor from the third floor.

Something emerged from the shadows behind the wall and moved toward the dimly lit area. The process was quite dramatic, at least prompting the gambler to murmur a "tsk tsk," and Yu Xing raised an eyebrow.

What first came into their view was a thick pipe, its color indistinct, suspended in the air at a semi-circular angle, wriggling slightly as if it were alive.

The outside of the pipe was covered with a layer of sharp, metallic teeth; the scraping sound must have been caused by those teeth hitting the wall.

Then, a muscular zombie, over two meters tall and wearing a white coat, emerged, pausing every two seconds. It was extremely ugly, with disproportionate body features, exaggeratedly protruding shoulder blades, thick limbs, and crisscrossing muscles. Many blood vessels were visible on its skin, and with each step it took, the movement of its blood vessels and tendons could be seen.

The metallic pipes grew on the back of the giant zombie, making its already imposing body appear even larger.

Yu Xing estimated that one of the zombie's arms was probably as thick as his waist. Unlike the wailing zombie, this thing was full of intimidation and extremely dangerous. It was the kind of thing that could splatter brains out with a single slap.

[You have discovered the "Corpse Researcher," the ghost notification has been updated.]

Corpse Researcher...

Yu Xing pursed her lips; her guess had been confirmed.

This was indeed the monster he corresponded to. The old-fashioned white coat on the giant zombie was the same one worn by those people in the Lingren's Research Institute who pointed and whispered outside his container all day.

The pipes were the huge pipes used to transport the energy that was transforming his body, and the smell of the medicine was something he constantly smelled while he was immersed in the glass container—he was enveloped in that pale red chemical liquid, and except when he was taken out to be sliced, have his blood drawn, and undergo physical examinations, he was never left the embrace of this liquid.

No wonder it smells familiar... Even though many years have passed, smelling this scent again easily evoked Yu Xing's memories.

"I can smell it..." While the two researchers were secretly observing, the Corpse Researcher suddenly opened his mouth, his voice deep and resonant with a natural blend of tones.

The gambler exclaimed in shock, "Holy crap, something this powerful... could it even be conscious? What kind of idiot came up with something like this? It's insane!"

Whether he was referring to the Corpse Researcher's abnormally strong abilities or the person corresponding to it being abnormal, Yu Xing touched his nose, as if he had been reprimanded.

The next moment, the Corpse Researcher turned straight towards the observation deck and roared, "I smell it! The smell of experimental subjects! Two!"

Now, Yu Xing could finally see its face clearly, something he hadn't been able to examine closely before.

This face... is a very unique face.

His head was bald, covered with fleshy growths, and his eyes were just black holes, as if someone had gouged them out. Below his eyes, there was no trace of human features. His nose and ears were gone; what used to be the tip of his nose had turned into chunks of flesh that blended into the rest of his face.

The mouth had no lips, only sharp teeth, stained with blood and bits of flesh, as if it had just eaten.

Its neck was also very thick, swollen to almost the same diameter as its head. Overall, it was a very deformed and strong zombie. Not to mention Yu Xing, who was unable to resist it in this simulation, even if other simulation participants obtained the props, they might not dare to stand in front of it.

Yu Xing paused for a moment, then stood up to meet the "gaze" cast by the Corpse Researcher.

Behind the gambler's forced smile, he looked at him strangely. "Oh wow? You've got some nerve, buddy."

The next second, Yu Xing staggered forward, immediately feeling dizzy and her vision went black.

--I hid so quickly just now that I'm up, I've momentarily forgotten that I'm anemic.

The vengeful corpse was still howling, excited by the smell of the two experimental subjects, but it did not react to Yu Xing, who stood up.

Once the dizziness subsided, Yu Xing shook her head and shouted in a louder voice, "I'm here!"

"The experiment, the experiment escaped, I have to bring it back..." The Corpse Researcher ignored him, his voice trailing off as if he were muttering to himself.

Then, it shook the pipes growing on its body from side to side, its sharp teeth striking the ground, sending several pieces of debris flying.

It glanced in the direction of the observation deck for a while, then ran away with heavy steps, as if it intended to catch someone.

"What the hell?" The gambler stared in the direction it had gone, hurriedly pulling Yu Xing off the observation deck. "Could it be coming this way? Do the ghosts in the castle even know their way around?"

"Probably... they don't recognize us. Otherwise, we'd be easily spotted by ghosts wandering far away. They know the way, so chasing us would be a piece of cake, and we wouldn't even know where they'd come from." Yu Xing shook his head, looking at the gambler. "They probably need to find their way around just like us. Besides, I tested them earlier; the Corpse Researcher has no sight or hearing, so they probably only rely on their sense of smell. Their so-called countermeasures are probably just something that can mask their sense of smell."

"Very likely, good for you, you handled it well. As a newcomer, you have great potential!" The gambler patted Yu Xing on the shoulder happily. He didn't seem too panicked. Even if Yu Xing hadn't said anything, the gambler probably had already come to the same conclusion from Yu Xing's behavior and the vengeful corpse's reaction.

"Your approach is exactly what I like. I don't know if you've watched my live stream, but I'm just as prone to courting disaster as you!"

Yu Xing: "... Haha, senior's deduction style is unique, I like it very much too~"

He had never seen it before; in fact, he had never even heard of the gambler's name.

However, he wasn't courting death; he was simply using the castle's complex terrain to conduct a relatively safe verification.

Not knowing where the Corpse Research Institute had gone, Yu Xing finished dealing with the gambler and continued walking forward with him, while glancing at the ghost notice.

[Goblin 4: The Corpse Researcher]

[Corresponding tourist: Lucky]

[Description/Source: 1. A strong and deformed corpse, filled with resentment, wearing a uniform from a research institute, with attack pipes extending from its back. 2. Treats living people as experimental subjects, extremely ferocious, and no one has yet witnessed its attack pattern. 3. Originating from Sachi's past, Sachi was once used as an experimental subject by researchers, accumulating resentment in his heart. After killing the researchers in retaliation, his disgust for the Research Institute's gaze caused the vengeful corpse to lose its sight, and his shame at the researchers' evaluation of him as if he were an object caused it to lose its hearing. In addition, due to Sachi's curiosity about what was on the other side of the pipes, the vengeful corpse possessed a special ability. (Since Sachi is the corresponding deducer of the Corpse Researcher, the source analysis has been directly provided.)]

[Attack Method/Special Ability:???]

[Solution:???]

[Notification progress: 50%]

This ghost was ranked number four. Yu Xing didn't know what criteria this was based on, but thankfully the ghost notification was a personal version, so a lot of information was directly accessible to him.

However... the clarity of this analysis exceeded Yu Xing's expectations; it was quite insightful.

If others could learn the source and analysis of the corresponding item, it would seem somewhat ominous for him, and he believed the other seven people would think the same way.

To keep the secret from being discovered by others, one must obtain the corresponding item. However, the item is useless in one's own possession, meaning that even if the item is obtained, the strategist's disadvantage against ghosts will not be alleviated in the slightest.

He had previously thought that if one person obtained the item and then passed it on to someone else, wouldn't both of them have collected the ghost information? If a team were currently in the castle, they could use this to rack up points.

Now he understands that handing over props to others also requires courage, because what he has done, or what he doesn't want to talk about deep down, will be completely exposed to others, many of which are things he shouldn't even know about his closest teammates.

Alice's Hell's intentions are as naked and sinister as ever: to force the deducer to make choices and pay the price for their actions.

This means that everyone will face more complex choices.

Yu Xing suppressed his thoughts and continued doing what he had originally intended to do. He walked with the gambler for another six or seven minutes or so, during which time they did not encounter any more ghosts.

He noted down the roads he passed along the way, and combined them with the views from other floors he occasionally saw, creating a three-dimensional map in his mind.

The map, with the third floor as the main focus and the other floors as secondary elements, was successfully created.

Just then, the gambler slapped him on the shoulder. "What are you thinking about, little brother? Look ahead, there's a bathroom, and a staircase!"

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow and looked ahead.

They didn't walk along a single corridor all the way; they passed several side paths, but decided to continue along the main corridor each time.

Ahead, the main corridor truly forks for the first time, splitting into two equally wide corridors.

A sign stands in the middle of the corridor; the sign on the right reads "Bathroom," while the sign on the left reads "Go up to the fifth floor" and "Go down to the second floor."

The two exchanged a glance, Yu Xing said, "Shall we go check the bathroom first? Is there any danger?"

"Go in and take a look. I bet it's not deadly. You'll have to be brave," the gambler said, waving his hand as he headed down the corridor leading to the bathroom. Yu Xing watched his retreating figure, her eyes narrowing slightly, before following him.

The bathroom's style matches the rest of the castle perfectly, exuding a strong medieval classical feel.

At the outermost point, there was a fork in the road, with separate bathrooms for men and women. Yu Xing followed the gambler into the men's bathroom and immediately saw the bathtub in the middle of the bathroom.

The bathtub is circular, with a diameter of four meters, making it a medium-sized pool. White towels are neatly arranged around the edge of the tub.

It's not bath time now, so there's no water, which makes the luxuriousness of the entire bathhouse even more apparent.

The bottom of the pool was inlaid with gemstones, both red and blue. This made Yu Xing extremely doubtful whether the small ruby she had picked up back then was really that important, worth Alice, who was "rich and powerful," remembering for so long.

Next to the bathtub is a wooden bathtub, shaped similar to the one Yu Xing saw in the Bloody Mary room on the second floor of the Sheqing Bar, which can only accommodate one or two people.

Looking further to the side, there were rows of wooden cabinets, presumably used to store the clothes that tourists had changed out of. Yu Xing casually opened one of the half-closed cabinets and peeked inside, but didn't see any clothes, only a pool of blood.

There is blood.

Yu Xing beckoned the gambler to come and look, but the gambler, standing by another open wardrobe, shrugged and said, "I know, I have some too."

He circled around again, tapping his fingers on his trousers. "The cabinets that could be opened all have blood on them, and there are exactly eight cabinets that can't be opened."

What does that mean...?

The meaning of the blood in the wooden cabinet is unknown; perhaps it's hinting at something, but with so little information available, Yu Xing can't say for sure.

Moreover, perhaps because the bathroom is closely connected to water, and water is considered yin, just standing here, the two of them felt a chill in the air, as if an intuition was urging them not to stay here for too long.

"Let's go," the gambler said.

Yu Xing nodded, and as soon as the two stepped out of the bathroom, they were greeted by the voices of other diviners.