Alice's Hell (16) - Who in Their Right Mind Keeps a Diary?

Dust settled silently in the dark, sunless corridor; no one remembered when it was there, or when it was carelessly swept away by a gust of wind.

The castle's splendor and the glittering jewels scattered throughout had nothing to do with the fifth floor. It was dark, enclosed, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, isolated in a suffocating oppression, never seeing a ray of light. Occasionally, the silence would be broken only by a thick drop of blood dripping from some unknown corner, drying over time and leaving behind a trace that was no longer recognizable.

Today is different; in this ancient castle where time has become blurred, people have set foot here more than once.

Accompanied by light, quick, and slightly chaotic footsteps, two human figures appeared at the top of the stairs, their red lights flickering dimly in the darkness.

"Call."

Suddenly, the red dot lifted slightly, and a short, forceful breath was heard. Immediately afterward, a bright flame suddenly pierced the darkness, as if the only spark of life had risen from the dead silence.

Zeng Lai breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It's lit up!"

Lighting a tinderbox wasn't as convenient as modern tools. He rubbed it for a long time to produce a few sparks, keeping it burning like embers of paper ash. When needed, a blow or a quick flick would ignite it.

The burning light made the dust in the air even more noticeable than when they last came. Even those who weren't obsessed with cleanliness couldn't help but smell a musty odor and cover their mouths and noses.

At this moment, Zeng Lai covered his mouth with his left hand while stubbornly trying to make some noise to break the silence, resulting in his voice sounding like it was being muffled in a vat, buzzing.

Yu Xing squinted to adjust to her surroundings, casually waved away the still dust particles in the air, and kept her mouth shut without responding.

They had been to this corridor before; it branched into three roughly equal-width passageways starting from the stairwell. Back then, they couldn't see anything and could only grope around blindly. This time, with the tinderbox Zeng Lai was holding in his right hand, they could finally see their surroundings clearly.

The corridors were even more dilapidated than he had imagined. The three corridors were remarkably similar, with dirty marks on the floor tiles and broken cabinets or tables piled up on both sides like garbage, taking up a lot of walking space.

The walls on both sides showed signs of peeling paint, and the area near the ground was blackened by smoke. A little higher up, someone had drawn some unusual graffiti with red paint, such as exaggerated kindergarten-level eyes, a simple line drawing of a little girl holding a toy, and people whose faces were not visible.

This was what Yu Xing saw the instant the light appeared. Two seconds later, he raised an eyebrow and said to Zeng Lai, "Move forward a little..."

He didn't specify which way to look, Zeng Lai tilted the tinderbox toward the corridor where the small wooden box had been found, illuminating a path that led out to empty tables and cabinets and seemed to stretch endlessly. Beyond the range of the tinderbox was complete darkness, which inexplicably instilled a sense of unease.

"Holy crap!?"

However, it was this emptiness that made Zeng Lai swear and wave his tinderbox to the side. "Why is there nothing here?"

The fact that there was nothing there was the biggest shock for them.

Because when they came last time, they saw clearly that there was a sculpture taller than a person standing in the middle of each corridor. Not to mention, there was an Abyssal Blood Array printed above the corridor where they found the small wooden box.

But now, not only is the sculpture gone, but the blood array is gone too.

Yu Xing was neither surprised nor flustered. In his view, anything a ghost did before he had gathered specific information about was within his expectations, let alone something as common as "running away on long legs." He simply muttered, "Did it move to another place?"

Where was it moved to?

Who knows?

They might be on the road ahead, or they might have gone to a lower level; it's hard to say.

Zeng Lai shook the tinderbox again, the surroundings shifting with his movements, the two figures swaying in his line of sight, creating an eerie atmosphere. He said, "There's nothing we can do. From now on, we need to be more careful about any blood arrays around us. Also, that sculpture... if it wasn't moved by someone, then it's basically confirmed to be a ghost. We don't know what its attack conditions are, so we need to be careful."

"I understand, let's go." Yu Xing indicated that she would follow her senior's advice, and then stepped onto the unknown road.

To make it easier to deal with unexpected situations, his mask was loosely draped over his hair; if he saw Alice's eyes again, he could simply pull the mask down to cover his face.

Zeng Lai quickly caught up with him, acting as a scout.

"Tap, tap..."

For a moment, Yu Xing could only hear the footsteps of himself and Zeng Lai, and at most, his own heartbeat, faintly thumping, indicating just how quiet the fifth floor was.

When they came across a cabinet sitting quietly against the wall, the two would stop and examine it. Five minutes later, they still had only found some odds and ends.

Yu Xing put the glass bead she found into her pocket and glanced ahead.

There seem to be rooms ahead.

This was good news for them; even if they couldn't find the key in the room, they could still complete the task of occupying it. The only problem was that they needed to be careful of any ghosts that might be hiding in the room.

The two quickly arrived at the first room. Yu Xing peeked through the peephole and, as expected, it was dark inside. She couldn't see anything and therefore couldn't determine what was inside.

They exchanged a glance, Yu Xing grasped the doorknob and pressed down, gently opening the door.

The old door creaked uncontrollably, gradually opening a crack. The darkness receded in the light of the tinderbox, revealing the room's true state.

This is a very ordinary bedroom, much simpler in style than the one offered to tourists on the third floor. It basically has a bed, a small sofa, a table, a chair, and a storage cabinet for miscellaneous items.

Oh, and one more thing, an oval-shaped mirror.

The mirror's presence here seemed a bit out of place. Yu Xing glanced at it again, and then, using the light, spotted the table lamp on the table.

He reached over and quickly found the button. After pressing it, the lamp turned on, and although the light was not bright, it was enough to help him see.

He turned to Zeng Lai and said, "This room is safe for now. Check the rooms across the way; if they're safe too, we'll split up to search them and take those rooms while we're at it."

The newly appeared one-minute countdown on the system panel proved that no one had been in this corridor. Since the room didn't need a tinderbox for lighting, they might as well make use of the time.

Zeng Lai nodded. He thought this newcomer was quite quick-witted and could often make the same decisions as him without him having to remind him.

For safety's sake, Zeng Lai didn't close the door when she left, so that if anything unexpected happened in the room, Yu Xing would still have time to escape.

And so, Yu Xing listened to Zeng Lai opening other doors behind her, and only after confirming that there were no accidents did she turn her attention back to her own room and conduct a thorough search.

Based on the patterns he's played in horror Yugi, rooms in open-world maps generally fall into three categories: the first type contains key items or clues, the second type is designed with scary scenes for players to trigger, and the third type has no direct function but is placed there to extend the Yugi time spent exploring, and incidentally serves as a place to kite ghosts, block their line of sight, or hide.

If a room lacks all three of these features, then the Yugi is probably not worth playing; it's a trash Yugi that ruined my youth.

The room in front of us clearly doesn't offer any hiding space for tourists, nor is it a functional room—essential places like a control room or kitchen would fall into the third category. Even the bed in this bedroom is directly on the floor, with no space to crawl under, and there are no tables or chairs to use as cover.

Yu Xing licked her dry lips, glanced discreetly at herself in the mirror, and showed no unusual reaction.

Although the world constructed by Absurd Deduction is not Yugi space in the traditional sense, its model largely borrows from Yugi elements—as can be seen from the full name of Absurd Deduction Game. He believes that Differentiation Tier deduction Yugi will not make such a poor mistake, so he is quite looking forward to both the first and the second type.

After rummaging through the nearby table, ignoring the useless decorations for the time being, Yu Xing found a bottle of medicine without a label.

Judging by appearance alone, he naturally couldn't tell it was medicine. Fortunately, the medicine bottle was quite unique, with charred marks on its surface that were hard to miss. Like the "coke" Zeng Lai found in the showroom, this was also an item that had left traces of flame burning. Yu Xing had already added items with this characteristic to his collection list.

He used a little force to open the twisted and deformed cap of the medicine bottle and poured out the few remaining round granules inside.

These round pellets were quite resilient; they didn't crumble into powder but survived the fumigation, perhaps thanks to the protection of the medicine bottle. There were three pellets in total, most of them charred black, revealing a small patch of their original shape. They were dark green and had a texture somewhat similar to cold medicine or throat lozenges, but not capsules; they were more like compressed products.

Yu Xing studied the medicine for a while but couldn't find the instructions on the table. The bottle was quite large and inconvenient to carry, so he put the granules separately in his jacket pocket.

These medicines were clearly inedible, having suffered some unknown burn. Leaving aside the question of how much of their efficacy remained, the black residue clinging to them made them unpalatable.

After putting down the medicine bottle, Yu Xing rummaged through the small sofa again, even removing the cushions, making her a veritable furniture destroyer.

Actually, the small medicine bottle could already be considered a piece of information. It would be normal if nothing else could be found in this bedroom, but Yu Xing had a feeling that what was supposed to come hadn't arrived yet.

After a while, he had only one thing left to check: the bed in the bedroom.

This is a single bed, white, with neatly folded sheets without a single wrinkle, and the comforter neatly folded and placed at the head of the bed. The matching pillows are piled on top of the comforter, a scene that would be extremely comforting to someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The next second, Yu Xing ripped off the obsessive-compulsive patient.

First the blankets, then the sheets—nothing, no matter how tidy, could escape Yu's clutches. Unfortunately, there was nothing hidden inside. So he grabbed a pillow, patted it, unzipped it, took out some cotton, and looked inside.

Amidst the ravaged cotton, something of a distinctly different material peeked out, its edges slightly yellowed and curled, as if to say, "I'm right here, could you please be gentle?"

Oh wow.

Yu Xing actually found something. Satisfied, she pulled out the rolled-up paper and discovered it was a folded tattered page.

The edges of the tattered page showed signs of tearing, as if it had been torn off in a hurry.

Yu Xing carefully opened it, and the Chinese characters on it came into view. There was a break at the beginning, so it was clear that this was not the first page.

[This time. After everything was over, things returned to normal. The sky was still overcast, and those eyes that were always watching the earth were still in the sky. I've lost count of how many sunless days I've had. In the afternoon, Alice hired a third employee. I followed her and saw the whole thing. That fat guy was really pitiful, falling apart in the interview room, but he didn't seem as bad as I had been. I gave him... no, now it should be "them." I arranged three rooms for them, hoping they'd get used to it soon. How many groups of guests are we having now? I can't remember. Actually, I'm very curious where Alice found so many.]

The writing ends abruptly here; this is all the content on both sides of the paper.

Well, now this OCD is really suffocating.

Yu Xing squinted and looked at it again, seemingly lost in thought.

This appears to be a page from a diary, but unlike ordinary diaries, the ink on the paper doesn't look handwritten; instead, it looks printed out in clear, regular script, as if it were torn from a book.

Even more strangely, in addition to these printed words, there was another handwriting that added annotations next to certain words and phrases.

[The interview room] was circled, and a hastily written, not-so-clever handwriting read, "I secretly went there, it's on the first floor, but... ugh."

[The Fatty's name] was crossed out, and the caption next to it read, "Our chef, the only... no, only three kind people in the castle. My God, I only found out today that he used to be one person. No wonder the three chefs look exactly alike. Ugh, I'm going to throw up. How did they do that? This castle is too scary. I don't want to go on my graduation trip anymore. I want to go home."

[Which wave]: "I don't even know which wave we are. The forensic doctor speculated that someone else had come before us, but I didn't believe it then, until I found a finger fragment in the room. Ugh."

Although these annotations are hastily written, the writer kept the font size very small, much like someone filling the blank spaces completely with cheat sheets.

Yu Xing paused for a moment, feeling that he could really see a young man struggling to "vomit" in these words. Perhaps he had just graduated from high school, or perhaps he had just graduated from university. If he was in high school, his college entrance exam score must have been reduced to almost nothing.

This piece of paper contains a lot of information.

He had a plan in mind, his thinking was clear, and his speculations about the Alice's Hell scenario reached a very detailed level.

Fold the paper back up and carry it with her. Yu Xing thought for a moment, then piled the checked blankets and pillows on the floor and, relying on her strength, lifted the bed frame by hand...

Yes, the demolition is down to the last step, so why not do it?

Unfortunately, the area under the bed was a filthy place that had never been cleaned. Cobwebs, piled-up dust, condensed unknown marks, scattered hair, and tiny fingernails... all were trapped in this enclosed space, making it a place you wouldn't want to look at again after just one glance.

Yu Xing only glanced at it for two seconds before disgustedly putting the bed board back up.

In fact, most homes have beds like this under the wall, but how many people are willing to face it... except for the annual deep cleaning?

He straightened up, realizing that his mission to enter the room had turned into a decision to finally let the room go.

Just before leaving, he turned around and glanced at himself in the mirror one last time.

He had just checked the mirror; there was nothing hidden there. But his [good friend] hadn't come, and he was a little disappointed.

His ghost notice hadn't been updated for a while. Judging from how White Face died, the ghost that killed White Face was most likely the ghost corresponding to White Face. After White Face died, this kind of monster disappeared from the castle.

I wonder if, after he disappears, he will be able to complete the progress of the notification letter once he gets the corresponding item again.

I'd really like to get a reward...

So, my good friend, come check on him! He's trying to trigger the notification, how awful!

Thinking this, Yu Xing glanced at Zeng Lai, who was rummaging through drawers in the opposite room, and said sullenly, "I'll go check the next room."

Zeng Lai, busy at work, didn't even turn his head, just gave him an OK sign. It wasn't until Yu Xing's footsteps moved that he belatedly realized what was happening.

Why does Xing sound so unhappy?

The veteran gambler looked back with some confusion, but saw no one. He only saw the opposite room, which had been almost completely demolished. The small lamp was still on, illuminating the terrible scene inside.

"..."

Good heavens, the air in that room has gone flat!

Luckily, he didn't know the reason for Yu Xing's depression. If he had known that Yu Xing was desperately wanting a ghost to come looking for her, he might have staged a scene of beating up his teammate on the spot.

The next room has a similar layout to the previous one, with slight differences in decorations, but the furniture arrangement is almost identical.

Yu Xing's eyes had already adapted to the darkness, and he could now make out the general outlines of things even in the dark. He groped his way to the table in the dark and turned on the desk lamp with practiced ease.

The lights came on.

Yu Xing caught a glimpse of something moving beside her, and her pupils contracted instinctively as she looked in that direction... It turned out to be a mirror.

The mirror's position had changed, but overall it remained in a prominent place in the room, reflecting Yu Xing's slender and graceful figure and the soft glow of the table lamp.

Yu Xing's eyes lit up—the mirrors in this room were more frightening than the previous one!

He had long discovered that the castle incorporated many elements, intending to provide a more comfortable environment for the "travelers'" "evil" activities. For example, if there were "good friends," then mirrors would be added to the castle in unnecessary places; if there were ghosts that needed a closed environment to kill, then many cabinets would be added to the castle for people to hide in; if there were sculpted ghosts, then the castle would be filled with stone statues, which served as a natural deception, making it impossible for people to guard against them.

The mirrors in the rooms along this corridor on the fifth floor were inexplicably prominently positioned, revealing that this ancient castle was facilitating the activities of some ghost. Yu Xing pretended not to notice anything and copied what he had done in the previous room. However, this time he didn't find any objects with burn marks, nor any torn pages.

Nothing was gained.

He stretched, loosened his wrists, and made to leave when he heard a soft knocking sound behind him.

He was in a walking position, facing the door and the pitch-black corridor outside, with his back to the mirror, so the knocking behind him could only have come from the mirror!

"Da, da, da."

The knocking sound came out regularly at a very soft but audible volume, as if trying to attract the attention of the people inside the house.

Yu Xing's eyes subtly curved into a smile, the upturned corners revealing the smug satisfaction of a successful scheme.

That makes sense. He deliberately separated from Zeng Lai, intentionally leaving himself alone. He even hid the dagger under his clothes, not showing it. He practically handed a perfectly unarmed killing target to the ghost. If [Good Friend] didn't come and squeeze this soft persimmon, it would be too much of a waste.

When he turned around, the composure on his face had vanished, replaced by a slightly frightened expression.

"Who?" Yu Xing asked, trembling.

"Da, da."

A response came from the large oval mirror.

Yu Xing hesitated, then cautiously approached and saw his own face reflected in the mirror.

Unlike the fear on his face, the person in the mirror was completely different from himself, displaying a very friendly and warm smile.

Yu Xing was terrified. "What do you want to do?"

The person in the mirror seemed to have anticipated his question, showing no malice whatsoever. He raised one of his two hanging hands and waved at Yu Xing, as if to greet him.

[You've discovered a "good friend," the ghost notification has been updated]

"This matches Huai's description..." Yu Xing thought to himself, then, after a moment's thought, he raised his hand and waved, even as the person in the mirror looked somewhat dazed. It was quite polite.

The person in the mirror looked at him silently for a moment, then beckoned with their finger, as if to say "come here" between friends.

"No way!" Yu Xing said reluctantly. "If you can't get out, then you can play by yourself."

He turned to leave, but suddenly realized that his lower body was stiff.

Taking a step became extremely difficult, as if my brain was issuing a command, telling me not to move, not to move, and that I should go closer to the mirror.

"Da da, da da."

The tapping on the mirror became more rapid. Yu Xing looked again. Her reflection in the mirror hadn't moved, but the tapping grew louder and more urgent.

Accompanied by this rhythmic sound, Yu Xing involuntarily moved step by step toward the mirror, his legs and brain seemingly separated into two separate entities.

The brain says, "Don't go, it's dangerous."

The leg said, "Don't be afraid, charge!"

That leaves only your hands free.

Yu Xing walked over step by step, almost reaching the front. The mirror was placed on a special table. Yu Xing braced herself against the table, using the force between them to hold herself up.

Seeing that he didn't come closer, the "good friend" in the mirror smiled even more. It tried to open its mouth, and although its speech was a little awkward, the words it uttered were very similar to Yu Xing's tone.

It spoke to Yu Xing in Yu Xing's voice, "I'm your best friend, why don't you hold my hand?"

As it spoke, it raised its other hand.

Why is that hand always hanging down?

Because a long, sharp pair of scissors, gleaming coldly, was slowly raised by Yu Xing in the mirror.