Chapter Thirteen: Xixi

Yu Xing was slightly taken aback, and the next second, the lights enveloped Little Rosie completely.

How should I put it...?

It's a bit stranger than I imagined.

Standing on the ground, "Little Rosie" had a plastic sheen all over her body. Her head was a bit big, and golden threads curled and hung down, forming a head of big golden waves that looked like a cheap wig.

Her face was like a doll's, with chubby cheeks.

Yu Xing found the Little Rosie's appearance very familiar. Both times they ate together, this "Little Rosie" sat with her back to them, legs spread apart.

The other pair of legs that his lantern illuminated were suspended in the air. Looking up along these legs, one could see the body of a little girl being held in "Little Rosie's" arms. The real thing must have felt quite nice to the touch, and "Little Rosie" was clearly delighted with it.

Yu Xing: "..."

He was speechless for a moment.

Standing before him was a doll holding a real person. The doll tilted its head, and a hint of "curiosity" was forced onto its otherwise expressionless face.

The doll opened and closed her mouth, saying, "Brother Yuri, why are you here tonight? Where's Aunt Daisy?"

The real-life Little Rosie in her arms lay motionless, eyes wide open, utterly silent.

Two little girls of similar height switched places, exactly the opposite of what they had done during the day.

The scene was not only bizarre, but also chilling.

Yu Xing let out a soft breath and said with a smile, "Your Aunt Daisy hit her head on the bedpost and is unconscious. Before she passed out, she told me to come out and finish what she hadn't finished."

"Oh, Aunt Daisy is so stupid, even stupider than Little Rosie." The doll seemed to believe her, waving the lifelike doll in her hand. "Calodi is waiting for you up ahead, go on, I want to play house with my doll."

Yu Xing readily agreed, "Okay, have fun."

After saying that, he continued walking forward.

"Remember not to disturb them." The doll, who had been hopping away to the other side, seemed to suddenly remember that this Yu Xing's first time venturing out at night, and added, "If they find you, you're dead."

"... Who are they?" Yu Xing asked.

The doll held up a pale, white plastic finger in front of her cherry-like mouth, her eyes unblinking. "Shh... Of course it's Xixi! She likes to read at night, so you can't disturb her reading."

"They?" Yu Xing uttered another syllable.

What was supposed to be a very simple follow-up question actually got the doll's attention. She counted on her fingers and added, "Oh, and there's Mummy Yin and Grandma, um, and the chef."

"Oh, and there's Mask Face. If you run into him, he'll turn into an ugly killer and keep chasing you." The doll made a face... but failed. She could only blink one eye with difficulty, as she didn't have a tongue to stick out.

Yu Xing listened with a blank expression.

So this "they" actually includes all the residents besides her and Calodi.

No, there's only a Mino left.

Just as he was thinking of Miss Mino Mouse with her white hair, the doll spoke again:

"And also, if, if you see Sister Mino, could you please ask her when she'll give me back the back of my head that was removed last time?"

As she spoke, she turned around and showed Yu Xing the back of her head.

Indeed, there was nothing behind the doll's head; it was completely empty, as if the outer shell had been cut in two by something, leaving only a large hole that revealed the empty interior of the plastic.

So it's a coincidence that the doll only has one layer of hair on the top of her head; from the front, the doll actually has quite a lot of hair.

Yu Xing thought inappropriately.

"I will," he said.

The doll then hugged Little Rosie with peace of mind and skipped into the darkness.

Yu Xing continued walking forward.

He was right; the claim that they couldn't come out after nightfall was indeed a lie, just an excuse Daisy used to deceive the residents.

The residents genuinely believed this and thought they never went out at night. In reality, however, they would open their doors every night and wander into the "other world" in a different guise.

When daytime returns, the memories of the night will fade, and the residents will revert to being residents who fear the dark. They know that the night is dangerous, but they never realize that they themselves are the danger.

However, the memories of the residents each night are not interrupted; they can roughly remember what happened each night, which is why they can form distinct factions in this more chaotic and terrifying space.

Little Rosie and Calodi are completely in cahoots with Daisy. These two residents know what Daisy does every night and help her out.

Considering the new food and items that appear at the hotel every day, Yu Xing guessed that Daisy's nighttime outings were probably for "stocking up."

Mino can communicate, but that doesn't necessarily mean things will end peacefully... According to Little Rosie, Mino probably won't lay a hand on Daisy when she comes out with her lantern at night, but Mino doesn't care about Little Rosie's relationship with Daisy and doesn't hold back when beating up Little Rosie the doll.

The rest—whether it's the mummy, the cook, the Mask Face, or the "grandmother" who refuses to eat—are a chaotic force in the darkness, "slashing" at anyone they see, and even Daisy is no match for them.

In addition to these, we need to pay even more attention to Xixi.

This girl is truly extraordinary... in every way.

She is Daisy's daughter, the only one related to the hotel owner by blood, and assists him to some extent in the hotel's operation.

What's even more unusual is that she... doesn't have a room.

Yes, even Daisy occupies room 01, but Xixi doesn't have a room to stay in. Every time Yu Xing sees her, she's on the sofa in the lobby, always looking down at a book.

The curse that traps a resident originates from the room itself; only after choosing and moving into the room are they truly imprisoned. Since Xixi has no room, doesn't that mean the curse has no effect on Xixi?

Logically speaking, Xixi could leave the hotel anytime, which is indeed the case. After Yu Xing became a resident, he couldn't open the hotel door, but the first time he knocked on the hotel door, it was Xixi who opened it.

Xixi could have opened the door and left, but she didn't.

When night fell, the doll reminded him to be careful, and the first person she thought of was Xixi. Only after Yu Xing pressed her for answers did she think of the others. This shows that for the doll, "Xixi" was the thing that scared her the most in the dark.

Yu Xing walked steadily forward, passing through one interconnected medical room after another, including operating rooms and wards.

These rooms are interconnected like centipedes, eliminating the need for corridors.

He walked while processing the information in his mind, until he heard another strange noise.

At first, he thought it was Calodi waiting for Daisy.

But from the room ahead came a muffled cough, the voice old and feeble, like a flickering candle in the wind.

Another example is the living dead.