Room Swap

Room Swap

The one who screamed was Su Huijin.

She was slumped in front of Room 405, covering her mouth, her face drained of color with fright.

Qi Zhiyong asked irritably, "What is it now?"

"The bodies... The bodies are gone!"

Everyone was shocked and hurried over.

There had been two bodies in Room 405: Lu Yuzhu, who had turned into a statue, and Fang Zhi, who was missing his head.

The survivors had worried that moving the bodies might cause unnecessary trouble, so they had left them in Room 405 for the time being.

Wen Chao's room was piled high with all sorts of junk. There was barely room to stand. He'd turned it into this state in just two or three days. It was downright horrifying.

But now, both bodies had disappeared.

Shi Ji watched Wu Xian quietly packing his things and couldn't help thinking to himself, This bastard's acting is amazing.

Obviously, the two bodies had both been eaten.

Qi Zhiyong nodded. "Makes sense. Then I'll move somewhere else tonight!"

It was clear the room switch was settled.

The Door-Breaking Wraith, the Calling Door Wraith, and even the Child Wraith that had appeared last night weren't the end of it. Now there was something that ate corpses, too. How could they possibly feel at ease?

Wu Xian's mouth twitched. "Look on the bright side. At least we don't have to worry about these two bodies rotting and causing an epidemic."

"Men and women should keep their distance. Never mind."

"Boss, you're welcome to join us!"

"Come look. There are traces of cement handprints here, but they've been wiped away. I'm afraid..."

Su Huijin's cheeks flushed, and her voice was soft and sweet. The implication behind her words was perfectly clear.

The floor was covered in bloodstains and scraps of clothing. The cement statue had been smashed open, and all that remained of Lu Yuzhu's body inside were scattered bone fragments. Fang Zhi was in much the same state.

Everyone dispersed to search the nearby area for supplies and statues.

But Wu Xian stopped him.

"Also, there's something else I need your help with."

Shi Ji gripped Wu Xian's arm, his eyes brimming with tears.

Wen Chao shook his head and refused. "You'd better not room with me..."

But no one stood up for Wu Xian. Over the past few days, everyone had come to accept that he was Qi Zhiyong's punching bag.

"Several little ghosts got into our room yesterday. If we don't have a man there to give us courage, we might scare ourselves to death."

By now, Qi Zhiyong's initial attempts to keep things under wraps had completely failed. Even Shi Ji knew how important the statues were, let alone Professor Fu Wen Chao and the others who had known about them from the start.

"Cut the crap. Let me move in. I'll protect you."

Seeing everyone leave, Shi Ji hurriedly tried to head outside, too.

At her reminder, everyone recalled Yue Mei's strange behavior yesterday morning. It was indeed suspicious.

Everyone's mouths went dry.

Qi Zhiyong looked thoughtful.

"I remember now. Yesterday morning, I heard sounds outside. It must have been Yue Mei realizing she'd been marked, so she wiped off her mark. Otherwise, why wouldn't she dare come back to sleep last night?"

Qi Zhiyong's somewhat relaxed expression tightened again.

Then he turned to Wen Chao.

"Give me your room. You can stay in mine, or go give the Su Sisters some courage, or keep Old Man Wen or Shi Ji company."

His body had started acting strangely after he worshipped the statue yesterday. He'd barely managed to keep himself alive by spreading filth around his room. He had to deal with the problem today.

Qi Zhiyong refused without hesitation.

If that was the case, then he'd definitely be the one attacked tonight. He'd spent all of last night on guard, and half his courage and resolve had drained away. He didn't want to sit around waiting to fight a Great Wraith again.

There was a lot more to these sisters than met the eye!

He Qiong, who was suspected of being a Follower, had died. Why had they survived? A Child Wraith had slipped into their room last night, so how had they escaped without a single bruise?

That left only Wu Xian's room.

Holding his luggage, Wu Xian first looked hopefully at the Su Sisters, but all he got in return were two pairs of eye rolls. Wen Chao had also refused to let anyone room with him.

After working with Wu Xian yesterday, Shi Ji had realized that he was a powerful man who'd been playing dumb. Shi Ji had been wanting to ask him for help, and now Wu Xian had practically come right to his door.

"It was Yue Mei!"

Wu Xian's heart gave a jolt. He couldn't let Shi Ji figure it out, so he immediately cut in. "Do you remember the first morning?"

Su Huijin raised her hand.

Wu Xian grinned. "Because your room is the one that'll be attacked tonight."

He went to Yue Mei's door and, following Wu Xian's method from the day before, restored it to its original state.

He told Shi Ji about wiping off the handprint and drawing one of his own. Shi Ji's mouth gradually fell open, and the look he gave Wu Xian grew a little horrified.

Shi Ji paused. "Why?"

"Well... Maybe we don't need to overthink this. If the Great Wraith only attacks marked rooms, then we can all stay in unmarked rooms. Wouldn't that keep everyone safe?"

Everyone frowned at the sight.

Shi Ji's eyes widened. He slapped his palm and exclaimed, "I get it! Two handprints can exist at the same time, and the Great Wraith attacks in the order the prints were made!"

Of everyone there, Wen Chao was the calmest.

So Wu Xian had no choice but to find Shi Ji.

His words of comfort didn't put anyone at ease. Instead, they cast a shadow over everyone.

"Wait. Let's move first. Tonight, we'll stay in Qi Zhiyong's Room 402."

Wu Xian refused twice, but Qi Zhiyong ignored him both times. Wu Xian was so furious his eyes reddened, and he nearly burst into tears. His miserable, aggrieved expression was enough to make anyone feel sorry for him.

"If she was the one marked yesterday, then does that mean my handprint..."

Su Huilan suddenly understood.

A woman's heart was as deep as the sea...

Qi Zhiyong had never been a gentleman. If the Su Sisters were really as they seemed, he wouldn't mind staying with them. Not only were they both beautiful, but if something went wrong, he could use them as scapegoats.

But the problem was...

He surveyed the remaining rooms. So far, there were five rooms the Great Wraith hadn't damaged.

Su Huijin looked at Qi Zhiyong. "You can stay with us tonight. We're not worried you'll try anything."

Qi Zhiyong had already made an enemy of Wu Xian, so he wasn't about to share a room with him. He simply snatched Wu Xian's key and tossed him the key to his own room.

From Qi Zhiyong's perspective, both his Room 402 and Shi Ji's Room 403 had been marked. That left only Wu Xian's Room 406, Wen Chao's Room 401, and the Su Sisters' Room 404 as safe rooms.

He called it a discussion, but it was really an order.

On the first morning, there had been a handprint outside Lu Yuzhu's door, and another on Fang Zhi's door.

Wu Xian took out two pieces of wire and a screwdriver.

"What is it?"

The Su sisters gazed at Qi Zhiyong with bright, sparkling eyes. They'd suggested this plan because they wanted Qi Zhiyong to stay with them.

"While no one's around, let's switch our room doors. I also want to find out whether it's the room or the door that gets marked."

Shi Ji opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say a word.