The Strange Receptionist

Collecting his thoughts, Bai Yuze set off toward Room 105. The boy was not certain about what the future held, but his heart was no longer lost.

Bai Yuze held his blade in his right hand and slowly pushed open the wooden door of 105 with his left. Compared to the other rooms, this door was even more dilapidated.

Creeeak—BANG!

The long-neglected wooden door could not bear the weight and collapsed, the sound echoing through the hallway.

At this moment, Bai Yuze heard the sound of a door opening at the end of the corridor, and a tall figure stepped out of Room 108.

The person was wrapped in a thick leather coat, their build massive and imposing. Strangely, they were wearing not only a face mask but also a pair of sunglasses.

Seeming to notice the commotion on Bai Yuze's side, the person walked toward him.

Looking at such a tall and bizarrely shaped individual, Bai Yuze instinctively swallowed hard.

While he was stunned, the person reached him. Bai Yuze could feel the aura radiating from them, an aura that filled him with fear.

Yet, Bai Yuze still summoned his courage to ask.

"Front desk, the door to 105 is broken. Can you fix it?"

"I can't fix it for now, I can only report it. It's not safe to sleep without a door at night; just find another room to sleep in."

The front desk's voice was dull and muffled, as if someone were gripping their throat while they spoke.

"By the way, Room 105 is a bit dirty. Could you find someone to clean it up?"

"Sorry, this residence doesn't hire cleaning staff. I have things to do. The tools are in the cabinet in Room 107; I have the key here."

Having said that, the front desk pulled a large ring of keys from behind their back, selected one, and handed it to Bai Yuze.

Afterward, the front desk returned to Room 108 without looking back.

Bai Yuze let out a sigh of relief. The front desk didn't feel human to him, and the only reason he dared to speak to them was because of the safety time dictated by the rules.

This once again confirmed the authority of the rules.

Bai Yuze looked at the doorless 105, then at the key in his hand. After bowing his head in thought for a moment, he immediately set off for 107.

Pushing open the wooden door of 107, Bai Yuze found the cabinet the front desk had mentioned. He inserted the key, and as the cabinet door swung open, Bai Yuze froze.

There were indeed tools in the cabinet, but they were far beyond his understanding of cleaning supplies.

Inside were several buckets of a white liquid; based on the pungent smell, he could deduce it was gasoline. Additionally, there was a lighter, bags of white sugar, and several empty bottles.

Tucked under the bottles was a note.

[Hello, my dear guest. I am the owner of this residence. When you see this letter, it means you have already met it. I feel sad for you, but also happy for you. You are lucky to have received help from the front desk; this means you have discovered its killing rules. That's right, the night is its home turf. Generally speaking, as long as you don't open the door, you are safe. However, it will disguise itself as a voice you are familiar with to lure you into opening the door. As long as you ignore it, you are safe.]

[If you do acknowledge it, then I am sorry, you will need to go without sleep for a while, because it will visit your room again the next day. At that point, it will not be so polite.]

[To help you survive, we have specially prepared these supplies for you. Please throw these items into the rooms where it has stayed or wants to stay. Believe me, the fire will not spread.]

[Additionally, if every room on the first floor has been tainted by it, then it is time for you to move to the second floor. The tenants on the second floor have short tempers; try not to conflict with them. Good luck.]

Putting the note away, Bai Yuze poured the gasoline into the empty bottles one by one and tore off a few tufts of cotton from a tattered quilt to stuff into the bottles.

After finishing these preparations, Bai Yuze looked at the final item—the white sugar.

He pondered for a moment, reached out, and tucked the sugar into his pocket.

Bai Yuze walked out of the room and strode toward 105. Upon reaching the doorway, he shook the bottle in his hand a few times, pulled out the lighter, and ignited it.

The moment the flame caught, the bottle flew into 105.

BANG!

The fire began to spread inside 105.

Just to be safe, Bai Yuze threw several more Molotov cocktails and propped the fallen wooden door back up against the frame.

At that moment, Bai Yuze heard a heart-wrenching wail from inside the room, accompanied by heavy thump-thump-thump footsteps.

The next instant, Bai Yuze felt the other side of the door being kicked violently.

He didn't dare to be careless; he pressed his body tightly against the wooden door.

But he had underestimated the strength of the creature inside.

With a loud crash, Bai Yuze felt the world spin. The creature burst through the door, and Bai Yuze was knocked back by the immense impact, his body slamming into the wooden door of 106.

The door to 106 couldn't hold up either and collapsed with a clatter. Bai Yuze felt as if his body were falling apart. As his consciousness blurred, he saw the monster's appearance.

It was exactly the monster he had seen in the hint from Gui Dan.

Bai Yuze fought to keep his consciousness, reaching into his pocket to pull something out, but he failed.

Bai Yuze lost consciousness...

When his consciousness returned, Bai Yuze smelled a peculiar fragrance. It wasn't the intentional scent of body wash or shampoo, nor the deliberate aroma of perfume, but a faint, indescribable scent.

Bai Yuze couldn't identify it.

"Hey! Xiaoxue! Xiaoze's fingers moved! Is he waking up?!"

The girl's melodious and highly recognizable voice rang out. Accompanied by that pleasant sound and the girl's hopeful gaze, Bai Yuze slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing that came into view was the joyful expression on Yuigahama Yui, her red-rimmed eyes only adding to her beauty.

Yukinoshita Yukino let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Bai Yuze wake up, her tightly clenched fists slowly relaxing.

"How... how long was I asleep?"

"Hmm... about two hours. As expected of little Ze, at first I really thought you were going to die. It's great that you're okay now..."

Tuanzi tried to return to her usual lively self, but facing a companion who had nearly died, she couldn't bring herself to be happy.

"That means... it's almost night? I need to head back quickly..."

Bai Yuze propped himself up on the mattress with both hands, but he quickly ran out of strength; his entire body was currently limp and weak, unable to muster any force.

"Don't move around. You need to rest well right now, and besides... Room 104 doesn't seem to be safe anymore..."

Tuanzi hurriedly supported Bai Yuze, and after he sat up, her voice became hesitant and stuttering.

"Not safe? Did something happen in Room 104?"

Tuanzi remained silent, pulling out a note and handing it to Bai Yuze.

[Hello, dear player. I am Yang Peng. How have you been lately? I presume you have already seen it, right? If not, don't worry, you will be meeting very soon.]