Gathering his thoughts, Bai Yuze headed for Room 105. He wasn't sure what would happen next, but the confusion in his heart had lifted.
Bai Yuze held his knife in his right hand and slowly pushed open the wooden door to Room 105. Compared with the other rooms, its door was much more dilapidated.
Creak—bang!
The long-neglected door couldn't take any more and fell over, its crash echoing down the hallway.
Just then, Bai Yuze heard a door open at the end of the hall. A tall figure stepped out of Room 108.
The person was wrapped in a thick leather coat and had a burly, towering frame. Strangely, he wore not only a mask but also a pair of sunglasses.
As if noticing the commotion, he walked toward Bai Yuze.
Looking at the man's towering, odd figure, Bai Yuze swallowed nervously.
While Bai Yuze stood there, stunned, the man had already reached him. Bai Yuze could feel the aura he gave off, and it terrified him.
Even so, Bai Yuze mustered his courage and spoke up.
"Front desk, the wooden door to Room 105 is broken. Can you fix it?"
"I can't fix it right now. I can only report it. It's not safe to sleep without a door, so find another room to sleep in."
The front desk clerk's voice was muffled, as though someone were squeezing his throat as he spoke.
"By the way, Room 105 is a little dirty. Could you find someone to clean it?"
"Sorry, Minzhai doesn't employ cleaning staff. I have something else to do. The tools are in the cabinet in Room 107. I have a key."
With that, the front desk clerk pulled out a large ring of keys from behind his back, picked one, and handed it to Bai Yuze.
Then the front desk clerk returned to Room 108 without a backward glance.
Bai Yuze breathed a sigh of relief. The front desk clerk didn't feel human. The only reason Bai Yuze had dared to speak to him was that the rules said this was a safe period.
This was further proof of the rules' authority.
Bai Yuze looked at Room 105, now without a door, then at the key in his hand. He lowered his head and thought for a moment before immediately heading for Room 107.
As soon as he opened the wooden door to Room 107, Bai Yuze spotted the cabinet the front desk clerk had mentioned. He put the key in the lock and opened it, then froze.
There were tools inside, but they were far beyond anything Bai Yuze had ever considered cleaning supplies.
The cabinet held several buckets of white liquid. From the smell, he could tell it was gasoline. There was also a lighter, some bagged white sugar, and several empty bottles.
A note was pinned beneath the bottles.
[Hello, my dear guest. I'm the owner of this Minzhai. If you're reading this letter, it means you've already seen it. I'm sorry for you, but I'm also glad for you. You're lucky to have received help from the front desk clerk. That means you've discovered its killing rules. That's right, the night is its domain. Usually, as long as you don't open the door, you'll be safe. But it will imitate a voice you know to lure you into opening the door. As long as you ignore it, you'll be safe.]
[If you paid attention to it, then I'm sorry, but you'll need to go without sleep for a while. It will visit your room again the next day, and by then, it won't be so polite.]
[To help you survive, we've prepared these supplies for you. Throw this stuff into any room where it has stayed or wants to stay. Trust me, the fire won't spread.]
[Also, if it has claimed every room on the first floor, it's time to move to the second floor. The residents there have short tempers, so try not to get into a conflict with them. Good luck.]
After putting away the note, Bai Yuze poured the gasoline into the empty bottles one by one, then pulled a few wisps of cotton from a torn quilt and stuffed them into the bottles.
Once he'd finished, Bai Yuze looked at the last item—white sugar.
He thought it over briefly, then tucked the sugar into his pocket.
Bai Yuze left the room and strode toward Room 105. At the doorway, he shook one of the bottles, took out his lighter, and set it alight.
The moment the flames caught, he hurled the bottle into Room 105.
Crash!
The fire began to spread through Room 105.
To be safe, Bai Yuze threw in several more Molotov cocktails, then stood the fallen door back up and braced it against the doorframe.
Just then, Bai Yuze heard a heart-wrenching wail from inside the room, accompanied by the thud of footsteps.
The next moment, someone kicked the other side of the door with tremendous force.
He didn't dare be careless. He pressed himself close to the wooden door, his whole body braced against it.
But he had still underestimated the creature's strength.
With a bang, the world spun around Bai Yuze. The creature burst through the door, and the force sent him flying back into the wooden door of Room 106.
The door to Room 106 couldn't hold either, and crashed to the floor. Bai Yuze felt as if his body were falling apart. As his consciousness blurred, he saw what the monster looked like.
It was the same monster he'd seen in the hint from the Gui Dan.
Bai Yuze struggled to stay conscious and reached into his pocket to grab something, but he couldn't.
Bai Yuze passed out...
When his consciousness returned, Bai Yuze smelled a peculiar fragrance. It wasn't the strong scent of body wash or shampoo, nor the deliberately applied scent of perfume. It was faint, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Bai Yuze couldn't identify it.
"Hey! Xiaoxue! Xiaozé's fingers moved! Does that mean he's about to wake up?!"
A girl's melodious, unmistakable voice rang out. With the pleasant sound of her voice and the girl's hopeful gaze accompanying it, Bai Yuze slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Yuigahama Yui's delighted expression. Her red-rimmed eyes made her look even more beautiful.
When Yukinoshita Yukino saw Bai Yuze wake up, she let out a breath of relief. Her clenched fists, held against her chest, slowly relaxed.
"How long... was I asleep?"
"Um... about two hours. That's our Xiaozé for you. At first, I thought you were going to die, but you're all right now. I'm so glad..."
Tuanzi wanted to return to her usual cheerful self, but she couldn't feel happy when a companion had nearly died.
"So that means... it's almost night? I need to get back quickly..."
Bai Yuze tried to push himself up with both hands, but his strength gave out almost immediately. His whole body was weak and limp, and he couldn't exert any force.
"Don't move around. You need to get some proper rest. Besides... Room 104 doesn't seem safe either..."
Tuanzi hurriedly helped Bai Yuze. Once he was sitting up, her voice became hesitant.
"Not safe? Did something happen in Room 104?"
Tuanzi didn't answer. Instead, she took out a note and handed it to Bai Yuze.
[Hello, dear player. I'm Yang Peng. How have you been? I imagine you've already seen it, haven't you? If not, don't worry. You'll meet soon enough.]
Before you continue