It Really Wasn't Original at All

Some hid in closets, some in bathrooms, and some on balconies.

All seven of them split up.

Listening to the Pig Head Man's heavy footsteps, they couldn't help holding their breath.

Don't come over!

Hua Zi was hiding on the balcony, crouched in a ball in the corner. He had closed the balcony door, and a pile of clutter blocked the view in front of him.

But when he heard the footsteps drawing closer and closer, he still couldn't control his trembling.

Hua Zi's prayers seemed to have worked. The Pig Head Man stopped in front of the balcony door and looked around through the narrow glass window. When it saw no one on the balcony, it turned and left.

Just as the Pig Head Man walked out of the private room and was about to head to the next one, a glass suddenly fell to the floor.

Hearing the noise, the Pig Head Man turned around and rushed back inside.

It let out a low pant, its voice filled with the excitement of having found its prey.

Hua Zi cursed inwardly: Damn it, who knocked over the glass?

Was he really going to be this unlucky?

No! Don't come over!

This time, his luck ran out. The Pig Head Man headed straight for the balcony and shoved open the door.

As he stared in terror, a huge hand grabbed his head and lifted him up.

"Ahhh!"

Hua Zi kicked at the Pig Head Man, sobbing hysterically. "Don't kill me! Spare me! Please, don't kill me!"

In an instant...

The scene before him seemed to overlap with a memory.

Only back then, he had been the hunter deciding who lived and died, while the prey he had set his sights on begged and screamed for mercy.

What had he done back then?

The Pig Head Man raised the knife in its hand and brought it down without hesitation.

It dragged the limp body away, then slowly returned upstairs.

Only after the footsteps faded did Li Ke, who had been hiding in a closet, and Qiang Ge, who had been hiding in the bathroom, emerge with pale faces.

They stared at the bloodstains on the floor, still shaken.

After everyone had composed themselves, they resumed searching for the keys.

Bai Zuo rubbed his chin. If he didn't intervene, this group probably wouldn't survive.

Bai Zuo communicated with the Heart Gu under his contract. Are you full?

The white Spider didn't answer, but sent him a feeling of satisfaction.

"Excellent. Even useless people can still serve some purpose."

Private rooms with dining tables were rare.

They went down five floors and finally found a room with food on the 22nd floor.

Everyone hurried to sit down.

After all this time, they were starting to feel hungry. The dishes on the table gave off a delicious aroma, and once they sat down, they became even more tempting.

Grrr!

Qiang Ge clutched his stomach.

I'm so hungry!

Has it only been two hours?

He swallowed, staring blankly at the dishes on the table. They really looked delicious!

And everything on the table was meat. He loved meat.

But remembering the warning, he forcibly suppressed his appetite.

The others were also drawn to the food to varying degrees. "That smells amazing! What kind of meat is this?"

Li Ke stared at the dishes, discreetly watching everyone's reactions. He didn't miss the restraint on Qiang Ge's face.

So he likes meat, huh?

Li Ke sneered, keeping his suspicion to himself.

Another warning appeared.

"The chef is coming again. As long as you don't make a sound, you'll be safe hiding in a closet, bathroom, or on a balcony!"

"Keys! Why can't we find the key to the 10th floor?"

"The chef has a bunch of keys on his belt. If we can get them, we won't have to look for the keys anymore!"

"After midnight, the servers will come in. If you don't want to be killed, pay the price!"

Everyone immediately left the table.

The food was far too tempting.

"We'd better hurry up and find the other keys!" Xu Rou rubbed her stomach, looking uncomfortable.

She usually had a small appetite and didn't get hungry quickly. Was she getting hungry so soon because she'd done too much exercise today?

The others also felt that something was off and tried to keep their distance from the table.

Perhaps they'd gotten the hang of searching for keys, because they quickly found the ones for the remaining floors.

They avoided the Pig Head Man several times. After patrolling for an hour, it would return to the kitchen, leaving them another two hours of safety.

Soon, the day was over.

They reached the 14th floor.

By now, Bai Zuo had become quite familiar with the group, especially Han Shitao, who liked talking to him a lot.

Since Bai Zuo had been lucky enough to find several keys they couldn't locate, the others had gradually begun to look to him as their leader.

Du Jiashi watched Bai Zuo with some envy.

Li Ke and Qiang Ge were both a little unhappy, but Li Ke resented Qiang Ge the most and didn't give Bai Zuo much thought.

Although Qiang Ge was displeased, he could put up with anyone who helped them clear the game. Luck was part of strength, after all.

Xu Rou smiled and cozied up to Qiang Ge. "Don't be mad, Qiang Ge. They're just kids. Let them play."

They exchanged a glance, and Qiang Ge smiled knowingly before casually throwing an arm around Xu Rou.

In the past, a sophisticated city beauty like her wouldn't have spared him a glance. But now that they were in this Horror Game, a woman who had nothing but her looks would have to depend on him to survive, wouldn't she?

"Qiang Ge, then tonight..."

Seeing Xu Rou's flirtatious eyes, Qiang Ge confidently patted his chest. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Li Ke glared jealously at Qiang Ge. Why did someone like him get to enjoy this kind of thing? Why hadn't he finished him off the last time?

Han Shitao stood with Bai Zuo. "You're amazing, Brother Bai!"

"Honestly, it wasn't difficult."

He looked at Han Shitao with a malicious, sticky gaze. "Compared to those bizarre forms of punishment, my meager powers of observation are nothing."

The smile on Han Shitao's face stiffened. Faced with Bai Zuo's gaze, as if he could see right through her, she said guiltily, "Brother Bai, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

Bai Zuo shrugged. "Nothing."

Ah, what a show. He was starting to get bored of watching it.

He loved people's malice, yet always ended up hating it.

Because it really wasn't original at all!

So utterly banal!

Du Jiashi had been watching Bai Zuo the whole time. He felt that Bai Zuo had a peculiar air about him: mysterious, dark, and frightening in a way that made him want to investigate despite himself.

So when Bai Zuo separated from the others, Du Jiashi finally stepped forward to stop him.

"You've been pretending this whole time, haven't you?"

"You saw through everything from the start. You'd already found that key, didn't you? You only told them where it was after you'd stirred up trouble between them!"

"What are you trying to do?"

Bai Zuo looked at him with some surprise.