The incandescent lights on the lobby ceiling suddenly began flickering, giving off a crackling buzz. The bulky television hanging on the wall abruptly switched to static, and the eerie laughter coming from it turned into a hiss. All these strange phenomena made it seem as though the entire lobby was driving out its loose-lipped guests. Unease began to permeate the air.
What exactly were their "Family Members'" habits?
"Please."
The zombie Waiter at the stairwell stepped aside, revealing the dim stairway to the Players.
Holding the little ghost who called himself Xiao An by the hand, Su Bai walked over to the iron door beside the zombie Waiter. Rather than heading upstairs right away, however, he waited for the other Players to go first.
Although the Ghost Creature whose little hand Su Bai held looked eager to go upstairs, Su Bai kept a firm grip on him and refused to let him move.
"Mommy, let go! Xiao An doesn't like Mommy being like this!" The little ghost tried to pull his hand free while continuing to look up at Su Bai with venomous eyes. "Does Mommy know what happens when Xiao An isn't happy?"
The Ghost Creature's eyes had no whites, resembling a pair of pitch-black holes. Angered by Su Bai's refusal, he widened them, and black liquid even began flowing from those holes like tears.
After noticing Xiao An's vicious struggles and the change in his eyes, Su Bai still did not release his hand. Instead, he turned and crouched down so he could look straight into the Ghost Creature's chilling eyes.
Su Bai reached out to stroke Xiao An's cheeks, which were bluish-purple from the cold. Then his left hand slowly slid downward until the hand wearing the string of beads came to rest against Xiao An's slender-looking