But that hadn't affected him much.
After doing tasks during the day and practicing his control over soil in the afternoon, Lu Mi was utterly exhausted. Under "Mom's" sinister gaze, he fell into a deep sleep once again.
At eleven, the alarm rang at a very low volume. Lu Mi had slept for exactly two sleep cycles and felt reasonably refreshed as he threw back the covers.
Guessing that "Mom" had finished checking the rooms by now, he took his little lamp and tiptoed out, closing the door behind him out of habit.
A chilly air hung over the corridor, making him rub his arms.
I have to get back before midnight.
After making sure no one was around, he slipped swiftly and silently into a room and shut the door in one smooth motion.
Just as he turned with his little lamp to take a look around the room, he discovered someone else inside.
The other person smiled at him. "Oh, what a coincidence. You're here for room 208 too?"
Once he recognized her, he rubbed his forehead helplessly and whispered, "Didn't I tell you it was dangerous and not to come?"
Ning Zhuangzhuang folded her arms. "Hold on. Look, I guessed this was where you'd come, and I even got the time right. Doesn't that mean we're really in sync?"
"Never mind. Since you're here, let's look for clues together." Lu Mi surveyed the room, filling her in on the contents of the letter and the photograph.
This room was much larger than the ones the players occupied. The little lamp Lu Mi had brought was dim, barely illuminating the bulky outlines of the furniture.
The most conspicuous pieces were a double bed and a large wardrobe beyond it.
Players had been assigned to clean this room yesterday, so there wasn't much dust, but it was still obvious that no one had lived here for years.
After listening, Ning Zhuangzhuang said, "That A Jun is a real piece of work!"
Lu Mi agreed as he quietly slipped something into her pocket.
The instant he withdrew his hand, Ning Zhuangzhuang's whispered complaints stopped abruptly.
Did she notice? Lu Mi's heart clenched with nerves.
The next second, Ning Zhuangzhuang stepped away from him and slowly walked deeper into the room, her movements stiff.
Puzzled, Lu Mi approached and called to her several times beside her ear, only to find her eyes vacant, fixed on something ahead-
She was looking at the wardrobe at the back. There was a mirror on it, reflecting Ning Zhuangzhuang's head.
Lu Mi remembered what Xu Zhi had said. A player had opened this wardrobe while cleaning, and "Mom" had gouged out their eyes afterward.
Clearly, there was something inside that "Mom" didn't want anyone to see.
And Ning Zhuangzhuang looked as though she had been bewitched.
There was a clue in the wardrobe, but Lu Mi didn't want Ning Zhuangzhuang to take the risk of opening it. He strode forward and opened the door before she could-
A rotten smell hit him in the face.
The wardrobe was completely empty.
Lu Mi frowned. When he turned around, he found Ning Zhuangzhuang right in front of him, still in that entranced state.
"Xiao Ning! Xiao Ning!!"
Regret flooded Lu Mi. He should have made her go back earlier. Anxiously, he was about to pull her away himself when Ning Zhuangzhuang spoke.
"A mirror?"
Lu Mi froze. He immediately remembered the mirror he had seen in the refrigerator last night.
Ning Zhuangzhuang hadn't looked at him even once. Who was she talking to?
"I understand. I'll bring it to you tomorrow."
Apparently, whatever had bewitched Ning Zhuangzhuang wanted her to bring the mirror here. Lu Mi couldn't be sure whether it was a friend or an enemy, but in this bizarre game, it was best to assume the worst.
He took a deep breath and closed the wardrobe door.
Suddenly, Ning Zhuangzhuang began gasping for air like someone who had just been pulled out of the water.
Lu Mi patted her back. "Are you back with me?"
"I saw... I saw a head."
"A head?"
"Yes, a man's head, with a square face." Ning Zhuangzhuang recalled it, her chest still heaving. "There were things like tree roots below his neck, tangled around the shelves inside the wardrobe. Didn't you see it?"
Lu Mi shook his head. All he remembered was vaguely seeing Ning Zhuangzhuang's head in the mirror on the wardrobe door.
Wait... was that really Ning Zhuangzhuang's head?
Lu Mi raised the little lamp and moved closer to the wardrobe door.
Only then did he realize that what was set into the door wasn't a mirror at all, but a pane of glass.
Only someone who looked closely could see through it to what lay motionless inside.
"I get it..." Lu Mi murmured. "You recognized that there was a head inside before I did, so that thing focused all its efforts on bewitching you. What did it say to you?"
Ning Zhuangzhuang thought back. "I remember it asking me to bring him a mirror on the anniversary. I think he said that would let us defeat 'Mom.' What do you think?"
Lu Mi considered it and was about to answer when he suddenly heard a faint sound outside the door.
He immediately extinguished the lamp, and Ning Zhuangzhuang fell silent too.
The door to room 208 slowly opened. Moonlight spilled through the window as a man of average build walked in with a quiet chuckle.
"So you did come looking for clues after all. I knew I'd judged you right."
Lu Mi silently breathed a sigh of relief and switched on the little lamp. "What do you want?"
"Don't be so hostile. I told you there was something unusual in room 208. You ought to give me something in return, shouldn't you?"
When Lu Mi didn't answer, Xu Zhi turned his beaming smile on Ning Zhuangzhuang. "Don't you agree, Xiao Ning?"
Xu Zhi had helped Ning Zhuangzhuang make it out of her last instance. Now, caught between the two of them, she could only answer vaguely, "You were outside the door just now. You should've heard everything you needed to hear, right?"
Xu Zhi spread his hands. "How could I? You noticed me almost as soon as I arrived. You're certainly vigilant."
He slowly moved closer to Ning Zhuangzhuang, his tone coaxing. "All you need to do is tell me where the mirror is."
Lu Mi pulled them apart without the slightest courtesy. "Cut it out. You claim you're providing clues, but you're really just waiting for other people to risk their lives and clear the way, aren't you? I know you came to the door of room 208 last night. When you saw I wasn't here, you went back without even looking inside."
Xu Zhi's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly concealed his displeasure.
He looked at Ning Zhuangzhuang. "Xiao Ning, sometimes there's nothing you can do when a newcomer is too stubborn. No wonder you were worried enough to look after him. I hope you'll give this some serious thought. This may well be our only chance of survival."
Ning Zhuangzhuang gave him only a few noncommittal replies, thinking that it was hard to say who was looking after whom now.
Xu Zhi left without staying long. Lu Mi spoke in a very serious tone. "Xiao Ning, do you trust me?"
Ning Zhuangzhuang paused.
She knew she wasn't really as brave as she appeared.
Inside the wardrobe, that man's face had been covered in masses of writhing maggots. Bewitched, she had been forced to speak to him face-to-face, enduring the foul stench of decay as his breath washed over her face.
In that moment, she had dimly heard someone beside her calling her name urgently.
It had been her only comfort in that world of terror.
Ning Zhuangzhuang looked into his eyes and answered with complete sincerity. "You're like a brother to me. I trust you."
"Then don't tell him where the mirror is," Lu Mi said. "I've noticed that 'Mom' usually comes out around midnight. Let's hurry back for now. I'll explain tomorrow."
"Okay."
The two hurried out of the room and waved goodbye.
Ning Zhuangzhuang watched Lu Mi leave, then turned a corner to head back to her room. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from the stairwell.
One light, one heavy, as though someone were limping.
And her room was near the stairwell.
Before you continue