Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 97
Many people had the experience of gazing up at the night sky. The night was like an ink-splattered tapestry, with countless stars adorning it like dazzling pearls.
Observing the vast number of stars in their company, stargazers often felt a profound sense of loneliness. Yet, they may never realize that in this world, there existed another version of themselves, gazing at the same starry sky alongside them.
Beneath the surface of this perceivable world, there lay a second unknown realm.
This was the story setting incorporated into the new work by the author, Luo Yu.
The new work was in its preparation phase, with Luo Yu meticulously recording his materials in a manuscript. Besides the specific page that had the setting, almost every page described a crime that occurred on the 11th floor of the Saiya Hotel.
Simultaneously, Luo Yu was also piecing together the story of a couple who were killers, attempting to uncover their motives for their actions. He hadn’t settled on the exact storyline, but whenever an idea came to mind, Luo Yu would jot it down on a sticky note and casually attach it to various pages.
When players entered the world of this manuscript, the elevator became the tool for flipping through the manuscript’s pages, enabling them to jump to different page numbers and witness the corresponding crimes.
The reason rooms other than the crime scenes existed was because the second world was a duplicate, replicating the first world in every detail. Moreover, due to the presence of the sticky notes, players could also glimpse fragmentary love stories about the man and woman.
When the couple committed suicide, Zhou Qian couldn’t extinguish the charcoal fire in the room nor prevent their deaths, as their story was already written.
Why did they vanish suddenly?
Probably because the sticky note fell off the manuscript or Luo Yu removed it.
After understanding the structure of this special world, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou began frequently entering and exiting the elevator, trying to decipher the connection between the 12 numbers in the elevator and the manuscript’s page numbers, aiming to ultimately find Luo Yu and his manuscript.
What they experienced just now, reading magazines and brainstorming, all happened after pressing the number “12”. A couple who idolized Luo Yu were subsequently murdered in room 1111. After brainstorming, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou re-entered the elevator, pressing “12” again, and repeated this action 15 times. Three times, they witnessed the murder of the couple in room 1111. The other 12 times were three different cases.
If they label the murder case of the couple in room 1111 as A and the other three cases as B, C, and D, then Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou pressed the number “12” a total of 16 times.
They viewed case A 4 times, B 3 times, C 5 times, and D 4 times.
Interestingly, cases B, C, and D all occurred in room 1108, which was rumored to be haunted and once sealed with concrete. Because of the room’s unique backstory, when Luo Yu wrote about this room, he had vast creative freedom.
This was probably why multiple cases occurred in room 1108.
After testing the number “12”, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou started trying the number “11”. Including their previous experiences with this number, they pressed “11” a total of 17 times and similarly witnessed four different cases. Specifically, they viewed these cases 4, 3, 5, and 5 times, respectively.
After their many attempts, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou rested in the lounge opposite the elevator.
Zhou Qian took out pen and paper to note down their experiences and said to Bai Zhou, “The 12 numbers in the elevator correspond to multiple manuscript pages. Which number we press takes us to a random page and crime scene. It’s completely random, dependent on probability.”
“Unless we are incredibly unlucky and have pressed numbers 11 and 12 so many times and still missed some cases, each elevator number likely corresponds to four different manuscript pages and cases.”
“This suggests the manuscript has at least 48 pages, and this world has 48 layers!”
“Right.” Bai Zhou nodded. “The first time we went to the 1st floor, what we saw was the lobby, not the 11th floor. We didn’t witness any crimes there.”
“That time, our actions were forcibly directed by the system. The system eliminated all other possibilities we might encounter after pressing ‘1’. This can actually be considered a hint given by the system.”
Based on their findings, the number ‘1’ in the elevator should correspond to four different pages and cases in the manuscript. But the system took players to the lobby the first time they pressed “1”, a clear hint that among the four pages linked to this number, only three detail crimes, while the remaining page probably describes the hotel’s lobby setting.
Zhou Qian remarked, “One of the manuscript pages that details the lobby setting might also have other settings. This page is accessible by pressing ‘1’. I agree with this. Moreover, if I were the author, I would naturally put the settings on the first page. The subsequent pages would detail the crime materials.”
“Agreed. So, the number 1 can actually correspond to page 1,” Bai Zhou said. “If the subsequent numbers strictly correspond to page numbers in order—number 2 corresponds to page 2, number 3 corresponds to page 3… and so on until all 12 numbers are used up, then we have to start over from number 1. Everything would then become very clear.”
As Bai Zhou was speaking, Zhou Qian had already written a formula on the paper. However, in a split second, something occurred to him, and he took the pen to strike out the entire formula.
Afterward, Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou and drew a small line at the corner of his right eye with the pen.
In the past, when they were in school doing homework together, Zhou Qian often did this to Bai Zhou. The next thing he would say, always half-jokingly, half-seriously, was, “Zhou Ge, I can’t do this problem.”
Every time he said this, he would intently watch Bai Zhou from the side, as if observing every minute expression on his face.
Often, Bai Zhou couldn’t distinguish whether Zhou Qian truly didn’t know or was pretending not to know.
However, he never really cared. He would just quietly take the pen and carefully explain the problem to Zhou Qian, enjoying the process.
The situation was the same this time.
Taking the pen, Bai Zhou silently wrote a formula: [Y=X+12n.]
Zhou Qian laughed and snatched the pen from him. “Hmm, X is the set of numbers on the elevator panel, Y is the set of page numbers, and n is less than or equal to 3. Well, a simple set mapping problem.”
He didn’t care that this move revealed his feigned ignorance.
Bai Zhou remained unfazed. Looking at Zhou Qian, he added, “If the starting number 1 corresponds to a different page, just adjust the formula slightly by adding the difference, and it will work.”
“Right. The formula is simple. Our problem now is…” Zhou Qian said, “Although we suspect that the author is probably staying in room 1103, there are a total of 48 pages in the manuscript. Excluding the page with the lobby, there are at least 47 other room 1103s. Which one is the author staying in…”
“In other words, if the author entered the world within the manuscript, on which page would he reside?”
After Zhou Qian finished speaking, he heard Bai Zhou say, “31.”
Almost simultaneously, Zhou Qian picked up the magazine in front of him and once again flipped open Luo Yu’s interview.
The interview revealed that the author’s lucky number was “31”.
Zhou Qian quickly did the math in his head. “Hmm, if you want to get to page 31 of the manuscript, press the number 7 in the elevator.”
Bai Zhou grabbed his wrist and stood up. “Mm, let’s go. The probability of success is as high as 25%.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian laughed.
When the elevator door opened, Bai Zhou could easily see his smile reflected in the elevator door.
However, the reflection on the elevator door wasn’t clear, making Zhou Qian’s smile seem a bit dreamy, as if it transported Bai Zhou back to the distant past that seemed so far away.
Staring at the elevator door until it slid open, Bai Zhou turned his attention to Zhou Qian next to him and asked, “What are you laughing at?”
“I’m laughing because, Zhou Ge, you indeed suit my temperament. A 25% probability—if it were Xiaowei or Little Swordsman God, they would think it’s too low. See, only you think like me—that this probability is high.”
Taking another glance at Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian stepped into the elevator. “Let’s go. Let’s see if we can succeed on our first try and find out if our assumptions made before writing the formula are correct.”
…..
Elsewhere, not long after checking into the hotel, Hidden Blade left, saying he had something to discuss with Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou.
Once he left, He Xiaowei never saw him return.
Later, He Xiaowei found himself helping an elderly woman who had fallen, guiding her to the elevator that went down to the lobby.
Of course, he didn’t realize that, from the moment he encountered the elderly woman, he had entered the world of the manuscript. He just thought he had entered a paranormal space, essentially seeing ghosts.
After witnessing the heads fall off the bodies of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan and seeing a couple disappear in the elevator, He Xiaowei was even more convinced of his ghost sighting theory.
His defenses were completely shattered. Finding no safe staircase, his only option was to take the elevator.
From then on, He Xiaowei stayed almost exclusively in the elevator, too scared to venture out.
Every time the elevator doors opened, and he saw the familiar rest area of the 11th floor, he would frantically hit the close button, then repeatedly press “1”, hoping he might get to the lobby and leave.
He Xiaowei felt his luck wasn’t great. He had pressed the number “1” at least 20 times before finally seeing the lobby.
He didn’t realize that he was actually quite fortunate—in those 20 times, he hadn’t encountered another version of himself or any other people from the second world trying to kill him.
Feeling relieved that he wasn’t seeing the repetitive 11th floor’s rest area but instead the lobby, He Xiaowei bolted out of the elevator.
Spotting the Receptionist Wang engrossed in his work, He Xiaowei ran towards him like he was seeing a dear family member. When he reached him, he slammed his hands on the desk. “Mr. Wang! Are you still doing your accounting? There’s been an incident! The hotel is haunted, don’t you know? It’s terrifying!”
“Don’t worry.” Receptionist Wang looked up at him and said nonchalantly, “Some people have died in this hotel, so it has a heavy yin aura. But you don’t have to worry. Isn’t that a swastika on your hand? It will protect you!”
He Xiaowei thought, ‘Indeed, if they openly admitted that the hotel was haunted, how would they do business?’
The hotel staff must have known about the ghost disturbances long ago. Telling them wouldn’t help. He just needed to think of a way to escape and not engage in further conversation.
Wait, he wondered how that person called Erdan was doing. Maybe if he had followed him to the police station, he might have had a chance to survive? Anyway, Qian’er wouldn’t harm him.
As these thoughts raced through He Xiaowei’s mind, he reached the hotel’s glass entrance.
Through the door, he could faintly see police tapes outside, but they were obscured by fog, making them look somewhat illusory.
The strangest thing happened when he tried to push the door open: an invisible force pushed him back.
Propelled into the air, He Xiaowei crashed down heavily. After some thought, he decided he needed to seek out Receptionist Wang to open the door for him.
Quickly getting up, he turned back to the front desk. But as he did, he noticed a trail of blood coming from behind it!
“Did… Did you kill someone?” He Xiaowei swallowed hard and asked Receptionist Wang.
Unable to use his qin, he quickly gripped a dagger in his hand.
Holding the dagger tightly, with a wary look, He Xiaowei approached Receptionist Wang step by step. He wanted to see who the deceased was.
The front desk clerk, still seemingly writing something, suddenly looked up, his face contorted by the light and shadow.
For a moment, he looked like a demon freshly crawled from hell.
“No, no… You’re not Receptionist Wang.”
Now close to the desk, He Xiaowei glanced inside, shocked to find the dead body looked exactly like Receptionist Wang!
“What the hell is going on here—”
Before He Xiaowei could think further, the living duplicate of Receptionist Wang suddenly raised an ax.
As the ax came slashing down like lightning, it was so fast that it felt instantaneous. He Xiaowei swiftly dodged to the side and then dove to the ground, skillfully evading the ax. With both of his forearms supporting his weight on the ground, he almost looked as if he were doing a plank.
Receptionist Wang swung the ax and missed, but quickly lifted it again, aiming for He Xiaowei.
He Xiaowei, with his nimble legs, seized the opportunity. Using his hands to push off the ground, he powerfully kicked both of his legs upwards, striking hard towards Receptionist Wang’s lower body.
Caught off guard, Receptionist Wang lost his balance. Both he and the ax toppled next to He Xiaowei, and the ax created a deep crater in the ground.
He Xiaowei quickly jumped up, thrusting his dagger fiercely into the man’s palm. The blade pierced through, pinning the man to the ground. Without any rush to pull out the dagger, He Xiaowei delivered a forceful kick to the man’s head. The man’s forehead hit the ground, bleeding profusely. Taking advantage of the situation, He Xiaowei mounted the man’s head with a forceful sit.
Subsequently, straddling the man’s neck, He Xiaowei pummeled him, all the while panting and interrogating, “When I first came to this hotel, I observed Receptionist Wang and studied his physique. He’s thin and weak, absolutely not a fighter. It seems you’re just like him. You could only succeed in killing him with a sneak attack, right?”
“Wait a minute. Judging by this, you’re not a ghost. What the hell are you?”
The man did not speak, and with his uninjured left hand, he suddenly exerted force, catching He Xiaowei off guard and gripping his waist fiercely. The ticklish spot on He Xiaowei was touched, causing his upper body to go limp instantaneously. As he lost strength, the man took the opportunity to push him away and stood up.
This so-called Receptionist Wang was clearly a tough character. Taking out the ax from the pit was time-consuming, so he simply ignored it. Instead, he extended his left hand, forcibly pulled the dagger from his right palm, and with the bloodstained blade, he slashed at He Xiaowei.
In that instant, blood splattered, and the knife gleamed like snow.
He Xiaowei quickly retreated several steps, narrowly avoiding the blade. As Receptionist Wang was about to swing a second time, He Xiaowei, instead of retreating, lunged forward, aiming his head directly at Receptionist Wang’s waist.
Receptionist Wang was completely caught off guard by this unconventional move. He hesitated for a split second, and in that brief moment, He Xiaowei, with a move resembling an iron-headed skill, collided with his waist, knocking him to the ground again. This time, He Xiaowei didn’t take any chances. He grabbed the dagger and thrust it directly into his opponent’s heart.
He watched him take his last breath and then, to his astonishment, watched him vanish into thin air. He Xiaowei retrieved his dagger, catching his breath, and quickly checked behind the front desk. Now, he saw the real body of the front desk clerk lying there, which confirmed that this was the genuine one.
He was utterly puzzled by the situation, but the weak fake Receptionist Wang had indeed reminded He Xiaowei of something—the strange occurrences in this instance might not necessarily be related to ghosts. With that thought, He Xiaowei felt somewhat relieved. He leaned against the front desk and took a moment to rest.
Little did He Xiaowei expect that before he could even catch his breath, there was another unexpected turn of events—
The elevator doors suddenly opened, and a figure holding a long machete rushed out.
Seeing this, He Xiaowei quickly ran towards him. But before he could shout “Master”, another identical figure burst out.
Damn it!
Why are there two of my masters?
Two Hidden Blade appeared, having completely identical appearances, weapons, and even the same fighting moves. Leaving the elevator one after the other, the two began to engage in a fierce battle. Their combat was tit-for-tat, and for a moment, He Xiaowei was simply dumbstruck.
How could someone be evenly matched with my master? My master’s sword technique is very powerful! He’s a Rank God player! What kind of monster can imitate him so perfectly?
Of course, He Xiaowei didn’t know that in the settings of this dual world, the two Hidden Blade were essentially one person, hence they could perfectly predict each other’s moves.
In this situation, He Xiaowei was clearly uncertain about whom to help.
After he anxiously shouted, “Master,” both of them surprisingly turned to look at him.
One of the Hidden Blade said, “He Xiaowei, come and help!”
The other swung his sword with a clang and shouted, “He’s the fake one. He Xiaowei, help me!”
He Xiaowei: “……”
As the two exchanged another dozen moves in an instant, He Xiaowei thought of a solution and loudly asked, “When did you formally accept me as a disciple?”
Both answered almost simultaneously, “After the ‘Last Wish’ instance ended.”
He Xiaowei then asked, “You originally didn’t want to take me as a disciple, right? Why did you agree later?”
Both again responded at the same time, “Because of 137!”
He Xiaowei: “Damn it, I knew you didn’t really want to, wuwuwu. So, I’m not good enough after all, wuwuwu—”
One Hidden Blade swiftly swung his sword three times, each missing its target, cutting down a lamp, lifting a piece of the wall, and breaking a plant in its path.
Grinding his teeth, he said to He Xiaowei, “Initially, it was indeed because of 137 that I considered trying to take you as a disciple. I gave you the entrance ticket to ‘Last Wish’ as a test for you. Later, I decided to accept you because you did perform well. So, I am sincere! Don’t be stunned. Can’t recognize your own master? Come and help!”
The other Hidden Blade, dodging those three strikes with a nimble figure, also swiftly swung his blade three times. His stance was almost identical to the previous Hidden Blade.
He said, “He Xiaowei, I am your real master. I remember the first thing you said to me. It was at the trading hall, right? You said to me, ‘Boss, do you need a leg accessory*? I can heal, deal damage, and take hits. Plus, I’m very smart!'”
*Referencing hugging a thigh.
He Xiaowei: “……..”
Fuck, don’t do this to me. I really can’t tell them apart!
……
Elsewhere.
The leader of the “Invincible Legion,” Batu Fei, was always seen with Liu Wansan.
Of course, he had no idea that under Liu Wansan’s skin was actually Wen Bin.
Their experience tonight was no different from others at the beginning. The system summoned them to the corridor for some reason, where they encountered an NPC. After helping the NPC in the lobby downstairs, when they tried to return to the 11th floor, they found they couldn’t.
Sensing something amiss, they entered the elevator. Batu Fei instinctively wanted to press “1”, but Liu Wansan stopped him just in time.
“Why won’t you let me press 1?” Batu Fei asked.
“Something’s off. Maybe someone created this chaos to lure us to the first floor?” Liu Wansan said. “We’d be walking straight into an ambush.”
“You’re… You’re right,” Batu Fei remarked, giving Liu Wansan a more appraising look. “I never noticed before, but you’re quite sharp!”
Liu Wansan replied, “It’s all thanks to you, boss. I’m just glad you’re willing to consider my advice. Just don’t be mad that I overstepped.”
“Don’t be so modest. If you’re right, why wouldn’t I listen?” Batu Fei patted his shoulder. “Am I the kind of leader who fears having subordinates smarter than me? Obviously not!”
“Let me teach you something today. A leader doesn’t have to be the most skilled, smartest, or strongest. The key is to recognize and utilize talent. Look at me. I have an eye for it! It doesn’t matter how I am personally, as long as my subordinates are smart.”
“So, there’s really nothing for you to worry about. If you can lead me to victory, why wouldn’t I listen to you or be jealous?”
“In the real world, I run a business. I might not be particularly talented, but I have capable people under me, and our company continues to thrive!”
What Batu Fei never expected was that he was the naive one.
In real life, he was born into privilege, directly inheriting a small workshop business from his family and becoming the boss.
Given life’s pressures and the need to earn money, people worked for him, naturally doing the tasks he assigned. Moreover, in modern society, there are legal constraints.
But now, he wasn’t in the real world. Without the protection of his parents and other relatives, and without laws and national safeguards, in this survival of the fittest world, what right did he have to be the leader?
So, when the two pressed “2” and encountered another Batu Fei, Liu Wansan didn’t help.
When Zhou Qian encountered a fake He Xiaowei, the fake one still tried to deceive and ambush. But in Batu Fei’s case, with two identical people unexpectedly coming face-to-face, they immediately started fighting.
For a full 30 minutes, they battled on that floor. Regardless of how the real Batu Fei pleaded with Wen Bin for assistance, he remained motionless, casually reading magazines in the reading area.
After 30 minutes, both Batu Feis were exhausted, falling to the ground, head-to-tail. They each had the other’s head pinned between their legs. Both were trying to incapacitate the other without being killed themselves. Neither had the strength to finish the other off.
Finally, after perusing all the magazines, Wen Bin casually approached the two, his shadow making him seem like Death.
The real Batu Fei managed to raise his head and realize something. “You’re not Liu Wansan…”
“It took you this long to realize? But it’s too late.”
Wen Bin drew out a delicate and exquisite fruit knife and, in an instant, swung it twice, each swing taking down one. Both Batu Feis were killed.
Swiftly, the fake Batu Fei disintegrated into ashes, disappearing into the void.
The real Batu Fei, however, died with his eyes wide open, unblinking in death.
Reflected deep within his pupils was Wen Bin’s image—he pulled out a photograph and then transformed himself into He Xiaowei.
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Kinky Translations 
thanks for the chapter
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