In less than a minute, Zhou Qian had changed his clothes.
After the two left room 1107, even though they knew the likelihood of anyone being present was low, they still forcibly opened all the doors on the 11th floor to check the inside before leaving the floor.
Once inside the elevator, they pressed the number “12”. When the elevator door opened, as expected, all the door plaques still displayed numbers starting with 11. They had arrived in a new timeline on the 11th floor.
As usual, they first saw the murder scene of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan. This time, the incident took place in room 1111, and the victims were still a couple. The murderer’s method was largely similar to the previous times, with no new tricks.
After skillfully killing the couple, Xiong Fei and Li Yuan left.
Next, based on the pattern, it was time for the animation of the second story—the story related to the handsome man and the woman in the red skirt.
However, this time, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou waited for quite a while but saw no sign of it. Neither the woman nor the man emerged from rooms 1103 or 1104.
Zhou Qian wasn’t in a hurry. He and Bai Zhou waited in the corridor for about five minutes when they noticed an unusual burning smell. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was coming from room 1103.
Leaning against the corridor wall, Zhou Qian unconsciously lifted his foot and tapped it on the floor several times. After a while, he looked at Bai Zhou, who was standing opposite him, nodded towards room 1103, and finally said, “Zhou Ge, it’s up to you.”
Hearing this, Bai Zhou gave Zhou Qian a few more glances, seemingly trying to gauge his current mood.
Soon, he nodded without asking any more questions and walked over to Zhou Qian. Turning his body slightly, Bai Zhou gave a forceful kick to the door, breaking the lock.
“It might not be safe inside. You want to go in now?” After taking a quick look inside, Bai Zhou asked Zhou Qian.
“We won’t know if it’s safe unless we go in,” Zhou Qian responded, hinting, “Hmm? This time you didn’t throw me onto the bed after breaking the door, did you?”
“Zhou Qian…” Bai Zhou frowned slightly and reached out to grab Zhou Qian’s wrist.
Zhou Qian dodged and went into the room first.
Bai Zhou’s brows deepened. He stepped forward to follow, but Zhou Qian immediately stopped him.
“Don’t come in. Let me check the situation first. We shouldn’t both be caught off guard,” Zhou Qian said.
Bai Zhou shook his head. “I know what you’re trying to do. You go out. Let me handle it.”
“It’s fine.” Zhou Qian glanced at him, pushed Bai Zhou into the corridor, and then closed the door behind him.
Inside the room, it was just as Zhou Qian suspected. The room, covered in pentagrams, had all its windows and doors tightly shut. A man and a woman lay side by side on the bed, and next to the bed was a basin of burning charcoal. They were attempting suicide via charcoal burning.
Zhou Qian had left Bai Zhou outside, fearing that both of them might succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning. He was still unsure if all the scenes involving this man and woman were merely animations. Therefore, he wanted to test it out himself.
After leaving Bai Zhou outside, Zhou Qian approached the man and woman. They both opened their eyes and looked at him. At this moment, Zhou Qian asked, “Did you kill those people?”
The man was the first to reply. “Yes.”
Zhou Qian then asked, “I guess you don’t feel guilty. But aren’t you afraid of dying?”
This time, the woman answered. Her voice was weak, but she smiled and said, “Of course not! Others fear death because they’ll have nothing when they go to hell. We’re different! Those who die by our hands will be our slaves! They’ll serve us in hell! Death will bring us true wealth!”
The man quickly added, “I’m now filled with boundless joy. I’m about to see Lord Satan! This world is filled with sin, betrayal, and pointless desires. Only Satan can give me… the pleasure and peace I desire!”
“If death pleases you, then perhaps you shouldn’t die.” Zhou Qian smirked, picking up a bottle of unfinished mineral water from the table next to him and pouring it into the charcoal stove.
“What are you doing?”
“Stop! Stop this useless and foolish act!”
“To be honest, I think what I’m doing probably doesn’t serve any real purpose. But seeing the two of you so angry and distorted before death, it seems worth it.” Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes and said, “It’s just a shame that this is so much lighter than what you’ve done to other victims. I guess you’ll never get what you want. You’re just brainwashed. There’s no Satan in hell.”
The man and woman could no longer speak because they gradually lost consciousness.
Zhou Qian poured out the entire bottle of mineral water, but the charcoal fire was unaffected. The smoke, mixed with the harmful gasses from incomplete combustion, continued to fill the room.
About three minutes later, the couple was dead. Zhou Qian was unharmed and didn’t even feel any discomfort. He could see the couple and smell the scent of burning charcoal, as if he were in the same space with them. But in reality, it wasn’t the case.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Bai Zhou entered. His pace was unusually hurried. After entering the room, he immediately grabbed Zhou Qian’s wrist and dragged him to the door. “Do you feel okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Zhou Qian looked straight ahead at the man and woman on the bed, their bodies becoming transparent and then disappearing from the room.
At the same time, the charcoal fire and the pentagrams throughout the room also vanished. The room looked brand new, as if nothing had happened.
Zhou Qian reached into his bag and found something:
[Item: Useless Paper]
[Function: No function; transformed from an illusion, its existence is very short-lived. If not placed in the bag, it would have already disappeared.]
[Note: Keeping it in the bag is a waste of space and has no practical use. It is recommended that players take it out as soon as possible. It will disappear immediately when taken out.]
Upon seeing the note, Zhou Qian took the item out. It was the money given to him by the man in room 1103 as a delivery fee.
As the system said, the money disappeared shortly after leaving the bag, just like the suddenly vanished couple and the marks they left in the room.
“So, things didn’t start to go awry until we returned to the 11th floor from the lobby. The alternate dimension appeared much earlier. The first time we met that couple, they were already ‘illusions’ and not real. They could see us and talk to us, but they couldn’t interact with us in any substantive way. They had already died in ‘history’ and didn’t exist in this time and space.”
Suddenly, Zhou Qian laughed, turned to Bai Zhou, and held up another item—
It was what they bought from the front desk in the lobby.
“So this thing is useless to them after buying.” Zhou Qian said as he walked to the trash can and threw it away. “What a pity it can’t be used.”
After disposing of the item, Zhou Qian stared at the trash can for a moment. Various thoughts crossed his mind.
How does the system train Rank God players? One would think Bai Zhou spent these years cultivating some emotionless path.
So does he have feelings for me?
Especially after tying people up and biting ears… What is he doing?
Taking a deep breath and yawning, Zhou Qian turned around to see Bai Zhou leaning against the door, seemingly deep in thought. When Bai Zhou noticed Zhou Qian’s gaze, he looked back and said, “Everything we’ve seen feels like a flashback*.”
*Revolving lantern (走马灯). It’s a lantern consisting of a revolving cylinder that has cutouts of pictures on its surface. When a light source is placed inside, it projects moving images on the surrounding walls, creating an effect similar to a modern film reel. Metaphorically, it’s used to describe rapid flashing of images or replaying of memories (AKA one’s life flashing before their eyes).
There was a saying that people would recall their most important memories before they die. Could the illusions or animations players saw be the memories of these murderers flashing back before their suicide?
Zhou Qian became serious, taking the lead to leave the room and head towards another. “Remind me, let’s check room 1111.”
Room 1111 was where they had witnessed another murder when they first arrived on this floor. If the traces of the “charcoal suicide case” in room 1103 disappeared, what about the other rooms? And were there any clues they might have missed?
Leaving room 1103, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou quickly headed to room 1111. As they approached, they were hit by a strong smell of blood. The murder scene in this room hadn’t “vanished”.
Indeed, everything inside was intact. Two bodies were tied up, their heads covered with nylon bags, and the room was marked with inverted pentagrams.
The story related to that man and woman is indeed a kind of illusion, akin to an animated existence. Perhaps the story came from the flash of memories like a revolving lantern, or maybe it was the shadow of history cast through time and space to the present.
Regardless, they didn’t really exist in this time and space and wouldn’t have any substantial impact on the player.
However, it could now be determined that the cases committed by Xiong Fei and Li Yuan may not be the same.
Suppressing his disgust at the blood in the room, Zhou Qian said, “The actions of Xiong and Li are indeed closely related to the man and woman. Their behavior is an exact replica of the adulterous killers.”
“The fake He Xiaowei previously claimed that the ghosts of the man and woman possessed the bodies of Xiong and Li after they died. But this claim is untenable. He said that just to clear his name and make me believe he was the real He Xiaowei.”
“So, the question I raised earlier is still unresolved—why did Xiong and Li appear as if they were ‘resurrected from the dead’?”
“Now it’s clear that, unlike the situation with the man and woman, these dead people haven’t disappeared; they are not illusions or animations that vanish after playing. So where did these dead people come from? Where did the fake He Xiaowei and the fake version of you come from?”
As he spoke, Zhou Qian heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed. Turning his head, he saw Bai Zhou holding his incredibly sharp Tang sword.
The Tang sword has a long and straight blade, much narrower than ordinary swords. Compared to a double-edged sword, the single-edged Tang sword was thicker and sturdier. Its hilt was long, allowing for a flexible two-handed grip. But mastering it wasn’t a task of just a few days.
The dim light from the corridor cast Bai Zhou and his Tang sword in two long, narrow shadows. Shifting his gaze from the shadow on the floor, Zhou Qian looked up to see Bai Zhou lifting the sword. Reflected on the slender snow-white blade were Bai Zhou’s shining black eyes.
After a moment, Bai Zhou said, “For a long time, I did nothing but practice with this sword. During that period, every challenge I took on was related to swordsmanship. It took me years to achieve my current proficiency.”
Zhou Qian understood his point. “Yes, I was curious earlier. How could that counterfeit last so long against you?”
Bai Zhou added, “This sword is called ‘Breaking Dawn’. I received it as a reward when I reached god rank. I had defeated the most powerful boss in the game. The system emphasized that it’s unique in the entire game.”
Zhou Qian remembered something and asked, “When I attacked you earlier, you didn’t even touch my weapon. Why? Were you afraid my weapon would get damaged? Is your ‘Breaking Dawn’ so sharp that it can easily shatter the Rib of God?”
“Yes, it can break anything,” Bai Zhou replied. “So, logically, there shouldn’t be another identical sword here. It appears that this instance has somehow duplicated both me and that sword.”
After the word “duplicate” was uttered by Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian pondered on it, piecing together the events in his mind.
The 11th floor of the Saiya Hotel seemed to be an ominous floor where many had been murdered. The killers were a pair of lovers who ended their lives in a charcoal suicide pact.
Many years later, eleven impoverished tourists checked into this hotel. One of them, likely a hotel staff, murdered two tourists, Xiong Fei and Li Yuan.
After this, an alternate dimension appeared. The birth of the shadows of the man and woman marked the beginning of this dimension.
Suddenly, the hotel seemed off. The 11th floor seemed to overlap with multiple timelines.
Two killers appeared, replicating the forms of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan. Their actions mirrored the adulterous killer duo.
Meanwhile, the other nine tourists were duplicated, leading to the appearances of another Bai Zhou and He Xiaowei. Victims of the adulterous killers, who should’ve died at different times, were also duplicated, repeating the tragedy.
“So… are the numerous 11th floors some kind of ‘duplication’ or ‘reproduction’?”
Zhou Qian wondered aloud. He then moved closer to a bedside table in the room. Earlier, they hadn’t found any clues on the deceased, only deducing that they all shared a trait of ‘prone to cheating’. Thus, Zhou Qian had overlooked one detail during his first investigation.
Upon his second entry, he discovered a signed photo with the name “Luo Yu”.
On the back of the photo, written in a different font, were the words: [I finally saw you in Blue Harbor City! You are my most admired idol!]
The players had just returned from the tattoo shop to the Seiya Hotel.
Bai Zhou went to take a shower, and Zhou Qian had just finished blow-drying his hair when he heard a knock on the door.
The visitor was Hidden Blade.
Seeing Zhou Qian, he got straight to the point. “Where’s Bai Zhou?”
“He’s showering.” Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you looking for him?”
What surprised Zhou Qian was Hidden Blade’s response. “Not exactly. It would be better if all three of us discussed this matter together. However, I feel a mission is about to come. In this game, I have an intuition-related talent, and it’s usually right.”
“So… time is of the essence. Since he’s showering, let me talk to you first.”
[System Notification: Based on real-time monitoring and predictions, the content that the Rank God player is about to discuss involves core game secrets. High/low-level gamblers are not authorized to know. The following dialogue has been muted.]
Seeing Hidden Blade’s expression and the system’s notification, Zhou Qian quickly realized what was happening.
He asked Hidden Blade, “When you spoke with Zhou Ge alone in the exhibition hall’s rest area, was it about this?”
“Yes,” Hidden Blade replied. “We decided it’s time to tell you. Long story short—”
“Bai Zhou’s mental energy is nearing its limit, and he’s about to go berserk. ‘Transformation into a Dragon’ is one of his active skills, with a cooldown. However, when he goes berserk, he might involuntarily transform into… something odd, perhaps a monster in your eyes.”
“In any case, when he starts losing his senses, you need to help him revert back before he completely turns into a monster, or the consequences are unimaginable.”
Zhou Qian asked, “What signs will he show before he goes completely berserk?”
Hidden Blade answered, “The most obvious sign is his eyes. When he’s completely turned, his eyes will be blue. But during the transformation process, his eyes will turn red.”
“When the red is at its deepest and purest, his eyes will turn blue. But that’s the most dangerous moment, as it means he has completely transformed and lost his senses. Also—”
Hidden Blade then inquired, “Has he given you something?”
Zhou Qian nodded. “Yes. A scale.”
Zhou Qian took out the scale, and Hidden Blade gave him detailed instructions on its use. He also asked Hidden Blade many details about Bai Zhou’s transformation into a monster.
Recently, Zhou Qian suspected that the “He Xiaowei” next to him was an imposter. With Bai Zhou showing signs of transformation, he thought he could use this to lure the imposter and identify him. Zhou Qian pretended to be unaware of Bai Zhou’s impending transformation, mistaking him for a “ghost” in the game, thus leading “He Xiaowei” into his trap.
That was the plan.
But before Zhou Qian could think it through, Bai Zhou began transforming. The timing was very different from what Hidden Blade had described, much earlier than Zhou Qian had anticipated.
At this moment, Zhou Qian was in a wrecked room, with only one partially functioning light outside that blinked eerily.
Even weirder, he felt his legs being entwined by something slippery and cold, presumably Bai Zhou’s transformed tail, which was growing and tightening around him, restricting his movement.
Zhou Qian couldn’t see clearly what Bai Zhou had turned into.
Despite the chaotic situation, Zhou Qian remained calm. He recalled the events and then, looking into Bai Zhou’s red eyes, spoke.
“I get it. I said, ‘We need to separate’.”
“Did those words hurt you?
“Zhou Ge, in your delirious state, did you think… I wanted to leave you, and that’s why you wanted to bind me?”
The words “separate” and “leave” seemed to agitate Bai Zhou again. He leaned in, biting Zhou Qian’s ear with his now-sharpened teeth. Zhou Qian knew he was bleeding. He winced in pain, and Bai Zhou loosened his bite but didn’t let go.
Zhou Qian couldn’t see Bai Zhou’s face anymore. He tried to push him away but failed.
“Although I want to wait and see what you will ultimately become, are you feeling very uncomfortable?” Zhou Qian raised his right hand around Bai Zhou’s back, and what he touched with the tip of his fingers was a cold and smooth scale. Gently patting Bai Zhou’s back, covered with scales, Zhou Qian’s expression remained unchanged, and he whispered in his ear, “Zhou Ge, let me comfort you now.”
Lowering his eyelids, Zhou Qian could see Bai Zhou’s shoulders. He forcefully tore off the blood-stained clothes, exposing Bai Zhou’s shoulder area.
Through the flickering light coming in from outside the room, Zhou Qian could see the fresh, bleeding wounds on his shoulder and the scales growing from the wounds.
Taking the scale that Bai Zhou had given him earlier and placing it on his own forehead, Zhou Qian then pressed his forehead against Bai Zhou’s cold and bare shoulder.
Thus, a single scale became the medium connecting the spiritual worlds of two people. When Zhou Qian opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dark world.
This was Bai Zhou’s spiritual realm. But where Bai Zhou was hiding remained unknown.
Taking a few steps, Zhou Qian stepped on something. He didn’t know what it was and wanted to see clearly but couldn’t for the moment. In this spiritual world, he couldn’t access his belongings and couldn’t get a flashlight or similar tool.
Left with no choice, Zhou Qian cautiously continued forward. Wandering in a blood-red world, he could barely see anything and almost tripped unexpectedly.
After a slight stumble, he heard a “ding” sound in front of him. Zhou Qian crouched down, felt around, and found a flashlight.
Turning on the flashlight, Zhou Qian saw numerous blood-colored skulls. It was as if he was in a world made of fresh blood and bones.
Taking a shallow breath, Zhou Qian looked down at the flashlight in his hand, the corner of his lips curling up in a smile.
Then he spoke loudly, in a coaxing tone. “Zhou Ge, you gave me this scale as a key. Now I’ve used this key to enter your world. Why are you hiding from me?”
“Can you feel me entering your world, right?”
“Zhou Ge is the best, even thinking of giving me a flashlight at this time. So—”
“Won’t you stop hiding?”
“Zhou Ge, it’s Zhou Qian. I’m here to find you. Can you come out and see me?”
While exploring Bai Zhou’s spiritual world, Zhou Qian kept talking, trying to get him to appear. After an indeterminate amount of time, he heard some sounds. Following the sound, Zhou Qian saw a light.
It was their classroom in the third grade.
Silencing himself, Zhou Qian walked over with light steps and looked through the window. Third-grade Bai Zhou was inside, and so was Zhou Qian. The classroom was filled with cakes adorned with candles. Watching the scene for a moment, Zhou Qian smiled, recalling that past memory.
The story started from the midterm exams three years ago. After the exams, the class teacher organized a parent-teacher meeting. The meeting was held in a small auditorium and attended by both parents and students.
Zhou Qian’s parent-teacher meeting was attended by his father’s assistant. During the meeting, he noticed that class leader Bai Zhou was sitting alone.
It wasn’t until 20 minutes before the end of the meeting that Bai Zhou’s mother hurriedly arrived. She was dressed like a high-ranking white-collar worker and seemed extremely busy, which likely explained her tardiness.
After the meeting ended, the assistant took Zhou Qian to the school gate, asking him to wait while he fetched the car. Zhou Qian nodded and waited on the small path lined with sycamore trees at the school entrance.
At that moment, he saw Bai Zhou and his mother walking out of the school gate. For some unknown reason, instead of waiting for his father’s assistant, Zhou Qian decided to follow Bai Zhou.
Because of the parent-teacher meeting, the school gate was jam-packed with cars and was very noisy. Zhou Qian followed Bai Zhou and his mother for quite some time before reaching a somewhat less crowded area.
Bai Zhou’s mother’s car was parked by the roadside. She rushed towards it in her high heels while pulling Bai Zhou along. Her face turned sour when she saw a parking ticket on the window. She sternly walked to the trunk, opened it, and hurriedly took something out, shoving it towards Bai Zhou. She was in such a rush that by the time Bai Zhou reached out to take it, she had already let go.
It was a birthday cake.
Due to Bai Zhou’s mother’s haste, it ended up smashed on the ground.
Bai Zhou’s mother paused briefly, then quickly took out a wad of cash and handed it to Bai Zhou. “Take a cab home. I have to rush back for a meeting at work. I’ve already been out too long—”
As she was about to leave, Bai Zhou grabbed her hand. “Didn’t you say if I ranked first in the class, you’d celebrate my birthday with me this year? I’ve never celebrated a birthday before.”
“Who told you that you have to have cake for your birthday? Isn’t that just a formality? I often buy you treats, don’t I? How about this? When I have time, I’ll buy you another cake, okay?” Seeing no smile on Bai Zhou’s face, as if sulking, she got somewhat upset. “Bai Zhou, understand the situation. It’s tough for me. I didn’t become a partner in the firm because I was pregnant with you. All these years, I’ve been overshadowed by others! This case is crucial. I can’t lose again. Be a good boy, go home, have dinner, and do your homework. If it’s that big of a deal—”
“I’ll ask your father to celebrate with you!”
Hmm. So, today was Bai Zhou’s birthday. That was what Zhou Qian thought at the time.
The next day was a weekend. His father wasn’t home, and his mother was listlessly watching TV on the couch. Feeling bored, Zhou Qian thought of Bai Zhou. He suddenly recalled how lonely and pitiful Bai Zhou looked, staring down at his smashed birthday cake on the ground after his mother drove off.
Back then, Zhou Qian hadn’t yet encountered the Zhang Yanjun’s incident and was still mentally balanced. In his heart, he was still a generous rich kid, eager to help less fortunate classmates.
So Zhou Qian arranged to meet Bai Zhou in the classroom, using the excuse that he had a question he didn’t understand and wanted to ask Bai Zhou.
When Bai Zhou arrived at the classroom at the agreed-upon time, he saw, to his astonishment, nine cakes in the room, each with lit candles.
Bai Zhou was stunned.
Before he could react, Zhou Qian was already in front of him, holding a gift box and saying with an expectant smile, “Open it quickly!”
Without waiting for Bai Zhou to take the gift, Zhou Qian took his hand and thrust the gift box into it, saying, “Happy 9th birthday! Has no one ever celebrated your birthday before? So I got you nine cakes to make up for all those missed years at once!
“Do you think I’m a pretty good person?”
While listening to Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou began unwrapping the gift.
Inside was a trendy electronic watch of that year. The time displayed was precisely 13:07.
Hearing some noise, Bai Zhou shifted his gaze from the watch to see Zhou Qian standing in front of him, holding a cake. Zhou Qian blew out the candle with one breath and then looked up and smiled at Bai Zhou.
Sunlight filtered through the sycamore tree leaves, casting a dreamy light into the classroom.
Beneath this filter, Zhou Qian’s smile was the brightest Bai Zhou had ever seen.
Afterward, Zhou Qian rarely smiled like that, especially after the incident with Zhang Yanjun.
From then on, Bai Zhou often reminisced about that afternoon.
If he could pause time, he would have wanted to press the pause button at 13:07, letting that moment linger a little longer, just a bit more.
At that moment, looking through the glass, Zhou Qian saw two children blowing out candles and starting to eat cake.
The empty weekend classroom was used as their birthday party venue. The two kids even sat directly on the podium, each holding a plate of cake. Unexpectedly, Young Zhou Qian smeared some frosting onto Young Bai Zhou’s nose and forehead.
Bai Zhou let him be, not minding his antics.
Back then, Zhou Qian didn’t think much of it. But now, looking back, he found his younger self childish and pampered.
In short, he grew increasingly irritated with his younger self.
Suddenly, Zhou Qian felt the ground shake beneath him.
Glancing to the side, the distant world seemed tumultuous, filled with countless rustling sounds, as if all the flesh, blood, and bones on the ground were crawling over.
The ground began to collapse, and the mental realm seemed about to shatter.
If he left this unchecked, the only illuminated classroom would be completely consumed by darkness.
Without hesitation, Zhou Qian broke the window with a crash and jumped into the classroom.
Hearing the noise, the two children on the podium looked up, both staring blankly.
Zhou Qian quickly walked over, unceremoniously moving his younger self aside, and took his place next to Young Bai Zhou.
Young Bai Zhou, apparently not recognizing him and thinking he was bullying young Zhou Qian, was ready to throw a punch.
Zhou Qian quickly grabbed his wrist. “Look closely. Who am I?”
Staring into his eyes, Zhou Qian asked deeply, “Can’t you tell which Zhou Qian is real and which is fake?”
After a while, Young Zhou Qian suddenly disappeared, seemingly merging with the present Zhou Qian.
The tremors grew more intense.
The dark sky was illuminated by countless lightning bolts, and as a thunderstorm approached, a loud bang was heard as the roof was pierced by lightning. The ceiling cracked open, and a large rock plummeted down, heading straight for Bai Zhou.
Zhou Qian immediately jumped off the podium, holding nine-year-old Bai Zhou protectively.
Stones brushed past Zhou Qian’s shoulder, tearing away a chunk of his flesh. In pain, he didn’t hesitate, grabbing Bai Zhou and running towards the corridor outside.
With debris falling like rain, Zhou Qian dodged while protecting Bai Zhou. The situation was dire. As they ran, Zhou Qian suddenly stopped, almost tumbling to the ground. A vast abyss had opened up in front of them, leading to an unknown destination.
When he landed, Zhou Qian kept Bai Zhou safe in his arms, ensuring he wasn’t hurt.
Zhou Qian’s face and shoulder bore the brunt of the debris. Without catching his breath, he heard something behind him. Turning around, lightning was closing in, inch by inch.
Behind him was lightning, and ahead was the abyss.
But when another bolt was about to strike, Zhou Qian, left with no choice, rolled into the abyss, holding Bai Zhou.
During their fall, Zhou Qian held Bai Zhou by the waist, raising him and locking eyes. “Zhou Ge, wake up!”
Bai Zhou’s eyes flashed blue, then red, finally settling into a deep black.
He stared intently at Zhou Qian, as if trying to etch this moment into his memory.
At that instant, although his manifested body in this mental realm was only nine years old, there seemed to be a shadow of his adult self overlapping with the young form.
Staring into those deep eyes, Zhou Qian felt as if he was being pulled into some dark world within Bai Zhou’s heart.
Then he heard Bai Zhou whisper, “Aren’t you afraid?”
“Afraid of what?” Zhou Qian retorted.
“Of crashing and shattering into pieces with me.”
Zhou Qian chuckled.
Returning Bai Zhou’s intense gaze, Zhou Qian’s tone, which usually sounded mischievous when tricking teammates, now carried a seriousness and certainty that perhaps even he wasn’t aware of.
“I’m not afraid. Zhou Ge, you wouldn’t do that.”
“I’m here to take you back. Leave with me.”
Zhou Qian laughed.
Matching Bai Zhou’s deep gaze, Zhou Qian’s tone seemed similar to how he would cajole and deceive other teammates usually, but upon closer listening, there was an added seriousness and certainty that he might not even have been aware of.
“Don’t be afraid. Zhou Ge, you won’t do that.”
“I’m here to take you back. Leave with me.”
“You have to leave with me now!”
With that said, Zhou Qian pulled Bai Zhou closer, their foreheads touching.
At this close proximity, Zhou Qian stared intently into those eyes, as if engaged in an invisible standoff. Then he emphasized in a deep tone, “You will leave with me.”
Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and another bolt of lightning struck from the sky, bringing with it a rain of shattered rocks.
Zhou Qian watched as the figure of Bai Zhou in his arms began to grow rapidly, morphing into a dragon.
The deep blue dragon tail wrapped around Zhou Qian tightly. The dragon then ascended at an incredible speed, soaring towards the lightning. Like a solitary moon hanging high in the sky—it was the true ruler of this world.
With a flick of its tail, the dragon tossed Zhou Qian onto its back.
Dark clouds gathered from all directions, heralding the birth of another storm.
Yet, the dragon continued to rise against the sky, its tail swiping away the ominous clouds.
Then, as the dark clouds dispersed, daylight broke through, bathing the world in sunlight once more.
Zhou Qian hugged the dragon, feeling it rapidly ascending. The intense speed almost made him dizzy. As the clouds cleared, the blinding light forced him to close his eyes for a moment of relief.
After a while, the brightness faded, and the sensation of flying ceased. When Zhou Qian opened his eyes, he found himself back in the dilapidated room 1107.
The scale had unknowingly returned to his palm, and now pressed against his forehead was Bai Zhou.
The horns on Bai Zhou’s head had disappeared, and the scales on his face were fading away. His eyes were still deep blue, but they were turning darker. Looking into them, Zhou Qian felt as if he were diving from shallow waters into the abyss of a dark ocean.
Their foreheads were slightly damp, either from sweat or perhaps both.
Having journeyed through the mental world of a Rank God player, Zhou Qian felt the fatigue and pain as if they were real. Taking a deep breath, he instinctively leaned backward.
Immediately, Bai Zhou’s not-yet-fully-human hands reached out, supporting the back of Zhou Qian’s head, bringing their foreheads close again.
Forehead to forehead, noses touching.
In this position, Zhou Qian heard Bai Zhou’s hoarse voice ask, “Choosing to use that scale means you’re willing to be my Shepherd. Zhou Qian, so… are you willing?”
“Otherwise, do I have a choice?” Zhou Qian replied with a weak yet teasing tone, making Bai Zhou laugh. “What if you went berserk and tore me to pieces and ate me?”
The fingers on Zhou Qian’s head moved forward gently, barely touching his face. Bai Zhou asked, “Haven’t you ever doubted that I might be fake?”
“You took the elevator alone, so theoretically, it’s possible. But you were flawless. I’d think, at most… there might be a parallel dimension. But the you from that dimension is still you.”
“As long as it’s you, you wouldn’t harm me. Maybe at the end of this instance, the dimensions will merge, and then—”
Bai Zhou interrupted Zhou Qian. “It’s not me.”
“Hmm.” After a moment, Zhou Qian nodded in agreement, emphasizing, “It’s not you.”
Then Bai Zhou went silent.
With Bai Zhou quiet, Zhou Qian said, “Hidden Blade described your berserk form as terrifying. But I think… it seems fine.”
“Really not scared?” Bai Zhou asked.
“No,” Zhou Qian replied.
After a moment of silence, Bai Zhou’s voice deepened. “Don’t you think I’ve become unrecognizable?”
Zhou Qian seemed to suddenly grasp Bai Zhou’s insecurity.
When they were much younger, Zhou Qian often told Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge, I think you’re really handsome.”
“Yes, definitely handsome.”
“Zhou Ge, in my eyes, you’re perfect in every way.”
……
“Unrecognizable? Because you turned into a dragon and had scales on your face? Too bad—” Zhou Qian feigned nonchalance. “I didn’t get a good look.”
“Zhou Qian—”
“Next time, let me take a closer look at what you believe to be the real you.” After saying this, Zhou Qian felt Bai Zhou lean in, seemingly wanting to get closer.
They were already very close; this movement almost made their bodies touch completely.
Bai Zhou wanted to…
Zhou Qian paused, then gently closed his eyes.
A moment later, he felt Bai Zhou move past him towards the head of the bed.
It turned out, Bai Zhou had only intended to help him untie the restraints on his left hand.
Zhou Qian: “…………”
Two minutes later.
Sitting at the head of the bed, Zhou Qian watched as Bai Zhou held a flashlight in one hand and a cotton ball in the other, cleaning the wound behind his ear and asking if he had any other injuries.
“Was I too rough earlier?” Bai Zhou asked.
Zhou Qian remained silent.
Bai Zhou shined the flashlight on his face, examining it before reaching out to touch his forehead. “Your face is flushed. Do you have a fever?”
Zhou Qian: “…”
After treating Zhou Qian’s wounds, Bai Zhou massaged his wrist and took a clean set of clothes from his bag. “Your clothes are covered in blood; you don’t like that, right? Go change, and I’ll wash my face.”
As Bai Zhou headed to the bathroom, Zhou Qian called out, “Hey, Zhou Ge.”
Bai Zhou turned to look at him. “Hmm?”
Zhou Qian blinked at him. “You don’t see me as… a younger brother, best buddy, or close friend, do you?”
Bai Zhou: “?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing.” Zhou Qian asked him, “What about the injury you had before?”
Bai Zhou: “It’s all healed now. When I transformed back from the monster form, everything was healed.”
“Oh. Alright then. We’ve wasted too much time. Let’s continue with the plot. I bet there’s a surprise on the 1st floor.”
With that said, Zhou Qian grabbed the clothes beside him and threw them at Bai Zhou.
“Zhou Qian—?” Bai Zhou didn’t dodge and was hit by the clothes.
Zhou Qian said with a hint of annoyance, “Never mind. I’ll just buy from the system store myself.”
Kinky Thoughts:
Just a note, the cover of this novel depicts Bai Zhou in his mid-transformation.
Lying on the ground, Bai Zhou’s eyes remained wide open in death. A silent tear slid down his face before disappearing.
Upon witnessing this, Zhou Qian’s heart sank.
He didn’t have time to utter a word before the person in front of him turned into ash and dispersed into the void.
For a rare moment, Zhou Qian felt a pang of anxiety.
However, he quickly suppressed it, clutched the Rib of God, and hurriedly headed towards the elevator.
Sure enough, “He Xiaowei” was desperately pressing the elevator button. He had witnessed the previous scene and knew he was exposed, so he decided to flee.
“Although I don’t exactly know what you ‘ghosts’ are, it seems you too need to use the elevator and can’t just vanish at will.”
Zhou Qian stepped forward. Just as he spoke those words, he felt a gust of wind beside him; a bloodshot-eyed Bai Zhou was lunging at him with a knife.
In the nick of time, Zhou Qian leaped forward, grabbed him by the waist, trying to stop him. “Zhou Ge, wait! Let me ask a few questions.”
Bai Zhou indeed stopped in his tracks. But that didn’t mean he spared “He Xiaowei”.
With a swift motion, he surprisingly didn’t kill with one strike but instead pierced “He Xiaowei’s” shoulder with his blade, nailing him to the wall.
Then, Bai Zhou turned his gaze to Zhou Qian.
Filled with a fierce aura, he said nothing, but his eyes seemed to urge: “Ask your questions.”
Zhou Qian deeply looked into his eyes, then turned his attention to “He Xiaowei”. “Do you know where you went wrong?”
“He Xiaowei’s” reactions were rather perplexing.
At first, he displayed anger, fear, and regret—typical responses when one’s plans are foiled and faced with death.
Yet, in the next moment, he looked at Zhou Qian with sadness, as if he truly was He Xiaowei.
He seemed reluctant to turn against his old friend, hence the reaction.
The previous “Bai Zhou”, when he “betrayed” and died, showed a similar response.
Recalling the tear that slid from his eye, Zhou Qian momentarily drifted into thought.
But his eyes sharpened quickly after. “Can you tell me, what exactly are you?”
“He Xiaowei” didn’t reply but painfully shook his head.
Zhou Qian continued, “Tell me, and I’ll let you know where you went wrong, deal?”
Still, “He Xiaowei” didn’t respond. Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow, then said, “From the moment I met you, I’ve been trying to figure out who you really are by talking to you. You revealed many inconsistencies, but they weren’t enough for me to act.”
“After all, people can change and behave differently under different circumstances. I needed more evidence, so I decided to trap you. It’s no fun trapping just one; the bigger fish had to be lured out.”
“After deciding to set you up, many of the things I said to you were deliberate. I intentionally told you first that I suspect there are two of you, two of me, and even two Zhou Ge here. Based on that, I then deliberately put on a show, pretending to believe that he was fake.”
“Sure enough, you really believed it. You believed it, and then another Zhou Ge emerged.
“So now, do you know where your flaw is?”
Zhou Qian walked up to He Xiaowei and said, “If you tell me what’s going on, I’ll let you die cleanly. How about it? At least tell me… why the fake Bai Zhou would shed tears, and why you occasionally show sadness? Why does the fake Bai Zhou also have a Tang sword and use exactly the same moves?”
He Xiaowei actually responded. But he only said one thing. “I have He Xiaowei’s memories of you. In some sense, I am also the real He Xiaowei. That’s why I feel pain.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian wondered—
Did the “Bai Zhou” shed tears earlier because, at that moment, he truly felt sad as Bai Zhou? Was he a clone of the real Bai Zhou? Did his tears signify that the real Bai Zhou would also feel such pain and sorrow if betrayed by him?
Zhou Qian’s expression changed slightly. Before he could ask further, the figure of “He Xiaowei” turned into ash and disappeared completely.
Zhou Qian suddenly felt a sense of loss, as if he had just personally persecuted Bai Zhou and He Xiaowei. But after all, they were just fakes.
Their feigned concern and real intent to kill him were clear. After all, pretending to protect him while actually wanting to distract the real Bai Zhou in a duel was what the fake Bai Zhou did.
The reason why this “He Xiaowei” was fooled was easy to analyze. He had been lurking by Zhou Qian’s side, looking for a chance to kill him. The reason He Xiaowei hadn’t acted yet was because Bai Zhou was with Zhou Qian. Alone, he couldn’t deal with both of them.
Realizing this, Zhou Qian hatched a plan to trap the “ghosts”.
Upon seeing Bai Zhou acting strange and Zhou Qian considering him fake, without knowing it was all Zhou Qian’s design, “He Xiaowei” believed it was real. The mission of “He Xiaowei” and their group of “ghosts” was probably to kill all the players. They wanted to kill Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou.
At that moment, seeing Zhou Qian mistakenly think the real Bai Zhou was fake, “He Xiaowei” thought it was a golden opportunity and wondered why he hadn’t brought the fake Bai Zhou. Zhou Qian would definitely think the fake was real, and they could team up to eliminate the real Bai Zhou. Once the real Bai Zhou was gone, killing Zhou Qian would be easy to deal with.
So, the fake He Xiaowei brought the fake Bai Zhou, hoping to seize this golden opportunity. In their eagerness to kill, they exposed a major flaw.
No matter how smart a person was, they couldn’t solve a math problem with missing conditions. From the information they had, players still didn’t understand the rules of this instance. They had no idea which number to press in the elevator to reach which time and space.
So far, Zhou Qian only knew one fact: once players enter the elevator and leave, they can’t return the same way as the numbers’ corresponding time-space is always changing.
Given this, it was impossible for the “He Xiaowei” or “Bai Zhou” to find them so quickly.
The overlapping time and space on the 11th floor turned it into a maze. Their swift arrival could only mean they knew the coordinates and how to get there. Therefore, they knew all the secrets of this space and were “ghosts”, not humans.
Of course, this flaw wasn’t the basis for Zhou Qian’s judgment. He had this plan to further confirm He Xiaowei’s identity, bait the fake Bai Zhou, and eventually eliminate the two “ghosts”. He always knew that the Bai Zhou by his side was real.
After He Xiaowei disappeared, Zhou Qian immediately ran to the blood-covered Bai Zhou, helping him up.
“Zhou Ge, are you okay?”
During the recent battle between the real and fake Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian didn’t intentionally delay, causing Bai Zhou to get injured.
The two “ghosts” came too fast. They might also realize that their approach had flaws and could reveal their “ghost” identities.
However, in their eyes, Zhou Qian might not quickly realize this flaw, so they wanted to test Zhou Qian’s reaction.
Therefore, Zhou Qian had to continue acting as if he was unaware.
In this way, he could ensure that he would succeed in one strike and be able to kill the ghost that was as powerful as Bai Zhou.
Right now, Zhou Qian didn’t get a response from Bai Zhou.
Bai Zhou simply grabbed his wrist and dragged him back into room 1107, which was almost completely destroyed except for a bed.
From the broken furniture on the floor, Bai Zhou quickly pulled out a cloth strip, tied Zhou Qian’s wrist to the bed, and then leaned over to hug him tightly, just as he did before.
“Zhou Ge?” Zhou Qian lifted his other hand and gently touched Bai Zhou’s eyelid.
He watched as deep blue scales appeared on Bai Zhou’s face, one by one, gradually covering his entire face.
At the same time, sharp horns grew on his forehead, and his ears became pointed, completely different from a human’s.
Then, Bai Zhou whispered something in a low voice.
But it was clearly not a human voice anymore; it sounded like a beast suppressing its roar.
However, Zhou Qian actually understood him.
He was asking, “Are you afraid of me?”
“Not afraid.”
Zhou Qian raised his hand and gently touched his horn, which felt very smooth. He whispered, “Even in this state, you haven’t harmed me. I just don’t know which of my words triggered you to transform—”
Zhou Qian shouted out loud, immediately struggling fiercely. He tried to bend a leg, fiercely kicking the person pressing on top of him. However, his strength couldn’t move the person at all.
At the same time, the Bai Zhou from outside had broken into the room, his Tang sword slashing at the man on the bed, the flash of the blade reflecting his cold, murderous eyes.
Suddenly, another Tang sword was drawn. It was pulled out by the Bai Zhou on the bed.
He didn’t dodge or evade but directly drew his sword to meet the attacker’s strike.
As the two blades clashed, a brilliant white light erupted, illuminating two identical faces. One face looked as usual, albeit angry. The other’s face was increasingly off, with its pupils almost completely turning red, contrasting with a pale, bluish complexion, as if some monster disguised as a person was about to lose control and reveal its true form.
Accompanied by the screeching sound of metal scraping, one blade slid past the other, briefly separating before both swung with powerful killing intent. They continuously clashed, creating massive sounds with each impact.
Thus, two identical figures with identical swords began a fierce duel. Within moments, they had exchanged dozens of slashes, seemingly evenly matched. Sofas, coffee tables, and even the door were shattered, showcasing the sharpness of their blades.
Due to the special rules of the instance, neither could use special skills. Both were relying purely on their strength and combat abilities. The two fought their way from inside the room to the corridor. Carpets and walls broke apart, with shards and dust exploding amidst the flashing blades. Lights overhead shattered, dimming the already dark corridor.
While the two fiercely battled, Zhou Qian, with only one wrist bound, discreetly freed himself.
Though the room was in chaos, he wasn’t injured at all. It seemed both Bai Zhous were cautious around him, adjusting their strikes just before hitting him. Zhou Qian also noticed their techniques were almost identical.
All of this suggested as if Bai Zhou had been magically duplicated. Only one detail differed—the Bai Zhou from outside didn’t have a bite mark on his hand.
Zhou Qian took out the Rib of God from his bag and entered the corridor, where the fight between the two Bai Zhous was intensifying. Near the elevator, he saw He Xiaowei had returned, hiding in a public resting area, seemingly scared of being caught in the crossfire.
Raising his eyes, he unexpectedly met Zhou Qian’s, and he showed a terrified expression.
“Thank you for not abandoning me and calling for help,” Zhou Qian said to him.
He Xiaowei swallowed. “Ah… yes. You should come hide too. It’s too terrifying!”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s expression remained unchanged, but he felt a sinking feeling inside. His last doubts had vanished, and he now had a definite answer.
“I can’t. I have to help. If they keep fighting like this, they might both end up dead. Thank you for bringing the real Zhou Ge here. I’ll go help him defeat the fake one now!”
“You shouldn’t go. Zhou Ge and I can handle him!”
Having said that, Zhou Qian continued forward, his face full of rage. “I’ve been deceived for so long! I’ll kill him!”
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei simply said, “Be careful then!”
“Mm. I can do it.”
Without paying further attention to He Xiaowei for the moment, Zhou Qian, holding the Rib of God, dashed towards the area where the two were fiercely battling.
At this moment, both Bai Zhou’s bodies were injured, their arms and legs covered with wounds of various sizes and severity.
However, both seemed equally unfazed.
They continued to fight as if they were numb to pain. As they moved, wounds would constantly burst open with fresh blood, staining their clothes completely red.
By the time Zhou Qian arrived, one of the Bai Zhou’s, whose eyes were almost blood-red, was slashing at him with his sword.
The other Bai Zhou, without hesitation, held his sword with both hands and slashed upwards, clashing fiercely with the oncoming blade.
The moment the two blades collided, the screeching sound of metal friction resonated once again. After that, Zhou Qian confronted the red-eyed Bai Zhou with a question: “Bastard, who the hell are you?”
Hearing this, Bai Zhou’s blood-red eyes squinted slightly, revealing a strong hint of restlessness, as if heralding the imminent arrival of an extreme danger, like a volcanic eruption or a raging tsunami.
“You’re not Bai Zhou. You’ve deceived me all along. I’m going to kill you!”
Zhou Qian yelled at him, raising the Rib of God and swinging it hard.
Bai Zhou shifted his body to the side, avoiding the attack from the Rib of God, and retreated half a step.
Seizing this opportunity, Zhou Qian swung his weapon again at him, launching a second attack in quick succession.
Yet, the sword continued to pull back, and the red-eyed Bai Zhou took another half step backward. Like this, he kept retreating, not retaliating. After a moment, he just looked up, gazing deeply at Zhou Qian through sweat-soaked hair with eyes that seemed like they were brewing a storm.
Zhou Qian bravely met his gaze, showing an unmistakable murderous intent.
After a while, he raised the Rib of God in front of his chest with his right hand while holding onto the arm of the other Bai Zhou beside him with his left. Turning his head, Zhou Qian looked at him with concern. “Thank goodness you came. Otherwise, I might have been killed by him. Zhou Ge, thank you—”
“There’s no need for that between us. Zhou Qian, step back. I’ll kill him.”
Bai Zhou looked at Zhou Qian with equal concern, grasping his hand.
While trying to pull Zhou Qian to his side and about to say something, a rapid strike from the opposing sword came swinging at them.
The normal-looking Bai Zhou quickly sidestepped to Zhou Qian’s right, wrapping an arm around him and raising his own sword, striking with lightning speed.
As the blades clashed again over the next 30 seconds, they exchanged numerous blows. Both were ruthless, aiming for vital areas; each strike was fiercer than the last.
In a fleeting moment, the opposing red-eyed Bai Zhou’s gaze slid down to the hand on Zhou Qian’s waist. The blood in his eyes seemed to boil with rage, as if blood would spurt out at any moment.
With hands clasped, he stepped back several paces, then lunged forward, delivering the fiercest blow, aiming straight for the head of the Bai Zhou beside Zhou Qian.
The blade gleamed with unprecedented sharpness, painted with red marks, prominently reflecting the murderous intent in Bai Zhou’s eyes.
Seeing this, the Bai Zhou holding Zhou Qian quickly retreated a few steps. His palm exerted a slight force, perhaps intending to push Zhou Qian away and confront the blade charged with murderous intent.
However, Zhou Qian advanced instead of retreating, swinging the Rib of God horizontally.
As the Rib of God was about to meet the incoming blade, the blade unexpectedly stopped in its tracks.
The blade’s glow dimmed, and the red-eyed Bai Zhou stepped back, spitting out a mouthful of bright red blood.
The normal-looking Bai Zhou, seeing this, immediately pulled Zhou Qian close again, gripping his sword tightly and launching another fierce strike at the opposing red-eyed Bai Zhou.
A new round of combat began, but this time, the red-eyed Bai Zhou seemed to be on the defensive, as if he was holding back something. He retreated all the way to the end of the corridor.
At this end of the corridor, one door was sealed with cement, and the other led to the chaotic room numbered 1107.
Most of the lights here were broken. From the other half of the corridor, a dim yellow light shone, suggesting that this duel was nearing its climax.
Zhou Qian felt the hand around his waist release him. Then he heard Bai Zhou beside him say, “Get behind me. I’ll handle this.”
Zhou Qian shook his head. “You can’t defeat him on your own. Let’s do it together. You distract him, and I’ll seize the opportunity to strike!”
While saying this, Zhou Qian stared intently at the red-eyed Bai Zhou across from him.
His tone was cold, filled with the intent to kill, as if he had made up his mind to put the opponent to death.
After speaking, when he looked at the Bai Zhou beside him, his gaze had softened.
His voice also softened. “Zhou Ge, be careful.”
Zhou Qian’s gentle reminder gave Bai Zhou by his side endless courage. In contrast, it seemed to evoke infinite anger in the Bai Zhou on the opposite side.
Two identical Tang swords were held by two people who looked the same, and they began their deadly duel once again.
Multiple streaks of blade light flashed and then faded. The floor curled up one after another, the wallpaper shattered inch by inch, and dust and smoke spread everywhere. By the time it all settled, both Bai Zhous were drenched in blood.
With a “clang”, the two swords met again.
The two Bai Zhous stood facing each other at the end of the corridor.
At this moment, their physical strength was obviously exhausted, with their sword-holding hands slightly trembling.
At this point, whoever lost stamina first would be the one defeated.
The deadly fight had reached its critical moment!
Zhou Qian whispered to the normal-faced Bai Zhou close to him. “Now is the time.”
Having said this, Zhou Qian gripped his Rib of God and walked step by step towards the Bai Zhou with red eyes. The red-eyed gaze shifted from his opponent to Zhou Qian, a suppressed emotion in them so intense it was suffocating.
Through these blood-red eyes, Zhou Qian felt as if he was witnessing the end of the world. Gripping the Rib of God, Zhou Qian took a deep breath and lifted it.
At this moment, the red-eyed Bai Zhou had to grip his sword with both hands just to barely withstand his opponent, trying to remain undefeated.
Looking back at the entire battle, even at the most dangerous moments, he never harmed Zhou Qian. The reason he was at a disadvantage earlier was because Zhou Qian was held by the other Bai Zhou, making him hesitant in his moves.
Given this, Zhou Qian could easily kill him if he chose to attack. And it seemed Zhou Qian intended to do just that.
He seemingly couldn’t understand all the emotions hidden deep within those red eyes, only approaching with the intent to kill.
Holding the Rib of God with both hands, Zhou Qian raised it high and swung it forcefully towards the red-eyed Bai Zhou. However, in a split second, with a twist of his ankle and a tilt of his body, the Rib of God suddenly changed direction, striking hard at the Bai Zhou originally standing behind him!
Caught off guard, the Bai Zhou took a heavy blow to the forehead and started to tilt backward, losing the standoff. The next moment, the Tang sword from the other side ruthlessly lunged forward, piercing his heart with astonishing speed and precision.
Due to Zhou Qian’s proximity, the gushing blood immediately drenched him.
Regardless of Zhou Qian’s aversion to blood, he couldn’t care less at the moment—he looked into the eyes of the fallen “Bai Zhou” who was lying in a pool of blood.
His expression was strange; initially, it was filled with deep hatred from a broken conspiracy, but a moment later, it was filled with endless pain and sorrow.
Suddenly, his eyes became extremely red, and in an instant, tears slid down from the corners, glistening like dew or stars. However, they quickly merged into the blood, leaving no trace behind.
An old grandmother and her granddaughter died here. Both of them died in a similar manner: their heads covered with nylon bags, their faces beaten beyond recognition, and their limbs tied into bizarre shapes. As for the floor and walls inside the room, they were all painted with inverted pentagrams.
Xiong Fei and Li Yuan seemed to have become Satan’s minions, constantly killing in the human world and sending them to hell to serve the devil.
After the murders, they left Room 1112 and headed for the elevator.
While waiting for the elevator this time, a wound suddenly appeared on Xiong Fei’s neck, and blood spurted out instantly.
Xiong Fei quickly held his head, seemingly trying to prevent it from falling off.
Afterward, the two of them took the elevator and left.
After the two left, the door to Room 1104 opened, and a woman in a red dress came out.
Before leaving, she yelled into the room, “That’s right, what you’ve given me has never been what I wanted!”
Perhaps because she was too angry, the woman stumbled as she walked out. Her high heels slipped off, and she twisted her foot.
The opposite door of room 1103 opened, and a handsome man walked out.
When he saw the woman, he looked at her with a hint of pity.
Meeting his gaze, the woman lowered her head, as if feeling ashamed to be seen by him in her current state.
The man, however, seemed unconcerned. He walked over to help her up, and seeing that she couldn’t walk, he simply carried her to the elevator entrance.
In a seductive tone, he said to her, “Being with the wrong person isn’t your fault. You deserve better.”
The woman blushed and buried her face in his chest.
The elevator doors opened, and the man carried the woman inside. A moment later, both of them had disappeared.
“My god, what the hell is going on here?” He Xiaowei couldn’t help but say.
“I have some guesses. Let’s get on the elevator first.”
Having said this, Zhou Qian took Bai Zhou’s hand and walked forward, pressing the elevator’s up button.
Inside the elevator, the digital display still showed they were on the 9th floor.
Zhou Qian glanced at the number and pressed the button for the 11th floor.
The elevator soon arrived.
Exiting the elevator, Zhou Qian immediately turned left and walked to the end of the corridor.
This time, at the end of the 11th floor corridor, there was only Room 1107.
As for the old room 1108 where a family of three had died, it had once again appeared to be sealed off with cement.
Seeing this, Zhou Qian went to the opposite room 1107 and swiped his key card.
The room was still empty.
However, this room didn’t have the lampshade decorated with swastikas and human skin tattoos, nor the cold towel with ice cubes left by Bai Zhou. Clearly, this wasn’t the room they had originally stayed in.
After a quick look around the room and making some kind of confirmation, Zhou Qian left room 1107.
Unsurprisingly, they encountered the third murder.
This murder took place in Room 1110.
The victims were still a couple. However, this time there were no children at the scene.
The details of this case were somewhat similar to the previous one, where a family of three were the victims, only this time the roles were reversed.
Initially, the husband was alone in room 1110 and was beaten to death by the fat man Li Yuan.
Later, the wife appeared, accompanied by the bald-headed man Xiong Fei.
The wife didn’t immediately enter the room but clung to Xiong Fei’s hand, seemingly reluctant to let go.
“Once I go back… I’ll have so many troubles.”
She sighed. “This vacation with my husband was supposed to mend our relationship. We used to argue about our child all the time, so we thought we’d try traveling alone… but it seems it didn’t work.”
“He’s not like you. You’re so considerate. You’re the best.
“Ah… The thought of seeing his face later makes me uncomfortable.”
Xiong Fei’s expression changed slightly, but only for a moment.
He quickly returned to his usual demeanor and said, “Don’t you want to go back? But if he finds out… maybe you should go back first. We have plenty of time in the future.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll go back now.”
She sighed and approached the door of Room 1113.
Perhaps because she no longer had any feelings for her husband, unlike the victims in the previous cases, when she saw the blood flowing from under the door, her first reaction was not to check on him but to turn and run.
However, this didn’t change her fate.
The moment she turned around, a small hammer raised by Xiong Fei from the side knocked her out.
The door to Room 1113 then opened, and Li Yuan came out. He grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her into the room.
After killing the two individuals and leaving behind a room with a pentagram ritual circle, Xiong Fei and Li Yuan took the elevator and left.
After the two killers departed, the story of the handsome man living in 1103 and the woman in a red dress from 1104 played out again unexpectedly. This time, as if on cue, they both emerged from their respective rooms at almost the same moment. The instant they opened their doors, they exchanged smiles, showing a deep connection. Afterward, they walked hand in hand down the corridor.
“Why do you always wear a red dress when you see me?”
“Because the first time I met you, I was wearing a red dress. I bought many identical ones… I want to commemorate that day.”
“I get it. Every time we meet, it’s as if it’s our first.”
“Yes. Every time I see you… it feels like the first time.”
After a brief conversation, the two entered the elevator and left.
Subsequent to this, Zhou Qian and his two companions didn’t make any moves for the time being.
They went to the public resting area opposite the elevator; Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou sat side by side on a couch, while He Xiaowei sat on a single soft-back chair beside them.
Looking at Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei was the first to ask, “What… What does all this mean?”
Zhou Qian replied, “It was a bit confusing at first. But after watching it a few times, it’s actually not that hard to understand. Even though it seems the man and the woman can see us, and so can Xiong Fei and Li Yuan, and they even talk to us, there’s no substantial interaction between them and us.”
He Xiaowei scratched his head. “So, does this mean… we can treat everything they do as just an animation or cutscene?”
“Yes. As to the real situation, it’s hard to tell. But for now, we can treat it as an animation.” Zhou Qian explained, “The hotel has 12 floors, but now every floor has become the 11th floor. So, my theory is—”
“We’re always on the 11th floor, and the elevator acts as a medium connecting different time spaces. The numbers on the elevator’s panel no longer determine which floor we’re going to, but which time on the 11th floor.”
“That makes sense! But I can’t find a pattern.” He Xiaowei continued, “I met you guys on the 9th floor. But before that, I took the elevator in and out of the 9th floor several times. Every time I got out, the situation on the 11th floor was different!”
What He Xiaowei said makes sense.
The reason Zhou Qian went back to the 11th floor was to check the situation there again.
From his perspective, he entered a strange space when he went down to the lobby to buy something and then returned to the 11th floor.
At that time, he encountered Xiong Fei and Li Yuan, who had “resurrected” and “changed their personalities”.
When he returned to room 1107, the ice cubes and towels were still there.
But now, after he went to the 9th floor and met He Xiaowei and then returned to the 11th floor with him, the items in room 1107 had changed. Although he was back on the 11th floor, the situation was completely different from before.
“Yes. The elevator panel leads to different time spaces, but it’s not fixed. We need to find out the specific pattern. However, we can ascertain one thing— “
Zhou Qian added, “As we previously discussed, for now, we can treat Xiong Fei and Li Yuan’s murder story and the love story between the man and the woman as animations. They’re playing out two entirely different storylines. So, whenever we exit the elevator, we see different parts of these two animations.”
The woman in the red dress had a troubled relationship with her original husband, with marital discord likely being one of the main reasons.
Additionally, for some unknown reason, they didn’t stay at home but lived in the Saiya Hotel. At least the woman in the red dress did. Hence, she had ample opportunities to cheat. And indeed, she fell in love with the man in room 1103 across from her.
Now, as players traverse different floors, they witness fragments of their story—their meeting, getting to know each other, and falling in love.
After hearing Zhou Qian’s explanation, He Xiaowei nodded. “I get it. When we go to different floors, we’re actually watching different parts of their story. But, we only see what’s related to the 11th floor. We don’t know what they did in other parts of Blue Harbor City.”
“Well, about the story of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan, it’s actually quite easy to understand,” Zhou Qian said. “The ‘animations’ we see are actually the system’s way of vividly showing us their methods of killing. So far, from the three cases we’ve seen, their method of killing has always been the same, involving a well-coordinated collaboration. They don’t target individuals who are alone; their targets are always pairs.”
“To kill two people, it would be much easier to use methods like drugging. However, before Xiong Fei and Li Yuan kill, they clearly need to conduct a specific ritual. Not only do they have to physically beat their victims to death, but they also require their victims to recite words swearing loyalty to Satan.”
“So, they can’t use indirect means like drugs; they have to do it bluntly.”
“In such a situation, if both victims are in the room, it might be hard for them to act.”
“Hence, in each case, one killer lures one victim out while the other enters the room to kill the remaining victim.”
In the first case, a family of three was victimized.
It appeared Li Yuan seduced the husband and lured him out.
Thus, it became much easier for Xiong Fei to deal with the wife and daughter alone.
After Xiong Fei finished the act, Li Yuan, timing it perfectly, brought the husband back. Upon his return, he walked into an ambush and was also murdered.
In the second case, the victims were an elderly grandmother and her granddaughter.
The granddaughter was a female athlete. With both present, and a direct approach, the killers might not have had an easy opportunity.
So, Xiong Fei seduced the granddaughter, taking her out on a date, while Li Yuan killed the grandmother left alone in the room.
In the end, the granddaughter was killed upon returning with Xiong Fei.
The third case followed the same logic.
Xiong Fei seduced the wife.
The husband left alone in the room was then killed by Li Yuan.
Finally, Xiong Fei brought the wife back and killed her at the same crime scene.
After a pause, Zhou Qian said, “What I’m wondering now is—if there’s a pattern among the victims of these three cases.”
Bai Zhou took over. “In the first case, the husband had an affair, in the third, the wife did, and in the second…”
He Xiaowei interrupted, “In the second case, I suspect it’s also related to having an affair!”
Zhou Qian asked, “How so?”
He Xiaowei explained, “Didn’t I mention earlier that the system asked me to help an elderly woman downstairs to the lobby? She must be the recent victim. Although she was unrecognizable due to the beating, I recognized her clothes.”
“When I was helping her downstairs, she chatted with me. She mentioned she came to Blue Harbor City to accompany her granddaughter, who was participating in a competition. She mentioned I seemed nice and would have introduced me to her granddaughter if she wasn’t already married.
“So, her granddaughter was married. And if she was out dating Xiong Fei, isn’t that cheating?”
“Hmm… So maybe when the killers choose their targets, it’s related to infidelity.”
Zhou Qian reflected, then self-corrected, “No, if we phrase it that way, the causality is wrong. The decision to target the victims precedes the seduction. It should be said that the victims are primarily those prone to infidelity, possessing a trait of ‘prone to cheating’.”
Take the first case as an example.
Perhaps the husband was already known to be unfaithful and was easily seduced.
The killers targeted this kind of person.
Given the victim’s personality, he was easily lured.
Therefore, one of the killer duo was sent to seduce him, and once successful, they seized the opportunity to kill his wife and even their child. Then, finally, the husband was also killed.
The subsequent cases follow a similar pattern; only the “easy-to-cheat” target switches from male to female.
After hearing Zhou Qian’s explanation, He Xiaowei speculated, “Shh… I might have found a connection between the two storylines! The woman in the red dress also cheated! She’s likely one of the victims!”
Zhou Qian neither agreed nor disagreed; he just listened while shaking his head.
He Xiaowei continued, “But wait. I still don’t get one thing… If the killer hates cheaters, why not just kill the one who cheated? Why kill their family too?”
“This goes into the killer’s specific motive,” Zhou Qian answered. “That’s something we still aren’t clear about.”
“The killer’s motive… Why are the killers Li Yuan and Xiong Fei?”
He Xiaowei pondered, seeming perplexed. “What’s their motive? Oh right—”
“One of the killers seduces and lures the victim out, while the other takes advantage of the isolated victim. I get that. But why Li Yuan… I mean, no offense to heavy people—I’m overweight too. But how can he easily seduce someone’s husband? It doesn’t make sense.”
“And Xiong Fei, to be honest, looks average. Why could he easily lure and seduce a woman?”
After a long silence, Zhou Qian said, “Xiong Fei does indeed look average. But… the man from room 1103 is handsome and charming.”
“Li Yuan is overweight, and being gay is still a minority. So theoretically, he shouldn’t be able to easily seduce men. However, the girl in the red dress is undeniably stunning.”
He Xiaowei gasped. “Wait… are you suggesting…”
Zhou Qian looked at the closed elevator for a moment, then got up and pulled Bai Zhou with him. He pressed the up button on the elevator. “Let’s go. Whether the truth is as I’ve guessed, we might find out after the next ‘animation’.”
One minute later.
Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou, and He Xiaowei arrived on the 12th floor.
Of course, it was only the number “12” displayed on the elevator’s panel.
They left the elevator, but they were still on the 11th floor.
At the end of the left corridor, room 1108 was sealed off with cement.
This time, the incident took place in room 1212.
The deceased were still a couple.
The husband was, as usual, seduced by Li Yuan and wasn’t present as he had a date with her.
Seizing this opportunity, Xiong Fei sneaked into the room and killed the wife.
Later, when the husband returned holding Li Yuan’s hand, he noticed blood under the door. Upon entering to inspect the situation, Xiong Fei suffocated him with a nylon bag.
After the murder and drawing a pentagram, Xiong Fei and Li Yuan took the elevator and left.
Shortly after, a man and a woman appeared.
Unlike their previous passionate encounters or their initial reserved interactions, this time the two ran out from room 1103 where the man was staying.
The tall, handsome man looked furious, striding forward with a stern face.
The woman, still in her red dress, fell to her knees as she ran out, holding onto the man’s leg.
“Please, don’t go! Don’t leave me. What happened today… It was an accident. I don’t know why he came looking for me! We are already divorced!”
“No. On reflection, we were both wrong. You were wrong. I was wrong too.”
“I…I didn’t…”
“No. We are both married. We betrayed our spouses.”
“It’s not like that. He—”
“I heard it, your husband was asking you to come back. What’s wrong with him… Why? Why would he indulge a wrongdoer like you? You’re a sinner. I’m a sinner. He, who led you astray and indulged your mistakes, is also a sinner.”
“We’re all sinners. We should go to hell to atone.”
After saying this, the man shoved the woman aside and tried to leave.
The woman lunged at him again, falling to her knees. The moment her knee hit the ground, it made a loud impact noise, indicating she was probably seriously hurt.
It seemed the man had no pity for her. “We have to atone. We did wrong.”
The woman, breaking down, said, “I… I’ll atone with you. As long as you don’t leave me, anything is fine!”
Hearing this, the man took out a badge from his sleeve and handed it to her.
At this moment, Zhou Qian could clearly see that the design on the badge was an inverted pentagram.
The man said to her, “Then atone with me. We have to repay.”
After saying this, the man took the hand of the woman in the red dress and left with her by elevator.
Watching the elevator doors close again, Zhou Qian said, “Hmm. I’m pretty sure now that my deduction is correct.”
“Not long ago, He Xiaowei said that the woman in the red dress had an affair, so she’s also a victim. This connects two storylines.”
“But as you all saw…”
“The woman in the red dress is likely not a victim. She’s probably one of the killers. That’s the real connection between the two storylines. So—”
“I need to correct something. In Hall C’s serial murder case, there’s more than two killers.”
“The killer related to the swastika and tattoos, without other evidence, is temporarily considered as one person.”
“But in the nylon bag and inverted pentagram serial killings, the real culprits are a man and a woman working together. The male killer lures female victims, and the female killer lures male victims, cooperating in the murders.”
“I think they do this firstly to test if the victims are prone to infidelity or making mistakes; secondly, for the convenience of murder; and thirdly, after killing so many, they turned it into a ritualistic act.”
Zhou Qian concluded, “So… the animation of the man and woman is about how two normal people became killers. Clearly, this girl was brainwashed by the one she had an affair with, joining a Satan-related cult.”
“They stayed in the Saiya Hotel, becoming hunters of the hotel, targeting promiscuous or conflicted individuals.”
“I guess, in the end, they might have died. They killed all they could within their capabilities. Before getting caught by the police, they might have committed suicide. After all, the man just said he was going to hell to atone.”
“These murderers worship Satan, not fearing death. They not only want to go to hell but also send as many servants to Satan as possible before they do.”
“Perhaps they even believe that killing is an achievement. After going to hell, they will be praised by Satan.”
“Anyway… I think the two of them are dead.”
“Their existence, like a process animation, is a hint from the system for us to clear the level.”
“Assuming this place is some alternate dimension, they might have turned into ghosts after death. After becoming ghosts and using someone else’s identity, they reenact the story of their past crimes. This might also be a direct hint from the system.”
“The most crucial hint hidden here is…”
“Ghosts can take on the appearance of our teammates, like the Xiong Fei and Li Yuan we see now.”
“After the male and female killers died and turned into ghosts, these two ghosts appeared as Xiong Fei and Li Yuan, repeatedly enacting the crimes on different floors to different victims.”
“Of course, I still don’t understand what this space is. The actual situation might be much more complicated. After all, after killing, Xiong Fei and Li Yuan greeted us. They have the memories of players.”
“But for now, I can’t find another term to describe this unknown entity, so I’ll just call it a ‘ghost’.”
“How ghosts become players and why they have their memories, I still haven’t figured out. However—”
At this point, Zhou Qian gave He Xiaowei, who stood in the dim corridor light, a meaningful look.
“One thing is certain. There might be many ‘ghosts’ in this space. They can take on the appearance of players, appear beside us, and then potentially look for an opportunity to kill us.”
He continued, “So, the reason I’ve been talking to you for so long, explaining in such detail… is to test whether or not you’re a ‘ghost’.”
He Xiaowei was stunned, then burst out laughing. “Qian’er, are you joking? How could I possibly…”
“Yes, how could Xiaowei be a ghost? We’ve been talking for so long, and I feel that you’re still you. A ‘ghost’ couldn’t possibly imitate so perfectly. So, it’s not possible.”
Zhou Qian smiled, raised Bai Zhou’s arm that he was holding, and then looked at him. “Zhou Ge is also one of us. From now on, it’s better for the three of us to act together so as not to give the ‘ghost’ an opportunity. I guess—”
After a pause, Zhou Qian said, “The exhibition hall designs virtual game instances with a function to explain the killer’s motive. Since this male-female killer duo worship Satan… the exhibition hall might really construct a hell in the game.”
“So, this alternate space is probably something like hell.”
“Now that so many people have died, if they all become ghosts, and subsequently take on the identity of players, then that’s troublesome.”
After Zhou Qian finished speaking, he noticed that Bai Zhou seemed lost in thought, as if unresponsive to his words.
He Xiaowei didn’t say anything for a while either, seemingly deep in thought.
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, scratched Bai Zhou’s palm, and then noticed a hint of red fleeting across Bai Zhou’s pupils. It was so brief that it seemed like Zhou Qian’s imagination.
Finally, He Xiaowei spoke up. “Wait, that’s not right—”
“How do they obtain these identities?” He Xiaowei asked with confusion, “The two Hall D players, Li Yuan and Xiong Fei, were killed by the swastika killer and died in reality. Were their souls taken over and possessed by ‘ghosts’? Can I understand it that way?”
“That’s indeed a possibility,” Zhou Qian replied. “Hmm… your thought is quite reliable. If ghosts only change their appearance, that doesn’t explain the memory issue.
“The ghosts imitating Li Yuan and Xiong Fei recognize us and can call out our names… The theory of possession is indeed more plausible. They take over the player’s body and subsequently acquire the related memories of the player.”
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei patted his chest. “From what you’re saying, there won’t actually be a second me or a second you. If I die in reality, only a ghost could possibly possess me. Right?”
“True. That makes sense.” Zhou Qian pondered. “If there isn’t anything like parallel universes, but just spirits possessing bodies to revive them, then yes, that’s the case.”
“So, what we need to guard against next isn’t one of us! What we should really be wary of are those killed by Xiong Fei and Li Yuan. Who knows when they might start a killing spree against us. But…”
“We don’t have anyone here with the ‘prone to cheating’ characteristic, do we?!”
He Xiaowei scratched his head. “There aren’t even couples here. How does this death condition get triggered?”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian smiled and glanced at Bai Zhou, releasing the hand he was holding.
At this moment, Bai Zhou’s pupils looking at Zhou Qian suddenly deepened, his demeanor drastically different from usual.
Yet Zhou Qian seemed oblivious to any change.
He simply said, “He Xiaowei’s idea is quite accurate. That man and woman are the real culprits behind the serial killings. They have now possessed Li Yuan and Xiong Fei. After finishing the animation and the game hint function, they’ll likely make their move on us. So, based on their analysis—”
“Their targets are always couples. We shouldn’t stay together.”
“So, Zhou Ge—”
Staring into Bai Zhou’s eyes, Zhou Qian emphasized word by word. “Zhou Ge, we need to split up.”
At this very moment, the three were right outside room 1107.
Across from them, room 1108 had turned into a wall again.
As for the situation inside 1107, no one knew.
Bai Zhou’s expression changed dramatically, showing an unprecedented level of seriousness and gloom.
He stared at Zhou Qian without blinking, knocking hard on the door of room 1107. When no one answered, he kicked the door open with force.
Seemingly sensing something was amiss, Zhou Qian’s face changed instantly.
His pupils constricted, and he warily looked at the now unfamiliar Bai Zhou.
Taking a few steps back, he shouted to He Xiaowei, “He Xiaowei, something’s off with him. Run! We need to run! Head to the elevator!”
“Okay, okay, I’m on it…” He Xiaowei turned and ran, heading in the direction of the elevator.
Zhou Qian backed up a few steps, quickly turning to follow He Xiaowei.
The next moment, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Zhou Qian almost cried out, “What’s going on? Who are you?”
Bai Zhou seemed to ignore him.
He gripped Zhou Qian’s wrist tightly with one hand while swiftly wrapping his other arm around Zhou Qian’s waist, quickly pulling him into the room.
Once inside, Bai Zhou didn’t hesitate, swiftly delivering two powerful kicks. The first one slammed the door shut, causing a loud bang. The second kick sent a sofa, along with a coffee table, crashing against the broken door, effectively barricading it.
In the ensuing struggle, Zhou Qian seized a moment to free his wrist and tried to run.
However, without the ability to use any skills, he was no match for Bai Zhou.
Bai Zhou grabbed him by the waist and shockingly threw him onto the bed!
As the back of his head and spine hit the bed, Zhou Qian, disregarding the pain, sprung up from the bed. The next thing he heard was the sound of fabric tearing.
The next moment, his right wrist was gripped, and he was uncontrollably thrown back onto the bed, his wrist then being tied tightly to the bedpost with a strip of torn cloth.
It turned out that Bai Zhou had torn the cloth with one hand while subduing Zhou Qian.
His speed and strength were almost unbelievable!
Struggling to lift his head and glance in the direction of the room door, Zhou Qian’s expression had changed significantly from when he looked at He Xiaowei in the corridor earlier.
Taking a deep breath, Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou, his voice somewhat heavy. “Zhou Ge, can you hear me? You—”
Bai Zhou didn’t respond but simply lay sideways on the bed, with one arm pulling Zhou Qian into his embrace while staring intently into his eyes.
Bai Zhou looked at Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian was also gazing at him.
Zhou Qian could clearly see that deep within Bai Zhou’s pitch-black eyes, a faint redness was emerging, as if they were about to bleed.
“Zhou Ge?” Zhou Qian tried calling his name again.
He then felt Bai Zhou tightly grip his hand, the strength almost causing him pain.
Zhou Qian immediately furrowed his brows and then felt Bai Zhou lean in even closer.
Staring at Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou remained silent. His heavy breathing and the rise and fall of his chest conveyed a deep, powerful heartbeat clearly to Zhou Qian, who was very close.
Holding Zhou Qian tighter, Bai Zhou then lifted a hand and gripped the back of Zhou Qian’s head, pulling him even closer. Accompanied by this movement, Bai Zhou leaned forward, gently kissing Zhou Qian’s earring.
After a moment, a loud banging sound came from the door.
Zhou Qian heard another Bai Zhou’s voice from outside.
“Zhou Qian? Are you in there?”
Zhou Qian remained still, just gazing deeply at the Bai Zhou in front of him, who seemed completely off.
Soon after, the door of the room, along with the sofa and coffee table blocking it, was flung open.
The next moment, there was a flash of silver, and a Tang sword, which Zhou Qian was very familiar with, slashed through the air with endless killing intent!
At that very moment, inside the virtual game lobby.
The gamblers belonging exclusively to Zhou Qian seemed a bit stunned.
A moment later—
“Damn, I think he has a point!”
“Who is this gambler? He’s kind of awesome! Isn’t he here?”
“If he’s not watching here in the lobby, he must be one of those gamblers who’ve been following Qian Ge all along.”
After discussing among themselves, many sent these insights to Zhou Qian.
[I think he’s right. This is terrifying!]
[I agree. Also, hey Qian Ge, it’s our fault for not sending you any alerts earlier as your gamblers.]
[Mainly, we feel we aren’t worthy.]
[Yeah, it’s not that we don’t want to help. It’s just hard for us to keep up with your thought process!]
……
Messages flooded Zhou Qian like a snowstorm.
After glancing at a few, he didn’t seem to mind and just looked back at Bai Zhou beside him.
Bai Zhou, catching his gaze, seemed to pick up on something and asked, “What is it?”
“Nothing, just received some tips from my gamblers,” Zhou Qian replied. “Don’t you Rank God players have gamblers?”
“No,” Bai Zhou shook his head, then questioned Zhou Qian. “What did your gamblers say?”
“It’s nothing. Just things I’d already considered.”
Zhou Qian stared at Bai Zhou for a while, then smiled. “However, there is one gambler who’s been consistently helpful, occasionally sending useful tips my way.”
“Who?”
“Someone I know in reality. He takes care of me in the real world too. Sometimes I feel…” Zhou Qian whispered into Bai Zhou’s ear, “He’s a bit like you.”
Hearing this, Bai Zhou didn’t respond. His expression remained unchanged, but Zhou Qian could feel him gripping his hand tightly and noticed Bai Zhou’s jawline tighten subtly.
After a thoughtful look at Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian smiled again and turned his attention to He Xiaowei, who was bouncing over.
Once He Xiaowei reached Zhou Qian, he took a deep breath. “Damn, Qian’er, I finally saw a familiar face. I think I’m going to cry. Did you notice? This building is terrifying!
“I can’t get out, you know! No matter which floor I press, when I come out, it’s always the 11th floor.”
“Ah… isn’t this like the legendary ghost hitting the wall*?”
*Idiom referring to losing one’s way in a maze-like place and ending up back where one started (AKA going in circles).
Zhou Qian looked at him. “Is it? But I’ve been on the 11th floor this whole time, and I haven’t seen you.”
He Xiaowei responded, “That means there are countless 11th floors! Damn, what is this sorcery… Wuwuwu, and I keep seeing this man and woman. The guy’s pretty handsome, and the girl’s in a red dress. They seem to be acting out a scene.”
Ignoring his ramblings, Zhou Qian asked, “Where’s Hidden Blade?”
“I don’t know. We got separated!” He Xiaowei replied.
“How did you lose him?” Zhou Qian inquired.
He Xiaowei explained, “Soon after we got back to our room, I went to take a shower. When I came out, Hidden Blade was gone. I tried to contact him but found I couldn’t send messages, as if there was no signal.”
“Then I received a system notification for a compulsory task. I went to the hallway and saw an old woman who had fallen. She asked me to help her downstairs. So I did.
“When I came back via the elevator… everything was off. I even knocked on your door at 1107. No one was there!”
From He Xiaowei’s detailed account, it appeared that perhaps everyone was carrying out a compulsory system task. Regardless of the task’s specifics, everyone had one thing in common—they had all been to the first floor and, upon trying to return to their own rooms via the elevator, ended up in a lost space.
Zhou Qian pondered for a moment, intending to ask He Xiaowei for more details, when suddenly there was a commotion from the direction of room 1112.
Without hesitation, Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou, and He Xiaowei quickly approached room 1112 to investigate.
Then they heard a very familiar voice.
It was from the chubby Li Yuan.
From behind the door, he menacingly demanded, “Swear your loyalty to Satan!”
“I don’t know any Satan!”
An old, frail voice responded, “I…I don’t understand what you’re saying!”
Li Yuan: “You don’t need to understand. Just repeat after me, or I’ll kill you right now!”
Presumably under some form of torment, the elderly voice, unable to bear it any longer, coughed loudly a few times before weakly repeating the words, “Fine… I… I will worship Satan—be loyal to Satan!”
“Good! Now go to hell and meet him!”
As Li Yuan’s words fell, the sound of a blunt object striking echoed.
Soon after, the old voice was silenced.
Another murder had taken place right under everyone’s watch.
After this, Li Yuan didn’t immediately exit the room.
As Zhou Qian was speculating whether Li Yuan was drawing an inverted pentagram inside, the elevator door opened.
A man and a woman emerged.
The woman was an NPC that Zhou Qian hadn’t seen before. She appeared strong and athletic, with pronounced muscles—perhaps she was an athlete or something similar. Intimately holding onto her was the bald man, Xiong Fei.
As Xiong Fei walked, he conversed with her. “Do you think your grandma will really accept me?”
“Of course. No problem,” the woman replied.
“Alright then. I was a bit worried. By the way, you’ve been competing for so many days, aren’t you tired?” Xiong Fei asked.
The woman shrugged her shoulders, smiling at Xiong Fei. “Tired, yes. But if I hadn’t come to Blue Harbor City for the boxing match and stayed at the Saiya Hotel, I wouldn’t have bumped into you! It’s fate!”
As she said this, the woman approached the door of room 1112.
The sight of blood seeping out from beneath the door caught her eye, immediately alerting her that something was amiss.
In a panicked rush, she quickly swiped her card, opened the door, and burst inside.
“Grandma! Grandma, are you okay? Are you—”
Before she could finish, Li Yuan, who had been lying in wait inside, lunged out and quickly pulled a nylon bag over her head!
The disappearance of the ring had a plausible explanation: another guest staying here had come out after hearing the quarrel and picked up the ring from the floor.
However, the room that should have been empty but wasn’t not only made this event inexplicable but also added a layer of mystery to the disappearance of the ring.
Zhou Qian immediately had an idea about what was going on. He grabbed Bai Zhou’s hand and bit the back of it fiercely, leaving a deep bite mark.
Afterwards, Zhou Qian extended the back of his own hand to Bai Zhou. “Come on, bite me too.”
Bai Zhou obviously understood Zhou Qian’s intention. He took Zhou Qian’s hand, but instead of biting the back, he gently bit the index finger, leaving a slightly bloody mark.
The reason Zhou Qian did this was, of course, to take precautions.
Having witnessed the strange phenomenon before him, he had a subtle hunch. Although he knew his guess might not be correct, it was always good to be prepared.
After biting Bai Zhou’s hand, when Zhou Qian tried to communicate with him through a private chat tool, he discovered the tool was unusable. This development seemed to align with his suspicions.
As for the secret hidden within the exhibition hall, before entering Hall C, Zhou Qian had a guess: different exhibition rooms corresponded to different points in time, suggesting that the exhibition hall could potentially connect to different time periods.
Analyzing from a game design perspective, if one considered the entire exhibition hall as a large instance and each virtual game within as small instances, hiding various secrets of the larger instance within the smaller ones was a common game design approach.
Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei had played in Halls A and B, but the information these two revealed was very limited and had no mention of “time connectivity”. Hence, the now more challenging Hall C might be linked to the concept of time.
Given this, when they returned to the 11th floor and witnessed a series of abnormalities, Zhou Qian’s first reaction was that they had been transported back to the 11th floor many years ago.
Since the concept of “time” was in play, there could be a parallel timeline trick at work. Zhou Qian was concerned that another version of himself and Bai Zhou might exist in this “past” space, which was why he marked their hands with bites.
What Zhou Qian thought of, Bai Zhou immediately realized as well. He tightly held Zhou Qian’s hand and said in a low but certain voice, “We’ll stick together.”
By now, more and more blood was flowing from room 1108. The woman’s screams grew fainter and eventually disappeared. The sounds of beating stopped briefly, presumably because the woman had died.
But after about 30 seconds, the beating sounds resumed. This time, instead of a woman’s cries, it was a child. The child, not as resilient as an adult, didn’t cry for long before falling silent.
Horrific brutality was taking place just beyond the door, its sounds causing Zhou Qian to frown deeply. Then he heard the “ding” of an elevator door opening. Looking towards the elevator, he saw two men walk out.
One man, an NPC Zhou Qian didn’t recognize, was dressed in a suit with oiled hair, appearing quite respectable. The other was the fat player from Hall D, who, by all accounts, should have been dead.
The reappearance of a supposedly dead player made Zhou Qian wonder: did this instance involve parallel timelines? Were the same group of “budget travelers” staying in the hotel from years past?
As Zhou Qian pondered this, he noticed something else. The fat man was walking effeminately, holding the hand of the man beside him.
They seemed intimate, even sharing a kiss once out of the elevator. But shortly after, the suited man quickly let go of the fat man’s hand, as if afraid of being caught in an illicit affair. The fat man stepped back, keeping a considerable distance.
The suited man walked straight down the corridor, passing Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou, and stopped in front of room 1108. He obviously noticed the blood seeping out.
Panicking, he hurriedly used his keycard to open the door. But the moment he did, he was met with a nylon hood.
His head was quickly covered, the door was shut, and a ruthless male voice demanded, “Swear to me—”
The suited man pleaded, “I swear! Please let me go! I’ll swear to anything!”
The aggressor demanded, “Swear that you will worship Satan and be forever loyal to him!”
The suited man responded in sheer terror, “I s-swear, I’ll worship Satan and be forever loyal to him!”
The response to him was a swift and powerful blow.
“Very well, I give you this opportunity! Now, I’ll send you to hell to serve! You’re going to be a loyal servant of Satan!”
After the malicious words, another quick and intense blow was heard.
After a while, the room became silent again, indicating that the man in the suit was probably dead.
However, the killer inside didn’t leave immediately. It seemed he was still doing something in the room.
By the time he emerged, three minutes had passed.
Three minutes later, holding a baseball bat, a man pushed open the door of room 1108 and entered the corridor.
After a few steps, he stopped, turned his head, and looked at Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou.
His baseball bat was covered in blood, and droplets of blood also adorned his forehead, nose, and face.
With a bloody, eerie smile on his lips, his bloodshot eyes squinted slightly, and he said in an incredibly hoarse voice, “Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian. Hello… I hope you’ll join me in serving Satan.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian tried to read his data and the chubby man beside him through the system panel and, surprisingly, could get information about them as players—
The man with the shaved head holding the baseball bat, who had just killed someone in the room, was called Xiong Fei. The chubby man was called Li Yuan.
Through Xiong Fei’s words, Zhou Qian realized that they still recognized him.
But their personalities had drastically changed.
Li Yuan, the chubby man, gave Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou a glance that was somewhere between a smile and a smirk.
Xiong Fei picked up the baseball bat again and naturally draped his arm around Li Yuan’s.
The two turned around and headed towards the elevator.
Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou exchanged glances and went to room 1108.
The door was wide open, revealing three dead bodies inside: a man, a woman, and a young girl.
All three had nylon bags over their heads, their faces brutally beaten, and their organs damaged to varying extents.
As for the walls and floor, they were smeared with inverted pentagrams in fresh blood.
A family of three died in room 1108 on some date. The room was sealed with cement, and the room number was removed.
Later, the other rooms in this corridor were renumbered.
The room known as 1108 was no longer this one but was on the other side of the corridor near the elevator.
Years later, Zhou Qian and a group of tourists checked in here.
This should be the sequence of events.
Initially, Zhou Qian thought he had traveled through time, returning to the scene of the crime before room 1108 was sealed with cement.
However, if it was just time travel, they shouldn’t have met Xiong Fei and Li Yuan.
Zhou Qian hypothesized that there existed two parallel timelines, “past” and “present”.
In both timelines, eleven budget tourists checked into the Saiya Hotel.
However, if this were true, Xiong Fei and Li Yuan shouldn’t have changed so dramatically.
Thus, it seemed that the concept of time travel alone couldn’t explain the situation.
Why Xiong Fei and Li Yuan, both supposedly dead, appeared in a timeline that resembled the “past”; why Li Yuan appeared to have turned into a woman, leaning against the man in the suit as they emerged from the elevator… These questions remained to be answered as they continued further.
Zhou Qian pondered seriously for a while, then opened the system panel to check. “Can’t send messages to He Xiaowei. The system has a new restriction.”
Bai Zhou, holding Zhou Qian’s hand, led him back to the corridor. “There’s so much blood here. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Zhou Qian replied, catching something out of the corner of his eye and looking towards the elevator.
He noticed that Xiong Fei and Li Yuan were still standing by the elevator doors, probably because someone on another floor had pressed the elevator button, and it hadn’t returned to their floor.
While waiting, Li Yuan raised his head, yawned, and, to everyone’s shock, his head dropped to the floor.
His head was rather bouncy, as it bounced a few times before settling.
Li Yuan’s headless body seemed to panic and clutch onto Xiong Fei’s arm.
Shortly after, a huge wound opened up on Li Yuan’s neck, gushing blood.
Xiong Fei patted him on the shoulder, picked up his head, and placed it back onto Li Yuan’s neck.
The wound on Li Yuan’s neck vanished, and his head was securely in place. With Xiong Fei’s support, Li Yuan stood up.
Finally, the elevator arrived. The two, hand in hand, entered it and left.
Zhou Qian stared at the closed elevator doors for a moment, then walked with Bai Zhou to the room opposite the crime scene 1108. The door of this room still bore the number 1107.
Not long ago, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou were eavesdropping behind this door. They wondered if the door they had listened at was still the same now.
Taking out the room card, Zhou Qian tried swiping it. With a “click”, the door actually opened. No one was inside, and everything was as he remembered from his last visit. Even the towel filled with ice cubes that Bai Zhou had used to soothe Zhou Qian’s injury was still there.
Upon seeing the towel, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou exchanged a knowing look. Both had the same thought and left room 1107 together, heading in unison towards room 1109.
That room should have been occupied by He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade. If they hadn’t left, they might still be inside.
Bai Zhou pulled Zhou Qian behind him with his left hand and, with his right, held his Tang sword, knocking on the door with its hilt. However, no one answered. It seemed the two were indeed not there.
Zhou Qian had suspected this. With all the noise in the corridor, if they were inside, they would have responded.
After a brief consideration, as Zhou Qian was about to suggest they check another floor, suddenly, the door of room 1104 opened.
Not long ago, there had been an argument in room 1104 between a couple, ending with the wife being pushed out into the corridor.
A man from room 1103 soon joined her, and they were openly affectionate, even asking Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou to buy condoms. Now, from the same room 1104, a woman in a red dress identical to the previous one emerged.
The first time Zhou Qian saw her, she was on the corridor floor, looking very upset, until she saw the man from 1103, and then her mood lifted.
Her expression now was quite different. She seemed less than pleased but was not despondent. Her eyes and expressions were free from malice. After leaving room 1104, she headed for the elevator, walking lightly, showing she was in a relatively good mood.
As the woman in red waited for the elevator, suddenly, the door to room 1103 opened, and a man came out. This was the same man who had asked Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou to buy him condoms earlier.
Previously, he and the woman in the red dress couldn’t keep their hands off each other in the corridor. Now, they seemed like strangers. The man quietly approached the elevator and waited with the woman. When their eyes met, they just nodded as a polite greeting.
After a while, the elevator door opened, and the two entered, one after the other. Zhou Qian, exchanging glances with Bai Zhou, followed the two NPCs into the elevator.
The entire corridor was silent as a church. Except for the man and woman, there seemed to be no other NPCs around, and the whereabouts of the other players were unknown. Given the inability to forcibly break into all the rooms for the time being, Zhou Qian speculated that exploring this floor further would yield no new findings. Thus, he decided to take the elevator and assess the situation on another floor.
Inside the elevator, upon seeing Bai Zhou and Zhou Qian, the man and woman looked up at the two of them. They both took a few steps back, almost pressing their backs against the elevator wall, evidently making space for the newcomers. Following suit, Zhou Qian, holding onto Bai Zhou, entered the elevator and casually pressed the button for the 9th floor. No other floor numbers lit up on the elevator’s digital panel.
It appeared that the man and woman hadn’t selected any floors.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, Zhou Qian asked, “Which floor are you heading to? Shall I press it for you?” Turning his head around after posing the question, he found the space behind him empty.
The man and woman had vanished out of thin air!
Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou exchanged glances, remaining silent. The grip they had on each other tightened just a tad more.
The elevator quickly descended to the 9th floor. As they stepped out, they noticed that the entire corridor—from the ceiling to the sofa and tables in the lounge area across from the elevator—all of the furnishings were identical to those on the 11th floor.
Having a certain hunch, Zhou Qian, still holding onto Bai Zhou, headed straight to the end of the corridor.
As suspected, where there should have been a room, there was instead a wall. On the other side of this wall was a door with the number “1107” on it.
It was clear that they were still on the 11th floor.
Zhou Qian was about to frown when he heard a voice exclaim, “Qian’er! Damn! Finally, I see a familiar face!”
Recognizing the all-too-familiar voice, Zhou Qian turned around to see He Xiaowei rushing towards him.
At that moment, his wrist vibrated. Zhou Qian received several messages from Li Xuehai—
[The elevator might now be a medium leading to different spaces.]
[Something’s not right here. The teammates you see might not be the actual teammates, like this He Xiaowei. Also…]
[Given your intelligence, I probably don’t need to remind you. But I’ve noticed that your relationship with Bai Zhou is special, and he might deceive you.]
[So, I still want to remind you. Don’t forget, earlier, when you were showering in the room, he went down on the elevator by himself to ask the front desk for ice cubes. Have you ever thought…]
[Maybe the one who returned isn’t the real Bai Zhou?]
The lights in the workroom were brightly lit. The tattoo master Chang Shu started working quickly.
When He Xiaowei saw the dense needle piercing Zhou Qian’s arm, he watched and clicked his tongue twice. “Fuck, Qian’er, does it hurt? It’s a pity that the instance is special; I can’t heal you, or I would have healed you immediately.”
“It’s okay.” Zhou Qian replied to He Xiaowei, but his eyes were on Bai Zhou. “It’s better than when I ate that apple. Zhou Ge, you were pretty ruthless.”
Before Bai Zhou could respond, He Xiaowei curiously interrupted, “What apple? Does eating an apple hurt?”
Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou, and Hidden Blade: “……”
Bai Zhou seemed to want to say something but was interrupted by He Xiaowei. After glancing at Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou turned to Chang Shu and gestured for him to tattoo a “Z” on him as well.
Seeing this, He Xiaowei was even more surprised. “I understand Qian’er getting the ‘Z’, but what does your ‘Z’ mean, boss? Don’t follow Qian’er’s quirky trends. That—”
“Would you keep it down?” Hidden Blade interrupted, covering He Xiaowei’s mouth, and quickly pulled him towards the door to observe the situation in the main hall of the tattoo shop.
Inside the hall, a man and a woman stood by the entrance. The four from the Invincible Legion were quietly chatting in a corner. Even though their voices were very low, with his enhanced senses, Hidden Blade could hear them clearly.
Dami: “Boss, what do you think?”
Erdan: “I peeked outside and listened a bit. They really did tattoo the ‘卐’ on their hands. This is genuine.”
Batu Fei sighed. “Actually, the new recruit we had not long ago, Wen Bin, was pretty smart. It would have been great if he was here to give advice. Unfortunately… Unfortunately, he’s dead.”
Wen Bin was indeed present, but under the identity of “Liu Wansan”. Maintaining his cover, he responded in Liu Wansan’s tone, “Actually, I think we should listen to Zhou Qian. He led me and Erdan to clear the instance. As long as we don’t provoke him and decide to make peace, he won’t harm us.”
Batu Fei snapped, “You want me to ask him for peace? What have I become? Ma Luoluo probably died at his hands! I need to avenge Ma Luoluo!”
Liu Wansan reasoned, “Right now, we have no choice but to yield. The instance is designed to match Rank God players with ordinary players. We made a mistake there. I think the system favors Rank God players.”
“Why did the tattooist only choose two Rank God players? It’s all pre-arranged! So, Zhou Qian has a Rank God player to rely on, and there’s nothing we can do.”
“Yes, we made a mistake.” Batu Fei looked grim. “But isn’t he asking for too much?”
Liu Wansan: “We can hand over our items to friends outside the instance for safekeeping. This way, we will minimize our losses. As for gold, we can negotiate with him.”
“Right, you did remind me. Damn it, who do I give the items to? My only brother, Ma Luoluo, just died like that. If I give it to someone else, they might not return them to me!
“Damn… If I list them on the trading market and sell them, I might not even be able to buy them back! Besides, the gold coins from selling will still have to be given to Zhou Qian! I might as well not bother at all!”
Batu Fei grumbled and cursed all the way, his face as pale as a vegetable.
As for Wen Bin, who was using the alias Liu Wansan, the one thing he was grateful for was that he had already used up his secret camera.
This camera was compact and made almost no noise when pressing the shutter. He quietly took two photos of the people next to Zhou Qian without anyone noticing. After using up the film, he discarded the now-useless camera.
A short while later, after Zhou Qian finished getting his tattoo, he negotiated with the four of them and agreed to give them a 20% discount.
As a result, Zhou Qian successfully took 80% of the gold coins they had, as well as all the items they handed over.
“I know you guys took the opportunity to send away some of the valuable items you have just now, not wanting to give them to me. I didn’t fuss about it with you. See, I’m not really greedy. I take what I can get, and I’m content with that.”
The four who just handed over their items: “…”
In the end, Zhou Qian fed each of them an “I Can Only Speak the Truth” pill and asked, “I have only one question for you all. Have you truly handed over 80% of your gold coins and all the items you can offer?”
Everyone replied: “Yes.”
None of them were judged to be lying.
Zhou Qian scrutinized each of them with a discerning gaze. He didn’t further trouble them, though. After returning to the workspace and having the tattoo artist mark them with the swastika, he waited by the shop entrance.
At this time, the tour guide was hurrying everyone to board the bus, mentioning he had received a call from the hotel’s Receptionist Wang, saying the police were urging them to return for questioning.
Zhou Qian and his three companions, along with a skinny man from Hall D, boarded the bus first.
As they waited for Batu Fei and the others, Zhou Qian’s gaze drifted outside the bus window, as if he was observing anyone passing nearby. He seemed lost in thought, not really focused on anything in particular.
During the ride, the newly tattooed areas on his forearms began to itch and sting. As he unconsciously raised his hand to scratch, Bai Zhou stopped him in time. “Don’t scratch. We’ll apply some ice when we get back to the hotel.”
Zhou Qian turned to him, asking, “How will you apply ice for me? You’re not staying in the same room as me.”
Bai Zhou turned his head, directing his gaze to He Xiaowei seated behind. “We’ll swap rooms tonight.”
He Xiaowei: “…Oh.”
Even though I have no idea what’s going on from start to finish, it’s fine as long as I don’t encounter any ghosts.
Patting Zhou Qian’s shoulder, He Xiaowei asked, “Qian’er, you were staring out the window earlier. Do you think the murderer might be nearby?”
“Not necessarily,” Zhou Qian replied in a low voice. “I suspect the killer might be a hotel employee or even the owner.”
“Indeed,” He Xiaowei added, “the tattoos in the tattoo shop don’t have the swastika. But the human skin decorations in the hotel do. This indicates that those in the hotel weren’t bought from the tattoo shop but rather made by the murderer after killing someone and then carving the symbol into them.”
“Wait a moment… That’s not necessarily true. Since the murderer is fond of tattoo art, he might have bought a regular human skin tattoo ornament from the tattoo shop and added the swastika later on.”
“Regardless, since the murderer has the authority to arrange the rooms, the probability of him being a staff member is quite high!”
“Hmm. Besides what you mentioned, there’s another reason. We can infer why those two players died.”
Zhou Qian said, “The ‘risk of death’ they faced might be because the killer was pondering who to kill that night. Knowing that there were new tourists checking in, he suddenly decided to target them.”
“If there were two people in a room, the real risk of death might not be triggered, as the killer, facing two, might not be confident. But if someone is alone, according to this killer’s character, he might go all out. The two tourists from Hall D happened to be staying separately, one in 1101 and the other in 1102. They just walked right into his trap.”
“So, why would the killer know that a batch of new people checked into the 11th floor of the hotel? From this perspective, the probability of him being a staff member is quite high.”
“It could be the receptionist; it could be the cleaner who needs to clean the rooms in advance; it could be the lobby manager or the bellboy helping tourists with luggage; and the probability of the hotel owner being the killer is especially high.”
“So, the characteristics of this killer might be: first, he’s tall and powerful, very strong in combat. In a one-on-one fight, no one can match him; second, he’s a hotel staff member.”
By the end of the conversation, Zhou Qian, as if realizing something, seriously added, “Of course, this is just my preliminary judgment.”
“Haa. We must stay together tonight, always sticking together,” He Xiaowei said earnestly, looking towards the silent Hidden Blade. “Master, we need to protect each other.”
Hidden Blade: “……….”
“Ahem, I feel we’re getting close. Since we’ve identified the killer’s characteristics… we should be able to pinpoint who he is soon. Shouldn’t we try to kill him then? In this instance, everyone’s just a regular person, using ordinary means to kill.”
As He Xiaowei spoke, he leaned forward from the chair, positioning his head between Bai Zhou and Zhou Qian’s lines of sight.
Then he turned his head to Zhou Qian and asked, “Right, Qian’er? What do you think?”
Zhou Qian pushed his head away, looking serious. “Not necessarily.”
He Xiaowei: “You’re scaring me again!”
“It’s true. It’s really not necessary,” Zhou Qian said earnestly. “If you were the game designer, would you design similar scenarios?”
He Xiaowei: “Um…”
Zhou Qian continued, “Both groups of us and the people from Hall D have visited different exhibit halls, but just one each. The three exhibit halls had parallel difficulties and similar risks and solutions.”
“However, this time, the system seems to be leading all three groups here together, which obviously increases the difficulty. Don’t forget, this is a virtual game within the exhibit hall. While Blue Harbor City might lean towards reality, anything can happen in a virtual game. Maybe there really are ghosts behind that wall.”
“Damn, Qian’er, don’t scare me!” He Xiaowei cried.
Hidden Blade couldn’t take it anymore. “Enough. I’ll protect you. Among all your brothers, none of them cry as much as you. Don’t embarrass me.”
He Xiaowei: “…”
After the other four were tattooed with the swastika, the nine players boarded a bus back to the Saiya Hotel. The hotel was bustling with police investigating the two bodies.
Receptionist Wang from the front desk had been waiting at the hotel entrance. As everyone got off the bus, he quickly ushered them to sit in the waiting area of the lobby.
Soon after, two policemen came over to question them about their activities, whereabouts, and if they knew the deceased.
Everyone had a consistent answer, claiming they were just part of the same tour group and didn’t know the victims personally.
During the process, Zhou Qian overheard a conversation between two junior police officers nearby, roughly discussing how the hotel was cursed and frequently had deaths.
After some thought, Zhou Qian addressed the police officer in front of him. “Officer, may I ask how they were killed? If… If the killer hasn’t been caught, we can’t afford to stay anywhere else. If we’re staying here and he wants to kill again… can you tell us whether he used a knife or a gun, or something else? We’d like to be prepared!”
“The victims were killed with a knife,” the police officer replied. “Their throats were slit with a single cut, but after that, out of anger or spite, the killer stabbed them once more, as if venting frustration. So, rest assured. He probably had a grudge against those two. You don’t need to worry.”
Judging from the police officer’s response, there seemed to be no restriction in this instance against police revealing details of the murder case.
So Zhou Qian asked further, “Were there any symbols left at the scene?”
Hearing this, the two police officers exchanged uneasy glances, clearly becoming suspicious of Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian quickly explained, “I’m afraid of ghosts, officer. I just got a protective tattoo at a tattoo shop based on the tour guide’s recommendation, so I’m naturally curious. I have an alibi. I was at the tattoo shop when the crime occurred.”
After a brief pause, the police officer responded, “Yes, a swastika symbol was drawn at the scene.”
Having said that, the police officers proceeded to question Receptionist Wang at the front desk.
Watching their retreating figures, Zhou Qian turned to the four members of the Invincible Legion. With a hint of malice, he said, “I’ve suddenly found a foolproof way to survive: turn yourselves into the police and get jailed. I doubt the killer would murder someone in a police station.”
“Why don’t you do it?” Batu Fei immediately retorted.
Zhou Qian replied, “Because I want to complete the hidden mission. How would I follow the plot or counter the upcoming conspiracies from inside a cell? But I advise you, if you have a chance to stay safe, take it. Don’t be like me.”
Flaunting his protective charm, Zhou Qian once again showed off Bai Zhou like a mascot and arrogantly said, “After all, I have the protection of a Rank God player, which you don’t have.”
Batu Fei was so angered by Zhou Qian’s words that he nearly spat out blood.
Wen Bin, impersonating Liu Wansan, quickly stepped forward, patting Batu Fei’s back to calm him down.
Then, something no one expected happened—
Erdan suddenly turned, ran towards the police, and shouted, “I’m the murderer! Arrest me!”
Surprisingly, he was indeed handcuffed and taken into a police car.
Letting out a regretful sigh that the “Egg Fried Rice” team hadn’t formed properly before splitting ways, Zhou Qian saw the police leaving in succession, while the hotel’s main entrance was completely sealed.
Erdan’s unexpected action stunned the other three members of the legion. Probably no one expected him to take such a step.
Eventually, it was Wen Bin who spoke, looking at Zhou Qian with a complicated expression. “Seems like after the last instance, he really trusts your words.”
“Compared to him, you fall short. I have no reason to harm the innocent,” Zhou Qian responded, walking towards the elevator with Bai Zhou. “Opportunities to stay safe are fleeting. Brace yourselves. The killing is about to begin.”
Inside the elevator, Zhou Qian’s expression grew cold and serious. Through the closing elevator doors, he stared at the glass entrance of the hotel’s lobby.
The police had cordoned off the entire hotel.
If this place was full of tourists, why set up a cordon?
The story was beginning to feel off.
Zhou Qian’s uneasy feeling seemed to be on the verge of coming true.
……
11 p.m.
Zhou Qian had taken a shower and was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out. The entire city was still shrouded in fog, making it impossible to see clearly.
While he was deep in thought, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Bai Zhou, fresh from his shower, approaching.
“Did your tattoo get wet during your shower?” Bai Zhou asked.
“No, it’s just a small tattoo. It doesn’t matter,” Zhou Qian replied. He noticed that Bai Zhou was holding a bowl of ice cubes.
Wrapping several cubes in a towel, Bai Zhou approached Zhou Qian. “I went downstairs to get these from the front desk while you were showering. Let’s use them to cool down the swelling.”
Zhou Qian extended his hand, watching as Bai Zhou carefully placed the cold compress on his swollen skin. For a moment, Zhou Qian’s thoughts drifted to memories of his friends facing various perils.
When his focus returned to the present, all he could see was the red and swollen skin on Bai Zhou’s arms. Zhou Qian asked, “You always ask if I’m in pain. What about you?”
While continuing to apply the cold compress, Bai Zhou replied, “Zhou Qian, no matter what happens to me, it’s worth it.”
“Why?”
“Because if I hadn’t chosen this path, I would have died a long time ago.”
Zhou Qian understood.
If Bai Zhou hadn’t sought treatment for his ALS at the Spring Hill Mental Asylum, he might have succumbed to the disease by now.
“But that might not have been the case,” Zhou Qian countered. “Stephen Hawking had the same condition and lived a long life without letting it hinder his achievements.”
He stopped mid-sentence, seemingly coming to a realization. If it were him, he would have made the same choice as well. If given the chance to walk independently, who would want to rely on machines or others for their entire life?
The only thing Zhou Qian couldn’t understand was why Bai Zhou hadn’t told him everything at the start. Was it to protect him from the game, or was there another reason?
Before Zhou Qian could voice his question, a loud argument from the hallway interrupted them. The run-down hotel had poor soundproofing, allowing them to clearly hear a woman’s voice exclaiming, “You’re useless!”
A man retorted, “I’ve given you all my fucking money! What more do you want? After so many years of marriage, you’ll never be satisfied with me, right?”
The female voice replied, “Are you thinking it’s about the money? Can’t I earn money myself? What I’m saying is, you’re not even a real man!”
Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou both pressed their ears against the door to eavesdrop on the argument outside. This action brought their bodies incredibly close. Zhou Qian’s nose was so close to Bai Zhou’s face that he could even feel the warmth of Bai Zhou’s freshly bathed skin clearly transmitting to him.
Zhou Qian chuckled, nudging Bai Zhou’s leg with his knee. “If she’s not complaining about the money, she must be unsatisfied with… well, something else. Seems like her husband isn’t up to the mark.”
Bai Zhou looked expressionlessly outside, but Zhou Qian noticed a slight blush on his ears.
Reaching out, Zhou Qian grabbed the cold towel in Bai Zhou’s hand, filled with ice cubes, and tried to grab his ear. “Feeling hot? Let me cool you down?”
Bai Zhou swiftly grabbed Zhou Qian’s hand, stopping his teasing gesture, and gestured outward with a tilt of his chin.
Zhou Qian stopped teasing and once again pressed his ear against the door, hearing what sounded like a body being forcefully pushed out and falling to the ground. This was quickly followed by the loud sound of a door slamming shut.
From what they gathered, two people had been arguing with the door open, and now one had pushed the other out into the hallway and then shut the door on them.
Meanwhile, Zhou Qian saw the message notification sent by the system:
[Players from room 1107, please proceed to the corridor to view the storyline. This is a mandatory action.]
[NPCs will interact with players. Players must fulfill the NPC’s request.]
Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou exchanged glances, opened the door, and walked into the corridor together.
They saw a woman lying on the ground.
She was wearing a red skirt and had stunning makeup on. However, her expression was grim, sharply contrasting with her bright attire.
She slowly got up from the ground, took off the ring from her ring finger, and threw it away with force.
With a few “ding” sounds, the ring rolled into a corner of the corridor.
She didn’t even glance at it and spat toward the door of room 1103.
It seemed that she had just been pushed out of that room by her husband. Clearly, she was extremely disgusted with him.
At that moment, a man emerged from room 1104, which was opposite room 1103.
The man was tall and handsome. He quickly approached the woman and helped her stand.
The moment the woman leaned on his shoulder, all sorrow vanished from her face, and she seemed to melt, leaning heavily against him.
Zhou Qian watched the scene with interest and said to Bai Zhou, “I guess they had an affair before. Tsk, such cuckoldry, right across each other’s doors.”
Soon after, there were some flirtatious whispers. Zhou Qian looked up to find the two of them kissing right there in the corridor.
After the kiss, the woman hurriedly entered the room, while the man turned to Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou, handed them some money, and said, “I ran out of condoms. Can you help me buy some from the front desk?”
Zhou Qian thought to himself that he had checked his room 1107 thoroughly and hadn’t seen any. Moreover, given their role as frugal tourists, they would indeed run errands for money.
So, the system’s prompt did fit the storyline logic—players must fulfill the NPC’s request.
The only problem was… This man was too eager and hasty about intimacy, even having others buy such items for him?
Raising an eyebrow, Zhou Qian quickly took the money from the man and, together with Bai Zhou, headed downstairs.
In the elevator, Zhou Qian jokingly asked Bai Zhou, “It’s quite fun, isn’t it? Ever imagined one day we’d be taking an elevator together to buy that sort of thing?”
“In the past? If I’m not mistaken, are you referring to our first year in high school?”
Bai Zhou looked at him with a sidelong glance, asking rather seriously, “Did you ever think about it?”
“Not really,” Zhou Qian responded earnestly. “I’m not like you, getting love letters from girls all the time. Who would I buy it for? To blow up as balloons for myself?”
Bai Zhou: “…I never received love letters.”
Zhou Qian continued with a straight face, “And besides, we were underage! What were you thinking about all the time, Zhou Ge?”
Bai Zhou: “……”
After making their purchase without any fuss, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou returned to the 11th floor via the elevator.
As they reached the end of the corridor, Zhou Qian noticed something odd.
The room opposite theirs, 1107, was supposed to be just a wall.
According to Tour Guide Hua, a family of three died there. Afterward, anyone who stayed there committed suicide, so the room was sealed off with cement.
But now, there was a door labeled “1108”.
Suddenly, a chilling scream echoed from room 1108, followed by sounds resembling a bludgeon striking someone’s head.
Zhou Qian heard a fierce male voice sounding through the door. “Having made a mistake, who do you hope will protect you now?”
A faint female voice, filled with extreme fear, began to speak almost incoherently: “God, Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva… I don’t know. Whoever is there, save me, please…”
With a “bang”, another muffled blow landed.
The menacing male voice rang out again. “You’re wrong. You must believe in Satan. Swear allegiance to him; always be loyal to him!”
Sounds of several blows followed, and blood began to seep out from under the door, staining the carpet.
Zhou Qian frowned in displeasure and took a few steps back. Thinking of something, he turned to look at a certain corner of the hallway.
A total of eleven people walked into Hall C, subsequently entering a new virtual game instance. However, since two players chose to stay at the hotel, only nine players followed the tour guide, who was waving a small red flag, out of the hotel and boarded a minibus.
Driving through the fog-thickened city, they arrived five minutes later at the “Fluttering Dream Tattoo Shop.”
This was an enormous tattoo shop, almost akin to an art exhibition center. Inside the vast space, all four walls were adorned with exquisite tattoo designs. To the shock of all players, they recognized the material below these designs—it was human skin.
On one of the walls hung a particularly stunning piece: An entire human back of a beautiful woman.
The upper portion of the wall showcased a painted neck and strands of hair in oil paint, while the lower portion, the spine, was made of real human skin.
On this skin was painted a phoenix, its feathers meticulously detailed in shading, color, and gradient. It looked as though it was about to take flight in the next moment.
However, it could never rise from the ashes again. Its original owner was dead—not just dead—their entire back was skinned to become a specimen for a human skin tattoo.
Zhou Qian then looked towards the center of the room.
There were many glass display cases, all filled with various human skin tattoos. Different cases showcased tattoos with varying pigments. Surprisingly, one tattoo even had the texture of embroidery on human skin, giving the work a macabre beauty.
At this moment, all the players probably had the same thought—
Why are products made of human skin displayed so openly?
Suddenly, Zhou Qian approached some display cases to inspect them closely. He then turned to look at the wall in front of him. He noticed a detail—none of the human skins bore the “卐” symbol.
The players’ journey into the tattoo shop was led by their tour guide. Two employees, a man and a woman, guarded the area, but the rumored tattoo master hadn’t appeared yet.
After scanning the surroundings, Zhou Qian’s gaze landed on Bai Zhou, who was observing a piece of human skin.
The flamboyantly dressed tour guide sashayed over, saying, “Little Brother, do you like this skin? If you do, I can speak to the master for you. Maybe he’ll gift it to you. Hee hee.”
Before the guide could get close, Bai Zhou retreated a considerable distance, not even looking at him but focusing on another skin piece.
Zhou Qian approached him, laughing. “It’s just an NPC. Why are you avoiding it? It’s not like it’s some kind of evil spirit that’s going to eat you.”
Bai Zhou gave him a playful look, asking, “What kind of description is that?”
Zhou Qian didn’t respond, attempting to put an arm around Bai Zhou, but was quickly stopped by a wrist grip, which was then released.
What was Bai Zhou’s deal?
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, trying to figure him out. He noticed Bai Zhou had turned back to observing the tattoos. His face was expressionless.
Frustrated, Zhou Qian snapped, “You’re acting so serious now. You still haven’t told me what you did after you turned into a dragon last time.”
As soon as Zhou Qian finished his sentence, he noticed Bai Zhou’s previously calm expression didn’t change, but his posture became tense. It looked as if he was suppressing something.
Many times, Zhou Qian couldn’t understand Bai Zhou’s true intentions or what he was thinking. Now, he suddenly realized that if he just followed his intuition, maybe he would get answers when Bai Zhou could no longer hold back.
But now was not the time for that. So, Zhou Qian left Bai Zhou and approached the wandering tour guide.
He tapped the guide’s shoulder, asking, “What’s the deal with these human skins? Don’t the police care?”
The guide replied, “Are you joking? Why would the police care about this?”
Pointing at the phoenix tattooed back, Zhou Qian asked, “Where did this skin come from? That entire back…”
“It was done willingly!” the guide explained. “Whether from Blue Harbor city or tourists from elsewhere, everyone highly respects the master!”
“Who would want to be skinned alive?” He Xiaowei, having overheard, interjected. “Once you remove the skin, can they even survive?”
“Do you think this is a slaughterhouse?”
The person speaking wasn’t the guide but a man with an androgynous appearance.
He had long hair that reached his waist. His face was beautiful, and his eye makeup was striking, with colors as varied as a peacock’s feathers.
Through the system interface, they learned his name was Chang Shu, the owner of the shop and the tattoo master.
Emerging from the back workshop, Chang Shu said, “I’m an artist, not a butcher.”
Pointing at the phoenix tattoo, he revealed, “That skin was from my first love.”
He Xiaowei muttered to himself—”Damn, in this era, do murderers look so innocent and straightforward that they just confess?”
The next moment, he heard Chang Shu say, “She was diagnosed with a terminal illness. When she got the medical results, she said she hoped she could be reborn like a phoenix through fire. Even if it couldn’t be realized… she wanted to die beautifully.”
“When she was still healthy, her parents wouldn’t let her get a tattoo. She was afraid of being seen as a rebellious child in their eyes. But with the terminal disease, she no longer cared.”
“When I tattooed the phoenix on her myself, she was very satisfied. She said it’s a piece of art and shouldn’t be buried with her when she dies. Hence, leaving this skin behind was her request. Of course, this is my most cherished piece, and I won’t sell it. You can just look.”
He Xiaowei wore a skeptical expression and asked, “What about the other human skins? Where did they come from?”
“They were all willingly given to me. Some people’s skin is naturally suitable for such craftsmanship. When I tattoo them, I ask if they’d be willing to leave their skin to me after death. If they agree, I won’t charge them, but they must leave their skin to me after death.”
“We sign contracts. If someone dies of old age, their skin will no longer be beautiful, and I won’t want it. Besides, I might be dead by then too.”
“But if someone dies unexpectedly, I’ll retrieve the skin with the contract and bring it back.”
“I have many customers. So, having the skin of many who died young isn’t unusual.”
As Chang Shu spoke, he approached the group, scanning each one.
“Not everyone’s skin is suitable for such artwork. Perfect skin is rare—”
The tattoo artist stopped in front of Bai Zhou and seemed amazed, saying, “Your skin…ha, it’s amazing! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such perfection—”
Before Chang Shu could touch Bai Zhou, he was struck by a bone.
In this instance, the players’ abilities and weapons were restricted. Zhou Qian couldn’t unleash the full power of his Rib of God but using it as a mere stick to hit someone was more than enough.
“Stay away from him.” Zhou Qian glared at Chang Shu and coldly warned. He didn’t even know if that strike hurt, as Chang Shu seemed entirely lost in excitement and obsession.
“Such perfect skin… is ideal for craftsmanship. It doesn’t seem human. It’s too perfect…”
“Please, let me tattoo you!
“Your skin is awe-inspiring…”
Zhou Qian stepped forward to shield Bai Zhou, confronting Chang Shu, “Rare to find skin suitable for your art, is it?”
“Of course, it’s very rare,” Chang Shu replied, shifting his gaze from Bai Zhou to Zhou Qian. “Actually, your skin is not bad either. But you’re still human. The one beside you don’t seem like one…”
His eyes became even more obsessed. “Ah, this one is also special… I’m really lucky today. Haha, both of you have unique skins.”
“Please, let me tattoo you. I won’t force you to sign anything. Just let me feel it…”
Hmmm… Chang Shu singled out Bai Zhou and Hidden Blade.
Can NPCs identify which are Rank God players?
Zhou Qian quickly messaged Bai Zhou privately. “Will you follow my lead?”
Bai Zhou looked at him and nodded.
Zhou Qian then turned to the tattoo artist Chang Shu and said, “The one with the special skin is my brother. He’s afraid of pain. Let us discuss.”
“Sure, take your time. I hope you can appreciate my art and let me try on… their skin. When you’ve decided, find me in my workspace! I’ll wait no matter how late.”
Chang Shu left with an eager glance at Bai Zhou and Hidden Blade.
Tour Guide Hua remarked bitterly, “Hmph…I’ve never heard him talk so much. I had to beg* for my tattoos.”
*Begging grandpa and telling grandma. Colloquialism referring to the lengths someone goes to in order to achieve a certain result.
Zhou Qian asked him with a smile, “If you didn’t bring customers here, he wouldn’t tattoo you?”
“What kind of question is that?!” Tour Guide Hua glared at Zhou Qian angrily and walked away.
After a while, the tattoo shop was silent, with no more customers coming in.
The four members of the Invincible Legion stood together in a corner. Chen Dami kept following his boss, Batu Fei, and there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about the two of them.
However, the other two were different. Perhaps due to their experience with Zhou Qian in the earlier instance that saved them from Ruan Mei’s hand, they occasionally glanced at Zhou Qian, always watching his movements. It seemed that they intended to follow whatever Zhou Qian did.
As for the skinny guy who had been to Hall D, he initially didn’t stick with anyone. But he probably noticed the difficult nature of Batu Fei and the others, so he approached Zhou Qian and asked, “Can I join you?”
Zhou Qian nodded noncommittally, then went back to examining the human skins. At this moment, He Xiaowei whispered, “Qian’er, what do you think?”
“Blue Harbor City is a normal society with police and law. For a tattoo artist like Chang Shu to openly display the skins of people he’s killed… Do you think that’s reasonable?” Zhou Qian began, “So, even though it sounds incredulous and feels like an urban legend, what Chang Shu said might be true. There are people who greatly admire this tattoo art and are willing to dedicate their skin to him after death. It’s possible.”
He Xiaowei asked, “Hmm, he might not be a killer. But wouldn’t a killer target those with tattoos?”
“Yes, but also no.”
At this point, Zhou Qian had browsed the entire store and looked at every skin. A suspicion in his mind was gradually taking shape.
After examining all the skins, Zhou Qian approached a clerk and asked, “Can I make a call?”
“Yes.” The clerk led Zhou Qian to the front desk and handed him an old-fashioned landline phone. Picking up the receiver, Zhou Qian looked towards Tour Guide Hua, near the entrance, and asked, “What’s the phone number for the Saiya Hotel?”
Tour Guide Hua had been rebuked by Zhou Qian earlier and now looked very displeased, rolling his eyes without saying a word.
“Heh, you were so arrogant earlier, speaking to me so rudely. I bring tourists like you here, and I don’t earn much from it! Do you think I enjoy catering to your every whim?”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian didn’t show much reaction. However, He Xiaowei gave him a look that seemed to say, “See Qian’er, you still need me.” He hurried over to Tour Guide Hua and said some flattering words to him.
Tour Guide Hua looked at He Xiaowei. “Want my help, huh? It can be arranged.”
He Xiaowei nodded eagerly. “You tell us, and we’ll do whatever we can.”
Tour Guide Hua immediately cast a flirtatious glance at him. “Little Brother, give me a kiss, and I’ll tell you.”
He Xiaowei: “…”
Tour Guide Hua continued, “If you’re not willing, other handsome guys can do it too. Whoever kisses me, I’ll tell.”
He Xiaowei complained to Zhou Qian, “I have the worst luck. Last time, they wanted me to marry a ghost. Now a man wants me to kiss him.”
He Xiaowei wasn’t pleased and whispered to Zhou Qian, “My love life is truly filled with obstacles. Last time they wanted me to marry a ghost, and now there’s a guy asking me to kiss him.”
“Just give him a peck. It’s no big deal,” Zhou Qian suggested.
He Xiaowei retorted, “No way. Qian’er, we share a deep bond, true. But I can’t sell my dignity for you! Not happening!”
“Just imagine he’s a girl!”
“That still won’t work! Whether it’s a man or a woman, it’s not happening! I have principles! If there’s no feeling, it’s a no!”
“You’re right. We shouldn’t take such things lightly.”
“Exactly!”
“If you’re not going, should I?”
At this, Zhou Qian playfully looked over to Bai Zhou, who was not too far away. “Zhou Ge, how about you?”
Bai Zhou slightly furrowed his brows, looking like he was about to do something.
Hidden Blade, standing nearby, reacted with alarm. “Holy crap, my god! Once your knife is out, doesn’t it always draw blood? Let me handle this!” Before finishing his sentence, Hidden Blade had already drawn his sword.
With a flash of his knife, the back of the blade was quickly pressed against Tour Guide Hua’s neck.
Lifting his chin, Hidden Blade stared coldly at Tour Guide Hua. “Are you going to tell us or not?”
Choking back tears, Tour Guide Hua responded, “Fine, no kiss, but why are you pointing the knife at me?!”
Hidden Blade remained silent, pressing the blade closer to Hua.
With tears streaming down his face, Tour Guide Hua eventually stuttered out his phone number.
Zhou Qian clicked his tongue twice. “I almost didn’t catch the number he said—”
“You Rank God players are way too violent.”
Directing a meaningful glance at Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian chuckled, but without further delay, he picked up the phone to make a call.
Seeing this, He Xiaowei curiously approached Zhou Qian and eagerly asked, “Qian’er, why are you calling the hotel?”
Zhou Qian didn’t answer.
At this moment, his expression turned serious. He made a gesture of silence towards He Xiaowei as he heard a voice from the other end of the phone. “Hello, Saiya Hotel.”
Zhou Qian didn’t immediately pose his question but instead listened quietly.
Sure enough, he heard some commotion, as if many people were entering and leaving the hotel, shouting loudly.
Afterwards, Zhou Qian asked, “I’m a guest who checked in on the 11th floor this afternoon. Has something happened at the hotel?”
“How did you know?” Receptionist Wang drew a sharp breath and asked in surprise, “Did you do it?”
“Of course, it has nothing to do with me,” Zhou Qian replied. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“It can’t be unrelated to you guys! Two people are dead!” Receptionist Wang retorted. “Just so you know, you can’t run away. Everyone has to return to the hotel tonight for questioning. The police are waiting for you!”
Sensing that Receptionist Wang was about to hang up, Zhou Qian quickly asked, “Wait. The two people who died are—”
Receptionist Wang interrupted, “The two who came with you! Their blood seeped out from under the door onto the corridor. That’s how someone found them. When I used the keycard to open the door, I saw… It’s horrifying! The killer is absolutely ruthless!”
Zhou Qian further asked, “How did they die?”
Receptionist Wang responded, “How would I know?”
“Were their heads covered with nylon bags? Were their hands and feet tied?”
“No.”
“Alright, got it. Thank you.”
Zhou Qian hung up the phone.
Earlier, when the players noticed Zhou Qian making the call, they all gathered around.
While talking to Receptionist Wang, Zhou Qian deliberately held up the phone so everyone could hear their conversation.
Everyone’s faces turned pale. The thin guy completely broke down. After all, the two individuals from Hall D were his acquaintances. The sudden deaths of two familiar faces caused him to drop to his knees, shivering all over.
Zhou Qian gave him a glance and signaled to Bai Zhou and He Xiaowei with his eyes. Then, he started heading towards the back workspace.
“Wait—” The one who called out to Zhou Qian was the bald guy, Batu Fei.
He asked, “What do you mean?”
Without responding, Zhou Qian continued walking. Batu Fei stared at his retreating figure for a moment and then ran after him.
“Stop!”
“You thought to make that call and guessed that those two players died; does this mean you’ve already figured out the key to clearing this instance?”
“We all heard your conversation with the tattoo artist earlier. Are you going to him to get a tattoo now? Why?”
Zhou Qian paused, turned to look at Batu Fei, and surprisingly began to explain, “In Hall C, there are clearly two murder methods. If I’m not mistaken, there are two killers. One skins people, and the other puts nylon bags over their heads and beats them to death.
“As of now, the clues we’ve found likely relate only to the tattoo killer. So, let’s not analyze the nylon bag one for now.”
“In this case, if we only look at clues related to the tattoos, it’s actually not that complicated.”
Zhou Qian continued. “I don’t think the tattoo shop owner, Chang Shu, is the killer. I’m inclined to believe him. That is, after someone who got a tattoo at his place dies, he would collect their skin, bring it back to the shop for display and memory, and for some rare pieces, to sell.”
“So, the one who kills and skins people is someone else.”
“The key to distinguishing the two is that none of the skins in this shop have the ‘卐’ symbol on them.”
Batu Fei couldn’t help but ask, “But the designs on these skins are all so similar… The victims must have gotten their tattoos here, right?”
“Tour Guide Hua kept emphasizing one thing. Did you hear it? He said many people love the tattoos here. Shop owner Chang Shu claims that these are all works of art and that he’s creating great art.”
“I don’t know about art, but this tattoo shop is famous enough to be a tourist attraction. I saw many brochures about Blue Harbor City at the front desk, and the city promotes this tattoo shop as a tourist spot. Although Tour Guide Hua might have been exaggerating to attract business, he wasn’t making it all up.”
“Furthermore, the fact that so many people choose to leave their skin here… shows that the value and artistry of this tattoo shop have been recognized to some extent.”
“Therefore, it’s reasonable to infer that the killer also appreciates this kind of art.”
“Since it’s confirmed that two players have died, we can rule out Chang Shu. He’s been here the whole time.”
“Similarly, we can rule out Tour Guide Hua.”
“So, the killer is a hunter lurking in the shadows. He might be inclined to target those with beautiful tattoos, especially the clients of this shop. But then the question is, why is Tour Guide Hua unharmed?”
He Xiaowei caught on quickly and said, “Tour Guide Hua has the ‘卐’ symbol tattooed on his hand!”
“Right. Tour Guide Hua said this symbol can ward off evil and protect oneself. It appears that this symbol does offer protection, but it’s against people, not ghosts,” Zhou Qian said. “The killer won’t target someone with a ‘卐’ on them.”
“Hold on. I have a question,” He Xiaowei interjected. “The serial killer targets people with tattoos. If someone has a ‘卐’, he won’t kill them. I get that. But…”
“Why did he kill those two players? They didn’t have tattoos!”
Zhou Qian: “Simple. It means we’ve been thinking about this wrong. Whether the killer chooses to kill someone doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with tattoos.”
“Someone with a tattoo might catch his attention more easily, leading to them being targeted since he appreciates the beauty of tattoos. But I believe the killer doesn’t exclusively target people with tattoos. We don’t yet know his exact criteria; it might even be random killings.”
“Wait… hold on a second,” He Xiaowei continued, still puzzled. “The skins in Hall C and the hotel room all have the ‘卐’ symbol! How do you explain that? This doesn’t add up, Qian’er.”
“There’s a contradiction here. If the killer doesn’t target those with a ‘卐’, how do you explain the decorations we saw?”
“The answer is simple—the ‘卐’ symbols in the hall and hotel rooms were added by the killer, not the tattoo artist,” Zhou Qian replied.
He Xiaowei was taken aback. “Wait, what?”
“As for your two questions,” Zhou Qian continued, “there’s one theory that can explain everything—”
“As I just mentioned, the decision to kill isn’t necessarily based on whether the victim has a tattoo.”
“However, after killing, if the killer sees a tattoo on the victim, he might decide to skin them for decoration. In some sense, this is just a coincidence. Moreover, he would then add a ‘卐’ symbol to the tattooed skin.
“We don’t know the exact reasons for the killer’s actions, but one thing is for sure—if the intended victim already has a ‘卐’ symbol, the killer won’t target them.”
After digesting this information for a moment, He Xiaowei finally understood. “That’s pretty eerie. But in Buddhism, the ‘卐’ symbol is considered auspicious, right? Both ‘卐’ and ‘卍’* have positive meanings… they can protect us. So it seems like the killer is Buddhist?”
*Clarity: The symbol is a Swastika and carries many meanings depending on the religion, though it is usually a symbol of divinity and spirituality and is associated with good fortune. In Buddhism, it’s homologous with the dharma wheel, which symbolizes the eternal cycle. In Sanskrit, the word means “the mark of wellbeing”. Unfortunately, the Nazi party and neo-Nazis appropriated the symbol, which led to negative association with it.
“But, if he is, why would he kill?”
“He doesn’t necessarily believe in Buddhism, but in something else,” Zhou Qian said gravely.
“What does he believe in?” asked the bald man, Batu Fei.
“In Buddhism, the swastika symbol can be represented in two directions. The Nazi swastika, or hook cross, is the unique right-facing ‘卐’. Just like what we see.” Zhou Qian spoke up. “Have you heard the rumor? During World War II, the Nazis made lampshades out of the skin of prisoners in concentration camps.”
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei and Batu Fei both exclaimed, “Fuck…”
“This symbol is also the emblem of the Nazi Party, but its color and angle are not exactly the same as the swastika in Buddhism. The ‘卐’ we see now is directly engraved on human skin. We can’t make out its color or angle. So, I say it might not be a Buddhist symbol; the killer might worship the Nazis.”
Zhou Qian continued, “With this in mind, everything makes more sense. The serial killer, who worships the Nazis, kills for fun. When he wants to attack someone and sees the ‘卐’ symbol on them, he considers them kin and doesn’t harm them. But if someone doesn’t have the symbol, he will be ruthless.”
“After killing, if the victim has an attractive tattoo, he imitates what the Nazis once did, cuts off the tattooed skin, engraves a ‘卐’ on it to express his beliefs, and finally, using some chemical methods of preservation, makes decorative items out of the tattooed human skin, just like in Exhibition Hall C.”
He Xiaowei asked, “Damn, if we go and get a ‘卐’ tattoo, does that mean we’ll become Nazis?”
“No, don’t feel burdened by that thought, Xiaowei.”
“It’s all about perception. We can view it as a Buddhist symbol for peace and luck.”
Zhou Qian comforted He Xiaowei briefly but kept a thought to himself. He had a bad feeling—could the entire Saiya Hotel become a concentration camp for the hidden butcher?
Zhou Qian took a few steps forward, then suddenly looked back and saw Batu Fei and his three underlings following. Zhou Qian smiled and gestured for them to stop. “Wait, what do you want?”
“Obviously, to get the tattoo artist to ink a ‘卐’ for us!” After saying this, Batu Fei felt uneasy.
Batu Fei looked at Zhou Qian, who was smiling pleasantly. “It’s not that simple. Have you listened to the tour guide? Master Chang Shu tattoos based on fate and mood. Even if you’re willing to pay a high price, he might not agree. However—”
Before Batu Fei could respond, Zhou Qian moved to Bai Zhou’s side. Like showing off a mascot, Zhou Qian presented Bai Zhou, saying, “The tattoo master said earlier that my brother’s skin is the most beautiful canvas! He was begging him for the chance to tattoo him. So, if my brother vouches for you, the master will definitely agree.”
Zhou Qian smiled innocently, but Batu Fei saw through his intentions. Trying to swallow his anger, Batu Fei hoarsely asked, “How much do you want?”
“Ah, Boss Ba! I enjoy dealing with smart and tactful people like you!” Zhou Qian said with a contented smile, then continued, “Look, it’s not that I’m taking advantage of the situation. You wanted to kill me on the beach! You accepted the bounty from the Peach Blossom Legion! I’m worried. I’m now helping you avoid danger. But after this… what if you try to kill me? Hand over all your money and items!”
Hearing this, Chen Dami, one of Batu Fei’s loyal followers, stepped forward, furious. “You’re not trying to help us, you’re trying to—”
“Indeed, if I don’t explain things clearly to you, you won’t understand.
“If you don’t understand, how will you obediently hand over the gold coins and items?” Zhou Qian hugged Bai Zhou’s arm even tighter and tilted his head toward Bai Zhou’s shoulder.
He then looked at Batu Fei and the others with a smile. “We’re about to get the symbol tattooed now. You should make your decisions quickly. I advise you to think broadly. In this kind of instance, items are not really that useful. As long as you have a future, you can always start over. A fortune spent can be earned back, right?”
“By the way, to emphasize, I want all your items and gold. Don’t even think about hiding any.”
“I have a pill that makes you tell the truth. This item won’t be affected by the instance’s restrictions. Later on, I will interrogate each of you to see if you’ve handed everything over honestly! If anyone lies or tries to hide something, I’ll send you straight to your death.”
With that, Zhou Qian, pulling Bai Zhou, gestured to He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade, and the group, along with a thin man from Exhibition Hall D, walked into the back room.
Inside, Master Chang Shu’s eyes lit up with excitement upon seeing Bai Zhou and Hidden Blade. “Oh my god, have you agreed?”
Zhou Qian took the lead. “Yes, but with a condition. We’ve heard a lot about you and want some tattoos too. Can you engrave us first?”
“Of course! As long as I can tattoo on their flawless skin, anything!” Chang Shu replied excitedly.
Zhou Qian offered his left arm. “I’ll go first. Carve a ‘卐’ for me.”
“No problem. You’re staying at the Saiya Hotel, right? That place is haunted. Having this will be beneficial.”
With that, Chang Shu began preparing.
Bai Zhou moved closer to Zhou Qian, silently offering his right hand.
“What for?” Zhou Qian asked.
“In case it hurts, you can hold onto me,” Bai Zhou replied.
Zhou Qian chuckled. “You think it’s like getting vaccinated in elementary school?”
Bai Zhou remained silent, just gazing at Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian looked back, then suddenly realized something significant.
What Zhou Qian thought of wasn’t related to the specific instance but rather the entire game.
Zhou Qian had to admit, Bai Zhou’s skin indeed looked good. However, he genuinely felt that Hidden Blade’s skin was rather rough.
Moreover, with so many players, why would the tattoo artist specifically think that only their skin was good for tattooing?
And, even if they hadn’t brought it up, given that everyone knew they were staying at the Saiya Hotel, the tattoo artist would probably have suggested tattooing a “卐” on both of them.
This boldly suggested that such a situation existed because the instance was protecting the Rank God players.
In the game world, the training system for Rank God players was entirely different.
Things related to them in reality were also quite complex, like Zone X in the Spring Hill Mental Asylum.
Unlike regular players, the cultivation of Rank God players seems to require a very high cost.
To allow Rank God players to match and practice with trainee Shepherds, the system had to place them in such instances to sync with the Shepherds.
At the same time, to prevent them from suddenly going berserk and slaughtering other regular players, their abilities were forcibly limited upon entering such an instance.
But since cultivating Rank God players was tough, the system naturally couldn’t allow them to die easily. So, these instances favor Rank God players to ensure their survival rate.
From this, it could also be seen that the system had different training directions for different players. Bai Zhou and Hidden Blade could demonstrate formidable combat power in the game. As for players like Zhou Qian, it seemed that most of the training probably focused on mental strength.
Noticing Zhou Qian lost in thought for a while, Bai Zhou lowered his head and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Sitting in the chair, Zhou Qian looked up at Bai Zhou and smiled, “Nothing. I just feel that you could be my lucky charm for clearing levels.”
Finishing his words and without looking at Bai Zhou again, Zhou Qian extended his right arm to the tattoo artist Chang Shu and said, “I want the letter ‘Z’ here.”
Hearing this, He Xiaowei, standing behind Zhou Qian, yawned. “Haha, now I get it. The ‘Z’ stands for ‘Zhou’ in Zhou Qian!
“Look, Qian’er, I always said you have an alternative style. I’ve seen people do this, tattooing their names on their arms, but that was when I was in junior high! What adult does this?”
“Of course, in junior high, some would tattoo their boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s name on their arm. But Qian’er, I know your situation. You’re single, just like me!”
Kinky Thoughts:
Regarding what Zhou Qian said, it seems the Nazis did create lampshades made from human skins… along with other human skin artifacts, though it seems that this was only one instance and there weren’t any systematic efforts by the Nazis to make human skin lampshades.
From the outside, the Saiya Hotel exuded an artistic flair. It should have once been a rather upscale hotel, but just like people, it seemed to have not withstood the test of time. Now, it emanated a sense of decay and dilapidation.
Not far from it was a fountain park, and beyond were tall buildings shimmering with lights. However, the entire city was shrouded in a hazy fog, with the lights appearing like elusive ship lanterns on a boundless sea at night, seemingly close yet far out of reach.
Without a doubt, this was a large city, perhaps the Blue Harbor City of another time and space.
This was what Zhou Qian thought as he and the other players discovered that they were temporarily unable to leave the Saiya Hotel.
If they tried to move away from the hotel’s main entrance, they would receive a system notification, warning them that they were about to leave the story’s designated area. So, they all headed for the hotel lobby.
The lobby was spacious, but with a dim color scheme, and the furnishings looked very dated. A few guests, who seemed impoverished and were clearly NPCs, came in and out.
The receptionist, a tall man with a somewhat pale and thin face, greeted the eleven players warmly.
“You must be the tourists visiting Blue Harbor City. Welcome to the Saiya Hotel. My surname is Wang. You can just call me Xiao Wang.”
From Xiao Wang, the players gathered that their role was that of tourists. His words were also undoubtedly a hint. It confirmed Zhou Qian’s earlier thoughts—the story of Hall C still took place in Blue Harbor City—just not the “current” one but in a different timeline.
Zhou Qian asked him, “Where’s our tour guide?”
“He mentioned he’s stuck in traffic but should be here soon. Since you’ve arrived first, feel free to pick your rooms,” Xiao Wang said with a smile, handing over six room cards. “It’s the peak tourist season. The Saiya Hotel is quite popular, and we only have six rooms left. Choose as you like.”
Hearing this, all the players became tense.
The hotel had 12 floors and hundreds of rooms. If it was filled with guests and one of them was a serial killer…how would they identify the suspect?
“Hurry and pick your rooms. Though your tour guide informed us in advance, we’re quite busy. If other tourists come, I might have to give the rooms away!”
The players were concerned that if they couldn’t check into the hotel, they might be expelled from the designated story area and possibly die. So, they quickly took their room cards to check in.
Before taking his card, Zhou Qian glanced at Bai Zhou. He stood tall, looking both familiar and distant.
One thing Zhou Qian had to admit was that in the story of Hall A, both he and Bai Zhou were transformed back into their childhood selves. He was very familiar with Bai Zhou’s childlike appearance, making their interactions natural, as if they had never grown up.
However, after leaving Hall A, the tacit illusion was shattered, forcing both to face reality—they had indeed been apart for seven full years, making each somewhat unfamiliar to the other.
Now, Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou for a moment and then, with a sudden impulse, took a room card from Xiao Wang, looped his arm around He Xiaowei’s neck, and headed for the elevator. “I’ll room with Xiaowei.”
The other seven players had already chosen their rooms and taken another elevator. So, this elevator only carried Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei, Bai Zhou, and Hidden Blade.
Zhou Qian glanced at Bai Zhou and asked, “Which room are you and Hidden Blade in?”
Bai Zhou remained silent, and Hidden Blade cleared his throat, replying, “We’re in 1109. Where’s yours?”
Zhou Qian pressed the “11” button on the elevator panel. “Also on the 11th floor. Let’s go together.”
The layout of the 11th floor was very straightforward.
The elevator was located in the central position. Upon exiting the elevator to the left, there were a total of six rooms, with three rooms on each side of the corridor. Room No. 8 was opposite Room No. 9, and further to the left were Rooms No. 10 and 11 facing each other. At the very end of the left side were Rooms No. 12 and 13, opposite each other.
The right side, however, was a bit different. Rooms 1101 to 1106 had a layout similar to the left side, but uniquely at the end was Room 1107. Opposite this room, there wasn’t another room but rather a wall.
As such, the room Zhou Qian was in, Room No. 7, and the room Bai Zhou was in, Room No. 9, were numerically close in terms of room numbers, but they were quite far apart in distance, separated by an elevator and three rooms.
Minutes later, Bai Zhou and Hidden Blade headed left, while Zhou Qian and He Xiaowei turned right towards 1107.
Seeing that room 1107 faced a wall, He Xiaowei felt a pang of unease. Trying to suppress his fear, he followed Zhou Qian inside. Once in, He Xiaowei said, “You know, Qian’er, I’m glad I’m with you. My master is so aloof. Being with you is much more fun, and having company makes everything less scary!”
Unexpectedly, Zhou Qian responded, “Go to 1109 now and tell them you want to swap rooms with 137 to stay with your master. Then get 137 to come here.”
“?” He Xiaowei was confused. “You’re the one who brought me here. Don’t you want to room with me?”
Zhou Qian replied, “Just go. Why do you have so many questions?”
He Xiaowei persisted. “What are you up to?”
Zhou Qian approached He Xiaowei, staring into his eyes, and said seriously, “I just feel that it’s not safe for you to stay in this room. Haven’t you heard the saying? Never stay in a room at the end of a hotel corridor. It’s haunted!”
“So, Xiaowei Ge, I’m saying this for your own good.”
He Xiaowei: “…”
Zhou Qian continued, “The cases we’re investigating are all about murders. Many people must have died in this hotel. Who knows when a ghost might pop up—”
As Zhou Qian spoke, he raised his hands and approached He Xiaowei.
“Damn it, Qian’er! You’re always trying to scare me. Stop it. I’ll go change rooms right now!”
He Xiaowei, who was afraid of ghosts, dashed off. As he hurried alone towards room 1109, a realization hit him—Wait a minute? If Qian’er was genuinely concerned about me being afraid of ghosts, why didn’t he move to room 1109 with me?
What on earth is Zhou Qian thinking?
Does he not want to share a room with me?
But I didn’t offend him, did I?
Forget it. I can never understand Qian’er’s thoughts.
……
During He Xiaowei’s absence, Zhou Qian surveyed the room.
Undoubtedly, this poor and rundown hotel was one he would never choose to stay in the real world. The furnishings in the room were vintage, and the design was meticulous. The previous hotel owner must have been very particular about its design and decoration, and perhaps the hotel was once lavish, mainly for hosting dignitaries.
But that was decades ago.
After all this time, with no replacement of items or renovations, the room exuded an air of age and decay.
After a quick check of the bathroom, Zhou Qian returned to the main room, his attention drawn to the lamp by the bed.
When he first entered the room, he noticed this lamp, particularly its shade, which was very beautiful and reminiscent of one in the C-1 exhibition hall. However, while the exhibition hall’s lamp featured a peacock tail, this shade depicted a butterfly.
The butterfly, with its bluish wings, seemed so lifelike that it might flutter out at any moment. The shade’s color was still very dark, casting an old, yellowish light.
Upon closer examination, Zhou Qian noticed a “卐” symbol at the base.
After some contemplation, he shifted his gaze to the pillow on the bed.
Despite the bedding’s wear and tear, the pillowcase was exquisite. Almost immediately, Zhou Qian noted its material resembled the lampshade, dark with a beautiful design. This design was of a pair of mandarin ducks and, beneath them, two lines of text.
The first line was a famous verse from the Book of Songs, “In life or death, we’ll never part.”
The second read, “Chen & Huang,” with a heart drawn next to it*.
*Clarity: In Chinese culture, the mandarin ducks are a symbol of eternal love, devotion, and fidelity, as it is believed mandarin ducks only mate with one partner for life.
Some young couples, lacking a sense of public decorum, like to carve their names into tourist attractions. They would usually accompany their names with a love poem or some romantic gesture. But Zhou Qian had never seen such a thing done on a hotel pillowcase. And what was more…
Upon flipping the pillowcase, Zhou Qian unsurprisingly found the familiar “卐”.
This symbol seemed to have strong religious implications.
What kind of couple would mix declarations of love with such a strange symbol?
No matter how you look at it, the romantic verse combined with the peculiar symbol felt out of place.
After inspecting the bedding, Zhou Qian checked the wardrobe and drawers. His attention finally settled on a painting opposite the beds. The painting, with the texture of an oil painting, depicted a smiling noblewoman.
She wore an elegant earring that, from a distance, looked like a bird.
From a distance, one wouldn’t think that the material of the earring is different from that of the lampshade or the pillowcase.
However, upon closer inspection, Zhou Qian could see that the paint used for the bird on the earring had started to crack. The color peeking through these cracks was dark and yellowish, very reminiscent of the base color of the lampshade and the pillowcase.
After surveying the entire room, which took about five minutes, Zhou Qian brushed down the room with a cleaning brush he had acquired before sitting on the sofa. He began to wonder why Bai Zhou hadn’t come yet.
While calculating the time on his system panel, a knock sounded. Opening the door, Zhou Qian was surprised to find not Bai Zhou but He Xiaowei.
“What’s going on?” Zhou Qian frowned immediately.
He Xiaowei: “Oh, my master says 137 doesn’t want to switch rooms. After my unsuccessful plea, I came back. If they’re staying together, why don’t we switch with them? If this room is potentially dangerous, shouldn’t two Rank God players like them stay here?”
“You stay here.” Zhou Qian opened the door wider, looking displeased as he walked out into the corridor.
He Xiaowei: “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to bring your master here. Or—” Zhou Qian gritted his teeth. “I’ll bring 137 here.”
He Xiaowei was becoming increasingly bewildered. “What on earth do you want to do? You want to stay in the same room with my master?”
Zhou Qian replied, “Right. I should have a good conversation with your master. We are teammates now, after all. We should understand each other well. Wait for me; I’ll chat with him.”
He Xiaowei paused, feeling somewhat uneasy, and quickly followed him.
Without looking back, Zhou Qian said, “Remember to bring the room card!”
With that, Zhou Qian, full of determination, led He Xiaowei towards room 1109. However, behind his determined demeanor, he felt a hint of excitement.
Although Zhou Qian’s mental state had slowly improved in certain ways after entering the instance, he often struggled to genuinely feel emotions. There was one exception—whenever something related to Bai Zhou came up, things were different.
At times, Zhou Qian relished feeling angry. Only when one lost all emotional perception would they realize that experiencing the full range of emotions was a vital part of life. Without these feelings, genuine happiness was elusive. So, even though Zhou Qian was a bit angry at that moment, there was a slight thrill in his nerves.
However, Zhou Qian didn’t make it to 1109. As he reached the elevator, its doors opened.
A handsome man stepped out of the elevator.
He wore leather boots and shiny jeans, had many earrings in both ears, and sported a colorful shirt with most of its buttons undone, revealing a large portion of his chest and neck.
The skin there was also colored, and without closer inspection, one might mistake it for clothing. Only when Zhou Qian got close did he realize they were tattoos.
“Hey! Are you guys heading out? Are you here to greet me? How did you know I’d appear at this time? Hahaha.” The man gave Zhou Qian a once-over, his gaze laden with ambiguity. “This little brother is so handsome!”
Zhou Qian asked, “Who are you?”
“Hey, I’m your tour guide, Hua Hui. Welcome to Blue Harbor City,” the man replied with a grin, pulling out a horn and shouting down the hallway. “Tourists, let’s go! We’re heading to the first stop!”
As the guide’s voice faded, the other players began to emerge from their rooms. That was when Zhou Qian noticed that everyone was staying on the 11th floor.
The bald man Batu Fei, the leader of the Invincible Legion, shared room 1105 with “Ke Si” Liu Wansan, which was right next to Zhou Qian’s room.
“Ke Shi” Jian Erdan and Chen Dami, who had previously been with Batu Fei, were in 1106. Zhou Qian mentally labeled them the “Egg Fried Rice Duo*”.
*Clarity: The Dan (蛋) in Erdan means egg, and the Dami (大米) means rice.
The newcomers from Hall D were split, with one in 1102 and the other two in 1101.
While waiting for the rest of the players to gather in the hallway, Zhou Qian turned to the flamboyant guide and asked an essential question, “Where’s the first stop?”
He had a bad feeling, especially after noticing the tattoos.
“The first stop is the city’s most famous tattoo parlor, ‘Fluttering Dream’. Many come to Blue Harbor City specifically to get tattoos there!” The guide winked at Zhou Qian, showing off his shoulder tattoo, as if trying to entice him.
Indeed, Zhou Qian approached him. Not enticed, but to look at the tattoo—a detailed, adorable little fox. After studying it, he heard He Xiaowei behind him call out, “Master.”
Knowing that Bai Zhou and Hidden Blade were coming, Zhou Qian wasn’t in the mood to be angry at this moment.
In his mind, various images flashed: the designs of peacock feathers, butterflies, mandarin ducks, and flying birds on lampshades, pillows, and other places… leading to the little fox before his eyes.
These similarly styled intricate designs overlapped one after another and were all erased by Zhou Qian, leaving only one dark, yellowish-textured substance in his mind—
All these beautiful patterns were drawn on this very substance.
What exactly was this thing?
Upon seeing the tattoo on the tour guide’s skin, Zhou Qian had the answer in his heart.
The lampshades, pillows, and paintings were likely made of human skin.
The intertwined design of the mandarin ducks, the love poems from the Book of Songs, and the engraved names of the couple weren’t actually embroidered on the pillow.
The likely scenario was that one person in the couple had these designs tattooed on their back, arm, or perhaps thigh. Later, that person was killed, and the part of the skin bearing the tattoo was peeled off and turned into a pillowcase.
“Do we have to get tattoos if we visit the shop?” Zhou Qian asked the guide.
“Of course not!” the guide replied. “It’s expensive. You’d need a lot of money! No—”
“Money alone won’t do. The tattoo master chooses based on fate. He won’t tattoo those he feels no connection with.”
At this point, the tour guide chuckled and glanced at everyone, realizing that everyone was present. He continued, “Those who stay at the Saiya Hotel are usually the poor. It’s the only cheap hotel in Blue Harbor City. So, it’s always bustling here!”
“Rich people…haha…they come only to experience life. I can see you’re all not well-off. You probably can’t afford the tattoo shop prices, so why not just go for the entertainment?”
Zhou Qian quickly picked up on something and asked, “Experience life? Why would the rich come to experience a life of poverty?”
Previously, Zhou Qian couldn’t resonate with this sentiment. Growing up in affluent conditions, he sometimes became picky and demanding.
He would never approach such places, let alone come to experience life. Especially when his parents weren’t kind to him, he felt that if he didn’t spend all their wealth, he was letting himself down.
In response to Zhou Qian’s question, Tour Guide Hua winked mysteriously and said, “Because too many people have died here. It’s haunted! Some wealthy individuals come here specifically to witness paranormal activities. I think they’re just too idle.”
Hearing this, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but interject, “Then, why is there just a wall across from room 1107? There should be a room there, right? Does it have something to do with ghosts?”
Tour Guide Hua looked at He Xiaowei and replied, “Exactly. A family of three was killed in that room! Afterwards, every guest that stayed there committed suicide. Some jumped off the building, some shot themselves, and some slit their throats… There were various methods—”
Seeing He Xiaowei trembling, Tour Guide Hua patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t be scared. Later, the boss hired a Taoist priest to exorcize the place, filled the room with cement, and sealed the door. No incidents have occurred since.”
He Xiaowei looked perplexed and unconsciously moved closer to Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian then asked Tour Guide Hua, “You said nothing happened in that room anymore, but what about the other rooms? According to you, the whole hotel is still haunted. Why would you bring us to such a place?”
“It’s cheap. With the price you paid, you can only stay here.” Tour Guide Hua smiled at Zhou Qian. “Brother, don’t be mad!”
Zhou Qian asked him, “Aren’t you scared?”
“I’m not.” Tour Guide Hua rolled up his right sleeve, revealing a “卐” tattoo.
Tour Guide Hua smiled. “This is an amulet. With this, spirits and ghosts stay away! The master tattoo artist at the shop gave me this tattoo. He did this one for free, depending on his mood. Maybe if he’s in a good mood, he could tattoo you as well, and then you wouldn’t need to fear ghosts!”
“Alright, alright—” Tour Guide Hua looked at the time. “It’s time! Everyone, follow me!”
At this point, a crew-cut man addressed Tour Guide Hua, “You go ahead. I need to use the restroom. We’ll be down in a few minutes. Can you wait for us in the lobby?” This man was one of the players who had visited Hall D earlier.
Hearing his request, Tour Guide Hua didn’t hesitate and quickly turned to leave. Before departing, he left a remark, “Alright, make it quick. No more than a few minutes.”
After Tour Guide Hua left, the crew-cut man turned to the group. “What do you think about going to the tattoo shop?”
Noticing everyone’s silence, he approached Zhou Qian and inquired, “You asked a lot of questions earlier, so it seems you have some thoughts. Why not share them? In such a sinister place, I think it’s better if we collaborate.”
Zhou Qian pondered briefly and said, “I just have some speculations.”
“Like what?” the man asked.
Zhou Qian said, “We thought there were no bodies in the six exhibition halls. But it seems there are, or at least parts of them. Those intricate artworks are made of human skin. The patterns on them are tattoos.”
Hearing this, the crew-cut man and the other players went pale.
Zhou Qian continued, “I speculate that a serial killer might target those with beautiful tattoos. That’s why I asked if we could avoid getting tattooed. You heard the tour guide’s answer, right?”
“We did.”
After saying this, the crew-cut man said, “Considering the circumstances, I won’t be going to the tattoo shop. If we’re forced to get tattoos, it might make us vulnerable to the killer. Do you know the pattern I’m referring to?”
After speaking, he didn’t wait for a reply and headed towards his room. “Anyway, I’ve made up my mind. I’m not going. I barely survived the last game. The key principle behind this instance is—if the killer doesn’t see you, how can they target you?”
A moment later, not only did the crew-cut man return to room 1102, but another player, the plump one, also decided not to go to the tattoo shop and returned to room 1101. The skinny one, however, looked uncertainly at Zhou Qian and the others. “So, what are you all thinking?”
“We must go,” Zhou Qian said. “Getting through the game by mere luck has never been my style. Since the killer targets those with beautiful tattoos, he might appear near a tattoo shop. How can we identify the suspect and confront him if we don’t visit a tattoo shop?”
After speaking, Zhou Qian pressed the elevator’s down button. When the elevator doors opened, he walked in.
Bai Zhou, Hidden Blade, and He Xiaowei quickly followed him.
Among them, He Xiaowei might have preferred to stay safe, but he obviously didn’t want to stay alone in a hotel room that might be haunted.
Apart from the four of them, no one else entered the elevator for the moment.
Zhou Qian waited for a while and impatiently pressed the close door button.
But just as the elevator doors were about to close, they were quickly pushed open again.
Immediately after, the four members of the Invincible Legion and the skinny guy from Hall D squeezed in.
Zhou Qian glanced at them nonchalantly and looked away.
While the elevator descended, his mind paused from pondering the complex game details. He turned his head slightly, meeting Bai Zhou’s gaze directed at him.
Zhou Qian blinked and sent a private message asking, “Why didn’t you switch rooms with He Xiaowei earlier?”
Bai Zhou looked a bit surprised.
Zhou Qian quickly realized something—right, Bai Zhou didn’t know he had asked He Xiaowei to switch.
Still, Zhou Qian felt he needed clarification, so he asked directly, “Do you not want to see me?”
Bai Zhou shook his head, his voice soft but certain. “Of course not.”
Zhou Qian: “Then why?”
After a pause, Bai Zhou replied, “I thought you were mad at me.”
Zhou Qian: “?”
Bai Zhou: “It seemed to start in the rest area.”
Zhou Qian: “?? Wait, be more specific.”
Bai Zhou: “Well, you asked He Xiaowei for something instead of me and then shared a room with him. I thought you might be avoiding me, maybe mad at me. So—”
“I planned to talk to you in the morning after letting you cool down for a night.”
Zhou Qian: “……….”
A few seconds later, the elevator “dinged,” reaching the first floor.
Upon exiting, Zhou Qian walked ahead in silence. Bai Zhou followed with a slightly furrowed brow, “Zhou Qian?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“So you…”
Zhou Qian laughed, though there was a hint of exasperation.
Turning to Bai Zhou, his initial stern gaze gradually softened under Bai Zhou’s intense stare.
Zhou Qian then said reflectively, “We haven’t seen each other in seven years. It seems like we still need to adjust.”
Hearing this, Bai Zhou’s expression turned especially serious.
He seemed to gaze past Zhou Qian towards the streets outside the hotel lobby, or perhaps somewhere far away.
After a moment, he said, “Zhou Qian, over these years, I haven’t been in touch with… normal real life. I don’t understand society anymore and rarely interact with others. Sometimes… I even forget how to socialize.”
“If I ever said something wrong or upset you, or if—”
Before Bai Zhou could finish, he was startled to find Zhou Qian holding his hand.
“Zhou Qian…?”
Zhou Qian smiled, pulling Bai Zhou forward as they walked. “Yes, I overlooked it. You’ve been isolated for seven years…”
“Fortunately, I live the most worldly life. I like wealth and splendor, love schemes, and playing with people’s feelings. I understand this world and society very well.”
“Now, get to know me again.”
“After we leave this game, I’ll reintroduce you to the real world.”
……
Behind the two, He Xiaowei witnessed Zhou Qian’s actions.
He shivered slightly, turning to Hidden Blade and remarked, “Sometimes Qian’er can be so cheesy. But, it’s hard to tell whether he’s being sincere or just pretending.”
Hidden Blade: “…Don’t you see?”
He Xiaowei: “See what?”
Hidden Blade: “Never mind. Just be careful when we go to the tattoo shop.”
He Xiaowei: “Got it, Master!”
At the hotel lobby, Tour Guide Hua raised a small flag cheerfully and waved it at the players. “Let’s head to the tattoo shop!”
Kinky Translations 