WTNL Chapter 298

(19/20)

Xingwang Hotel
Chapter 298: The Fraudster’s Arena

In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[!]

[Oh no! Cardiac arrest!]

[Hahaha, the scene I’ve been sincerely praying for has finally happened! The deeds of this shameless guy have become well-known; finally, someone is wary of these fraudsters. Come on, let him crash and burn!]

[You are right.]

The young girl suddenly raised her head, her pupils showing a flicker of abrupt awareness.

“I don’t have any recollection of you all…”

Her gaze drifted between the two teams, finally landing on the face of the person who had just voiced a suspicion. There was nothing fake about the vigilance in her eyes.

“How can you prove we’re on the same team?”

In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[?]

[Nice move with the preemptive strike!]

A hint of annoyance appeared on the person’s face. “If I wasn’t on your side, why would I have warned you just now?”

“Hey, don’t assume I didn’t take anti-fraud courses before entering this nightmare.”

Wen Jianyan took two steps back, staring intently at the other, his expression becoming even more wary:

“Leaking information to gain trust and control, guiding the course of events—doesn’t that sound like a common trick from their side?”

In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[…It was so confidently put that I can’t even refute it.]

[So, your anti-fraud course… was it used as teaching material?]

“Hold on,” the other person seemed a bit agitated, “If you’re saying that, then wasn’t it your goal earlier to claim there was a ghost in that room?”

“My purpose was to stop you all from going in, wasn’t it?”

Wen Jianyan let out a cold chuckle, stepping aside, his tone unrelentingly aggressive: “If you don’t recognize goodwill, feel free to go in and check. I, for one, wouldn’t go in there a second time if my life depended on it.”

The other person choked on his words.

Fear of ghosts was deeply ingrained in everyone’s instincts, and even if there was only half a doubt, it stirred a shiver within them.

“You don’t remember us, and we don’t remember you either.”

“And you?” Wen Jianyan turned his head, looking at the few people standing at the doorway of Room 408, and pointed toward the other team.

“Do you recognize them?”

The captain of the other team froze, hesitating as he looked at the opposing side, then fell silent.

As expected.

A glint of dark light flashed in Wen Jianyan’s eyes.

The basis of his conclusion wasn’t just that there were too many people on the black and red factions for everyone to be familiar with each other in such a short time. After all, there was still a chance they might recognize each other—a passing glance in a hallway, for instance, could leave an impression.

But these two teams were definitely not among those familiar with each other.

Wen Jianyan had noticed from the moment they met face-to-face.

First, they had stopped too quickly. Almost as soon as they spotted the other team, both groups halted in place, keeping their distance. At first, Wen Jianyan didn’t understand why, but later, when one team mentioned “the gentleman’s advice,” he immediately understood the reason.

The gentleman had instilled the concept of “opposing side” and “sense of distance” into everyone’s minds. So, when they saw each other, they instinctively maintained a distance, as each saw that the opposing team’s numbers far exceeded their own.

More crucially, they hadn’t exchanged any words from the start—no greetings, no communication, not even a friendly look. Instead, their gazes were filled with caution and scrutiny.

No one was better at reading micro-expressions than Wen Jianyan.

In their eyes and body language, both sides exuded extreme unfamiliarity and distrust, which led Wen Jianyan to naturally ask that question.

“Hey, what are you trying to imply?”

The opposing team captain recognized the gaze fixed on him from the other side and couldn’t help but display an offended expression. He snorted coldly:

“Sorry, I don’t remember ever meeting you.”

The hallway atmosphere instantly grew tense, on the brink of conflict.

In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[This is wild; the anchor is top-notch at stirring things up.]

[With just a few words, he’s turned everyone against each other, making them all suspicious… I would call him the greatest troublemaker of all time!]

[Tch, what’s the big deal? Can’t they just show each other their character card screens to clear things up?]

Suddenly, as if to confirm the comments on the screen, a voice broke the silence:

“If we can’t prove our identities to each other, why not reveal our character card screens?”

But to everyone’s shock, the person who made this suggestion was the least likely to do so.

—Wen Jianyan.

He took a step forward, his tone suddenly softening, as if he were trying to play the role of a peacemaker, as if he hadn’t just created this scene of mutual suspicion with his own hands.

In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[?]

[???]

[??? Has he lost it?]

“Reveal character cards—”

Before anyone else could speak, the Black Team captain who’d first voiced suspicion stepped forward, sneering with contempt: “Do you think we’re idiots, knowing one of you might be among us?”

Seeing things develop in this way, Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

The “Gentleman” had advised his side to be wary of possible infiltrators from the Red Team, hoping it would prevent Wen Jianyan from advancing. In fact, this warning had created a perfect opportunity for him.

If the Black Team had truly known each other well, the gentleman’s “warning” would have been useful. But under these circumstances, where they couldn’t even recognize each other’s faces, such advice only sowed a deep seed of distrust in everyone’s hearts. Just a little nudge, and it would grow like weeds fed by rich soil, unchecked.

—Since there was no way to clear himself of suspicion, he might as well go the other way. 

By enveloping everyone in a fog of mistrust, he embedded caution into their subconscious, making self-preservation their first instinct. Only when everyone was on edge could he slip through the chaos.

The more chaotic the scene, the sharper the standoff—this was a swindler’s domain.

Watching the chaotic scene before him, a fleeting smile appeared on Wen Jianyan’s lips, a hint of malicious amusement in his eyes, as if relishing the discord he’d ignited with his own hands.

In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[…]

[Five minutes ago: ‘How could he lose this!’ Five minutes later: ‘He really might lose, damn it!’]

[Ahhh, they’re cornered with nowhere to retreat! Two Black Teams pinning them down in a narrow hallway! Are those two Black Teams that useless?]

Behind Wen Jianyan, Yun Bilan and the others looked at the scene before them, their minds struggling to process what they were seeing.

They just couldn’t understand…

What seemed like a certain showdown had, with just a few words of provocation, turned into this.

They stared blankly at Wen Jianyan’s back.

The figure standing there was still cloaked in an avatar. Long black hair hung wetly over his slender shoulders, giving him a delicate, almost deceptively fragile appearance from behind. A strange sense of complexity slowly arose within them. 

In the end, all their feelings merged into one thought.

They knew their captain could deceive…

But they hadn’t expected he could deceive like this!!!

“Alright, alright! Let’s settle it like this!”

Seemingly wanting to put an end to the pointless conflict, one of them stepped forward and spoke up.

He eyed the others warily: “Since we can’t confirm each other’s identities, how about we each take a step back and separate in three directions. What do you say?”

Reaching this point, it was impossible for them to trust any other team, let alone risk exposing their critical character cards to the unknown. For safety, the best course now was to abandon any attempts to verify identity and act in self-preservation.

Everyone exchanged looks and didn’t raise objections.

After all, everyone was self-interested.

And Wen Jianyan was even less likely to object since the current situation was entirely of his making. So, the three sides reached an agreement.

They moved to the hallway’s intersection, each group watching the others closely as they backed away, gradually widening the distance between them.

Wen Jianyan turned his head and casually glanced behind him.

The stairwell leading upstairs was just a little way behind. If things continued this way, they would soon be out of the Black Teams’ line of sight. At that point, they could leave the first floor and return to the third or fourth floors, where the Red Team was based.

In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[I didn’t expect it… in the end, this swindler got away!]

[This guy’s scheme to fish in troubled waters was brilliant! He turned a two-on-one into a one-on-one-on-one, completely shifting the balance of power, so none of them dared to make a move.]

[Sigh, I really thought this time he’d finally pay the price for the lies and dodges he’s spread over the last few instances… but in the end, he didn’t crash at all! Heartbreaking!]

[?? What’s with these comments! My baby isn’t one to crash so easily! My swindler is number one!]

Suddenly, Wen Jianyan felt a tug on his sleeve.

“?!”

He was startled and instinctively turned to look beside him.

Nothing was there.

Though he couldn’t see anything, Wen Jianyan immediately knew who was trying to communicate with him.

It was Bai Xue.

With his most distinctive appearance, Wen Jianyan had told Bai Xue to activate the invisibility prop as soon as he heard footsteps, to avoid blowing their cover.

Bai Xue’s anchor level was the highest among them, so his system store items were all top-notch. Wen Jianyan didn’t think Bai Xue’s item would lose effectiveness this quickly, so…

If Bai Xue was contacting him now, there had to be another reason.

The light above suddenly started to flicker.

It sounded faintly like unstable electricity, crackling intermittently.

Wen Jianyan froze, looking up. The dim red light filled the corridor, casting an eerie shadow as it flickered unpredictably, giving a haunting impression.

Wait a moment, what was going on?

A wave of foreboding rose abruptly in Wen Jianyan’s chest.

He turned to look at the place he’d just walked through. Due to the dimmed lighting, the other two teams’ figures were almost invisible; at the end of his line of sight, he could only see a tightly closed guest room door. On the door hung a rusty number plate: 408. Beneath the number plate, the small “Do Not Disturb” light was still on, casting an odd, eerie glow in the dim hallway, like an eye peering out.

Then, suddenly—

The doorknob began to slowly turn downwards, as though someone inside the room was twisting it ever so gradually.

The next moment, there was a creak, shattering the dead silence in the hallway. The long-closed, silent door slowly opened a crack.

Unlike other rooms without guests, the gap in this door was pitch-black, without a hint of light, as if it led to an abyss, filled with a darkness as thick as ink.

“!!!”

Wen Jianyan’s pupils shrank suddenly. In that moment, a chill crawled up his spine, his hair stood on end, and his marrow felt frozen.

This was bad. 

It looked like… his worst fears had come true.

He had known all along that inviting “guests” into the Xingwang Hotel from paintings would do them no favors. Since the room numbers of the red and black factions didn’t align, both sides could potentially end up in rooms occupied by the other team’s invited “guests.” This meant that danger could lurk within any room, suggesting that these “guests” might not necessarily be confined to their rooms.

But now…

What was happening in front of him shattered the last illusions he clung to.

Wen Jianyan stared hard at the pitch-black door crack, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He should have known.

In high-level instances within Nightmare, the goal was always to trap people to their doom. Any potential danger would inevitably come to pass, possibly even worse than expected.

And now, reality had proven him right.

The “guests” they’d brought into Xingwang Hotel weren’t merely ghosts…

They could move freely throughout the hotel.

And this was just one. What if all the guest rooms were fully occupied?

Wen Jianyan didn’t dare to think further.

“Don’t wait; let’s go!” Wen Jianyan decided instantly. 

The two black teams were no longer their main threat. Right now, the malevolent energy spilling out of Room 408 was what truly frightened them.

Without another word, they all turned and sprinted toward the stairwell at top speed!

Just as they reached the stairwell, Wen Jianyan suddenly skidded to a halt. He gasped, his eyes wide with horror at the path ahead.

The stairwell was a void.

There were no stairs, no walls—nothing.

All that remained was an endless abyss of darkness, emitting a deep, damp chill. Instinct told him this wasn’t an illusion; if he ignored his instincts and stepped into it, he would be utterly devoured.

Death… or something even worse.

At that moment, Wen Jianyan was acutely aware of one thing:

…They couldn’t escape.

Not far behind, shouts of panic from the other teams rang out:

“Don’t go forward!”

“What the hell!? Where’s the way out!?”

“Damn it, what’s going on!!”

“Why can’t we get out!!!”

The light above continued to crackle and flicker with increased intensity. The narrow hallway alternated between light and dark, and the air grew noticeably colder, sending shivers down everyone’s spine, freezing their breath and seemingly even the blood in their veins.

Wen Jianyan stood at the stairwell, his face stiffening as he slowly turned his head.

In the distance, the crack in the door to Room 408 had widened even further, opening soundlessly.

An unmistakable, faintly familiar scent drifted into his nose.

It was a cold, damp smell, as if icy rainwater had seeped into Xingwang Hotel, mingling with a disturbing stench of bloated, rotting flesh.

At that moment, only one thought occupied Wen Jianyan’s mind:

Damn.

No telling how many points this appearance would cost him.

Better not bankrupt him.

__

Author’s Note:

Wen Wen: My points, my hard earned money.

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