Xingwang Hotel
Chapter 359: The Last banquet
Wen Jianyan took off the human-skin coat he was wearing, turned it inside out, and put it back on. Then, he quickened his pace along the pitch-black street.
The information Hugo had just provided perfectly filled the gaps in his understanding. Now, Wen Jianyan had basically figured out the concepts behind the two interconnected instances. Although he had yet to fully grasp the core of this instance, based on the known information, he could already outline some basic contours.
Clearly, this entire town, like Changsheng Building, was created by the same group of people.
From Hugo’s description, the essence of this instance was a “prison”, and the one imprisoned inside was naturally a fragment of an evil god’s soul. The countless terrifying ghosts wandering the town were actually “wardens” meant to suppress the fragment of Wu Zhu within the prison. To survive longer in the instance, anchors had to obtain ghost coins to pay for lodging.
Thus, they kept searching for “oil paintings” throughout the town and bringing them back to Xingwang Hotel—any ghosts drawn into the hotel would then gain the status of “residents” and be bound by the hotel’s rules.
However, when the instance reset after each cycle, everything would return to its original state, awaiting the next activation. The entire system oscillated between a delicate imbalance and stability, ensuring that it never completely collapsed.
But this time was different.
Hugo and his team, while bringing ghosts into the hotel, accidentally encountered the white-clothed female ghost in Room 208. From the task she provided, they learned how to achieve the platinum achievement—destroying the instance completely—by hosting a “banquet” for the imprisoned wardens.
By offering human souls as a sacrifice to these ghosts, they could allow them to completely leave, just like the ghosts who had looped through the four floors of the Changsheng Building.
With the wardens gone, the balance would be entirely shattered.
But they hadn’t anticipated that the imprisoned evil god was too powerful. Its fragments not only powered numerous instances but were also intricately linked to the deeper secrets of Nightmare.
Thus, when the ritual commenced and the wardens disappeared, the prison was broken.
The evil god’s power began to awaken and grow, triggering an unfixable bug in the Nightmare system. The first domino had been pushed.
A chain reaction started.
As a result, Nightmare forcibly shut down numerous instances, even abandoning the anchors inside regardless of their survival, just to contain the rapidly spreading “bug”.
At a tremendous cost, it succeeded.
Although Hugo’s ritual had begun, it was never completed. Due to the instance’s timely closure, the evil god was not fully freed; instead, it was forcibly sealed away along with the Xingwang Hotel instance at the last moment. However, one of God the Father’s followers managed to escape. Carrying a mirror containing a minuscule fragment of the dormant Wu Zhu, he disguised it as the “Mr. Mirror” item and smuggled it into the Decai Middle School instance.
To compensate for the loss of anchors due to closed instances, Nightmare pulled in a large number of new anchors. Among them was a rookie anchor named Wen Jianyan, who started his first broadcast in Decai Middle School.
And that white-clothed woman who had given Hugo the “solution” was very likely a follower of the evil god, just like “Mr. Mirror” in the Decai Middle School. Like the latter, she first appeared in Room 408.
More importantly, she not only provided Hugo with the method but also revealed where to find the so-called “sacrifices”. Given her occupation, the nature of these sacrifices was obvious.
In the entire town, only the children at the school lacked proper portraits, having only chaotic scribbles instead. This was because their souls had long been offered as sacrifices in the original Xingwang Hotel instance, serving as the final key to unlocking the prison.
Wen Jianyan’s mind flashed back to the countless children’s corpses strewn beneath the well, and his brows furrowed slightly.
The entire instance had now mostly been unraveled.
When the original Xingwang Hotel instance could no longer be permanently locked down, Nightmare didn’t simply reactivate it and throw the players back into the unfinished scenario. Instead, it created a mirrored version of the instance, placing them inside it. Through the instance’s mechanics, it guided them to complete what Hugo had started but never finished—fully releasing Wu Zhu’s fragment.
This way, Nightmare could use Wen Jianyan to completely eliminate the bug and restore stability.
Wen Jianyan was momentarily stunned.
Had Nightmare really come to trust him so much after he personally “killed” Wu Zhu? The level of authority granted to him seemed excessive.
Or perhaps, even if he failed to fix the bug, Nightmare still had contingency plans in place to prevent the newly freed Wu Zhu from escaping the Xingwang Hotel instance and destroying Nightmare from within?
Of course, there were still some minor details that didn’t quite add up.
To get answers, Wen Jianyan decided to enter the Xingwang Hotel and find Room 208 to meet the white-clothed woman present in both the original and mirrored instances.
He lowered his head and checked the time on his phone.
Based on the information unintentionally leaked by Hugo’s teammate, this instance was already in its final phase—meaning he had less than thirty minutes left. He had to hurry.
Wen Jianyan quickened his pace.
Outside, the rain pattered softly, while inside, the sound of paper being slowly turned echoed.
Time ticked by, second by second. Finally, the rustling of paper ceased.
Chen Mo and the others stared grimly at the final, yellowed page of the notebook, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
“I think Yun Bilan’s earlier guess was correct.” Chen Mo took a deep breath and said:
“The owner of this notebook killed all the children.”
The contents of the notebook were chilling enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
This was a massive, intricately crafted game, built upon countless human lives. Everything had been orchestrated to complete the final ritual.
She had failed once.
But not completely.
At least she had left behind this notebook, waiting to be discovered by others.
Although the content involved evil methods of sacrificing human lives, for them, the anchors who had experienced countless instances, this was no longer unfamiliar. After all, every instance in Nightmare was evil in nature. Any instance related to “rituals” was built upon human lives.
Therefore, before they even formed any judgment, they had already keenly sensed the faint glimmer of hope that came with completing the task, deciphering the true information hidden within the notebook.
――As long as the final ritual was completed, the entire instance would be completely sealed. This meant that Xingwang Hotel was an instance that would definitely lead to a platinum achievement.
Whoever achieved the platinum achievement would be crowned the victor.
“We can’t stay here waiting any longer,” Chen Mo stood up, speaking very seriously. “If the contents of this notebook are true, then after tonight’s banquet, this instance will achieve the platinum achievement. By then, even if our revenue is dominant, the opposing team could still turn the tables with the final banquet.”
“No matter whether the captain returns or not, we can’t continue waiting here.”
Chen Mo summarized.
Yun Bilan’s expression darkened.
She turned to glance at the motionless, broken well not far behind her, as if she wanted to say something.
Chen Mo saw through her thoughts.
“If the captain were here, he would definitely want us to hurry and complete the task, rather than stay in place waiting for his return,” he added.
“And if we lose this instance, the captain will die too, won’t he?”
So, no matter the reason, they had to win this instance.
Yun Bilan took a deep breath and nodded.
“Next, we need to return to the commercial street,” Chen Mo scanned the group, “We must obtain new masks in order to have the qualification to attend the banquet.”
“Let’s go, it’s time to move.”
Soon, the exit of the commercial street was within sight.
Wen Jianyan raised his eyes.
In the distance, the outline of the ready-made clothing store flickered in and out of view in the darkness.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[By the way, Hugo’s team should still be waiting at the street entrance, right?]
[Oh, oh, I remember now, it seems like that?]
[Three people went in, only one came out. Do you think they’ll make a move on the anchor?]
[Hahahahaha, I think so! The anchor didn’t ask Hugo for a signal or anything, and didn’t tell the teammates waiting outside not to make a move. He probably forgot about it, right?]
[Hahahahaha, I’m dying laughing! The anchor is definitely going to flip this time! He managed to separate Hugo and his team, but now he’s about to face off with so many people all at once!]
Just as the bullet comments were gleeful, anticipating the anchor’s downfall due to his oversight, suddenly, the anchor in the shot slowed his pace slightly.
[Hahahahaha, I guess he realized this too.]
[It’s not too late to use an invisibility item now, right? Is the anchor’s system store open?]
[I don’t know!]
[Hahahahaha, it would be terrible if it’s not open! Even though the anchor’s level is higher than anyone on the opposing team, his talent isn’t combat-oriented. Even if he’s strong, it’s hard to win against four people, he’s definitely at a disadvantage in a fight.]
Wen Jianyan raised his hand, adjusted his collar, then took a step forward and walked out toward the commercial street.
Not only had he not prepared to activate any items, but he also boldly walked right down the center of the street, with no attempt to avoid being seen. On the empty street, he was walking alone in the center, making him appear particularly out of place and conspicuous.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[The anchor is so brave!”]
[This is giving up the struggle.]
[Wait, do you guys think his walking posture seems off somehow?]
In the darkness, the young man took slow, stiff steps, with each step seeming like it was meticulously measured, making it look particularly unsettling. His face, with its blurred features, was pale and eerie, like a faint smear of white in the dark.
In the distance, outside the ready-made clothing store, Hugo and his team saw Wen Jianyan walking slowly from within the street.
The tall young man was wearing an old suit, the wine-red lining stood out sharply in the dark. His face was pale and expressionless, and his features were almost lost in the shadows. His movements were stiff and slow, exuding a chilling, ghostly aura.
They all sucked in a sharp breath, stepping back in unison, afraid of drawing the attention of the ghost, and dared not intervene.
Thus, the “ghost” continued its slow walk, gradually disappearing from their sight.
However, after just turning a corner, the “ghost’s” pace immediately relaxed.
He sighed in relief, tugged at his collar, and then skillfully turned down the narrow alley, jogging back down the path he had come, heading toward the Xingwang Hotel, his steps light and quick.
In the “Integrity First” live room:
[Damn, I get it now! I know why he canceled his appearance and flipped his human-skin coat after splitting from Hugo. So this guy was planning to do this all along!!]
Soon, the familiar hotel doors appeared before Wen Jianyan. He took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and entered the hotel.
Inside the lobby, everything remained unchanged from his memory. The only difference was that the hotel manager, wearing a pale mask, had appeared behind the counter at some point, standing still with a smile, watching the entrance.
Wen Jianyan’s heart skipped a beat.
It seemed this NPC existed not only in the mirrored instance but also in the original instance.
He cautiously walked toward the side.
The hotel manager did not stop him but remained motionless, still standing behind the counter, his face frozen in an eerie, upward-curved smile.
Wen Jianyan turned and walked toward the right corridor.
Behind him, the manager’s rigid, mechanical voice echoed: “To attend the banquet, please walk to the left.”
Wen Jianyan was startled and turned around to look.
The hotel manager remained still behind the counter, but his head had twisted around, and his pale, blurred face now faced Wen Jianyan. In the same monotone, he repeated, “To attend the banquet, please walk to the left.”
Wen Jianyan lowered his head and glanced at his phone again.
There was not much time left.
If he stayed here any longer, it would be difficult to get the answers he wanted.
In that case…
He would have to force his way through.
With a clenched jaw, Wen Jianyan made up his mind, ignoring the manager’s “reminder” behind him, and quickly turned around, heading toward the direction he remembered. His heart remained tense throughout the process.
After walking briskly for a while, Wen Jianyan cautiously glanced behind him.
There was no one there. The hotel manager hadn’t followed him.
Wen Jianyan breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
If he had gotten into a conflict with the NPC at this point, he wasn’t sure if he would make it in time.
Suddenly, a creaking sound broke the silence of the corridor. Wen Jianyan’s heart skipped a beat.
Not far ahead, a door slowly opened, and a vague shadow stood in the darkness. Even from a distance, Wen Jianyan could still make out the pale figure, its face seemingly made of paper, creating a ghastly, chilling atmosphere that sent a shiver down his spine.
Bad news—it was a guest!
“Creek–“
“Creek–“
The sounds of door hinges turning echoed from all directions.
Ahead, behind, to the left, and to the right—
Every door in the corridor, which had been shut moments ago, now opened.
Wen Jianyan’s hairs stood on end, and cold sweat broke out in an instant.
He quickly took a step back and immediately realized the situation.
It seemed that the “banquet” was about to begin, and these ghosts were all invited guests, which was why they were all leaving their rooms at once!
Along the corridor, one by one, the doors opened. At each door stood a terrifying figure, slowly stepping into the hallway.
In the dim light, pale faces twisted slowly, and countless dark, hollow eyes silently turned toward Wen Jianyan.
In just a few breaths, the once silent hotel corridor had turned into a chilling, ghostly gathering.
And standing in the middle of the corridor, Wen Jianyan…
Had become the only living person.
surrounded but not broken, do it, do iiitttttt!
Wait, i through Hugo wasn’t there? Eh, doesn’t matter…