Thank you Jill for the Kofi.
Xingwang Hotel
Chapter 300: Let Go of Me
Wen Jianyan had no choice but to do this.
He knew that in less than twenty minutes, Xingwang Hotel would shut off the lights again, and once the lights went out, the path leading to Rainy Town would reopen, allowing anchors to enter once more to invite new guests to Xingwang Hotel.
Previously, everything had gone smoothly while he was on the fourth floor.
But now, he was on the first floor—a territory belonging to the opposing team.
This time, the hotel would not be as safe and empty as before after the lights went out, which greatly increased the number of unstable danger factors.
Wen Jianyan didn’t know what changes would happen in the instance after the second round of lights out. He didn’t even know what the painting in a room on the black team’s territory would look like if he, as a member of the red team, entered it…
Everything was an unknown, impossible to predict.
Thus, Wen Jianyan had only one option left:
To blend into the black faction’s team.
During the last lights-out, Wen Jianyan had experienced firsthand that the painting in each room was determined by the identity of the anchor team inside when the lights went out, and this would not change afterward—even if the team left the room.
This was the reason Zhong Shan had entered the same painting as them.
Since the black team had already entered this room, the painting inside was very likely already changed according to their presence.
Even if Wen Jianyan joined later, it wouldn’t lead to major alterations in the painting’s content.
In this way, he could eliminate many uncertainties.
At the very least, it ensured that if they entered the painting, there wouldn’t be any dangers beyond their ability to handle.
The hallway was dead silent.
There was no sound from inside the room. If Wen Jianyan weren’t highly confident in his own observation skills, he might have thought it was just an ordinary, empty room.
He waited patiently, giving the other side ample time to respond.
After all, the two teams had just faced off suspiciously at the door of Room 408, and suspicions about them being from enemy teams hadn’t been completely ruled out. Hearing a request to team up would make the other side hesitate, and they’d likely discuss it internally before agreeing.
Then Wen Jianyan suddenly thought of something.
He turned his head, casting a glance at an empty spot beside him, and lowered his voice, calling softly, “Bai Xue.”
“Come out.”
Although Bai Xue, being among the top ten, had a high-level invisibility prop that lasted longer than most anchors’ it wouldn’t last indefinitely. Since they might be on the first floor for a while, relying on the item continuously wasn’t feasible. Even with Bai Xue’s higher-tier prop, it couldn’t cover the entire duration.
As soon as Wen Jianyan finished speaking, Bai Xue’s figure appeared on the empty floor in front of him.
Bai Xue lifted his eerie, pitch-black eyes, staring at Wen Jianyan silently, as if asking something without words.
Wen Jianyan looked at the stark color of Bai Xue’s hair and frowned in mild frustration. “Can you change your hair color?”
Bai Xue remained silent, lowering his head and tapping the air with his hand.
Very quickly, his hair turned a deep brown.
As long as he didn’t raise his eyes, revealing his unsettlingly black pupils, Bai Xue looked like an ordinary, silent, yet delicate boy.
Wen Jianyan understood that Bai Xue’s hair change, like his own disguise, used a significant amount of points within the instance. But since Bai Xue only changed his hair, the points cost was far lower than Wen Jianyan’s full appearance modification.
“…”
Thinking about this made Wen Jianyan feel a bitter taste in his mouth.
His anchor level was so high now that using a disguise in this instance cost him nearly five times what it did in the previous one…
Please, let this end soon.
Otherwise, he worried he might go bankrupt in this instance!
Not only was he not earning, but he was actually losing points—how tragic!
Yun Bilan frowned. “Although the hair color is less conspicuous, we suddenly have an extra person in the group…”
How could they possibly blend in like this?
“It’s fine,” Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, forcing himself not to dwell on unpleasant thoughts.
He shrugged and said, “As long as I’m here, there won’t be a problem.”
Yun Bilan: “…”
True.
If it were anyone else, she’d be worried, but…
With Wen Jianyan’s gift of smooth-talking, he could turn a negative into a positive and convince anyone of anything. For him, this probably wouldn’t be difficult.
Following Wen Jianyan’s orders, Blond kept a close watch on the dark hallway in front of them, tracking the movements of the guest in Room 408.
Meanwhile, the others waited at the door with him.
But as time passed, the room remained silent.
Understandable.
In a nightmare, trust was a luxury.
Being from opposing camps, it was only natural the other side wouldn’t be eager to team up with them.
The air grew thick with dampness.
It was as if the surroundings were warning them:
Danger was still near.
Chen Mo frowned, turning to Wen Jianyan and lowering his voice to ask, “Looks like they won’t open the door. Should we—”
“No need.”
Wen Jianyan shook his head, replying calmly, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”
Because…
He was certain they would agree to his request.
It wasn’t just that the situation was dire, and having more people meant extra help. More teammates reduced the odds of individual danger, making it easier to understand the ghost’s patterns and ways of killing. More importantly… Wen Jianyan’s team had vital, irreplaceable value.
Just now, he had made it clear to everyone in front of him:
Room 408 was haunted.
And the following events proved he hadn’t lied.
This not only reduced suspicion that he was from the opposing camp, but also demonstrated that Wen Jianyan’s team had indeed had a direct encounter with the “guest” in Room 408.
Now everyone was trapped on the first floor, unable to escape. In this situation, information was the most valuable asset. From the looks of it…
Only by cooperating with Wen Jianyan’s group could they hope to break free.
Almost as if to confirm his words, the door creaked open from the inside just as Wen Jianyan finished speaking.
In the next instant, Wen Jianyan’s face seamlessly transformed.
His previous calm and decisiveness vanished without a trace, replaced by a pale face, frightened eyes, and trembling lips, vividly portraying a character terrified in the face of danger.
In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Damn, are you a magician?]
[Man, I’ve truly seen what it means to change expressions faster than flipping a page!]
[…Astonishing, truly.]
A cautious, low voice spoke from within the room:
“Come in.”
“T-Thank you.”
The “girl” sniffed and showed a grateful expression, softly replying.
In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[…]
[My eyes! Save me! My eyes!]
The group quickly entered the room.
The black team member leading them immediately noticed something off.
The lead member squinted in suspicion at Bai Xue, who had suddenly appeared. “Wait, I don’t recognize him. How come there’s an extra person with you?”
“Didn’t you remember?”
Wen Jianyan was not the least bit flustered, as if he had already anticipated this question.
He timidly raised his eyes, looked at the other party, and said, “I mentioned before that after we entered Room 408, one of our team members was permanently left inside…”
Yun Bilan and the others froze for a moment and instinctively looked at Wen Jianyan’s back.
Of course, they remembered this lie Wen Jianyan had told earlier.
They had originally thought it was merely to emphasize how dangerous the ghost in Room 408 was, hoping to deter others from wanting to go inside. But they never expected that this lie would have yet another use!
Could it be that, from the time he told this lie… he had already planned an explanation for Bai Xue’s sudden appearance?
“Wait, so he’s the one—”
One of the Black Team members on the other side was startled; his gaze suddenly fixed on Bai Xue with a look of disbelief.
Wen Jianyan said, “Yes, he’s the team member who was left in Room 408.”
“Just now, when Room 408’s door opened, inside…”
The young girl seemed frightened by her own words, her frail shoulders shivering slightly. Steadying herself, she continued, “…shortly after the ghost inside came out, he stumbled his way out.”
“!”
Upon hearing this, all the Black Team members perked up instantly.
It was evident that Wen Jianyan’s words hit exactly on their point of interest.
Under these circumstances, nothing was more valuable than the information from someone who had just survived an encounter with a fierce ghost.
They all turned to Bai Xue, bombarding him with questions like a barrage:
“What exactly attacks you in Room 408?”
“So, what happened when you went in earlier?”
“How did you survive in the end?”
“…”
Bai Xue hung his head in silence.
Naturally reticent to the extreme, he was hardly the type to lie effortlessly like Wen Jianyan.
So, under this onslaught of questioning, the normally reserved Bai Xue withdrew even further.
Suddenly, the young girl standing nearby let out a sob and, without warning, threw her arms around Bai Xue.
“? !”
Startled by the sudden embrace, Bai Xue’s body tensed up, his usually expressionless face growing even stiffer.
He froze, standing there like a statue.
Sensing Bai Xue’s resistance, Wen Jianyan inconspicuously tightened his embrace. His slightly sobbing voice remained flawlessly genuine:
“Ever since he got back… he’s been like this.”
In the barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Hahaha, I can’t! Every hair on Bai Xue’s head screams resistance!]
[Hahaha, Bai Xue: ‘Let go of me!’]
“So, what you’re saying is,” one of the Black Team members frowned, “he’s too traumatized to clearly explain what he’s been through, right?”
Wen Jianyan buried his head in Bai Xue’s rigid shoulder and nodded vigorously.
“Then you should remember, right?”
The person grew increasingly agitated, asking urgently, “What exactly is in Room 408? How did you escape? How does it kill? And how do we deal with it?”
Just as Wen Jianyan turned, prepared to blend real details about Room 408 with a bit of crafted fiction—
Suddenly, an abrupt change occurred.
Through the closed guestroom door, there came a light “click” from the hallway.
The sound of the lights going out.
“!”
Wen Jianyan’s gaze sharpened, turning toward the door.
His eyes focused on the gap beneath the door.
Complete darkness.
A serious expression flashed across Wen Jianyan’s face.
As expected, he had predicted correctly—no matter what, he would spend this round of “lights out” on the first floor.
“Did the lights go out?”
The Black Team anchor beside him also noticed.
“Then the oil painting should be accessible now. Should we go in…?”
“No way, wouldn’t it be even more dangerous inside than out?”
“And if we go in, what then? Are we really going to invite another guest in? Our exit is blocked; the first floor is already dangerous; if we end up…”
In the midst of their heated argument, Wen Jianyan suddenly heard a faint sound through the thin wall.
“Drip, drip, drip…”
It sounded like water dripping onto the ground.
“Silence!”
Wen Jianyan’s voice was suddenly severe, his tone changing drastically. A moment ago, it was a soft, sobbing voice, but now it was sharp and decisive, brimming with an undeniable authority.
Everyone in the guestroom was startled, instinctively falling silent.
The room was deathly quiet.
Now, they could all hear the muffled noise through the wall.
“Thud, thud, thud.”
Heavy, rigid footsteps echoed from beyond the door. The thick carpet muffled them, making them sound even duller, as if there were faint splashing sounds accompanying each step, growing clearer, as though dripping water soaked the floor with each step.
The air was saturated with the smell of decay, intensifying.
Which meant…
The guest from Room 408 had already dealt with the team on the other side and was now coming for them!
The room fell into dead silence.
Everyone’s face turned pale as they stared at the doorway in horror.
Soon, the footsteps halted.
Through the pitch-black door gap, two dark shadows were visible.
It was as though someone was standing there, facing the door, completely still.
“…”
The air seemed to freeze.
A stifling tension filled the room, making it hard to breathe. Fear permeated the air, causing hearts to race and palms to sweat.
“Whatever happens,” a member of the Black Team muttered, staring intensely at the door, his body tense like a drawn bow, “be ready to fight—”
But before he could finish, a strange noise sounded from the adjacent room.
“Clang.”
The sound was all too familiar, just like… a door handle being slowly pressed down, its rusty metal making a grating sound.
“? !”
Everyone jumped and turned to look at their own door handle.
It stayed still.
The shadow beyond the door remained motionless as well, so…
Just as the group was steeped in confusion, a second sound echoed.
“Creak—”
It was the sound of a door opening from within, slowly sliding out.
Everyone now realized… that sound came from the room next door, not from them, but from a room on the same side, very close by.
“…!”
In that instant, Wen Jianyan’s pupils shrank as he realized something, his breath catching.
Remember, they had encountered two black faction teams just earlier—one from behind them and another…
From a door in front of them.
And that door…
It was in the direction where the sound had come from.
By his recollection, it was only three or four doors away from theirs.
Those people had been soaked, meaning they had just entered the painting. If they’d completed their task within it and truly invited a “guest”…
Then this hallway wasn’t housing just one ghost from Room 408.
But two.
And now that the lights were out… both had started moving.
