Xingwang Hotel
Chapter 310: Drowned Animal
Wen Jianyan took one step after another in the rain.
The further he went, the slower his pace became, his limbs dragging as if weighed down by a thousand pounds. Each step was more difficult and heavier than the last.
Soon, Wen Jianyan could see the position of the “hollow” with the naked eye.
The light rain drizzled down from above, soaking his clothes, which clung tightly to his body, becoming heavier with every passing second.
Wen Jianyan was clear that this weight wasn’t caused by the rain.
Even without actively looking, he could catch glimpses with his peripheral vision of the rapidly increasing pale corpses on his body, layers of broken bodies pressing down on him, their eerie, bluish-white color flickering in the slightly rippling water, making them appear especially terrifying. The sight sent chills down his spine.
…It was close.
It was almost there.
Wen Jianyan’s eyes were fixed ahead, his breath ragged.
Only a few steps away, he could clearly see a distinct hollow. In the dense rain, it stood out, stark and out of place.
Clearly, it had also “noticed” Wen Jianyan approaching.
The water surface reflected the blurry figure of the guest.
It stopped its original course toward Chen Mo and the others, and in the disturbed mirror of the rain, that blurry, pale face with an eerie smile twisted toward Wen Jianyan.
Only ten steps left.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and glanced at the umbrella handle in his hand.
The pale woman’s hand had become clearer, and the damp air carried a faint smell of decay, already close to the state it had been in last time.
It wouldn’t be long before the supernatural attack mediated by the umbrella would begin.
“…”
The fingers of Wen Jianyan’s hand, hanging by his side, twitched slightly due to nervousness.
Stay calm.
There’s no problem.
After all, just a little over ten minutes ago, he had personally verified the feasibility of this approach. As long as he timed it right, theoretically, he could replicate the success from last time.
What he needed to do now was to get close enough—then just extend the umbrella.
Of course, just in case, Wen Jianyan had already prepared himself to deal with any unexpected situations. If any danger arose, he would immediately activate the “Holy Infant Remains” prop to use its invincibility duration to save himself.
Although the entire process seemed simple, Wen Jianyan didn’t feel confident.
There were too many variables this time.
Even though he had already implemented it once, he still couldn’t be absolutely sure of success.
It was getting closer.
Only five steps left.
The cold rain poured down from the sky, weaving a gloomy, oppressive gray space.
On the ground, only the young man walked alone…
But if anyone looked down at the puddles on the ground, they would see a chilling sight.
Countless pale, bluish corpses stacked together, like another terrifying, twisted, and mutated world, trapped beneath the water’s surface, constantly trying to seep through, emanating endless malice.
The “hollow” in the rain was within arm’s reach, and the temperature around him seemed to drop to freezing point. The air was thick with a cold, rotting stench.
Wen Jianyan felt a chill down his spine, his hairs standing on end, a primal fear creeping in. His taut nerves screamed, warning of the impending danger.
This feeling was very familiar, almost identical to last time.
It was terrifying, but still manageable.
Only three steps left.
…The final two steps.
Action!
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth, his long legs slightly bent like a taut bowstring, every muscle in his body tightening— in the next moment, his body briefly overcame the weight of the corpses on him, and with a burst of explosive force, he shot forward like an arrow released from its bow!
In just a breath’s time, the human-skin umbrella had already positioned itself above the empty spot.
It almost immediately took effect.
Under the umbrella, the “guest” paused for a moment, as if caught in a brief moment of hesitation.
Everything was going exactly as expected!
Wen Jianyan’s eyes lit up, ready to press on and further provoke the conflict between the mediums.
However, as the umbrella tilted, his outstretched arm reflected in a small puddle beside him— at that moment, several pale arms reached out from a place beyond his sight, suddenly grabbing hold of his arm.
“?!”
Wen Jianyan’s pupils constricted sharply.
Even though he considered himself physically capable, the outstretched arm couldn’t withstand the sudden, overwhelming pressure.
His elbow uncontrollably bent downward, causing him to stagger, and he stepped into the nearby puddle— beneath the murky, chaotic water, he vaguely saw a pale, bloated face.
Wen Jianyan stared down in shock.
It was the leader of the black team from earlier…!
Through the slightly rippling water’s surface, his features appeared distorted and mutated, taking on a strange, unfamiliar appearance.
The corners of his mouth were twisted into an eerie, fixed smile, and a pair of bluish-white fingers reached out from beneath the water, gripping Wen Jianyan’s ankle and pulling him downward.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[!!!!!!]
[Ah, how could this happen? These dead anchors’ floating corpses usually only attack those holding the paintings. Why is it targeting the anchor this time?!]
[I guess it’s because his curse layers are too many, with the painting, the umbrella, and being closest to the guest. It’s no surprise he’s being targeted.]
[Yeah, these things can’t see without a medium. The anchor probably has the most mediums of anyone here. It’s no wonder he’s being targeted.]
[Sure enough, the more curse layers there are, the greater the uncertainty. Even if everything goes right, things can still go wrong…]
In the blink of an eye, Wen Jianyan’s body sank halfway.
In his stagger, the human-skin umbrella he had been holding tilted and moved away from the “hollow” above.
Almost immediately after the umbrella moved, the “hollow” under the umbrella resumed its movement.
“Thud.”
A faint, nearly inaudible heavy footstep echoed.
“!!!”
Behind him, Blond, who had been watching in this direction, sharply inhaled and couldn’t help but scream, “Be careful!!”
In the next second, Wen Jianyan felt cold.
Very cold.
The cold didn’t come from the surrounding temperature but from deep within his bones, as if it were freezing his soul— Wen Jianyan could almost hear the sound of his blood freezing, and the fingers hanging at his side felt as if they had been frozen, unable to bend, slightly stiff.
This was bad.
This meant he couldn’t activate the item!
Within his field of vision, the place where the “hollow” had previously been empty began to reveal a blurry human-shaped silhouette. Wen Jianyan immediately felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
He knew that the reason they had been unable to see the “guest’s” appearance before was because they weren’t in the same space. But now, the fact that he could see it meant… the boundaries between the two worlds were gradually blurring, which allowed him to see the “guest.”
The frozen skin on his face twitched slightly, slowly pulling apart as if it were trying to force him into a smile.
In that moment, Wen Jianyan became painfully aware of one thing:
He had to activate the prop.
Immediately. Right now.
Otherwise…
He might really die.
“?!”
In the distance, Chen Mo and Yun Bilan heard Blond’s scream and were startled. They immediately turned to look in Wen Jianyan’s direction, and within an instant, they realized the gravity of the situation.
Wen Jianyan was now in a life-or-death crisis.
…This was bad!
There was no time to think, no time to communicate. Without hesitation, both of them made the same move—
They threw their umbrellas aside and stepped into the water, spreading their arms wide in the rain, jumping and shouting at the top of their lungs:
“Hey!!”
“Idiot!! Look here!!!”
The moment they exposed their positions, the “guest” paused for a moment, no longer advancing.
Now it was two against one.
In the slightly rippling water’s reflection, the pale, blurry face slowly turned, looking in Chen Mo and Yun Bilan’s direction.
Wen Jianyan still felt cold.
But the pulling sensation on his face seemed to lessen, and his body temperature appeared to recover slightly. His fingers didn’t feel as stiff anymore.
However, this did not mean the danger had passed.
“……”
Wen Jianyan’s eyes subtly shifted to the side.
Under the umbrella, a woman’s pale, bluish face gradually emerged.
As if sensing Wen Jianyan’s gaze, the woman slightly turned her head and, without warning, looked directly at him.
Her features were blurry, but the one thing that was clear was her stiff, upward-curved mouth.
Yet, Wen Jianyan could clearly feel the emotionless, purely cold malice in her gaze. In that instant, his scalp tingled, and his whole body trembled.
—The shadow under the umbrella was about to awaken.
And this curse would not be influenced by Chen Mo and Yun Bilan’s actions, nor would it shift.
The sound of the death bell was approaching.
“Thud… Thud.”
The “guest” in the rain stiffly and slowly turned around, seemingly preparing to change direction and head toward Chen Mo and Yun Bilan.
Wen Jianyan’s brain raced.
Should he activate the prop now?
But if he did, he would miss the critical moment.
He still remembered the two umbrellas discarded outside the second-floor door, both unusable, their handles stained with dark blue-black marks. Clearly, they hadn’t anticipated the conflict between the mediums, but those two umbrellas were already rendered useless.
Including the one he had used earlier to restrict the “guest’s” movements, it too had quickly turned dark and decayed, soon becoming completely destroyed.
This meant that umbrellas, as mediums, also had usage limits.
If he activated the prop, he would gain the title of “Mother of the World” and a short-term invincibility effect.
However, the moment he activated the item, the umbrella might lose its target and become ineffective.
…In that case, all his previous efforts would have been in vain.
Wen Jianyan fixed his gaze on the “guest’s” back.
At the end of the direction it was facing were the figures of Chen Mo and Yun Bilan—they had thrown their umbrellas aside and entered the water. Since they were carrying paintings, their movements quickly became slow and heavy, and their bodies were starting to be dragged down by something in the water.
The floating corpse that had been tightly gripping Wen Jianyan’s ankle gradually began to sink, its form becoming increasingly blurry.
If Wen Jianyan guessed correctly, it wouldn’t be long before it would go after the true bearer of the painting.
—In this situation, there was absolutely no way to avoid the “guest’s” attack.
Rather than waiting to die, it was better to take a risk.
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth, as if making up his mind about something.
A fierce, burning fire flickered in his amber eyes, as if it could scorch everything in its path.
His fingers, trembling slightly at his side, suddenly tightened, abandoning the plan to activate the item.
Damn it, he was going all in!
Not far away.
Chen Mo and Yun Bilan quickly felt the consequences of their reckless actions.
Due to their careless behavior, they soon found themselves in danger.
Under the water, countless pale, bloated corpses drew closer, their faces twisted into eerie smiles. Cold, bluish fingers reached out and grabbed their ankles and calves, pulling them down into the water with an irresistible force and speed.
“Damn it, let go!”
Yun Bilan gritted his teeth, cursing in frustration as he tried to break free from the corpses’ grip. But soon, another hand reached out, and it felt like being trapped in a swamp—the downward pull was unstoppable.
Chen Mo’s situation was even worse.
Because… the painting was on him.
In just a few seconds, most of his body had already sunk into the freezing rainwater, and under the water were countless pale, terrifying corpses, smiling ominously as they reached out their hands toward him.
Chen Mo struggled desperately, fighting against the terrifying things, but he was still being pulled down, more and more cold, pale arms grabbing him.
At this moment, a cold and hoarse voice came from nearby:
“Painting.”
“…?”
Chen Mo froze for a moment and turned his head.
The young man stood in the rain, his bloodless, pale face lowered. His black, eerie eyes stared at Chen Mo, and he extended his hand, saying:
“Where’s the painting? Give it to me.”
Only then did Chen Mo snap out of his daze.
He struggled to extend his hand and pass the rain-soaked painting to the young man.
Bai Xue, who had been on the edge of the group, only occasionally offering suggestions and never attempting to fully engage, took the painting for the first time.
He slightly lifted his emotionless, doll-like, pale, cold face and looked at the empty space above Wen Jianyan’s head, as if gazing at something no one else could see.
In that instant, Wen Jianyan felt the heavy weight that had been hanging over him disappear.
“?!”
He was slightly startled.
But now, Wen Jianyan had no time to think about the reason.
He gritted his teeth, staring fixedly at the “guest” with its back to him. His now weightless body felt as light as a feather, and he suddenly lunged forward—
In the next second, the human-skin umbrella was perfectly positioned above the void.
The “guest” stopped in its tracks.
In the water below, the vague silhouettes of two figures could be seen standing rigidly under the suspended umbrella.
Cold, eerie, motionless.
…It worked.
The moment Wen Jianyan realized this, he felt his body drain of energy. If it weren’t for the last bit of strength he was holding onto, he might have collapsed directly into the rain.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to feel exhausted or rest.
Less than two minutes remained until the end.
“Quick!! Keep moving!!!”
Wen Jianyan wiped the rainwater off his face and raised his voice as he ran toward his teammates, shouting while running:
“The time is almost up! Hurry up!!”
Yun Bilan broke free from the grip of the corpses, picked up the human-skin umbrella that he had thrown down earlier, and dragged Chen Mo out of the water.
In the distance, Blond ran from the direction of the door. As the only person with superior vision, who had not been entangled by any corpses from start to finish, his speed was fast.
Wen Jianyan also reached the spot.
He grabbed Bai Xue by the collar, pulling him out of the water, and snatched the painting from his hand with the other, then threw it toward Blond:
“Catch it!!”
Raindrops fell from above.
Thus, the group struggled together, pulling each other, stumbling and rushing toward the door.
As they collapsed onto the carpet, the lights in the hallway flickered on, and at the same time, the oil painting door closed behind them, sealing tightly against the wall.
“…”
In the sealed, silent hotel room, the hurried and disordered breathing of the group echoed.
Wen Jianyan let go of Bai Xue, slowly crawled up from the carpet, then stumbled to one side, bracing himself against the wall with one hand, his back arched—
“Ugh!”
Water dripped down from his hair, his face pale from the cold rain, with only the corners of his eyes and nose reddened from the suffocating air in the room. His drenched clothes clung tightly to him, making him appear even more fragile, disheveled, and pitiful.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Oh oh oh!]
[It’s been so long since we saw the anchor throw up!!!]
[Hahahahaha, every time the anchor gags, the live chat fills with a joyful atmosphere.]
[The anchor looks so pitiful when he’s being tortured, so cute.]
Blond also shakily stood up.
In his hand, the oil painting, like last time, had turned into rainwater, dripping through his fingers and leaving a wet stain on the carpet.
Chen Mo took a deep breath and said incoherently:
“Let’s… let’s leave this room.”
Based on their previous experience, after bringing the painting into the Xingwang Hotel, the guest would soon move in. Although, according to their prior training, the guest was unlikely to attack them, no one wanted to personally test whether that assumption was reliable.
In any case, it was still best to leave as quickly as possible.
Yun Bilan, too tired to speak, nodded and began walking forward. She also pulled Wen Jianyan, who was still gagging, along with her, dragging him as they stumbled toward the door.
Soon, the group left the room.
The hotel room door closed behind them, and the “Do Not Disturb” light, signaling the guest’s arrival, lit up, standing out in the dim, narrow hallway.
Chen Mo raised his eyes and looked at the door in front of him.
On the slightly faded doorplate, he could see the number “425”. He stepped back and looked at the doorplates on the other doors nearby.
Except for the doorplate with the number “425,” all the other doorplates were consecutive. Moreover, all of them were on the first floor.
“…”
Chen Mo furrowed his brows, feeling his nerves tighten again.
Just like Wen Jianyan, by returning to the Xingwang Hotel through another door in Rainy Town, they had indeed managed to escape the pursuit of the “guest.” But the problem was… although they had come back, they were now too deep in the enemy’s territory. This meant that the crisis they faced had not been resolved.
In any case, they had to leave as quickly as possible.
Now was a good opportunity.
The lights in the hallway had just turned on, and it might take the other teams some time to leave their rooms. So, they had better use this window of time to quickly leave the first floor and return to their designated third or fourth floors.
“Captain, hurry, we should go.”
Chen Mo walked over, taking Wen Jianyan from Yun Bilan’s hands. “Which direction should we head next?”
Among them, Wen Jianyan was the only one who could memorize the map perfectly.
“That… there…”
Wen Jianyan lifted his pale face, his eyes stiff as he scanned the surroundings. Then, he raised his hand and pointed in one direction.
His voice was faint, “Then turn left… that’s the fire escape.”
“Alright.”
Chen Mo nodded, half-dragging, half-supporting Wen Jianyan, and waved to the others before heading in the direction he had just pointed to.
Everyone understood the urgency of the situation, moving quickly and silently.
“…”
Bai Xue silently followed behind the group.
His expression was blank as he lowered his head, following them just like at the beginning, without saying a word.
Although he was moving with the team, he always seemed like a shadow—silent, motionless, not speaking, not acting, not interfering.
Bai Xue lowered his head, his expression indifferent.
In the instance, he rarely intervened in the scenario—despite the crisis the others faced, even if it came from him.
But this time, he unusually broke his usual pattern of behavior.
However, strictly speaking, this could not be considered an intervention.
If Bai Xue wanted to, the interference he could carry out would be far stronger than something as simple as “taking the painting”… but he did nothing, merely took the painting.
Bai Xue didn’t care about the lives of these people.
He didn’t care about the outcome of the confrontation, whether anyone died, it had nothing to do with him.
He was just…
Curious.
Bai Xue felt curious.
Bai Xue lifted his eerie black eyes and silently gazed toward Wen Jianyan.
The young man was being supported by his teammates. Although he was also trying hard to move forward, his legs seemed to disobey him, always lagging behind.
His face was pale and blue, the vitality he had lost due to the guest had not fully recovered, and he occasionally coughed from the cold. His dark, wet hair clung to his face, his whole body soaked, looking like a drowned animal—weak and pitiful.
It was impossible to tell that this was someone carrying three curses, who hadn’t used any props or talents, yet had miraculously survived.
What were the odds of that?
“…”
Bai Xue silently withdrew his gaze and once again lowered his eyes with an expressionless face.
Perhaps because the lights had just turned on, the first floor of the Xingwang Hotel felt very quiet. However, this did not change the fact that they were deep in the enemy’s territory.
Under Wen Jianyan’s guidance, the group easily found the fire escape.
They didn’t dare to delay, quickly entering the stairwell and climbing up the stairs.
First floor.
Second floor.
After passing the second floor, the group visibly relaxed.
As long as they climbed one more floor, they would reach the third floor, which was the Red faction’s territory. They would no longer need to be as cautious as they had been on the lower floors.
Just as they were about to continue climbing, suddenly, footsteps from above echoed down.
“!”
Someone was coming down from upstairs?
Was it the Red faction team?
Or perhaps…
The group froze, exchanging glances, and saw the same uncertain look in each other’s eyes.
Wen Jianyan broke free from Chen Mo’s support, looked up at the ceiling, his pale eyes glimmering faintly in the dark. He raised a finger and pressed it to his pale lips, silently making a “shh” gesture.
The group held their breath and quieted down.
The team upstairs seemed unaware of them, speaking in low voices. Wen Jianyan listened carefully and quickly caught a familiar voice.
A very polite, deep, and courteous voice.
“!”
Wen Jianyan’s pupils constricted.
He had heard this voice.
Before entering the “Xingwang Hotel” instance, more importantly… he had heard this voice in the “Secret Council”.
—Rank 10, Vice President of the Oracle, codename “Gentleman.”
This meant that the team upstairs contained both number 8 and number 10!
That’s why they hadn’t encountered Gentleman’s team on the first and second floors—not because of luck… but because they had coincidentally chosen the same time to head to the third and fourth floors to investigate the Red faction’s territory!
And now, their paths had miraculously crossed.
One heading up.
The other heading down.
