WTNL Chapter 372

Xingwang Hotel
Chapter 372: He was stiff from head to toe

In the corridor, the group was sprinting at full speed.

Bai Xue was nearly dragged off his feet by Wen Jianyan, stumbling as he struggled to keep up. As he ran, he slightly turned his face, casting a glance at the young man who was pulling him along. In those eerily black eyes, there seemed to be a faint, contemplative gleam.

Up ahead, Wen Jianyan’s steps were swift as the wind.

He could feel the ox tears smeared on his eyelids gradually drying. The air, once blood-red before his eyes, was slowly settling into a normal, slightly dim reddish-brown. The room doors on either side of the corridor remained tightly shut, and the “Do Not Disturb” signs were beginning to… slowly, gradually disappear.

Wen Jianyan knew — he had been “ghost-blinded” again.

He looked up toward Blond, leading the way — at this point, all he could do was rely on his teammate for direction.

Blond didn’t slow down, quickly rounding the corner ahead and charging forward with all his strength. The others followed closely behind.

As time passed, the temperature in the air began to drop.

A gloomy wind blew from behind, laced with a faint, strange fragrance. It was so chilling it seemed to seep into the bones, making one shiver from the very core. Soon after, eerie creaking noises began to echo behind them.

It sounded like… room doors being pushed open from the inside. Wen Jianyan felt a chill crawl up his scalp.

At this point in the game, although host-on-host conflict was prohibited, there was no such rule protecting them from ghosts. Worst of all — this was Anise’s special ability.

In the mirrored instance, that ability had been restrained by the game’s rules and couldn’t be fully unleashed. But now, in this unfiltered, real version of the instance, Anise’s advantage had surged.

In the past, perhaps he would have hesitated due to limitations on ability usage or its side effects. But ever since the most crucial item fell into Wen Jianyan’s hands, it was clear Anise was going all in.

“Don’t look back, keep running!” Wen Jianyan shouted hoarsely.

The group immediately picked up speed.

But unfortunately, compared to supernatural forces, human legs were clearly not enough.

Bang! Bang, bang!

The sound of doors slamming open grew louder and closer, until it felt like they were opening right behind their necks, sending chills down their spines.

Bang!

Another door was flung open, and the howling wind swept right past Wen Jianyan’s side.

At that critical moment, Wen Jianyan turned slightly and saw the door that had just opened next to him — the gaping black doorway, and within it, a faint glimpse of a deathly pale face.

Up ahead, many doors along the corridor were beginning to loosen. The squeaking of rotating hinges echoed ominously in the hall.

A cold sweat instantly drenched Wen Jianyan’s back.

In that split second, a scene from the original instance flashed through his mind. He shouted, “Stop running — put on your masks!”

In the original instance, the masks were far more effective than in the mirrored one. They could deceive the ghosts into mistaking them for one of their own. As long as they didn’t act out of line, they could remain safe — for a time.

Under Wen Jianyan’s command, the group quickly pulled out their masks and covered their faces.

The number of “ghosts” in the corridor was increasing.

Chilling air poured out from every room. The lights overhead, seemingly affected by the paranormal presence, began to dim. Buzz, buzz-buzz. The lights flickered erratically.

In the corridor ahead, stiff figures emerged from the rooms one by one. Pale, blurry faces drifted through the air, radiating an aura of eerie malice.

“…”

The group had to slow down, adopting a more “natural” walking pace as they moved through the corridor.

Beneath the masks, their faces were pale as well, their foreheads beaded with cold sweat.

Although they had known from the start that these rooms were filled with “ghosts,” walking shoulder to shoulder with them without the barrier of closed doors was an entirely different level of psychological pressure.

Let alone…

Chen Mo walked stiffly, step by step, his voice kept low: “At this speed, the Black Side will catch up.”

Wen Jianyan didn’t answer directly.

His voice came muffled through the mask, low and steady: “Hold it together. Don’t panic.”

The corridor was becoming increasingly crowded with ghosts. The group could barely manage to walk at a steady pace. The air grew heavier, the atmosphere tenser, like a massive weight pressing down on each person’s chest, making it hard to breathe.

Yet strangely… Anise and the others didn’t catch up. Perhaps even they were wary of this ghost-infested corridor. Despite the group’s sluggish pace, they remained just out of reach.

Finally, just as the group’s endurance was nearing its limit, a voice broke the silence. It was Blond—hushed, yet filled with barely contained excitement:

“It’s just ahead!”

A tightly shut door appeared at the end of the corridor.

It marked the temporarily safe “Staff Break Room,” their current lifeline.

Like drowning men spotting a floating plank, they couldn’t help but quicken their pace.

The door was close.

At the front, Blond reached out, grabbed the handle, and just as he was about to push down—

His body froze.

The air turned deathly still.

“What is it?”

Wen Jianyan sensed something was wrong and asked.

No one replied.

“Hey—hey!” Wen Jianyan raised his voice slightly.

But this time, not only Blond but everyone else in the team also stopped in their tracks at the same time, as if someone had pressed a “pause” button on reality. Without any warning, they all fell into a long state of blankness and stupor—including Bai Xue.

“You guys…”

A sense of foreboding rose in Wen Jianyan’s heart.

Meanwhile, the [Integrity First] livestream room exploded:

[!!]

[What’s going on?]

[Holy crap, I get it now—ahhh it’s the Gentleman! The Gentleman made a move!]

[Damn, I knew it… the Black Team would never let this go!]

[The instance’s in the final stage now. They’re finally getting serious… I’m really starting to worry about the anchor.]

Footsteps echoed from behind.

Wen Jianyan stood still, turning slightly to look toward the source of the sound.

“Why aren’t you running anymore?”

The Gentleman asked with a smile tugging at his lips, his voice graceful and composed.

Behind them, the two controlled Red Team anchors walked stiffly, their expressions blank, following closely behind the Gentleman and his allies like two soulless puppets on strings.

Just like before, Anise extended his hand, a sinister smile appearing on his lips: “The item—”

Before he could finish speaking, Wen Jianyan suddenly slapped Blond’s hand aside and pressed down the door handle himself. Like a darting fish, he twisted his body and slipped alone into the room.

“Bang.”

The door closed behind him.

His other teammates were all left outside.

The Gentleman looked slightly surprised at first, but quickly recovered and gave a knowing smile. He clicked his tongue lightly and said, “Tsk.”

“Well, your choice is understandable. After all, no matter what, a teammate’s life doesn’t quite weigh the same as your own.”

He stepped forward and walked toward Bai Xue, who was at the back of the group.

Through the mask, the Gentleman locked eyes with Bai Xue’s eerie, pitch-black pupils. Curiously, Bai Xue didn’t seem to be in the same stupor as the others—his gaze was still clear and aware. Even though he stared at Bai Xue, the Gentleman was clearly speaking to Wen Jianyan:

“But I recall you once said that you left a painting in the gallery too… or did you leave one for everyone?”

He gave a soft chuckle, withdrawing his gaze: “Doesn’t quite seem that way to me.”

The Gentleman walked unhurriedly to the closed door and gently knocked: tap tap tap “In any case, this is our final offer.”

“Hand over the item, or your teammates will die.”

After saying that, he chuckled again: “Though based on your earlier reaction, the chances of you leaving the room and surrendering the item seem… rather low.”

“In fact, your judgment is surprisingly accurate. Before the banquet begins, anchors are indeed forbidden from killing each other. Even now, I cannot take your teammates’ lives. I must wait until the banquet officially begins. Of course, the moment they fell under my control, their fates were already sealed. Even if the instance ends before I act, even if they return to the anchor lounge, as long as I will it—they’ll still die.”

“Also, the employee lounge is a designated safe zone. It cannot be breached.”

“In other words, if you truly are not held back by the lives of unrelated individuals and are dead set on staying inside, then frankly, there’s nothing we can do to you. As long as you place the item on the banquet tray when it begins, your victory will be guaranteed.”

Having reached this point, the Gentleman didn’t bother with veiled words anymore. He laid all his cards on the table.

“But, if you really do go through with it, then we will accept defeat—graciously.” The Gentleman lifted a hand to adjust the brim of his hat in a gesture of respect. “Though you may not believe me, I truly admire your choice.”

“In a nightmare, survival at any cost is the real law, and absolute self-interest must come first,” he said with a slight smile.

“Gaining your teammates’ complete trust through ability, yet still being able to decisively push them off a cliff at a critical moment… Someone like you, you deserve to win this instance.”

“I used to question your potential and how you earned your status, but that move just now completely erased all my doubts.” The Gentleman’s handsome face held a faint smile, and his voice was laced with unmistakable admiration. “When this instance ends, please be sure to come to Oracle.”

“Believe me, we’ll be far better friends than you imagine.”

Just then—

Click.

The doorknob turned.

The Gentleman clearly froze for a second.

The door slowly swung open from the inside. But oddly, Wen Jianyan wasn’t standing in the doorway. Instead, he was in the middle of the dark room. His tall figure was half-submerged in shadow, the mask on his face now lifted, revealing a glimpse of his pale, refined, and handsome face.

“Is that so? I truly appreciate the compliment.”

Wen Jianyan’s smile was flawless, his tone polished and poised.

“Sigh.”

The Gentleman let out a low sigh.

He seemed… a little disappointed.

“Looks like, in the end, you chose the other path. What a shame.”

As he spoke, the gentleman extended his hand. “Since that’s the case, there’s no need for us to say anything more.”

Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes, glanced at the gentleman’s palm, and said, “Hold on.” He lifted his gaze.

“Did you misunderstand something?”

“Oh?” The Gentleman let out a soft, neutral syllable.

Wen Jianyan said, “When did I say I was going to accept this deal?”

In an instant, the atmosphere in the air froze.

Anise had clearly had enough of the two of them exchanging such veiled words. A mix of old grudges and fresh anger made him visibly agitated. He stepped forward, his pale face dark:

“Enough.”

“We’ve made our offer. Either you accept and hand over the item, or you don’t, and you win—but everyone else dies.”

Anise’s voice was chilling.

Wen Jianyan’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, but he didn’t answer the question directly.

“Once someone is controlled, they become a puppet forever. Even after leaving the instance and returning to the anchor lobby, the power still holds… It’s practically a permanent, unequal contract. Truly a terrifying ability.” He looked toward the gentleman and said:

“Unfortunately, no matter how powerful or exceptional a talent is, it still comes with limitations, doesn’t it?”

The smile on the gentleman’s face faded slightly.

Then Wen Jianyan continued:

“It’s understandable you didn’t strike immediately upon encountering us. But not only did you refrain from attacking, you didn’t control us right away either. Even after we exposed you, you only approached slowly to toy with us. More importantly…” Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slightly. “When we met, one of your people clearly said the ‘guest had left the room,’ but you didn’t rush to chase them…”

He smiled. “I think it was because of a time limit.”

Without enough time, you can’t fully control someone.

“You only controlled the two red team anchors, and not everyone else. Clearly, besides them being the most useful, I suspect… there’s also a limit on the number you can control.”

As Wen Jianyan calmly and methodically unraveled the mystery of their power, the gentleman’s expression gradually darkened.

“What’s the point of saying all this?” Anise was clearly losing patience. “You little—”

Before he could finish, the gentleman raised a hand to silence him.

“Go on,” he said.

“You might wonder—if I figured this out beforehand, why didn’t I stop any of it? Why did I keep running forward…”

Wen Jianyan tilted his head, eyes narrowing with a slight smile:

“That’s because all of us had our own agendas.”

From the moment they encountered each other in the corridor, Wen Jianyan knew that in terms of resources and ruthlessness, he stood no chance of winning. He was trapped in a narrow space by the alternation of the mirrored and real instances. But that very alternation also gave him a strange…

Advantage.

Because unlike the mirror instance controlled by the Nightmare, the original instance still had bugs.

For some unknown reason, Wu Zhu had a physical presence in the original instance—but his authority was clearly limited. He could only “notice” Wen Jianyan’s presence when Wen’s reflection appeared in a mirror. Wen Jianyan had discovered this on the very first night.

From the elevator to the corridor, Wu Zhu never appeared. But as soon as he entered the room and showed up in the mirror, Wu Zhu immediately manifested.

So, when Wen Jianyan realized he was in an unredeemable disadvantage… he decided to cheat.

Every guest room along the corridor had paintings.

Only the employee break room, the truly safe zone, had mirrors.

The gentleman needed enough time to control someone—just as Wen Jianyan was buying time for a comeback.

He wasn’t running back to safety.

He was looking for leverage.

Wen Jianyan tilted his head slightly and glanced at the mirror beside him.

In the large mirror, it reflected the tall, elegant figure of the young man.

Standing intimately beside him was a tall man, with long, ink-black hair cascading over Wen Jianyan’s shoulder. His golden eyes, glowing like cold fire, shimmered in the dark.

Next to him, darkness seemed to condense into a solid form, slithering up his body like thick tar. It clung to him, enfolding him like a massive hand—or a great wave—nearly swallowing him whole.

It was as if—

Some invisible, horrifying creature had bent down, retracted its claws, and was now intoxicated, lovingly inhaling the scent of a fragile human.

The scene was disturbingly bizarre, carrying a seductive malice that was impossible to look away from.

Outside the door, the gentleman’s voice came:

“So what you’re saying is… you came to this room voluntarily in order to gain an advantage that could turn defeat into victory?”

“He’s lying to you,” Anise said darkly. “He doesn’t have any tricks up his sleeve.”

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and forced himself to look away from the mirror. He turned to face the gentleman and the others outside the door.

“I know you don’t believe me.”

“But I think… you must have some kind of precognitive item, don’t you?” He put special emphasis on the word “item.”

The gentleman clearly understood the implication behind his words—his expression darkened.

“Why not try using it?” Wen Jianyan smiled faintly. “And see if you all… will die?”

Beside the young man, his pale, slender fingertips silently curled around a cold, bony hand. Like a warm serpent, it nestled, tamed, and seduced.

Although they were already well aware of how deceitful their opponent could be, his overly calm demeanor still made them feel a flicker of doubt. Even though they had been tricked once before, a trace of hesitation appeared on Anise’s face—and clearly, the Gentleman felt the same.

With a cold expression, the Gentleman pulled something out of his backpack.

A small wooden barrel filled with lots of different-colored sticks.

He shook the barrel, producing a rattling sound. Soon, one of the wooden sticks fell out.

The Gentleman picked it up, and the moment he read the writing on it, his pupils shrank.

The words were written in red, like they’d been penned in thick, sticky blood: “Great Misfortune.”

He quickly shoved the stick back into the barrel and shook it again.

Rattle.

A second stick fell out.

“Great Misfortune.”

Three times in a row—all of them showed the same result.

“…”

The Gentleman gripped the stick bearing the words “Great Misfortune.” The veins on the back of his hand bulged, his face turned pale, and he asked through clenched teeth, “What did you do?” This time, he didn’t even bother with polite speech.

Without any warning, the balance of power between both sides had flipped completely. No one could have imagined the Black Team would lose its advantage so quickly—it was almost beyond comprehension.

“What I did isn’t important,” Wen Jianyan answered casually, brushing aside the question. “What’s important is—what happens next.”

He took an unhurried step forward, letting his face fall fully into the light.

“A new deal”, he said. “Fair competition”.

“You release your control over everyone. Completely. And you promise not to use your ability again in this instance,” Wen Jianyan said coolly, maintaining a distant, even neutral tone. “In return, I promise not to activate or use my item until the last three minutes of the banquet. How about it?”

“Can we still fight over it in the meantime?” the Gentleman narrowed his eyes and asked.

“Of course,” Wen Jianyan replied. “If you think you can.”

Although Wen Jianyan wanted them to release their ability entirely, the problem was… he didn’t have enough leverage yet.

The Gentleman and Anise had left portraits of themselves in the gallery, meaning they each had an extra life. If Wu Zhu killed them now, all it would do was eject them from the instance early—it wouldn’t be a true death. As for their other teammates… Wen Jianyan seriously doubted those people held much value in the Gentleman and Anise’s eyes. Most likely, they were just disposable tools.

Given their status, even if they lost some teammates, other anchors would still line up to join them after the instance ended.

If the other side decided it was worth trading that extra life to take him and his team down with them, even with Wu Zhu’s presence—a literal [bug]—Wen Jianyan wouldn’t be able to stop it.

He couldn’t take that risk.

Rather than pushing the enemy into a corner, it was better to offer “fair competition”. At the very least, it would prevent any irreversible damage.

After a long, tense silence, the Gentleman let out a low laugh: “Very well. Deal.”

…

Phew.

Wen Jianyan subtly let out a sigh of relief.

The two of them stepped forward and purchased a mutually binding contract from the Nightmare Shop, which they promptly signed.

The moment the contract was complete, the previously stiff and motionless teammates suddenly slumped, as though the invisible bindings on their bodies had been released—they regained control over themselves.

Once they recovered, they immediately retreated in haste.

Yun Bilan grabbed the still-confused Bai Xue and pulled him back into the room.

Everyone tensed, standing firmly in front of Wen Jianyan, adopting a highly defensive posture.

“No need to be so nervous,” the Gentleman’s gaze passed over their shoulders and locked onto Wen Jianyan’s. He smiled. “Thank your captain. At least until the banquet begins, we won’t be making any moves.”

It was as though the earlier tension had never occurred—he quickly regained his composed, confident demeanor. What a shame.

The Gentleman shook his head, lips moving silently in a soundless sigh.

No one knew what exactly he was regretting—failing to obtain Wen Jianyan’s item, or… something else.

“Well then, ladies and gentlemen,” the Gentleman raised his hand, touched the brim of his hat, and offered a graceful bow. “See you at the banquet.” With that, he turned and left with the others.

Even though Wen Jianyan hadn’t been affected by the Gentleman’s ability, the moment they left, he still felt as though an invisible shackle had been lifted from his body. His strength suddenly drained away. He let out a long sigh, his legs weakening as he staggered back and sat down at the edge of the bed.

Once the backs of the Gentleman’s group had disappeared, the team quickly retreated into the staff lounge. The door slammed shut behind them with a loud bang. The blond guy reached out and turned on the lights.

The next second, warm yellow light flooded the room, banishing the thick, inky blackness.

“What just happened?” Yun Bilan turned her head and rushed over to ask urgently.

Chen Mo looked equally confused. He scratched the back of his head and said,
“I feel like… there’s a stretch of time I can’t remember at all…”

Blond said weakly, “Hey…”

Wen Jianyan waved his hand weakly. “It’s nothing.”

The bed beside him shifted with a slight weight. Wu Zhu had sat down close beside him.

The next second, Wen Jianyan felt something press onto his shoulder—Wu Zhu had leaned in again, resting his head against Wen Jianyan’s shoulder.

Like always, persistent and unyielding.

Wen Jianyan used the motion of rolling his shoulders to subtly push the person beside him away. He didn’t have time to deal with that guy right now.

“It was just a simple exchange, that’s all――――”

“Hey,” the blond suddenly blurted.

His voice abruptly rose, catching everyone off guard. All heads turned in unison.

The blond stood rooted to the spot, as if his feet had grown into the ground. His face had gone deathly pale, and he stared fixedly in one direction. His hand trembled as he shakily raised it, pointing toward the mirror: “Am I… the only one seeing this? No way…”

Everyone was startled and instinctively followed the direction of his finger.

Wen Jianyan followed it as well.

At that moment, he was sitting on the edge of the bed directly facing the mirror—right next to him sat a non-human figure with black hair and golden eyes.

“Can’t you see?! There’s someone sitting next to the captain!”

And the blond… was pointing directly at the man beside Wen Jianyan—someone who clearly shouldn’t be there—with a trembling, almost hysterical voice:

“Who the hell is that?!”

Feeling countless gazes fall on him—and on the empty space beside him—Wen Jianyan froze.

To be precise, he froze from head to toe.

At that moment, the large creature beside him once again leaned in persistently.

This time, without Wen Jianyan’s constant resistance, it finally managed to rest its chin happily on the human’s shoulder and gave a satisfied nuzzle.

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