WTNL Chapter 375.2

Xingwang Hotel
Chapter 375.2: Countdown

“The black side will ambush me in this round.”

Wen Jianyan had said.

It was a certainty.

To ensure the survival of more people, he had to deal with the guest that had stood up. He knew it. The black side knew it too. So, if they wanted to steal the “item,” this was exactly the time they would strike.

Unfortunately…

Even knowing this, Wen Jianyan still had to carry out the service this round.

The black team hadn’t seen what he had, nor did they know what he knew. So while they were aware of how terrifying the woman in white was, they didn’t understand just how central she was to the mechanics of this dungeon. Then again, even if they had known, it likely wouldn’t have changed their strategy.

To people like the Gentleman and Anise, victory mattered more than lives.

Their teammates were just expendable resources.

So, even anticipating what might happen, Wen Jianyan still had to proceed with the task and find a way to complete it.

“But this is also our chance.”

Wen Jianyan looked at the black team, speaking softly.

Because of Anise’s unique ability, he was guaranteed to make a move. The Gentleman, on the other hand, likely wouldn’t. His talent wasn’t suited for this situation, and there was no need for him to step out. More importantly, he was too cautious to put all his eggs in one basket.

That gave Wen Jianyan a potential opening.

In the black team, the Gentleman was the biggest threat—he understood Wen Jianyan’s behavioral patterns best and was extremely careful. Deceiving him would be far more difficult than deceiving Anise.

“This guest… is several times more dangerous than the others,” Wen Jianyan said.

And that, in fact, was his conservative estimate.

The three anchors who went to serve it were all seasoned veterans, yet they were still killed one after another.

Although Wen Jianyan had never had a direct confrontation with it so far, even so, he understood very clearly just how terrifying a ghost of this level in such a high-difficulty instance could be.

It might even be no less dangerous than the red-dressed female corpse in the Changsheng Building.

“Anyone who tries to deal with it will die. That includes me.”

Wen Jianyan wasn’t exaggerating.

According to the information Chen Mo had previously provided, the contact time with the ghost was very long, and during this process, the distance between the official employee and the ghost was too close, leaving virtually no margin for error.

And the ghost’s attacks were nearly always fatal.

Under such circumstances, what mattered was the quality of the items in one’s backpack—and the strength of their innate talents.

If it were just an ordinary threat-level ghost, it might still be manageable. But for a ghost like the woman in white… unless one had a time-reversal talent like Orange Candy, there was practically no way out.

To stand a chance against a ghost of this caliber, you would need an epic-tier, invincible item. If it was anything less—or simply an item purchased from the system store—even if used, its effectiveness would be completely suppressed by the ghost’s terrifying power.

The problem was, Wen Jianyan had already used the [Holy Infant’s Remains] item on the street outside the frame shop. To use it again, he would have to wait for the next instance.

“So if we really want to win, we must ‘cooperate’ with the Black Team.”

However…

It was a one-sided cooperation.

The Black Team’s goal was to obtain the decisive item in Wen Jianyan’s hands.

But based on the experience from the past two rounds, all the humans who had been attacked by the guest left no bodies behind—only their facial skin, which was carefully placed on a plate.

In that case, the items would likely disappear along with the person.

So, to prevent that outcome, Anise had to be part of the operation. He needed to use his talent to restrain the powerful female corpse, to prevent her from killing the one who lit the candle.

During that time, the guest would be unable to act.

This would allow the rest of the team to offer the guest a tribute and send it away.

Wen Jianyan turned his head toward Yun Bilan, as if silently asking something.

Behind her mask, Yun Bilan said:

“Didn’t we already agree back in the lounge? Don’t worry, I understand the risks.”

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and nodded.

Then he turned around and, together with Bai Xue and Yun Bilan, headed toward the window.

Everything began according to plan.

As the staff member carrying the meal tray approached, darkness gradually spread.

The three of them advanced through the dark.

Not far ahead, the woman in white stood still like a long-dead corpse.

Soon, they reached their designated position.

In the darkness, aside from the “guest” in front of them and the teammates at their side, they could see nothing else.

But Wen Jianyan knew that the Black Team was hiding nearby, waiting for the right moment.

“Go.”

Wen Jianyan said quietly.

Yun Bilan nodded, stepped forward, picked up the matchstick on the table, and lit the candle holder.

The atmosphere was heavy and tense.

“Don’t you get it yet?” Yun Bilan said. “I’m just bait. I was from the very beginning.”

She deliberately shifted position to reveal the badge on her chest.

【001】

It was originally Wen Jianyan’s number.

“……”

Anise’s face was hidden beneath his mask, but his expression was so dark it seemed like water could drip from it.

This was bait, deliberately delivered into their hands.

First, it created a stark contrast with the person it was supposed to be, planting doubt in their minds—but not enough to rule out the possibility completely. Then, they were guided to make a conclusion and overturn their initial doubts, naturally falling into a mental trap—after all, humans tend to trust their own logical reasoning.

“So what?” Anise sneered, crouching in front of Yun Bilan. “You’re still in my hands now, aren’t you?”

He grabbed her hair, forcing her to look up as he leaned closer.

“This time, we’re not using the Gentleman’s talent. Strictly speaking, we’re not violating the previous agreement.”

Anise grinned darkly.

“Guess what? Do you think your captain will trade the item for you?”

“It seems you still don’t understand the purpose of this bait.”

Yun Bilan looked up at him calmly.

Anise frowned. “What?”

“I mean,” Yun Bilan said patiently, “the person wearing the 001 badge was always meant to be a target, someone for you to capture. If not this time, then the next.”

That was why she had volunteered to wear the badge.

“You wanted to repeat the old strategy—use teammates to threaten the captain into handing over the item. But unfortunately, your entire play was wrong from the start.”

“I’m not a bargaining chip.”

“No,” Yun Bilan chuckled. “To be precise, none of the anchors in the Red Team—except the captain—are bargaining chips or have any value for negotiation.”

Before the banquet began, Wen Jianyan had gathered all the Red Team members to share a bold, nearly insane plan.

“Do you see a phone or ghost money on me?” Yun Bilan asked.

Anise and the others exchanged looks and quickly searched her.

Sure enough—nothing.

“Not just me. None of the others have any either,” Yun Bilan said with a smile.

Her expression turned serious as she looked at Anise and said:

“My main mission is to tell you this when I get captured: stop trying the same trick again. It’s meaningless.”

“Before the banquet started, the captain had already figured out how the ghost money would be used. So he gathered everyone and made a pact with the entire team.”

“If someone dies from a ghost attack, they’re on their own. But if they’re killed by the Black Team, our captain will use the coins at the front desk to exchange for their badge and revive them.”

“There are three Red Team squads in total. All ghost money go through the captain and are distributed by him alone.”

“There’s no need for phones anymore—so you can’t even contact whoever you want to threaten.”

Looking at the enemies in front of her, Yun Bilan smiled even more brightly:

“Ha. Idiots.”

The darkness gradually faded.

Anise and the others returned to the front desk with gloomy expressions.

Gentleman: “Did it work?”

Anise shook his head and reported everything that had happened, including what Yun Bilan had said.

After hearing it all, the face behind Gentleman’s mask also grew darker.

Admittedly, he had been thinking along the same lines before.

Pinocchio was too soft-hearted. For someone like that, threatening them with their teammates was the most effective strategy. Even if he could no longer use his talent due to the rules, there were still other ways—like kidnapping his teammates and forcing him to give up the item.

But clearly, the other side had already foreseen this.

So, he used an extreme and insane method to eliminate the possibility.

—He erased the “teammate” attribute from every team member.

This approach was so ruthless it was terrifying.

It was like throwing one’s teammates to the wolves and saying: go ahead and kill them.

But at the same time, it was also so selfless, it seemed almost saintly.

As long as someone died because of it, no matter the cost or how many ghost money it took, he would bring them back—without hesitation, and without hoarding anything.

Worst of all, the Gentleman realized: the other side’s strategy was entirely feasible.

Because the truly decisive item was already in their possession—just temporarily unusable. Once the time came, no matter how many coins they had left, they would still be able to win the instance.

So, whether it was the ghost money income they’d previously earned or what they earned during this banquet, they could now spend it all—every last coin—to revive their teammates!

Unless they managed to kill everyone on the opposing side, as long as the “king” wasn’t captured, the remaining “pawns” were meaningless.

But as long as the hotel manager was present, they couldn’t start a fight at the front desk.

In the free area near the long table, there were still terrifying guests. While there was a power gap between the red and black teams, it wasn’t enough to be overwhelming.

With malevolent spirits in play, and the constant threat of sudden death even to themselves, trying to wipe out the enemy team entirely was nothing short of a pipe dream.

“……”

After figuring this out, the gentleman’s expression turned grim.

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, he snapped his head around and looked toward the long table.

The darkness was slowly receding.

The empty long table gradually came into view.

“How many people were with you before?” the gentleman asked.

Anise: “Five.”

Eight members had been dispatched in total, five of whom were assigned to ambush Pinocchio, leaving only three to deal with the guests.

But the problem was…

On the side of the table that the black team was responsible for, it was nearly empty.

“What—” Anise gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.

“……”

The gentleman’s expression turned even darker.

While Anise had led most of their people to ambush Pinocchio, Pinocchio had sent out only one decoy. The rest, including the main force of their team, had all gone to serve the guests the black team had neglected.

Their true goal wasn’t so much to handle that one standing guest, but rather…

To take advantage of the distraction and snatch away the guests originally meant for the red team, earning more tips to better protect their own teammates.

…And they had been completely led by the nose.

The gentleman turned and looked toward the red team.

Everyone wore identical uniforms and masks. Just from appearances alone, it was impossible to tell which one was Pinocchio.

The tactic used by the other side was theoretically simple, but in practice it was far more difficult—after all, no one could truly entrust their life to another person.

And yet, somehow, Pinocchio had done just that.

He had persuaded everyone to follow him down this extreme and insane path, dragging everyone along to work for him, to give their trust— even their lives…

Impressive.

Truly impressive.

Wen Jianyan stepped up to the front desk and handed over the corresponding amount of ghost money.

The manager pulled out a new name badge and pinned it to a shadowed corner. A moment later, a humanoid figure slowly emerged beneath it.

It was Yun Bilan.

She seemed not yet fully recovered from her brief death—she stumbled and nearly collapsed.

Wen Jianyan moved quickly to catch her:

“You okay?”

He asked in a low voice.

Yun Bilan gave a slight nod, as if even that small motion had drained all her energy.

Wen Jianyan let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed the message had been successfully delivered. That meant the black team could no longer use their signature intimidation tactics.

“What about you? Did everything go smoothly over there?” Yun Bilan asked, catching her breath and turning to him.

“……”

Wen Jianyan paused.

Her question brought back the memory of what happened after the candle was lit.

In the darkness, the blood-red candlelight flickered faintly. The air was thick with the smell of rot, tinged with the scent of fresh blood.

Everything was proceeding according to Wen Jianyan’s plan.

Anise’s ability held the female corpse in place.

Seizing the opportunity, Wen Jianyan stepped forward quickly and placed the dinner plate he was holding down—

And in that instant—

Something went terribly wrong.

A cold, pale hand clamped tightly onto his wrist.

“!!!”

In that moment, Wen Jianyan’s hair stood on end, and cold sweat burst out across his back.

He snapped his head up.

The corpse that Anise had kept under control suddenly… lowered her head just slightly. The movement was small, but her hollow eyes locked onto Wen Jianyan’s.

He reacted faster than he could think.

Swiftly switching the plate to his other hand—the one not gripped—he set it down in front of the corpse.

The grip on his wrist vanished.

And with that, the guest figure in the darkness also disappeared.

By all logic, that should have been the end of it.

Facing Yun Bilan, Wen Jianyan gave a low “Mm” in reply:

“Don’t worry. Everything went smoothly.”

He lowered his arm, subtly covering the bruise-like handprint on his wrist with his sleeve.

“You shouldn’t go out next round,” Wen Jianyan said as he supported Yun Bilan and guided her to the back, “Let us handle it from here.”

Yun Bilan nodded.

Wen Jianyan lifted his head, glancing toward the entrance of the banquet hall.

The bronze clock above was ticking quietly.

It had now been over half an hour.

According to the hotel manager’s earlier statement, the banquet was scheduled to last for an hour. That meant if they could hold out another twenty minutes, victory was guaranteed.

After all, based on the “agreement” they had with the black team, in the final three minutes of the banquet, Wen Jianyan could freely use his props and secure the platinum achievement for the “Xingwang Hotel” instance.

Meanwhile, the darkness shrouding the long table was slowly receding again.

The seats were nearly all empty. Most of the guests had already been sent away. Only one guest remained at the long table—unattended due to a lack of manpower—but that was fine.

At least, based on past experience, as long as that last guest was served in the next round, everything should go smoothly.

But… for some reason, although the white-clad woman had disappeared, the blood-soaked bronze dinner plate at her seat hadn’t vanished like the others. Instead, it remained, stacked with multiple face skins, looking horrifying.

“Zzz… zzzzz…”

A blood-red glow lit up once more in the hallway.

A new round of guests was arriving.

This time, there were fourteen of them.

Seeing this, everyone let out a breath of relief.

Luckily, they had managed to send off nearly all the previous guests, leaving only one. Otherwise, someone would’ve been unable to sit this round and would be left at the entrance.

If that had happened…

No one knew what role that unseated “guest” would end up playing.

Under the anxious gaze of the anchors, the guests stiffly entered the banquet hall one by one, each taking a seat.

As time passed, the number of empty chairs dwindled.

Until—

Only one seat remained.

The seat with the dinner plate piled with three face skins.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the final guest slowly came to a halt. It stopped at the entrance, standing stiffly in place, unmoving.

Wait—?

What was happening?

Everyone froze in shock, drawing in a cold breath.

They held onto a sliver of hope and waited silently. But no matter how time passed, the guest at the entrance didn’t move. It stood as if rooted to the floor, its pale, hollow face pointed straight ahead, showing no sign of stepping forward.

As if…

That last seat had already been claimed by something invisible—so it could only wait for the next round.

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