Xingwang Hotel
Chapter 381: [The instance is closing…]
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room barrage:
[No way. You guys are pulling this trick again?]
[Isn’t this the second time the Gentlemen have threatened the anchor with his teammates? Seriously, can’t they come up with something new? I’m sick of it even if they aren’t.]
[Right? I used to at least expect some ingenuity from the Black Team. This is just pathetic.]
[Because times have changed! Haven’t you noticed? The Black Team’s completely out of moves.]
[True. This round, the anchor basically went for a backdoor win—stocked up on ghost money and positioned himself to be invincible. Now he just needs to wait for the timer, activate the item, and use that soul artifact he’s had ready forever to trigger a Platinum Achievement and finish the instance.]
[Damn… looks like that’s really the case.]
[If that’s how it is, then the Black Team has no choice but to repeat their old tactic.]
[Ugh. It’s an outdated move, but it works.]
[They’ve totally locked onto the anchor’s weakness… what a shame.]
A heavy silence blanketed the scene as the two sides faced off.
A faint red light flickered at the front of the hall. Behind them, the banquet table was shrouded in darkness.
The air was thick with the stench of rot, oppressive enough to make breathing difficult.
Everyone’s faces were hidden behind masks, concealing their expressions, but the atmosphere was so tense it was suffocating—like a drawn sword, with invisible currents clashing in the air.
Tick, tick.
Time passed silently.
Almost in the blink of an eye, it reached the final deadline stated in the contract—the last three minutes of the banquet.
Until now, Wen Jianyan had been forbidden from using that critical item. But once this point in time was reached, that invisible shackle would be broken. As long as he still held the item, and completed the final step, he could achieve Platinum clearance and beat the instance.
No one watched the clock more closely than the gentlemen.
The second hand ticked up to the top, then began to move again—Wen Jianyan didn’t move.
The gentleman withdrew his gaze and exhaled discreetly in relief.
Perfect.
They had gambled correctly—at the critical moment, their threat had caused hesitation in the opposing side’s actions.
A short distance away, their opponent remained motionless, face hidden behind a mask, seemingly unmoved—but the Gentleman knew: if Wen Jianyan didn’t activate the item immediately, he likely wouldn’t get another chance in the remaining three minutes.
This is what happens when you let your weakness be seen by the enemy.
If there’s a chance, it will be used against you.
So what if it’s despicable? So what if it’s underhanded? As long as it secures victory, it’s worth it.
“How do I know you actually caught them?” Wen Jianyan’s voice came from behind the mask.
“What, you don’t trust me?” the gentleman asked smoothly.
“Would you like me to make one of them speak?”
As he spoke, one of the prisoners was shoved roughly to the ground. A member of the Black Team kicked him hard in the stomach. The victim curled up in pain, letting out a muffled grunt that was clearly recognizable.
It was Blond.
“Keep going,” Anise chuckled darkly beneath his mask.
The gentleman asked, as if kindly:
“Or should I remove one of their masks so you can confirm for yourself?”
“No need,” Wen Jianyan answered quickly.
Under his mask, the gentleman smiled with satisfaction. He lowered his hand and turned to face Wen Jianyan.
“It seems you already know what kind of deal I’m about to propose,” he said, “so I’ll save us both the trouble.”
He extended his hand:
“Hand it over.”
The minute hand began to move again.
Two minutes left until the banquet ended.
A short distance away, Wen Jianyan still didn’t move. His eyes glinted behind the holes of his mask, as if caught in inner turmoil.
Maybe it was the passage of time, or the approach of the instance’s end—but the temperature in the hall dropped even further. Behind them, from within the all-encompassing darkness cloaking the banquet, footsteps echoed closer and closer.
This time, the footsteps no longer wandered aimlessly.
They had a destination.
If someone could pierce the bottomless darkness with their gaze, they would see a crowd of stiff, ghostly figures gathering, slowly and deliberately walking toward the front of the hall. At the head of the vengeful spirits—
Stood that terrifying woman in white.
“?!”
The Black Team clearly noticed something was wrong.
They heard the approaching footsteps in the darkness and immediately grew tense.
“Stalling won’t help,” Anise snapped.
“You think if you wait until the ghosts get here, you’ll turn the tables?”
He let out a cold laugh:
“Don’t kid yourself. Even if that happens, your teammates will die before everyone else. Stop wasting time—or else…”
As he spoke, Anise approached one of the captives.
The one wearing badge number 001—the only female member.
It was Yun Bilan.
Anise laid a hand on her shoulder.
“If I recall correctly, she’s already died once, hasn’t she? If this time—”
“Wait!”
Wen Jianyan suddenly stepped forward, his voice clearly tinged with panic.
He took a deep breath. His voice came out through clenched teeth:
“…Fine.”
“Let them go. I agree.”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[…Sigh.]
[SIGH.]
[Sigh. Not surprised.]
[It’s such a waste. Victory was right there!!]
“You don’t mind formalizing this in a contract, I hope?” the Gentleman said with a smile.
“After all, you know… based on your past behavior, we need some…”
He paused before adding:
“…guarantees.”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Damn, he really got screwed. And he even has experience with this crap.]
[LOL. Better safe than sorry, huh?]
[Good thing he left his painting in the gallery…]
[Wait, did he?]
[I’m not sure. I don’t remember.]
[Me neither.]
[I just checked the VOD. He didn’t leave anything behind in the gallery. Unless he did it during that disconnect, then if this goes south, he’s really done for.]
[???]
[!!!! No way?!]
Just as chaos broke out in the livestream chat, the footsteps from the darkness drew closer, and pale faces began to emerge.
“What’s your answer?” Anise pressed, stepping forward, tone urgent.
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth and took a deep breath:
“…Alright.”
“But I have one condition.”
“What?”
“I want all of your ghost money,” Wen Jianyan said.
“Huh?” Anise frowned.
The instance was nearly over—what use would ghost money be now?
“Agreed,” the gentleman said immediately.
Of everyone present, he was the only one who instantly understood what Wen Jianyan wanted the coins for.
Earlier, Wen Jianyan had made a deal with all the other Red Team anchors: anyone killed in PVP could be resurrected by him. But after his disappearance, the situation flipped—under the Black Team’s siege, the Red Team suffered heavy losses. With the ghost money they had, they couldn’t revive everyone.
Now, Wen Jianyan was demanding ghost money from the enemy. There could only be one reason—
To save them.
The deal was quickly finalized.
There was now just one minute left until the banquet’s end.
The gentleman walked up and took the black box from Wen Jianyan’s hands.
He opened it.
Inside lay a luminous, multicolored pearl.
Clearly, this was the crucial soul-based item.
The Gentleman wasn’t worried about any tricks—it had been verified by the contract.
Still…
Just in case, it was better to double-check.
He turned to someone behind him and said:
“You do it.”
The person lowered their head, seemingly activating a prop. Soon after, they looked up:
“The Red Team left behind no critical items.”
“Excellent,” the gentleman smiled. He pulled a stack of ghost money from his pocket and handed them to Wen Jianyan.
“Pleasure doing business.”
Wen Jianyan took the coins and passed them to the mat behind him.
Wen Jianyan froze for a moment, seemingly realizing the gentleman’s intention in handing him the ghost money. Clutching the stack of ghost notes, Wen Jianyan spun around and dashed toward the front desk—he had to hurry and save as many teammates as he could!
The gentleman cast a glance at Wen Jianyan’s retreating figure, shook his head, and let out a soft sigh:
“So soft-hearted.”
He smiled and said, “It’ll be the death of you.”
With that, the gentleman gracefully stepped back with his prop in hand. “In that case, see you around.”
In the darkness, the figures of the hotel guests had already begun to emerge.
Leading the group was the woman in white.
After leaving behind several Red Team members who had been subdued, the Black Team quickly retreated, vanishing into the darkness.
Clearly, they understood how dangerous the guests were and had no intention of staying to engage them any further.
The woman in white drew nearer.
Wen Jianyan stood motionless, cold sweat beading on his back as his heart pounded wildly in his chest.
A chilling aura pressed closer and closer.
“What do we do?!” one of the Red Team anchors asked anxiously.
“There’s no need to confront them!” Doing so would most likely lead to death.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and exhaled a single word: “Wait.”
He silently counted the seconds in his head.
Twenty seconds left until the banquet ended.
A few steps away, the woman in white suddenly halted without warning. Bit by bit, she turned and began to walk in another direction.
“?”
Everyone was stunned. Clearly, they didn’t understand what was going on.
Wen Jianyan didn’t relax—on the contrary, he grew even more tense. He clenched his teeth, muscles taut, waiting.
Ten seconds left.
Five.
As the end drew near, a familiar mechanical voice suddenly echoed in everyone’s ears:
[Ding! Congratulations to the Black Team anchors for completing the main storyline of the instance. Xingwang Hotel plot unlocked 100%! Victory goes to the Black Team!]
[Red Team anchors have failed and will not receive any streaming reward shares. Better luck next time!]
[Closing the instance…]
The red lights went out.
The darkness receded.
The banquet hall began to slowly reappear before their eyes.
As with every previous instance ending, the system began counting down in its emotionless tone:
[100, 99, 98…]
“……”
All the Red Team members stood there in a daze.
They had lost.
They really lost.
Yun Bilan and the others remained frozen in place, unable to process what had just happened.
…Lost?
Then didn’t that mean Wen Jianyan…
But the protagonist at the center of it all simply let out a long breath.
Like a taut string finally slackening, all the tension seemed to leave him. Wen Jianyan leaned against the wall, his body limp, and slowly removed the mask from his face with one hand.
Beneath the mask was a handsome, refined face.
His pale forehead was damp with sweat, and his thick lashes drooped. He looked tired… but somehow, relieved?
Yun Bilan strode over, grabbed Wen Jianyan by the collar, and slammed him against the wall. Her voice was low and gritted with anger as she demanded:
“What the hell just happened?”
She yanked off her mask, her red-tinged eyes glinting dangerously in the dark.
“Why did Bai Xue tell us not to fight back?!”
A few minutes earlier.
The Red Team had left the front desk and begun a new round of service.
“Don’t worry,” Yun Bilan said calmly, her gaze fixed on the spreading darkness. “This time, our task is simple—just don’t die.”
Beneath the mask, her expression remained as cold and sharp as ever.
They were fully aware of what their mission entailed.
Wen Jianyan hadn’t died.
And more importantly, the key item that could change the tide of the game was in his possession. All they needed to do now was survive.
They couldn’t stay at the front desk.
Staying there, where infighting was forbidden, would corner the Black Team into using extreme measures. If they succeeded, then in a fully lit banquet hall, the outcome would become all too clear.
To survive, entering the darkness and beginning the final round of service was their best option.
Especially since they had Bai Xue on their team.
That alone made things much easier.
Sure enough, everything went as expected.
Even though the Black Team attacked ferociously and with almost overwhelming force, rapidly shrinking their area of movement, they still managed to dodge what should’ve been fatal attacks time and again. Chen Mo’s chains, Yun Bilan’s thorns—their usage in such dire conditions was flawless.
They were outmatched, but cunning.
Just like their captain.
Until—
For reasons unknown, the darkness suddenly filled with a host of new footsteps, and the Black Team’s attacks grew frantic and fierce.
“Stop.”
Bai Xue, who had only ever spoken when asked a question, suddenly spoke up on his own.
“??”
Everyone was taken aback.
Stop?
What did he mean?
“Don’t fight back,” Bai Xue said calmly. “They won’t kill us.”
Then he went silent again.
The moment Bai Xue spoke, the sound of Black Team footsteps closing in echoed through the dark.
“……”
Yun Bilan and Chen Mo exchanged glances and clenched their teeth.
…Fine then.
So they put up token resistance—just enough to be caught.
Even so, they knew clearly that Bai Xue was the only anchor among them with the ability to predict the future. Throughout the entire instance, his performance had been almost terrifying.
Which meant that this was all likely part of a plan for survival—and perhaps even victory.
With that hope in mind, they were taken back to the front desk.
And when they saw Wen Jianyan alive, their hearts surged with excitement.
He really survived!
They’d known it—this guy couldn’t possibly die!
But everything that followed shattered their expectations.
Their lives became bargaining chips, used to force Wen Jianyan into handing over the item.
Yun Bilan and the others waited.
They believed this too was part of the plan. Like so many times before—at a critical moment, Wen Jianyan would produce a new trump card and unravel what had seemed to be a hopeless, unwinnable situation.
They waited.
For the contract to be fulfilled.
For the Black Team to leave.
Until—
The mechanical voice rang out in their ears.
Announcing their failure.
Yun Bilan could hardly believe what she heard.
What?
The instance… was over?
The Red Team had lost?
Which meant…
There was no hidden strategy, no last-minute reveal. Everything had happened exactly as it seemed?
Worse still, they were the direct cause of this ending.
If they hadn’t been so easily captured and turned into bargaining chips, Wen Jianyan wouldn’t have been cornered, forced to use the item to make a deal with the Black Team.
Realizing this, Yun Bilan was hit with a wave of panic. Her fingers instinctively clenched tighter.
“Wait—”
Wen Jianyan was being choked to the point he couldn’t breathe.
To be fair, Yun Bilan was several times stronger when angry. He could barely keep his feet on the ground.
“L-let me go first…”
Not far away, Bai Xue also removed his mask, revealing a bloodless but always expressionless, cold face.
“Or is it…”
Yun Bilan, still gripping Wen Jianyan by the collar, slowly turned to look at him. Surrounded by countless thorns, her red eyes glowed menacingly.
“Was he a mole for the Black Team from the very start?”
Was that why he gave them misleading intel at the critical moment, steering them down the wrong path?
Wen Jianyan gestured toward the others.
Only then did Chen Mo and the rest snap out of it. They rushed forward and forcibly pulled Yun Bilan away. “Calm down. Calm down! At least let the captain speak!”
Wen Jianyan breathed a sigh of relief and reached up to rub his sore throat.
Then he said,
“We need to go. Let’s get out of the banquet hall.”
“?”
What?
Leave now?
Everyone froze.
The countdown was still ticking:
[50, 49, 48…]
That meant less than a minute remained before the instance ended. Why leave now?
What was the point?
“Don’t just stand there!”
Before the words had even fully landed, Wen Jianyan, as agile as ever, darted toward the exit of the banquet hall and shouted back:
“Follow me!”
Cliffhangerrrrr… What did he do!!!