Chapter 1755: Chapter 1008:
Just listening to Yamada Kengohei’s account was enough to be terrifying. Even seasoned players would be scared out of their wits if they suddenly encountered such a situation. All things considered, Yamada Kengohei handled it quite well.
But the problem followed suit, as Yamada Kengohei was the first person to encounter the ghost attack tonight and he did not die. Like Sakurai Miyuki last night, he survived.
Although the process was slightly different, the experiences of the two were generally consistent, proving that Sakurai Miyuki’s survival was not a coincidence.
Ghosts operate under a complex and rigorous logic. The fact that neither of them died can only mean that the conditions for the ghost to kill were not met.
In the following time, everyone interrogated Yamada Kengohei again, raising many detailed questions, but did not find anything strange.
It was clear that Yamada Kengohei was terribly scared after this ordeal. His hands couldn’t stop trembling, and his recollections had more or less some small errors, but he couldn’t be blamed. It’s practically impossible to maintain absolute calm in that state.
Yang Xiao speculated that he might have overlooked some clues, but it was precisely these seemingly inconspicuous clues that were the key to the problem.
"Could this ghost’s attack follow some kind of pattern? Last night it was on the 6th floor, tonight it’s the 5th floor, next time... could it be the 4th floor?" Takagi Sayo’s face was pale because she lived on the 4th floor.
"Shut up, Miss Takagi. Could you please use your brain before you speak?" Hasegawa Hideji, who also lived on the 4th floor with Takagi Sayo, rebuked her mercilessly, "Think about those dead construction workers. Did they die according to a floor sequence?"
Hasegawa Hideji’s words were unpleasant, but he had a point. Among those construction workers who died within the hotel, one died in the safety passage between the 3rd and 4th floors, one in room 5044 on the 5th floor, and another fell to his death from a window on the 8th floor. There was no discernible order or pattern in these deaths.
Saying this, Takagi Sayo lowered her head and dared not speak again. Hasegawa Hideji wanted to continue reprimanding her, but when his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the stern-faced Qingshui Cangjie, he swallowed his remaining words and only responded with a cold snort.
"Do you think... this ghost will come again tonight?" Finally, someone asked the critical question, which came from the nutritionist Nishimura Yuna. This was also what everyone was most worried about.
Everyone was silent for a few seconds, with several glances directed at Tong Han, as if she didn’t see them, calmly breaking the deadlock, "I think it should come again, just like last night."
Yang Xiao secretly worried as the ghost’s first attack last night was on Sakurai Miyuki, but Sakurai Miyuki didn’t die. Instead, it was Kato Atsushi, who lived on the same 6th floor, who tragically died. If tonight follows the same pattern and Yamada Kengohei escapes, then the ghost’s next target could be Tong Han, who lives with him on the 5th floor.
Although Jiushan Cangxuan repeatedly assured him that even if they died during the mission, they would not really die, Yang Xiao still felt some anxiety deep down, particularly when truly immersed in the Nightmare World. This unease was infinitely magnified. He dared not take the risk; he wanted Tong Han to live.
"It’s getting late, everyone should go back now." Qingshui Cangjie glanced at the still clearly frightened Yamada Kengohei, "Mr. Yamada, don’t go back to your room tonight. Find a different room. Miss Tong Han, you should do the same."
Yang Xiao saw it clearly. The old guy obviously didn’t want to manage things anymore. He was only waiting for the next victim to appear so they could unveil new clues.
And based on the known clues at present, the next victim most likely appears to be Tong Han.
Qingshui Cangjie and Nishimura Yuna left first, and Yamada Kengohei immediately started to look for a new place to stay tonight. Hasegawa Hideji took a few steps before suddenly stopping, turning back with a slightly malicious smile: "Miss Tong Han, I hope the next time we meet is tomorrow morning, not tonight in the room where you’re staying."
"If I die, I’ll definitely come back to greet you, Mr. Hasegawa." Tong Han looked at him with a smile, but the words she uttered were chilling and devoid of warmth.
This statement seemed to also provoke Hasegawa Hideji, who was visibly startled, then hurriedly quickened his pace to leave.
"Miss Tong Han, be safe at night; you’ll be alright." Takagi Sayo left a few words of encouragement before chasing after Hasegawa Hideji.
Soon, only Tong Han, Yang Xiao, and Sato Shouta were left in the corridor, and the three walked together towards the corridor where Tong Han resided. Although Sato Shouta was new to the Nightmare, his emotional sensitivity was very keen—this was a talent—and he vaguely sensed that something was amiss with the atmosphere here.
Tong Han escorted Yang Xiao and the others to the iron door of the safety passage. Before departing, she said, "If I am to die tonight, I’ll try to leave a clue for you. Remember to look near my corpse."
"Wishing you peace." Yang Xiao proactively extended his hand, shaking hands with Tong Han, as if this act could grant the other a power to survive.
Without hesitation, Yang Xiao turned to leave. As they walked back, Sato Shouta, who was closely following beside Yang Xiao, suddenly spoke up with a probing question, "Mr. Yang, are you very familiar with Miss Tong Han?"
"Why do you ask?" Yang Xiao tilted his head, a slightly surprised expression as he looked at this young man who had a low presence in the team.
"The way she looks at you is quite strange. I’ve seen a similar look before," Sato Shouta recalled, "When I broke up with my ex-girlfriend, she looked at me with a similar expression. It left a deep impression on me."
"And what she said was weird too, it’s like she... she doesn’t fear death. She said even if she died, she would leave clues for us. That was not meant for us; it was for you, Mr. Yang," Sato Shouta said, looking up.
"Hoo—" Yang Xiao let out a long breath, his expression somewhat inexplicably melancholic.
"Mr. Yang, what’s wrong?" Sato Shouta curiously asked further.
"You don’t understand. Being in a foreign land, and in such a Nightmare World, coming from the same place, the same land, it gives us a sense of shared destiny. I also hope that Ms. Tong Han can survive. In this place, she is like family to me." Yang Xiao hadn’t anticipated that Sato Shouta, this guy, would think more about his relationship with Tong Han than about surviving, truly neglecting the essentials.
Unexpectedly, his offhand remarks sparked a strong resonance with Sato Shouta, who nodded enthusiastically, "I understand, Mr. Yang. I get your culture. People from your side don’t like to speak plainly; they prefer to speak in riddles and let others guess."
"I once pursued a girl from your side. She never agreed to be with me. Later, I realized she was just too shy to say it outright, but she wrote me poetry, ’mountains and rivers in different lands, not under the same sky.’ I asked a friend and was told that meant she liked me too. Mr. Yang, we’re good friends. I like you too; let us not be under the same sky together!"
Listening to Sato Shouta’s broken Mandarin with a Japanese accent, Yang Xiao was baffled. How are these things even connected? But at least it dispelled Sato Shouta’s suspicions about his relationship with Tong Han.
Returning to his accommodation, Yang Xiao remained restless, unsure of what he would face that night, worried about hearing Tong Han’s screams.
Time flew by, and soon it was 1 AM, the scheduled shift change time. Yang Xiao went to the service room to relieve the mentally exhausted Sato Shouta and arranged for him to rest in his previous room.
After closing the door and sitting in the leather chair, Yang Xiao noticed the previously messy table had been tidied up, the dust wiped away, and a blue-covered binder was placed in the center of the table.
The binder seemed a bit bulging, as if hiding something inside.
Yang Xiao cautiously opened the binder little by little, and the contents made his eyebrows raise: a whole bar of chocolate and a few coffee candies.
Besides, there was a piece of paper with clear handwriting: Mr. Yang, it’s easy to get sleepy during the night shift, keep these to eat, let us not be under the same sky together.
Signed: Sato Shouta
Seeing the note, it felt like a stone weighed on Yang Xiao’s heart. He slowly closed the binder, covering the note, chocolate, and coffee candies inside.
These were the best items in each of their bags of supplies. His chocolate and candies were already gone, yet Sato Shouta saved the good things for him.
Yang Xiao didn’t touch these precious items, feeling he didn’t deserve them. He even wished that all Sato Shouta did was fake, a sort of facade, hoping that the real Sato Shouta was a cunning scoundrel instead.
If it were Hasegawa Hideji, Yang Xiao would strike without hesitation when the time was right, without any psychological burden, but Sato Shouta’s existence disrupted such a delicate balance; this fellow was a good person.
Not very smart, but kind-hearted, always grateful for the help he received unintentionally.
If they met outside, he might gain another friend. Even for the current Yang Xiao, Sato Shouta’s father, whom he was so proud of, wasn’t much—a businessman with some influence in a small city, probably not qualified to meet him.
But if Sato Shouta invited him, he would gladly attend a banquet, meet Sato Shouta’s parents, and say a few thanks together.
However, unfortunately, such opportunities were gone. Sato Shouta belonged here, to this cold and cruel world, and there’s no turning back for him.
Just as Yang Xiao was lost in thought, a scream suddenly came from outside. He reflexively stood up, listening for a few seconds, and only then did his tense expression soften. He heard clearly—it wasn’t Tong Han’s voice; it was a male voice, coarse and filled with despair.
