Chapter 1768: Chapter 1014: The Unfulfilled Promise (2)
This person has been severely backfired by the Magic Artifact, which is obvious from his appearance. Even if he survives this time, he won’t live much longer, and he certainly knows it himself.
With no other clues available, everyone went back to rest. Qingshui Cangjie tirelessly repeated some precautions, such as not sleeping or sleeping in bed tonight. These were all very practical methods.
Before leaving, Yang Xiao watched each team member leave. He knew that this might be the last time he saw some of them.
Back in his room, Yang Xiao sat down on a chair to rest. At exactly one o’clock in the morning, he went to the service room on the same floor to switch shifts with Sato Shouta.
Not trusting this guy to go back alone, Yang Xiao first escorted Sato Shouta back to his room, and then he returned to the service room to take his shift.
On the first floor of the hotel, Jiu Shan Sha Yue was tidying up and checking the brightness of her flashlight at the front desk, as she was about to start her night patrol.
At that moment, she caught a glimpse of Mitsuo Takeda approaching with an odd expression on his face, seemingly mixed with some apology, "Mr. Takeda, do you need something?"
"Miss Xin Yuan, I’m really sorry, but I encountered that thing tonight, and I’m worried I might drag you into this." Mitsuo Takeda confessed.
His concern was not unfounded. On the first night, it was Sakurai Miyuki who saw the ghost, but in the second half of the night, it was Kato Atsushi, who lived on the same floor, who died.
"I want to do something for you. If you need, I can take over your patrol duties tonight. From what I’ve observed, it’s relatively safer to stay here at night." Mitsuo Takeda had a good impression of Jiu Shan Sha Yue after this period of interaction. Though she was young, she was very responsible, with good ability and courage. She was someone quite trustworthy, and he had always been good at judging people.
"You’re an honest person, Mr. Takeda. Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t think I’ll be that unlucky, and neither will you." Jiu Shan Sha Yue replied with a smile.
The hint of ease from Jiu Shan Sha Yue seemed to infect Mitsuo Takeda, who rarely smiled, "Miss Xin Yuan, you’re very kind. If both of us manage to leave alive, I hope I can have the honor of inviting you for tea. I know a great tea house in the Moon Swamp."
"Absolutely." Jiu Shan Sha Yue nodded with a smile, agreeing to this promise that they both knew was unlikely to be fulfilled.
Noticing that the light from her flashlight was dim, Mitsuo Takeda kindly exchanged his flashlight with hers, advising her to be safe on the road.
After exchanging farewells, Jiu Shan Sha Yue set off. She had planned her route, intending to avoid the safe passage where Mitsuo Takeda had encountered the ghost.
No other reason, just for peace of mind.
This time, Jiu Shan Sha Yue walked slower and more cautiously. Soon, she completed her patrol of the second floor without issue. She opened the door to the safe passage and shone her flashlight inside, ensuring there was nothing unusual before entering.
Mitsuo Takeda’s experience served as a warning to them that no place in this hotel was entirely safe.
But just as she pushed open the door leading to the third floor, she suddenly heard shouting, a scream coming from downstairs.
Without any hesitation, Jiu Shan Sha Yue immediately ran down the stairs; she clearly heard that the shouts came from Mitsuo Takeda.
Remember, she had just left minutes ago.
When Jiu Shan Sha Yue arrived, Mitsuo Takeda was already collapsed on the ground beside the service counter, face down with blood marks visible on his body.
"Mr. Takeda! Mr. Takeda!" Jiu Shan Sha Yue knelt down, trying to shake him awake, but it was futile.
Soon, the others arrived one after another, gathering around and watched helplessly as Mitsuo Takeda was tortured, unable to do anything to help.
Once he was pulled into the Ghost Dream, Mitsuo Takeda’s fate was sealed.
Yang Xiao stepped forward, turning Mitsuo Takeda over so that he was face-up. At that moment, his chest was heaving violently, and his eyeballs beneath his eyelids were trembling intensely, clearly experiencing a horrific nightmare.
But Yang Xiao keenly noticed that Mitsuo Takeda’s condition differed from the two previously deceased; his screams were noticeably less frequent.
"Take his clothes off!" Yang Xiao coordinated with Jiu Shan Sha Yue to remove Mitsuo Takeda’s shirt, revealing scars on his arms and back.
However, the emergence of these scars was not rapid, suggesting that the ghost was torturing Mitsuo Takeda less severely than Kato Atsushi and Yamada Kengohei.
There was no clear reason for this, but Yang Xiao speculated that Mitsuo Takeda’s personal ability might have been a help. He was a formidable individual, even in a nightmare.
"Look at his mouth!" Nishimura Yuna shouted from the side.
Although her reminder was unnecessary, everyone had already noticed that Mitsuo Takeda’s lips were moving slightly as if muttering something.
Jiu Shan Sha Yue knelt before Mitsuo Takeda, placing her ear close to his lips. She confirmed he was indeed speaking, but his voice was too faint to be heard.
"Everyone, shut up!" Jiu Shan Sha Yue shouted, focusing intently on listening.
The scene turned completely silent, with everyone holding their breath.
"What’s he saying?" Heize Lin couldn’t hold back and asked.
But Jiu Shan Sha Yue ignored him, signaling him with a gesture to be quiet.
Realizing the gravity of this vital clue, Heize Lin refrained from speaking further, observing Jiu Shan Sha Yue’s intense concentration, knowing she had picked up on something.
The lobby on the first floor fell into a deathly silence, broken only by faint breathing. Like the previous two victims, no new injuries appeared on Mitsuo Takeda, though he began to breathe heavily, like a struggle before dying.
This eerie calm lasted for just a moment before Mitsuo Takeda suddenly screamed like a resurrected corpse, his voice more piercing than ever. His whole body convulsed violently as if undergoing extreme torture.
Being too close, Jiu Shan Sha Yue nearly had her ears deafened, momentarily sitting dazed on the floor, her eardrums in severe pain.
The shriek persisted for over a minute, then Mitsuo Takeda’s taut body abruptly went limp, his head slumped, dead.
With him dead, no one was interested in a corpse, and everyone’s attention turned to Jiu Shan Sha Yue. Qingshui Cangjie couldn’t help but ask, "Miss Xin Yuan, what did you hear?"
Jiu Shan Sha Yue gradually came back to her senses. Beiyu Ye, who was closest, helped her up, while Shibuki Naoko handed her a bottle of water.
"He said... Rain, so much rain, where is this? Then he mentioned it’s him, it’s him!" Jiu Shan Sha Yue recalled in Mitsuo Takeda’s voice.
"Is that all?" Heize Lin was obviously skeptical, as Mitsuo Takeda’s mouth moved several times, clearly saying more than what Jiu Shan Sha Yue relayed.
"That’s all I could hear. His voice was too low and unclear." Jiu Shan Sha Yue explained.
No matter the case, it was a huge breakthrough. Based on Mitsuo Takeda’s words, they could deduce he was trapped in a strange, terrifying world where it was raining.
Additionally, the phrase "It’s him" led everyone to interpret that Mitsuo Takeda had once again encountered the child ghost in that world, known as Asakura Yodou. This time, the ghost came for him, relentlessly pursuing him.
This was a game of hunting, and clearly, Mitsuo Takeda and the other two failed to clear it.
"Mr. Takeda said something in haste at the end, sounding urgent, but I couldn’t catch it." Jiu Shan Sha Yue felt regret, instinctively sensing it might be the key to breaking the cycle.
Yang Xiao frowned, his gaze scanning the crowd as if sensing something amiss, until suddenly he realized the anomaly, "What’s going on? Why are there only 11 people left here? Who’s missing?"
Upon hearing this, the group immediately checked among themselves, and Tong Han was the first to react, "It’s Takagi Sayo!"
