"Don't worry, a Twilight-level mission is the lowest difficulty. As long as we work together, we can get through this just fine."
Lao Guo said with a sincere smile, but Green, standing beside him, frowned.
He wasn't like that Black kid who'd read too many Chinese webnovels and thought this was some grand infinite flow adventure, eagerly wanting to follow the[veteran player], Lao Guo. Hmph, he was no fool.
Green had been extremely lucky. The first time he was chosen for the Sacrificial Game, he'd encountered three top-tier players who were using special items to team up and investigate the novice game. As a result, he'd muddled his way through an entire round. Green didn't know much, but he could tell the difference between a genuinely skilled veteran willing to help and someone with ulterior motives. Although he wasn't well-educated, his time scrounging at the bottom of society had made him very good at judging a person's strengths and weaknesses, discerning whether they were good or bad.
And a guy like Lao Guo, who seemed incredibly friendly but showed almost no micro-expressions or reactions, whose true emotions were completely unreadable—Green would absolutely not get close to him or team up with him. In his eyes, this kind of guy was most likely a sly old fox hiding his tail. Who knew when he might end up as a sacrifice?
If you wanted to latch onto someone powerful, you had to be picky. Only a veteran player who wouldn't use newbies to scout for danger was worth befriending. Even if such a master looked down on newcomers and was unwilling to help, at least you wouldn't have to worry about danger from your own human camp. Worst case, you just had to act more like a sycophant.
So, he'd observe for now and see if any other skilled players emerged.
With that in mind, Green leaned against the door of Room 209 behind him—the room where he had woken up—and scanned his surroundings, observing the situation.
The first to come out was a middle-aged man from Room 206. It was hard to tell if he was Chinese, Japanese, or from somewhere else, but as long as he wasn't from the Universe Country, it didn't matter. Still, he looked like a newbie. And people his age often struggled to adapt to urgent and dangerous situations like these rules-based horror stories. He probably wouldn't last long.
Without a word, Green continued to observe the other rooms.
Creeak—
With the sound of a door being pushed, another one opened.
"The lock on this door is broken."
Accompanied by a sigh, a tall, well-built young man who looked to be a student walked out of Room 204.
His gaze swept across the hallway. After a brief glance at the three people already there, he turned his attention to the room diagonally opposite, Room 208, which was also opening. From it emerged Maki Shijo, her expression extremely wary.
"Another newbie?"
The man muttered this, causing Green to start paying attention to him.
"You are..."
Maki Shijo was puzzled. Although the man before her seemed unremarkable, she had noticed a subtle change in his expression the moment she saw him. It was as if he was about to show some kind of emotion but had forcefully suppressed it just in time.
This man definitely knows me, and it's not just a passing acquaintance. He knows exactly who I am and is trying to disguise it!
The sharp-sensed Maki Shijo realized this instantly, and her wariness toward the man in front of her shot up several levels.
The same thing happened with Kaguya Shinomiya, who was following behind the man. Although she was initially taken aback by his overly dramatic posture and words, as a daughter of the Shinomiya family, the highly observant Kaguya soon detected that he was using exaggerated movements and speech to conceal an emotional shift. She realized that not only did this man know her, but it was far from a casual acquaintance. Her guard went up instantly, and she even considered whether she should subdue him on the spot.
Gao Hai himself felt helpless about this. Of course, he knew the best course of action was to quickly reach a consensus, exchange information, then rush out to shut up that monster-luring Miwa Maeda and start exploring. But unlike the wall clock's rewind, this new, mysterious reset ability was a true reset. Now, besides Gao Hai himself, no one remembered what had happened. It had taken a lot of time to win Kaguya and Maki's trust before, and that was only after Maki had decided to believe him first, which led Kaguya to grudgingly accept him as an ally.
And now, needing to win their trust all over again, the subtle changes in his demeanor, emotions, and actions brought on by the reset were causing a different kind of trouble. Gao Hai couldn't help but think that of all the things he'd learned as a failed writer—reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, wilderness climbing—he really should have learned acting. Otherwise, things wouldn't have gotten so complicated.
Still, it's so good to see you healthy and well...
After handing the rulebook to Kaguya, retrieving the supply box and earplugs from under the bed, and grabbing the wall clock from the hallway before stepping out the door, Gao Hai still revealed a hint of emotion when he saw Maki appear before him, despite trying his best to hide it.
Of course, it was only natural that Maki would notice.
Forget it. If she saw, she saw.
Some things only become more obvious the more you try to hide them. It couldn't be helped.
Even though she no longer remembers the ordeal we shared, seeing her safe and sound brings me some peace of mind.
So, in this reset, even if I can't clear the game, I won't let you die before me.
Gao Hai thought with absolute determination.
He never considered himself a good person. In the last loop, he had genuinely considered killing Sun Dajun and Miwa Maeda, those two complete deadweights. He wanted to eliminate the useless pair who would only cause more trouble. In moments of crisis, he wouldn't think he should be nicer to Kaguya or Maki; he would be more focused on his own survival.
But even so, Gao Hai knew that he shouldn't treat those who were genuinely good to him that way.
Maki Shijo was undoubtedly a fool. Taking a bullet for someone she had known for only a few hours—such kindness was pointless.
But she took that bullet for me, so I can't just pretend it never happened.
"You..."
Maki subconsciously took a step back.
Although Gao Hai had hidden his emotions well during his internal brainstorming just now, the perceptive girl still sensed something unusual.
Gao Hai, however, paid it no mind, his attention already shifting to the hallway lined with tall cabinets.
If he entered Room 205 now, he should be able to shut up Miwa Maeda in time and prevent that loudmouth from luring the monster over. But he couldn't pick locks, and this round's Green hadn't mistaken him for a veteran player yet, so getting his help wouldn't be easy. More importantly, with nothing having happened yet, on what grounds could he convince everyone that they needed to immediately break down the door to Room 205 and restrain the team-wipe-engine inside?
Kaguya and Maki, who had come out of the room behind him, were no fools. Green, that expert at latching onto strong players, was a sharp one too. Not to mention Sun Dajun, and the Black kid seemed to have already sided with Lao Guo. As for Lao Guo, although Gao Hai really wanted to kill him, considering he had a supernatural item, a pistol, and explosives—plus he was tough enough to take a beating from a corporeal monster for a while without dying—it was probably best not to confront him head-on.
So, what's the plan?
After a moment of thought, Gao Hai quickly made a decision.
"You're Chinese too, right?"
Without waiting for Lao Guo to approach, Gao Hai went straight to Sun Dajun.
He knew this middle-aged man was stubborn. Even knowing something was wrong with the Shirakawa Apartments, he refused to believe it was some kind of supernatural place. Unless he saw concrete proof, he was basically the deadweight of all deadweights in the team. If possible, Gao Hai would definitely not have approached him.
However, he was the occupant of Room 206.
Entering a room without its original occupant could be dangerous, so Gao Hai needed this man to go with him.
"You-you are too! Uh, so is this really some kind of reality show? Which production team did this? This is going way too far..."
Hearing Gao Hai's accent and realizing he was a fellow countryman, Sun Dajun was pleasantly surprised, then asked nervously.
"Who knows? But I found some weird stuff in my room just now. Did you find anything in yours?"
Gao Hai said with a straight face, ignoring the suspicious looks from Kaguya and Maki behind him as he spun a tale for Sun Dajun.
Not far away, Lao Guo frowned. He had intended to speak with the newcomers, but he hadn't expected them to completely ignore him. This made him wary, suspecting the other party was also a veteran player, so he hesitated to act rashly and didn't approach as he did last time.
As for Green, although he didn't mutter anything this time, he couldn't figure out what Gao Hai was up to. Combined with his disdain for the two "students," Kaguya and Maki, he once again chose to return to his room and lock himself inside, just like before.
"You're saying... there might be cameras installed in my room?"
Sun Dajun, now thoroughly incited by Gao Hai's fabrications, was filled with righteous indignation and ready to go smash up Room 206 immediately.
"It's possible. But these cameras are usually very well hidden. We can look for them together."
Gao Hai said with great earnestness, his sincere attitude making it seem as if he wasn't lying to Sun Dajun at all.
This guy is so weird...
Kaguya, who had been observing the hallway, frowned deeply. She still couldn't understand what Gao Hai was doing. As for Maki, standing beside her and equally unable to reach a conclusion, she had already started walking forward, preparing to confront and question Gao Hai.
A scream rang out right on cue.
From inside Room 205, Miwa Maeda, who had woken up at some point and discovered the corpse under the bed, was now screaming her lungs out. The sound was so shrill that everyone on the 2nd floor could hear it clearly. In a little while, when the woman rushed out and continued screaming, her voice would carry throughout the entire building.
And then, the formless thing would make its appearance.
"What's going on?"
Startled, Sun Dajun subconsciously wanted to go and check the situation.
"Are you going to follow the script of the production team that kidnapped you?"
With that one sentence from Gao Hai, Sun Dajun gritted his teeth, stopped in his tracks, turned around, and opened the door to Room 206.
Sun Dajun was now completely convinced by Gao Hai, determined to search the room with him for the so-called "hidden cameras from the production team."
"Miss Shinomiya, Miss Shijo."
After Sun Dajun opened the door and went inside, Gao Hai moved to the doorway, grabbed the frame of Room 206, and then turned back to look at the two girls who were still observing the situation.
"I know I seem suspicious. Yes, I know both of you, and I have some understanding of the current situation."
"You can choose not to believe me and follow those people, or we can cooperate for a bit. It's all up to you."
"I don't have much time. You've been observing for a while now. Have you made a decision? The young ladies of the Shinomiya and Shijo families."
His slightly provocative words made Kaguya narrow her eyes.
"Hah? How straightforward. Then why were you trying to hide your emotions earlier? And now you're saying this? You just want us to follow you into the room, don't you?"
Maki bluntly exposed Gao Hai's objective, her expression growing even warier.
Getting found out was a given.
But just because they saw through it doesn't mean it's a failure.
"You have a lot of nerve. Do you think you can control us? State your name."
Kaguya stared at Gao Hai, her gaze as cold as ice, her voice just as frigid.
"Gao Hai. 'Gao' as in high mountains and flowing water, 'Hai' as in the ocean that embraces a hundred rivers. It seems you've made your decision, Miss Shinomiya."
Standing by the door, Gao Hai said with a slight smile, though internally he was trembling and begging for Miwa Maeda in Room 205 to come running out a little later, for that unseen ghost to come down a little later—basically, just begging for more time to trick these two young ladies into the room.
"Hmph. Although there are many suspicious points, you don't seem like the one who organized all this. In that case, I'll see what you're up to."
In the end, despite being more suspicious, Kaguya, who valued her pride more than Maki, decided to go along with Gao Hai. However, compared to their temporary alliance last time, her vigilance was much higher now; she was basically treating Gao Hai as a potential enemy.
"She really went with him, that grandaunt of mine... Oh well, let's just see what this guy is up to."
As Kaguya moved, Maki, though she still wanted to observe, decided to follow her. Both of them entered Room 206.
Finally...
Miwa Maeda's screams were already echoing in the hallway.
The Black kid was supporting her, looking back and asking Lao Guo something.
Knowing things were about to get bad, Gao Hai immediately slammed the door shut. This time, he didn't hide the expression on his face at all, so both Kaguya and Maki realized he was afraid of something in the hallway, and they understood the real purpose behind him deliberately provoking Kaguya.
"What's in the hallway?"
Kaguya immediately asked.
"You'll find out soon enough if you want to know. In any case, do not open the door under any circumstances."
After deadbolting the door, Gao Hai turned and said in a serious tone, then headed deeper into the corridor of Room 206.
Thanks to his deception, Sun Dajun should have found the supply box in Room 206 by now. If the earplugs were still inside, there would be two pairs. He could fashion some makeshift earplugs with torn cloth or something, which should be enough to get by.
The only passage to the 1st floor mentioned by Xusheng in the vision was here in Room 206.
I hope this is the right choice. Even with the reset cheat, the limited uses are still unsettling. He didn't want to experience consecutive deaths, accumulate immense mental stress, and then go insane from a major failure.
Just as he was thinking this, Gao Hai suddenly heard a voice.
[I don't care what your goal is. Stay out of my way.]
It was Lao Guo's voice.
A chilling and very direct warning.
[I have no interest in what you're trying to do here. The core object of obsession in this apartment is something I, 'Old Ghost Guo,' am determined to get. You'd better think carefully about that.]
Huh? What's going on?
Does he think I'm a rival veteran player?
Wait, no, what did he just say? The core object of obsession? So that's what he was after last time when he caused all that trouble?
Gao Hai was stunned, not expecting to hear something like that. Meanwhile, in the hallway, Lao Guo, having just sent the message, realized something was wrong and immediately started running toward Room 210.
Thud—
From the dark stairwell, the sound of steady footsteps began to descend, moving slowly toward the high-pitched cries of Miwa Maeda.
________________________________________
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