The crying and shouting outside the door had not stopped.
That idiotic blonde Japanese girl, Miwa Maeda, was still wailing.
The corpse in the room must have been a huge shock to her. Heh. Although in Gao Hai's opinion, that shock was child's play compared to the real dangers of the Shirakawa Apartments, no one would understand that if he said it now.
As for the new information he had just obtained—be it the[core object of obsession]or the details about Lao Guo—Gao Hai didn't have time to analyze it carefully at this moment.
The immediate crisis was the most important thing.
Huuu...
Gao Hai could feel his breathing gradually steadying.
The thing must have heard Miwa Maeda's voice by now and started coming down the stairs.
Just like last time, it would enter the hallway with steady footsteps and then, in the silence, kill everyone present.
He had to survive this crisis.
Even though the difficulty of surviving this time far exceeded the last round.
Behind him, the suspicious gazes from Kaguya and Maki hadn't changed at all.
And Sun Dajun, who had gone into the room first to search for what was supposedly "hidden by the reality show's production team," would surely come out to check on him soon if he realized Gao Hai hadn't come in.
Click—
After a faint sound of a door closing, Gao Hai heard the Black kid's voice yelling outside. Although he couldn't make out the words clearly, Gao Hai knew he was confused about Lao Guo's bizarre act of shutting the door.
Time was running out.
Unable to anticipate his own reset ability and burdened with the brutal memory of being boiled alive, Gao Hai hadn't been able to adjust his emotions and thoughts in time. After the reset, he'd even resorted to foolish antics to soothe his mind. Coupled with his poor acting skills that revealed numerous flaws, Gao Hai had completely failed to gain the trust of Kaguya and Maki this time, and Sun Dajun had only been temporarily pacified by his ruse.
The anomalies within the Shirakawa Apartments were almost all instantly lethal; very few were suitable for a beginner's tutorial. And that team-wipe engine, Miwa Maeda, had let out a scream right at the start, summoning a terrifying entity that was absolutely untouchable. It was safe to say that woman constituted one of the biggest challenges in the entire game. Even after a reset, facing this problem again gave Gao Hai an immense headache, which had led to the current situation.
It couldn't be helped. After all, he didn't know any secrets[that only a trusted person would know]or something that[would make them believe him unconditionally]. In fact, with Kaguya Shinomiya's cautious and suspicious nature, even if he did say something like that, she would never choose to trust him. It would more likely deepen her suspicion.
That left only the stupidest, most direct method.
Let everyone see the real thing, then rewind before it's too late.
Although it would waste one rewind, there was no other choice.
"Brother Gao, why are you just standing in the hallway? Uh, I've been looking in the room but haven't seen any cameras. Um, are they really there?"
Sun Dajun had walked out of the living area and was approaching Gao Hai with a puzzled look.
His complexion had changed unnaturally, as if he'd been frightened by something, or perhaps he was growing more terrified as he began to understand. Or maybe, from the very beginning, the middle-aged man had vaguely understood he wasn't caught in some reality show; it was just an older person's stubbornness that made him refuse to consider certain possibilities. Although Gao Hai's lie had temporarily given him a straw to clutch at, now that the search had failed to produce evidence, the fear in his heart naturally began to intensify.
"Did you find the body?"
Gao Hai simply asked Sun Dajun.
"Wh... a body? You mean that thing in the cabinet? That can't be right, is that really..."
The question sent a shiver down Sun Dajun's spine, and his face turned pale.
Got it. It seemed the deceased in Room 206 had died in a particularly abstract way, so much so that even after seeing the corpse, Sun Dajun couldn't be sure what it was.
Speaking of which, Lao Guo's reaction to Room 210 in the last loop was a bit strange. As the room's occupant, he shouldn't have been attacked by the corpse inside, yet he had specifically warned Gao Hai that 210 was too dangerous to enter and to be careful of the body. At first, Gao Hai thought it was because he was a veteran player and could identify the problem, but this time, Lao Guo's self-incriminating line forced Gao Hai to reconsider. He began to suspect that Lao Guo's status as a veteran player might be different from the others. Perhaps... he had used some special means to specifically target the Shirakawa Apartments, which meant he wasn't recognized as an[occupant]and was thus attacked inside Room 210?
Then there was another problematic room, Room 204, where he and Kaguya had woken up. It was the only room where no corpse was found, and also the only room where two players appeared simultaneously.
Perhaps there was something wrong with this room too? Or was the problem with him or Kaguya?
A flood of questions flashed through his mind.
But Gao Hai's face showed no sign of hesitation. Already prepared, he put in his earplugs, though not tightly just yet. Then he held out his hand to Kaguya and Maki, revealing a second pair of earplugs in his palm.
"We all heard that voice. That voice made us participate in the Sacrificial Game and threw us into this strange place."
"Mr. Sun, you probably just think the feeling of your body being controlled by that voice was terrifying. But Miss Shinomiya and Miss Shijo, you two must realize that such a thing is not humanly possible. You must realize the terrible truth hidden within."
"Miss Shinomiya, you were very wary of me just now because you realized I know you. I admit that. But what I want to tell you is that the reason I know you is because, not long ago, we had already worked together in this apartment and encountered all sorts of dangers. And the reason you—all of you—have no memory of this is because you died in this apartment. Or rather, all of us died in this apartment."
Gao Hai's tone was incredibly serious.
But obviously, his words were not about to be believed by the three people present.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I died in this apartment? You don't actually think you can mess with my mind with such absurd words, do you?"
Kaguya Shinomiya's expression grew increasingly dangerous. She was ready to subdue Gao Hai right then and there. From the very beginning, this man had been far too suspicious; she was even starting to think that[this was all Gao Hai's conspiracy].
"Wait, didn't you just say it was a reality show? Little Gao, why are you suddenly saying all this confusing stuff?"
Sun Dajun sank into deeper confusion and fear, standing helplessly on the spot, unsure of what he should do.
Only Maki Shijo remained silent, quietly observing Gao Hai's reaction.
Known as a beautiful genius just like Kaguya Shinomiya, but having grown up in a normal family environment, Maki wasn't as deeply suspicious and distrustful as Kaguya. At this moment, she was more willing to trust her own observations.
And Gao Hai's reaction, no matter how you looked at it, suggested he was telling the truth. Or rather, Gao Hai himself believed what he was saying with unwavering conviction, without a trace of falsehood.
What on earth was going on?
Maki frowned, unable to make up her mind.
At the same time, the hallway outside the main door had fallen silent. There were no sounds at all.
Gao Hai knew that the Black kid and the team-wipe blonde girl were now dead.
And with only a door separating them, the sound of their conversation in the corridor would undoubtedly be heard by the thing outside.
"The people in the hallway are dead. Next, that thing will find us—us who haven't bothered to muffle our voices. Based on my last experience, it will start knocking on this door, and then something terrifying will begin to happen."
Gao Hai took a deep breath and simply met the three different gazes fixed on him, his voice calm.
"Sound is its medium of effect. So, I'm going to put on my earplugs to avoid hearing it. You want to verify the truth, don't you? Then one of you can take this other pair. With one person able to hear and another unable to, you'll naturally be able to tell what's real and what's not."
He extended his open palm toward Kaguya and Maki.
Gao Hai awaited their answer.
"Playing games. If you want to verify it, can't we just open the door?"
Kaguya, still refusing to believe Gao Hai, was already planning to open the door.
"..."
Sun Dajun said nothing, merely taking a few steps back. It was unclear whether he believed him or not, but it was obvious the middle-aged man was in a poor mental state, clearly shaken.
Only one person was left to answer.
Gao Hai knew that this was the answer he was really waiting for.
"Alright, I'll give it a try. Let's see what you're up to."
Maki Shijo reached out and took the earplugs from Gao Hai's hand.
"Maki..."
Kaguya frowned in disbelief.
"This guy looks like he's at his wit's end. He's spouting utter nonsense, yet he seems to believe it completely. Plus, there are definitely a lot of strange things going on... Even if we're going to verify it, we should at least find a safe way. What you said about opening the door, grandaunt, is the most direct way, but it also means putting yourself in potential danger. So, let's just see what this guy is up to. Or is it that someone from the Shinomiya main family doesn't have as much courage as someone from the Shijo branch family?"
With a slightly provocative tone, Maki Shijo put on the earplugs and pushed them in tight.
Seeing this, Gao Hai didn't hesitate either, immediately pushing in the earplugs he already had in his ears.
The next moment, he couldn't hear a thing.
These specially made earplugs from the previous generation of survivors had extremely powerful soundproofing. Although he could still see Kaguya, standing just three or four meters away, opening her mouth to say something, Gao Hai couldn't hear a single sound.
Is it coming?
Gao Hai's gaze shifted to the door.
[...]
He heard no sound.
But Kaguya and Sun Dajun turned their heads at the same time to look at the main door at the end of the corridor.
[...]
Still no sound.
But dust fell from the rusty door as it began to tremble slightly.
[...]
Still nothing.
Kaguya was moving her mouth, talking nonstop as if in a conversation with someone. Not far away, Sun Dajun also began to speak, seemingly saying something as well.
Silence.
Utter silence.
A world with no sound other than his own breathing and heartbeat.
Maki simply leaned against the wall, quietly observing Kaguya beside her and the main door in the distance.
And Gao Hai just clutched the wall clock in his hand, waiting for the moment the anomaly would appear.
Just like last time, like the thing that spoke directly to their minds, Gao Hai waited for the moment the danger would truly arrive.
Kaguya suddenly turned her head, looking at Gao Hai with a serious expression, and said something.
Wearing earplugs, Gao Hai couldn't hear her. Although he had a language cheat, he had no special talent for lip-reading. So, without paying close attention, he couldn't understand what Kaguya meant right away.
Nothing unusual was happening in the corridor.
No visions of being torn apart, no violent earthquake-like tremors, no signs of the door being gradually destroyed.
Nothing was happening.
Sun Dajun took a few steps forward and also started talking, apparently saying something to Gao Hai.
But Gao Hai wasn't looking at him. He was observing Maki's reaction nearby. He had a feeling something was strange about her; she had been staring at a certain spot for a while now, but when he followed her gaze, there was clearly just a wall there.
Strange... or is it?
As he was thinking this, he saw Maki turn her head. Her calm gaze met his, and then she slowly began to speak.
It was odd. Despite being Japanese, the movement of her lips as she spoke at that moment clearly formed the syllables of Mandarin Chinese. As a result, Gao Hai, who happened to be watching her, immediately understood what Maki was trying to say.
What was she saying?
She was saying:
[Why won't you open the door for us?]
Hmm?
By the time he realized it, a steady knocking sound had begun.
A cacophony of voices also poured into his ears—ears that should have been protected by the earplugs and heard nothing.
[Knock, knock, knock—]
[Hello, is anyone home?]
[Knock, knock, knock—]
[I'm your new neighbor. Is anyone home?]
[Knock, knock, knock—]
[Someone dumped trash at your door, what's going on? Is anyone home? Aren't you going to come out and look?]
[Knock, knock, knock—]
[Collecting scrap, collecting scrap! Anyone home? Got any scrap to sell?]
[Knock, knock, knock—]
[You really think we don't know you're in there? Open the door! You got some fucking nerve, owing our boss money for this long!]
The knocking sounds went from gentle to increasingly aggressive, finally turning into pounding.
The knockers would use all sorts of excuses, but the result of opening the door was always the same. They didn't even need the door opened; as long as they confirmed someone was home, they would break in. Smashing the door to pieces, again and again.
"Tch..."
Gao Hai reached into his pocket, pulled out a lighter, and burned his own finger with it.
The sharp pain instantly cleared his mind.
Sun Dajun was already at the door, his hand almost on the doorknob.
Kaguya had also taken a few steps toward the door, her expression dazed.
Maki was now sitting on the floor, a pained look on her face. She seemed to be trapped in some kind of illusion, writhing in intense agony as if her body were being torn limb from limb.
Everyone's position was completely different from a moment ago.
At some point, Gao Hai's vision of the three of them had been replaced by false images. Their moving lips were all trying to communicate with him, searching for a weakness.
The thing that came down the stairs, although its ability was the same type as the ghosts of its victims, its intensity was on a completely different level. It seemed that when you had to hide in a room to avoid danger, the inner corridor was absolutely not a safe place to linger. You had to have two closed doors between you and it to be insulated from its influence.
Gao Hai sprang into action.
He knew that although Maki was trapped in a hallucination, her consciousness had already recovered. So, he first punched Kaguya as he passed, snapping the girl, who was almost completely mesmerized by the voice from outside, back to her senses. Then he tackled Sun Dajun to the ground, slapped him across the face—which didn't work—and then followed up with a heavy punch that knocked a tooth loose. Only then did he see the man's expression change, showing clear signs of breaking free.
The hallucination had already begun to corrode his senses. Gao Hai could feel his skin tearing apart, bit by bit, and could faintly hear the sound of knocking on the main door.
Then, Gao Hai shoved the wall clock he was holding into Sun Dajun's arms and pressed the man's fingers onto the clock hands.
If Lao Guo could use some method to make the Black kid turn the clock, then—
Click!
Sun Dajun's fingers moved the hands of the wall clock.
All sound vanished.
All sight faded to black.
The next moment, Gao Hai shot up from the bed, jumped down quickly, ran to the living room doorway, opened the door of Room 204, and looked toward the wall clock.
The wall clock in his line of sight was still just a wall clock. It hadn't turned into a human head.
Does that mean this thing only recognizes the person who directly touches the hands?
"Ugh..."
A pained sound came from Kaguya behind him. Gao Hai turned around and saw the girl's face filled with utter horror.
He hadn't noticed before, but she was actually quite cute when she was scared.
Seeing her like this, a strange sense of malicious pleasure welled up in Gao Hai's heart.
"So, do you believe me now?"
As he spoke, he picked up the wall clock and gave it a little shake.
Gao Hai paid no more attention to Kaguya, who was currently trying to compose herself. He just took a deep breath, stepped out into the hallway, and walked toward the stairwell.
Now that the troublesome problem had been solved with a simple, brutish method, it was time for the real gameplay of this second round to begin.
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 100 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 10 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
🎉 And as a welcome, your first month costs significantly less!
🔥 20% CODE: MEDUSA
👻 Join the crew by searching Ms. Medusa on (P). You know the spot! 😉