After the 21st exploration log, which recorded the name of the last resident of 304, there were no more readable entries.
The contents of every page had been completely torn out. Considering no one else should have entered this room, it was likely the author himself who destroyed them.
Was it because he learned information about the most taboo child in the Shirakawa Apartments that he suffered severe contamination and destroyed the more dangerous information before completely losing control? Come to think of it, this person entered both 309 and 304, and also mentioned leaving a cassette tape here. I wonder if I can find it.
Gao Hai closed the diary and then looked at the files on the desk.
These sealed files were clearly something the man, Sanchez, had gone to great lengths to steal from various archives. For an ordinary person to accomplish such a thing was, frankly, a bit incredible. I wonder if he had the help of some supernatural power.
Gao Hai didn't go through the files. For one, there were too many of them, and he had a faint feeling that he wouldn't be able to stay here for long. For another, compared to digging through these files which likely held no crucial information, it was more important to first confirm the clues he'd already found.
With this in mind, Gao Hai stood up, scanned the room, and walked over to a row of hooks next the living room door. He reached out and took down a small key strung on a thin cord hanging there.
On one side of the key, the number '304' was engraved. Could this be the way into Room 304?
In the previous loop, Gao Hai had already seen the location of Room 304's main door. Now that the third floor of the Shirakawa Apartments had been completely transformed into a twisted space, he wondered what 304, the very source of it all, had become.
Regardless of whether he decided to go or not, having the item in hand was what mattered. After all, there's a big difference between having a choice and having none.
Next, Gao Hai searched through the various cabinets in the room, finally finding a cassette tape in a small drawer, stored inside a small iron box.
The tape itself looked quite old. To be honest, Gao Hai felt that even if he found a player, the thing might not even be able to produce any sound.
Next, are there any other clues?
Putting away both the key and the cassette tape, Gao Hai thought to himself as he was about to step towards the desk with all the files.
Zzzzt—
And just at that moment, he heard a harsh static noise coming from the computer screen on one side of the room.
He turned his head and saw the computer screen had lit up.
Through the blurry image quality, Gao Hai saw that what appeared on the screen was a view of the very living room he was in. It even seemed to be a live feed, as he could see himself standing in front of the computer, staring at the screen.
Creeak—
The living room door opened at that moment, making a noise.
Not the living room door in the real world, but the one on the computer screen.
Gao Hai watched as the living room door on the screen opened. A man walked into the room, went straight to the desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down.
He glanced back over his shoulder. Behind him was empty space; no one was there.
[22nd Exploration Log of 304]
When he turned back, Gao Hai saw the man on the screen, sitting at the desk, begin to talk to himself, muttering as he opened the diary and started writing.
[I've finally confirmed the location of the hidden room in 304.]
[A storage room. It must be a storage room, a small, inconspicuous one.]
[Why do none of the other residents' apartments have this storage room? A standardized apartment complex like this shouldn't have such deviations, unless... it was hidden.]
[Xusheng... was this your doing? What are you? Could it be that our being trapped here is actually the result of your machinations?]
The man spoke as he wrote, then suddenly stopped, sighed, and put down his pen.
[Never mind, that's not important. I've confirmed the child's name and other details. All that's left now is to find her.]
[She is the root of all this, she must be. She... I'm not quite sure what's happening. Ever since I learned that name, I've had this strange feeling, as if there's someone else in my room, as if no matter where I go, someone is watching me.]
The man's emotional state seemed to be deteriorating.
He abruptly stood up and looked toward the computer in the room.
From Gao Hai's perspective, the man on the monitor was now staring at him—at the Gao Hai in front of the computer—staring at his back.
It truly felt as if a gaze was being projected from behind, pinning him in place.
[Who are you?]
The man's trembling voice rang out.
[Why are you in my room? Who are you? Who are you?!]
The voice wasn't coming from the computer screen, but directly from behind him.
He smelled scalding steam, and the scent of flesh steeped in boiling water.
Drip... drip...
Water dripped onto the floor, accompanied by the sound of something dragging its feet.
Gao Hai stood silently in place, watching the man on the screen who had now walked up behind him, almost pressing against his body.
Splash!
The next moment, amidst a cold, suffocating sensation, Gao Hai plunged violently into water. He struggled and stood up from the floodwater covering the room's floor.
This was the living room of Room 109.
The papers taped to the wall were now covered in moss, and the various documents on the desk had corroded beyond recognition.
He had broken free from that fragment of the past and returned to the real Room 109.
At this very moment, several dark figures stood in the room, seemingly searching for something, wandering ceaselessly.
As for Gao Hai, he took a deep breath, patted his body to confirm the key and tape were still on him, then took a step and started walking directly toward the door.
Time to go back.
Having obtained what were likely crucial items, his current task was to return upstairs as quickly as possible.
These... rescue workers, they should be trying to find survivors in 109. They're still in a deceived state, probably? Anyway, I have to use this opportunity to get back. I have to bring the key and the tape back to Kaguya and Maki.
With this in mind, Gao Hai passed through the living room door and moved quickly down the corridor, which was covered in moss and corrosion marks and filled with murky yellow water.
Perhaps because he had expended a lot of energy earlier, Gao Hai felt he was sweating profusely. He subconsciously grabbed the life vest he was wearing and gave it a shake.
The main door was open. The hallway outside looked just as bad, with a lot of trash and debris floating in the water.
Gao Hai looked both ways and quickly found Room 106, his destination.
Next, I just have to get back upstairs and rescue the survivors trapped there. The flood crest will arrive soon. If I don't act quickly...
Splash—
His forward steps came to a difficult halt.
Gao Hai coughed up a mouthful of foul yellow water, leaning against the wall with a deep frown as he looked around again.
Why could he see?
The first floor... wasn't it supposed to be completely dark?
Why could he now see his surroundings so clearly? And... are these my clothes? What am I doing here? A rescue... no, I have to go back and find someone... no, no, something's clearly wrong with my mind. What's the problem... what's wrong...
'Ah...'
He couldn't make a sound.
His body was growing stiffer and stiffer.
It was as if he was no longer himself, slowly turning into someone else.
Gao Hai suddenly reached out, grabbed the rope tied to his body, and began to pull it tighter, bit by bit.
Must transmit the message.
The person on the other end has to understand the signal, and then... act...
[Time to go! The couple from 304 is out, let's get them out of here first!]
A voice came from the end of the corridor.
Gao Hai looked up and saw several rescue workers running down from the stairwell, along with a man and a woman being supported by them.
[Let go! Let the fuck go! I'm not fucking leaving, so what!]
The man reeked of alcohol and wouldn't stop cursing, constantly kicking out to try and attack the rescue workers next to him.
[Assault! Help! You shameless bastards! You sons of bitches whose mothers got hit by trains and who'll be reincarnated as dogs! Let go! Let me go! LET ME GOOOO—]
The woman struggled violently, screaming and spewing all sorts of vile curses, even trying to spit in the faces of the rescue workers.
[These two lunatics... that child in the apartment...]
[Forget it, let's get them out first. The flood crest shouldn't reach the third floor. If we have to, we'll come back... For now, get these two out of here, and they must be kept under strict watch.]
[Those animals... to do something like that. Are those two even human? I heard their son was sent to his hometown four days ago? Did they know this was coming and prepare in advance?]
[It's been so many days... with such a strong smell, why didn't anyone call the police? It's impossible for an entire building of people to lose their sense of smell, right?]
[Let's not talk about this now. Get them out. The police are waiting in the safe zone. Let's just get them out of here first.]
The voices of the rescue workers and the furious curses of the man and woman blended together, feeling as if they were being stuffed directly into Gao Hai's skull.
Amidst waves of sharp pain, Gao Hai stood frozen, watching the approaching rescue workers, watching Li Youcai and Xu Jiazhen being dragged along by them, and...
Following behind them, unnoticed by anyone, was a tiny figure.
That was...
That was... that was a chi...
Th... that is... I... here... no...
All his cognitive functions nearly shut down at that moment, to the point that even his senses fell into disarray. Gao Hai couldn't hear clearly, couldn't see clearly, and couldn't perceive anything, only feeling an ever-intensifying pain—a fierce, continuous agony.
As if someone were taking a needle and thread...
...and sewing his mouth shut, little by little...
...sewn... shut...
...because... he... didn't... listen...
...
Click!
Gao Hai opened his eyes to see an ashen-faced Green sitting by the kitchen, the wall clock lying on the floor, a worried Maki helping him up, and Kaguya and Sun Dajun also looking at him with concern.
He was back in Room 206.
Back to the moment just before they were about to set out for the second exploration.
'How did it go? Find anything?'
Kaguya Shinomiya watched him intently and asked immediately.
Gao Hai didn't speak, just reached into his pocket first.
Then, a look of astonishment crossed his face.
The key to Room 304 was still there, and so was the old cassette tape.
How could this be? Why weren't these two items affected by the rewind? Could it be that they possess some special property that makes them immune to the reset?
'I definitely found a lot, I...'
Gao Hai breathed a sigh of relief at being back in a safe place and was about to recount his experience downstairs.
But just as he opened his mouth and looked up, the words caught in his throat.
He saw the tiny figure standing in the living room, watching him.
She was right here.
Watching him in silence.
Waiting for his gaze to fall upon her, for him to understand the reality of the situation.
[The greatest taboo in the Shirakawa Apartments is the child.]
This key piece of information, from that outdated rules sheet, suddenly flashed through Gao Hai's mind.
He thought he had already understood what that taboo meant.
But it seemed now that he had only just begun to touch upon it.
________________________________________
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