Early the next morning, Ji Li was already seated in the center of the lobby.
He hadn't rested much the night before. Instead, he organized the hotel rules and ghost records left by past managers, printing five copies.
At dawn, he sat on the solid wooden chair in the lobby, eyes closed, conserving his strength while waiting for the new staff to arrive.
*So it seems I no longer have any choice…*
The third persona's melancholy voice echoed in Ji Li's mind.
The second persona had remained silent all morning, still dormant, leaving Number Three to converse with Ji Li for a long time until both gradually accepted this helpless reality.
Without opening his eyes, Ji Li's fingers twitched slightly as he murmured in a low voice:
"We never had a choice…"
October 22, 2015. At exactly ten o'clock, a unique beam of light suddenly appeared at the center of the lobby.
A dazzling, mysterious white glow split the golden hotel in two.
As the radiance weakened, five bewildered figures materialized at the hotel's entrance.
"What the hell! What's going on?!" A rebellious youth with a flashy haircut and a nose ring spun around, shouting profanities.
His reaction was relatively normal—just shock. But the two beside him were even more exaggerated.
A housewife in an apron, holding a bottle of soy sauce, collapsed onto the ground. Staring at the strange surroundings, she screamed uncontrollably.
Beside her was a boy who looked like a high school student. Though strangers, the two shrank together, clearly terrified by the situation.
The calmest of them was a pale, bespectacled middle-aged man with a trace of beard.
Dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit, he instinctively adjusted his glasses and retreated a step, but without panic.
His dim yet sharp eyes immediately fixed on Ji Li, who sat motionless in meditation at the center of the hall.
Meanwhile, a thin young man beside him proved bolder. After scratching his head, he suddenly realized something.
He pulled out his phone, snapping photos of the hotel's structure while muttering under his breath.
After a brief moment of confusion, the rebellious youth turned his anger toward Ji Li.
"Who are you? Did you bring us here?!"
The hall fell silent at once. Everyone's gaze shifted toward the strange hotel and the lone figure within it.
Ji Li slowly opened his gray eyes. His handsome yet pale face looked at the five newcomers, a faint smile curving at his lips.
But to them, that smile carried a completely different meaning.
The apron-clad housewife pulled the high school boy toward the entrance, pounding on the door desperately, not daring to meet Ji Li's gaze.
"What the hell are you smiling at?! I'm talking to you! Didn't you hear me?!" The youth's temper flared, clearly dismissing Ji Li's weary, desolate appearance.
He rushed forward, seizing Ji Li by the collar and hauling him up by brute force.
"Tell me! Are you the one behind all this?!"
Ji Li didn't even glance at the incoming fist. His attention remained fixed on the two men whose reactions had set them apart.
"It seems among these five newcomers, some will prove… unusual."
Being ignored only fueled the youth's fury. He swung a fist into Ji Li's face.
But then—
Before everyone's eyes, his face suddenly flushed bright red. Beneath his exposed skin, strange flames surged.
"Ahhh!!!"
Within less than two minutes of entering the hotel, the rebellious youth was reduced to ashes in front of them all.
Rubbing his faintly aching cheek, Ji Li smiled lightly at the remaining four.
"Welcome to Tianhai Hotel."
With the youth's grim example before them, the others quickly grew obedient.
During this time, Ji Li took stock of the four.
The high school student was named Cao Yuan. Just moments earlier, he had been in class before suddenly being pulled into the hotel as new staff.
The housewife in the apron was Ding Miaoxin, who had been cooking lunch at home before being abruptly transported here.
Neither showed any sign of special ability, and both were slow to process the situation.
What caught Ji Li's attention were the remaining two.
The bespectacled man in the Zhongshan suit was Fang Shenyan, a teacher by profession—or so he claimed.
But Ji Li felt his calmness was excessive. His demeanor was less rational than mechanical, devoid of spirit.
And Ji Li could sense a faint aura of death lingering around him.
The bold, thin youth was named Yu Guo.
Yu Guo was an outdoor livestreamer. His work had always been exploring eerie, desolate places.
The moment he arrived at the hotel, he pulled out his phone and started streaming.
"W-we're cursed…?" Cao Yuan's legs trembled uncontrollably as he stammered out the question.
Ding Miaoxin was in even worse shape—collapsed on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, silent.
Only Fang Shenyan and Yu Guo managed to remain standing, steady enough to listen to Ji Li's explanation.
Ji Li nodded, handing each of them an envelope as he spoke quietly:
"That's how it is. All I can tell you is this—you need to accept your fate. Read the rules inside those envelopes carefully. One mission is enough to cost you your life if you don't."
The others had many questions, but Ji Li sent them all upstairs.
As they walked, Fang Shenyan suddenly stopped, turned, and asked Ji Li, "Are you the manager of this hotel?"
Ji Li looked at him deeply, answering softly: "For now, yes."
When the noise in the lobby finally faded, only Ji Li and the pile of ash remained.
With his hands behind his back, Ji Li gazed at the center of the hall. Since the rebellious youth had died, Tianhai Hotel's rules suggested a replacement should arrive.
Fang Shenyan… his name suits him[1].
I can tell he's full of questions, yet extremely restrained. Among the four, he's the one who sees the situation most clearly. Looks like he plans to understand the hotel and rules first, then come for you."
The third persona quietly analyzed the newcomers.
Ji Li nodded. "Aside from him, Yu Guo seems promising too.
When the rebellious youth died, everyone else averted their eyes, but Yu Guo boldly observed. I didn't explain, and he didn't press for answers.
He's bold, meticulous, and smooth with people."
But as Ji Li waited, he realized something was wrong.
Ten minutes had passed since the youth's death, yet no replacement had arrived. That clearly broke the hotel's earlier rules.
"Could it be… that deaths caused by internal conflict inside the hotel don't count toward replacement?"
Before Ji Li could work it out, his pocket began to vibrate.
His heart tightened—he knew a new mission had been issued. Quickly, he pulled out his phone.
The cold glow of the screen lit up his pale face as black text appeared against a white background:
Recipient: **Acting Manager Ji Li, Tianhai Hotel Branch Seven**
*Assignment: By 8:00 PM, October 22, 2015, arrive at Unit 4, Room 701, Building 2, Sanhe Community, East Suburbs of this city.*
*Survive until 8:00 AM the following morning to complete the mission and receive a new resident.*
*The replacement staff is already at the mission site. Proceed there to regroup.*
Sender: **Tianhai**
[1] Fang Shenyan means "prudent in speech" or "careful with words."