The open window let in a bone-chilling wind.
Ji Li's hair was slightly disheveled, his gaze deep. The five words he spoke lingered in the room, carrying an irresistible force.
At that moment, Cao Yuan's frail body trembled. His throat tightened, tears nearly falling, as he clutched Ji Li's pants with both hands.
"Brother Ji… save me. You've got more experience than any of us. Whatever you say, I'll do it!"
Ji Li nodded expressionlessly, the faintest smile tugging at his lips as he bent down to lift Cao Yuan up.
"You heard everything we just said.
The truth is close now. I have a rough idea of the path to survival—but only rough."
His voice was low, barely clear, yet Cao Yuan still asked blankly, "What is the path?"
"I'm more than half certain the raincoat man is the key figure we've been searching for—the missing sixth staff."
At this, everyone froze.
Fang Shenyan frowned deeply, silent, though his face shifted repeatedly.
Yu Guo rubbed his chin, pondering, then nodded. Given the current situation, this seemed the likeliest possibility.
After all, aside from them, the raincoat man was the only living human here.
And being forced to confront a ghost mirrored their own plight.
Cao Yuan wasn't clever, but not a fool either. Ji Li's words were plain enough.
He'd also noticed Fang and Yu's reactions, and their expressions convinced him further that Ji Li spoke the truth.
So he probed cautiously: "Brother Ji… this path to survival you mentioned?"
Ji Li drew in a breath, speaking slowly and firmly:
"The raincoat man has two roles in this mission—one, as the staff; two, as someone of special significance to the ghost.
Why can he approach her so closely without harm?"
Cao Yuan's eyes darted, then he blurted: "Could it be…"
Ji Li cut him off sharply: "Exactly. He cannot be attacked by her.
If we join him, all gathered in one place, might we also avoid her attacks—drag things out until dawn, and survive the mission?"
Yu Guo's hand jerked from his hair, ripping out a clump.
He exchanged a glance with Fang Shenyan. Both nodded in agreement.
But when they looked back at Ji Li, confusion lingered.
"But the raincoat man is outside the 701 site. Fang just gravely injured him—there's no way he'll come here to us…"
That doubt gnawed at Fang and Yu as well.
Ji Li only smiled faintly. "We've been deceived by the hotel's email."
Under their stunned gazes, he pulled out the issued phone and opened the message.
"Look—the instructions contain a trap.
*On October 22, 2015, before 8 p.m., arrive at Unit 4, Room 701, Building 2, Sanhe Community, in the eastern suburbs.*
*Survive until 8 a.m. the next morning, and the mission is complete. You will receive the new tenant.*
The message is in two parts.
The first states we must reach 701 before 8 p.m.
The second gives the condition—survive until 8 a.m.
The two are related, but ambiguous.
One interpretation: we must remain in 701 until dawn.
The other: two separate conditions—arrive at 701 before 8, then survive until 8 a.m., regardless of where.
If it's the latter, we were never required to stay inside 701 all night."
"Hiss…"
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
Though cryptic, it wasn't hard to grasp.
The mission details split into two possible readings.
One—restricted to 701.
The other—simply arrive by 8, then survive until morning anywhere.
If so, the situation could flip entirely.
And this second possibility perfectly matched what they'd seen.
If the raincoat man really was the sixth staff, his being outside 701 suddenly made sense.
As for why he never entered 701—perhaps the message he received differed from theirs.
Ji Li gave a faint cough, then looked at Cao Yuan.
"I believe there's an eighty percent chance the raincoat man is the sixth staff. His mission must differ from ours, but one rule is certain—
He must return to Room 702 within the given time.
That's why I'm sure he's still somewhere in this building.
The path I offer you is this: leave 701, find him, and stick to him without ever leaving his side.
If his special status shields him from the ghost, then you will survive this mission."
Ji Li paused briefly before continuing:
"But I cannot be sure about the mission location's rules.
If I'm wrong, the moment you leave 701, you'll violate the rule and turn to ash.
I've hidden nothing. The risks and the chance are all before you. The choice is yours.
But you don't have much time—the next attack is imminent, and you're the most likely target."
He finished speaking. On the surface, it was true—he had concealed nothing.
The reasoning about survival was sound. His interpretation of the location rules gave both possibilities, leaving the decision in Cao Yuan's hands.
But…
Cao Yuan's face shifted from pale to dark, silence stretching. Then, suddenly, he let out a cold laugh.
His bloodshot eyes swept Fang Shenyan, then Yu Guo, and finally locked onto Ji Li.
"Choose…
Do I even have a choice?"
Ji Li said nothing, only staring back impassively.
Cao Yuan had become his test subject—the lab rat to probe the path of survival. But this was no hidden scheme. It was an open plot.
The moment Ji Li spoke his plan, he already knew Cao Yuan couldn't refuse.
To die immediately, or gamble on a shred of hope…
The choice was obvious.
Cao Yuan drew in a few deep breaths, clutched his chest, then staggered toward the door of 701 with shaky but determined steps.
Ji Li watched his back silently, his eyes cold as ice.
Fang Shenyan and Yu Guo came up beside him, standing shoulder to shoulder as they watched Cao Yuan leave.
"I hope he makes it," Fang murmured. "That would mean your path is correct."
But Ji Li shook his head. A glint of freezing certainty flashed across his pale face.
"No. He will die without question."