Erik was roused from his sleep by an odd, unsettling noise. Sitting up, he immediately noticed Yang Tao crouched nearby, slicing through the air with that strange iron sword, a peculiar scent permeating the confined space.
"Yang, what are you doing?"
Snapping out of his focus, Yang Tao wiped the invisible liquid from his face and smiled. "Skinning. Sorry for waking you."
"Skinning?"
Curiosity piqued, Erik stood and approached. Yang Tao paused, produced a shovel, and carved a neat 2×2 pit in the floor. He then retrieved two [Buckets] and poured in water collected from Level 1, fashioning a makeshift infinite water pool.
"You hungry, Erik?"
Yang Tao dipped his hand into the water to wash it, then drew a vibrant [Apple] and a bottle of [Gray Almond Water] from his backpack.
"Eat a bit first."
Grateful, Erik accepted the offerings. "Thanks. Without you, I honestly don't know how I'd survive in this strange place."
"Yang, if you need any help, just tell me."
"Of course. Eat up; I'll need you to take notes shortly."
Erik nodded, uncapped the almond water, and drank deeply before biting into the apple. The crisp sweetness exploded across his tongue. He swore he had never tasted such a delicious apple. Within a few bites, it was gone. He retrieved his notebook and pen, adopting a posture of eager attentiveness.
"I'm ready."
Yang Tao, impressed by Erik's diligence, nodded. "Good. Record Entity 003: Name – Smiler, also known as Nightmare Smile."
Erik frowned slightly; the two names seemed synonymous. Still, he meticulously wrote everything down.
"It prefers hiding in the dark…"
"Its distinctive features are a glowing smile formed by teeth and eyes. Roughly eight times stronger than a human, but its movement speed is ordinary—comparable to a person running. Avoid engagement without heavy weaponry…"
Erik raised a hand like a schoolboy; Yang Tao gestured that he could speak.
"Firearms are severely limited in the Backrooms. Tests show handguns, submachine guns, rifles, even explosives lose potency here."
Yang Tao shrugged. Not surprising—the reduction in weapon power coupled with certain Backrooms entities' resistance made firearms less effective. A decrease here, an increase there, the net result: significantly diminished effect. But diminished was better than nothing.
"No worries. Perhaps scientists will one day develop weapons suitable for the Backrooms."
Erik nodded. Yang Tao continued:
"Countermeasures are…"
"It has a corporeal body, but samples are too few to determine consistency; pending investigation…"
"After death, the Smiler's corpse remains invisible. Unknown if the effect decays over time."
Erik scribbled furiously. Suddenly, realization struck. Eyes wide, he asked hesitantly, "Wait… there's a Smiler corpse here?"
Recalling Yang Tao's strange movements upon waking, coupled with the description, he glanced at the empty space behind Yang Tao and imagined a monstrous form lying there.
"Exactly. Encountered one in Level 1—right here!"
Yang Tao pointed to the Smiler corpse on the ground. His brow furrowed slightly as the creature's invisibility began to wane.
"Erik, record: Smiler's invisibility gradually decays two hours post-mortem."
Erik confirmed it wasn't his imagination and diligently transcribed the data.
Yang Tao stepped forward, plunging the iron sword into the Smiler's flesh, cutting a segment free. Holding the vanished hand, he smiled. "Erik, note that the Smiler's skin retains invisibility. Duration: undetermined."
This was no optical illusion or camouflage trick—the invisibility was tangible. Through the skin, he could see the green [Grass Blocks] below.
Together, they dissected the entity. To Yang Tao's astonishment, the Smiler had no digestive organs; its body resembled an inflated balloon filled with strange fluid.
The fragmented corpse was converted directly into energy.
[Shredded Smiler Corpse][Energy Value: 110 points]
"Damn, fully intact would've been 200. Just by studying it, I lost 90 points?"
"Eh, you're the buyer!"
Erik, excited, marveled at the research opportunity. The company likely lacked such detailed records. He pointed to a diagram in his notebook.
"Yang, where's the head? I can't tell."
"That," Yang Tao said, indicating a dark mass on the page.
Erik recalled the form. "That… looks like a lump of flesh."
"Oh, I smashed the teeth and eyes off as souvenirs."
Yang Tao then realized where the 90 energy points had gone. He retrieved the Smiler's teeth and eyes from his backpack. Both resembled precious jade, irresistibly tactile.
Piecing together the Smiler's appearance in darkness, he said, "Normally, in the dark, all you'd see are these…"
Erik looked down at the menacing teeth and eyes, then back at the innocuous Yang Tao. In his mind, the equation formed:
Yang Tao > Smiler
"Several hours dead, so I won't test its meat. Next time, maybe."
Washing his hands in the infinite water, Yang Tao waved nonchalantly. "I'm heading to the kid's world from yesterday. You organize your notes. If I get the chance, I'll bring back a camera and a recorder."
Time in the Conan world was chaotic, but it was clear there were no smartphones in its early stages.
With a wave, Yang Tao opened the wooden door to the Conan world, appearing in the park where he had left the night before.
"Position fixed… calculated from the last door opening?"
Morning air was crisp in the park. Yang Tao strode toward the Mouri Kogoro Detective Agency, ready for the day.