If his life were a novel, Gao Hai swore he would find the author and pin that bastard to the ground for a good few slaps.
Damn it all! First, it was some ghost-thing in the hallway that insta-killed three extras without even showing its face. Then came the life-draining, sanity-shattering attack from the door-knocking trio. Now, just when I've finally used the scene's rules to get some temporary safety, you throw a 'corpse gaze' at me? Can't you be a little kinder to my heart?
If you scare me to death, what are the readers supposed to do? Are you going to make them switch to a new protagonist? Let me tell you, swapping protagonists is a major turn-off, an absolute taboo! This is coming from the experience of a failed author, you hear me?!
The silent complaints flashed through his mind at lightning speed.
Gao Hai's face remained expressionless, without the slightest ripple of emotion.
He knew the man behind the female corpse was already dead, knew that he, too, was a corpse. Or rather, that thing at least possessed some characteristics of a corpse, like not breathing and having injuries that would be fatal to a human.
But he also knew that this damned thing was staring right at him.
The man's one remaining intact eye was wide open, constantly fixed on Gao Hai's face.
He shifted his body slightly.
Behind the female corpse, the male corpse's head turned silently, maintaining its gaze on him.
The creature's hiding spot was almost completely shrouded in darkness.
If Gao Hai hadn't noticed something was wrong and observed carefully, he never would have discovered the thing behind the female corpse. But even after discovering its presence, he didn't dare expose it. Having faced two attacks from the horror story's power, Gao Hai now deeply understood that the things in this apartment building were not something ordinary people could fight. For now, this corpse was just lying quietly on the floor, unmoving. If it decided to get up, everyone present would likely be wiped out.
'Let's go. Nothing more to see here, just a corpse. Let's head over to 210, there might be some clues there.'
Gao Hai lowered the bedsheet, covering the body under the bed, and stood up. As he spoke, he turned his head toward Kaguya and silently mouthed the letters 'SOS'.
Kaguya, understanding instantly, glanced at the double bed, which seemed to have no issues. She then looked down at the blonde woman whose mouth she was still clamping shut—her cheeks now red from the pressure—and after a moment's thought, spoke to her in a cold voice:
'I'm going to let you go now. As long as you don't do anything stupid like scream and don't interfere with what we're doing, I have no interest in you.'
With that, Kaguya slightly loosened her grip on the woman's mouth.
'Wh-what are you trying to do? My family has no money, I'm very poor, please don't kidnap me...'
The intimidation skill of the Ice Kaguya Princess was clearly over level 80. The freed woman was so scared that tears were streaming down her face, yet she didn't even dare to cry out loud, merely pleading in a weak, low voice, one step away from kneeling on the floor.
'Who would be interested in kidnapping you? Open your eyes and see clearly—we're trapped here just like you. And let me be clear, we aren't looking after you out of some charitable impulse. If you can't prove your worth, that corpse over there will be your fate.'
On the other side, Maki was speaking while stuffing some documents she'd found in the bookshelf into her backpack, unsure of their value as clues. She then opened the living room door, ready to head out first.
'Wh-what on earth are you people trying to do? I have no quarrel with you...'
Sun Dajun, who had been cowering by the wall, stood up at this moment. He shielded the softly sobbing blonde woman and finally spoke, his voice filled with barely contained anger.
What a pain.
Gao Hai felt a deep, genuine annoyance.
He suddenly realized now that the reason Lao Guo had chosen to trick one person and leave was precisely because he didn't want to deal with this mess.
Trapped for the first time in the rules-based horror story of a Sacrificial Game, they had no idea what a dangerous and terrifying place this was. They were still trying to solve problems using the common sense and concepts of daily life, unable to grasp the horror that one wrong step could lead to an instant party wipe.
Gao Hai was no philanthropist. To be honest, he really wanted to just leave these guys to their own devices and let them die, just like he did last time.
The problem was, in this apartment, the dead did not rest in peace. They would turn into monsters incomprehensible by common sense and would hunt the living, creating enormous trouble for their subsequent actions.
Damned if he helped, damned if he didn't. This seven-day game had barely begun for an hour, and Gao Hai was already feeling the immense malice of this dungeon from every angle.
'Mr. Green, did you bring a knife?'
Then, he heard Kaguya Shinomiya's cold voice.
'I did.'
In the next moment, Green pulled a fifteen-centimeter-long dagger from his waist. It looked like it had been specially sharpened; even in the dim room, its blade glinted coldly, looking exceptionally sharp.
'Hold him. Take him out. If he makes a sound, cut out his tongue.'
Kaguya, giving the command with chilling indifference, didn't even spare Sun Dajun a glance. She simply gestured to Gao Hai and then strode away.
Gao Hai followed closely behind Kaguya. After a moment's thought, he turned to the cowering blonde woman, offered a gentle smile, and asked:
'Are you going to walk out on your own, or shall I come and escort you personally?'
He thought his tone was probably quite normal.
Although the woman immediately covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face, and walked out as if she'd just been threatened by a serial killer.
As for Sun Dajun, although he wanted to put up some defiant resistance, when the menacing Green stabbed the knife into the wall right beside his head, less than a centimeter from his ear, he nearly pissed himself in fear. He had no choice but to follow obediently with a tear-streaked face.
'That's more like it.'
Standing in the hallway, Kaguya watched the trembling Sun Dajun and the blonde woman with indifference, her haughty posture like that of a queen.
'Whether you accept it or not, if you fail to be obedient from now on, I will punish you.'
'In a perilous situation, the light of humanity is never a necessity for survival. On the contrary, sufficient bestiality is what ensures safety. If you can't behave now, then I can only say you are left with only the most basic utility value, scum lower than dogs. If you have even a shred of sense, depending on the circumstances, perhaps I might consider giving you some preferential treatment.'
'Mr. Green, for now, I'll trouble you to discipline these two disobedient dogs properly. Don't let them get in the way.'
After casually giving the order, Kaguya didn't look at the two of them again.
'My name is Sun Dajun! I'm not a dog!'
The man, feeling insulted, growled in anger.
'I-I'm Miwa Maeda...'
Although the woman was timid, she still felt uncomfortable after being spoken to like that by Kaguya. Seeing Sun Dajun retort, she followed his lead and added her piece.
Then, when a sneering Green stood before them, dagger in hand, and said grimly, 'Like I give a damn what your names are,' the two of them, being ordinary people of average mettle, finally chose to shut up.
This whole ordeal took about one or two minutes before the two of them finally, reluctantly, quieted down.
This is just too much trouble.
Gao Hai shook his head slightly, feeling genuinely annoyed by the difficult situation.
He had to make these two see something real; only then might they understand their current predicament. Otherwise, even if suppressed by force for now, these two idiots would sooner or later get themselves killed, pulling all sorts of stupid stunts like the cannon fodder in horror movies. And since the main group needed to solve the various rule-puzzles of this place, they couldn't possibly watch these two all the time. Even with their new lackey Green watching them, one person watching two would inevitably have moments of carelessness.
On top of that, given the mechanics of this godforsaken place, if these two died, they might turn into some ridiculously powerful and completely unbeatable creature that would immediately start hunting them. If that forced them to use the wall clock to reset time again, it would be absolutely infuriating.
However, he could at least find one use for them: they were backup personnel for turning the clock's hands.
Having personally turned the hands of a clock, Gao Hai could still feel the gaze of those head-clocks. After touching it, those things that were originally just ordinary wall clocks seemed to have established some kind of bizarre connection with him. This abnormality was a warning, so he believed that the next time they had to rely on the clock's power, Kaguya Shinomiya and Maki Shijo, as key members for exploration and analysis, absolutely could not be the ones to do it. Originally he thought he could just have Green turn the clock, but now it seemed that having Sun Dajun or this Miwa Maeda do it would be quite suitable. He believed that after turning the clock, they would finally understand the situation they were in.
Although it might be a bit cruel... no, it wasn't cruel at all. He had been 'entangled' by a bizarre entity because he turned the clock, which, frankly, had saved their lives. Making them pay back a little interest wasn't a bad thing.
Gao Hai was somewhat surprised to find that his mindset was shifting rather easily.
This business of playing the bad guy alongside Kaguya Shinomiya, even genuinely considering some not-so-savory methods, didn't trigger any moral revulsion in him.
Maybe it's because they aren't beautiful girls. After all, I'm a pretty superficial person.
With this in mind, Gao Hai picked up a wooden stick from the hallway and stood it up against the now-closed door of Room 205.
He, Kaguya Shinomiya, and Maki Shijo exchanged a look. Gao Hai then pointed towards Room 208. After a moment's thought, Kaguya and Maki signaled for Green to bring the other two and follow them without making a sound.
The plan to go to Room 210 was, of course, a lie. After Lao Guo's explicit warning not to go to 210, Gao Hai wasn't foolish enough to test the truth of that statement with his own life.
Therefore, hiding in Room 208—which they had already explored once and where no major hidden dangers remained (at least, Fridge Bro didn't seem interested in interacting with them during the first round of investigation)—to monitor the movements in the hallway and see if Under-the-Bed Bro would give chase was a necessary experiment.
Yes, Gao Hai had decided to follow the custom of horror game players—like Chainsaw Guy, Scissor Guy, or Fat Bro—and give these corpses nicknames. This method would, to some extent, alleviate his mental stress.
Green, who had arrogantly become a henchman and thought he'd found a reliable backer, led the dejected Sun Dajun and Miwa Maeda into the living room. Following Gao Hai's orders, the two were placed in the kitchen and told to move the refrigerator, pushing its door flush against the wall. Then, both of them were to sit down and lean against the back of the fridge, while Green stood guard at the kitchen entrance, watching them.
'Watch those two. If anything in the fridge tries to get out, pull them back into the living room.'
When Gao Hai said this to Green, he saw the man's face instantly turn pale. It was clear all his courage was borrowed from Gao Hai's group. Gao Hai had to adopt a more forceful attitude before Green, terrified, finally led the two into the kitchen.
Kaguya, with her superior hearing, remained in the hallway. She decided to be responsible for verifying the outcome of this test. If she detected anything wrong, she would retreat into the living room without hesitation, determined not to repeat the last time's mistake of calling Gao Hai and Maki over, which nearly got the three of them wiped out.
'Hah... I hope we get a good result this time.'
Maki, guarding the doorway between the living room and the hallway, sighed and muttered wearily.
She personally didn't like playing the villain, nor had she ever wanted to do anything to these poor people who were, in essence, trapped here just like her. Unlike Kaguya Shinomiya, who was a product of a ruthless corporate conglomerate's education, or Gao Hai, whose moral compass wasn't particularly strong to begin with, Maki Shijo was actually a kind-hearted girl. She was just smart enough to know that when the situation couldn't be explained clearly and they were already being met with hostility and fear, they had to maintain sufficient pressure to ensure temporary stability. That was the only reason she went along with putting on a cold face.
And in the end, the only reason the man named Green was willing to listen to the three of them was because he thought they were all 'veteran players'.
Once that facade was shattered, that murderous-looking man would definitely not be as cooperative as he was now.
This is all so difficult and troublesome... This so-called game, why must it torment people like them, who were just living their own lives peacefully?
The young woman's sigh received no answer.
And out in the hallway, Kaguya, frowning as she focused on the sounds outside the door, heard the very sound she wanted to hear, but also dreaded.
Click—
The small wooden stick propped against the door of Room 205 had fallen over.
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