Chapter 12: Shh, Don't Let Him Know You Saw
Clearly a professional at lockpicking, Grimm had effortlessly opened Room 205's door.
Knowing exactly where the first danger point lay, Kaito and the others didn't hesitate to step inside. Kaguya took the lead, while Maki and Kaito followed closely behind. Kaito then signaled Grimm to drag Sun Dajun along, bringing the man inside with them.
For now, Room 205's door appeared intact and could serve as a temporary shelter. Lao Guo seemed mysterious and likely had some self-defense skills, but if Sun Dajun died outside and turned into a monster knocking on the door, they might face a repeat of the earlier situation. Kaito had no desire to relive the sensation of his body disintegrating.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Shut up and get in here unless you want trouble."
Sun Dajun, all bark and no bite, attempted to resist but could only mutter weakly in front of the towering, muscular Grimm. Reluctantly, he followed Grimm into Room 205.
"Are you coming with us?"
Kaito, bringing up the rear, turned to Lao Guo. The black man scratched his head, hesitated, then chose to stay by Lao Guo's side. It seemed he trusted the older man more than Kaito's group of high schoolers.
"I'm investigating the left staircase. You all have some skills, so be careful. This game's difficulty is abnormally high—gather as much intel as you can from the survivors' notes. And watch out for corpses. Stay out of Room 210. That's my advice. Hope you survive."
Unlike before, Lao Guo now knew Kaito suspected him and made no effort to hide it.
Unable to discern whether the words were sincere or deceitful, Lao Guo signaled for the black guy to follow him. The two strode straight toward the other end of the hallway, avoiding the right staircase where some unknown ghostly thing had descended earlier, and headed for the left staircase instead.
One thing was certain—this man was definitely an experienced player. Unlike Grimm, who seemed like he was just there to coast, Lao Guo was the real deal, a seasoned player who might even possess something like the so-called [Obsession Artifact] Grimm had mentioned.
Speaking of which, though it was still unclear what exactly an Obsession Artifact was, thinking back to Lao Guo's brief pause outside Room 210, he might have used such an item to confirm some kind of threat. After all, the name "Obsession Artifact" suggested it was a supernatural tool. Who knows? Maybe with a powerful enough artifact, one could cut down anything in their path, effortlessly crushing even the so-called horror stories like squashing a chick.
But that was just Kaito's wild imagination and wishful thinking. On another note, considering Lao Guo's earlier attempt to gather survivors and his current behavior of leaving without hesitation after roping in a companion, Kaito had a feeling this man wasn't the type for smooth, mutually beneficial cooperation. Maybe going their separate ways like this was actually the better choice.
As for the black guy who chose to follow Lao Guo… Kaito instinctively felt his fate might not end well. But with Lao Guo's true nature still unclear, Kaito couldn't force the guy to stay based on vague suspicions alone.
Click—
Though it risked cutting off their escape route, the knocking horrors in the hallway earlier had been too terrifying to ignore. Even if it meant facing whatever threat might lurk inside Room 205, Kaito had to shut the door—and this time, no one could stay in the hallway. Everyone had to remain in the living room or kitchen.
Earlier, just hearing the knocking had allowed those things to start a conversation based on his innermost thoughts. But with the living room wall between them, the sounds from outside were barely audible. Come to think of it, was the apartment's bizarre layout specifically designed to counter the Knocking Horror Story?
To the right of the entrance was the bathroom, and to the left, the hallway.
The layout was identical to Rooms 204 and 208—walk straight to the end, take a sharp turn, and follow the hallway to face a clock… Ah, this room's clock was missing. It seemed Kaguya or Maki had taken it. Anyway, turning right at this point led to the door to the living room—though calling it a living room wasn't entirely accurate, since the space doubled as both a living area and a bedroom.
"Ahh—mmph—eek—!"
A scream suddenly pierced the air—or rather, it had barely begun before being ruthlessly stifled.
Kaito walked through the dim corridor and stepped into an equally gloomy living room. Noticing how dark Room 205 was, with its two windows almost completely blocked, he first scanned the general layout of the space. The living room had no coffee tables or round tables—just a small desk and a bookshelf against the wall near the entrance.
The kitchen door was completely nailed shut with wooden planks of various sizes, and a faint, unpleasant odor seeped through, as if something had rotted behind it.
Scattered across the floor were torn pieces of paper, seemingly blank or covered in chaotic scribbles. At first, Kaito wondered if they might contain clues, but after picking up a couple, he realized they were just meaningless doodles and tossed them aside in disappointment.
Sun Dajun, trembling in fear, cowered in a corner under the intimidating bulk of Grimm, who stood cautiously nearby. When Grimm noticed Kaito entering, he flashed an ingratiating smile. Honestly, seeing a grown man make such an expression disgusted Kaito, but as long as the guy stayed obedient, he decided to ignore it.
Maki Shijo had somehow found a tattered little backpack and stuffed the Clock from Room 208 and the one from Room 205 inside. She stood by the door and quietly exhaled in relief when Kaito entered. It seemed she had been keeping an eye on Grimm and Sun Dajun, wary of any unpredictable behavior.
As for Kaguya, she currently had the blonde woman in an iron grip, pinching her mouth shut with one hand and dragging her off the bed despite her frantic struggles.
"Quiet. I won't say it again."
Kaguya's voice was icy, making the helpless woman tremble as she tearfully raised her hands in surrender.
Why does it suddenly feel like I've joined the villain's side?
With that thought, Kaito approached the bed, crouched down, and lifted the grimy bedsheet hanging to the floor.
A stiff female corpse came into view.
"What the hell—"
Sun Dajun nearly screamed, but Kaguya's sharp glare and Grimm's threatening stare instantly silenced him, forcing the man to slump to the ground with a miserable expression.
Grimm, though still trying his best to play the loyal lackey, couldn't help but shiver at the sight of the corpse. However, he quickly noticed that Kaguya remained completely unfazed, Kaito showed no reaction as he examined the body, and even Maki, standing a little further away, didn't flinch. Despite none of them looking older than twenty, they were the calmest people in the room.
No doubt about it—these three have survived at least one horror game before. They're experienced veterans.
If I stick with them, do everything I can to be useful, and keep them happy… I'll definitely make it through this game alive.
That's right, as long as he could survive this damned game, Grimm wouldn't even mind licking a toilet bowl right now, let alone the fact that these three big shots seemed quite approachable. As long as he didn't get in their way and could lend a small hand, he was certain he'd make it through this crisis!
Leaving aside that smug fellow for now, Kaito on the other side had already focused all his attention on the corpse before him.
Earlier, that woman's hysterical screams had attracted a boss-level threat straight out of the plot—probably because she'd seen this very corpse.
Unlike the guy frozen solid in the fridge in Room 208, this female corpse appeared to have died not long ago. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly purplish, and her face seemed slightly swollen. She wore gray pajamas with a loose collar that covered her neck. The fingers extending from the sleeves also had a purplish hue. A dark yellow stain was clearly visible on the pajama pants, along with a faint, nearly dissipated foul odor.
Kaito already had an inkling about the possible cause of death, though some details still needed investigation—such as whether there were strangulation marks on the neck, abrasions, or cuts.
[Beware of the Corpse]
Yet, he couldn't help but recall Old Guo's warning before he left.
Did this person die in this room?
What could have killed her? And where was the thing that killed her now?
Kaito turned his head, scanning the general layout of the room. Under the dim light, the interior was slightly blurred, but it didn't hinder him from discerning the arrangement of the space. He confirmed there was no place for anything to hide—assuming, of course, that the thing had a physical form.
Then, he turned back to the double bed placed against the wall, eyeing its width.
Finally, he lowered his head again, carefully observing the female corpse lying quietly beneath the bed.
And behind her—the face of a man, motionless, staring straight at him.
A man wearing glasses, half his face mangled like shattered building blocks, smeared with dark red stains.