AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Thump, thump, thump…
It wasn't until the elevator started moving that Loka's heart began to pound violently. He turned to look at the others.
"Did you all see that? Was that Tao Bai Bai just now?!"
Although Loka's perception ability wasn't outstanding, he could easily discern positions by sound. However, Tao Bai Bai's silent and extremely strange appearance still startled him.
Short Hair also nodded. He clutched his head, unsure if it was Tao Bai Bai's sudden appearance or entering this clearly problematic elevator, but his [Inspiration] was reacting more and more intensely. The feeling made his nerves burn, and his stomach began to churn.
"Be careful. Tao Bai Bai didn't follow us. This elevator is most likely problematic!"
Several people put on items like [Negative Energy Protection] and [Sacred Amulet], staying vigilant of their surroundings.
Lilith, who had previously been brought to the brink of death by a Dong Dong Wave, had now recovered under the effects of holy water and healing potions. Her wounds stopped bleeding with the aid of hemostatic agents.
This woman watched the numbers on the elevator continuously change, and in a blink of an eye, it had already ascended to over thirty floors. Perhaps it was because they had distanced themselves from Tao Bai Bai, she angrily cursed,
"This Tao Bai Bai is really a fucking beast, isn't he? In such a dangerous world, instead of Reincarnators banding together, he actively attacks us. I really hope those dirty things kill him…"
The others didn't respond. Their nerves were tense, and they were all staring at the elevator walls, especially the shattered mirror fragments. In most supernatural scenarios, mirrors are the easiest places for dirty things to appear.
Loka also glanced at the mirror fragments, intentionally or unintentionally, but suddenly, his eyes moved, and he crouched down. Beneath the broken mirror fragments, there were many small cards, probably previously blocked by the mirror.
Loka's gun was still pointed at the mirror. He stepped on one card with his toe, quickly hooked it, and the card fell in front of him. He put away the gun in his left hand and caught the card. It was an exquisitely printed business card. The front read "Reigen Consulting Office" in large characters, and the back had a phone number.
His heart stirred, as if courage had appeared out of nowhere, and his tone couldn't help but rise.
"I think I've found the solution to this mission!"
No matter how dangerous the mission, Reincarnators always believe in the Space's first rule: it will never throw a Reincarnator into a place of certain death.
Even if the Space couldn't foresee powerful Tao Bai Bai and themselves being placed in the same location, not only would it not help them, but it would directly initiate a hunt;
However, the Space would certainly consider how they would leave this place if Tao Bai Bai escaped alone or if Tao Bai Bai died unexpectedly.
From their previous situation of being trapped and unable to escape this special place, it was clear that there must be something here that possessed magical abilities surpassing those of Lilith and Short Hair.
At this moment, upon seeing this business card, Loka not only found some background on this world but also a way to escape.
As long as they could contact Reigen Arataka, or more precisely, Reigen Arataka's disciple Kageyama Shigeo, then neither this bizarre supernatural place nor Tao Bai Bai would be a problem!
"Hey, Geek, look at this!"
He handed the business card to a hooded man in the middle of the team. He wore special goggles and looked nervous, constantly scanning his surroundings.
This world was not very friendly to him. He was a purely technology-side Reincarnator. These glasses integrated multiple vision capabilities like infrared and thermal sensing, but they had no effect on supernatural phenomena.
He looked down at the business card, his face lighting up, and immediately pulled out a satellite phone-like item from his backpack.
He was an electrokinetic Ability User, but his power was only at the [LV2 · Psychic] level. This [LV2] was not a proficiency level but represented his computing power, meaning this so-called superpower actually lacked direct offensive capabilities.
He had to rely on tools to make this ability useful.
With the aid of tools, he could convert his radio waves into various communication signals, used for eavesdropping, anti-eavesdropping, and even direct communication in any world.
At this moment, this ability seemed to be their lifeline.
Beep~ Beep~
After the call was dialed, everyone unconsciously leaned closer to Geek. They were all eager for a plot character to appear who could save them.
With a click, the call connected successfully. Because of the language commonality, Geek immediately said simply and clearly,
"Is this Mr. Reigen Arataka? We have a commission here. Please, you must come and save us. No, you must arrange for Kageyama Shigeo to save us. We can offer any reward…"
His tone was urgent, and the others also waited for the response from the phone.
"…"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, accompanied by heavy breathing as unpleasant as a bellows being pulled. The person replied,
"You've got the wrong person. Reigen Arataka is just a fraud."
"Kageyama Shigeo…"
Beep, beep…
The call was hung up. A chill ran through their hearts. Although they didn't understand what had happened, it was clear that seeking help from Reigen Arataka and Kageyama Shigeo had failed.
Loka suddenly thought of something. With so many cards, they couldn't all be Reigen Arataka's business cards. There must be others here!
His mind stirred, and he immediately bent down to pick them up. But just as he bent down to retrieve them from behind the mirror, through the reflection of the broken mirror fragments, he saw the elevator was still ascending.
A chill suddenly rose from his tailbone, and his body stiffened.
"How many floors does this hospital have in total?"
Short Hair's scalp also tingled at the same time. He turned to look at the elevator floor display. The highest floor was clearly only 38, but at this moment, the elevator floor display had already reached 127 and was still ascending.
Loka grabbed the nearest blue business card in his hand, his entire body tense to the extreme.
"Why aren't you calling for help again?"
Still with that angry tone, Lilith seemed to still be furious that Tao Bai Bai had attacked her.
Short Hair realized something was wrong. The usually timid Lilith would not have angrily cursed Tao Bai Bai in the elevator. Her personality should have been one of relief that she had survived.
And it was even more impossible for her to angrily ask them why they weren't continuing to seek help in this situation.
He felt a chill throughout his body. He knew he shouldn't turn back at a time like this, but he couldn't help but turn to look at Lilith.
He saw her long black hair spread over her face, her complexion pale, and her eyes peeking out from her hair, staring straight at him.
Short Hair's pupils constricted, his body completely stiff. He couldn't even move a finger.
[You have suffered a curse: Grudge of the Deceased]
[Performing a save throw]
[Save throw failed]
Bang!
Blood splattered on Short Hair's face. He suddenly regained his ability to move, feeling as if all his muscles were tearing in pain. He gasped for breath, seeing that Loka had shot and blown up "Lilith's" head.
"Fortunately… fortunately, I have you, Loka, otherwise I…"
Bang bang bang!
Before Short Hair could react, the amulet protecting against long-range attacks in front of him lit up. Loka's face was pale, his eyes fixed on a certain spot, and his finger had already pressed the trigger down.
Bullets immediately ricocheted around the elevator.
Geek hadn't reacted at all; he instinctively ducked and huddled into a corner. He saw many more business cards on the floor and could only randomly grab one to continue dialing.
He didn't even look at the name of the office on this business card and directly dialed the phone number on the back.
Beep~ Beep~ Click.
"Hello, this is Ayase Hoshiko, a… spirit medium."
—
"See? It's not necessarily a bad thing that you didn't get on the elevator with those fools, is it?"
Bai Cangshu looked at the female Reincarnator who was about to cry from fear. He bent down and looked down at her, the smile on his face doing nothing to ease Lilith's tension. Her entire body was stiff, and she didn't even dare to deploy her barrier.
She was afraid that any movement she made would cause the man in front of her to kill her.
Bai Cangshu had never seen such a timid Reincarnator. He spoke with interest,
"Shouldn't you be offering all your assets right now, begging me to spare your life?"
Bai Cangshu looked through the woman's gaze and turned to the poster beside the elevator hall. It had exaggerated text written on it.
"If disaster strikes, please call a hero—Blizzard Hero Office"
The poster used the largest space to display a photo of a beautiful woman.
Subtle electric currents flowed continuously in the air. As Bai Cangshu's heart contracted, the electric current also flowed throughout his body. He focused his gaze on the woman whose abdomen had been pierced by his Dong Dong Wave.
Suddenly, he heard the voice in her heart.
"If only a hero could really come and save me…"
"Saitama, or Tatsumaki, anyone, please come and save me!"
Bai Cangshu placed his hand on the woman's head and gently lifted her.
"She's actually praying for a hero to save her. Tsk, are you really a Reincarnator?"
Boom!
A violent explosion came from the elevator shaft. In that noisy environment, Bai Cangshu accurately caught the sound of a conversation and also heard a new name.
Subsequently, he had more conjectures about the composition of this world.
Superpowers, monsters, heroes, ghosts, yokai…
What a chaotic world it truly was.