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Zuo Chengan shared his theory with Li Yueqiu, and she quickly changed her tune.
"Then let's hurry to your room!" she urged, her initial hesitation evaporating.
Still, a lingering concern gnawed at her. "Are you sure this will work? What if the game punishes us?"
"Punishes us? Come on. We spent most of last night out in the hallway, and you're still standing here, aren't you?" Zuo Chengan waved off her worries without missing a beat.
"Ohhh," Li Yueqiu exclaimed in realization, a flicker of relief crossing her face.
Then, almost sheepishly, she added, "Wow, you come across so cold and distant, but you're actually pretty nice, huh?"
[Ding! Good Person Card +1.]
"No, I'm the textbook definition of a selfish pragmatist," Zuo Chengan countered flatly.
The two of them headed back to Room 204.
Halfway there, Zuo Chengan paused abruptly and turned around.
"Wait here," he said before heading to Room 203. He shut the door with a decisive click, ensuring it locked behind him.
The soft clink of the automatic lock mechanism confirmed his actions. By the time he rejoined Li Yueqiu in 204, the game's system notification echoed.
[The Hunter has appeared. Number deployed: 1.]
Creak... Creak...
Peering through the peephole, Zuo Chengan spotted a fully restored, E-class Hunter prowling the hallway.
Though he had already pieced together that this strategy would likely work—especially given the hints from the stream chat—he couldn't stop his muscles from coiling tight, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
Li Yueqiu, for her part, needed no reminders. She crouched in a corner, hugging her knees tightly and covering her mouth to stifle even the faintest sound.
As expected, the Hunter stopped at the door to Room 203. It began clawing at the surface with sharp, deliberate scrapes, the sound grating in the otherwise silent corridor.
But the room was empty. Even if the Hunter tore the entire door from its frame, there would be nothing inside for it to find.
…
Another day passed, and the surviving players emerged from their rooms, weary but alive.
The group felt elated when they saw Li Yueqiu step out of Room 204 unscathed.
"So it's true! We can avoid the Hunter without a fight!"
"This game's easier than I thought. All you have to do is hide in a room with a different number!"
Buoyed by the others' enthusiasm, Li Yueqiu turned to Zuo Chengan with newfound energy. "My savior! Why don't you come to my room tonight to hide?"
Zuo Chengan glanced at the splintered wreck of the door to Room 203 and declined without hesitation. "No need."
"Huh?" Li Yueqiu blinked in confusion but quickly understood when she saw her room's state.
The door to Room 203 had been reduced to a pile of wooden shards, its service now over.
Zheng Ren, who had recovered enough to shuffle along while leaning against the walls, offered helpfully, "Then how about you both come to my room? The door to 202 is still intact."
"Great idea!" Li Yueqiu agreed cheerfully, the wary edge she had shown the night before nowhere to be seen.
"That's not going to work either," Zuo Chengan replied, shaking his head.
His mind was focused on something he had read in the floating comments earlier.
Holding up the keys in his hand—those that had appeared in his pocket when the game began—he explained, "See these? Each of us has two keys in our pocket. That means the game allows only two people free access to any one of the rooms: the owner and one other person."
Zheng Ren's eyes widened in sudden understanding. "Ah! So that's what it is! I thought the game just gave us a spare key in case we lost one!"
He then looked at Zuo Chengan with a mixture of awe and respect. "Brother, how's your brain so sharp? You caught even the tiniest clue!"
The others weren't as quick to believe.
Liu Shuang instinctively touched the keys in his pocket and muttered, "Seriously? A room can only hold two people?"
"It's just a theory," Zuo Chengan replied coolly. "Believe it or not—it's up to you."
Of course, he already knew it was true. Previous players had tested these rules at the cost of their lives. His reasoning was less about uncovering the mystery and more about explaining the answer he already had, much like pretending to solve a problem after peeking at the solution.
The survivors exchanged uneasy glances. The idea of huddling together for safety evaporated in the face of this revelation.
Zuo Chengan let the weight of his words settle before continuing. "Besides, hiding isn't a real solution. Eventually, the Hunters will destroy most of the doors. When that happens, we won't have enough rooms to retreat to, and we'll have no choice but to face them."
His blunt assessment of their grim future made everyone fall silent.
The precious five-minute daylight period ticked away.
As it ended, Zuo Chengan and Zheng Ren settled in Room 202, while Li Yueqiu was led off to Room 208 by the older woman who stayed there.
Overwhelmed by the gesture, Li Yueqiu teared up. "You're so kind, Big Sis! Thank you for taking me in. You're such a good person!"
[Ding! Good Person Card +1.]
The woman smiled gently. "It's nothing. I feel better having someone here with me too."
…
As the last trace of light disappeared beyond the window, darkness enveloped the building.
If the pattern held, tonight's target would be Room 204—Zuo Chengan's room.
But Zuo Chengan couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
The rules seemed too simple, too predictable.
How could this game have caused so many player deaths during its early days? Could there be some hidden rule they hadn't discovered yet?
[Which night is it? I've rewatched so many Night of Screams' recordings that I have memorized the rules behind it. Can't wait for it to happen!]
[It's the fourth night tonight. The target is the player of 204. What's going to happen?]
[Hehehe, wait for it. You'll see what's coming. This is way more fun than sequential killings!]
…
Zuo Chengan's unease was confirmed when the game announcement echoed.
[Hunters detected. Number deployed: 2.]
Two Hunters? It's not that straightforward after all. Zuo Chengan's brow furrowed as he thought, Will both Hunters target Room 204? Or will they each choose a separate room?
He didn't have to wait long for the answer—bullet chat filled the silence.
[Look at the guy in 205! He just pissed his pants!]
[Hahahaha!!!]
[Get the recording, quick! I want to show this to the others!]
[Looks like he's crying too! How pathetic!]
…
Inside Room 205, the bespectacled man stared in disbelief at the Hunter battering his door.
How could this be? Why were there two Hunters tonight? Wasn't it supposed to be one per night?
Panic gripped him. He knew he should act, grab a weapon, and fight like Zheng Ren had. But his legs refused to move, weighed down by an overwhelming dread.
In other rooms, the other players' faces mirrored his despair.
Especially Liu Shuang in Room 207. His smug confidence was rapidly unraveling.
He had assumed that each night would bring only one Hunter and that it would only attack one room. By his logic, Room 207 should have been safe for the night. But now, the reality of two Hunters shattered that illusion.
His mind raced as terror sank in.
If tonight's targets were 204 and 205, then tomorrow's would undoubtedly be 206 and 207!
No!