Soon, the ten guests took their seats one by one.
At the long table, which could only accommodate fifteen people, thirteen seats were occupied, leaving only two vacant spots.
The guests sat rigidly in place, motionless, silently waiting. The cold light fell on their pale, blurred faces, making them look eerie and hollow.
Among these thirteen guests, three were different from the others.
They had already been at the table for more than one round, and their plates contained fresh, blood-soaked faces that had been violently peeled off human beings.
One of the guests stood stiffly in front of their seat. This guest had been at the table for two whole rounds, and was the only one whose plate contained three faces.
In the dim light, the atmosphere felt heavy and suffocating, and the air was thick with the rusty stench of blood.
There was no need for verbal communication. The employees who were assigned to "serve" this time left in sequence, heading toward the window.
After the previous two rounds, no one dared to be careless.
Anyone with clear eyes could see that the danger within the banquet hall was approaching a critical point.
Each round, more guests arrived than the last. This meant that if more guests stayed this time, the next round would see guests without any available seats.
The guest who had not been served in both previous rounds, after having killed three people, had stood up. This unusual act made everyone realize the danger it implied.
If this guest was not served in this round, then by the next round…
They might not just be standing in front of the table.
It was truly chilling.
Therefore, to prevent more unpredictable dangers from arising, this time, they had to complete their tasks.
With this resolve, both teams sent more people than before.
The Black Team and the Red Team each sent eight people.
Soon, everyone arrived at the window.
At some point, as if influenced by an unknown force, plates appeared beneath the window, matching the number of guests at the table.
In the center of each plate, a nameplate sat solemnly.
Some were black, others red.
Wen Jianyan stood at the front, looking down and quickly scanning all the nameplate numbers in the plates.
He froze for a moment.
These numbers…
Unlike others, due to his unique experiences, Wen Jianyan was particularly sensitive to details, especially numerical ones. While for others, these numbers might simply represent a soul's nameplate, he could clearly remember the specific people associated with these nameplates.
Beneath his mask, Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes.
Some of the nameplates were from anchors who had been sacrificed on the first day.
Could it be that, besides the anchors who hadn't become official employees by the second day, even those who had died in this instance could become the final sacrifices for the banquet?
However, at least in this situation, this detail wasn't important.
Wen Jianyan shook off the thought, extended his hand, and picked up a plate from the table.
The others did the same.
"Zzzz… zzzz…"
As the plates were lifted, under the influence of some invisible force, the lights above began to flicker, as if being slowly covered by a dark, smoky substance. The already dim light gradually became even darker.
Not far away, the long table where the thirteen guests sat was now enveloped in a faint, dim light.
In front of the table, their faces were rigid and pale, completely still, yet they somehow exuded an overwhelming sense of fear.
They were waiting.
Anise squinted slightly, and beneath his mask, he slowly surveyed the area.
There were sixteen people in total from the Black and Red Teams. Each person wore identical attire and a mask that obscured their faces. Additionally, due to some unknown force in the banquet, once the employees donned the full set of attire, apart from obvious gender traits, it was almost impossible to identify who was beneath the masks based on outward appearance.
But it didn't matter.
Anise turned his head and looked toward the long table.
At the table, which was almost fully occupied, only one guest stood, their plate containing three bloodied faces, radiating an unusual, sinister aura.
Next, this guest would definitely be dealt with.
Although Anise still had some doubts, the gentleman was absolutely certain about this.
"He will go," the gentleman said confidently.
Anise furrowed his brows. "How could that be? This ghost is too fierce. They should be more willing to let someone else handle it."
"No," beneath his mask, the gentleman narrowed his eyes, "You still don't understand him enough."
This anchor, codenamed Pinocchio, although overly cautious for the most part and completely unwilling to face them directly, practically cowered in the extreme, based on what they knew of his past performance and the gentleman's own experience, this Pinocchio, though timid, was never one to shy away from trouble.
Platinum level.
This was not a rank that someone afraid of new experiences could achieve.
Furthermore, based on several brief confrontations with the other team after entering the [Xingwang Hotel], the gentleman had keenly sensed that beneath his seemingly timid behavior, there lay a near-manic trait, one that always led him to take unexpected actions at critical moments.
So, although the ghost in front of them appeared very fierce, under the premise that "if not dealt with, the next round will definitely cause trouble," Pinocchio would not give up on acting out of fear.
Furthermore…
"That guy is too sentimental," the gentleman summarized coldly and from a superior vantage point.
Although during the previous confrontation, the other side had initially abandoned their controlled teammate and entered the room, in the end, they still managed to make a deal with them using some method.
Because of this, the gentleman easily glimpsed the vulnerable nature hidden beneath their seemingly cunning, deceptive, and unpredictable exterior.
Soft-hearted, sentimental.
People like this were the easiest to manipulate.
Naturally, Pinocchio had won, forcing them to abandon the original plan of using a teammate as a hostage to threaten him into handing over the key items. He had even been forced to agree to the upcoming "fair competition."
But this wasn't enough.
If the roles were reversed, the gentleman knew that if he had some mysterious, even overwhelming power, he would never give the enemy the possibility of "fair competition."
"Our opponent, Mr. Pinocchio, is truly too soft-hearted," the gentleman sighed.
"How cute."
His voice contained a hint of contempt.
The gentleman concluded:
"If we don't deal with that guest who stood up, the threat it poses will increase exponentially. With Pinocchio's abilities, he might barely protect himself, but his teammates might not survive unscathed."
Under his mask, he smiled.
"So, no matter what, he will go."
—Even knowing that he was the target.
Therefore, this time, Anise was determined to take action without holding back.
He lowered his head, picked up one of the plates in front of him, and exchanged a glance with the people next to him.
They subtly nodded.
This time, although the Black Team had sent eight people, not all of them were here to complete the task of serving the guests.
After all, they knew that Pinocchio held the key item that could end the entire banquet. Under the conditions they had agreed upon earlier, the item couldn't be activated until the final minute of the instance, but that wasn't the case for them.
As long as they could figure out a way to snatch the item from Pinocchio, they could completely end this farce.
Whether or not they served the guests didn't matter anymore.
What mattered was the item.
So, among the eight, only three were going to deal with the guests, while the other five, including Anise, were fully focused on dealing with Wen Jianyan.
"Black Team on the left, Red Team on the right?" one of them asked.
The others nodded in agreement, no objections.
During the previous two rounds, because there were fewer guests, such "unwritten rules" hadn't been in effect. But in the third round, things were a bit more complicated, since there were too many guests this time. Therefore, both sides had to make a crude agreement.
"If there's extra space at the end, we'll switch out with others."
Soon, everything was nearly settled.
As everyone picked up their trays and started heading toward the long table, strange things began to happen quietly.
The further they walked, the darker the light became.
Centered around the long table, darkness rapidly spread, and the air was filled with a foul, rotten stench.
After just a few steps, visibility had been reduced to almost nothing.
However, strangely, in this dense and sticky darkness, even though they couldn't see their companions beside them, they could still clearly see where the guests sitting at the table were.
This was an incredibly advantageous condition for Anise.
This way, the Red Team wouldn't be able to see how many people were heading toward the standing guest, so they wouldn't dare to skip over that guest, nor would they know how many of them were setting up an ambush.
Soon, Anise and the others arrived behind the woman in white.
She stood stiffly in front of the table, like a corpse that had long since stiffened, showing no reaction to the humans approaching.
Anise raised his hand in a stop gesture.
The others stopped in sync.
The five of them maintained a certain distance from the woman in white, silently observing the long table from a distance.
Soon, they realized that what they could see in the darkness was different from what they had seen at the front desk earlier.
In the darkness, although they couldn't see the movements of others, they could see the long table and the guests sitting around it.
When a guest was "served," and the candle in front of them was lit, they disappeared from the long table as if they were pulled away from the darkness.
It was because of this that they could, without seeing the movements of other anchors, realize which guests had been served and which ones were left, or rather…
Which ones had failed.
Anise and the others stood in the darkness, quietly observing.
One by one, the figures of the thirteen guests at the table disappeared.
Clearly, the anchors responsible for them had arrived and lit the candles with their blood, causing the human guests to vanish from the darkness.
However, after the previous round's casualties, both the Red and Black Team anchors were now extremely cautious.
So far, seven of the guests' figures had disappeared and did not reappear at the table.
This proved that all seven of them had finished eating, and the anchors who served them had succeeded.
However, the lone standing guest before them still hadn't been approached by anyone.
Anise and the others stood in the darkness, clearly growing uneasy.
"Captain, could it be that…"
Someone whispered.
"Shut up."
Though Anise also harbored doubts, he knew that at this stage, voicing them would do no good. All they could do now was move forward.
Still…
Anise frowned.
If that little red team captain really didn't show up, then he'd have to make a decision—should he leave the guest be, or simply serve it himself?
With that thought, Anise instinctively looked toward the woman in white not far away.
But the moment his eyes landed on her, he couldn't help but pause slightly.
Her posture remained the same—upright like a rigid corpse carved from hardwood. But perhaps it was just his imagination…
Anise could've sworn her head had turned just a fraction in his direction.
In the darkness, the female corpse's pale side profile was especially glaring.
Anise's pupils contracted slightly.
Impossible…
Even though they had spoken near the guest, they hadn't lit the candle! With their masks and uniforms on, how could she possibly break the rules and detect their presence…?
Just as Anise was caught in doubt, a sudden click echoed from the darkness ahead.
In the next second, right before their eyes, the woman in white who had her back to them suddenly vanished into the dark.
She's here!!
In that instant, everyone's hearts clenched. Even without saying a word, they all understood what had just happened—someone had lit the candle in front of the guest and was about to serve her.
Anise banished the clutter in his mind and swiftly pulled out the item he had long prepared.
It was a rusty, old-fashioned lighter, said to be filled with oil refined from human corpses. When lit inside the instance, it could dispel any darkness caused by paranormal forces.
Click.
The lighter snapped open.
A ghostly green flame rose up, illuminating a small area before them.
Not far away, the female corpse still stood in place, her head slowly and stiffly turning toward the person who had lit her candle.
A dim red glow flickered faintly, revealing the human standing nearby with a tray in hand.
Dressed in a black uniform, wearing a white mask.
A woman.
But on her chest was a red badge.
And printed clearly on it were three numbers:
[001]
Anise's eyes narrowed sharply.
Just as they'd suspected—it was a visual trick.
Pinocchio had changed his appearance to that of a woman, donned the [001] badge, and boldly appeared right in front of them.
The safest place is always the most dangerous one.
Though they had considered this possibility, Pinocchio's usual unpredictable nature made them hesitate to act, fearing it might all be part of an elaborate trap.
Under the dim crimson flame, the anchor walked forward with the tray—and at that moment, a chill swept through the air.
The stench of decay in the air grew nauseatingly thick.
The female corpse hadn't moved at all, but anyone with experience knew:
Death was inches away.
Anise curled his lips into a smile, a gleam of excitement flashing in his gloomy eyes.
"Now," he whispered.
In the next second, he activated his ability.
The female corpse's lowering head froze mid-motion, as if forcibly halted from launching an attack. At the same time, Anise staggered slightly, as though something invisible had tugged at him. He braced against the force, barely keeping himself upright.
In that moment, a wave of shock ran through him.
He had known this ghost was terrifying—after all, it had already killed three anchors who tried to serve it. But only now, in direct contact, did Anise truly realize how horrifying it was.
Even at full power, he could normally control over a dozen paranormal entities for up to ten minutes. But right now, facing just one ghost, he could barely stay on his feet.
"Go!" Anise growled through clenched teeth.
Thirty seconds.
That was the maximum he could hold it.
Any longer, and even he wouldn't be able to stop it.
Without hesitation, the remaining senior anchors launched into action.
This time, they didn't hold back.
Whether it was innate abilities or special items, they unleashed them all without reservation.
And this time, they had only one goal: to capture the anchor who lit the candle.
Time seemed to stretch, slowed to a crawl, yet everything happened at blinding speed.
In the darkness, within a fraction of a second, everything was already over.
No matter how quick Pinocchio's reflexes or how rich his combat experience, there was no way he could survive a full-force ambush by four senior anchors while keeping one eye on a terrifying ghost that could kill him at any second.
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Especially after this encounter within the instance, no one dared to underestimate this anchor who appeared to be a recent upstart. This time, every single one of them raised their vigilance by two hundred percent. They would not be fooled again by that seemingly harmless facade and let their guard down.
With such caution and no reservations in their actions, they succeeded.
The opposing anchor barely had time to react before being bound by more than three types of restraining items. Fearing that his ability might be triggered by physical contact, they had even used a remote grappling device to yank him away from the long table.
"Retreat!!"
Seeing the mission accomplished, Anise didn't linger.
He immediately released his ability and swiftly withdrew from the danger zone.
In just the blink of an eye, the group returned to the serving window where they had collected their trays, dragging their "trophy" with them.
They couldn't return to the front desk just yet.
Now that the red team's captain had been subdued, there was no way the red side wouldn't send reinforcements.
Though the black side still held the advantage in overall strength, and remained at the long table, Pinocchio himself was an unpredictable wildcard. If he received any support, there could be complications.
Anise had no intention of giving him that chance.
Soon, they left the long table far behind and entered a zone still cloaked in darkness, yet hidden from everyone else's view.
"No one from the red side followed," someone said.
"No movement at the long table either," another reported.
Only then did Anise let out a long breath.
He turned to look at the person collapsed at his feet, a slight smirk curling beneath his mask.
"Hand over the items," he said.
One of his teammates stepped forward and, without mercy, gave the man a harsh kick in the gut.
"Cough, cough!"
The man curled up, coughing violently, but said nothing.
"Hey, this fair trade was your idea in the first place," another black team member said impatiently, crouching beside him with a sinister tone. "Don't force us to—"
"Wait."
Anise suddenly raised a hand, stopping his teammate.
Something wasn't right.
Why hadn't the enemy dropped the disguise, even now—when all hope of escape was gone, and there was no longer any reason to maintain the appearance?
And more than that…
Anise's mind flashed back to everything that had just happened, and he abruptly realized: throughout the entire encounter, the other side hadn't put up any real resistance.
Sure, in that kind of situation, any counterattack would've been meaningless. But to not resist at all—that was too strange.
By all logic, being ambushed while in the middle of a mission should have elicited a furious and desperate counterstrike, not the eerie silence they'd gotten.
It was almost as if…
He'd walked right into their hands.
Anise's eyes narrowed sharply.
He crouched down and suddenly reached out, yanking the mask from the man's face.
The white mask came off, revealing a pale but striking face underneath. Crimson thorn-like markings spread across the cheek and disappeared beneath the collar. Sharp, narrowed eyes gleamed like bloodstained blades.
In that instant, it hit Anise like a lightning bolt.
He jerked his head up, staring in the direction they had just come from.
At the long table, the guest that had once stood silently in place had vanished from the darkness.
According to the rules—
That meant it had been successfully served.
They'd been tricked.
The person lying on the ground, Yun Bilan, spat out a mouthful of blood, raised his head, and smiled.
"Hey."
"The black side will ambush me in this round."
Wen Jianyan had said.
It was a certainty.
To ensure the survival of more people, he had to deal with the guest that had stood up. He knew it. The black side knew it too. So, if they wanted to steal the "item," this was exactly the time they would strike.
Unfortunately…
Even knowing this, Wen Jianyan still had to carry out the service this round.
The black team hadn't seen what he had, nor did they know what he knew. So while they were aware of how terrifying the woman in white was, they didn't understand just how central she was to the mechanics of this instance. Then again, even if they had known, it likely wouldn't have changed their strategy.
To people like the Gentleman and Anise, victory mattered more than lives.
Their teammates were just expendable resources.
So, even anticipating what might happen, Wen Jianyan still had to proceed with the task and find a way to complete it.
"But this is also our chance."
Wen Jianyan looked at the black team, speaking softly.
Because of Anise's unique ability, he was guaranteed to make a move. The Gentleman, on the other hand, likely wouldn't. His talent wasn't suited for this situation, and there was no need for him to step out. More importantly, he was too cautious to put all his eggs in one basket.
That gave Wen Jianyan a potential opening.
In the black team, the Gentleman was the biggest threat—he understood Wen Jianyan's behavioral patterns best and was extremely careful. Deceiving him would be far more difficult than deceiving Anise.
"This guest… is several times more dangerous than the others," Wen Jianyan said.
And that, in fact, was his conservative estimate.
The three anchors who went to serve it were all seasoned veterans, yet they were still killed one after another.
Although Wen Jianyan had never had a direct confrontation with it so far, even so, he understood very clearly just how terrifying a ghost of this level in such a high-difficulty instance could be.
It might even be no less dangerous than the red-dressed female corpse in the Changsheng Building.
"Anyone who tries to deal with it will die. That includes me."
Wen Jianyan wasn't exaggerating.
According to the information Chen Mo had previously provided, the contact time with the ghost was very long, and during this process, the distance between the official employee and the ghost was too close, leaving virtually no margin for error.
And the ghost's attacks were nearly always fatal.
Under such circumstances, what mattered was the quality of the items in one's backpack—and the strength of their innate talents.
If it were just an ordinary threat-level ghost, it might still be manageable. But for a ghost like the woman in white… unless one had a time-reversal talent like Orange Candy, there was practically no way out.
To stand a chance against a ghost of this caliber, you would need an epic-tier, invincible item. If it was anything less—or simply an item purchased from the system store—even if used, its effectiveness would be completely suppressed by the ghost's terrifying power.
The problem was, Wen Jianyan had already used the [Holy Infant's Remains] item on the street outside the frame shop. To use it again, he would have to wait for the next instance.
"So if we really want to win, we must 'cooperate' with the Black Team."
However…
It was a one-sided cooperation.
The Black Team's goal was to obtain the decisive item in Wen Jianyan's hands.
But based on the experience from the past two rounds, all the humans who had been attacked by the guest left no bodies behind—only their facial skin, which was carefully placed on a plate.
In that case, the items would likely disappear along with the person.
So, to prevent that outcome, Anise had to be part of the operation. He needed to use his talent to restrain the powerful female corpse, to prevent her from killing the one who lit the candle.
During that time, the guest would be unable to act.
This would allow the rest of the team to offer the guest a tribute and send it away.
Wen Jianyan turned his head toward Yun Bilan, as if silently asking something.
Behind her mask, Yun Bilan said:
"Didn't we already agree back in the lounge? Don't worry, I understand the risks."
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and nodded.
Then he turned around and, together with Bai Xue and Yun Bilan, headed toward the window.
Everything began according to plan.
As the staff member carrying the meal tray approached, darkness gradually spread.
The three of them advanced through the dark.
Not far ahead, the woman in white stood still like a long-dead corpse.
Soon, they reached their designated position.
In the darkness, aside from the "guest" in front of them and the teammates at their side, they could see nothing else.
But Wen Jianyan knew that the Black Team was hiding nearby, waiting for the right moment.
"Go."
Wen Jianyan said quietly.
Yun Bilan nodded, stepped forward, picked up the matchstick on the table, and lit the candle holder.
The atmosphere was heavy and tense.
"Don't you get it yet?" Yun Bilan said. "I'm just bait. I was from the very beginning."
She deliberately shifted position to reveal the badge on her chest.
[001]
It was originally Wen Jianyan's number.
"..."
Anise's face was hidden beneath his mask, but his expression was so dark it seemed like water could drip from it.
This was bait, deliberately delivered into their hands.
First, it created a stark contrast with the person it was supposed to be, planting doubt in their minds—but not enough to rule out the possibility completely. Then, they were guided to make a conclusion and overturn their initial doubts, naturally falling into a mental trap—after all, humans tend to trust their own logical reasoning.
"So what?" Anise sneered, crouching in front of Yun Bilan. "You're still in my hands now, aren't you?"
He grabbed her hair, forcing her to look up as he leaned closer.
"This time, we're not using the Gentleman's talent. Strictly speaking, we're not violating the previous agreement."
Anise grinned darkly.
"Guess what? Do you think your captain will trade the item for you?"
"It seems you still don't understand the purpose of this bait."
Yun Bilan looked up at him calmly.
Anise frowned. "What?"
"I mean," Yun Bilan said patiently, "the person wearing the 001 badge was always meant to be a target, someone for you to capture. If not this time, then the next."
That was why she had volunteered to wear the badge.
"You wanted to repeat the old strategy—use teammates to threaten the captain into handing over the item. But unfortunately, your entire play was wrong from the start."
"I'm not a bargaining chip."
"No," Yun Bilan chuckled. "To be precise, none of the anchors in the Red Team—except the captain—are bargaining chips or have any value for negotiation."
Before the banquet began, Wen Jianyan had gathered all the Red Team members to share a bold, nearly insane plan.
"Do you see a phone or ghost money on me?" Yun Bilan asked.
Anise and the others exchanged looks and quickly searched her.
Sure enough—nothing.
"Not just me. None of the others have any either," Yun Bilan said with a smile.
Her expression turned serious as she looked at Anise and said:
"My main mission is to tell you this when I get captured: stop trying the same trick again. It's meaningless."
"Before the banquet started, the captain had already figured out how the ghost money would be used. So he gathered everyone and made a pact with the entire team."
"If someone dies from a ghost attack, they're on their own. But if they're killed by the Black Team, our captain will use the coins at the front desk to exchange for their badge and revive them."
"There are three Red Team squads in total. All ghost money go through the captain and are distributed by him alone."
"There's no need for phones anymore—so you can't even contact whoever you want to threaten."
Looking at the enemies in front of her, Yun Bilan smiled even more brightly:
"Ha. Idiots."
The darkness gradually faded.
Anise and the others returned to the front desk with gloomy expressions.
Gentleman: "Did it work?"
Anise shook his head and reported everything that had happened, including what Yun Bilan had said.
After hearing it all, the face behind Gentleman's mask also grew darker.
Admittedly, he had been thinking along the same lines before.
Pinocchio was too soft-hearted. For someone like that, threatening them with their teammates was the most effective strategy. Even if he could no longer use his talent due to the rules, there were still other ways—like kidnapping his teammates and forcing him to give up the item.
But clearly, the other side had already foreseen this.
So, he used an extreme and insane method to eliminate the possibility.
—He erased the "teammate" attribute from every team member.
This approach was so ruthless it was terrifying.
It was like throwing one's teammates to the wolves and saying: go ahead and kill them.
But at the same time, it was also so selfless, it seemed almost saintly.
As long as someone died because of it, no matter the cost or how many ghost money it took, he would bring them back—without hesitation, and without hoarding anything.
Worst of all, the Gentleman realized: the other side's strategy was entirely feasible.
Because the truly decisive item was already in their possession—just temporarily unusable. Once the time came, no matter how many coins they had left, they would still be able to win the instance.
So, whether it was the ghost money income they'd previously earned or what they earned during this banquet, they could now spend it all—every last coin—to revive their teammates!
Unless they managed to kill everyone on the opposing side, as long as the "king" wasn't captured, the remaining "pawns" were meaningless.
But as long as the hotel manager was present, they couldn't start a fight at the front desk.
In the free area near the long table, there were still terrifying guests. While there was a power gap between the red and black teams, it wasn't enough to be overwhelming.
With malevolent spirits in play, and the constant threat of sudden death even to themselves, trying to wipe out the enemy team entirely was nothing short of a pipe dream.
"..."
After figuring this out, the gentleman's expression turned grim.
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, he snapped his head around and looked toward the long table.
The darkness was slowly receding.
The empty long table gradually came into view.
"How many people were with you before?" the gentleman asked.
Anise: "Five."
Eight members had been dispatched in total, five of whom were assigned to ambush Pinocchio, leaving only three to deal with the guests.
But the problem was…
On the side of the table that the black team was responsible for, it was nearly empty.
"What—" Anise gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.
"..."
The gentleman's expression turned even darker.
While Anise had led most of their people to ambush Pinocchio, Pinocchio had sent out only one decoy. The rest, including the main force of their team, had all gone to serve the guests the black team had neglected.
Their true goal wasn't so much to handle that one standing guest, but rather…
To take advantage of the distraction and snatch away the guests originally meant for the red team, earning more tips to better protect their own teammates.
…And they had been completely led by the nose.
The gentleman turned and looked toward the red team.
Everyone wore identical uniforms and masks. Just from appearances alone, it was impossible to tell which one was Pinocchio.
The tactic used by the other side was theoretically simple, but in practice it was far more difficult—after all, no one could truly entrust their life to another person.
And yet, somehow, Pinocchio had done just that.
He had persuaded everyone to follow him down this extreme and insane path, dragging everyone along to work for him, to give their trust— even their lives…
Impressive.
Truly impressive.
Wen Jianyan stepped up to the front desk and handed over the corresponding amount of ghost money.
The manager pulled out a new name badge and pinned it to a shadowed corner. A moment later, a humanoid figure slowly emerged beneath it.
It was Yun Bilan.
She seemed not yet fully recovered from her brief death—she stumbled and nearly collapsed.
Wen Jianyan moved quickly to catch her:
"You okay?"
He asked in a low voice.
Yun Bilan gave a slight nod, as if even that small motion had drained all her energy.
Wen Jianyan let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed the message had been successfully delivered. That meant the black team could no longer use their signature intimidation tactics.
"What about you? Did everything go smoothly over there?" Yun Bilan asked, catching her breath and turning to him.
"..."
Wen Jianyan paused.
Her question brought back the memory of what happened after the candle was lit.
In the darkness, the blood-red candlelight flickered faintly. The air was thick with the smell of rot, tinged with the scent of fresh blood.
Everything was proceeding according to Wen Jianyan's plan.
Anise's ability held the female corpse in place.
Seizing the opportunity, Wen Jianyan stepped forward quickly and placed the dinner plate he was holding down—
And in that instant—
Something went terribly wrong.
A cold, pale hand clamped tightly onto his wrist.
"!!!"
In that moment, Wen Jianyan's hair stood on end, and cold sweat burst out across his back.
He snapped his head up.
The corpse that Anise had kept under control suddenly… lowered her head just slightly. The movement was small, but her hollow eyes locked onto Wen Jianyan's.
He reacted faster than he could think.
Swiftly switching the plate to his other hand—the one not gripped—he set it down in front of the corpse.
The grip on his wrist vanished.
And with that, the guest figure in the darkness also disappeared.
By all logic, that should have been the end of it.
Facing Yun Bilan, Wen Jianyan gave a low "Mm" in reply:
"Don't worry. Everything went smoothly."
He lowered his arm, subtly covering the bruise-like handprint on his wrist with his sleeve.
"You shouldn't go out next round," Wen Jianyan said as he supported Yun Bilan and guided her to the back, "Let us handle it from here."
Yun Bilan nodded.
Wen Jianyan lifted his head, glancing toward the entrance of the banquet hall.
The bronze clock above was ticking quietly.
It had now been over half an hour.
According to the hotel manager's earlier statement, the banquet was scheduled to last for an hour. That meant if they could hold out another twenty minutes, victory was guaranteed.
After all, based on the "agreement" they had with the black team, in the final three minutes of the banquet, Wen Jianyan could freely use his props and secure the platinum achievement for the "Xingwang Hotel" instance.
Meanwhile, the darkness shrouding the long table was slowly receding again.
The seats were nearly all empty. Most of the guests had already been sent away. Only one guest remained at the long table—unattended due to a lack of manpower—but that was fine.
At least, based on past experience, as long as that last guest was served in the next round, everything should go smoothly.
But… for some reason, although the white-clad woman had disappeared, the blood-soaked bronze dinner plate at her seat hadn't vanished like the others. Instead, it remained, stacked with multiple face skins, looking horrifying.
"Zzz… zzzzz…"
A blood-red glow lit up once more in the hallway.
A new round of guests was arriving.
This time, there were fourteen of them.
Seeing this, everyone let out a breath of relief.
Luckily, they had managed to send off nearly all the previous guests, leaving only one. Otherwise, someone would've been unable to sit this round and would be left at the entrance.
If that had happened…
No one knew what role that unseated "guest" would end up playing.
Under the anxious gaze of the anchors, the guests stiffly entered the banquet hall one by one, each taking a seat.
As time passed, the number of empty chairs dwindled.
Until—
Only one seat remained.
The seat with the dinner plate piled with three face skins.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the final guest slowly came to a halt. It stopped at the entrance, standing stiffly in place, unmoving.
Wait—?
What was happening?
Everyone froze in shock, drawing in a cold breath.
They held onto a sliver of hope and waited silently. But no matter how time passed, the guest at the entrance didn't move. It stood as if rooted to the floor, its pale, hollow face pointed straight ahead, showing no sign of stepping forward.
As if…
That last seat had already been claimed by something invisible—so it could only wait for the next round.