Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 685 - 683 Survival

"This fog...is very strange."

Liu Wu Dai gazed at the surrounding gray-white mist, whispering, "It seems to block Spiritual Sense, sound waves, electromagnetic waves, Spiritual Energy, and other scouting methods. We can only see clearly with the naked eye."

"Yeah." Wanli Fengdao squinted, his palm resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. "A common trait of paranormal script scenarios: severing players' channels for gathering information, creating unknowns and panic."

Tch, whether it's rational or irrational paranormal phenomena, neither is good news...

If players were to encounter an irrational supernatural event similar to Ju-On, it would be terrifying indeed. And if there was a specific powerful Ghost involved, it wouldn't necessarily be any better—consider the strength of a Ghost capable of creating a fog barrier that fourteen Lv15 players couldn't see through...

"The rubble on the ground is all ordinary sandstone, nothing noteworthy or unusual," Li Ang said indifferently. "Hmm, summoning items in the inventory indeed can't be used. Drones, biological items, and all can't be taken out. As for life created using skills..."

He extended his palm into the ground. A flash of electric light sparked in his palm as he extracted elements from the soil and manufactured a piece of white paper. He quickly folded it into an origami crane, then used Necromancy Technique (Intermediate) on the origami crane.

Based on his experiments in the real world, the origami cranes awakened by the Necromancy Technique should be able to fly like ordinary birds and exhibit flexibility and intelligence beyond that of regular birds.

However, even after Li Ang's Sanity Value was deducted, the origami crane remained motionless, lifeless.

The insect swarm units in the backpack couldn't be taken out, nor could Chaichai be retrieved from the soul-summoning flag where it was contained.

The mission hadn't officially begun, yet Li Ang's power was already significantly diminished—a rather inauspicious start.

"Can't use it?" the Mule glanced at Li Ang, who was silently holding the origami crane, and asked softly.

"Yeah." Li Ang nodded, pocketing the origami crane. He casually said, "By the way, why did you join this guild? I thought you weren't the type to be interested in the battle for the door."

"I'm indeed not interested," the Mule replied indifferently. "For an information broker, personally sticking one's neck out and taking part in the front line of a battle for benefits is always the most dangerous action. But in the Murder Game, if you're not advancing, you're retreating. Even if one wishes not to get involved in the struggles, one must still find a way to increase their strength and experience levels. Moreover, Miss Liu's personal strength is not bad, and you're also on this team."

"So, overall, it's for gaining Experience Points and seeking shelter?" Li Ang nodded. "I might not stay with the Cold Crows for long, but Miss Liu is indeed a good collaborator. Generous and reliable, worth allying with."

"You're not bad yourself." The Mule glanced at him and lowered his voice, saying teasingly, "The Immaculate Furnace's business has even expanded to Brazil."

This comment was clearly a dig at a certain dynamic social group in Brazil that had used the Magic Potion produced by Li Ang in street fights to create a 'Shit Hits the Fan' Barrier.

Unperturbed by the jab, Li Ang smiled faintly. "How the customers use it is their business. I just need to sit in a Ferrari, use facial recognition to unlock my iPhone 11 Pro Max, tell Siri to log into my Alipay diamond membership account, and put on my AirPods Pro to listen for the sound of the transfer notification. Successful people are only concerned with the results, not the process."

Ah... you're way too upscale, aren't you? The Mule's eye twitched.

Wary of the surrounding fog, the group didn't move very quickly, but they still arrived at the Dolphin Hotel entrance before the deadline. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The hotel was desolate, with no landscape trees, utility poles, concrete roads, or vehicles around it; it simply stood alone on the wasteland.

The hotel's golden doors were tightly closed. Looking inward through the brown transparent glass on the doors, one could faintly see dust-free marble floors and extinguished crystal chandeliers. The check-in desk, where a receptionist should have been, was empty, with no one in sight.

Bai Haozheng retracted his probing gaze and tried pushing the door. He found it solid and hard. A clunky big lock hung from a chain on the inside of the door. Judging by the keyhole, it seemed quite difficult to pry open.

"Hello, is anyone there?" Bai Haozheng tugged at the iron chain. Finding that even a player's strength couldn't pull it open, he called out through the crack of the door.

His voice echoed in the empty hotel lobby but received no response.

"Well, as expected." Bai Haozheng sighed. His fingers reached through the crack to pick up the large lock hanging below, examining it closely.

"Time to pick the lock?" The cloaked man wearing a spherical Fish Tank Hood, 13mark, stepped forward. A synthesized Mechanical voice emanated from the tie he wore on his chest: "I'll do it."

He took the lock from Bai Haozheng with his right hand. His left index finger split into three segments, and a thin metal rod extended from where the finger bones should have been.

The surface of the metal rod, aimed at the lock core, rippled like liquid, gradually forming teeth of various lengths and shapes that finally fitted into the lock core.

CLICK—

The lock sprang open.

13mark pulled out the chain and lock, pushed the door open, and stood at the entrance, saying impassively, "Everyone, please."

Meaning he was responsible for unlocking the door, and scouting the hotel was up to the others.

"Hmph." The bare-chested, burly man known as Ghost of Hidden Eye snorted coldly. He strode through the golden gateway and scanned the lobby from within.

"It's the same as outside; I can't use Spiritual Sense here," he turned his head and said somberly. "Come on in. It should be fine."

Since the first phase's objective was to get the players into the hotel, and the time limit was so strict, it was highly unlikely that a trap ensuring death upon Trigger would be set right at the hotel entrance.

As the players stepped into the hotel, Bob and the two others, who were guarding the door with their palms pressed against it to prevent it from closing suddenly, felt a powerful, strange force. It pushed them, making them involuntarily release their grip and stagger backward.

The hotel's main doors then slammed shut with a BANG!

When they tried to push them again, the entire door seemed welded to the space itself, unmoving no matter how the players shoved or attacked it.

[First Phase Objective Completed]

[Second Phase Objective: Find the Dolphin Hotel Accommodation Guide, survive 180 hours inside the hotel]

[Reward 1: Experience Points 1,000]

[Reward 2: Game Coins 2,000]

[Reward 3: For every life form destroyed in any form inside the Dolphin Hotel, receive 500 Experience Points and Game Coins]

Trapped again. Wait, why do I feel like saying 'again'? Li Ang looked at the tightly closed door, sighed, and turned to his teammates, who were standing still.

The other players had gloomy expressions and somber faces.

Survival tasks were always one of the mission types players least wanted to see. Triggering such missions meant the System believed the players would be constantly threatened with their lives during the process.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason the players present all looked so troubled. Reward 3 stated that for every life form destroyed in any form inside the Dolphin Hotel, a player would receive 500 Experience Points and Game Coins. This seemingly hinted that Ghosts and Evil Spirits might appear in this script.

However, it also implied that players could kill each other—humans also counted as "life."

This was probably why the System had prohibited the use of summoned creatures in advance.