Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 690 - 758 Curfew

「The next day, early morning.」

Over ten silhouettes stood silently in the Dolphin Hotel's lobby, waiting.

TAP, TAP, TAP.

Loud, clear footsteps echoed down the hall at the far end of the lobby. Li Ang, wearing a white lab coat with his hands in his pockets, descended the stairs at an unhurried pace. He nodded at the distant players, "Yo, good morning."

"Don't come closer just yet," Wanli Fengdao, with transparent words floating above his head, called out from a distance. "Player information."

To prevent players from being replaced by Evil Spirits lurking among them, ready to strike, they had previously agreed on a procedure. Upon meeting, regardless of the number present, they would show each other their player levels and nicknames.

The players present all displayed their information, verifying their identities before regrouping. Only thirteen people remained... Kafei was missing. Under the Dragon Head Mask, Li Ang raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Everyone's here." Bai Haozheng pushed his glasses up and spoke calmly, "Let's share what happened last night first. At 00:11, curfew time, a sticky note materialized out of thin air on the back of the chair I was sitting on."

He pulled out a pale yellow sticky note from his pocket and showed it to everyone. "After I made out the words 'Do not open the door' on it, knocks sounded on the door of my Room 1408. Upon investigation, they came from a pair of feet wearing rain boots..."

Bai Haozheng then detailed the peculiar situation he encountered. His narrative was straightforward; when adding personal opinions, he clarified them, striving to remain objective and calm.

He continued, "Throughout the night, all the doors in the room strained as if trying to open, only calming down when the curfew ended at 07:07. If it weren't for my particularly unique power system and thorough preparation, I highly doubt I would have survived until then.

"Of course, there's another possibility. The System or the hotel itself might have performed a scan and deliberately set up an anomaly. This anomaly would have perfectly matched my range of abilities, pushing close to my upper limit. It was doable, but any failure would have resulted in death.

"Naturally, this is just my personal speculation and requires more evidence for support."

Bai Haozheng paused for a moment, then looked around and said evenly, "I assume you've all noticed the unique aspects of this hotel. If we don't unite, collaborate, and share information, survival will be challenging."

"Mister Bai makes a good point." Black Holy Son tilted his head, stretched out his arm, and opened his palm, which held a crumpled sticky note.

"At 00:15:15, this sticky note appeared out of nowhere on the living room window. Its message directed me to look through the Cat's Eye of the security door.

"I walked toward the door and peered through the Cat's Eye. There, I saw a gray figure, as if cast from concrete with sharp edges. It was placing its hands against the wall, seemingly peering in.

"When I raised my hand, the concrete figure did too. When I stepped back, the concrete figure also stepped back.

"It was mimicking me. No matter how minor my movements were—even the rise and fall of my chest with each breath—the concrete figure facing the wall detected and imitated it."

Black Holy Son's narration was unperturbed, as if discussing something that was of no concern to him.

"As time progressed, I noticed my movements becoming more sluggish while its movements became more agile. Its previously sharp-edged body gradually smoothed out, and colors started appearing on its gray surface. I had a premonition: if the stalemate continued, I would become it, and it would replace me.

"So..." Black Holy Son raised his palm indifferently and said, "I dug out my own heart."

Bai Haozheng narrowed his eyes. "...Did that monster die?"

"Mm." Black Holy Son nodded. "It fell to the ground, quickly faded, and turned into a pile of pure, unremarkable concrete debris. A few minutes later, it melted into a puddle of a candle-like substance, seeped into the carpet, and disappeared.

"However, to avoid violating the note's instruction, I still watched through the Cat's Eye at the door until the curfew ended."

Bai Haozheng fell silent for a moment. "...Around what time did the monster dissolve?"

"Around 00:22. Why?"

"It's nothing." Bai Haozheng shook his head and looked at Ghost of Hidden Eye, who snorted coldly and pulled out a note from his pocket that read "Please sleep."

Ghost of Hidden Eye began to recount how, around 00:14, he found this note on the back of his shirt. Even though the note just asked him to go to sleep without specifying a location, for safety's sake, he still returned to the bed in his bedroom. After setting up his defenses and taking precautions, he closed his eyes to sleep.

According to Ghost of Hidden Eye, he had a skill that induced forced sleep and soon drifted into a dream.

In the dream, he found himself on a Stone Bridge shrouded in thick fog. He was unable to use his player's supernatural abilities and had reverted to being an ordinary person. In confusion, he could vaguely see a blurred figure holding an umbrella not far ahead on the Stone Bridge, indiscernible in height, appearance, attire, and even gender.

At that moment, Ghost of Hidden Eye felt a chill pervade his body, and an unnamed fear seeped into his brain. He desperately wanted to run away, but he couldn't move at all.

Bai Haozheng furrowed his brows and pressed, "What did that figure do to you?"

"Nothing at all," Ghost of Hidden Eye said coldly and slowly. "When I woke up, it was already 07:07. Nothing had happened overnight, and the defense Array I left by the bed hadn't been triggered."

Did nothing... Bai Haozheng mused, his mind racing with thoughts.

Next, everyone recounted their experiences from the previous night.

Bob received a note at 00:12 last night instructing him to lie in the bathtub. He followed the instructions, entered the bathroom, and lay down in the bathtub. Though it was clearly empty, his skin felt submerged, and soon, Bob was submerged by invisible water.

Just as he was at a loss, all his senses were suddenly stripped away—vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. He couldn't sense anything, as if he were floating alone in a pitch-black, boundless, zero-gravity space.

He didn't know how long he was trapped. Unable to feel his heartbeat or pulse, he relied only on counting to keep track of time. However, after counting past thirty thousand, he despaired. He realized he still hadn't woken from the sensory deprivation, and this duration far exceeded the 07:07 curfew deadline.

Bob wanted to move but didn't dare. He had no idea of his current state; any careless movement could mean leaving the bathtub, violating the note's instruction, and risking death. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Finally, at the count of one hundred seven thousand, six hundred seventy-three, his senses returned. Looking at the clock, it was exactly 07:07.

In the bathtub, his perception of time had been slowed fourfold.