Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 709 - 707: The Outlier

"Is that so..." The Black Holy Son nodded with some regret. "But that distinction isn't very important in this matter. On the first night, the old woman in red appeared on the tenth floor and killed Kafei. On the second night, she entered the eleventh floor from the tenth and killed Danfei. This means she has the ability to move freely throughout the hotel."

He paused for a moment, then slowly continued, "As for the third possibility, it's that a significant number of rules in the hotel guest guide have become invalid—for example, the rooms being safe, the elevators being safe, or that completing the tasks on the notes ensures survival, and so on. However, all of these possibilities require more evidence for verification."

The Black Holy Son left something unsaid. Actually, this task wasn't inherently that difficult. The main challenge lay in the complex and obscure survival rules. If the players could unite and cooperate, then at the cost of a few lives, it would be highly probable they could figure out all the hotel's rules by the second or third night, allowing all survivors to clear the scenario. In short, it was about using lives for trial and error, to piece together the answers.

Unfortunately, no one was willing to sacrifice themselves. Everyone hoped someone else would be the scapegoat, paving the way for them. Nor could they afford to openly turn against each other and descend into infighting; after all, everyone participating in the scenario task was a high-level player, Lv15 or above. Anyone who dared suggest letting others become scapegoats, or even showed such an inclination, would undoubtedly become a target for everyone else.

It was better to tacitly pretend no one harbored such intentions, let things take their natural course, and follow the rules. At least that way, they retained control; life and death were fated, and survival depended on their own abilities. Besides, the probability of encountering an anomalous event was quite evenly distributed, which was fair.

"It's still too early to discuss these things," Li Ang said casually, glancing at the Black Holy Son. "For now, let's discuss what Ghost of Hidden Eye wrote down. He received a note shortly after curfew began and, following its instructions, willingly fell asleep and entered a dream, returning to the stone arch bridge. This time, he was no longer restricted and could freely use his equipment and items. After looking around on the bridge for thirty seconds, he heard the clatter of wooden clogs from the other side. He then saw a woman with an indistinct face, holding a red umbrella and wearing a white and purple kimono, emerge from the thin mist ahead."

The Black Holy Son laid the paper on the table. Ghost of Hidden Eye knew the woman's identity was crucial, so he did his utmost to describe her appearance accurately, even attempting a quick sketch of her attire and figure. Unfortunately, Ghost of Hidden Eye's drawing skills were rather lacking. The resulting portrait... looked rather like a snake spirit with comically large eyes and a pointed chin. At best, it was at the level of a senior kindergarten class.

How could anyone recognize that?! If you have no talent, don't draw. Why try to imitate others and sketch things?

Aside from that rather pitiful drawing, Ghost of Hidden Eye's description was actually quite comprehensive.

Bai Haozheng stared at the paper, pondering for a long time before hesitantly saying, "Ghost of Hidden Eye didn't see the pictures I drew from Wanli Fengdao's memories during the day, but he personally believes that the woman in the kimono and the woman combing her hair in the mirror could be the same person. Considering the descriptions, there's indeed such a possibility. Multiple iconic images appeared in his dream, such as a cloudless sky, and a river full of foam, with dead fish floating on its surface. Considering we also saw two other images last night—a hotel corridor with a clock showing 03:33, and a mysterious, three-meter-tall figure wearing a Bamboo Hat—it can be considered that the scenes Wanli Fengdao witnessed were indeed a prophecy of sorts, or perhaps hints from the Dolphin Hotel."

Wanli Fengdao thought for a moment upon hearing this, frowning as he asked, "Then what about the words spoken by the woman in Ghost of Hidden Eye's dream? When she saw Ghost of Hidden Eye, she asked, 'Excuse me, are you also here to kill me?' Then she said, 'I haven't seen any hotel staff for a long time. I thought they might have had an accident during the last incident.' And, 'The bridge is going to collapse. If you don't kill me, you'll be trapped here forever.' When Ghost of Hidden Eye didn't respond, she adopted a sorrowful expression and said that all the hotel staff were dead. From her words, it was clear she wasn't a hotel staff member and had been at the stone arch bridge for a very long time. She had also grown accustomed to being killed. After she was killed, anyone who entered the stone arch bridge could leave; otherwise, they would be trapped."

"She must be some kind of anomaly, or a former human entangled by the effects of an anomaly," Mule said softly. "All along, the hotel staff were responsible for killing her. The latter is a group that rotates frequently, without any discernible pattern. Regularly and methodically killing the woman in the kimono is one of the duties the hotel staff must perform. Their failure to do so could only mean they were all dead."

After Mule finished his analysis, an inexplicable silence fell over Room 1208. The hotel guide hinted at this: if the hotel was deserted, it had likely fallen, and all the staff were dead. The words of the woman in the kimono only further confirmed this.

"..."

Ω, the liquid inside his Fish Tank Hood swirling back and forth as if he were pondering something, said, "One thing I'm curious about is the reaction of the woman in the kimono upon seeing Ghost of Hidden Eye. Before the sound of wooden clogs was heard, Ghost of Hidden Eye, whose restrictions had been lifted, had already entered a battle stance. He had transformed into a small, demon-like Giant, with crimson skin, holding a three-meter-long, heavy Naginata. Under these circumstances, when the woman in the kimono saw him, she showed no surprise. Instead, she calmly asked if he was a hotel staff member there to kill her. If the woman in the kimono wasn't blind, could we assume that the hotel staff are not human in the conventional sense?"

"Hmm?" A flash of white light glinted off Bai Haozheng's glasses. "You're suggesting that the so-called hotel staff are actually the monsters? And we are the anomalies?"

"That's a possibility," Ω shrugged. "It's like in that American animated movie, *Hotel Transylvania*, where everyone from the innkeeper to the guests are all monsters. Humans, in contrast, are the rare 'monsters.' Or it could be like that similarly styled animated movie, *Monsters, Inc.*, which also depicted a world inhabited by all sorts of monsters."

"That's a very constructive hypothesis," Bai Haozheng slowly nodded. "If the 'monsters' we perceive—like those six figures with Bamboo Hats and the old woman in red—are actually the hotel staff, then many things could be explained. For instance, how they can somewhat violate the rules set for guests, like entering and exiting elevators while the safety systems are active, or freely opening and closing doors, and so on... Right," he said, turning to 13MARK. "You didn't see those six figures in Bamboo Hats come back downstairs last night, did you?"