Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 737 - 735: Backlash (4K)
"Aside from the reason 'as long as you stay on a floor where someone has died, you will be safe,' there's probably another reason 13MARK secretly hid in Room 1108," Li Ang said indifferently as he collected the paper scraps. "Those Bamboo Hats.
"From our experiences over the past few days, the Tall Bamboo Hats are likely much stronger than the terrifying old man. They were drawn here for some reason and started appearing in the hotel on the third night. A player's death pacifies them and makes them leave. For instance, Ω died before 3:30 AM the day before yesterday, so the Tall Bamboo Hats didn't show up. The same applied to 13MARK last night.
"At that time, 13MARK probably thought the Tall Bamboo Hats killed randomly and that hiding on the eleventh floor would prevent him from being randomly selected, thus transferring the risk to others."
"Is that so..." Mule and Liu Wu Dai exchanged glances. In fact, when they heard last night that 13MARK was staying on the eleventh floor, they had already vaguely guessed this. Hiding on a floor where someone had died was indeed one of the safer options, but such selfish behavior was bound to make one the target of public criticism.
"The hotel's lodging guide states that having guests on a floor can effectively calm the hotel's unrest," Li Ang continued. "This also means that if a floor is unoccupied, it may lead to some unpleasant events. For example, that terrifying old man. Compared to the day before yesterday, he no longer needed to lock onto players by their breathing and could harm players even before curfew. His overall strength also increased—this is very likely the backlash from 13MARK's actions."
Mule silently agreed. 13MARK's actions had undoubtedly broken the hotel rules and the unspoken agreement among players. Even if he had survived last night, other survivors might have tied him up today, made him face the consequences later, punished him, or even killed him outright at night... This would lower the chances of the Tall Bamboo Hats appearing and eliminate the potential threat of 13MARK repeating his tactics. In other words, the Dolphin Hotel had set up rules that were restrictive and full of traps. On the surface, it was a test of the players' individual survival abilities, but in reality, it was also a game of strategy among them. Players had to consider if others were trustworthy and weigh whether their trust would be betrayed, leading to their own deaths. If others acted selfishly, all the risk would be transferred to oneself. In such a situation, every word and action from others became suspicious. Were they secretly conspiring? Were they planning to sneak into someone's room at night and silently kill a player to appease the hotel's unrest, thereby improving their own chances of survival? Once the bond of trust collapsed, it was incredibly difficult to rebuild. The poison of suspicion and doubt would grow more potent over time as players fell one by one, its intoxicating effect intensifying. Hell is other people. 13MARK wasn't the first to understand this; he was just the first to act on this theory and pay the price.
"However, one thing is very strange. Why did 13MARK's plan go wrong?" Li Ang rubbed the beard on his Dragon Head Mask (he had molded another disguise from mud) and said calmly, "The Red-clad Old Lady not only appeared on the tenth floor where Kafei died, but she also went directly to the eleventh floor where Danfei had died, and effortlessly killed 13MARK. Why was she able to do this?"
Liu Wu Dai said calmly, "Perhaps the Red-clad Old Lady underwent some kind of mutation? Or did 13MARK's actions cause unrest in the hotel, nullifying the rule that floors where someone died are safe?"
"Could it be that we misunderstood?" Black Holy Son mused, then said uncertainly, "The lodging guide only mentioned that a floor where someone has died doesn't need to be occupied for the next 180 hours. It never said that floor would be as safe as the elevator car. Abnormalities can also enter floors where people have died to launch attacks. Moreover, didn't Li Rising test it just now? Between 01:11 and 06:07, not just the elevator car, but the entire elevator shaft can deliver a fatal blow to Abnormalities. When the Red-clad Old Lady dragged 13MARK's body into the elevator shaft, it *wasn't* during that lethal 01:11 to 06:07 window. That's why she was able to do so. The hotel rules haven't failed."
"If you think about it that way, it does make sense." Bai Haozheng nodded, saying gravely, "I was just thinking, could all of us players leave our respective floors tonight and gather on a floor where someone has died? Unite to increase our chances of survival? But I'm afraid this method won't work. Firstly, the Red-clad Old Lady can enter floors where someone has died. Secondly, the rule that unoccupied floors cause hotel unrest was verified yesterday. If we all stay together, it would likely provoke an even stronger backlash: for example, the terrifying old man might have his restrictions completely lifted, numerous Anomalies could attack us, and it might attract the Tall Bamboo Hats. Even if players die fighting the corridor Anomalies, or even if we intentionally kill a member to appease the Tall Bamboo Hats, I'm afraid we still couldn't handle a large number of corridor Anomalies."
That might not necessarily be the case. The Black Holy Son almost retorted aloud to Bai Haozheng, recalling how he had witnessed Li Ang, dressed as Huanhuan the Fuwa, mercilessly pummeling a clown's face last night. The Black Holy Son had originally thought that he and Bai Haozheng were the two strongest players in this scenario mission, but now it seemed Li Ang had to be included as well.
The Plague Doctor's eye muscles twitched, a complex expression on his face. Deep down, he hoped all the players could gather together. After all, the terrifying old man had been hounding him for two consecutive nights, and if not for his companions' constant support, he would have been utterly obliterated. This morning's analysis proved two things: first, hiding on a floor where someone had died was useless; second, gathering together was useless. Players still had to stay on their assigned floors. For the Plague Doctor, neither was good news...
"There's even worse news," Li Ang shook his head, speaking lightly to Bai Haozheng. "You forgot one thing: 13MARK."
"Hmm?" Bai Haozheng reacted instantly, frowning. "Are you saying 13MARK was... If that's the case, the situation is even more dire..."
Seeing everyone's puzzled looks, Bai Haozheng explained, "After the Red-clad Old Lady dragged 13MARK into the elevator shaft to shake off Li Rising, who was in pursuit, she used some method to open all the elevator shaft doors from the 14th to the 8th floor. In the subsequent tracking, their whereabouts were never discovered. It's certain that 13MARK is dead, and he died before 3:30 AM; otherwise, the Tall Bamboo Hats wouldn't have failed to appear. But what if he died on a floor other than the eighth?"
Wanli Fengdao's mouth fell open as he understood the implication of Li Ang and Bai Haozheng's words.
The hotel's accommodation guide stipulated that each floor must be occupied, except for floors where someone had died. If the Red-clad Old Lady had dragged 13MARK to the eighth floor (his assigned floor), killed, and consumed him there, it would be manageable. However, if 13MARK died on the 12th, 11th, 10th, or 9th floors—all of which had already registered deaths—then the death was redundant for pacification purposes, effectively wasting an opportunity to quell a floor's unrest.
Bai Haozheng, Black Holy Son, Ghost of Hidden Eye, Danfei, Kafei, Bob, 13MARK, Yuyi Xinzhong, Plague Doctor, Li Rising, Mule, Liu Wu Dai, Wanli Fengdao, Ω. Fourteen players, precisely corresponding to the fourteen floors. According to the original plan, even if some players died unexpectedly, the number of remaining survivors would be sufficient to fill the other hotel floors. But now, with 13MARK's death location unknown, it had become the survivors' biggest vulnerability—they might forever lack one occupied spot, never able to fill all the hotel floors.
"The Red-clad Old Lady could have devoured 13MARK on any floor, any place," Li Ang said. "If she killed him in a hidden corner of the fifth, fourth, third, or second-floor corridor, and we, unaware of this, continue to stay on those floors, it would be equivalent to repeating the mistake 13MARK made last night. This has turned into an unsolvable situation. No matter what, the hotel's unrest is inevitable."
"So now," Li Ang spread his hands and sighed, "we are faced with two choices.
"One: continue with the original plan. Everyone returns to their respective floors. The hotel's unrest is inevitable. Everyone relies on their own abilities, and fate will decide who survives and who the Tall Bamboo Hats will snatch away.
"Two: we don't follow the original plan, and everyone gathers together tonight. This might provoke an even stronger backlash from the hotel, causing its Abnormalities to be completely unshackled. The main advantage would be pooling our remaining strength.
"With the first option, one or two might die. With the second, if we're not careful, we could all be wiped out.
"So, what are your thoughts?"
Li Ang, having laid the two options before everyone, scanned Room 1108, observing the expressions on each person's face.
So, an unidentified player's death location means survivors will inevitably face more intense attacks... Bai Haozheng bowed his head in contemplation. After a long silence, he sighed, looked up at the others, and said, "My personal opinion is for everyone to stay together. With our collective strength, we should be able to survive the next two nights and make it to the end of the scenario's timeline."
"..." The Black Holy Son fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Each option has its advantages. I need to think about this first."
All eyes turned to Yuyi Xinzhong. The girl from the Japan Islands, in her sailor outfit, looked beautiful and delicate; one could hardly imagine she was the same person as the Swordholding Shura from the previous night, veins bulging all over her body.
"I... think it would be better to stay on our respective floors," Yuyi Xinzhong said, narrowing her eyes cautiously. "The idea of gathering together clearly contradicts the setting of this mission, doesn't it?
"Suppose on the first night, a player dies. On the second night, the remaining thirteen survivors then think they should stay together to endure the remaining time. Would it be possible for them, with their abilities, to survive? If they could, then there was no need for the System to set the task so complexly; it could have simply told everyone to gather together and have a decisive battle with the Abnormalities. If a group of thirteen couldn't survive the attacks, then our remaining eight have even less chance to survive. The System wouldn't set a mission that's impossible to survive, nor would it make it too simple."
"That makes sense," Li Ang nodded and looked towards Wanli Fengdao. "What do you think?"
Wanli Fengdao grinned. "Me? I'm just taking it all in," he said casually. "As for this issue, players confident in their own strength would probably prefer to stay alone, right? If it's that corridor Anomaly that knocked on my door last night, I should be able to handle it myself. Even if its strength increases by one or two tiers, I have ways to ensure I survive. I choose to stay alone."
Little Brother Dao was not blindly confident; in fact, the players still alive and standing here each had one or two trump cards unknown to others. Besides, with Little Brother Dao's intuition as a Swordsman... he faintly sensed that someone, or some people, among those present had lied.
"One to two," Li Ang said, looking at Liu Wu Dai. "Miss Liu?"
Liu Wu Dai leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyelids drooping. "...Stay together."
"Reason?" Li Ang asked with a smile.
"Intuition," Liu Wu Dai responded calmly.
Mule's gaze shifted between Liu Wu Dai and Li Ang. After considering for a moment, the information broker looked up and said, "I'm with Miss Liu. Intuition."
On a personal strength level, Mule, who possessed a dozen pieces of advanced equipment, was definitely not weak. Relying on the firepower and defensive gear of her Mechanical Statue, she estimated she could hold out for a day—as long as she didn't encounter elusive entities like the Pen Spirit, which were difficult to defend against. But since Liu Wu Dai had said so, she naturally had her reasons. Mule chose to trust Liu Wu Dai's intuition.
"Three to two." Li Ang turned his gaze to the Plague Doctor.
After a long silence, the Plague Doctor said in a hoarse voice, "I choose... to stay separately. No reason."
The others looked at him in surprise. Undoubtedly, among the remaining survivors, the Plague Doctor, with his medical expertise, was the weakest in terms of individual combat strength. From his standpoint, it would naturally be better for everyone to gather, to best utilize his healing abilities and gain protection from others.
"Three to three," Li Ang smiled and turned to the Black Holy Son, who was deep in thought. "May I know your opinion, Black Holy Son?"
Black Holy Son slowly raised his head, staring straight at Li Ang. "May I first ask your thoughts? After all, you're the one who proposed this."
"Me?" Li Ang pointed at himself and shook his head. "I don't have a preference. Actually, whether we stay alone or gather together, I'm confident I can survive. This proposal is just to offer everyone a choice."
"A choice, huh..." Black Holy Son let out an ambiguous laugh. "There are only two options. If more people choose to live alone, then those who choose to gather must submit, or they'll be suspected of transferring danger. If more people choose to gather, then those who opt for solitary living also have to give up and band together—the hotel's unrest is indiscriminate. In the face of even more violent Abnormalities, a single player's survival odds plummet. Essentially, this is just the minority being forced to submit to the majority, isn't it?"
Li Ang smiled again, offering no explanation.
"Since that's the case..." Black Holy Son glanced over everyone and said in a deep voice, "I choose..."
