Room 404

"Huh?" Jin Jiuchi blinked in surprise. "What you mean to say is… between us, that repulsive woman, Zhi, Tang Ye, and Xinxin, someone has to die for the others to learn about the death condition in this place?"

"Exactly," Nian's lips curved into a chilling smile that did not quite reach his eyes. Under the dim sunlight streaming in from the atrium, the jade doll looked positively breathtaking with his fluttering silver hair and sharp purple eyes. Almost as if he did not belong to this world to begin with. "But let me tell you one thing. I don't plan to die. Not now, and especially not in this place."

Jin Jiuchi couldn't help but snort in amusement when he heard this. Of course, who would want to die? Didn't humans struggle to wake up early and go on their boring routine every single day because they wanted to survive? Even Old Guan's – if that creature back there could still be considered Old Guan – last words before he breathed his last was to plead for someone to help him.

Jin Jiuchi did not want to die either. Hell, he had just managed to get out of the asylum with much difficulty. How could he die before he had the chance to experience everything this world has to offer?! He would be utterly unreconciled if that were to happen. He would definitely come back as a hungry ghost!

But speaking of this strange world, was it really a place where someone had to die for others to survive? That would be… so saddening.

Seeing that Jin Jiuchi was lost in thought, Nian grew impatient. "So, is there anything else you want to ask?"

"Oh yes!" Jin Jiuchi perked up in attention to that. He flashed a grin that showed his sharp canines. "Nian'er, you haven't eaten anything yet, have you? Aren't you very hungry now?" Like magic, he flipped his hand and two pieces of dry bread appeared on his palm, ones that had not been touched by the meat sauce yet. "Ta-da! I managed to grab this from your plate before Old Guan… err, turned into liquid. How is it? Ain't I fast?"

Jin Jiuchi offered the bread to the jade doll with an expectant look, rendering the latter utterly speechless. When had this man made a move? Not only had he salvaged the pot, he also had the time to snatch the bread! Was he ravenous or plainly foolish?!

Nian stared at the man in front of him, stumped. Somehow, if he stared hard enough, he could almost see a fluffy tail swishing back and forth behind Jin Jiuchi. Coupled with his sparkling eyes and devilishly gorgeous face, Nian felt strangely… warm. He did not expect the man to pay so much attention to him.

He cleared his throat and took one of the bread from Jin Jiuchi's hand, taking a small bite out of it. "Thank you. Let's hurry up." Not giving any chance for Jin Jiuchi to react, he turned and walked toward the stairs.

"Okay~" Jin Jiuchi's eyes curved into crescents as he shoved the remaining piece of bread into his mouth and caught up with the jade doll with his long legs. "Nian'er, wait for me!"

Last night, they had arrived too late and thus had no time to properly inspect the apartment building. Now that it was daylight, the two of them seized the advantage to look around – well, it was Nian who did it seriously whereas Jin Jiuchi merely jumped here and there to sniff the air.

"Strange…" Jin Jiuchi swept his gaze over the closed doors, the empty corridor, and the floor that was covered in a thin layer of dust, frowning. "The list clearly said that all of the rooms in this building are occupied save for the six rooms we stayed in last night. So why does it smell like no one has lived here for a long time? Not to mention, I can't even detect any hint of repulsive stench from the paper dolls last night. Don't you think it's weird, Nian'er? That smell was so damn strong, I almost died last night because of it! How could it vanish without a trace just like that?!"

Nian cast him a speechless look. "What are you, a hound? You can even smell something like that?"

Jin Jiuchi rubbed his nose and puffed out his chest proudly. "Hehe I told you, my nose has never failed me before!"

In response to his demeanor that was clearly seeking praise, Nian merely rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the front. But surprisingly, he gave a proper answer for once, perhaps because Jin Jiuchi had shared the bread with him earlier. So the saying was true, the way to someone's heart was really through their stomach!

"Don't bother," he said in a nonchalant tone as he continued to inspect the rooms. "All of these rooms are either empty, or there's a trap waiting for us as soon as we open them. Some of it may even trigger the death condition. If you don't want to die, I'd advise you not to knock on the door."

Jin Jiuchi's knuckles stopped an inch away from the door before he quickly retracted his paw and hid it behind his back like a disobedient child who was caught eating a jar of peanut butter. He stared at the jade doll in front of him in astonishment. Amazing, Nian'er did not even look at him so how did he know that Jin Jiuchi was going to knock on the door?!

"But…" Jin Jiuchi hurried to chase after him. "Nian'er, I saw someone…"

Nian paused. "...You saw someone? Where?"

"Uh-huh. Before we even got off the bus…" Jin Jiuchi described the appearance of the thin and shriveled face he had seen through the window. "And if I'm not wrong, then it should be… this room." He halted on his tracks and pointed at a certain room on the fourth floor in front of him.

Nian looked up and saw that it was room 404.

404…

Nian furrowed his brows. If he did not remember wrongly, then this room should belong to one of the players — Sister Hong.