Players, Please Board the Train

”Mirror Hotel?”

”I only figured it out after being here for several days,” Peng Fengnian said. ”Look, the doors and general layout of the rooms here are completely reversed compared to a real hotel. It’s like looking at a hotel through a mirror.”

”That’s not entirely accurate,” Xiao Ling interjected. ”The bumps and grooves on the outer walls and doors are opposite.”

”Generally speaking, that’s the case,” Peng Fengnian glanced at her. ”Even the scenery we see during the day is mirrored. Overall, it’s correct.”

”Also, we can sometimes hear footsteps in the rooms and outside.”

Hearing about footsteps immediately piqued the trio’s interest. Xu Huo asked directly, ”Do you follow the footsteps?”

”As expected of you,” Peng Fengnian nodded. ”We thought hearing footsteps meant we could contact the outside, but it didn’t work...”

”Not only did it fail, but it also dragged others down,” Xiao Ling cut him off. ”Every one of us was pulled in here because we followed footsteps!”

Afraid of being misunderstood, Peng Fengnian quickly explained, ”Those two things aren’t related. If we knew how to pull people into the Mirror Hotel, why wouldn’t we just get out ourselves?”

”Besides, starting from last night, I never left my room. There’s no direct connection, not even an indirect one.””And I was the first one here. Whose footsteps did I hear then? There weren’t any players before me!”

Xiao Ling and Yu Guangnan remained unconvinced, causing Peng Fengnian’s anger to rise. ”If I really knew how to get out, I’d have left long ago. Why would I still be stuck here?”

”Maybe it’s one-way-only, in but not out,” Xiao Ling said sharply. ”I’ve seen plenty of people who, on the verge of death, still want to drag others down with them!”

Peng Fengnian was in bad shape, so he didn’t argue further. Instead, he turned to Xu Huo. ”I have no reason to lie to you. I still hope you can lead me and my companions out.”

”I might not make it out myself,” Xu Huo said calmly. ”Last time was just luck.”

Peng Fengnian seemed determined. ”It can’t get worse than this. We’ve been here five days. Our food and energy potions are almost gone. We can’t hold out much longer. Either we starve, or we kill each other.”

”Don’t rush to refuse either. We arrived earlier and have more information. Can you search this entire huge hotel alone?”

He had a point. Even if Xu Huo wanted to go outside and take a look, he had to guard against that wandering monster. Having someone to lure it away would be helpful.

But the priority wasn’t finding a way out just yet. There were three prerequisites.

First, the issue of food consumption.

A D-level player could store a fair amount of food and water, enough to last more than five days.

Second, the number of those monsters.

Seeing only one didn’t mean there was just one.

Third, was hiding in a room a 100% guaranteed way to avoid monster attacks?

Peng Fengnian immediately provided answers. As for food, people in the Mirror Hotel got hungry very easily. Even without struggling with the monster or wandering around the hotel, their physical energy drained quickly. They needed massive amounts of energy replenishment. Moreover, this hunger grew worse over time, and no matter what or how much they ate, it wouldn’t help.

So far, they’d only seen one monster. Earlier, to investigate a way out, they’d tried luring the monster away to explore, which cost them several companions. With all that commotion, if there were more monsters, they’d definitely have been drawn out.

As for hiding in rooms, that was another fact they’d tested with their lives. The monster would recklessly attack any room with an open door. But as long as the door was shut, it showed no interest at all. Unless they made too much noise, even if it heard sounds, it wouldn’t linger outside the door for long.

Xu Huo nodded after listening and made a quick summary.

First, Peng Fengnian’s group didn’t rob Xiao Ling and the other because, one, they hoped these two could find a way out, and two, after five days in here, these people were heavily depleted. If they fought, they’d be at a disadvantage, and if the monster was attracted, there’d be nowhere to run.

Also, they probably realized that ordinary food might not be able to satisfy their hunger any longer. Soon, they might fall into a frenzy of starvation, like before the initial trial. At that point, what they’d want to eat wouldn’t be up for discussion.

Second, the monster’s reluctance to attack closed rooms might not be due to some special restriction. It could simply be because it was full. Over five days, including the three players who came with Xu Huo, at least seven or eight people had died in the Mirror Hotel. The other side even still had half a corpse left, proving it really wasn’t hungry.

Despite having a basic understanding, Xu Huo still trusted his own judgment more. He began pressing for details.

For example, how far had they followed the footsteps before entering the Mirror Hotel, what time had they appeared, where had they heard outside footsteps after coming in, how long those sounds lasted, the times the monster appeared, its state during appearances, which floors it frequented, whether it had a fixed nest or excreting spot, whether it would leave the hotel, what it looked like during the day, and so on.

About the time Peng Fengnian had been down for too long, the rope outside the window started swaying. He went over and waved, and another player climbed down.

This person was very young. Compared to Peng Fengnian’s disheveled state, he kept himself very clean. Although his demeanor wasn’t great, he was quite wary of Xu Huo and the others.

”This is a friend I met in a dungeon before. Very capable.” To prevent Xu Huo from using a fake name, Peng Fengnian didn’t say his name.

”Yu Huo,” Xu Huo greeted the young man proactively.

But the other party didn’t appreciate it. Instead, he said directly to Peng Fengnian, ”Teacher Pan wants to talk to you.”

Peng Fengnian’s expression darkened. ”Teacher Pan’s method doesn’t work. We’ve made zero progress in five days!”

The young man didn’t say much in front of an outsider. He just repeated, ”Teacher Pan wants you to go up.”

Peng Fengnian was silent for two seconds before turning back to Xu Huo. ”I’ll go up for a bit.”

”Go ahead,” Xu Huo said indifferently. It wasn’t surprising that Peng Fengnian’s group was being secretive. They weren’t here to clear the dungeon together. Being cautious of other players was normal.

After they left, Xiao Ling said, ”So secretive. Nothing good is brewing... I’d say in a few days, they’ll start eating people.”

Yu Guangnan looked horrified. ”The voracious appetite will come back?”

”Hard to say,” Xiao Ling said with a grave expression. ”Maybe there’s something in here pushing players toward mutant transformation. It’s not just Evolvers with voracious appetites; Mutants have them too.”

When that happened, aside from the monster, they’d have to face players who had degenerated into Mutants!

”Are you sure you want to cooperate with them?” Xiao Ling looked up at Xu Huo.

”The details they have can save us time,” Xu Huo emphasized the word ”time.” Then he added, ”It doesn’t matter if they degenerate. Once they lose their sanity, they’ll be more dangerous to us than we are to them.”