Tick—tock—tick—tock—
He changed out of his soaked shoes.
Gao Hai placed the key to Room 304 and the cassette tape on the table, followed by three Rescue Team badges. Then, he leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.
The exploration of the first floor went very smoothly. Already experienced, he went down, found a way to tear off a badge for himself, then entered Room 109 to get the key and tape. This time, he didn't attract any attention for uncovering the core intelligence of the Shirakawa Apartments. To this day, there has been no sign of that little thing around him.
However, he had a feeling that if he tried to recall the things he saw in the last loop—without even speaking them aloud, merely thinking about them—he might draw that thing's gaze. As the true danger of the entire Shirakawa Apartments, if he dared to underestimate it just because he had a reset ability, the consequences would surely be tragic.
"Wearing this badge temporarily identifies you as a member of the Rescue Team, making it a very useful Obsession Item. However, the toll this thing takes on one's willpower is terrifying. So, Miss Shinomiya, Maki, I'm only giving them to you two. Be extremely careful when using them. The moment you feel your mental state is off, you must take the badge off immediately. Miss Shinomiya can ask Maki about this; she knows very well what happens when you wear it for too long."
Gao Hai spoke earnestly to the two young women before him.
Kaguya looked as if she wanted to say something, her gaze shifting between Maki and Gao Hai, but in the end, she just nodded silently without a word.
Maki's gaze, by contrast, was much sharper. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she simply replied, "I understand," to Gao Hai's words, saying nothing more.
As for Sun Dajun and Miwa Maeda—yes, the real Miwa Maeda this time, not that spy idiot—although she was still useless, this woman could at least understand human speech and knew when to be quiet, which was a rare quality. In any case, both of their worldviews had been easily transformed. The method was simple: Gao Hai used the Blood Puppet Obsession Item on them, letting them personally experience the feeling of being grabbed by a group of corpses and dragged into the mire (their mouths were gagged beforehand, of course). After that, both Sun Dajun and Miwa Maeda became obedient.
After witnessing the scene where Gao Hai directly threatened him with a severed head, Green now saw Gao Hai as a ruthless player who was decisive in killing and would cut you down if you didn't listen. Consequently, he was ten, no, nine times more obedient than in the previous two loops. Gao Hai was very satisfied with this, though he still wouldn't trust this guy in a critical moment.
As for the Black young man, Gao Hai finally learned his name: Mameier, a fervent enthusiast of Chinese fantasy web novels. He had even given himself a Chinese name, Mamapi, which he claimed was a trendy, cool new word he'd seen online. He was very proud of this name and even had it tattooed on his body. Well... putting aside these make complaints-worthy points, this Black young man was quite obedient. Right from the start, he declared he wanted to be a subordinate in an unlimited-flow squad, adventuring with Gao Hai, obtaining enhancements from the Main God, breaking his genetic limits to become a superman, and so on... Putting these make complaints-worthy points aside, this guy named Mameier was quite reliable.
The spoils of their efforts—the various items that once belonged to the two veteran players and now belonged to Gao Hai's group—were all laid out on the table in Room 206.
Two scalpels, possessing extreme sharpness capable of easily severing bone, and so sturdy they would never dull. However, using them would gradually instill a strong aggressive impulse in the wielder's mind, making them increasingly bloodthirsty until they inevitably lost themselves. They were weapons that required someone with a strong will to use carefully.
A red ragdoll. Gao Hai had never quite figured out how to use this thing or what its effects were, but he always felt that its eyes were human and were constantly peeking at the surroundings. Without knowing its exact method of use, he decided to put it into the dimensional space of his watch. After all, Obsession Items were ultimately related to horror stories, so it was best to be cautious.
The Blood Puppet was a very straightforward Obsession Item. Its function was to restrict movement, targeting only a single individual at a time by dragging them down. If the target's resistance was insufficient, it seemed they would be pulled into a pit of mire, presumably killing them for good. To retrieve it, the original puppet that was thrown must be recovered; otherwise, it would not stop its activity, making it a dangerous item that could easily get out of control.
The Faceless Head was also extremely dangerous. After trying to use it once, Gao Hai confirmed that once released, it had to be fed meat—the freshest flesh and blood. Otherwise, it would inevitably turn on its master. Even if it was fed, one had to be extremely careful when retrieving it, as a single moment of carelessness could result in a bite. Furthermore, this item was purely for use against humans. Back in the second loop, after Gao Hai was partially transformed into a Rescue Team member, the item went on strike, showing no reaction to anomalies at all.
Gao Hai had hesitated about whether to keep this item. He felt it was quite useless and very dangerous, but considering the two veteran players, Lao Guo and the female spy, Gao Hai—who had developed a pessimistic outlook on the overall quality of players in the Sacrificial Game—ultimately decided to keep it, designating it as a self-defense weapon.
Finally, Gao Hai obtained a small box of bone ash. He remembered this item had caused him some slight inconvenience when he was transformed. However, the watch didn't define it as an Obsession Item, so it couldn't be stored. He gave it to Maki for safekeeping.
Aside from these Obsession Items, a search of Lao Guo's backpack yielded two semi-automatic pistols, two boxes of bullets for a total of 60 rounds, and four explosives detonated by custom circuits.
These dangerous weapons were also useless against anomalies but posed a major threat to people. In the end, the two pistols were given to Maki and Kaguya, and the explosives were also split evenly between them for management.
Incidentally, during this process, Gao Hai asked if Kaguya knew how to shoot. When he got a negative reply, Green stepped forward with a smile and said he knew how to use a gun. Gao Hai, knowing how unreliable this guy was at critical moments, responded by smilingly holding out the gun. Then, just as Green was about to take it, he asked, "If I give it to you, do you really dare to take it?" This successfully scared Green so much that his face paled, and he repeatedly apologized, not daring to step forward again.
"So... you've actually all been through the events in this apartment once before. It's just that we failed last time because of those two people, and then you turned back time by winding the wall clock, which is how you knew what actions to take..."
After listening to Maki and Gao Hai's explanation alone, Kaguya took a deep breath, sat down, and thought for a long time before she could barely accept it all.
But next, when Maki and Gao Hai were alone, things weren't so easy to bluff through.
"It has nothing to do with the wall clock, does it? This is your own trump card, isn't it, Hai-kun?"
In the second-floor hallway, illuminated by the pale light, Maki stood leaning against the wall, her brownish-purple eyes locked firmly on Gao Hai as she spoke seriously. Although her words were phrased as a question, the young woman's tone was clearly stating a fact.
"That's right. I just didn't expect you to remember what happened this time."
Gao Hai glanced at his watch, whose hand had already moved to the third mark, before looking back at Maki and replying.
"Including what you said about the rewind during the last run... that was a lie too, wasn't it? You've actually started over from the beginning for the third time."
Maki sighed softly and continued to ask. It was obvious this intelligent girl had already figured everything out.
"Yes, that's right. It's just that rather than presenting something completely without basis, the wall clock was easier to understand and explain. That's why I chose not to tell the truth at the time."
Gao Hai didn't hide anything from the girl before him, answering with great solemnity.
"I know. I can understand your reasoning. It's just... you're really something else. What kind of ability is that? Why does it have such a miraculous effect?"
Maki held back, and held back, but in the end, she couldn't resist asking again.
"Even if you ask me, I don't know. I can only say that I'm also just figuring out this thing's abilities through trial and error. As you know, the process of figuring out how this thing works is hardly a pleasant experience."
Gao Hai's expression became a bit helpless. He only arrived in that blood-colored city when he died, which had only happened twice so far. What could he possibly have figured out?
"...Does it bring you danger? Is this ability dangerous, like an Obsession Item?"
Seeing Gao Hai like this, Maki fell silent for a moment before asking again, still worried.
Even now, she could clearly recall how ugly and terrifying Gao Hai looked lying on her lap, his completely twisted and miserable appearance. It was heart-wrenching to think about, no matter when she recalled it. Especially since even at that point, Gao Hai still hadn't succumbed to the pain. Such willpower made the girl's heart ache even more. In her view, having a talent for enduring pain was never something to be celebrated, which was why she tried to be as gentle as possible with Gao Hai, hoping he would show more of his own feelings and emotions.
To be able to revive after death, to reset everything.
Such a power sounded truly incredible, almost god-like.
Even though the Shirakawa Apartments already had a rewind item like the wall clock, it was, after all, part of the horror story and had clear limitations. In comparison, the unknown power within Gao Hai was deeply unsettling, and Maki just couldn't rest easy.
"Don't worry. Although I'm not sure of the specifics, as long as I don't face a desperate situation like last time, this ability... probably won't harm me."
Gao Hai, who knew nothing about the blood-colored city, couldn't bring himself to say anything disingenuous at this moment, so he could only comfort the girl in this way.
As long as nothing happened to him and he didn't die, then this thing probably wouldn't hurt him before he died of old age. At least for now, Gao Hai believed this judgment was likely correct, though whether he could actually achieve that in practice was another matter.
"I see..."
Knowing she couldn't press further on this matter, Maki nodded lightly and fell quiet.
"Yeah. In any case, it's really great that you remember. I thought this time I'd have to face a you who didn't remember anything again."
Gao Hai smiled again and spoke his mind.
At least in his own opinion, there was nothing wrong with this sincere, heartfelt remark.
But for some reason, a blush almost immediately appeared on Maki's cheeks. She subconsciously avoided Gao Hai's gaze, and her relaxed posture became much more reserved.
Huh? What's wrong with her? Could it be that what I just said was a bit too cheesy?!
Realizing his mistake a moment too late, Gao Hai didn't know how to fix it. He suddenly felt his face flush and scratched his head in embarrassment.
"By the way... since you knew you could start over, that time when you said... you'd never been kissed by a girl... you weren't just trying to take advantage of the situation, were you? And you even deliberately put on that life-and-death farewell act..."
Then, Gao Hai heard Maki's very low voice, almost a murmur.
He couldn't see the expression on her face because Maki had lowered her head, but he could see her slightly red ears and could imagine that the girl's mood was probably not very good right now.
"No, I was telling the truth then. It was the absolute truth. For me at that moment, it really was a life-and-death farewell, Maki."
After a moment's thought, Gao Hai spoke to Maki in a firm tone.
However, what he was thinking was that he had to prove that [I wasn't just trying to take advantage of you]. What Gao Hai didn't realize was that this wasn't what Maki wanted to ask at all. Right now, her mind was replaying another sentence, the one Gao Hai had said with a smile at the very end: [I really like you, you know].
What's with him, confessing to someone he's only known for three days? He's just like a playboy, so awful!
No, he's known me longer than I've known him. Maybe for him, it's been many days. And he said he saw me die in front of him. No, no, that's not the same thing at all. This annoying guy is too frivolous! Besides, I'm... I already have...
"Hmph, I never believe what you say. Who knows if you're lying, you've already tricked me once."
Finally, her thoughts somewhat short-circuiting, Maki raised her head and snorted coldly at Gao Hai. Her tone was quite harsh, but the blush on her cheeks was just as conspicuous.
Is this... triggering a tsundere reaction?
Seeing Maki's expression, Gao Hai had to admit his heart fluttered a few times.
Although creating this kind of atmosphere in this dilapidated and eerie apartment seemed a bit strange, he was actually quite enjoying it...
Gao Hai turned his head and looked toward the end of the hallway.
Reacting a moment before him, Maki also turned her head and looked toward the end of the corridor.
Hee hee ha ha—
The children were laughing cheerfully.
The children were walking over, step by step.
Hey, they're children we don't know.
Want to come play with us?
Play together?
Play together?
Play together~ play together~ pl-play-play together~~
Tap tap—tap tap—
The children's footsteps were getting closer.
The children were laughing joyfully.
The children were inviting you to play.
"..."
His body reacted before his mind could, taking action.
Almost instantly, Gao Hai grabbed Maki's shoulders, lifted her up, and threw her toward a cabinet on the side of the hallway.
Reacting a moment later, Maki endured the eerie sounds echoing in her mind, trembling as she climbed onto the cabinet and hid on the very top shelf.
Then Gao Hai leaped up, vaulting onto the cabinet as well, landing on top. He gasped for breath, trying hard to divert his attention from the giggling sounds below.
Ha ha ha—
We are all good children—
Hee hee—good children should play together—
We don't play with bad children—
Ha ha—
Hee hee hee—
Although the laughter sounded like that of ordinary children, at this moment it was filled with an intense, eerie feeling, as if it would completely crush Gao Hai's mind.
He turned his head and looked toward the inner side of the cabinet top, near the wall.
He saw a piece of printer paper taped to the wall, saw its contents, and below it, a section of the cabinet top that had been sawed open, revealing some scattered items in this small, separate space.
[1. Don't look down, don't make eye contact, that's how you'll survive]
[2. You are safe here, you will not be harmed, so don't panic, stay calm]
[3. There are usually supplies on one side of the cabinet. Food, water, rubbing alcohol, and gauze are all there. You can take them if you are injured or hungry/thirsty]
[4. If it is nighttime in the hallway, you must wait until it is completely light]
[—Xusheng]
It's this person again. He really is considerate...
Gao Hai lay motionless on the cabinet, and Maki on the other side remained quiet as well.
The children's laughter gradually faded into the distance.
One by one, they quickly disappeared down the other end of the corridor.
But Gao Hai had no intention of getting down.
He just continued to lie quietly on top of the cabinet, motionless, maintaining his silence.
Tsk, how boring.
So boring, so boring!
The bad child is too scared to come.
The bad child is still too scared to come.
The bad child just knows how to hide from everyone.
Because she's not a good child, hee hee hee—
Hee hee hee—we won't play with her anymore—
Hee hee hee—then let's not play with her—
Hee hee hee—good children don't play with bad children—
Hee hee hee—ha ha ha—
Then, the children's voices began to recede once more.
Accompanied by the pitter-patter of skipping feet, accompanied by the joyous sound of giggling and laughter.
Only after this group of children's voices had completely vanished, after the sounds had totally disappeared from the end of the hallway, did Maki, lying on the opposite cabinet top, close her eyes and listen carefully for a while before letting out a sigh of relief, a look of lingering fear on her face.
Just now, she had noticed that the sound of the children's laughter when they arrived and when they left did not completely overlap. It was very likely that some of them had remained behind silently. That was why she had warned Gao Hai while on the cabinet, and why they hadn't moved and instead waited for a while.
"What was that, that thing..."
After confirming that those things had really left, Gao Hai and Maki jumped down from the cabinet. Maki let out a heavy sigh, still speaking in a small voice, clearly shaken.
"That is one of the things we'll have to face from now on."
Before coming down, Gao Hai had reached into the hidden compartment left by Xusheng's group on top of the cabinet and grabbed a chocolate bar. He spoke as he ate, his expression gradually turning serious.
He had to admit, he might have gotten a bit carried away.
After successfully eliminating the two troublemaking veteran players and working in perfect sync with Maki to solve the biggest problem at the start of the instance, his mood had become a little too relaxed. He had even started to feel that no problem could possibly trouble him.
But the reality was that he was still trapped in this apartment. All of them had yet to find a way to leave.
"It's far from a time when we can relax..."
After a sigh, this was all Gao Hai could say. He then signaled for Maki to return to the room with him, leaving the narrow and gloomy hallway.
________________________________________
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