The identity he possessed on the second floor was not that of a tenant, but that of a corpse.
Even though he was, in truth, a living person who could breathe, whose heart beat, and whose body had warmth, within the judgment mechanism of this apartment building, what he actually bore was the identity of the corpse in the room.
Why?
He wasn't a corpse—he was alive.
The invisible Horror Story that knocked on doors could affect him; the strange beings that stole the appearance of the living could recognize and track him; the opened windows could pollute his mind; and those doll-like children he had met on the third floor had even boiled him alive in hot water.
All of this served as perfect proof that Takumi was, without a doubt, a completely living human being.
Of course, his willpower was extraordinary; except for the "children" who killed him through direct plot force, he had been able to struggle and resist every other time. Yet that did not contradict the fact that he was a living, breathing human who could be hurt, could grow hungry, and could die.
In other words—had he merely replaced an "identity"?
Like exploiting a bug, he would still be hunted by the powers of the Horror Story just like any normal player, always needing to stay alert and move carefully—if he was hungry, thirsty, or needed to defecate, he had to take action for those needs. But aside from that, he possessed an identity that an ordinary player would never have—one more compatible with the apartment's rules, one partly acknowledged by it—and for this particular instance of the scenario, his identity was "the corpse."
This identity could not help him when facing the apartment's direct threats, since he was ultimately a living person—his true nature would be exposed at a glance. But against the apartment's invisible rules, he had indeed managed to wedge himself into a loophole, disguising himself as one of its assigned roles.
And the benefit of this was that, when moving about at night, he and Kaguya would not be tracked by the corpses. Although the dangers of the night itself still remained, that most troublesome and inescapable problem—the corpse's pursuit—was something the two of them no longer needed to worry about.
It wasn't of great significance, but it did have at least some use.
Only—why?
Why was he able to obtain such an identity?
Takumi slowly crouched down and looked at the mangled corpse lying on the bed.
He knew the source of that corpse's image.
It was the image he had once imagined—how he himself must have looked after dying in his previous life. After all, judging from the last scene he had seen before losing consciousness, that truck's tire should have crushed over his head, then rolled across half his chest. Considering it had been an overloaded heavy truck, Takumi figured the sight of his body after death could not have been pleasant, and thus had pictured it this way.
And now, in this lucid dream, what he saw before his eyes was a corpse exactly identical to the image he had imagined.
"Was it because of you?"
Takumi lowered his head and looked at the watch on his wrist.
That peculiar object—its origin unknown, filled with secrets, harboring danger—yet had undeniably given him a chance at rebirth.
It was linked to a massive city.
A city long dead, where the corpses within still repeated the scenes of their lives before death—a shattered city where everything endlessly replayed the final moments before destruction.
Could it be this thing that had altered his original player identity, allowing him to exploit this bug?
If that were the case, did it mean that, in order to clear this game, he had to act at night? That if he wanted to uncover the real truth, to find the correct path of survival, there were certain things he had to check at night—only then could he obtain the right answers?
'And at this very moment, what did this lucid dream of mine mean? Why had I fallen into such a strange dream now, seeing the disguise of my identity within this instance? Was this dream my own—or someone else's?'
Takumi turned around and looked toward the living room door of Room 204.
The corpse on the bed and Kaguya both remained motionless.
He had already walked to the doorway.
Reaching out, he grasped the doorknob.
[Creak—]
Beyond the slowly opening door lay a pitch-black corridor.
Takumi could see every object placed along the hallway, every floor tile, every crack upon the walls.
In that moment, the darkness seemed no longer able to hinder his vision.
So he stepped into the corridor, closed the door, and continued walking toward the main entrance—arriving before the security door that Yamamoto Hiroshi had repaired.
There seemed to be someone's voice sounding from outside the door.
Takumi moved a step closer and pressed his ear against the crack.
[Team 1 reporting: all 25 residents on the first floor have been fully evacuated.]
[Team 2 reporting: the evacuation of 27 residents on the second floor is nearly complete. We are currently escorting the occupants of Room 204 out—this is the last group of residents on the second floor.]
[This is Command Center. What about Team 3? The weather is worsening rapidly—the flood peak is expected to arrive early. Team 3, what's your situation?]
The full, youthful voice was accompanied by the static of a walkie-talkie.
From afar, Takumi could even hear the faint sound of a broadcast echoing outside, mingled with honking cars and the violent patter of a raging downpour.
[There's a problem at 304. The family inside refuses to open the door—they're refusing to evacuate.]
[What the hell? What's wrong with that family? Damn it, the first floor's already half-flooded and they still won't leave.]
[Sir, there's something strange about that family's situation. Requesting permission to break down the door—and, if any brothers from Teams 1 or 2 are still nearby, please come up and assist…]
Amid the noisy chatter, Takumi heard footsteps rushing through the corridor outside.
It seemed to be an echo left behind from some moment in the past.
When had this happened?
Room 304… what exactly had occurred there…?
[Click—]
Before he realized it, his fingers were already resting on the doorknob.
The sound of the rainstorm outside vanished without a trace.
And in the next instant, Takumi had already stepped out of Room 204 and entered the corridor.
[Sir, let me help you walk.]
A voice brushed past his ear, faint and indistinct, as if coming from a distant place.
Takumi turned his head and saw two silhouettes emerging from Room 204 behind him.
Many more people had appeared in the corridor.
Their faces were blurred, their figures flickering unsteadily.
Takumi strained to observe them closely, but could only barely make out that they seemed to be wearing orange rescue uniforms.
Rescue personnel… evacuating the apartment residents… flood… torrential rain…
He remembered when this had happened.
[Let's go, sir.]
The two figures had already stepped into the stairwell.
Only then did Takumi realize that, without noticing, he had somehow come to the corridor on the first floor.
Amid the sound of rushing water, filthy and muddy water had already risen past a person's calves.
One after another, phantoms were now passing through the corridor, moving toward the apartment's main entrance.
Takumi saw many phantoms walking up the stairs.
[What's going on upstairs?]
[It seems the family in 304 was found… how could this have happened…]
[Restrain the people first and get them out. Don't damage the scene—how did a simple evacuation turn into this?]
[Bang!]
A heavy, explosive sound came from upstairs.
The furious curses of a man and the heart-rending screams of a woman rang out together.
All kinds of sounds tangled in chaos, echoing one after another, making it impossible to distinguish what was happening above.
Takumi couldn't see what was going on there.
His perspective seemed bound to the two phantoms before him, following them step by step as they moved toward the main entrance.
The noises from upstairs gradually drew closer—closer and closer toward him.
The man was still shouting, seemingly struggling with all his strength.
The woman's wailing grew sharper and more piercing.
There were also many other voices—people speaking, whispering among themselves.
Rushing water—
The main entrance was already right ahead.
Takumi wanted to turn around, to see clearly the figures behind him, but his body was growing more and more rigid. He could only face forward—toward the open door, and toward the blinding light beyond it that made everything invisible.
[We're almost outside.]
The phantom beside him spoke.
Yet Takumi could no longer move his legs forward.
Something was tugging at the hem of his pants.
Tiny fingers—the size only a child could have—had somehow grasped his pant leg at his thigh, preventing him from taking another step.
Who…
This time, Takumi managed to turn his head.
[Splash—]
The sound of flowing water rippled violently.
And Takumi's gaze fell behind him—upon that small figure that was clutching at him.
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