Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Yu Lingling looked down the corridor and decided to go in order. She walked up to the weakest room on the floor and knocked on the door.
The entity inside had already heard the commotion next door. Once he confirmed that the butcher had been killed, he began plotting to seize that room after these outsiders left and devour the weak female entity living there.
The resentment from two rooms would be enough to make him stronger.
All he had to do was stay hidden and avoid provoking the one outsider he absolutely couldn’t afford to offend.
When he heard a door open and close, he froze. A terrible feeling welled up inside him, and then came the knock on his door.
The scrawny man’s eyes widened. Despite trembling all over, his resentment scattering in his fear, the rules compelled him to rise and open the door.
“What is she trying to do?”
“She can already clear the instance.”
“Maybe she’s going to join them?”
The viewers outside the Livestream Room weren’t the only ones wondering what Yu Lingling planned to do; the scrawny man wanted to know too.
He opened the door with a smile uglier than a grimace. “D-Don’t come any closer. I…”
Then, under his terrified gaze, Yu Lingling uttered the words he feared most.
Hugging her brown Teddy Bear Doll, Yu Lingling said, “Hello, mister. We’re here to join you.”
The scrawny man wanted nothing more than to slam the door in her face, but he was powerless to defy the rules. “Th-Then come in.”
Despite his words, there wasn’t a trace of welcome on his face.
Yu Lingling acted like a child who genuinely couldn’t read the room. “Thank you, mister.”
The viewers beyond the screen burst out laughing at how cowardly the male entity was acting.
“They weren’t like this before. They couldn’t wait for players to knock on their doors.”
“When these players first arrived, this entity had his ear pressed to the door. He looked so disappointed when the streamer didn’t come in.”
After thanking him, Yu Lingling entered the room first.
The scrawny man tried to flee, only to discover that he couldn’t. His hand trembled around the doorknob. Then he saw something that plunged him into even deeper despair.
There were four more children behind Yu Lingling, filing into the room one after another.
The little girl who entered last straightened her crooked bow and looked the scrawny man up and down with faint disdain. One glance was enough to tell her that his resentment wasn’t pure or delicious enough.
The scrawny man knew that look all too well. He used to scrutinize outsiders with the same picky gaze.
Once the little girl entered, the door closed in accordance with the rules, despite the scrawny man’s desperate desire to stop it.
Two little children were more than enough to deal with him.
Yu Lingling crouched in front of the scrawny man. “Mister, do you think I’m a good child?”
The scrawny man’s shadow had almost completely faded. “Y-Yes. You’re a good child.”
Yu Lingling thought for a moment as she hugged her doll. “But, mister, I don’t have a present for you.”
The scrawny man didn’t want to disappear. “N-No need! You don’t have to give me anything. You’re already a resident of this building, so you’re not considered an outsider anymore. You don’t have to follow the rules for outsiders.”
Realization dawned on Yu Lingling’s face. It was exactly as she had suspected. “Thank you for reminding me, mister. You can leave in peace. I’ll send the others to keep you company soon.”
After the scrawny man disappeared, however, no key appeared.
Having learned from the previous instance, Yu Lingling kept the door closed and searched the smaller, shabbier room from top to bottom, but found nothing.
She considered the matter carefully and came to a conclusion.
Yu Lingling clicked her tongue. “He’s so poor. He really doesn’t work hard enough.”
In truth, Yu Lingling had not found much of use in the room next door either. The only things even remotely interesting were those human skins.
But her brother had told her that she was not allowed to steal or take anything of unknown origin.
The woman in the apron did not have a tainted aura, so Yu Lingling had no intention of bullying the weak for now. As for the human skins, there was no telling whom they had come from.
Taking them would break both of her brother’s rules, so Yu Lingling could not bring them with her.
She had thought that with several rooms still left to search, she would at least find something worthwhile. She had not expected to run into such a useless homeowner.
The Four Dolls wore expressions of disdain identical to Yu Lingling’s.
Having come away empty-handed, Yu Lingling knocked considerably harder when she reached the third room.
After the door opened, she greeted its occupant with the same impeccable manners. “Hello, Grandpa. We’re here to join you.”
By the time Yu Lingling finished cleaning out the last room, the third and fourth of the Four Dolls had to brace themselves against the wall with one hand while rubbing their stomachs with the other as they emerged.
Yu Lingling was now sitting in the only chair in an empty room on the fourth floor, eating chips she had taken from the Dollhouse as she inspected the spoils they had collected.
Overused Faded Back Scratcher: Makes someone’s back itch in a spot they cannot reach. Can be used once per instance.
Nearly Bald Feather Duster: Randomly locates one item hidden in a room. Can be used three times per instance.
Battered Palm-Leaf Fan: A fairly useless fan. If it gets hot, use it to fan yourself. Unlimited uses.
Thimble: A sewing tool lost by a tailor. It is sturdy enough to block any needle-based attack, but it is rather small, so whether it actually blocks one is entirely up to luck.
Yu Lingling could only laugh at how poor the residents on this floor were. The only thing that truly counted as loot was the key.
Still, the other items were not completely useless.
Hugging the Teddy Bear Doll, Yu Lingling shifted into a more comfortable position, then tipped the bag up and poured the last chip crumbs into her mouth.
It was not her fault that she was eating snacks instead of a proper meal. This instance was to blame. There was no one to cook, and she could not even order delivery.
With that excuse neatly in place, Yu Lingling happily pulled out some chocolate and began nibbling on it.
The Four Dolls were crowded together on the bed. They liked the room’s eerie atmosphere, and now that they were full, they were starting to feel sleepy.
Still, they secretly glanced at Yu Lingling as she ate and decided that if they put in a little effort later, they could probably manage a midnight snack.
Another person who shared Yu Lingling’s idea of clearing out his quarters first was Brother B.
Unlike Yu Lingling, who had deduced the true room-selection rules through observation, Brother B had reached his conclusion using his extensive experience with instances, his skills, and the information he had gathered about the Happy Family instance beforehand.
Once inside his room, Brother B dealt with its original owner.
The supernatural entities in these instances were almost impossible to destroy for good. Once an instance reset, they would reappear.
However, Brother B did not clear out the entire floor as Yu Lingling had. Instead, he sat in his room and chatted with the viewers in the Livestream Room. “I wonder how that little girl named Chacha on the fourth floor is doing. Did she choose an empty room or one occupied by an entity? By my reckoning, if she chose the former, she won’t survive the night. If she chose the latter, she might still have a chance.”
“You’re asking about Sister A and Brother Knife? They probably have a guild backing them. As for whether they’ll survive tonight… Their fates were sealed the moment they chose empty rooms. Even if each manages to become a Full-fledged Player, they won’t get far.”