He did a quick tally of the special items they had obtained since the game began and found there were too many to count.
However, it seemed he hadnāt summoned 007 just to count his special items. Gu Mian recalled the actual reason. "That Xie Biāan, what kind of person is he?"
007 thought for a moment. "Heās very gentle. He never takes off his hood; Iāve never even seen him rest. Sometimes heāll sit for an entire day. Every time I went to his room to find him, he would immediately open the door... As for his past, other teammates have asked him, but he never says a word."
Xie Biāan was always patient. He never lost his temper or got into conflicts with others. Otherwise, 007 wouldnāt have been his teammate; after all, his appearance in that all-black cloak was somewhat intimidating.
Gu Mian rubbed his chin.
What a strange person.
He asked another question, "Do you think Xie Biāan is a good person?"
007 looked at Gu Mian, somewhat puzzled. "I suppose... he is."
Gu Mian recalled what Chu Changge had said and leaned in towards 007. "Actually, heās not a good person."
Before 007 could react, Gu Mian darted away, leaving only his retreating figure and a "bye-bye."
ćRestaurant, fourth floor.ć
Mingyue and Li Xueqi were lingering at the top of the stairs, shining their flashlights on the floor beneath their feet. The sign for the fourth floor was on the adjacent wall above them.
The entire restaurant was unlit. It was pitch-black inside, and only their flashlights could penetrate the darkness.
Li Xueqi was Mingyueās teammate and also her classmate. They had been together during the dragon boat rowing, and this time, they were both assigned to the exam site on the 3rd floor of Building 12, so they decided to team up.
Building 12 was closest to the restaurant, directly opposite the school cafeteria. Consequently, they arrived early, before many other examinees.
"Mingyue, do we really have to go in now? Why donāt we wait until there are more people..." Li Xueqi stared apprehensively at the pitch-black fourth floor. "Besides, Iām a little scared of running into the patrolling examiners."
Mingyue clutched her exam paper; she had a multiple-choice question to answer.
[Your task is to eat from the fourth-floor restaurantās specialty rice bowls: ( )]
[A. Salt and Pepper Rice Bowl]
[B. Tomato Rice Bowl]
She had to choose one of them.
Li Xueqiās question was different from hers. They agreed to do Mingyueās question first, then Li Xueqiās.
"...Okay." Mingyue stood rigidly at the top of the stairs.
Truthfully, she hadnāt wanted to come directly to the fourth floor of the restaurant. However, as soon as she exited Building 12, she saw Fatty... and another person. This person was heavily bundled up, but Mingyue recognized them with a single glance!
That was the one who had killed her!
In the death image instance, Mingyue had stared at that expressionless face for a long time before her death. It affected her so much that for several days after exiting the instance, every time she closed her eyes, she would see that personās face and the clothes hanger that had pierced her body.
How insane and twisted must one be to kill someone with such indifference, as if it were the most natural thing to do?
Mingyue was certain that if Xiao Qiao were to run into her again, Xiao Qiao would kill her without hesitation, just like before.
She had loathed Xiao Qiao intensely before. After that incident, her revulsion deepened into abhorrence. But when she saw that face again, the deep-seated hatred was unconsciously replaced by profound fear, causing her to instinctively flee into the nearby restaurant.
If only thereās a chance to kill her... if only thereās a chance to kill her... that would be great.
"Letās go down first," she said, her voice trembling slightly as she turned and headed down the stairs.
That person must be gone by now.
Li Xueqi looked at Mingyue cautiously. "Whatās wrong with you?"
Mingyue clenched her fist, realizing her palm was already damp with a thin layer of sweat. "Itās nothing. Letās go..."
The two girls descended the stairs gingerly, their flashlights casting the only illumination on the staircase.
Soon, they realized something was wrong.
They couldnāt go down. They simply couldnāt go down!
"Mingyue, I remember we were on the fourth floor just now. How come weāve been walking for so long and still havenāt gone down?" Li Xueqi stared at the endless steps beneath them, a shiver running down her spine.
Ten minutes! They had walked for a full ten minutes and still hadnāt descended the stairs!
"Whatās going on?" Mingyue looked at the endlessly repeating staircase. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she quickly shone her flashlight upwards on the adjacent wall.
The flashlight illuminated the sign for the fourth floor above them. Both girls stared wide-eyed. They had never left the fourth floor; they had been there all along.
Li Xueqi swallowed, looking at the pitch-black entrance to the fourth floor. "Weāve been here the whole time... And why havenāt any other players arrived after all this time?"
Other players should have exam questions located in the cafeteria too.
But at this moment, the staircase was utterly silent. They couldnāt hear any other sounds, as if they were the only two people in the entire cafeteria.
Just the two of them.
"What should we do?" Li Xueqi looked at the staircase stretching down into darkness, her scalp tingling.
They carefully tried to go down again, but no matter how many times they descended and rounded the bend, they were always met with the sign for the fourth floor.
"We have no choice now." Mingyue stood on the stairs, looking at the pitch-black entrance to the fourth floor. The huge doorway was a gaping maw of darkness, as if ready to swallow everyone whole. "We can only go in. Maybe... maybe if we complete the question, we can leave this place..."
Li Xueqi swallowed hard and nodded. Although she already regretted entering this terrifying restaurant, they now had no other choice but to enter the fourth floor.