After the entire room was surrounded by darkness, an unknown mist began to disperse inside.
As if possessed by a self-awareness, the mist quickly floated toward Xu Wenxing, wrapping around his body in layers, as though it were confirming his condition.
Shortly after the mist made contact with Xu Wenxing, light appeared in Room 333 again.
However, this time the light did not come from the room’s fixtures.
These lights were deep red, like blood, emitting a strong, ominous aura.
Their source came from within the walls of Room 333, from a “person” who stepped out from the wall holding a Deep Red Lantern.
If anyone else had been present in Room 333, they would have surely screamed that this fellow was a demon or a ghost.
Although this “person” had a human shape, its entire body was composed of mist; even its face was a mass of deep, bottomless mist.
If not for the wide black cloak it wore and the long Scythe on its back, anyone who saw it would have mistaken it for a total Monster.
Now, the Mist-person floated to Xu Wenxing’s Bed and approached him with the Deep Red Lantern.
The sleeping Xu Wenxing was completely unaware of the approaching danger, breathing evenly on the Bed, oblivious to the outside world.
After staring at Xu Wenxing for a long time, the Mist-person slowly brought the lantern close to his face.
In the next second, transparent red flesh and blood vessels were revealed through Xu Wenxing’s cheeks; one could even clearly see cells flowing within.
This scene, resembling a divine miracle, was easily manifested by the lantern in the Mist-person’s hand.
Seeing the flesh on Xu Wenxing’s face, the Mist-person nodded in satisfaction. It reached up, took the Scythe from its back, aimed at Xu Wenxing’s neck, and raised it high.
In the next second, with a single stroke, the Scythe passed through Xu Wenxing’s neck.
But strangely, this strike caused no harm to Xu Wenxing.
Aside from a red line left on his neck, there were no other wounds.
Upon seeing its attack hit, the Mist-person’s body trembled slightly, and the lantern in its hand began to shake violently.
No, it wasn’t just the lantern; the entire Room 333 began to shake!
On the surveillance footage, the walls of Room 333 actually began to compress inward in an extremely bizarre manner, as if controlled by an unknown Power.
10 centimeters, 20 centimeters, 30 centimeters…
The entire Room 333 seemed to come alive, moving inward constantly and shrinking the space within.
The Mist-person backed away and waited patiently, looking forward to the moment the Ritual would be successfully completed.
Just as the room was being compressed step by step, clear footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door.
The Mist-person looked up in confusion, seemingly not understanding why the voice of a Human would appear outside Room 333 at this time.
It gripped its Scythe and floated toward the door, intending to see for itself who was interrupting this important Ritual.
Just then, the lock rattled, and the wooden door shook precariously.
Then, someone kicked the door open and roared into the room.
“I eat lemons!”
Arriving along with that foul curse were over a dozen High-power Searchlight Flashlights that could blind a person.
The intense incandescent light quickly illuminated the entire room, forcing even the Mist-person to temporarily close its eyes to avoid the damned, stinging glare.
The moment the flashlights were thrown into the room, the compression of Room 333 vanished without a trace.
Along with the previously self-aware mist, it completely dissipated into the air.
By the time the Mist-person opened its eyes again, Room 333 was empty.
Not only the mist, but also the Ritual it had painstakingly prepared, and the Sacrifices that had been delivered to its doorstep had vanished without a trace.
The Mist-person glared furiously at the door, the mist holding the Scythe tightening its grip.
It could not endure seeing its prize fly away like that, so it chased after them without hesitation.
***
On the other side, the middle-aged man who had successfully snatched Xu Wenxing from the Mist-person turned on the tap in the Restroom.
Wetting his hands, he patted Xu Wenxing’s face and shouted, “Young man, wake up! Wake up!”
Under the middle-aged man’s call, Xu Wenxing slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at the unfamiliar scene in a daze and then at the worried man before him, asking in confusion, “Who are you? And where is this?”
Seeing Xu Wenxing finally awake, the middle-aged man let out a long sigh of relief.
He looked at the bewildered Xu Wenxing, smiled, and teased, “What, we just met a few hours ago, and in the blink of an eye, you don’t recognize me?”
Hearing his words, Xu Wenxing was stunned for a moment. Then, looking at the familiar face, everything came rushing back.
Wasn’t this middle-aged man the Driver who had given him a ride to the Caesar Grand Hotel and warned him it was dangerous?!
Why was he here?
“You… you’re that Driver from before?!”
“It’s me. Is it that surprising?”
Xu Wenxing nodded heavily, indicating he had never expected the man to have such an identity.
Seeing Xu Wenxing’s reaction, the middle-aged man smiled slightly.
He pulled Xu Wenxing up and said, “I’m telling you, kid, you’re really unlucky. You were targeted by that filthy thing the moment you arrived at the Caesar Grand Hotel. You almost followed in your Senior’s footsteps. Can you tell me how you ended up in Room 333?”
Hearing the question, Xu Wenxing shook his head, patted his forehead, and said, “I… I don’t know. All I know is that I took my Father’s friend on a few laps around City A, and then while I was at the front desk checking into the room, I suddenly lost consciousness.”
“…You’re saying you suddenly lost consciousness?!” the middle-aged man exclaimed, sounding as if he had heard something incredible.
Looking at the man’s shocked expression, Xu Wenxing recalled what had happened and nodded again.
“Yes. I originally planned to stay on a higher floor as you instructed. But for some reason, my Father’s friend insisted on staying on the third floor and even specified the room at the front desk. I wanted to find an excuse to run, but after he looked at me, I fell into a daze and lost consciousness. I don’t remember much of what happened next. I only know that when I opened my eyes, I saw you.”
Hearing Xu Wenxing’s description, the middle-aged man sucked in a breath of cold air.
Then, he gritted his teeth and said to Xu Wenxing, word by word, “Your luck is terrible. Because of some extraordinary trait, you were treated as one of the Sacrifices for Divinity by a Monster’s lackey. Just like — my daughter.”