readytorunbook Chapter 518 [Domain - First Gate] Stairwell
Chapter 518 [Domain - First Gate] Stairwell
They didn't know how long they had been trapped in Zhou Liang's nightmare. When they arrived on the second floor, half of the rooms on that floor were already engulfed in flames.
Feng Yao looked at the 2021 room where they had been staying, which was about to be burned to the ground with complicated emotions.
The safe house did not play a significant role.
In the sea of fire, they could vaguely see several charred corpses lying in the corridor. They were clearly dead, but their bodies were still writhing and crumbling.
This is clearly an NPC who lives on the second floor.
Not far behind them, a figure dressed in plain white mourning clothes stood in the corridor, head bowed, as if in mourning.
It was the ghost of mourning who brought out these charred corpses...
However, it didn't seem very interested in the newcomers, perhaps because everyone had already taken off their uniforms due to their nightmare experiences.
The ghost couple is still nowhere to be found.
All the rooms for key guests—309, 3010, 3014, and the two rooms on the second floor—were intact and were not engulfed by the flames.
Chen Ji sighed, suspecting that the ghosts' documents had been taken away by them.
The elevator door slowly closed.
In the silence, a barely audible tapping sound rang in Feng Yao's ears.
She turned her head and saw that Qi Yue was pale, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she looked like she was about to vomit.
The sound I just heard was his teeth chattering.
"..."
Feng Yao glanced at him silently.
Qi Yue's current identity is complicated. He is dead, but not a ghost; yet he is not a living person either.
He was an outcast, both to the hotel and to the newcomers.
He must have witnessed his former colleague die and be burned to a crisp... and was afraid that he would end up like that, which is why he was so afraid.
“Death isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Feng Yao said softly. “Look how tenacious those ghosts are; they can still move even after being burned to a crisp.”
These words brought Qi Yue no comfort whatsoever, and he forced a smile.
Ding--
The elevator stopped on the first floor.
There was no one outside, but the temperature was even higher, and smoke kept drifting in from outside the revolving door.
The gray fog outside the door was even thicker.
Soon, the group arrived at the repair shop.
The small room was packed with people. Chen Ji glanced at his watch; it was still nine o'clock.
The final stage of the gravedigger's existence will likely only begin when the entire hotel is burned down, including the lobby, restaurant, and possibly even the maintenance department.
That is, to leave the cemetery.
That was their only chance to leave.
Since it's uncertain which floor the gravedigger will be on in the stairwell during the transition phase, estimating the required time is unrealistic.
At this very moment, above them, separated by a sheet of iron and countless steps, the ghost team led by the tomb keeper continues its "patrol."
No one made a sound; absolute silence prevailed.
However, everyone looked tired.
Since entering the hotel, most people have been in a state of continuous and intense pressure.
But what's most painful is that this is just the beginning... After one door is closed, there's another, and maybe even the one after that.
Where will we go next?
On the other side, Chen Ji huddled in a corner, pondering the next steps.
What just happened forced them to switch to plan B:
Take the elevator directly to the 4th floor to wait --> Follow the gravedigger up to the 4th floor.
This is a shift from passive to proactive.
After all, the elevator jumps over a very large area, and every time the elevator door opens, they have to face the risk of encountering key guests (mainly Zhou Liang).
Zhou Liang's second "goodbye" left everyone feeling uneasy.
It's like saying it outright:
They'll run into each other again sooner or later if they take the elevator again.
He had already had a brief discussion with Xu Sandao and the others when he was walking towards the repair department.
Since the tomb guardian ghost pacing in the stairwell is actually "patrolling", and considering that Xu Sandao and his two companions sensed the ghost on two consecutive floors when they took the elevator earlier.
Chen Ji believes that the number 2313121234 is very likely not just a shortcut unique to elevators.
In other words, the biggest problem with this ghost is that the "random jump interval" is not actually random, but rather follows a pattern.
"Alright, let me explain what we'll be doing next."
After organizing his thoughts, Chen Ji analyzed.
If they rush into the stairwell without any preparation, they will surely die.
"After time has passed, we need to observe which floor the ghost was on at that time, and then prepare in advance for the next floor of the next interval."
First, those who enter the realm cannot directly encounter ghosts, nor can they allow ghosts to suddenly jump behind them. The two deceased individuals who entered the realm are living examples of this.
The best approach is to naturally integrate into the team.
For example, if the ghost is in stage 312, then the time when it crosses from the 7th level of interval 1 (the end of the interval) to the 1st level of interval 2 is the perfect time for everyone to enter.
Of course, this is only the theoretical best approach; the actual approach will depend on the specific circumstances on the ground.
"After joining the team, we must maintain the same pace, rhythm, and way of walking, and try our best to blend in."
Chen Ji slowed down his speech and emphasized his tone.
He was certain that the tomb guardian ghost could not keenly sense the presence of humans, otherwise Xu Sandao and the other two would have died long ago.
The prerequisite is that no one can show any obvious abnormality, otherwise it is very likely that they will not be able to achieve the goal of "becoming a team".
"What do we do when we need to switch floors?"
Luo Weicheng frowned slightly and raised a key question.
Ghosts can jump from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor in one go, but humans can't!
"Perhaps... we can go with them."
Liu Zi hesitated before speaking, but he already had an idea in mind when Chen Ji was analyzing the situation.
Phil voiced this idea: "You mean like in a novel? Apparition?"
"When a person makes contact with a ghost that can teleport, they can lead the entire group to the next area in a one-to-one manner."
Liu Zi shrugged and didn't object: "...I was actually thinking about the method of multiple people entering the domain, but it's the same thing as what you're talking about."
It also involves physical contact.
Although it wasn't direct contact with the tomb guardians, but rather encountering deceased entrants, the danger still existed.
The biggest problem is that the person standing behind the ghost must seize the right moment, and at the same time, may be subject to huge risks.
Chen Ji didn't say much. He possessed several strange objects and was the one who proposed this method, making him the most suitable candidate.
The method to join the Ghost Team is now clear. As for what will happen after joining and what we will face, we can only wait and see.
Time passed bit by bit.
The silence outside was eerily quiet.
The temperature kept rising, and everyone was drenched in sweat, as if they were in an oven.
Then, a sound of a wooden beam breaking suddenly rang out in the lobby, clearly reaching the ears of everyone in the maintenance department:
Snapped!