[No chapters 670-699]
The morning sun was quite bright.
The sealed hotel, apart from being exceptionally quiet, showed no other problems.
Natsuki squinted, and he could even see countless tiny dust particles floating in the air due to the Tyndall effect. The environment inside the hotel was also clear and unobstructed.
However, as Natsuki stepped into the hotel, the scene before him suddenly changed, transforming from a brightly lit morning to a dimly lit night.
"Eh, eh, what's going on?"
"I don't know, it suddenly turned from day to night."
"This hotel has indeed become an alternate dimension, hasn't it?"
Listening to the voices of the girls behind him, Natsuki couldn't help but feel relieved. He turned his head to look: Kaguya, Chika, Marin, Hayasaka... not a single one was missing.
It seemed unlike a dungeon; this time, the kaidan didn't scatter the players, which was good news.
"The phone can't make calls." Kaguya raised her right hand. On her pale, slender wrist was a silver watch. She said softly, "And I can't receive any signals. It really is an alternate dimension cut off from reality."
This thing was a high-tech equipment developed by the Strange Tales Management Bureau, boasting that it could withstand water pressure at a depth of one hundred meters underwater, and it used satellite communication, capable of making and receiving calls even on Mount Everest... Perhaps it couldn't be brought into dungeons, but kaidan seemed not to care.
Unfortunately, this was an alternate dimension, so it couldn't connect with satellites, and most of its functions couldn't be used.
Natsuki raised his right hand, looked at the wristwatch on his wrist, and said in a deep voice:
"Never mind the communication function for now; everyone, let's compare our times first."
"Received." Marin was the first to respond, raising her right hand and looking at her wristwatch. "It's 8:50 AM."
Sayu: "Mine is also 8:50 AM."
Tsubame: "8:50 AM."
Juju: "8:50... It's 8:51 now."
Haruno pursed her lips and said softly:
"It seems the time in the hotel is flowing normally."
As time passed, the time on the watch advanced by one minute.
Natsuki quickly said:
"Everyone's watch times are consistent. We can tentatively assume that the time in the hotel is not chaotic, and the watches are not malfunctioning. Therefore, apart from the satellite communication function being unusable, other functions should not be affected."
"Exactly." Kaguya nodded slightly. "For example... the positioning and tracking function."
As a high-tech wristwatch developed with significant investment by the Strange Tales Management Bureau, the watch naturally had many functions, all of which were quite practical.
The satellite communication and time display functions were self-explanatory; there were also short-term lighting and positioning functions. Of course, besides satellite positioning, the watches could also position each other.
Natsuki didn't understand the black technology behind it; if asked, it was quantum mechanics.
The players who came in yesterday, such as Yukino, each wore the same wristwatch. In other words...
"Let me see where the other players are."
Chika quickly pressed a button on her wristwatch, activating the positioning and tracking function.
A cluster of red dots quickly appeared on the wristwatch, each representing a player wearing a wristwatch.
"Hmm... they should be on the top floor of the hotel?" Chika blinked. "Two of the red dots are separated from the others, and the rest are all clustered together, too many to count."
Kaguya said softly:
"It seems the players who came in earlier chose to split up for some reason."
Tsubame mused:
"Most likely out of necessity."
Sayu said softly:
"I wonder which red dot Yukino-chan is. It's a shame we can't call or send messages."
There was no signal in the hotel, so naturally, they couldn't make calls or send messages.
Haruno raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and exhaled softly:
"Having a target is enough."
Saying that, she turned to look at Natsuki, a bright smile on her pretty face: "Next, we'll just follow closely behind Natsuki-kun! Natsuki-kun, hurry and scout ahead."
Hey, hey, you're the oldest female university student, you should be the one walking in front to scout!
Their current location was the hotel's entrance. However, the door that had been open in the real world was now tightly shut. Natsuki tried to push it, only to feel as if there was an invisible wall in the air, completely unyielding.
"The door won't open." Natsuki surveyed the surroundings again; besides the eerie silence, he found nothing else. "It seems we can only go further inside."
"Let's go!" Chika clenched her pink fist, boosting morale. "Let's rescue Yukino and everyone, and eliminate the kaidan!"
"..."
Having just entered the hotel, everyone's morale was quite high.
However, their vigilance was not lacking. Even Haruno, who had only entered a dungeon once, was well aware of the dangers of kaidan.
Kaguya said softly:
"I've seen internal videos of the hotel before... This is indeed that hotel."
"But it's too quiet." Marin muttered softly. "It feels a bit eerie and oppressive. Tourists, staff, and the players who came in yesterday are all gone."
Chika nodded: "Exactly. I'd rather an evil spirit come out and play a game of 'you chase me, I run'."
Juju: "...Actually, that's really not necessary."
"..."
For players, encountering evil spirits and monsters was normal, even commonplace. Such a quiet environment, on the contrary, made it difficult to adapt.
A moment later.
They arrived at the hotel's front desk reception.
As expected, the front desk was still empty and deserted. Only a notice board was placed in front of the reception, with distorted words written in blood, like a child's graffiti.
Natsuki's gaze fell on the notice board, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Welcome to Aomori Hotel."
"This hotel adopts an advanced non-contact service method, striving to create the quietest check-in environment for guests."
"Please note, when staying at the hotel, you need to abide by the hotel rules. Hotel rules change daily."
"Today's hotel rule: When someone calls you from behind, do not turn around."
"What the heck." Chika couldn't help but complain, "They talk about non-contact service, but there's no one here, so of course, there's no way to make contact."
Juju mused:
"It feels like those unmanned supermarkets that were popular before."
Marin put her hands on her hips and said:
"Facts prove that unmanned supermarkets do not improve consumer happiness levels."
Hayasaka Ai slightly furrowed her delicate brows and said:
"What does that 'don't turn around' rule mean?"
Natsuki was also looking at that day's rule. Just as he was about to speak, a low female voice suddenly sounded behind them:
"May I ask if you need to check in?"
"Eh?"
"The hotel has staff?"
Natsuki felt his brow tighten slightly; his crisis instinct was signaling a warning. Thoughts raced through his mind, and in a flash, he decisively said:
"Don't turn around!"
"..."
But it was half a step too late.
Clatter.
Clatter.
Two sounds of objects falling were heard.
Chika's voice quickly trembled, and she anxiously said:
"P-President, Marin-chan has disappeared!"
Tsubame bit her lip and nervously said:
"Sayu is also gone."
"They haven't disappeared." Natsuki lowered his head, his brow furrowed, and looked at the ground out of the corner of his eye. "They've turned into dolls."
Marin and Sayu's figures had vanished, and on the ground, two dolls had appeared, their faces and clothes identical to Sayu and Marin... Clearly, they had turned around just now, violating the hotel's rule for the day, and thus turned into dolls.
Kaguya furrowed her brows and said in a low voice:
"The rule says not to turn your head, but turning your whole body should be fine."
"Indeed, it is."
Natsuki turned his body, using his body to move his head, and looked back. The hotel was empty; there were no staff members at all. "There's nothing behind us, everyone can move now."
"W-what should we do?" Chika quickly squatted down, wanting to touch the dolls on the ground but not daring to. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Marin-chan and Sayu-chan have both turned into dolls!"
Natsuki took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to use the 'Time Reset' card—this was the MVP reward obtained after clearing "Summer Time Rendering", containing the power of Hiruko no Kami, capable of resetting time once, for a maximum of twenty-four hours.
Stay calm.
Don't panic.
Even if he had to reset time, he couldn't do it now. He needed to gather enough information first to avoid encountering the same danger next time... Damn it! I can't hold back! I absolutely can't!
How could he possibly endure seeing the most important people turn into dolls right before his eyes!
Natsuki felt his blood surging, his sanity rapidly disintegrating, and the anger in his chest made him want to destroy everything. He bit the tip of his tongue hard, and blood filled his mouth, barely suppressing the urge to use the Restart Card. He half-squatted, looking directly at the dolls on the ground, feeling that every second at this moment was exceptionally long.
After an unknown period, a prompt finally appeared before Natsuki's eyes:
[Your rage is burning, sanity rapidly decreasing...]
[On the verge of losing control, you discovered the secret of the dolls. The girls who turned into dolls did not lose their lives; they were merely confined within the dolls.]
[You decide to defeat the kaidan, lift the confinement, and restore the girls to their original state.]
"Phew..."
Seeing the prompt and learning that Marin and Sayu were not in mortal danger, Natsuki finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his rapidly disintegrating sanity began to recover.
"Marin and Sayu are fine." Natsuki picked up the dolls dropped by the two girls. In just a short moment, his voice had become a little hoarse. "They were turned into dolls because they violated the rules. Their lives are not in danger; they just need to be released from confinement to return to normal."
"That's good, that's good."
Seeing Natsuki's expression return to normal, the girls also breathed a sigh of relief.
Natsuki couldn't possibly lie about such an important matter.
After all, he was the closest person to Marin and Sayu.
If Marin and Sayu had truly lost their lives, Natsuki would have directly lost control; he definitely wouldn't have been able to calm down.
"Phew..."
Tsubame covered her chest, letting out a soft sigh, a complex expression appearing on her pretty face.
It really happened in an instant. She watched Marin next to her turn into a doll because she looked back. If Natsuki's shout had been half a beat slower, she would have looked back too, and once she did, she would now be like Marin, a doll on the ground.
When she stayed over yesterday, she heard Marin say, 'You never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.' Although she agreed, she ultimately didn't have a strong emotional resonance.
But now... Tsubame finally understood the meaning of that sentence.
Perhaps in just half a second, she might never see tomorrow again.
Tsubame was initially unwilling to agree to Marin's 'three-person game,' but now, her thoughts involuntarily wavered.
That's right.
Unfinished regrets are the most painful things in life.
Since that's the case, once everyone leaves the hotel together, it wouldn't matter to agree to Marin...
Natsuki picked up Marin and Sayu's dolls, carefully put them into his pocket, and then said in a deep voice:
"Everyone, pay attention. The hotel rules cannot be violated. Next time someone calls you from behind, do not look back."
"Understood."
"Definitely won't look back."
The girls all nodded seriously, indicating their understanding.
Kaguya crossed her arms, her delicate brows furrowed, and reminded them:
"The voice calling us from behind might not be a strange voice. It could also be parents, relatives, campus friends, etc. In short, no matter whose voice it is, or what they call, do not look back at all."
Marin and Sayu's example was right before their eyes, so of course no one would be careless. They all agreed.
Chika clenched her fists and said:
"President, what do we do now?"
Natsuki said in a deep voice:
"Find Yukino and the others who came in earlier. Although they came in a bit sooner and couldn't send out a message, they should have information we don't know."
At the same time.
The game finally issued a notification:
[You have encountered the strange 'Nightmare Hotel'...]
[Reality Guard Mission has been triggered!]
[Mission Objective: Annihilate the strange Nightmare Hotel]
[Upon successful kill, you will receive the following rewards—]
[1500 game Coins]
[10 Free Attribute Points]
[3 Random Skill Scrolls]
[1 Skin Card]
[1 High-quality Item]
[1 Dungeon Exemption Card]
"Nightmare Hotel, huh?" Natsuki silently looked at the prompt given by the game, expressionless. "You're finished."
"Our current location is the hotel's first-floor lobby." Hayasaka Ai said, "The nearest red dot on the watch's GPS is on the second floor. Let's go check it out first."
"Let's go."
Natsuki led the way forward.
Not far from the front desk was an elevator. Natsuki tried it and found that the elevator could still be used, but to be safe, everyone still chose to take the stairs to avoid accidents along the way.
"Fire escape... Found it."
Natsuki entered the fire escape and walked up to the second floor with the girls. It was quiet during this time, and they didn't encounter any other dangers.
Arriving on the second floor, Natsuki's gaze swept around. The hallway was empty, with only dim lighting, and on both sides were rooms with tightly closed doors.
"The red dot is on this floor. No one is in the hallway, so they must be inside a room." Kaguya looked around and said softly, "It seems we need to search room by room."
Juju asked curiously:
"If we shout, will the people inside the rooms hear us?"
Chika heard this and said:
"The hotel has good soundproofing, so they probably won't hear us?"
"Actually, they can hear." Natsuki shook his head. "The couple killed in Indonesia stayed in a five-star hotel. If someone shouted for help in the hallway, the guests next door could hear... But whether others are willing to come out is hard to say."
"That's true." Tsubame nodded. "Even if there are players hiding in the rooms, they don't know who we are, so they probably won't dare to respond, let alone open the door."
"I'll try to open the door first. If I can't..."
Natsuki was halfway through his sentence when the door suddenly opened with a soft click.