Clown Game
Chapter 100 - 100 88 Not 3 Days 2 Wakes 2

Chapter 100: Chapter 88 Not 3 Days 2 Wakes! 2 Chapter 100: Chapter 88 Not 3 Days 2 Wakes! 2 “Memory Flashback”

This is a strange cognitive phenomenon that many people experience.

To elaborate, it is a sensation that one has previously seen something currently in view. Sometimes it is a “recollection,” where individuals can remember encountering a nearly identical situation in the past; other times it is a peculiar “familiarity,” where you feel a sense of familiarity with something before you, yet cannot pinpoint its origin.

For example, imagine you are sitting in a cafe, with a friend seated opposite you, excitedly telling you about something. Suddenly! A strange feeling washes over you. The surrounding environment, the soft lighting, your friend’s conversation, the tone of their voice, all become incredibly familiar; it feels as if this exact moment, this precise scene, had been experienced wholly before at some point in the past.

This is roughly the sensation.

Many explanations for this phenomenon have been proposed, including time reversal, paranormal abilities, multidimensional spaces, hypnosis, mental disorders, and so on. A more scientific explanation is that “your brain has deceived you.” However, at the end of the day, there isn’t a definitive answer to this phenomenon.

At this moment, Chen Xiao was experiencing a brief “Memory Flashback”

“Hmm…” He furrowed his brow, didn’t continue walking forward, and instead stood still, seemingly lost in thought. After observing his surroundings for several more seconds, he finally took out his key and opened the door to Room 201.

…

The door was unremarkable, its hinges were not too worn, and it didn’t make any noise when opening or closing. The room wasn’t particularly spacious but looked clean nonetheless, with a double bed placed in the center, a TV mounted on the wall opposite, its plug currently disconnected. There was a bathroom for one person on the side, equipped with a showerhead, next to which was a small window. Chen Xiao walked over to the window and could see a vacant lot below, where three family cars and a small truck were parked, the truck bearing no cargo. Judging by the tire tracks, none had been parked there for more than three days.

“Considering the location, the probability that guests came to stay without driving here is virtually zero. It’s not like people would run down the highway to get here, right? Which means, if one of those cars belongs to the owner, then aside from me, there are roughly three groups of guests staying in this motel,” Chen Xiao thought. “Perhaps, the ‘unusual item’ is among these three groups of guests.”

So, Chen Xiao made a decision right then and there.

All he did was open the window, leave the door ajar, sit on the bed with a deadpan expression, and stare out the window.

As you might have guessed, his decision was… to do nothing! Just sit and wait!

…

Even though it seemed quite boring, this indeed was the best and most convenient method for the time being. Think about it, a guest who just checked in, first fussing around with the clocks on the first floor, then wandering all over the place, wrapped up with bandages on his hands, uglier and more eccentric in behavior—that’s practically like writing “I’m up to something” on his own forehead. Any person would be wary of him, and rather than finding the “unusual item,” he’d more likely be reported as a thief or a robber and taken away by the police.

So, what was Chen Xiao waiting for?

He was waiting for dinner time!

Because, as mentioned earlier, this place was rather remote, lacking supermarkets and restaurants nearby, and the cars parked on the empty lot behind the hotel indicated that a few people were currently staying in the rooms around him.

So, eight or nine times out of ten, these people would be dining downstairs in the restaurant.

Of course, to be cautious, he was also listening for any sound on the stairs while simultaneously keeping an eye on the yard outside the window. This was much safer than going around knocking on people’s doors.

Enough said.

Time moved on to 6 p.m.

Throughout this period, Chen Xiao just sat there, daydreaming, counting the seconds, tuning into the noises in the hallway, observing the courtyard outside, listening for any sounds of the front door being opened, all while shaking his leg.

And during this time, nothing happened.

“Hmm… it’s about time for dinner, I suppose,” Chen Xiao muttered to himself out of boredom.

No sooner had he spoken than a middle-aged woman’s voice came from the first floor.

“Dinner’s ready…”

The voice was loud, but devoid of emotion, catching Chen Xiao off guard…

“Well, it seems that voice must be the innkeeper’s wife, a perfect match for the owner, huh? And is this inn’s service always so primitive and rough? Is dinner announced by ‘yelling’?”

Immediately after, he heard the sound of a door being opened in the hallway, coming from the very last room, which was “204”.

Chen Xiao turned to look at the doorway and, after a moment, a woman’s figure passed by the entrance, in her early thirties, dressed quite fashionably with makeup on her face. It seemed she hadn’t noticed Chen Xiao staring at her as she directly went downstairs.

About 20 seconds later, the sound of footsteps of two people came from the third-floor stairs. Chen Xiao shifted slightly to see a couple sticking close to each other descending the stairs—the man appeared a bit older, but still under thirty, while the girl seemed to be a college student.

Another 2 minutes passed…

Chen Xiao frowned, “Hmm… there should be one more, right? Not in the inn? Is there food? Or maybe they’re not eating?”

With curiosity, he too got up and walked down the stairs.

Upon reaching the first floor, Chen Xiao could smell a strong scent of cooking fumes.

“Uh… it seems that the cooking method is quite rough as well,” he muttered to himself and went into the dining room.

…

Calling it a dining room was a stretch; it was more of a 30 square meter hut with a round table. A glass door separated a spot by the window, beyond which was a kitchen. A middle-aged woman, who could probably hold her own against the “landlady mother,” was carrying two plates of dishes out and placed them on the table.

At that moment, three people were already seated at the table: the “couple” and the woman from “204”. From their expressions, it was clear that none of them appreciated this style of dining, but there was no helping it as this was the only inn nearby.

Chen Xiao put on what he thought was a very easy-going expression: “No one else?”

As he spoke, he rubbed his belly, showing he was quite hungry and eager to start eating, making his question seem less abrupt.

The landlady responded expressionlessly: “There’s a driver too… don’t mind him, eat your food.”

Chen Xiao nodded…

“Hmm… The ‘driver’ must be the trucker,” he thought. “Why isn’t he coming for dinner?”

Just then, a creaking noise came from the stairs. Chen Xiao turned around to see a scruffy man descending, his clothes wrinkled and his eyes bleary.

“Uh… fell asleep…” the driver said as he walked into the dining room, scratching his head.

Chen Xiao glanced at him and noticed nothing particularly unusual.

…

So now, everyone in the inn had appeared.

“Owner” “Landlady” “Driver” “Couple” “Woman”

“Is the ‘unusual item’ among these six people?” Chen Xiao pondered and took a bite of his food.

“Uh… that’s really tasteless.”

…