Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 48: Close Your Eyes When It’s Dark

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Close Your Eyes When It’s Dark

"Exploring a haunted house is a sacrificial ritual."

"The souls of the sacrificed will be forever trapped in Congyun Hotel, becoming a part of the hotel and its ghost stories, which is also the source of the lady’s strength."

"The sacrificed will be forever forgotten; when dawn arrives, those who are alive will have the chance to leave."

Tang Qianqian carefully read the small print on the back of the note, which detailed that the so-called haunted house exploration was in fact a sacrificial ritual. The existence of the sacrificed would be completely erased, never to appear on missing persons notices anywhere.

That pair of young lovers were the exception.

They were the ultimate winners of the sacrificial ritual, originally granted the right to leave Congyun Hotel at dawn; however, they did not stop there.

Somehow they found the staircase leading to the fifth floor, where the lady resided.

Perhaps to avenge their sacrificed companions or to put an end to the wicked sacrificial ritual, as two ordinary humans, they challenged an invincible enemy.

The typical outcome of mortals challenging demons is death.

Yet their deaths were not in vain; they managed to get close to the lady and delivered a stab to her back. Though they failed to truly reach the master of Congyun Hotel, they provided a glimmer of hope to the staff.

When the lady was preparing the souls of the sacrificed, she would briefly lose control over Congyun Hotel, which gave the young couple the chance to approach her body undetected, prompting a thought in the staff.

If it were not two ordinary humans but a stronger entity that had gotten close to the lady’s body, perhaps they could have truly harmed her.

In admiration of the young couple’s extraordinary courage, after reaping their souls, the lady didn’t completely erase their existence but turned them into a new ghost story, remembered by more people.

"Does that mean that waitress Miss is actually a good person?"

Yang Ping blurted out.

Without a doubt, this note was left by the waitress Miss, bound by some curse, unable to leave Congyun Hotel—this was as far as she could reach.

She buried the note underneath a notice board, hoping that one day someone would end the mad sacrificial ritual in the hotel.

"Perhaps."

Tang Qianqian glanced at Yang Ping and hesitated to speak.

This note completed the part omitted by the ghost stories—the condition to open the staircase to the fifth floor was the end of the sacrificial ritual, with the souls of the sacrificed claimed by the lady. As she began processing the souls, she would temporarily lose her near-absolute control over Congyun Hotel.

The waitress Miss hoped they would be the ones to deliver the stab in the back, to break the curse for her, to end the nightmare of Congyun Hotel that has lasted for generations.

These were the insights Tang Qianqian gleaned from the note.

Therefore, before dawn came and the sacrificial ritual ended, they had to stay out of the lady’s surveillance range, waiting for the hotel guests to endure a harrowing night and eventually, a very few might qualify to leave Congyun Hotel.

What if they encountered an uncontrollable situation?

Of course, they would report to their senior!

Tang Qianqian took a photo of the note, preserving it as important information.

All actions centered around the senior must always trust that the senior can make the most reasonable, the wisest decision.

Yet after waiting at the hotel entrance for a long time, the person who came was not the senior but Jiuyue.

"Mr. Mingyuan is asleep, he’s been pulling all-nighters drafting ’Regulations for Industry Regularization’ these past few days—let him get a good sleep."

After understanding the situation, Jiuyue made a prompt judgment, "Leave the lady to Mr. Mingyuan to deal with; your task is to protect the guests’ safety as much as possible... By the way, are you carrying the small sachets I made for you?"

"We are."

"That’s good, especially after ten o’clock, you need to keep them with you at all times."

Jiuyue instructed them.

The small sachets were something she learned from the ’Auspicious Fox Cultivation Notes,’ an ancient spell left by her ancestors, requiring very rare and precious materials, the most precious of which was the down from her tail.

For the safety of these newbies, Jiuyue felt she truly gave a lot.

The tail of a Fox Demon is priceless, and she spent a long time every day grooming it, as only then could it always remain soft and fluffy.

"Leave it to us, we’ve already familiarized ourselves with the rules of the haunted tales,..."

"Don’t jinx it."

Jiuyue glared at Tang Qianqian, sternly cutting her off, "Less jinxing, more working."

She really didn’t understand why humans liked to jinx things so much, as if they were afraid they weren’t dying fast enough?

............

Duan Mingyuan slept until late into the night.

He was awakened by a shrill scream, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps, seemingly many people, rushing past his door.

The time on his phone screen showed 10:07, later than he had expected.

"Mr. Mingyuan, you’re awake?"

Jiuyue gave him a slight smile, "The exploration of the haunted house has already begun."

The paranormal enthusiasts outside still didn’t realize what they were facing, thinking they were only seeing the elaborate traps designed by the hotel.

As if they were truly exploring a haunted house, their screams of fright mixed with excitement.

Perhaps even up until the moment they were sacrificed, they would naively think it was all part of the hotel’s arrangements, to provide them with a more immersive experience.

But that was not too bad, at least at the end of their lives, they were not facing despair, but looking forward to the subsequent "game."

Just like a classic opening line in a game.

When it’s dark, close your eyes.

No one would think they might actually be killed in the game.

"Hmm."

Duan Mingyuan nodded, inconspicuously moving aside the large tail that covered him like a blanket, and he heard Jiuyue let out a "yah," her whole body shuddering.

Normally, he would not have slept this long under such circumstances, but...

What else could he say?

The fox tail caused the trouble.

Only those who have experienced the feeling of resting on a tail pillow or sleeping while hugging a tail would understand that it is more lethal than a warm bed in the cold weather.

"Mr. Mingyuan, Tang Qianqian and the others have made an important discovery, actually—"

"Let’s go to the fifth floor."

Duan Mingyuan straightened the creases on his shirt, restoring himself to his best state, while also very well concealing his fondness for the large tail.

He put on a stern face, displaying a serious expression, which could hide his thoughts deep inside.

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this, Jiuyue suddenly became a bit unsettled, "Didn’t you sleep all day?"

Why would someone who had slept all day in the room come up with clues that others had to piece together after a whole day of hard work upon waking up?

Mr. Mingyuan must be cheating.

She suggests a strict investigation!

She must emphasize again.

"The fluctuations of Life Energy are coming from above."

Duan Mingyuan glanced at the ceiling, speaking indifferently, "Such a degree of energy change, even a three-year-old child could notice something’s amiss."