Chapter 217 Leaving the Reception Room

Chapter 217: Leaving the Reception Room

The players in the reception room struggled to compose themselves, doing their utmost to suppress the violent thoughts swirling in their minds. They knew that if they remained, someone would soon succumb to the sinister influence and lose control. Yet, the unknown territory beyond the door seemed even more terrifying.

As most players wavered in indecision, Su Bai, unable to fight off his drowsiness, leaned against the wall and sat down, his eyes barely slits as he observed the others.

Su Bai's abilities and talents were intrinsically linked to puzzles. This meant he constantly constructed mental puzzles about the people and events he encountered; the more complete the puzzle, the deeper his understanding.

In this small reception room, the most fragmented puzzle in Su Bai's mind belonged to the player named Qin Yuxuan.

During the earlier introductions, Qin Yuxuan had offered no useful information beyond his name, even deliberately leading everyone to believe he was a clueless newcomer unaware of his own talents or abilities.

But to Su Bai, Qin Yuxuan exhibited none of the traits of a newcomer. He stood aside, observing like a detached spectator, his poor acting skills arguably the second worst among all present players.

Su Bai glanced again at the bespectacled girl, head bowed, not far away.

"Let's go. The contamination in the reception room is getting worse," Sang Sang said, her unsteady frame swaying slightly. "There shouldn't be much difference between inside and outside now."

After much deliberation, everyone finally agreed with Sang Sang's suggestion.

As the bespectacled girl and Sang Sang had pointed out, there was little distinction between the inside and outside of the reception room. If they continued to huddle together, they would soon be unable to control the violent emotions surging within them. No matter how much they reminded themselves that they were all human, all players, and companions, they would likely turn on each other once rationality was lost.

So, they had to separate!

They could no longer remain clustered in the reception room!

"Creak—" Under everyone's watchful eyes, Sang Sang pushed open the reception room door again. All the players braced themselves for unknown dangers.

But to everyone's surprise... nothing happened.

This time, there was nothing outside the reception room. The terrifying bloody aura and malevolent energy had vanished without a trace. The horror-movie-like faint red world was gone, replaced by an ordinary hallway with white walls on both sides. Normal lighting illuminated the corridor as brightly as day, looking no different from an apartment hallway in the real world.

Where was the bloody aura?

Where was the malevolent energy?

Where was that suffocating pressure that made their legs go weak?

Just moments ago, when the door was opened, a bizarre world filled with terrifying aura and bloody vortices had awaited them. But now, everything outside appeared completely ordinary, while the bloody smell and malevolent energy lingering inside the reception room felt even more terrifying.

This unbelievable change left Chen Xi, who had just opened the door, staring at her hands in shock, wondering if she had opened it incorrectly.

"Quickly, let's go."

Though unsure what had transpired, Sang Sang stepped out of the reception room without hesitation. After all, no one knew if that blood-soaked, oppressive space would return. They had to seize this moment to find more clues related to the "mirror."

The instant Sang Sang stepped out of the reception room, the oppressive feeling that had weighed her down vanished completely. Her entire body felt incredibly light, and even the air she breathed seemed remarkably fresh.

In reality, although the world outside appeared perfectly normal, the apartment still existed within the nightmare realm. The air from this realm could never truly shake off the chill brought by the red moon, let alone feel genuinely fresh. The primary reason Sang Sang perceived the air as fresh was because the terrifying aura, oppressive pressure, and foul bloody smell from before had been so utterly suffocating.

Compared to earlier, not only had the oppressive pressure and bloody smell mysteriously disappeared, but the violent thoughts that had plagued Sang Sang's mind also dissipated. She felt completely at ease.

Seeing Sang Sang step out safely and even appear reborn with relief, the other players eagerly followed suit, leaving the reception room and experiencing the same sense of liberation.

For a moment, the least mobile among them became the unwell Su Bai again. After all, the side effects he endured couldn't simply vanish along with the oppressive pressure outside.

Zhang Yibu seemed to notice Su Bai's poor condition. Though the boy might not understand why Su Bai, who had once seemed terrifyingly powerful on Bus 444, had suddenly become drowsy and mobility-impaired, he stayed by Su Bai's side while the others rushed out of the reception room.

Su Bai had saved his life on Bus 444. Earlier, when even seasoned players like Sang Sang and Yue Zhengqing struggled to stand under the pressure, he had been able to hide behind Su Bai, avoiding suffocation from that terrifying oppressive feeling.

"In the nightmare game, concern is perhaps the most useless show of affection."

Just as Zhang Yibu was figuring out how to support the much taller Su Bai, a teasing voice came from nearby. Zhang Yibu looked up and saw Qin Yuxuan, who had been standing behind the sofa during self-introductions.

Even though Zhang Yibu hadn't shown the best memory during his school days, he still remembered the scene where Yue Zhengqing and others mocked Qin Yuxuan as a complete newcomer. What puzzled Zhang Yibu was why Qin Yuxuan, if he were truly a newcomer, would speak with such an experienced tone.

"What?"

"Nothing." Qin Yuxuan offered what he thought was a friendly smile upon seeing Zhang Yibu's confused expression. "I just think the two of you share a close bond."

Qin Yuxuan ranked higher than Yue Zhengqing and Sang Sang on the experience leaderboard, meaning he had been immersed in the red moon's influence longer and could naturally resist the terrifying oppressive feeling better than others. Additionally, his ability involved mental control, granting him far greater mental strength than ordinary players.

Thus, when the oppressive pressure and bloody malevolent energy struck earlier, Qin Yuxuan, though equally uncomfortable and breathless, remained in much better condition than the other players. His mind wasn't flooded with uncontrollable violent thoughts.

This allowed Qin Yuxuan to observe every player in the reception room clearly, contemplating how to make this already bizarre game even more interesting. As a mental controller, he excelled at amplifying minor conflicts until they spiraled out of control, even fabricating conflicts that never existed.

Like the intimate relationship between Yue Zhengqing and Xiao Xiaodie.

Like the hidden rivalry and competition between Yue Zhengqing and Sang Sang.

Like Chen Xi, who immediately used her "older sister" status to pressure others.

And then there was...

Qin Yuxuan thoughtfully glanced at Zhang Yibu, who was eagerly trying to support the "girl." Though they were companions from the same newcomer game, did that ordinary-looking boy really think his meticulous care would capture the "girl's" attention?

With a face like that, would the "girl" in the nightmare game truly be moved by cheap "concern"?

Had he saved "her" life or something?

Heh.

In Qin Yuxuan's eyes, Zhang Yibu's foolishness would also make this game more entertaining.