Chapter 403 Buying Time

Chapter 403: Stalling for Time

"If we can't harm our own 'family members,' can we attack someone else's?" Ai Qing's voice was unsteady. "How long can we keep hiding like this?"

"No!" Wen Wen immediately opened her eyes wide. "When we entered the game, the administrator said, 'Please do not let your family members suffer any harm within this hotel. If a ticket holder's family member is injured inside the hotel, the ticket holder will be disqualified'!"

Su Bai remembered that Wen Wen had demonstrated excellent memory during the Ghost Bride incident.

"Not only can we not harm our own 'family members,' but we must also avoid letting them get injured..." Wen Wen suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her face a mask of hesitation, as if she had thought of something she shouldn't say aloud.

Su Bai glanced around at the reactions of the others in the corridor. Li Feiwen lowered his head and coughed lightly a few times. Tan Ying averted her gaze, looking around. Zhi Yuan, for his part, also let out a sudden, soft chuckle.

"What's going on?" Liang Yuyan was baffled, sensing only that the other players' reactions were strange.

"Nothing." Tan Ying shook her head without offering an explanation.

However, Su Bai knew that many present had already figured it out: Why did the administrator's rules mention both not harming "family members" and avoiding letting "family members" get injured?

The reason was simple: neither the administrator's rules nor the hotel's rules actually prohibited players from harming other players' "family members." Even if Su Bai were to kill all the ghosts except Xiao An right now, only the other players present would be punished and fail the game. Su Bai, remaining in the game and having a handle on Xiao An, could likely complete the game relatively safely.

But if they voiced this realization, it could sow discord among the players. It was better to pretend they didn't know and hadn't thought of anything.

"Speaking of game rules, the administrator seemed to mention that 'accumulating two absences from activities will result in disqualification.' Does that mean we can miss one of the activities?" Li Feiwen abruptly shifted gears. "But every time we hear the bell, the game starts. We don't even know how to refuse to participate."

"This isn't the time to discuss that. Even if we have such a qualification, it's best to save it for the very end," Tan Ying said, likely aware of Li Feiwen's clumsy topic change. Besides, the stairs were still gradually being repaired.

"Ghosts don't have shadows, so my control over them is much weaker than over humans; I can't control their movements. But if my shadows forcibly encircle a ghost, I should be able to immobilize it for about ten minutes." Tan Ying pondered for a moment before looking at Chi Yan. "Mr. Chi, your ability also allows you to control others. Have you tried controlling ghosts?"

"Miss Tan can control human bodies through shadows, while my ability controls human minds," Chi Yan frowned. "Compared to humans, a ghost's mind is complex and twisted, making it much harder to control. Plus, there are ten ghosts in total. Keeping them still for five minutes is my absolute limit."

"Good, that gives us fifteen minutes," Li Feiwen said laboriously, raising his left arm encased in earth and rock. "I'll also do my best to dismantle and build walls, buying as much time as I can."

"I'll have Xiao Hei try to entangle them as much as possible," Su Bai rubbed the black dog's head. To avoid harming those "family members," it would have to hold back its power and not impulsively attack the ghosts.

"I will too! I left the scarecrow on the second floor. It will start moving as soon as I give the command," Liang Yuyan also raised her hand enthusiastically.

"Alright, let's head to the fourth floor now!" Tan Ying, seeing the stairs between the second and third floors were almost restored, looked towards the fourth floor. "It takes this hotel about ten minutes to rebuild stairs. Going to the fourth floor will buy us an extra ten minutes."

There was no need for Tan Ying to say more. The other players, including the unconscious Liu Yongzhi controlled by shadows, followed her towards the fourth floor.

Upon reaching the fourth floor, Li Feiwen didn't wait for Tan Ying's instruction. He directly used his ability again to dismantle the stairs between the third and fourth floors. Although his ability wasn't weak, destroying two sets of stairs in a row was clearly a strain for him.

Since the hotel only had four floors, after destroying the stairs between the third and fourth, the players had no further upward path. They could only proceed further down the fourth-floor corridor.

"Xiao Hei, guard the stairwell," Su Bai rubbed the black dog in his arms again. Although the little guy whined unhappily, it obediently jumped down from Su Bai's embrace and took its post seriously at the fourth-floor stairwell.

After all players had moved away from the stairwell, Li Feiwen used the earth and rock condensed on his arm to create two walls in succession, placing them between the stairwell and the players to buy time.

"Hah." After the earth and rock left his arm, Li Feiwen let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"These ghosts' obsession with their 'family members' runs far too deep," Tan Ying remarked. Even with two walls between them, she could still hear the ghosts' voices, showing just how piercing the ghosts' shrieks were.

"Is there any way to make them give up on us, their 'family members'? We all hate those ghostly things. Can we make them hate us too?" Liang Yuyan was also racking her brains.

"No!" Wen Wen immediately shook her head like a rattle-drum. "The administrator's rules state, 'If a family member chooses to leave the ticket holder prematurely within one week, the ticket holder will be unable to leave this hotel.'"

"This girl's memory really is excellent," Tan Ying also remarked with admiration. "If I didn't find something to write things down with immediately after entering a game, I'd only remember the general gist."

"Has the administrator blocked all our paths?" Ai Qing panicked, standing unsteadily. "Is there really no loophole left at all?"

It was at this moment that Su Bai noticed Zhi Yuan, standing to the side, allow a brief smile to flicker across his face before it vanished.

If Su Bai hadn't been paying some attention to the man named Zhi Yuan since earlier, he really wouldn't have caught that fleeting smile.

"Has the stair repair speed increased?" Before the players could say anything else, Liang Yuyan suddenly looked towards the direction of the stairwell beyond the wall.

"What's wrong?"

"The scarecrow is coming up to the fourth floor very quickly! I clearly ordered it to follow those ghosts secretly from behind! If the scarecrow is coming to the fourth floor, that means..."

Liang Yuyan didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood—

The "family members" had arrived!