Jing Minghe leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his eyes fixed coldly on the man before him.
"How do you know I'm not?" the fake Lu Fanfei twisted his neck, asking with a sinister grin.
The voice was identical, the face the same. Even the smile when they first met, he believed, was no different from what he had seen in Jing Minghe's memories.
Jing Minghe lowered his head and chuckled, a sound that seemed like mockery but held a hint of bitterness. After his laughter subsided, he cast a disdainful glance at the imposter Lu Fanfei, sighed, and said, "Because you don't know how much the Lu Fanfei in my memories differs from the real Lu Fanfei."
As he spoke, Jing Minghe slowly approached the fake Lu Fanfei. "The smile you just showed, using my brother's face, is one I've fantasized about in my mind. My brother... wouldn't smile like that."
Before he finished speaking, Jing Minghe suddenly kicked the fake Lu Fanfei.
The man was sent flying to the edge of the bed. As he slowly rose, he let out a cackling laugh. His head bent back ninety degrees, then rotated another one hundred and eighty. His arms stretched down to his feet, and his lower limbs twisted behind him.
Jing Minghe watched the monstrous, inhuman thing with vigilance. He felt no fear now, only anger. This instance dared to mock him with Lu Fanfei's appearance. It was not just a provocation; it was an insult to Lu Fanfei.
Patience worn thin, Jing Minghe, without regard for what this creature was or any potential danger, charged forward and pummeled it. His blows were savage, the most ruthless he had delivered since entering the City of Death, and he only stopped when the creature was torn to shreds.
When he finally ceased, he saw that the dismembered body had turned into a pile of sawdust. As the woodchips gradually vanished, a mournful roar echoed from the surroundings.
"Death, all must die! Those who harmed her will not live! All must die!"
The voice continued for a long time before fading. When it was gone, the door slowly opened.
Seeing no one enter, Jing Minghe walked out. The corridor was deserted. He glanced at Yawei's room; the door was still closed. He wondered how Youmi and the others were faring, and what the others were doing.
Since all the room doors were closed, Jing Minghe was unsure how far along everyone else's actions had progressed.
He waited by the staircase for a while. Seeing no activity, he looked towards the sixth floor. The flowerbed on the sixth floor was something he found hard to ignore.
After a moment of hesitation, Jing Minghe couldn't resist and ascended.
·
When Gu Chenhui reached the fifth floor and saw Jing Minghe enter Li Zhong's room, he decided to look for the logistics staff, Wei Hao. He knocked on the door, finding it ajar, but no one was inside. He looked around but found no useful clues before coming out again.
After exiting Wei Hao's room, Gu Chenhui saw Chi Hao and Xia Rong heading off to find the remaining individuals. Luo Yu was invisible to them, the players, so searching for him was futile.
Thus, with nothing to do, Gu Chenhui turned to head downstairs, intending to explore the lower floors. If he was lucky, he might even eavesdrop from the lounge on the third floor.
However, upon reaching the third floor, he found that both the performance hall and the lounge doors were tightly shut. Even with his ear pressed against them, he could hear nothing.
Helpless, Gu Chenhui continued his descent.
Upon reaching the second floor, he saw from a distance that the exhibition room door was still open and decided to check again if there were any other clues to be unearthed from the extra mannequin.
Gu Chenhui headed straight for the exhibition room. Just as he was about to enter, he stopped abruptly.
He noticed that a room at the end of the corridor had its door slightly ajar, with a faint light seeping out. He knew that before this, on the second floor, all rooms except the exhibition room had been locked. They had tried to open them before, but to no avail.
Gu Chenhui retracted the foot that had already stepped into the exhibition room. His eyes betrayed his interest in that particular room. Regardless of whether it held clues or danger, he walked towards it without hesitation.
Pushing the door open, Gu Chenhui took a cursory glance. It was merely a storage room. However, he had an unexpected find. Wei Hao, whom he had been looking for, was currently busy organizing things in the storage room.
Gu Chenhui raised an eyebrow. He was quite pleased with this arrangement.
Wei Hao, engrossed in his work, sensed someone's entry and stopped, turning to look. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "Guest? How did you end up here?"
Gu Chenhui walked over and smiled. "Nothing to do, just wandering around. Are you busy? Can I help?"
"No," Wei Hao shook his head. "No need. I wouldn't dare trouble you with my work, guest. Feel free to look around."
"Someone from your art troupe is dead," Gu Chenhui said, staring at Wei Hao's face and observing his every expression. "Do you know?"
To Gu Chenhui's surprise, Wei Hao turned back to his work and said in a very detached tone, "Who dies and who lives has nothing to do with me."
Gu Chenhui inquired curiously, "Nothing to do with you? Aren't you a member of the art troupe?"
"Yes and no," Wei Hao replied as he worked. "I'm just here to repay a debt. As long as he is safe, the well-being or death of others is of no concern to me."
"He? Who?"
Gu Chenhui saw Wei Hao's body stiffen for a moment, unsure if it was due to his question or something else. His voice then became even colder. "Guest, I have work to do and no time to chat. I apologize."
Given such a clear dismissal, Gu Chenhui knew that further questioning would yield nothing. He said, "Then you carry on. I won't disturb you."
Gu Chenhui walked out of the storage room, only to hear Wei Hao's voice from within.
"Luo Yu, why are you here?"
"The person just now?"
"He didn't say much. He told me someone in the troupe is dead. Who?"
"Her. How did she die?"
"You don't know? Then never mind. As long as it doesn't affect the performance, it doesn't matter."
"There's a dress rehearsal tonight. You should go back and rest. I can handle this work alone."
Hearing the conversation end, Gu Chenhui swiftly entered the exhibition room and conveniently closed the door. Although he couldn't see Luo Yu, Luo Yu could see him. This invisible danger was somewhat unnerving.
At this point, Gu Chenhui confirmed one thing: not only could they not see Luo Yu, but they couldn't even hear his voice. This made Luo Yu the most unpredictable and dangerous entity for them, the players, to manage.
Gu Chenhui sighed softly, thinking: I hope he's just an NPC meant to advance the plot. Although the possibility of that is extremely slim.
*Creak...*
The exhibition room door, which Gu Chenhui had just closed, slowly opened. Gu Chenhui immediately turned his head, pretending to admire the photos on the wall.