Chapter 10: The Creepy Hallway
After closing the door, Luo Jun leaned against it, listening to the screams from outside, panting heavily.
What had just happened seemed simple, but it was already the limit of what Luo Jun could do. That monster, the little girl, was far stronger and quicker than him, not to mention she had sharp teeth and a disgusting tongue. Dealing with her required not just physical strength but also immense mental fortitude.
Just imagine, an ordinary person facing a rabid dog frothing at the mouth—no matter how much stronger you are, you'd still be scared out of your wits. And this monster was even stronger than Luo Jun.
But thankfully, he managed to keep her outside...
Luo Jun straightened up and looked at the half-tongue writhing on the floor, thinking how such a powerful monster didn't even give him a quest or anything. Just kicking her out had already cost him two dice rolls.
But it was fine; midnight was approaching, and he could refresh his rolls then.
Luo Jun casually checked his recent dice roll records and suddenly frowned.
The first roll to dodge the tongue attack resulted in a fourfold severity multiplier. This made sense—if he got hit, he might not be killed instantly due to his physique, but he would definitely get hurt. Compared to the twelvefold multiplier for death, a fourfold injury seemed reasonable.
However, the second roll, which kicked the little girl out, only got a threefold severity multiplier.
Kicking her out effectively solved the monster problem entirely, which should be far more significant than just getting hurt, so why only three times? That didn't add up.
Could it be that kicking her out doesn't really solve the monster problem?
With that thought, Luo Jun pressed his eyes against the peephole, only to find no sign of the little girl outside. Instead, there were pieces of her clothing scattered on the ground, and something seemed to be wriggling beneath them, gradually getting smaller.
"Could it be…" A chill ran down Luo Jun's spine as he glanced back at the half-tongue on the floor.
What tongue? In the few seconds he turned to look through the peephole, that half-rotten piece of flesh had transformed into a massive tumor, vaguely taking on a human shape!
What the hell, she can come back into the room just with a half-tongue?!
Luo Jun felt a shiver down his spine as he watched the tumor grow larger, now towering over him, sprouting several tentacles. It was no longer resembling a little girl at all!
Why is it getting bigger?
Seeing the monstrous form, Luo Jun, trapped at the entrance, could no longer face it head-on. He quickly opened the door and bolted outside!
If it chases me, I'll look for a chance to slip back inside and keep it out for good! If it doesn't chase, I'll just hang out here for a bit—maybe I'll get lucky and find someone kind-hearted to take me in!
With this plan in mind, as Luo Jun passed by the next room, he noticed the door was tightly shut, completely intact!
Is this the room where the "little girl" and her family just were? Didn't "dad" smash the door down?
Luo Jun immediately realized that all the sounds he just heard were fake! It was the "little girl" trying to lure him into opening the door!
What an ambush… he cursed inwardly when he suddenly heard a loud crash behind him as a door was flung open.
The "little girl"... no, it's the tentacle monster now, already chasing him out of the room!
Feeling the killing intent behind him, Luo Jun didn't dare to look back and hurriedly sprinted forward!
In front of him was the staircase; if he could get downstairs, maybe he'd have a chance to escape!
But just as Luo Jun was about to rush there, a tall figure stepped out from the stairwell!
An octopus head, sharp claws on the left hand, a crab claw on the right, dripping wet and reeking of fish…
That's the big monster that just knocked on his door! Why is it here too?
Luo Jun suddenly hit the brakes and almost fell to his knees in front of the octopus head, glancing back to see the tentacle monster closing in!
Determined, Luo Jun made a desperate leap to the side, crashing against the wall, scrambling backward, all while gripping the dice in his hand, ready to activate them at any moment if the monsters attacked!
However, what he saw before him left Luo Jun stunned.
The two big monsters collided; the tentacle monster seemed like it wanted to chase after him, but the octopus monster tightly held it, seemingly trying to stop it?
Why? Are these two monsters not on the same side?
Let them fight it out; it's buying me some time!
Luo Jun sprinted back to his room door, reached for the doorknob, but found it wouldn't budge…
"Uh…" He paused, suddenly remembering that in his rush, he had left the room card inside the room…
Without the room card, he obviously couldn't open the door.
Damn it, I locked myself out?
Just then, a scream echoed from afar, and he saw that the octopus monster had been pierced by several tentacles, collapsing to the ground with its foul-smelling blood pooling around.
With the octopus monster taken out, the tentacle monster whipped its limbs and came charging toward Luo Jun!
"This is bad!" A chill ran down his spine as he looked up and suddenly noticed another staircase ahead!
Right, in such a big hotel, how could there be only one emergency staircase? Seeing the tentacle monster getting closer, Luo Jun glanced at his door, remembered the room number "0315," then decisively turned around and dashed into the stairwell, jumping down!
He hadn't adjusted to his heightened attributes yet, and leaping a bit too hard, he flew down half a flight and, not slowing down, was about to crash into the landing wall. He had to twist his body mid-air to protect his head.
With a loud bang, the hotel wall was surprisingly solid; this impact left Luo Jun a bit dizzy, feeling like his insides were shaking…
No time to worry about the pain, he looked up and noticed that the tentacle monster had stopped at the top of the stairs, seemingly hesitating for a moment before turning around and leaving...
"It didn't follow me?" Luo Jun was quite surprised, but then he felt a chill creep up his spine.
If that monster doesn't dare to come down, then something even more terrifying must be in the stairwell!
Just as that thought crossed his mind, everything went black in front of him, and a wave of cold washed over him.
It was just an ordinary stairwell, but suddenly it turned dark and cold, as if someone had turned off the lights. The only thing vaguely visible was the dim glow of an emergency exit sign in the corner!
What's going on?
Luo Jun quickly focused, fully alert, ready to activate the Heavenly Machine Dice at any moment.
However, after waiting for a while, nothing happened.
Staying here like this won't do, and Luo Jun's eyes had already adapted to the darkness. Using his keen perception, he could see about two meters ahead, but anything further away seemed shrouded in a black mist; he could see nothing.
Luo Jun felt along the wall as he moved forward, and soon he spotted a note stuck on the wall.
It was new rules! Luo Jun felt a rush of excitement and quickly stepped closer to check it out:
You are currently in the corridor of the Midnight Hotel. To ensure safety, please follow the rules below.
1. Please do not run in the corridor; take one step at a time.
2. Please keep the corridor clean and do not litter.
3. If you encounter other beings in the corridor, follow these principles: If they're walking in the same direction, maintain a distance of at least five steps; if they're coming towards you, the person going up should step aside and let the person going down pass first. After they pass, the person going down should bow to express thanks to the person going up.
4. If you find that the stairs seem to lead nowhere, stop moving; do not turn around or look back, and do not backtrack. If you step on level ground within thirteen steps, leave the corridor immediately. If you do not step on level ground within thirteen steps, stand still on the thirteenth step.
5. There are no vending machines at the landing; if you see one, put in a coin to buy a pack of animal cookies, but do not take them out, and leave without looking back.
6. The corridor does not lead to the first floor. If you want to go to the lobby or reception, please take the elevator.
7. Do not trust rule four; that's its trap!
8. Do not go to the basement level! Do not go to the basement level! Do not go to the basement level!
...