"What's wrong?"
"My apologies. I admit my voice was a bit loud just now. My room actually really needs cleaning, and I've finally waited for you two!"
Zhu Daqiang immediately changed his demeanor. In his heart, he could lose to anyone, but he absolutely could not lose to Yuan Xing. Why should a traitor be above him?
So, Zhu Daqiang happily invited Bai Yuze and Yukino into the room.
As soon as he entered the room, Bai Yuze knew why Zhu Daqiang said he didn't need cleaning services. There were barely any furnishings in this room. The first floor at least had a bedside table, but his room only had a bed, a worn-out table and chair, and an old computer on it. Next to the monitor was an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.
It was then that Bai Yuze noticed a layer of mist-like gas floating on the ceiling. Observing the smoke-stained walls, Bai Yuze deduced that this mass of gas was smoke.
To be precise, it was second-hand smoke.
"Hehehe, I told you my room didn't need cleaning, right?"
"Then why did you make us come in?"
Yukino's words instantly left Zhu Daqiang speechless. Yes, he had forgotten about that; he was only thinking about not losing to Yuan Xing.
"Uh… this is to show you that I'm much stronger than that kid Yuan Xing."
"Is that so? Then what do you think of this person, 'Yuan Xing'?"
Yukino seized the opportunity to ask this question, while Bai Yuze quietly turned on the recording function on the phone behind his back.
After recording Zhu Daqiang's ten minutes of "admiration" for Yuan Xing, Bai Yuze put his phone away.
"Why does your room have so little furniture?"
"Hmph, it's all because of that miser. He superficially says that less furniture is good for cleaning, ha! In reality, this room was just temporarily cleared out."
"Then why do you still choose to stay here?"
Zhu Daqiang scratched the head that was barely attached to his neck and chuckled awkwardly.
"Who told me this room was cheap? Once I turn my fortunes around, I'll definitely move into a room a hundred times better than this… No! A thousand times better!"
"Alright, then we've bothered you enough."
One's head seemed about to fall off, and although Bai Yuze was used to it, Yukino still found it a bit hard to accept.
Leaving 207, the two exchanged a look and walked towards room 205. But before they could knock, the door to room 205 opened by itself.
"Come in."
Yuan Xing's voice came from inside the door. The pitch-black room was like a giant abyss-like maw trying to devour life. Bai Yuze pulled out Tuanzi's phone and only somewhat calmed his heart after turning on the flashlight function.
As the two entered the room, the iron door slammed shut. A cold glint flashed, and a knife pierced the wall next to Bai Yuze.
"Oh? You have some guts. Both you and that little girl are quite good."
Bai Yuze smiled faintly. He wasn't surprised because he had experienced it before and was used to it, while Yukino hadn't reacted at all.
"I know what you're looking for, but I'm sorry, I don't have that thing here. However, I can trade you an item from inside the room."
Through the faint light of the flashlight, they could barely see Yuan Xing sitting on the bed, his empty eye sockets facing the two, making them uncomfortable.
"Trade? What kind of trade?"
Bai Yuze was a bit surprised. He clearly remembered that Yuan Xing hadn't proposed a trade in previous experiences. Things seemed to have changed a bit.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must have the key card given by the Front Desk, right? I want that key for 207."
"What will you exchange it for?"
Yuan Xing pointed to the wall behind the two.
"I'll exchange that knife with you. I presume you're also troubled by that monster on the first floor, right?"
"Do you know anything about the monster on the first floor?"
"I know a little. I'll tell you after I'm done. Give me that key."
"Then I must refuse."
Bai Yuze rejected Yuan Xing's proposal. After all, in the previous loops, Yuan Xing had immediately rushed to fight Zhu Daqiang the moment he got the key, and both ended up dead. Now that he finally had a chance to know what happened in this residential building before, Bai Yuze wouldn't let this rare source of information just disappear.
But Yuan Xing not only wasn't angry, he laughed heartily. Just as Bai Yuze was feeling a bit confused, Yuan Xing's next words shocked him immensely.
"You… haven't you died several times already?"
"What do you mean?"
Bai Yuze quickly stabilized his emotions, not letting any flaw show.
"Heh, facing Zhu Daqiang's pursuit during the day, you managed to remain so calm and composed. Even well-trained individuals show fear and dread when facing death, but your performance was as if you were already used to it.
There are only two possibilities for this situation… you have died many times… or you know what will happen next."
Yuan Xing's words made Bai Yuze feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He was somewhat bewildered. In the previous loops, Yuan Xing had acted like an NPC, but now Yuan Xing was like an empty shell that suddenly gained a soul.
"Of course, I wouldn't jump to conclusions based solely on these. But just now, I became certain that you have a problem."
"Just now? Could it be…!"
It was only with Yuan Xing's hint that Bai Yuze recalled how foolish his reaction had been just now.
"You remembered, didn't you? After all, I didn't say what that thing was, yet you focused on 'trade.' This indicates that you indeed know that thing isn't in my room, but the actual situation is that 'that thing' was something I made up. I just wanted to test your intentions."
"So you knew I would come looking for you from the beginning? But what if I hadn't focused on 'trade'?"
"Of course. But I know myself. I have few friends, and I don't like to communicate with others, so I'm very clear that I would never propose the words 'trade' under any circumstances. That's why I casually said it, to test your reaction."
Bai Yuze took a slight step back, and Yukino, after realizing the iron door wouldn't open, prepared to pull the knife from the wall to defend herself.
The moment Yukino touched the hilt of the knife, she felt her hand get burned.
"My apologies, beautiful lady, this knife has not left this room, so it is still within my jurisdiction."
"You can see?"
Facing Yukino's question, Yuan Xing merely chuckled. He snapped his fingers, and the room instantly lit up.
It was then that Yukino finally saw where Yuan Xing's eyeballs were; they were hanging in the corner of the room's ceiling, like a surveillance camera watching the two.
"Blind people don't need lights, but I'm not blind. It's just that my eyeballs can't be put back."
"So… can we consider our trade now?"
Yuan Xing snapped his fingers, and the knife stuck in the wall returned to his hand.
He sat there, smiling, watching the two, and the knife in his hand was both his bargaining chip and his leverage.