"A trade is possible, but do you really know what happened to the monster on the first floor?"
"Of course, Yuan Xing never lies."
"You don't have any other names, do you? Like Zhang San, Li Si, Ergou, Erdan, or anything like that."
Yuan Xing: ...
"I assure you, this is my only name, and I don't play word games. I'm not interested in that stuff."
Bai Yuze thought for a moment, then took the key disk from behind him, removed the key, and handed it to Yuan Xing.
"A good choice. You can take this knife with you."
Yuan Xing casually tossed the knife, embedding it in the floor.
Bai Yuze pulled the knife out. It was quite heavy and felt powerful in his hand.
"I can't leave right now, so I won't see you out. Pleasant cooperation."
With a creak, the tightly shut iron door opened.
Due to the rules, Yuan Xing couldn't leave the room at this time. Bai Yuze nodded, indicating his understanding.
He and Yukinoshita stepped out. Under the light of the hallway outside, he clearly saw the shape of the knife—a Kukri, also known as a 'big white dog leg'.
Yukinoshita was about to speak, but Bai Yuze interrupted her.
"Let's talk back inside."
The two returned to 202. Yukinoshita, with a worried expression, asked,
"What do we do? That thing isn't here."
"We've already gotten what we wanted."
"Gotten it? You mean this knife?"
"Of course, there was no 'that thing' at all. I never said what 'that thing' looked like from beginning to end. I just deliberately said it for Yuan Xing to hear."
Bai Yuze's words left Yukinoshita a bit confused. She didn't understand how Yuan Xing knew about their arrival and their purpose.
"Do you remember the stairs? Tell me your impression of them."
Bai Yuze pulled out a pen and paper from his pocket and began to doodle.
"Emmm, sticky, slippery, damp, and dark... Are you talking about 'dark'? Could it be that Yuan Xing's eyes were hiding there at that time?"
Yukinoshita suddenly realized. The three of them had only talked about searching for 'something' in the stairwell. The residents of the second and first floors had opposite schedules, and that was when Yuan Xing could move freely. Therefore, it was reasonable for him to control his eyeballs to act as surveillance.
"Then why did Yuan Xing help us stop Zhu Daqiang? If he hadn't intervened, we would have died."
When the three of them went up, it was precisely the time when the eerie residents were active, which was no different from walking into a tiger's den.
"Because he also wants to leave here. The eeriness here can be understood as fragments of these people's souls from when they were alive. They still retain a part of their consciousness and wisdom."
"Now that we have the weapon, can they still leave here?"
Yukinoshita's body was tense. When she asked this question, she didn't look at Bai Yuze, but instead stared intently at a mass of gas at the top of the room.
"There's still one way, and that's for two eerie beings to kill each other. Only one can survive. However, I don't think they'll make a move, as they're fond of each other as opponents. But unfortunately, they're destined to stay here for life."
"Why can only one survive? Is there no other way?"
"No. Strictly speaking, each floor can only accommodate one eerie being, but this floor has two. This indirectly leads to the two eerie beings being in a state of mutual restraint."
Bai Yuze also turned his head, not letting his attention focus on Yukinoshita.
At this moment, the gas at the top of the room gradually dissipated.
"Hahaha, two fools! Do you really think I, Zhu Daqiang, am as weak as that useless guy? My ability ignores day and night!"
In room 207, after Zhu Daqiang retracted the mass of gas, he danced with joy. He had long been fed up with this broken place, but he could never find a way to escape.
But now it was different; he knew his chance had come!
"Opponents fond of each other? Bah! I feel sick just looking at that guy. But I really have to thank that guy, so I've decided to give my 'beloved' opponent a big gift!"
"The victor! Only me!"
— —
In room 202, Bai Yuze and Yukinoshita exchanged glances. The two of them, with perfect understanding, winked at each other.
The night continued. After a while, Tuanzi rushed in, pushing the door open in a hurry.
Seeing Tuanzi's breathless state, Bai Yuze quickly offered his seat to her.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo... I got the thing you wanted."
"Thank you very much. You're not hurt, are you?"
Bai Yuze instinctively pulled Tuanzi's arm, carefully checking for any injuries.
"Ah... no... no need... I'm fine! I threw the candy at that monster, and it really stopped chasing me!"
Tuanzi shyly pulled back her arm and recounted what had happened on the first floor to Bai Yuze.
After listening, Bai Yuze also let out a sigh of relief.
But just in case, he still reached into Tuanzi's pocket. The white sugar granules he had specifically put there were still present.
"Mm, you are Yui Yuigahama herself."
"What the! I barely escaped with my life, and you only believe me now!"
Tuanzi was a little angry. Although Bai Yuze's actions were understandable, she was still angry.
I was battling monsters on the first floor; what were you two doing on the second floor? Dating?
"There was no other way. After all, only you could complete this mission. It's something that neither Yukinoshita nor I could have done."
Bai Yuze looked at Tuanzi with sincere eyes. These words came from his heart.
"Re... really?"
Tuanzi's mood went from cloudy to sunny. Thinking that her small self had helped the two people she cared about, her mood began to become wonderful.
"Of course!"
"After all, who would care where a little silly goose went?"
Of course, Bai Yuze did not say this out loud.
"But Yukinoshita is also quite ruthless... amazing, to have thought of this plan."
Bai Yuze wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, thinking that he shouldn't provoke Yukinoshita in the coming days, otherwise, retaliation would be disastrous!
"I'll take that as a compliment. Against enemies, one must use thunderous methods. Moreover, for people who cause trouble even after death, I naturally have no pity whatsoever!"
Yukinoshita tossed her hair, and an imposing, heroic aura instantly rose around her.
Bai Yuze looked at the materials for making Molotov cocktails in front of him, and his thoughts returned to the previous scene.
— — — —
"I have a plan!"
"Tell me."
Bai Yuze was a little curious about Yukinoshita's plan.
"Hmph, these guys who cause trouble even after death aren't worth pity. They should be collectively referred to as trash, and trash is meant to be burned."
"You mean to burn them to death directly with Molotov cocktails?"
Bai Yuze was stunned. Although the premise for clearing this floor was to kill the two eerie beings, he hadn't expected to literally burn the two eerie beings to death.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, that's all. For those who block the way, either make them move, or make sure they can never block anyone's way again."
"Good idea. Then what you said earlier about being cruel..."
"It was merely a setup for emphasis."
Looking at Yukinoshita, who stated this plan with a calm expression, Bai Yuze suddenly remembered that saying.
"There are no broken-up girls in the Xuezhixia Family, only widowed wives."