To make sure she wasn't seeing things, Yui Yuigahama even rubbed her eyes, and her strange action caught Yukino's attention.
"What's wrong? Is there something incredible in the photo?"
"I think I know who the helper behind the scenes is!"
"So... how did you identify the person named 'Yang Peng' among so many people in the photo at first glance?"
"Hehe, I don't know either, maybe it's what they call intuition."
Yui Yuigahama couldn't say for sure why she thought the young man standing in the center was Yang Peng, perhaps it was the unique aura of youth.
"Are we at Yang Peng's temporary base now? After all, Yang Peng left a note saying he would do everything he could to help the newcomers, and I didn't expect him to have set foot even here."
Yukinoshita Yukino was a bit shocked; she had thought Yang Peng was a responsible and kind person, but now it seemed his strength was not to be underestimated. Just managing so many people would require brains and methods to gain their respect.
"Then let's search around and see if Yang Peng left any clues."
Yui Yuigahama glanced around, looking everywhere, almost using her nose to sniff for any strange smells in the room.
"Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
Yukino found Yui Yuigahama's exaggerated behavior amusing, but no matter how much they searched, there wasn't a single clue in the room.
"Is this just a simple resting spot?"
Yukino was a little unwilling to give up. She searched meticulously again, not even missing the cracks in the bed.
"It seems there really are no clues here, so let's leave quickly."
Yukino pulled off the bedsheet in the room, preparing to cover her head with it again before moving on.
"Alright."
Yui Yuigahama put the photo in her pocket. She walked to the door and opened it.
The corridor outside was still pitch black, and the dripping sound of water continued.
"Seems like there are no problems."
After reporting the situation to Yukino, Yui Yuigahama ducked under the protection of the bedsheet.
The two once again embarked on their journey to find a way out, only they didn't notice... they were getting further and further away from that green door...
Perhaps it was the deterrent presence of the man, as the two encountered no obstacles along the way and were soon approaching the exit.
By then, the bedsheet was already more than half soaked with water drops.
Both could feel the dampness of the bedsheet and the burning sensation on their hands.
Finally... the two reached the end of the exit. They took off the bedsheet; the burning sensation on their hands had not subsided, but their thoughts were not on their hands, but on the door.
Before the exit door, a string of glowing small words was written.
"This path only accommodates one person."
The two girls looked at each other in the faint blue light. Although the light source was dim, both could clearly see the surprised and bewildered expressions on each other's faces.
"What do we do? It didn't say it was limited to one person when we came..."
Yui Yuigahama was starting to panic. Being limited to one person meant one of them had to make a sacrifice, whether it was a friend or herself, this was an outcome Yui Yuigahama didn't want to see.
"There are two of us, why is it limited to just one? Could it be..."
Thump-thump-thump.
Footsteps echoed in the dark corridor again. It seemed the battle between the evil dog and the male corpse had ended, and the victor naturally had to continue hunting its prey.
"He's chasing us again, Yui Yuigahama, you go first."
"But..."
"There are no 'buts'." Yukino placed her hands on Yui Yuigahama's shoulders, her expression serious. "After you escape here, go find Bai Jun and tell him everything that happened here.
The most important thing right now is information. He doesn't know the situation in the basement. These messages must be conveyed to him, even if it costs a life."
"What about you?"
Yui Yuigahama was on the verge of tears. For the first time, she felt so weak; not only was her friend about to be in danger, but her own chance to escape was earned by her friend facing danger directly.
"I will try my best to stay alive. If possible, I believe you will come to save me."
Yukino wasn't very confident about the latter part of her sentence; she just didn't want Yui Yuigahama to have too heavy a psychological burden. Moreover, Yukino had a new hypothesis in her mind, and for that, even if it cost her life, she had to verify it.
"Alright, time is running out. Go quickly, I need to hide first."
After Yukino finished speaking, she picked up the bedsheet again and draped it over herself. Since it was just Yukino this time, her movements were very fast.
It was also fortunate that the basement corridors were intricate and not linear like the floors above.
Yui Yuigahama watched Yukino's retreating figure, gritted her teeth, then pulled open the door and walked in.
As a flash of light passed, Yui Yuigahama found herself lying on a dilapidated bed.
She looked around, and when she saw the splash-like bloodstains on the wall, she knew she was back in Room 102.
Before she could even catch her breath, she quickly pushed open the door and ran into the corridor, calling out Bai Yuze's name as she ran.
But she forgot it was night, so her commotion quickly attracted the attention of the monster.
At this moment, the door of 104 opened, and Bai Yuze reached out and pulled Yui Yuigahama inside.
"What are you shouting about? Do you have a death wish? And where's Yukino?"
Bai Yuze asked the disheveled Yui Yuigahama, while also noticing the scratches on Yui Yuigahama's hands.
(These scratches... did she come into contact with some corrosive liquid?)
"Xia... Xiao Ze... you! Cough, cough, cough! Go save! Cough, cough, cough."
Yui Yuigahama was too anxious and accidentally choked.
"Don't rush, speak slowly."
Bai Yuze patted Yui Yuigahama's back, his tone comforting.
At this moment, Bai Yuze also realized that Yui Yuigahama and Yukino had encountered trouble in the basement, and Yukino might be in grave danger.
After calming down, Yui Yuigahama recounted everything she had seen and heard in the basement to Bai Yuze, word for word, and also pulled out the photo to show Bai Yuze.
Bai Yuze's expression also changed from confusion to increasing solemnity.
"What do we do, Xiao Ze! Xiao Xue is still in there!"
Yui Yuigahama was extremely anxious; she didn't want anything to happen to any of the three of them. Therefore, she both wanted Bai Yuze to go with her to save Yukino and didn't want Bai Yuze to risk his own life.
"Don't worry for now. Since the basement is spacious, it means Yukino won't be caught by the male corpse so easily."
"But the water dripping from the ceiling is corrosive, and Xiao Xue won't last long in the dark environment."
Yui Yuigahama quickly reminded him.
"I know, but the more important issue now is that the rules you saw are fake!"
Bai Yuze's words struck Yui Yuigahama like lightning.
"What? Fake!"