"What? Fake? How is that possible? How could the rules be fake?"
Yui Yuigahama looked incredulous, unable to fathom that the rules could be fake.
If the rules were fake, then what else was real? Was there truly anything trustworthy in this house?
Bai Yuze corrected Yui Yuigahama's words.
"The rules aren't fake, but the slip of paper you saw isn't the rules."
"What do you mean?"
Yui Yuigahama was confused; what Bai Yuze was saying was becoming increasingly muddled.
"First, you need to know one thing: the 'rules' you saw were written in the name of 'Yang Peng.' This means the authenticity of these rules depends entirely on the conscience of the person who wrote them and does not possess absolute accuracy."
Bai Yuze's words were a wake-up call, and only then did Yui Yuigahama realize something was amiss.
The slip of paper was written in 'Yang Peng's' name; at most, it was a suggestion and couldn't be treated as actual rules to be followed.
"Secondly, you said you and Yukino saw doors of 'red, yellow, and green.' Is there a possibility that these three doors represent the degree of influence the anomaly has on the two of you?
For example, red directly harms you, yellow affects your perception, and green is harmless and very likely the exit?"
"Impossible! If green is the exit, then what about the door I went through?"
Yui Yuigahama had personally gone through the basement's exit, and she clearly remembered that door had no color.
"But the rules didn't explicitly state there's only one exit. Do you remember the rules? They said there's no basement here, and if you find stairs leading underground, please ignore them.
So, normally, the exit should be a staircase leading upstairs, but you just walked through a door and arrived upstairs. This doesn't match the rule's hint."
Bai Yuze's words were like a heavy hammer striking Yui Yuigahama's head.
That's right, the rules clearly stated to ignore stairs leading underground, which implicitly hinted at what the passage from the basement to upstairs should look like. But neither Yui Yuigahama nor Yukino had thought of this.
"There's one more thing: I once said that the rules left by Yang Peng would be corrupted and could only exist for a maximum of four cycles. For this, I specifically copied the slip of paper Yang Peng left.
But my footsteps didn't reach the basement, so... who wrote the slip of paper in the basement? My handwriting should be easy to recognize, right?"
Yui Yuigahama: !
Yui Yuigahama then remembered that the handwriting on the slip of paper was different from Bai Yuze's. Bai Yuze's handwriting was neat, while the basement's handwriting was a bit messy, as if it had been written in a hurry.
"Also... if the basement really is the first floor, then why would the slip of paper hint that the seal for the male corpse on the second floor is that surgical knife? How did the hint for the first floor infiltrate the second floor? It's like it's urging you to hurry forward; didn't you find that strange?"
Yui Yuigahama: !!
"One last question: you said the basement environment was dark and damp, and moss grew on the walls. So why is the photo you brought out as good as new?
Also, why did the room you entered happen to have a group photo of 'Yang Peng' with others? Don't you find it eerie? It's as if an invisible hand is manipulating things."
Bai Yuze fiddled with the photo in his hand. The photo was still clear and clean, as if it had just been taken.
Yui Yuigahama: !!!
"But you can't be blamed for this; it just happens to align with that line from the poem."
What you see with your own eyes is not necessarily real.
"However, it is indeed necessary to go to the basement. After all, Yukino and the male corpse are still there; we must bring both the person and the town-suppressing anomaly back."
Bai Yuze stretched his wrists and ankles, preparing to head to Room 108 to ask the Front Desk for the key to the basement.
"I'll go with you!"
Yui Yuigahama also replied firmly.
"No, you stay here. Although that rule is fake, I suspect some truth is mixed in, like 'a person can only come once.'"
"Even if it costs my life, it doesn't matter. Yukino gave me the only chance to survive; I can't abandon her!"
Yui Yuigahama's eyes were resolute; she looked as if she was about to raise her hands and shout her loyalty.
"It's no use if you go. Your account just now has given me some preconceived notions about the basement, so I can only go alone. This also corresponds to the latter half of the hint."
What you hear with your own ears is not as good as seeing it once.
"Oh, and take this clock. I just froze time here. If I haven't returned with Yukino by the next day, smash this clock. You still remember how to tell when it's the next day, right? It's when the food refreshes."
Bai Yuze handed the clock to Yui Yuigahama and, in exchange, got Yui Yuigahama's phone and lock screen password.
"Alright, you rest here for now. I'll be back shortly."
Bai Yuze smiled at Yui Yuigahama, then dragged Yamauchi Haruki's incomplete corpse out of 104.
Yui Yuigahama, meanwhile, prayed in her heart that the two would return safely. As for the corpse Bai Yuze was dragging... it was irrelevant!
Bai Yuze skillfully chopped off one of Yamauchi Haruki's arms and threw it to the monster in front of him. After getting what it wanted, the monster no longer bothered Bai Yuze.
After all, it could distinguish between one full meal and consistently full meals, and it certainly wasn't afraid of the gleaming kitchen knife in Bai Yuze's hand.
Bai Yuze dragged Yamauchi Haruki's corpse to Room 108.
Knock, knock, knock.
Bai Yuze knocked on the door, and as usual, he heard movement inside.
He stepped back, quietly waiting for the Front Desk to open the door. Soon, the door opened, and the Front Desk's tall figure blocked the entire doorway, preventing anyone from seeing what was inside the room.
"Is there a problem?"
"I accidentally dropped something in the basement, and I'd like to retrieve it."
"The basement? That's not a place you should go."
"I know, but with my abilities, I can certainly venture in. After all, I'm afraid that if too much time passes, it might attract flies."
The Front Desk looked down and saw Bai Yuze holding a kitchen knife in his right hand and carrying a corpse in his left.
"...You are indeed very capable."
"You overpraise me. I'll give you this rare delicacy."
Bai Yuze stepped back and threw Yamauchi Haruki's corpse in front of the Front Desk.
The Front Desk stared at Yamauchi Haruki's corpse for a moment, then slowly uttered one word.
"Good."