Chapter 61: Seeming Desire
On the third floor of Tianhai Hotel Branch Seven, in Room 306, Chang Nian sat with her knees hugged to her chest in the corner of the sofa, watching the man in front of her.
Tongguan had been pacing back and forth in the room for twenty minutes, his expression somber and silent.
Chang Nian felt a bit irritated by his restless movements, yet looking at his face, she found it hard to say anything.
Tongguan's mind was in turmoil. He had long believed that Ji Li's appearance matched the black-robed leader from his memories, and now it seemed almost certain.
"It has to be him! The one who, twenty years ago, broke into my home that night and took my parents—the leader of the four!"
After a long silence, Tongguan finally released his burdens with a deep sigh and sat on the floor.
He recalled his younger self: at eight years old, his parents were forcibly taken before his eyes by unknown assailants, and their fate remained unknown.
For years, he had lived under his uncle's roof, never abandoning the search for the origin of that incident.
His ancestral home in Shanming City was close to Huhai City, yet he had found no leads.
Then, an organization called the 'Suicide Club' approached him and gave him a photograph.
The photo was old, not recent, and it showed someone extremely similar to Ji Li digging graves in a cemetery.
But when Tongguan and Chang Nian arrived at the cemetery, they were forcibly recruited by Tianhai Hotel from another city and taken to the Eleventh Branch.
The trail ended there, yet the moment Tongguan saw Ji Li, everything clicked.
He realized he was part of a larger game, with many players: Tianhai Hotel, the Suicide Club, his parents, Ji Li—possibly even more.
And Tongguan himself was just a pawn. Through years of missions, he had gradually regained his original resolve.
Even as a pawn, one must understand the pawn's role.
To survive and uncover the truth, he had to continue through mission after mission; otherwise, he would never gain understanding.
Chang Nian watched Tongguan, lost in thought, and felt a pang of unease. She knew what her husband had been chasing all these years.
She walked over slowly, sat beside him on the floor without helping him up, and whispered:
"The likelihood that Ji Li is the black-robed leader is growing, but from what we see now, he seems too simple.
He has no past, no household registration, no family—he's as if he appeared out of nowhere."
Tongguan nodded slightly and added, "And precisely because of this, he is even more complex."
Hearing this, Chang Nian placed her hand over his, speaking warmly:
"Don't rush. We've already approached Ji Li successfully; now we must wait for the right opportunity.
We are close enough to the truth. What we need to do now is accumulate time, which means we must survive through more missions."
Tongguan raised his brow, and Chang Nian's words reminded him of something important.
He took out his phone, opened a call record, and pointed:
"This is from Guanqi, who has reached the Fifth Branch. Their Fifth Branch is far stronger than our Seventh and even the Eleventh Branch. They're approaching the level of a Three-Star Hotel.
Guanqi also shared critical information with me regarding the 'benefits' rules of a Two-Star Hotel."
Chang Nian furrowed her brow. After reviewing the call record, she asked quietly:
"Li Guanqi was among our former companions, matching you in skill. His character leans toward integrity, so his information should be reliable.
Back then, we had just completed the promotion to Two-Star before disbanding. The hotel clearly stated that the benefit rules would only be revealed after the first mission following the Two-Star promotion.
Now, Guanqi seems to have allied himself with the stronger side. Surviving a near Three-Star mission, he must have gained a lot."
Tongguan blinked, a hint of excitement in his eyes, and said softly:
"And you would never guess—Two-Star level benefits are so shocking!"
...
Ji Li had spent an entire day in the first-floor lobby, the ashtray on the table filled with stubbed-out cigarettes.
The words of his second persona echoed persistently in his mind; they were genuine.
Among all those around him, the only one he could truly trust was his second persona.
This soul had accompanied him the longest and experienced the most. Although Ji Li disliked its temperament and speech, it had been with him when no one else was.
The third persona's abilities surpassed the second, yet Ji Li did not rely heavily on it. He felt far more affinity toward the second persona.
The smarter and more ambitious a person, the harder they are to control.
Through recent communication, he had roughly understood the second persona's current state.
Since the last mission, the second persona had been in poor condition, partly due to the gray soul's revival, which also helped Ji Li determine the origin of this 'time bomb'.
The second persona now had less than an hour of clarity per day.
It resembled an elderly man in twilight, drained of vitality and ghost, relying on sleep to accumulate energy.
If Ji Li were to die again soon, the second persona could collapse completely.
Even more, his partially gray-black pupils suggested that if the second persona fell, things could spiral out of control.
His identity as the main persona would plummet.
The second and third personas were his arms; losing either would leave him helpless.
During this time, the third persona had fully recounted the emergence and details of the fourth persona to Ji Li, clearly attempting to mend their relationship.
Although Ji Li had begun to be wary of the third persona, at this point, the only backup he had was still this one.
He couldn't rely on it entirely, but he trusted the third persona's intelligence to understand the principle of mutual dependence.
After a full day of discussions, the hidden risks within Ji Li's body were nearly eliminated.
The main persona, the second, and the third had aligned as a team, remaining constantly vigilant against the fourth persona and working to prevent Ji Li from dying again.
As evening fell, Ji Li listened to the cold wind howling outside and reached for another cigarette.
At that moment, heavy, deliberate footsteps sounded behind him, suggesting the visitor carried a weighty matter and a request difficult to voice to Ji Li.
Ji Li frowned, cigarette between his fingers, and slowly turned to face the figure.
In the shadow, Yu Guo—who had struggled and wandered all day—finally approached, his heart full, and met Ji Li's gaze from across the space.
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