As the group stepped through the heavy revolving doors of the Overlook Hotel, a bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped their bodies.
This chill didn't come from the air conditioning; it felt more like a gloomy cold seeping from deep within their marrow, carrying the stench of decay and despair.
"*Hss...*"
Alex, Clear, Terry, and the others shuddered in unison, their arms instantly breaking out in a dense layer of goosebumps.
Even though it was a sweltering summer day outside with a blistering sun, the temperature inside the hotel was so low it felt like they had walked into an icehouse.
The spacious lobby was dimly lit, with only a few specks of dust dancing silently in the shafts of light filtering through the high windows.
However, through the [Eyes of Truth] that Miko had activated, it was an entirely different scene.
The entire hotel lobby was bustling with activity—one could even say it was overflowing with ghosts.
Behind the bar, a ghost bartender dressed in an old-fashioned tuxedo with his hair meticulously combed was wiping an invisible glass over and over with an unseen white cloth, his movements elegant yet mechanical.
Scattered across every corner of the lobby were dozens of ghosts, their clothing styles spanning several eras.
Some were conversing in low voices, some were drinking alone, and others were wandering aimlessly.
But when Alex, Clear, and the rest of the group entered, all the ghosts stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward them in unison.
Their eyes were filled with greed and longing.
It was the kind of look a starving beast would give upon finally seeing fresh meat.
At the end of the long corridor, a pair of identical twin girls in blue dresses stood side by side.
They stared quietly at these newly arrived "guests" with hollow, lifeless eyes.
Gradually, their mouths stretched into terrifying smiles as blood trickled down from the corners of their eyes.
However, this eerie silence only lasted for a few seconds.
When the ghosts' gazes shifted from the shell-shocked survivors to Yang Yi, Tomie, and the others, the greed in their eyes was instantly replaced by boundless terror.
*What the hell are these things? Are they here to wipe us out?*
*Why are there so many identical severed heads floating behind that terrifying woman? And that cute, innocent-looking girl—there seems to be a horrifying, massive banner floating behind her.*
The two children were even more terrifying; the ghosts felt as though they would explode if they took even one more look.
*Whoosh—*
The lobby, which had been bustling just a second ago, instantly became completely empty.
In a split second, all the ghosts shrank back into the corners and shadows, trembling uncontrollably, not daring to leak even a trace of their auras.
"Hey! Are you guys playing hide-and-seek with us?"
The sudden shout shattered the dead silence.
Bart and Megan were completely oblivious to the eerie atmosphere around them. Seeing the twin sisters at the end of the corridor, they excitedly waved at them instead.
In the eyes of these two little rascals, this place was simply a brand-new, supersized playground.
"Come back! Do you have a death wish?!"
The next second, a ghostly hand reached out and swiftly pulled the twin ghosts back into the shadows.
Meanwhile, outside the hotel, the weather suddenly changed.
The once calm sky had grown overcast at some point. Fierce winds howled, sweeping up the thick layer of dead leaves in the courtyard.
Countless dead leaves spiraled rapidly in midair, frantically converging until they gradually formed a pitch-black humanoid figure with only a blurry outline.
It was the power of Death's rules, briefly manifesting into a physical avatar in this place.
*Creaaak—*
The hotel's main doors opened slowly on their own, without any wind.
The ghost of the previous caretaker, Grady, stepped out from within, dressed in a proper suit and wearing a stiff yet respectful smile.
He bowed slightly to the black shadow formed by the dead leaves, his posture humble.
The next moment, a cold intent simultaneously appeared in the "minds" of Grady and all the evil spirits within the hotel.
"I need your help. Kill those survivors according to the order on the list."
"First is Terry."
"Ignore those peculiar individuals; leave them to me!"
"In exchange, I will send you some even more special souls to serve as your nourishment."
"Furthermore, I will continuously bring you those death-seeking youths to become your clientele."
The massive benefits embedded in Death's contract caused the flames of greed to reignite in the eyes of the evil spirits who had just been hiding in fear.
Their thirst for a vast number of souls ultimately overpowered their fear of Yang Yi and his group. At worst, they could just avoid those monsters.
Consequently, they gladly accepted the deal.
Inside the hotel, Yang Yi, who was currently comforting the group, suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
He cast a casual glance out the window at the black shadow that was slowly dissipating.
Then, he turned his head and looked at Terry and the others, who were scared pale, and said,
"It seems Death has given up for the time being. It actually outsourced the job of killing you to the 'locals' here."
"Out... outsourced?"
Alex and the others were completely unable to comprehend the meaning of that sentence. The use of such a word in this kind of situation filled them with an indescribable sense of absurdity and dread.
This unknown change made them feel even more uneasy than simply being hunted by accidents.
On the other side, Tomie had already begun exploring the hotel.
She sneaked over to the bar, reached out, and grabbed the ghost bartender Lloyd by the collar, hauling him out from behind the counter.
"Hey, mix me a drink, quick."
"Make it the kind that could get even a devil drunk."
Tomie's actions appeared incredibly bizarre in the eyes of Clear and the others.
They could only see Tomie talking to an empty bar, even making the motion of grabbing an invisible collar, a hint of displeasure on her face.
*Is this beautiful woman... a bit messed up in the head too?*
Right at that moment, the twin sisters at the end of the corridor stepped out again. Their mission was to lure away those two little monsters.
They then flashed an eerie smile at Bart and Megan.
The corners of their mouths forced their way up into an ugly grin before they turned right around, walking deep into the seemingly endless, dark corridor.
Before leaving, they simultaneously looked back and beckoned to the two children with their fingers.
"Woohoo! They invited us!"
"The race is on!"
Bart and Megan let out a strange cheer and, without a second thought, bolted toward the darkness. Their figures were instantly swallowed by the shadows.
"Wait!"
Miko's expression changed slightly. Just as she was about to call out and stop them, a hand rested gently on her shoulder.
Yang Yi shook his head at Miko, signaling for her not to worry.
A few mere evil spirits couldn't do a thing to those two little monsters.
Yang Yi cast his gaze toward the profound darkness, the corners of his mouth curling up.
He was also quite curious to see who was crazier—the "Body of the Old God" and the "Child of Hell," or if the ghosts in this hotel were tougher to kill.
He hoped those two pitiful twin ghosts could survive just a little bit longer.