LABMY CH61

In the dark, damp room, the sound of water dripping echoed continuously. Large wooden barrels filled the space. Originally, these barrels should have been a pale yellow color, but after years of use, they had been soaked through and turned a crusted, deep black.

Wooden barrels made with old craftsmanship inevitably had gaps, but what made people uneasy was that black hair seemed to be wedged within these cracks.

A thick, putrid stench emanated from the barrels — a smell of rotting meat, mixed with the foul odor of decaying organs.

Creak—

The door opened, and a hunched figure carrying a red paper lantern stepped into the room. He placed the lantern on one of the lidded barrels and picked up a metal basin. Then, he opened the barrel with the strongest stench.

The unbearable smell rushed out, but the hunched man didn’t hesitate as he reached his hand inside. A ladle, whose original color was no longer discernible, was submerged in the thick, sticky liquid.

The man scooped up a large chunk of meat and dropped it into the metal basin, completely unfazed by the sticky liquid that coated his hand.

The stench lingered in the air. Maggots crawled along the inner walls of the barrel, while flies buzzed around in circles, creating an annoying hum.

None of this seemed to affect the man. He scooped the meat piece by piece, but just before the basin was filled, he suddenly gagged without warning.

The vomit he spat out splattered directly into the barrel, yet the hunched man showed no reaction. He simply mixed the chunks of meat with the vomit and continued scooping it into the basin.

Once the basin was filled to the brim, the hunched man balanced it on his shoulder with one hand, while the other hand held his ever-present red paper lantern.

The Fengqing Hotel was vast, with numerous rooms and a total of seven floors.

The hunched man struggled as he carried the heavy basin with one hand and the lantern with the other, slowly making his way toward the elevator.

He walked unsteadily, and the iron basin on his shoulder occasionally tilted, spilling drops of red liquid onto the ground.

It seemed like he was unfamiliar with this task.

When he reached the elevator, he awkwardly pressed the button with the hand holding the lantern.

After stepping into the elevator, he didn’t press any floor buttons. Instead, he lightly touched the inconspicuous introduction board of the Fengqing Hotel beside the elevator.

The numbers on the display screen began to change slowly.

Ding.

The elevator reached the basement level.

There was nothing here. Just an empty, vast space. The wind howled through the darkness, echoing like mournful cries. It was pitch black — so dark that one couldn’t see their own hand in front of them.

The red paper lantern in the hunched man’s hand seemed to be the only source of light, emitting a faint red glow that attracted countless creatures lurking in the darkness.

Low growls echoed from the shadows, followed by eerie, bone-chilling breathing sounds, and the faint sound of liquid dripping onto the ground.

In the darkness, human imagination becomes particularly vivid. People fear the unknown, for the unknown brings danger.

The man placed the iron basin on the ground and tightened his grip on the red lantern.

He squatted down and began tapping the basin with his free hand, producing a crisp, metallic clanging sound.

“Ding… dang… ding… dang…”

“Come eat, come eat, my little babies… eat up!”

In the vast, empty basement, the man hummed softly as he spoke. His hoarse, raspy voice, like sandpaper scraping against metal, echoed eerily through the space.

Then came a faint, almost imperceptible dripping sound.

A drop of liquid fell onto the man’s face, followed by another, and another, like a waterfall cascading down.

The man wore a mask, so no one could see his expression. However, the wooden smile carved into the mask curved upward in a chillingly strange grin.

The sound of chewing echoed from behind him. The sound grew closer and closer. Something was dripping above his head.

A thick, viscous liquid soaked his hair and slowly trickled down the wooden mask.

Whatever it was, it was very close — so close that the sound of saliva being swallowed could be heard.

The red paper lantern in the man’s hand glowed faintly. He hummed his song as he calmly rode the elevator back up, as if completely unaware of the hungry, lurking creature behind him.

By now, it was already deep into the night. The entire Fengqing Hotel was deathly silent.

The rooms inside the hotel, however, were bustling with activity.

“No, I shouldn’t be staying with you guys,” Liu Zhuqing slapped her thigh and stood up.

“I’m here to investigate the strange incidents happening at the Fengqing Hotel, so I should be with the staff here, like Qingniang and the others.”

“You two are just guests. You probably don’t know much about what’s happening here, right?”

Qiu Leshan didn’t hide anything and revealed his identity, “I’m a private detective. I did some research before coming here.”

“Fengqing Hotel is known for its mystery. Those who can enter are either people who found this place by fate or guests invited to the hotel’s gathering.”

“One thing worth mentioning is that many people, after coming to Fengqing Hotel, never leave. They only send one letter to their family and then disappear.”

“But as I observed, there aren’t many people in the hotel. It’s not crowded at all. So, where did those people who lingered here disappear to?”

Liu Zhuqing was surprised, “So, you’re also here to investigate the strange incidents of Fengqing Hotel?”

Qiu Leshan shook his head, “I’m here to find my brother. According to the script, my brother disappeared after coming to Fengqing Hotel.”

“So, my main mission is to find my brother.”

Liu Zhuqing, sensing that she was starting to take the lead in the situation, turned to Liu Hong and asked, “Sister, what about you?”

Liu Hong was a quiet and introverted person. She only responded when called upon, “I’m just an ordinary Qingniang in Fengqing Hotel, nothing more.”

“What about you, handsome guy?”

Liu Zhuqing looked at Wang Songwen, who seemed absent-minded, and raised her voice slightly.

Wang Songwen snapped out of his daze, thought for a moment, and said, “I’m just a curious guest at Fengqing Hotel. I don’t have any other purpose.”

People who have played murder mystery games know that everyone has a different identity and possibly hidden secrets. So, at the beginning of the game, no one reveals their true purpose.

Liu Zhuqing didn’t fully believe what Liu Hong and Wang Songwen said, but she didn’t press further. That’s how murder mystery games work — questioning won’t help.

“Let’s meet those two sisters who are with Qingniang tomorrow morning and ask about the situation.”

Speaking of daytime, Qiu Leshan sighed again, “This place feels so real!”

“When it’s night, it’s completely pitch dark outside.”

As he spoke, he walked to the window. The window was welded shut and covered with black tape, creating the illusion of nighttime.

Liu Zhuqing, an avid murder mystery player, agreed, “This place is really well done.”

“Most murder mystery games end in a small room. But here, they’ve even set up a performance hall and rooms for resting at night. I feel like I’ll want to come again.”

When the topic of coming back next time came up, both Liu Hong and Wang Songwen nodded, while Qiu Leshan scratched his head and changed the topic.

“So, what do we do now? Rest?”

“There should be staff watching us from the dark, right? Let’s just lie on the bed and pretend to sleep. They might come to wake us up.”

“Shall we return to our rooms then?”

Liu Zhuqing concluded. Since Liu Zhuqing and Liu Hong were chosen as Qingniang by Qiu Leshan and Wang Songwen, according to the rules, they had to sleep in pairs.

Their rooms were not far apart, just next door. However, the two guys felt awkward sharing a room with a girl.

Qiu Leshan pulled Wang Songwen and said, “Let’s go.”

Wang Songwen immediately got up and followed him to the other room.

As the two left, Qiu Leshan noticed the hunchbacked man carrying a red lantern heading towards another room. “That DM never lets go of that lantern, huh?”

Wang Songwen glanced over and casually said, “Probably a prop. Just take note of it.”

They didn’t think too much and entered their room.

Turning off the light to create the illusion of sleeping, the room only had one bed. The two of them lay on opposite sides in silence, waiting for time to pass.

After a while, Wang Songwen suddenly spoke:

“If you’re willing to offer something in exchange, do you think Qingniang would really let us do anything?”

Qiu Leshan grabbed a pillow and threw it at Wang Songwen, laughing, “What are you thinking? This is just a murder mystery game.”

“Hey, I’m just saying.”

“But, oh, that Qingniang is really bold.”

“To be honest, it’s the first time I’ve ever felt how soft a girl’s chest is from such close contact.”

Cough cough, Qiu Leshan cleared his throat and threw another pillow at him. “Alright, stop talking about this. It’s disrespectful to the girls.”

In fact, Qiu Leshan had also been mesmerized while watching the performance and had an inappropriate reaction. But he forced himself to stop thinking about it, believing it was disrespectful to the staff. He had no idea that it was actually due to the incense in the room.

“Alright, alright. I won’t talk about it anymore.”

Wang Songwen mumbled and crossed his hands behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.

As he looked, he seemed to see the shadow of Qingniang on the ceiling.

A wisp of thin gauze gently draped down. Qing Shiyi gazed at him with affectionate eyes, smiling. The gauze seemed to come alive, swaying along with Qing Shiyi’s hand. One end of the gauze lightly brushed against Wang Songwen’s nose, then softly grazed his lips.

It was clearly just an ordinary piece of gauze, but under Qing Shiyi’s beautiful eyes, filled with love, it seemed to transform into her slender fingers, gently caressing Wang Songwen’s face bit by bit.

Wang Songwen was mesmerized. He reached out to grab the gauze and pressed his face against it, taking a deep breath.

“Guest, remember to choose Lady Shiyi tomorrow.”

A playful yet charming laugh jolted Wang Songwen from his dream.

He reached out, but grasped only empty air, feeling a bit lost and disappointed.

On the other side, Jian Yuanbai helplessly looked at Tang Tang, who was huddled in the corner.

“Why are you staying so far away? I’m not going to eat you.”

“You bumped into me just now,” Tang Tang’s face flushed with embarrassment as he mumbled softly.

Jian Yuanbai clicked his tongue and deliberately teased, “Didn’t you say Lady Qing could do anything? Then why are you running?”

Tang Tang’s voice became even softer, lacking confidence, “That’s only when the chips are enough.”

“Oh—” Jian Yuanbai dragged out his tone, “So you’re saying… I’m not giving our little Tang Tang enough chips?”

“No, no, that’s not it.”

Tang Tang nervously glanced around as if afraid someone might be eavesdropping. He carefully leaned closer to Jian Yuanbai, so close that he wrapped his arms around Jian Yuanbai’s neck and whispered in his ear. The warmth of his breath made Jian Yuanbai feel even more heated.

“You should be careful with the chips.”

Tang Tang was timid, but his conscience compelled him to speak, “If you use up all the chips, something very, very bad will happen.”

Jian Yuanbai responded with another “Oh,” and said, “So you’re saying I shouldn’t give you any more chips?”

Tang Tang froze, “No, you still have to give me chips.”

Jian Yuanbai deliberately furrowed his brows, “But you just said using up the chips is dangerous, and now you want me to keep giving you chips. Are you trying to harm me on purpose?”

Tang Tang: “You can give me a few, but keep some for yourself.”

Jian Yuanbai replied slowly, “Since using up the chips is dangerous, I just won’t use them.”

“I’m someone who cherishes my life.”

Tang Tang, whose brain wasn’t quick enough to keep up, stared blankly at Jian Yuanbai. He couldn’t find the words to respond. Slowly, he hugged his knees and curled up in the corner of the bed. Before long, he started crying softly.

Jian Yuanbai found it both helpless and amusing. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m mourning,” Tang Tang choked with tears, “Can’t I mourn for myself in advance?”

Tang Tang looked so pitiful as he cried, yet Jian Yuanbai, lacking any conscience, chuckled. Teasing his amnesiac wife was quite fun.

“I’ll give you the chips, so stop crying.” He reached out to wipe away the tears at the corner of Tang Tang’s eyes, his voice low and gentle, “Be good, don’t cry.”

Tang Tang, who never learned his lesson, was instantly coaxed. His eyes sparkled with joy as he shyly leaned closer to Jian Yuanbai, his voice still carrying traces of sobbing, but his tone was filled with excitement, “You’re so nice.”

Even knowing that giving him chips was dangerous, Jian Yuanbai was still willing to give them. Such a kind person.. Such a kind person.