Chapter 3: The current Demon Castle floors one through four are all in a state of lockdown.
From the scattered clues, Su Xiao determined one thing: the Demon Castle was now very dangerous.
Thumping sounds reached his ears. The strong individuals on the first floor weren't just Sha; if they broke Alice's seal, these people were definitely not opponents Su Xiao could handle. Some were even stronger than Alice. They were trapped by the castle itself, not by Alice's abilities.
If these people burst through the wooden doors and saw Su Xiao, what would happen? A friendly and harmonious conversation? Don't be ridiculous. These tenants would most likely take out their anger on Su Xiao. They had been locked up for too long, and if hope was right in front of them, they would almost certainly lose their reason.
"This doesn't look good."
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, a spatial fluctuation appeared, and a pitch-black figure emerged.
Seeing this figure, Su Xiao's first thought was, what kind of demonic creature is this?
Looking closer, he realized this figure, black as a lump of coal, was actually Bubu Wang. Bubu Wang was shaking the dust from its fur, trotting quickly towards Su Xiao, its eyes conveying the message: "Master, got any water? This Wang urgently needs a bath."
"You really did go into the coal business."
Su Xiao didn't pull out any water; the current situation clearly didn't allow for a bath.
Bubu Wang bared its fangs in a grin. Against its fur covered in black dust, its teeth looked exceptionally white.
From Bubu Wang's expression, it seemed it really had been doing coal business. Su Xiao was speechless for a moment. This guy had been messing around in the auction house for three days, only to end up in the coal trade.
Bubu Wang scurried behind Su Xiao, also sensing that something was wrong.
The commotion on the first floor continued. The tenants tirelessly slammed against the wooden doors, showing their determination: today, they would either break the doors down or die trying.
After thinking it over, Su Xiao walked towards Sha's room. He didn't know the other tenants, but he had negotiated with Sha and had even stayed in her room for two days.
The situation was clear now. If Alice didn't return to the castle, these tenants would eventually break out. Compared to restraining these tenants, the fourth floor's Forest of the Strong held far more dangerous things that needed to be contained.
Even if these tenants broke out, they would at most escape the castle; they couldn't cause fundamental damage to it. But the creatures on the fourth floor were different, like the Star-Burrowing Ants, certain powerhouses who supplied energy for the entire castle, or the Demon Castle's original owner—a demon betrayed by a friend.
These beings were far more dangerous than the first-floor guests. If they broke free, Alice wouldn't need to return to the castle; she'd be better off running away for a slim chance of survival.
Because of this, the guests on the first floor might very well break through the wooden doors imprisoning them. When that happened, Su Xiao, also trapped on the first floor, would be caught in the crossfire. According to normal procedure, he needed to obtain the "Game Winner Badge" first, proving he had passed the Demon Castle game, before he could return to Reincarnation Paradise.
After thinking it over, Su Xiao decided to ally with one of the tenants to infiltrate their ranks. He had a pretty good plan.
Su Xiao quickly arrived at Sha's wooden door and raised his hand to knock.
Hearing the sound, the booming door fell silent. Sha inside stopped her assault.
"Who is it?"
"Bai Ye."
"Oh?"
Sha pressed her body against the wooden door, a smile on her face that was both excited and slightly unhinged.
"Help me out, and I'll give you anything you want."
"Not necessary."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Sha's expression behind the door turned ugly.
"I can help you out, but..."
Su Xiao whispered something to Sha. Sha behind the door was stunned.
"Do you have a grudge against Alice?"
"She's tried to kill me over a dozen times."
"Deal!"
Sha readily agreed to Su Xiao's proposal. Su Xiao approached the wooden door and began studying the light patterns on it. It was hard to destroy these from the inside, but quite simple from the outside. This thing was a type of strengthening alchemical magic pattern that greatly enhanced the door's durability.
Su Xiao took out several materials from his storage space, mixed them simply, and splashed the resulting pale yellow liquid onto the door.
Ssss~
Green smoke rose. Su Xiao had concocted a reagent similar to strong acid, but far more corrosive.
"Keep breaking the door."
"Rushing Fist!"
Sha roared from behind the door and punched it.
Bang!
The light patterns on the door quickly dimmed. Sha seemed to notice this and began wildly destroying it from the inside.
With a crack, the wooden door shattered. Sha burst through in a punching stance, then froze in place.
"Haha, hahaha, hahahaha!"
Sha threw her head back and laughed, her tomboyish personality on full display.
"I'm out!!!"
Her roar silenced the rumbling first floor. A moment later, the floor erupted.
"Let me out!"
"Someone succeeded! It's that woman Sha!"
"Sha, help me out! I am the Blood Marquis!"
"I have a treasury on the Blue Sea Star, my life's fortune! Help me out, and it's all yours!"
Voices rose one after another from the various rooms.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely help you all out. We're cellmates, after all."
Sha stepped towards a nearby wooden door. Was she being so kind? Of course not. This was the condition Su Xiao had set for releasing her.