Chapter 747
"Mirror Hotel?"
"It took me a few days to figure it out," Peng Fengnian said. "Look, the doors here and the general layout inside the rooms are reversed compared to a real hotel. It's like looking at a hotel in a mirror."
"That's not accurate," Xiao Ling said. "The bumps on the outer walls and doors are reversed."
"Generally speaking, that's the case," Peng Fengnian glanced at her. "During the day, the scenery outside is also reversed. Overall, it's correct."
"Also, sometimes we can hear footsteps in the rooms and outside."
The three of them were no strangers to footsteps. Xu Huo immediately asked, "Do you follow the footsteps?"
"As expected of you," Peng Fengnian nodded. "We thought hearing footsteps meant we could contact the outside, but it didn't work..."
"Not only did it not work, but it dragged others into it," Xiao Ling interrupted him. "Every one of us was pulled in here after hearing footsteps!"
Afraid Xu Huo might misunderstand, Peng Fengnian quickly said, "These two things aren't related. If I knew how to pull people into the Mirror Hotel, why wouldn't I just go out myself?"
"Besides, starting from last night, I haven't left my room. Not even an indirect connection, let alone a direct one."
"And I was the first person to come in here. So whose footsteps did I hear? There were no players before me!"
Xiao Ling and Yu Guangnan didn't believe him. Peng Fengnian couldn't help but show some anger. "If I really knew how to get out, I would have left long ago. Why would I still be here?"
"Maybe it's one-way in, no way out," Xiao Ling said sharply. "I've seen plenty of people who, even in their last breath, want to drag someone down with them!"
Peng Fengnian was in a bad state and didn't continue arguing with him. Instead, he said to Xu Huo, "I have no reason to lie to you. I still want you to take me and my companions out."
"I might not be able to get out," Xu Huo said indifferently. "Last time was just luck."
Peng Fengnian seemed determined. "It can't get any worse than this. We've been in here for five days. Our food and stamina recovery potions are almost gone. We won't last much longer. We'll either starve to death or die from infighting."
"Don't refuse so quickly. We arrived earlier and know more information. Can you search this entire hotel by yourself?"
What he said was certainly true. Even if Xu Huo wanted to go out and take a look, he had to be wary of that roaming monster. Having someone to lure it away would be good.
But the primary issue right now wasn't finding a way out, but three prerequisites.
First, the problem of food consumption.
A D-rank player could store quite a bit of food and water, enough to last more than five days.
Second, the number of those monsters.
Seeing only one didn't mean there was only one.
Third, whether hiding in a room could completely avoid monster attacks was one hundred percent accurate.
Peng Fengnian immediately gave answers. Regarding food, people in the Mirror Hotel got hungry very easily. Even without fighting the monster or wandering around the hotel, their physical energy drained very quickly, requiring a large amount of energy replenishment. Moreover, this feeling of hunger intensified over time, and no matter what or how much they ate, it didn't help.
So far, they had only seen one monster. Earlier, to investigate the way out, they had tried to lure the monster away to explore, losing several companions in the process. With such a commotion, if there were more, they would have been attracted out as well.
As for hiding in the room, that was also something they had tested with their lives. The monster would attack rooms with open doors without restraint, but as long as the door was closed, it had no interest at all. Unless the noise was too loud, even if it heard sounds, it wouldn't linger outside the door for long.
Xu Huo nodded after listening and made a simple summary.
First, Peng Fengnian's group didn't rob Xiao Ling and the other person. One reason was they hoped these two could find a way out. The second was that after five days, these people had suffered huge losses. Fighting would put them at a disadvantage, and if they attracted the monster, there would be nowhere to run.
Additionally, they probably realized that if this continued, ordinary food might no longer satisfy their hunger. They might fall into a state of ravenous hunger like before the preliminary trial, and then it would be anyone's guess what they would want to eat.
Second, the monster not attacking closed rooms might not be due to a special restriction. It could simply be because it was full. In five days, including the three players who came with Xu Huo, at least seven or eight people had died in the Mirror Hotel. There was still half a corpse left on the opposite side, indicating it really wasn't hungry.
Although he had a basic understanding, Xu Huo still trusted his own judgment more. He began to ask for details.
For example, how far the footsteps followed before entering the Mirror Hotel, what time they appeared, where they heard footsteps from outside after entering, how long they lasted, the times the monster appeared, its state when it appeared, which floors it frequently roamed, whether it had a fixed nest or excretion spot, whether it would leave the hotel, what it looked like during the day, and so on.
Probably because Peng Fengnian had been down for too long, the rope outside the window began to shake. Peng Fengnian went over and waved, and another player came down.
This person was very young. Compared to Peng Fengnian's disheveled state, he kept himself very clean. Although his expression wasn't great, he was very wary of Xu Huo and the others.
"This is a friend I met in a previous instance. He's very capable." To avoid Xu Huo using a fake name, Peng Fengnian didn't say his name.
"Yu Huo." Xu Huo took the initiative to greet the young man.
But the other party didn't appreciate it. He directly said to Peng Fengnian, "Teacher Pan has something to tell you."
Peng Fengnian's face darkened. "Teacher Pan's method doesn't work. We haven't made any progress in these five days!"
In front of an outsider, the young man didn't say much. He only repeated, "Teacher Pan wants you to go up."
Peng Fengnian was silent for two seconds before turning back to Xu Huo. "I'll go up first."
"Go ahead." Xu Huo didn't mind. Peng Fengnian's group couldn't have appeared here just to clear the instance together. Being wary of other players was understandable.
After the two left, Xiao Ling said, "So secretive, they're definitely up to no good... I reckon in a few days, they'll start eating people."
Yu Guangnan was shocked. "Could the gluttonous desire reappear?"
"Hard to say," Xiao Ling said with a grave expression. "Maybe there's something here that's causing players to degenerate into xenomorphs. Not only do evolvers have gluttonous desires, but xenomorphs do too."
When that time came, besides the monster, they might also have to face players who had degenerated into xenomorphs!
"Are you sure you want to cooperate with them?" Xiao Ling looked up and asked Xu Huo.
"The details they have can save us time." Xu Huo emphasized the word "time," then added, "It doesn't matter if they degenerate. Once they lose their sanity, they'll be more dangerous to themselves than to us."