“To be precise, it’s the NPCs’ identification tags.” Lin Ya waved the number one tag with a black background and red letters in front of him, successfully garnering a look of shock from his companion.
“You stole that NPC’s identification tag?!” He was utterly flabbergasted.
“No wonder that NPC was later burned!” He had been wondering why he had witnessed the scene of an NPC being engulfed by flames. He and Su Ziyi, along with Wu Yun, were extremely anxious, almost thinking they would experience a repeat of yesterday.
It turned out this person was the culprit, stealing the NPC’s identification tag.
“I see that at the ball, if an NPC loses their identification tag, they can be burned alive!” This was truly an eye-opener.
“Yeah, the following days will be more perilous. Today’s dance is relatively safe. Just to be cautious, it’s best to grab another NPC identification tag; they are different from ours and should help us avoid the damage from other NPCs.”
“Let’s do it! We have to get one!”
On the third day of the dance, Lei Guang successfully obtained an identification tag representing an NPC’s identity.
Of course, he used an item to do it.
In front of Lin Ya lay two books and a photograph. He leaned forward with his elbows resting on the table, fingers crossed under his chin, staring at the two figures in the photograph, while inexplicably recalling the painting that had been hanging on the wall earlier.
The woman in that painting bore no resemblance to the one in the photograph, yet he felt the woman in the painting was crucial.
Bella and Qila were twin sisters, both possessing a pure and delicate beauty. In contrast, the woman in the painting appeared particularly seductive and extravagant, with a heavy makeup that accentuated her allure.
His fingertips lightly tapped on the table, producing a crisp sound.
Lin Ya stood up, deciding to head downstairs to ask the plump chef who could whip up something special for a fee.
He took all the cash from his wallet with him.
The hotel chef had been there since the establishment of the hotel, rising through the ranks from helper to head chef in just over a decade. He was short and stout, and due to his constant presence in the kitchen, he always had a greasy smell of smoke, with an oily sheen on his face.
His chubby cheeks were creased as he accepted the stack of bills from Lin Ya’s hand, counting the money with a smile and a satisfied expression. “What do you want to know?”
“I want to know if any strange things have happened in this hotel over the past decade or so since it opened.”
“Strange things?” The plump chef appeared to ponder for a moment before asking, “Are you talking about the ghost that manifested after someone died in Room 414, or the fact that a female guest mysteriously disappears every year?”
His voice trailed off ominously, the light overhead flickering as the entire kitchen oscillated between light and shadow.
The door slammed shut with a loud bang.
“Or perhaps… the incident of me turning corpses into dishes?” As he spoke, the plump chef suddenly produced a cleaver, his eyes flashing with a cold and ruthless light as he swung it toward Lin Ya.
Lin Ya, tall and dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, remained unfazed as the sharp blade came toward him. He calmly raised his right hand to loosen his tie, his expression serene.
Outside, Lei Guang paced anxiously. He had been waiting for Lin Ya to come out but was taken aback when the door suddenly closed, wondering what was happening inside.
He wanted to save Lin Ya, but hesitated. His props were limited; besides two crucial life-saving items, he only had a couple of auxiliary ones. Opening the door would inevitably waste one item.
In the end, he stopped in place, conflicted for three seconds, then tightened his wrist, deciding to use an item.
Meanwhile, Su Ziyi and Wu Yun went downstairs to ask the chef to prepare something to eat. Upon reaching the kitchen, they noticed Lei Guang’s anxious demeanor, instantly becoming alert.
“What are you doing here? Eating?” Su Ziyi glanced at him and then at the tightly closed kitchen door, his eyes filled with questions.
“Lin Ya is inside, and the door suddenly shut.” Lei Guang paused, deciding to tell the truth.
“What’s he doing in there?” Entering the NPC’s territory was highly risky in the copy; they could accidentally offend the NPC’s rules and be killed.
Upon hearing that Lin Ya entered the kitchen, Wu Yun suddenly felt a bad premonition.
“…” Lei Guang opened his mouth. Could he admit that they just wanted to ask for clues? Of course not. Su Ziyi wasn’t naïve; what if it piqued the NPC’s curiosity and he tried to get involved?
Lei Guang didn’t want to speak anymore and was just about to use an item to open the door.
In the next second, a figure crashed against the wall outside, propelled by the splintering door frame.
“Ah!!” The figure let out a shriek.
The cleaver narrowly brushed past Lei Guang’s ear and, along with the figure, forcefully embedded itself into the designed wall. It penetrated the chest and left only a bit of the handle exposed.
The three outside were instantly stunned.
They stood rigidly, beads of cold sweat forming on their bodies, hardly daring to move.
A figure stepped out from inside, walking forward with an indifferent expression. A flicker of fear crossed the eyes of the plump chef hanging on the wall.
He hadn’t expected that even as a ghost he would be beaten; this guy was absolutely not human!
Even fiercer than him.
Who on earth was the real ghost?!
Coincidentally, that was a question they also wanted to know.
Lei Guang’s face twitched; his dry throat made a sound. “…cough…”
“Um… I was just about to use a prop to rescue you…” he spoke cautiously, afraid Lin Ya would be upset, instinctively using respectful language.
Beside them, Su Ziyi and Wu Yun only dared to exchange glances, shooting disapproving looks at him for having slipped away!
Lin Ya paid no mind; it was only a temporary alliance. Even if the other party made no move, he wouldn’t be angry. He approached the plump chef, pinching the clean handle of the cleaver, and yanked it out with a slight tug.
“Clang——”
“Bang——!”
The cleaver fell to the ground, and both the door frame and the plump chef crumpled to the floor.