A Sickly Beauty Transmigrates Into An Infinite Flow World As An NPC - Chapter 3

◎ “I’ve Caught You” ◎

The landlady glanced at He Yuput with a mix of suspicion and malice. Seeing that he showed no signs of panic, she finally accepted the absurd information.

She scoffed, closed the registration book with her wrinkled hands, and locked it away in the desk drawer. She then grabbed a piece of dry bread from the counter and tossed it underneath.

A crisp sound of chains echoed from the front desk, accompanied by muffled whimpering. A half-human-sized, dark red lump of flesh crawled on the floor, covered in foul-smelling, viscous matter. Its mouth had been stitched shut with black thread. Unable to eat the food provided, it had to use its claws to tear the flesh of its own mouth, force the food into the opening, and swallow it mixed with blood. It was a difficult, gruesome process.

The scene was too bloody. Many people instinctively backed away, and even Shen Weiran placed his hand on the gun at his waist in defense.

He Yuput did not feel much, but the physical frailty he suffered from in the real world seemed to have carried over into the game. The foul, fishy stench rising from the creature made him feel hypoxic, and his face turned as pale as paper.

Xie Jingyan thought he was afraid and gently covered his eyes. “Good boy, I will handle this matter soon.”

The landlady looked up again, licked the corner of her mouth, and grinned with a hideous, grotesque expression. “Now that everyone has registered, come and pay the fees.”

The players’ identity cards showed they were children of wealthy families; a simple reach into their pockets revealed dozens of banknotes and three cards. Small sticky notes were attached to the cards, indicating their PINs.

The payment process followed a specific order. The grey-headed man had observed the other players and finally realized the landlady was dangerous, but it was too late. He had already handed over his ID.

Clutching his cash and cards tightly and unable to trust the landlady, he asked, “Why do you need my ID? You are not going to harm me, are you?”

The landlady replied, “What hotel does not require registration? Did everyone else not register?”

The grey-headed man asked sheepishly, “Do you take cash or credit cards? How much is it for one night?”

“We do not accept cash here. We take Hell money.”

The landlady’s face turned deathly pale, and she smiled as she stared directly at him. “Five million Hell banknotes for half a day, ten million for a full day.”

“Hell money? Refusing to accept RMB is illegal!”

The grey-headed man looked at her in terror and took three steps back. “You have violated Article 3 of the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Renminbi. Do not think I will not call the police!”

[Pfft! I am dying of laughter! Hahahaha!] (Tipped 3 points)

[Help, he is lecturing a ghost on the law! What a genius newbie, hahaha!]

[The old hag’s ghostly life is being threatened by the law, I cannot take it!] (Tipped 1 point)

The old hag scoffed, “Oh? Then go ahead and call them.”

Xie Jingyan knocked on the front desk and asked, “We do not have any Hell money on us. What should we do?”

Instances would not set an unsolvable problem. Since the NPC had brought it up, it meant there must be a way to acquire it.

“The hotel allows credit. You can pay the full amount within three days.”

The landlady’s eyes widened, and her voice turned disturbingly strange as she smiled. “If you cannot pay, you can stay and work for me.”

She tugged on the chain, pulling out the squirming dark red lump of flesh. The players finally saw its full appearance.

It was a human prisoner restrained by iron chains. Their face was covered in bloody lacerations, their hands and legs had been severed, and their eye sockets were nothing but blood-soaked, gaping holes that continued to ooze fluid.

The bespectacled man scanned the tattoo on its body and instantly went cold, his strength deserting him. “That is a player. The tattoo on him is a very common game item!”

As soon as he spoke, everyone’s expression shifted.

The landlady pulled several room keys from under the desk. “It seems none of you have Hell money, so go upstairs and rest. Come and collect your room numbers.”

【Main Mission Triggered: Check into the hotel.】

【After processing registration, players must settle the bill and leave the hotel within 72 hours.】

【If players cannot settle the 30 million Hell banknote bill within 72 hours, the landlady will conduct a room clearance at midnight. The players shall bear all consequences.】

【Countdown: 71:59:59】

He Yuput followed behind Xie Jingyan, took his room key, lowered his delicate eyes, and pulled a thick stack of Hell banknotes from his pocket. “This is 40 million. Please take the room fees for me and Brother Xie for two days.”

The landlady took the money, split it into two stacks, and shoved them into her pockets. The pockets bulged like two steamed buns, looking somewhat ridiculous.

“Alright, I am off the clock. Do as you please.”

Her back was hunched, and her gait was unnatural, like a monster attempting to imitate a human. “Oh, right. As the owner of this place, I have an obligation to warn you: no matter what happens, once the sun sets, you must never leave your rooms.”

Can I not leave the room after dark?

He Yuput raised his gaze, looking at the desk drawer with doubt.

As the landlady disappeared from sight, her voice lingered, no less menacing than before, with a chilling, eerie laughter: “Remember not to leave the hotel, otherwise, if I happen to be hungry, hehehehe!”

Shen Weiran frowned irritably. “Is that old hag provoking us?”

He Yuput looked in the direction the landlady had left and whispered, “She is provoking us because this Hell money must be collected from the hallway at exactly midnight.”

Shen Weiran said heartlessly, “Are you not here to commit suicide? If you are going to die anyway, why pay? Just stay for free!”

He Yuput replied gloomily, “If you had your suicide interrupted 39 times in a row, I believe you would pay up too.”

“I am sorry, Xiao Pu. It is my fault.”

Xie Jingyan apologized decisively before asking, “But how did she interrupt you? Were you not in your room?”

“She came to knock on my door. I ignored her, and the next second, I was standing in the hallway.”

Recalling the scene, He Yuput trembled uncontrollably and could not help but hug Xie Jingyan tightly. “She was holding a knife, forcing me to pay interest. I was so scared that I threw everything I had at her, including two Hell banknotes.”

Shen Weiran asked, “She left after taking the money?”

He Yuput nodded.

Xie Jingyan said thoughtfully, “So, it is best if we do not go into debt. Otherwise, when she comes to collect interest at night, we will be forced to respond at her beck and call.”

Everyone’s expressions changed, and the lobby fell into an eerie silence.

【System Announcement: Player Huang Yan failed to complete the registration of his ID information on time. A public cleansing punishment will now be carried out. Let this serve as a warning to other players to take the game seriously.】

Upon hearing the announcement, the middle-aged man, Huang Yan, scrambled from behind the desk, running toward the exit. “F*ck! I am not playing anymore! I want to leave this ghost game!”

But as he reached the door frame, he felt a sharp, sudden pain in his chest. Before he could react, his heart exploded, and blood splattered everywhere.

His upper torso was blown apart, and he fell stiffly to the ground with a hideous, terrifying expression.

The group watched the scene in shock, and screams erupted one after another. Several new players crouched on the ground, holding their heads and sobbing.

He Yuput, already feeling unwell, began to dry-heave at the intense smell of blood. He felt faint and nearly collapsed.

Xie Jingyan was quick to support He Yuput, wrapping an arm around his waist and lifting him up.

While soothing He Yuput, he said to the others, “Everyone, do not panic. This is only an F-level instance. Picking up Hell money is likely an exploration task to give us clues. Let us return to our rooms to rest and gather to go out at night.”

Perhaps because Xie Jingyan’s demeanor was composed and he was a veteran player, the new players instinctively viewed him as their backbone.

The newcomers tried to stop their sobbing, asking anxiously, “Then how will we gather? If the first person to leave their room encounters the landlady…”

“I checked everyone’s room numbers just now. We are all on the same floor,” Xie Jingyan said patiently. “Do not worry about that. Midnight is twelve o’clock sharp; everyone will leave their rooms at the same time and meet in the hallway.”

It was a relatively safe approach that both the novices and veterans agreed to.

He Yuput tugged on Xie Jingyan’s sleeve, sounding slightly cautious, “I want to stay with you.”

“Of course you can.”