Really Getting into the Role

Guan En's figure gradually receded, disappearing at the end of the brightly lit small street.

Zhu Yan walked under a streetlamp and unfolded the slip of paper in his hand.

Using a phone to contact him was truly a move born of helplessness. The other party didn't even worry about the subsequent police investigation; it seemed he was truly pushed to the brink.

The handwriting on the note was quite neat, as if he was afraid Zhu Yan wouldn't be able to read it.

"116 Queye Street, Fuyuan Hotel, Room 1030."

"No need to register an ID. Just pretend you've already checked in!"

He didn't need to register his ID?

That showed a lot of sincerity.

Zhu Yan opened his phone and searched. This address wasn't exactly close; it would take a 20-minute drive.

Factoring in the time to hail a cab and wait, 30 minutes would be exactly used up.

Regardless, Zhu Yan planned to head directly to the destination and find a place downstairs to wait.

He really couldn't trust [Carnival Paradise]—

Especially after the broadcast explicitly stated that their actions "ran contrary to the goals of [Carnival Paradise]."

The 30-minute buffer time given to the dead female player was because she wouldn't help [Carnival Paradise] spread the plague.

What if the buffer time given to them was only 10 minutes, or even 5 minutes?

Zhu Yan believed [Carnival Paradise] was fully capable of doing that.

...

116 Queye Street.

Compared to the old district, the gray buildings here looked tall and cold. It was rare to see any shops or storefronts on either side of the wide road.

The sign for Fuyuan Hotel glowed in the lobby of an office building. The pale white light reflected on the less-than-clean gray cement brick floor, making the already simple front desk look even more shabby.

Zhu Yan checked the time. Less than 30 minutes had passed; it was hard to say if Guan En had finished picking up the goods.

He walked to a lit vending machine in the lobby and casually bought a small bag of bread to serve as a filling dinner.

The emergency stairwell here was located right between two narrow elevators.

Zhu Yan thought for a moment, then followed a couple coming in to stay the night, pressing the button for the tenth floor.

They were going to exploit a loophole in [Carnival Paradise]. Guan En's ability level was lower, so Guan En would be the one to step up and lure the [Witch].

However, if he waited right outside the room, Zhu Yan was afraid of being automatically dragged into the instance, causing its difficulty to skyrocket.

If he stayed too far away, and [Carnival Paradise] went crazy and gave a five-minute warning for the instance to start, and the elevator happened to not come, they would be doomed.

It was better to play it safe: scout the location first, then hide in the emergency stairwell and wait for Guan En's call.

The elevator doors opened.

Zhu Yan stepped onto the long corridor covered with soft carpet. Following the signs on the wall, he found Room 1030 near the end of the hallway.

He cautiously cross-checked the room number with the note in his hand several times, also looking at the adjacent room numbers to be sure.

After confirming it was correct, Zhu Yan walked the route twice more before carefully retreating into the emergency stairwell. He wedged the door open just a tiny crack and leaned behind it.

He really felt a lack of security.

If he didn't do this, and the door inexplicably locked, all their efforts would be in vain.

There were no lights in the stairwell, only the fluorescent green exit signs flickering intermittently.

Zhu Yan stood there for a good while, and no one came by.

With a shift of his thoughts, he simply transformed into that noblewoman-like high-level thriller creature he had seen in the [Hall of Mourning].

Although he didn't know what this "Madam" was called, this identity was truly convenient to use.

He'd gladly accept it!

At the same time.

Guan En walked into the first-floor elevator, carrying a large bag of items.

Besides the things he had originally bought, this bag also contained two pieces of cloth covered in strange runes.

These were free gifts from a seller who had suddenly found their conscience, helping Guan En gather all the necessary materials for the ritual.

On the way, Guan En had already watched several ritual videos, carving the steps into his mind.

In the cramped and stuffy elevator, he let out a soft breath.

He wondered what identity that mysterious companion would appear in.

In any case, the other party was not weak and was quite smart.

As he stepped onto the soft corridor of the tenth floor, he felt a bone-chilling, strange coldness seeping out from the emergency door.

There was a narrow crack open there—

Guan En took a glance. The gap was pitch black, making the hairs on his arms stand up.

An ominous feeling welled up from the bottom of his heart.

He steadied his nerves, took large strides back to his room, and leaned against the door to catch his breath before starting to set up the altar.

What was behind the emergency door?

Did [Carnival Paradise] know he was going to cause trouble and had already ordered the [Witch] and the [Demon] to stand by on the spot?

Thinking of this, Guan En took out his phone and sent a text message to the number on the note.

"Can you come over now? I don't think the situation looks very good."

Zhu Yan, leaning behind the door, had just finished munching on his small bread.

The situation didn't look very good?

He looked left and right, then poked his head out to glance down the hallway.

It was quiet and peaceful, and the lights were bright.

Aside from the corridor looking a bit like a tomb passage, Zhu Yan didn't notice anything wrong.

"What's wrong with you? Where are you?"

Guan En had already entered the [Player Forum] and was slowly setting up the altar according to the photo in the [Witch] related thread.

"I've already gotten the stuff and returned." He looked at the message Zhu Yan sent, only feeling that the lingering chill from behind the emergency door was following him like a shadow.

"Come quickly. I suspect this won't be easy to handle; there's clearly something in the corridor near the emergency door."

Huh?

Zhu Yan was startled.

He turned his head to look outside the door, then looked at the pitch-black stairwell, confirming that it was just dark here. There was none of that spine-chilling coldness unique to thriller creatures.

Looking left and right, he was the only one in this spot.

Could this "something" refer to him, who had activated [Roleplay]?

Zhu Yan wanted to laugh.

He wasn't sure how good Guan En's acting skills were, so he decided to let him continue to be afraid.

After all, genuine emotion had no flaws.

Zhu Yan replied, "I'm almost downstairs. The ritual still needs time, so go ahead and do it first."

Guan En quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

He asked, "How long until you can come up?"

"I can reach your room within ten minutes," Zhu Yan said. "Remember to ask for two portions of the item."

"Two portions of the item" referred to two doses of the vaccine.

Guan En breathed a massive sigh of relief at the words "ten minutes."

He would definitely make it in time!

Now, in front of the hotel sofa, he had set up the altar on the low, rectangular coffee table.

The dancing flames slowly devoured the black candle bodies. Guan En dimmed the lights and recited the first stanza of the prayer fairly fluently.

He stared nervously at the center of the table. Suddenly, a breeze blew past, and two of the candles instantly went out.

In the emergency stairwell.

Zhu Yan straightened his body, set his phone to silent, and stared intently at the dark stairwell ahead.

Rustle. Rustle.

Something was coming up—

It didn't seem to have a heavy physical body. From the sound it made, it was more like a robe floating in mid-air rubbing against the ground.

Rustle, rustle.

The faint sound of friction echoed through the passage.

It approached quite slowly, gradually revealing a shape amidst the intermittent fluorescent glow of the green exit sign.

It was a cloak floating in mid-air, its hood pulled up.

Even in the darkness, Zhu Yan could make out that this was a translucent entity.

It was floating upward from the corner of the stairs below. With every flash of the green fluorescent sign, it drew a fraction closer.

Zhu Yan tensed his nerves, watching as the cloak slowly turned toward him. Beneath the shadow of the hood, there was absolutely nothing.

The green light was still flashing, but the weightless cloak had come to a halt.

The previously raised hood lowered submissively, and the bottom of the cloak suddenly collapsed a bit, as if the entity was giving Zhu Yan a comical bow.

"Madam." The voice was as hoarse as a gust of wind, and Zhu Yan could feel the icy chill hidden within it.

However, perhaps because his player level had increased, he did not feel particularly terrified.

"Welcome. What brings you to grace us with your presence?"

This must be the Demon.

Zhu Yan put on a pretentious tone and let out a cold sneer.

"A clairvoyant friend from the Eye of the Abyss told me there would be a good show here."

Judging from the reaction of the Plague Demon in the previous dungeon, the name Eye of the Abyss was highly effective.

Therefore, Zhu Yan simply repeated his old trick, his eyes fixed intently on the Demon's reaction.

The empty cloak seemed to tremble, and the bottom of it sank even more noticeably.

The Eye of the Abyss.

The infamous Eye of the Abyss Club!

It was just here to collect its payment!

The Demon wanted to look up at this high-level horror creature, but it did not dare.

God damn it.

It was just a measly Level 4 minor demon. Since when did it catch the attention of the big shots?!