Chapter 23: The Knocking Inn (Part 8)

The daylight hours drifted away, and the four of them gathered in Linghu Shiyu’s Room 3.

This room had the best layout and was the most comfortable. Room 2 was technically better, but that door required a password both inside and out, and there was the issue of disposing of the corpse, which was far too much trouble.

"Since the hallway isn't dangerous, why don't we just stay out there? It would be easier to escape," asked Li Hua, leaning against the bedside.

"A mere Li Hua like you, and you’re complaining about being in a high school girl’s room?" Zhou Ke, lying on the bed and flipping through a magazine, replied with a look of disdain.

"Hey, why has my name become a derogatory term?"

"Why aren't you refuting the second half of his statement?" This time, it was Linghu Shiyu who cast a scornful look at Li Hua.

"Uh, because this is honestly my first time inside a high school girl’s room," Li Hua said, lowering his head in embarrassment. "It feels quite novel, hehe."

He was immediately struck in the head by a plastic cup thrown by Linghu Shiyu, which clattered onto the floor.

The sound was unusually sharp, as if something had shattered.

"Crap! My Iron Head technique has reached perfection!" Li Hua suddenly shrieked.

He pointed to the floor where his head had accidentally made contact; a large chunk of the tile had shattered.

This was highly unusual.

Before they could ponder it, the tiles around the fracture began to crack as well. The bizarre phenomenon spread rapidly, and the entire floor of the room became so fragile it crumbled at the slightest touch.

It wasn't just the floor; the surrounding walls were decaying on a massive scale.

The plaster peeled away, the cement weathered, and the steel reinforcements were exposed—it was as if the room had endured centuries of ruin in just a few seconds.

"What’s happening?!" Li Hua scrambled to his feet, dust and debris shaking off his backside.

"Don't panic." Zhou Ke’s expression remained as calm as ever. He stared intently at the doorway—the only thing in the room unaffected by the decay.

"Just as I suspected." He smiled faintly and leaped off the blackened, mold-covered bedding. "Everyone, get close to the door."

This request caught them off guard. "Didn't you say that touching the door would bring the wrath of the Doorbell Ghost?"

"The rules have changed."

Zhou Ke didn't have time to explain further; he took the lead and made contact with the door.

The others gritted their teeth and followed suit, bracing themselves against the door.

Hardly a second after they reached it, the lights in the room extinguished, the floor collapsed entirely, and the room plunged into an bottomless darkness.

Due to the crowding, they tumbled out into the hallway, pushing the steel door—now stripped of its hinges—along with them.

Just as they were about to catch their breath, they saw two greenish-black feet standing right before them, and a chilling wind whistled overhead, as if the Grim Reaper were swinging a scythe.

"Damn it, it’s too late." Zhou Ke thought of using a "Truth" to distract the Doorbell Ghost, but the ghost's razor-sharp claws were moving far too quickly.

Just as the claws were about to descend upon Li Hua’s head, the steel door arched abruptly, using brute force to deflect the ghost’s arm.

"Hey, a true gentleman cannot stand by and watch a beauty get hurt." Louis knelt on one knee, bracing the door with both arms, his two rows of white teeth reflecting a confident glow.

The Doorbell Ghost was, of course, not moved by this flamboyant display of chivalry. Its attack interrupted, it grew even more enraged, raising its other claw to strike directly at Louis’s face.

"The door has a dampening effect on evil spirits! Use it to block the attacks!" Zhou Ke shouted.

Louis reacted quickly, slamming the door downward. It anchored itself into the ground as if it had taken root.

The Doorbell Ghost’s five fingers clawed at the top, producing a sharp, bone-snapping sound.

Although no scream was heard, the increasingly fierce and freezing chill in the air suggested the ghost was quite displeased.

*Crunch, crunch—*

The five twisted, mangled fingers regenerated rapidly, and the Doorbell Ghost launched another frenzied attack.

Every strike sent the door and Louis reeling back half a step, and Louis’s expression began to grow ugly.

"What is going on right now?" Linghu Shiyu tried to press her hands against the bottom of the door, but the terrifying force transmitted through it made her heart race.

"The rules have changed," said Zhou Ke, standing at the very back. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but the door panel was only so large; there was simply no room. "Think carefully. Are all the incorrect rules we’ve discovered so far the ones with even-numbered indices in the 'Guest Guidelines'?"

*2: After the sun sets, you must return to your room; do not linger in the hallway.*
*4: The neighborhood around the hotel is not very safe; be sure to lock your door at night.*
*6: There are no paranormal legends in this hotel; please do not spread rumors and damage the hotel’s reputation!*

"And the odd-numbered rules are completely correct."

*1: Your rental period is for five days; please leave the hotel immediately after five days, as new tenants will be arriving.*
*3: The night outside the hotel is very beautiful, but it can only be viewed from the windows in the hallway.*
*5: If you encounter any problems, you may consult the landlord; the landlord’s words are absolutely true and reliable.*

"From this, it’s easy to infer that the rules follow an odd-even pattern."

Zhou Ke listed them briefly before continuing: "I asked the landlord that question, and he said he likes odd numbers, which confirms that the odd-numbered rules are the true ones."

"Then what does 'after a certain odd number' mean?" Li Hua, still on the ground, was pushing against the door panel with his feet.

"The odd number is the '5' for this fifth day."

Linghu Shiyu finally caught on: "After a certain odd number, it prefers even numbers... You mean that after this fifth day, the even-numbered rules are no longer false?"

"Bingo! As expected of Heroine Linghu, much smarter than someone who only knows how to have others write their English essays for them." Zhou Ke mimicked a game show celebration, pointing his hands like finger guns.

"Can you drop that trope?" Li Hua grumbled.

"Not to be uncool, but my dear heroines and beauties, now is probably not the time for a tea party chat," Louis said, his teeth gritted as he strained to hold the door.

"Let me think... if the even rules are now true," Linghu Shiyu said, wracking her brain. "That means we can't linger in the hallway, we have to stick to the door, and there really are no paranormal legends?!"

She looked confusedly at the Doorbell Ghost, which was scratching sparks off the steel door. How could there be no legends?!

"That’s the literal meaning. The true meaning must be that we are meant to eliminate the legends; once they are eliminated, they will cease to exist," Zhou Ke added.

As if to verify his words, the "Guest Guidelines" on the wall vanished entirely.

In their place appeared a concise, simple line:

[The gates are open; eliminate the evil spirits.]