Xu Xi wanted to immediately speak up and tell the High-Ponytailed Woman beside him to extinguish the candles, but he couldn't open his mouth no matter how hard he tried. He could only watch helplessly as that figure drew closer and closer to them.
He could feel his consciousness being contaminated by some invisible thing. He even felt that his body was undergoing some kind of change.
In his daze, Xu Xi felt a strange sense of familiarity with that approaching figure.
Who was coming over?
Oh, it was one of his own kind.
His cognition was completely altered.
...
Xu Xi jolted awake, finding that he had just pulled the door open and had already taken a step outside.
He turned his head to look, and sure enough, that terrifying figure was still climbing the stairs, not having noticed them yet.
Without time for further thought, Xu Xi directly turned around and, under the High-Ponytailed Woman's astonished gaze, pinched out the candles with his bare hands.
Gesturing for her to stay quiet, Xu Xi turned back to watch the supernatural being.
He actually had no memory of his own death at all. It was like he had a dream, and after waking up, he had inexplicably reloaded the save.
But he still remembered that it was the candlelight that had attracted the being, so his first move just now was to snuff out the candles.
The High-Ponytailed Woman behind him seemed to realize something. She cautiously peeked out and her expression changed slightly upon seeing the figure on the stairs.
That figure was still climbing the stairs unhurriedly. Its speed wasn't fast, but the staircase wasn't long. Even at that slow pace, it would reach the second floor in just over ten seconds.
The Burly Man and the other two were on the second floor. Presumably, their candlelight had also attracted that figure.
Earlier, after the High-Ponytailed Woman entered the room, she had closed the door, so their light hadn't leaked outside. That's why the figure bypassed the nearer target and went to the second floor.
The choice now facing him was whether or not to warn the three people on the second floor.
If he didn't warn them, those three would most likely end up like him and the High-Ponytailed Woman in the previous timeline, dying silently without any chance to resist.
Yes, he believed the High-Ponytailed Woman hadn't survived in the previous timeline either.
He didn't think she was foolish. If he could figure out it was the candles, she might have realized it too, even if just to test the theory.
But she hadn't made a single move, probably because she was controlled just like he was.
If he warned them, they had no means of communication, so he could only shout.
...Would that figure be affected by sound?
If candlelight attracted it, what about the light from a flashlight?
He still remembered he had just found a flashlight.
They couldn't possibly have to grope around in the dark for the rest of the instance, could they?
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. With the purpose of testing, Xu Xi shouted loudly, "Second floor! Extinguish the candles now!"
That figure remained completely motionless.
It seemed it wouldn't be attracted by sound.
Xu Xi tightened his grip on the flashlight in his hand. The moment he switched it on, he aimed its beam directly at the figure. Under the flashlight's illumination, the figure seemed to be stimulated by something, letting out a sharp shriek. Its form flickered and then vanished from the spot.
"Ah—" Simultaneously, a woman's scream came from upstairs.
Xu Xi couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
The reaction of that figure after being hit by the flashlight light was a bit intense.
He hadn't expected to accidentally discover that the being feared the flashlight's strong light.
But as for upstairs...
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Xi still walked towards the stairwell with his flashlight on.
By now, the High-Ponytailed Woman also understood the reason behind the young man's abrupt action of quickly extinguishing the candles earlier. Although she wasn't clear on how he knew the candles would affect that figure, she thought for a moment and followed him.
Passing by room 101, she subconsciously paused her steps.
Just as Xu Xi reached the stairwell, he heard the sound of chaotic footsteps gradually approaching from the second floor.
The Burly Man and the Refined Man practically leaped down the stairs in two or three bounds.
"...That short-haired girl with glasses is dead." Seeing the other two teammates, the Burly Man's first words were to announce the death of the Short-haired Glasses Girl.
"Killed by that white, humanoid thing, whatever it is." The Refined Man steadied his emotions and calmly added, "Its speed was too fast. We didn't get a clear look at its specific appearance."
"You didn't extinguish the candles?" the High-Ponytailed Woman asked.
The Refined Man's expression faltered slightly. "We... froze for a moment."
The High-Ponytailed Woman didn't ask further. She understood why, despite the warning, someone on their side still died.
To put it bluntly, they didn't immediately trust their teammate's warning.
But it was understandable.
In instances, it wasn't unheard of for players to use the guise of a warning to deliberately redirect trouble onto others.
It all came down to one's own judgment.
Fortunately, the Burly Man was quick. The moment the Short-haired Glasses Girl fell, he lunged forward and extinguished the candles. Otherwise, they likely wouldn't have escaped disaster either.
The moment the candles went out, that thing vanished.
"..." After listening quietly, Xu Xi's expression shifted slightly.
He hadn't expected the first to die would be that Short-haired Glasses Girl.
This was the first time a teammate had died in an instance he had experienced.
Moreover, her clean, swift death was different from his own in the previous timeline. He remembered he had struggled for a while.
So, what caused this difference?
"...So, how did you know to extinguish the candles?" After the group exchanged brief information, the Refined Man suddenly asked.
The Burly Man also looked over.
The High-Ponytailed Woman directly turned her gaze to Xu Xi.
Instantly, the attention of all three focused on the silent young man.
—
【Goodness, I was holding my breath the whole time, didn't even dare type a word】
【Can anyone relate? Seeing that figure on the stairs, my heart just stopped】
【Master Xu Xi reacted so fast! I was still stunned, and he just pinched out the candles in an instant】
【So that creepy thing was attracted by the candles?】
【The person above, you only just figured that out? It ignored the first floor which was so close and went straight for the second floor because the ponytail woman closed the door. The three on the second floor didn't close theirs, so the candlelight leaked out】
【The question is, how did Xu Xi know the thing was attracted to the candles? He doesn't have our god's-eye view for comparison】
Ji Yang had originally planned to take a sip of water. He had just raised his cup when he was completely frozen by the series of dramatic changes in the live streamed instance.
Coming back to his senses and seeing the questions in the live stream comments, he thought for a moment before explaining, "He probably noticed a detail."
【What detail? I didn't notice anything】
【Me neither】
【Same here】
【If you all could notice it, wouldn't you all be masters? So what detail is it?】
Ji Yang didn't keep the netizens in suspense. He reminded them, "Think carefully. Were there any lighting tools in room 103 just now?"
【There were. Didn't Master Xu Xi find a flashlight?】
Ji Yang gave an affirmative hum and asked in return, "So why weren't there any candles in the room?"
The scrolling speed of the live stream comments immediately slowed down.
【I have another phone tuned into the Burly Man's live stream. I didn't see any candles in rooms 202 or 204 either】