Just as the Burly Man was about to open his mouth, the Refined Man cut in first, "Although we just went through a dangerous incident, the good news is we discovered a forbidden rule. But the danger isn't truly over. We don't know if there are other similar things hiding in the dark. The urgent matter is to discuss the clues each of us found."
The Refined Man wasn't as hot-headed as the Burly Man. He rarely put obvious emotions on his face. Even when the Burly Man had just snatched leadership of the team, he only smiled and let it go.
He didn't get angry with Xu Xi for not answering him. The fact that Xu Xi reacted so quickly to that supernatural being proved the man had astonishing observation skills and sharp thinking, and he even warned them. He just didn't talk to the rest much, which wasn't a problem at all.
Having a smart person like that in the team would only increase their chances of clearing the game.
The Refined Man's words were reasonable, and the Burly Man knew cooperation mattered more than internal strife now. After snorting coldly, he unfolded the bundle of paper he had been holding and showed it to the others.
Xu Xi had just realized what the Refined Man meant.
There were no candles being used for lighting in the inn rooms, so the candles had to be the issue.
And the others probably assumed that Xu Xi had spotted that, which was why they thought he knew the figure was drawn to the candlelight.
...Although in reality it was because he had died once, it was fine not to bother explaining. Let them misunderstand it that way.
Xu Xi didn't know the others might suspect he had deliberately framed the Short-haired Glasses Girl—if he knew, he would feel like the sky had dropped a giant pot on him.
He had a special ability and therefore confidence. He had planned to probe that strange figure, but who knew the flashlight's beam would provoke that thing?
It was simply a misunderstanding caused by differing perspectives and information gaps.
Once everything was clear, Xu Xi couldn't help but focus on the bundle of paper the Burly Man had taken out.
"This was found in Room 202," the Burly Man said as he carefully unfolded the paper. "There wasn't much useful on it. The only thing that looks somewhat useful is this missing person notice."
Xu Xi and the High-Ponytailed Woman leaned in to examine the contents more closely.
On the crumpled paper was a photo of a young woman, beneath it her identity information and missing-person details, plus contact information for her family.
Notably, the last place this woman had been seen before she disappeared was this very inn.
"She and the resident of Room 202 share the same surname, both named Yang. One of the contact numbers listed matches the number for Yang Wu, the registrant for Room 202, as shown in the registry. The two appear to be siblings."
So the sister disappeared at this inn, and when the family reported it to the police they couldn't find her. Yang Wu then came to the inn alone to search for traces of his missing sister?
Then the Refined Man also produced a cellphone. Its screen was shattered, but surprisingly it still worked.
"This phone was found in Room 204. It was originally powered off. I tried turning it on and it still had battery."
"The two people who stayed in that room were either a couple or married. The phone belonged to the man. We didn't know the lock screen password at first, but we found an ID card in their suitcase. We tried the man's birthday—wrong. Then we tried the woman's birthday—surprisingly it opened."
"We checked the chat logs and other info. Most of it looked normal, but..." The Refined Man opened an audio file, adjusted the volume, and placed the phone in the middle of the group. "Listen to these call recordings."
Everyone held their breath. After a brief burst of static, an older woman's voice came through first.
"Son, didn't you say you were climbing the mountain with Xiaoxue? How are things going?"
A clear male voice replied.
"All right. The scenery here is pretty good, just a little tiring."
"Oh, when will you return?"
"The day after tomorrow. Xiaoxue wants to stay one more day."
"Okay, come back soon. Be careful and don't let anything happen."
"Don't worry, Mom. I know."
The first call ended there.
Xu Xi lowered his head to think.
He hadn't heard anything wrong at first, but something still felt off.
The Refined Man played the second recording. "Listen to this one."
This conversation was not as harmonious as the first. The male voice was filled with terror and panic.
"Mom! I—I encountered something strange!"
"What's wrong, son? Don't panic. Tell Mom what happened."
"I clearly, clearly pushed her off, but the next day she came back."
"...What nonsense are you saying? Maybe you're under too much pressure. Mom told you those supernatural things are fake, just nerves. Finish your work and come home, then tell me in detail."
The man's voice seemed to break as he shouted toward the other end.
"How could they be fake? I don't know that! She really came back! I saw her return unharmed with my own eyes! How is that possible? That cliff was so high. I definitely pushed her off. I couldn't have misremembered..."
The older woman's voice then sounded panicked.
"Ah! Son, don't be afraid, you come back—"
The call cut off there; the woman didn't even finish comforting him.
Several more calls were made afterward, but when they connected, only the woman's anxious questioning could be heard. There was no reply from the man's side after that.
"..." Xu Xi looked up and saw everyone wearing the same grave expression.
Even though they had already heard the recordings once, the Burly Man and the Refined Man still frowned deeply.
The man had taken the woman to hike in collusion with his mother, intending to push the woman off the cliff. But surprisingly, the woman had come back completely unharmed.
But what returned... was it even still human?
The High-Ponytailed Woman handed the diary to the Burly Man and the Refined Man to skim through. She briefly summarized its contents, "Room 103 had a grandfather and grandson. At night the old man heard knocking, opened the door, there must have been a mutation, and he even ate the grandson."
After skimming those diary entries, the two men felt even heavier inside.
The Burly Man assessed bluntly, "All these things add up to seem like a lot of information, but in reality we still don't know what exactly happened. For example, what exactly do 'they' in the inn rules refer to, whether these residents' experiences are related to them, and... where did those people, including the innkeeper, go in the end?"