Undoubtedly, going alone to light the candle and deliberately lure that white humanoid thing was a very dangerous task.
Not to mention having to lock it inside a room; the slightest misstep could mean losing one's life.
Furthermore, they still didn't know if the other locked doors held additional dangers; it was entirely possible another white humanoid thing was trapped inside one.
Even without lighting the candle, no one could guarantee that facing such a creature would be safe.
And that thing was incredibly fast.
The Burly Man and the Refined Man had both witnessed how the Short-haired Glasses Girl was instantly killed; they simply couldn't evade that kind of speed.
It clearly had nothing to do with the High-Ponytailed Woman, so why would she voluntarily shoulder such a huge risk for this young man?
Under the probing gazes of the two men, the High-Ponytailed Woman remained expressionless, seemingly with no intention of explaining herself.
She reached out towards the Burly Man. "Give me the lighter. Which room should the candle be placed in?"
During the earlier team split, it was the Burly Man who lit the other candle, and the lighter had remained with him since then.
At that moment, Xu Xi took the candlestick from the High-Ponytailed Woman's hand and then gestured for the Burly Man to give him the lighter.
"Fine, give me the lighter. I'll go."
Xu Xi nodded to the High-Ponytailed Woman, a gesture of thanks for her good intentions.
Although he didn't understand her motives for doing this, on the surface, she was clearly helping him.
He wasn't the type to just hide behind others either.
Besides, he had his cheat.
"Hmph, at least you've got some guts, kid." The Burly Man grinned, pulling the lighter from his pocket and tossing it into Xu Xi's arms.
He turned to ask the Refined Man, "Which room should we have this kid place the candle in?"
The Refined Man thought for a moment and said, "Put it in 106. We'll hide in 103. That way, we'll be diagonally across from it, maintaining a safe distance while still allowing us to observe easily."
The Burly Man naturally agreed. He lifted his chin towards Xu Xi, urging, "Let's go."
Xu Xi glanced at him, said nothing, and simply turned to walk towards Room 106.
The other three followed behind him.
Only after the three of them had entered Room 103 did the Refined Man reveal a puzzled expression, looking at the Burly Man. "You seem quite displeased with him? He did, after all, discover the secret of the candles and warned us."
"I was just testing him," the Burly Man scoffed. "Don't play innocent with me either. Don't think I didn't notice you also wanted to test him."
Having his thoughts laid bare so bluntly, the Refined Man showed no embarrassment and admitted openly, "I think he's a smart person, but I just can't get a read on his attitude."
He couldn't quite figure out that young man.
Thinking of this, he casually reminded, "Don't go too far. Our priority is still clearing the instance."
The Burly Man responded dismissively, "I know that, of course."
The High-Ponytailed Woman, who had been silently listening to the entire exchange, glanced at them before shifting her gaze to the crack in the door.
Through the narrow gap, she could see the rather youthful-faced young man using his flashlight as he bent down to pick the lock on Room 106's door.
Compared to the other two, she had spent more time with him and had naturally observed more.
The other two had been on the second floor at the time and weren't clear on the specifics, but she had followed behind the young man and seen everything clearly.
The death of that Short-haired Glasses Girl was not simple; one could even say it was absolutely orchestrated by him.
To so effortlessly get another player killed... she couldn't even tell if it was a deliberate scheme or just a convenient casualty.
But regardless of which it was, this person was absolutely not as harmless as he appeared.
That low-profile, almost transparent demeanor of his—couldn't it be considered a successful disguise?
At the very least, hadn't the two men beside her underestimated him because of it?
Meanwhile.
Xu Xi stood before Room 106. In the pitch-black corridor, he was all alone. One had to admit, for someone with a fear of the dark, this was a true test of courage.
His gradually accelerating heartbeat urged him to work the lock with swift, practiced motions. Once done, he carefully pushed the door open.
Fortunately, there was no sign of that supernatural being inside the room.
Shining his flashlight around, he decided to place the candle on the bedside table on the inner side of the bed.
After placing the candle and lighting the wick, Xu Xi quickly headed for the door.
He needed to hide inside Room 103 before that white humanoid thing arrived, and then lock it inside here after it entered.
However, plans never survive contact with reality.
When Xu Xi had entered earlier, he had followed the High-Ponytailed Woman's example and casually pulled the door shut behind him. This action, however, successfully set him up for a point-blank ambush.
Who could have imagined? Opening the door only to be greeted by a supernatural creature a full two heads taller than him, its body deathly pale, its face devoid of features save for three pitch-black holes.
He clearly felt his heart skip a beat from the sheer fright.
The supernatural being before him still had its long arm raised, seemingly in the middle of preparing to knock.
... You're oddly polite, aren't you?
In his stunned daze, the beam from the flashlight in his hand inevitably shone directly onto the creature at close range.
All he heard was a piercing shriek, a sharp pain shot through his neck, and then, instantly, consciousness fled.
——
His eyes snapped open. Xu Xi was back at the moment just before he pulled the door open to leave.
Given that a supernatural being was currently blocking the door outside, and he still needed to lock it inside this room, the question was: how could he accomplish that and escape safely?
*Knock, knock, knock—*
The supernatural being outside knocked on the door.
...
[Ahhhhhh, help! Master Xu Xi is cornered! What to do, what to do!]
[It's all that Burly Man's fault! Master Xu Xi shouldn't have agreed to go light the candle!]
[The High-Ponytailed Woman dodged a bullet, but Xu Xi walked right into disaster.]
[Can't open the door, can't not open the door... we're screwed either way.]
[Definitely can't open it. The last one who opened a door got their grandson crunched to bits.]
[But if you don't open the door, you're trapped inside! Can we really expect the other three to rescue him? The High-Ponytailed Woman is hard to say, but the other two probably wish Master Xu Xi would open the door and sacrifice himself to lure that thing in.]
[This is just ridiculous. That thing wasn't even that fast before it got agitated. How did it get to the door the moment the candle was lit?]
[Is Master Xu Xi going to bite it here?]
[Not likely. Don't be so impatient. I think if Xu Xi agreed to come light the candle alone, he must have had some preparation. How awesome he is, the whole internet knows.]
[He's only cleared two instances. You guys are blowing this way out of proportion.]
[Even a top-tier god like Zhang Song died in an instance. How capable can this newcomer really be that the 'whole internet knows'?]
[Actually, you guys are Xu Xi's true fans, aren't you? The moment Xu Xi encounters danger, you all can't wait to pop out.]