The Refined Man and the other two followed Yang Wu through the reception desk and arrived at another area they had not yet set foot in.
As Xu Xi had previously guessed, this was the hotel's kitchen.
However, what surprised the three was that although the pots, pans, and dishes inside the kitchen couldn't be called neatly arranged, there wasn't much dust. Dry firewood was piled in the corner, clearly indicating it was frequently used.
Could it be that Yang Wu had really been living here for a long time?
So, was he actually a pseudo-human or not?
The Refined Man found himself with a rare headache over this.
Even so, he still suspected the other's identity was problematic. Deliberately taking them to some cellar must also have a certain purpose.
At a time when they had made no progress whatsoever on clearing the instance, the appearance of this "Yang Wu" was, one could say, perfectly timed, bringing them a new turning point.
Therefore, of course they had to cooperate with him properly.
After leading the group to the kitchen, Yang Wu spoke up, "The entrance to the cellar is right here. Wait for me a moment."
After saying this, he held the flashlight in his mouth, crouched down, and opened one of the cabinets beneath the stove. He moved out the bowls, chopsticks, and other utensils stored inside, then pried up a thick stone slab.
The other three watched as, once the stone slab was moved aside, a dark, gloomy passageway was revealed below.
...This cellar was hidden pretty securely.
Everyone thought the same thing simultaneously.
If they had explored on their own, they really might not have found it.
"Let's go. There's a ladder down below. Be careful not to slip," Yang Wu reminded them.
After Yang Wu went down first, the Refined Man turned to look at Xu Xi and the High-Ponytailed Woman, asking in a low voice, "Could there be something strange down there?"
The High-Ponytailed Woman was obviously also a bit hesitant.
After experiencing that underground passage in Room 101, she was no longer so confident in the protective item she carried.
The item could block attacks from supernatural beings, but it couldn't help her escape from situations like being trapped somewhere.
What if this so-called cellar was also a carefully prepared cage trap by "Yang Wu," just like that underground passage?
Xu Xi, however, wasn't worried about this problem at all. Ever since he had crashed headfirst into the wall to end his life once in the underground passage, it was as if he had flipped a certain switch.
A trap?
Who cares? At worst, he'd just die.
Can't die? Then he'd end it himself.
Holding this mindset, Xu Xi took the lead, bending down to enter the cellar entrance.
"..." The Refined Man and the High-Ponytailed Woman instinctively glanced at each other.
"Then let's go down too."
The Refined Man had long since acknowledged the young man's strength. If the other chose to go down, he must have some assurance in mind.
He had to admit, this somewhat overly reserved young man truly possessed a sense of unflappable calm, as if even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, his expression wouldn't change.
It was as if the development of events was entirely within the other's expectations.
He and the Burly Man had actually dared to think they could control him.
Thinking of this, the Refined Man remembered the Burly Man who had undergone a mutation without any warning.
Could it be that the other had violated some Taboo Rule?
But the Burly Man had been with him the whole time. If the Burly Man had violated a rule, then he certainly couldn't have avoided it either.
Unable to figure out the reason, the Refined Man shook his head.
Forget it. They'd just have to take it one step at a time.
The three of them entered the cellar one after another. After everyone had come down, Yang Wu, who had been waiting to the side, moved the stone slab back into place, covering the entrance.
"I come down to this cellar often. You don't need to worry about oxygen."
"That thing isn't very intelligent. It won't actively lift the stone slab. We're temporarily safe hiding here."
The interior space of the cellar wasn't very large, filled with some messy clutter.
"Just find a place to sit. It might be a bit dirty, though."
While urging the three to sit and rest, Yang Wu found a corner for himself to sit in.
It really seemed like he had just brought them here to hide from the mutated Burly Man and the white humanoid thing.
Just as everyone was feeling suspicious, they heard the young man suddenly let out a bitter laugh.
"I know you don't trust me, suspect I have a problem... Alright, I admit it. I really am not Yang Wu."
What?!
The three of them didn't expect him to suddenly expose himself.
"But rest assured, I really am human. Deliberately leading you to the underground passage was actually just me wanting to protect myself. I was afraid you might hurt me, so I wanted to trap you inside first, figure out what kind of people you were, see if you were a threat to me. If not, I would have let you out."
The young man's expression was sincere, and he even apologized to the three of them again.
"When you were willing to give me food and water, I knew you were good people. I'm really sorry for lying to you."
Regarding all the words above, Xu Xi only had two words.
Bullshit.
As if he hadn't been trapped?
Before he died, he hadn't heard the other come to interrogate them. It was blatantly obvious he wanted to trap them until they died.
For a moment, everyone couldn't figure out what the other meant by suddenly pulling this stunt.
Everyone had been pretending just fine with each other, so why suddenly start a confession session?
The Refined Man's jaw tightened, and his usually gentle voice turned cold, "So everything you told us before was fake?"
Of course, he wasn't really angry. Getting angry at something in an instance when you didn't even know if it was human or supernatural... he'd have to have a death wish.
He was just playing along with the other, acting according to the persona of ordinary hiking guests.
"Half true, half false," the young man said, as if he had decided to come clean completely, his tone no longer evasive. "I really have stayed at this hotel for a while, so I'm somewhat familiar with its layout."
"Living off wild vegetables and spring water is also true. As for you asking me what happened at this hotel before, sorry, some of the content I told you was made up."
"Before you came here, I had already explored those rooms. Otherwise, how do you think the phone in Room 204 still had battery? I actually don't know what happened at the hotel. I just made something up based on that information."
Hearing this, the Refined Man actually felt an illusion of being thrown back to square one.
No, it wasn't an illusion. It was damn well true—they were back at square one!
"So this 'pseudo-human' thing was also something you just made up?"
The young man scratched his head sheepishly, "Yes."
"...What about that white humanoid thing? Was it really the resident of Room 103 or not?"
"Uh, I don't know either."
"..."
Looking at the young man's feigned innocent expression, not to mention the Refined Man, even Xu Xi and the High-Ponytailed Woman felt the urge to punch him.
"You're only staying here for one night, right? Why are you so intent on investigating what happened at the hotel?"
The Refined Man reacted swiftly to this question, immediately using the Short-haired Glasses Girl and the Burly Man as excuses, "After all, one of our companions died here, and now another companion has undergone a mutation. We have to find the reason, don't we?"