Floor 12.
Xu Xi stood at the street corner, looking at his now-empty right hand, feeling a pang of regret deep down.
It seemed the Black Cat couldn't be taken away.
However, the small bell the other party had gifted him was still there.
He was just about to continue cycling through this floor when a layer of crimson liquid suddenly began to converge and spread across the ground.
The blood-colored fluid surged like a dark undercurrent, thick and viscous, visibly rising at a noticeable rate. Simultaneously, an overwhelmingly pungent, heavy scent of blood assaulted his senses.
Xu Xi looked up and discovered the entire street was submerged by this blood water.
Under a streetlamp not far away, where mottled light and shadow intertwined, a young woman stood alone.
Her nightgown was stained a startling, eye-catching scarlet by the blood. The long, gaping wound on her wrist was like a breached riverbank, continuously dripping fresh blood in an unending stream.
The blood water had already risen past the woman's ankles, yet she remained standing there numbly, seemingly oblivious to everything happening around her.
The other party might not care, but Xu Xi dared not be careless.
He immediately lifted his leg, wanting to run towards the end.
Given the rising speed of this blood water, if he didn't run now, he might very well drown here.
However, the blood water seemed to carry some kind of negative debuff. The moment he stepped into it, he was bound by invisible shackles, making progress extremely difficult.
His movement became abnormally sluggish; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't increase his speed.
With no other choice, Xu Xi could only inch forward towards the end with great difficulty, each step consuming several times more effort than usual.
He hoped he could successfully reach the alley before the blood water rose over his head.
Otherwise, he'd be forced to experience what drowning feels like.
...
The blood water had risen past his trouser legs to his knees, the viscous sensation cold, slippery, and greasy.
Xu Xi had barely managed to cover one-third of the distance.
Looking at the remaining two-thirds, he still felt a glimmer of hope.
But when Xu Xi reached the section of road opposite the young woman, the woman, who had been standing dazedly in place, moved her eyes and slowly turned her gaze towards him.
Xu Xi blinked, and suddenly there was an extra figure right in front of him.
His heart couldn't help but give a violent thump.
However, the young woman merely extended her blood-dripping wrist and opened her palm.
This gesture of asking for something made Xu Xi instinctively think of the small bell the Black Cat had gifted him.
Tentatively placing the small bell into her hand, he saw the young woman stare blankly at the small bell in her palm. After a moment, she slowly began to shed tears of blood.
The close proximity allowed Xu Xi to clearly see her features.
...Her eyebrows and eyes bore some resemblance to both the woman who hanged herself on Floor 8 and the man who kowtowed on Floor 4.
So, this young woman was the daughter of that couple? And the cat was actually hers?
After shedding tears of blood alone for a while, the woman put away the small bell. At some point, a fruit knife had appeared in her hand.
She held the blade, with the handle facing outward, and offered this sharp fruit knife to the young man standing before her.
Xu Xi remained silent for a moment, then reached out and took it.
In the next instant, the young woman vanished from Xu Xi's sight. At the same time, the blood water receded like a tide.
The street returned to its clean and tidy appearance. Only the faint, lingering scent of blood at the tip of his nose reminded him of everything that had just happened.
Xu Xi silently examined the newly acquired item.
The cat was gone, and the bell was gone too.
But he had gained another small knife.
Fortunately, after the young woman left, she didn't forget to take the blood water with her. Finally able to move normally again, Xu Xi headed for the next floor without hesitation.
『Congratulations, your judgment was correct.』
『The lonely soul wandering alone has found release. Death is not the end; it is finally being able to sleep peacefully in a place of freedom.』
——
【When that nightgown woman flashed in front of Master Xu Xi, I almost died of fright】
【No, no, even a dense barrage of comments can't give me a sense of security anymore】
【So these two floors can be interacted with and are linked?】
【The second player earlier didn't choose to save the cat, didn't even get close, just went straight to the next floor, barely making it into the alley entrance before the blood water could drown him】
【So actually, whether you save the cat or not, you can clear the level. It's just that if you save it, the cat gives you a bell. Give the bell to the nightgown woman, and you get another item】
【The cat is good, Master Xu Xi is good too, it's a mutual effort】
【Wuwuwu why can't the little kitten be taken away, I don't care, this broken instance give me back my little kitten (crying and making a scene) (rolling on the ground)】
【But can't you also get the bell if you don't save the cat?】
【The problem is the bell will also get crushed by the car. If you take a shattered bell to the nightgown woman, are you worried you won't die fast enough??】
【True, the slogan said the black cat was her only remaining salvation. A shattered bell means the black cat is dead too. No one can guarantee the nightgown woman wouldn't go berserk on the spot】
——
Floor 13, no abnormalities.
Floor 14.
At first glance, everything seemed calm and peaceful, utterly normal.
Just as he was about to pass by the supermarket.
"Thud—"
A human figure plummeted from a great height onto the ground in front of the supermarket entrance, landing with twisted limbs, blood spilling everywhere.
A large handful of banknotes scattered like heavenly flowers, fluttering down one after another, gradually covering most of that horrifically-shaped corpse.
【Master, you absolutely must not leave, you have to pick up the banknotes here!】
【But didn't it say earlier that picking them up leads to death?】
【It's different this time. These banknotes are related to a later cycle. That second player didn't take the banknotes here, which caused him to get trapped in that cycle, unable to go back or move forward. He ended up breaking down and committing suicide】
【How the hell is anyone supposed to know if they can take them or not? Take them and die, don't take them and also die. Is this instance specifically designed to kill players?】
【Isn't it? Isn't God Hunt just playing with humans like they're ants?】
【I think so too. And some countries say this is a chance for global evolution. Evolve my ass. What kind of good global evolution involves pollution? It's probably here to devour us】
【Sigh, these players are, in a sense, heroes for their countries】
【Yeah, even if not voluntary, the contribution they make to their country is real】
【But isn't the country getting polluted also because players are dying?】
【You can't calculate it that way. Players are already gambling with their lives, fighting for hope. Blame this damn God Hunt】
【Right. But unless a player can climb to the top floor and make a wish to end the game, it's just a difference between dying early or dying late. A worthless life; if God Hunt wants it, just take it】
【Don't be so pessimistic. Think about it, when the time comes, everyone on the planet will die with you, you won't be alone】
【Not necessarily. He might get selected into an instance before that even happens】
【That's true】
【...You guys are really something】
As the comments chatted, their mood dipped considerably. For them, a netizen they were joking and bantering with today might enter an instance tomorrow. Even though they might talk big and spout nonsense online, deep down, many were filled with worry.
The comments hadn't been quiet for long before the gloomy atmosphere was shattered.
【I, I, holy shit, did Master Xu Xi just stumble into a nest of little black figures???】
【Xu Xi: Damn it, nobody told me picking up the paper money on this floor would trigger so many little black figures】
Xu Xi bent down, picking up the banknotes scattered on the ground one by one.
He never expected these banknotes would be needed in a later cycle!