Gamers Are Fierce

Answer the phone,

Don't answer the phone.

These two sentences were divided into two lines, written in sloppy English; the handwriting was different from yesterday's.

The content was baffling.

To answer or not to answer the phone? Who is calling? Is it the phone in the room or the one in the hallway?

Danfei's mind raced, the scene of Kafei's tragic death last night lingering before his eyes.

Breaking the rules meant certain death. What should I do?

Danfei, his face tense, walked to the living room's telephone. He took it off the wooden table and stretched the cord along the floor as far as he could, all the way to the front door of Room 1172.

No player who had survived to this level was a true fool. Danfei had, after all, risen to his position by treading on the blood of others within the Undersea Gang; his intelligence was certainly not low. Though he was unclear about the specific meaning of "Answer the phone, don't answer the phone," he had to prepare as much as possible.

Bringing the room's phone to the door served two purposes. It allowed him to answer it at any time and also to peer outside through the door's Cat's Eye. Room 1172 faced the elevator area on the right side of the eleventh-floor corridor. Near the elevator was one of only two fixed-line phones on this floor capable of making outgoing calls. That fixed-line phone had a long, rectangular screen that glowed orange whenever a call was made or received.

During the day, the players had discussed this. They had yet to determine the priority between following the sticky note's instructions and adhering to the rule about not opening their doors. For now, this was all he could do.

Danfei let out a slow breath and took out a pair of fuzzy, orange cat ear headphones from his backpack.

[Name: Cat's Ear Headphones]

[Type: Magic Tool]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Special Effect: Eavesdropping Wind and Cloud. Once the headphones are worn, hearing and other sensory abilities are greatly enhanced, but side effects such as itchy ears and fingers, cat hair growing on the skin, a voice that sounds like meowing, fear of bathing, fear of doctors, etc., will occur.]

[Consumption: None]

[Cooldown: None. Use time is counted separately; total use exceeding half an hour will automatically trigger a 24-hour cooldown period. Wearing the Cat's Ear Headphones during the cooldown period will not trigger the positive effects of the special effect.]

[Equipment Conditions: None]

[Remarks: After removing the Cat's Ear Headphones, the side effects will not disappear immediately; the duration will depend on the time worn.]

[Remarks: For every pair of Cat's Ear Headphones made, one cat is consumed. Protect cats, refuse Cat's Ear Headphones!]

[Remarks: Transform me!]

This item was something Danfei had stumbled upon before. Its special effect was quite powerful, increasing the sharpness of all five senses to the extent that the faintest rustle within a kilometer could be heard distinctly. However, the side effects were incredibly bothersome. Wear them a bit too long, and one could become a half-cat, half-human entity. In this half-cat, half-human state, a player's items and equipment could still be used normally. However, they could easily become as timid, skittish, and neurotic as a cat, startled by flames, sparks, or even a green pickled cucumber. Using it in combat would offer a terrible experience, and even after removing the headphones, it would take ten to twenty minutes for the side effects to subside.

However, its cooldown period was calculated differently: if worn for only a minute at a time then removed, one could wait a while before wearing them again to mitigate the side effects.

Danfei sighed resignedly, put on the orange Cat's Ear Headphones, and began the long, torturous wait.

00:30

01:00

02:00

...

Danfei removed the headphones and breathed a sigh of relief, allowing the side effects of the Cat's Ear Headphones to subside a bit. His whole body was now covered in cat fur, his eyes bloodshot, and he looked exhausted and listless.

He hadn't slept since entering the scenario, relying solely on stimulants to keep going, all while enduring the pain of his brother's death. He held a pen and paper, meticulously noting down everything that had happened in Room 1172: the content of the note, the time and manner of its appearance, his own response, and the psychological and physiological changes he experienced while waiting for an anomaly.

In this bizarre survival scenario, any piece of information was worth noting and collecting. Writing things down was for others as well as for himself. If they could survive the night, the players could analyze the recorded information and perhaps decipher some of the hotel's rules, helping them all survive.

TRING TRING—

An extremely faint ringing reached his ears. Danfei jolted, instantly snapping out of his daze. He held his breath and listened attentively.

The sound of the phone... it's coming from the corridor!

Danfei's heart skipped a beat. He pressed himself against the door, his eyes fixed on the Cat's Eye.

Across the corridor, near the elevator entrance, the screen of the fixed-line phone there lit up with an orange glow.

TRING TRING—

The fixed-line phone vibrated again, and slowly, the incoming caller ID appeared on the screen.

101#

This is... Danfei's heart pounded violently. The players had already tested this; the lodging guide was correct. The phones in each hotel room could only receive calls; they couldn't dial out. Aside from the deserted front desk, the only phones capable of making outgoing calls were the fixed-line phones installed in the corridors of each floor. With fourteen floors and two phones per floor, there were twenty-eight in total.

When calling from one of these corridor phones, the caller ID would display the floor number, followed by a 1 or 2, and then the # sign. The # was a fixed symbol required at the end of each number dialed from these phones. The 1 or 2 indicated whether the phone was on the left or right side of the corridor for that floor.

For instance, if the phone on the left side of the first floor was used to dial out, the caller ID would be 011#. If the phone on the right side of the fourteenth floor was used, it would show 142#.

And 101#... Tenth floor, left side, fixed-line phone.

A chill swept through his body, and Danfei clenched his fists tightly. The fixed-line phone on the left side of the tenth floor corresponded exactly to the room where Kafei had died.

The remaining thirteen players were all staying on their respective floors. Even if someone was attacked by an anomaly and wanted to use a corridor phone to call for help, dialing from their own floor would suffice. Why go to the trouble of going down to the tenth floor to use that specific phone? The corridors at night were filled with danger!

Moreover, if someone wanted to ask Danfei for help or pass on information, why not call his Room 1172 directly? Wouldn't that be faster? Why call the fixed-line phone on the right side of the eleventh-floor corridor?

Could it be that a player is deliberately trying to make me violate the hotel rules and get killed by the anomaly? But isn't this maneuver too blunt and simplistic? Or, could it be that the caller is an anomaly itself...?

Thoughts swirled chaotically in Danfei's mind. After the corridor phone rang three times, the orange light on its screen silently went out. The caller had given up.

...What on earth is happening now?

Danfei felt even more bewildered. He even forgot to write down what he had witnessed. The development of events was too bizarre and illogical, defying all explanation.

If that was the call the note wanted me to answer, then didn't I violate the note? Will I face an anomaly now...? A sense of regret rose in Danfei's heart. He took a half-step back, moving away from the Cat's Eye.