A bizarre and terrifying experience; I messed up the dungeon world.

"There's a floor plan of the inn inside. I took it out first." She waved the paper in her hand, glanced at Zhou Lang, paused for a moment, said nothing, and handed the map to Chen Guodong, who was standing closest to her.

Chen Guodong took it and unfolded it to read.

The building has three floors. The first floor contains a hall, kitchen, and a storage room. The second floor has six guest rooms. The third floor is an attic, marked with four red characters that read "Do Not Enter." There is a basement level marked "Boiler Room."

"Six people, six rooms, that's fair." Chen Guodong folded up the map. "I suggest we go in first and divide the rooms, then search the inn together."

No one objected.

Six people entered the inn.

The lobby wasn't large, with four square tables covered with white cloths. Behind the counter hung a bunch of six keys, corresponding to six rooms. A guest registration book was also on the counter.

Zhou Lang opened the register. There was only one record, dated three years ago—

Guests: Zhang Lei, Liu Tingting. Check-in date: [Month] [Day]. Check-out date: None.

The remarks column had two words written in red pen: "Burn."

Chen Guodong is distributing the keys.

He assigned rooms in order from 201 to 206, taking room 201 for himself. The woman in the burgundy sweater—who said her name was Song Yan—took room 202. Han Yingying took room 203, Su Xiaomian took room 204, Lin Yuan took room 205, and Zhou Lang took room 206.

"Put your luggage down first, and come down to meet us in five minutes," Chen Guodong said.

The group went upstairs.

The corridor was narrow, with light bulbs hanging overhead, emitting a dim, yellowish light that flickered as if due to poor contact. Six doors lined both sides of the corridor, the numbers on the doors written in red paint in a hasty, illegible hand.

Zhou Lang opened the door to room 206.

The room wasn't big, just a bed, a bedside table, a full-length mirror, and a window. The curtains were drawn, and he pulled them open to peek out—outside was the back mountain, shrouded in thick fog, and he couldn't see anything more than three meters away.

The sheets were white, and there was a note under the pillow.

Zhou Lang took it out to look at it.

[Rules: 1. Do not linger in the corridor for more than three minutes. 2. What you see in the mirror may not be you. 3. The boiler room will automatically start at midnight every night; please do not approach. 4. The innkeeper may appear anywhere; please smile when you see him. 5. If you hear a knock on the door and the number of knocks is even, do not open the door.]

Five rules. Two more than the one from the haunted manor incident.

Zhou Lang read the rules three times, memorized them, and put the note in his pocket.

As he walked out of the room, he paused for a moment as he passed the door of room 205.

Water was seeping out from under the door.

It wasn't much, just a thin layer, slowly spreading into the corridor.

He crouched down and touched it—it was ice-cold. Not just ordinary cold, but the temperature of water that had been used to soak a dead person.

205 is Lin Yuan's room.

Zhou Lang stood up, didn't knock, and went straight downstairs.

Chen Guodong was already waiting in the lobby. Han Yingying also came down, carrying a pen, and copied the rules of her room onto the back of her hand.

"Are the rules in your room the same as mine?" She turned the back of her hand over to show Zhou Lang.

Different.

Han Yingying's room only has four rules. There is no fourth rule that describes the "boss," but there is an extra one: "If the door to the attic on the third floor is open, go up and close it immediately."

"The rules are different in each room," Zhou Lang said. "Have everyone take out theirs and compare them."

Chen Guodong agreed: "Let's get started once everyone is here."

Song Yan came downstairs in her high heels. Su Xiaomian followed behind her, clutching a teddy bear, her eyes red-rimmed.

"The room is terrifying; there are fingernail marks under the bed," Su Xiaomian said.

Song Yan glanced at her but didn't reply.

Lin Yuan was the last to come down. The cuffs of his school uniform trousers were dry.

Zhou Lang noticed this. Water was seeping under the door of room 205, but his trouser legs were dry. Either he hadn't stepped in the water, or the water had seeped in after he left.

There are two possibilities, but Zhou Lang leans towards the third—that the water was directed at Lin Yuan. Or rather, at the "things" in Lin Yuan's room.

Six people sat around a square table, each laying out their rules.

Chen Guodong has five rules, almost identical to Zhou Lang's, except that the second rule has been changed to "Don't look directly into the mirror for more than ten seconds."

Song Yan's list has three points, which are much more concise: "1. Don't be alone. 2. When someone asks for help, first confirm that the person is alive. 3. The boiler in the basement must not be turned off."

Su Xiaomian has only two rules: "1. Survive. 2. Don't trust anyone."

Her hands were shaking when she placed the note on the table.

Lin Yuan pulled out his note, which contained only one rule: "You are already dead."

Everyone looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Chen Guodong frowned.

Lin Yuan pushed the note to the center of the table, his face expressionless. "I don't know either, that's all it said."

Su Xiaomian shrank back, keeping half a body length away from Lin.

Zhou Lang picked up Lin Yuan's note and flipped it over; there was nothing on the back. He put the note down without commenting.

Han Yingying exchanged a glance with him. Neither of them spoke, but the meaning was clear—this high school student was suspicious.

"Let's ignore that for now." Chen Guodong slammed his hand on the table. "Considering all the rules, here are a few key points: Don't linger in the corridor, the mirror is haunted, the boiler room is dangerous at midnight, the innkeeper is a threat, don't open the door if someone knocks on an even number, keep an eye on the third-floor attic, and don't be alone. Also—" He glanced at Lin Yuan, "The rules for a few individuals are a bit special, so we'll leave that for now."

"I suggest searching the inn in pairs," he continued. "I'll team up with Lin Yuan, Song Yan with Su Xiaomian, and Han Yingying with Langligelang. The three teams will split up and search one floor each: the first floor, the second floor, and the basement."

"I don't want to be with her." Song Yan pointed at Su Xiaomian. "She's always crying and it's annoying."

Su Xiaomian's eyes reddened again.

"So who do you want to be with?" Chen Guodong asked.

Song Yan glanced around, her gaze lingering on Zhou Lang for a couple more seconds. "With him."

"No," Han Yingying said.

Song Yan raised an eyebrow: "What? Your man?"

"The groups have already been decided, don't waste time." Han Yingying's tone was not harsh, but there was no room for negotiation.

Zhou Lang interjected, "Let's follow Guodong's arrangements."

Chen Guodong waved his hand: "Do as I say. Song Yan, you and Su Xiaomian search the first floor. Keep your opinions to yourselves. Lin Yuan and I will go to the basement to check the boiler room. Han Yingying and Lang Ge will search the second floor. Meet us in the lobby in fifteen minutes. If anyone is late, the others should not go looking for them. Just stay in the lobby."

He pulled a rusty iron bar from under the table—I don't know where he got it from—and slung it over his shoulder. "Let's go."

The six people dispersed.

Zhou Lang and Han Yingying went upstairs.

The light bulbs in the corridor started flickering again. Han Yingying walked to Zhou Lang's right, her steps very light.

"How did you get in?" she asked in a low voice.

"Investigator's Pass, one-time use item."

"So you're here to check for bugs?"

"Um."

Han Yingying didn't ask any more questions. The two of them started checking each room from 201. The first three rooms were normal, with standard amenities: a bed, a wardrobe, a mirror, and a window.