If the hotel owner has some resources but doesn't dare to show his face...

He can only hope to buy us time and save our lives.

In other words, all the effort we put in inside the fog, all the time we gained, has been wasted here.

No matter where we are or how much time we save, as long as this boss doesn't show up, we have absolutely no way to break through.

Blue Armor also said something about us coming here to trade with him.

We now estimate that we won't even be able to see the trader.

Not to mention obtaining any sea marrow.

And this contract, which arises invisibly, will probably take effect automatically when the time expires!

We are at a complete disadvantage, with absolutely no means of retaliation!

However, after a brief moment of thought, I realized that if this boss wanted to come back to life, he definitely wanted to get rid of this place.

Otherwise, if it were simply a business dealing with the dead, then there would be no need for the boss to become a living person again.

He could easily continue dealing with those people given his current status. On the contrary, he became more hesitant and timid after we switched lives.

After considering the simple logic, I also came to a conclusion.

After you cross the roundabout, business isn't exactly booming, but there are definitely fewer and fewer people around.

On the one hand, it's on the outskirts of the city; on the other hand, this place has indeed seen too many murders.

Even if some living people wanted to come, the existing obstacles alone would be enough to keep them confined to the shallow central area.

This boss is probably no exception; he wants to do business in the shallow central area, rather than just surviving here.

After establishing a fixed trading relationship with Blue Armor, Blue Armor sold us off.

Yes, that's how we directly sold our lives to the hotel owner.

This seems to form a closed loop; otherwise, why would Blue Armor directly help us in that boundary area between the deep and shallow layers?

He not only helps us, but he helps everyone who gets lost there.

It means they wanted to save those people's lives.

Thinking about this made my heart sink.

And their furrowed brows tightened even more.

The boss, since he wanted to come back to life and went to Blue Armor for help, could only have one reason: he was unable to move around easily.

His inability to move was because he was trapped somewhere.

We're trapped inside this hotel!

Like Sister Huang, the owner of this inn will either have his energy greatly reduced if he leaves this area, or he will enter a half-dead, extremely listless state!

That's why he needed to ask for help and trade to save his life...

It seems like I figured everything out in an instant.

When I shared this idea with Yiyi, she was completely shocked.

"Brother, you're absolutely right!"

If that's the case, then the hotel owner must be hiding inside!

We just need to hold our ground here.

The boss will definitely come out when the time comes.

Immediately afterwards, the same thought echoed in my mind.

"Master! She's right, this is exactly the time we should be guarding this place!"

Lei Jijian was also quite excited at this moment.

Yes, if that boss really wanted us dead, he absolutely should have shown up, since it's impossible for the contract to be signed by only one side.

When the deadline arrives, this person will definitely come out and hold some kind of ceremony with us.

In my similar practices or contract signing, I generally require both parties to be present at the same time.

If it's only us, it will definitely fail.

Or if we've really been tricked and it's just us, then I could just set this hotel on fire.

I refuse to believe that the boss could hide away and not come out, after all the hard work he's put into building this business.

Or, to put it another way, even if the owner didn't come out, he would still have been burned down inside the hotel.

As I pondered this, I heard a series of heavy footsteps coming from the hotel stairwell.

Who is it?!

"Who's there!"

Yiyi spoke almost at the same time as me, and we both felt the presence of a living person.

The thumping footsteps grew closer and closer, as if they were coming down from the second floor.

At that moment, I quickly instructed Lei Jijian in my mind to be ready to strike at any time and to mobilize all his energy.

Without hesitation, Lei Jijian unleashed the energy within his body, and I saw a unique light appear around him.

The footsteps grew closer and closer, like someone stomping their feet on the stairs in those thin shoes.

Each tremor made the old wooden floorboards creak and groan.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

Could this really be a ghost?

Even that sudden thumping sound scared me; I wondered what kind of zombie it was.

I gripped the Thunderstrike Sword tightly, and the Thunderstrike Sword had already channeled all of my body's energy into its blade.

I could tell from the slight, pulsating arc of the sword that it was almost entirely the result of a powerful strike from the Thunderstrike Sword.

My eyes were fixed on the stairwell, and I shone the light from my hand there. I saw some dust particles floating up slightly.

This is clearly the effect of that person stomping their foot!

"Brother...something's wrong."

Yiyi also tugged at my clothes slightly, her voice very low.

At times like this, if you raise your voice even slightly, you'll likely be noticed.

If our boss discovers our presence first, then we're in a passive position!

"That sound, those footsteps... I guess that person was barefoot?"

I was stunned for a moment, then listened carefully, and it seemed to be true!

A thought struck me: the thumping sound had a muffled quality to it, like the sound of bare feet stepping on the floor.

I think I misheard!

Those thin shoes are just like going barefoot.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, the girl spoke again, her voice full of surprise.

"Brother, and this sound... I feel like I can smell the presence of a living person? It's near the stairwell... very faint."

But it definitely tastes like a living person!

Yi Yi's eyes held a hint of surprise.

Holy crap, a living person?

My doubts grew even stronger.

This doesn't seem right.

When we entered the hotel, apart from hearing the child's faint cries, we couldn't sense any other signs of life.

Based on our previous assessment, this place was a complete ghost town.

There's absolutely no way a single living person could appear!

Otherwise, it wouldn't be in the dark like this.