Chapter 46 The Curse of Sleep (10) "Go to sleep."...
The remaining rooms on the second floor were just enough for the travel agency, but Xia Wujin had already met the freckled girl and left again with Sun Enze.
The others are still searching for people.
As night fell, it was the boy with the buzz cut and the red-haired boy who had asked them to find someone who returned first, hiding inside and not daring to wander outside at night.
The travel agency was much more "professional." Originally, only Chang Mingai was supposed to come back, but there might be problems with the hotel, and they were worried about her safety. So they communicated in the group chat, and Sun Enze went back, so the two of them could keep each other company.
They were at the front desk and were also reminded by the hotel owner not to go out at night or tamper with the room's furnishings.
Just then, they heard an argument on the second floor. The freckled girl ran downstairs crying, "No, it was me who disturbed you and broke you up. I'm the one who's superfluous. I won't bother you anymore, okay? Boss, are there any other rooms?"
A door slammed upstairs: "Fine, let's break up!" It was the red-haired boy.
Chang Mingai wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but Sun Enze subtly stopped her. She paused, stepped back slightly, and made way for the reception desk.
The front desk's liquor cabinet was filled with oddly shaped empty glasses and bottles. The hotel owner wiped them one by one without even looking up: "No, you're all booked."
The second floor has ten rooms, two couples, Xue Hong, and five travel agency members.
The third floor was never booked for them from the beginning, as it seemed to have been full for a long time, but they had only ever seen Xie Tan, a resident of the third floor.
The freckled girl didn't care about anything else, wiping away her tears and saying, "Then I'll take the room key from this afternoon."
The hotel owner handed her the room key, and Chang Mingai quickly recognized it as the key for room 201, the room of the blue-haired girl.
There is only one room key per room, and even the owner doesn't have any spare keys. Xue Hong specifically asked about this this morning.
So when they set off to find the blue-haired girl, Xue Hong asked the red-haired boy how they opened the door. Did they break it down by force?
The red-haired guy said that the blue-haired girl left last night and left her room key in their room. This morning, his girlfriend, who should be the girl with freckles, left the key at the front desk and asked the owner to keep an eye on it.
She was afraid that if the blue-haired girl went out by herself and came back before them, she wouldn't be able to get in the door.
She also sent a message to the blue-haired girl.
They used this room key to open room 201 that afternoon, but it was empty. They suspected the owner had used the key to open the door and taken the blue-haired girl somewhere.
The boss made a few sarcastic remarks, treating them as unreasonable, took away their room cards, and ignored them.
The freckled girl's hands were trembling as she held the card. She ran upstairs again, clearly not going to share a room with her boyfriend tonight. She preferred to sleep in the strange room of the blue-haired girl.
Chang Mingai sighed inwardly. How come this couple is arguing too? Now they're causing internal strife within the team. Isn't it dangerous enough already?
What she didn't see was that the freckled girl turned and went upstairs, disappearing from their sight. She was still crying, but her face had calmed down, showing no signs of sadness.
She had never worshipped any gods or prayed to any ghosts; she simply confessed to a stranger because she could no longer bear it.
It doesn't matter who this stranger is; she just needs a priest to sit there. She's actually talking to herself.
As for knowing her secret, that's nothing. In such a strange town, isn't it normal for something to happen?
But he responded to her.
That wasn't just an innocent confessional she had chosen. The moment he spoke, she snapped out of her monologue. She knew that she had inadvertently touched upon the real "priest," a priest... who had nothing to do with heaven.
He was right. She had already opened Pandora's box. She didn't need to repent because she never thought of turning back.
Those pains were just her self-pity.
Standing on the second floor, she took one last look at room 202 and the door opposite it, then steadily swiped the swipe to open the door to room 201, went inside, and closed the door.
The clock hand has passed twelve o'clock.
She didn't sleep; she sat quietly by the bed.
The noisy sounds were slowly awakened, as if they were daydreaming, and nighttime was their time.
The night was even clearer, but she still couldn't find the source. It seemed to be in the corridor outside, in other rooms, and inside the house—it was everywhere.
But one voice is clear.
The chains dragged on the ground, clanging and rattling...
She had heard the sound last night, but it came late, right after they opened the door.
The voice was on the first floor, but it was too heavy and moved very slowly. When it reached the bottom of the stairs, it seemed to be trying to go upstairs.
Even though the buzz-cut guy fell down, he was still making a fuss. Her boyfriend had just woken up and wasn't thinking clearly. Moreover, ever since the blue-haired girl left, her boyfriend had been absent-minded and seemed to care more about the blue-haired girl than her real boyfriend, the buzz-cut guy.
None of them heard the sound.
She stood in the darkness, watching coldly as he foolishly headed towards the stairwell.
But he was also very timid. For example, even though he cared most about the blue-haired girl, he didn't chase after her. It was so dark, and he naturally didn't dare to go downstairs. Besides, he might have heard some noise.
He instinctively wanted to order her around, but she had already retreated back into the house.
She listened as he called her name at the door, but received no response, so she muttered a curse under her breath.
But she still couldn't bring herself to lock the door.
He shouted loudly at the top of the stairs to the hotel owner, and it actually worked. The owner came out of his room, and the strange chain noise disappeared.
The boss also yelled, saying that because it was raining today, the electricity would be back on by tomorrow morning, and still grumbled at him, asking if he was in a hurry to be reborn.
He forgot about arguing, ran back into the house in fright, and then had the courage to argue with her.
Actually, they had a cold war last night too.
But he's proud, she guessed. They hadn't told anyone about their cold war, or about him begging for the boss at the stairwell last night.
Just now, he couldn't find the blue-haired girl, and seemed to know that she was probably in grave danger, so he vented his fear and anger on her.
But when she casually brought up their clandestine relationship, he choked up, staring at her in shock as if he didn't know her at all.
After all, in their eyes, she was weak, easy to bully, and only knew how to follow them around trying to please them, like a lapdog wagging its tail and begging for mercy.
It doesn't matter, it's not important, it's just good that it was her who died.
Now that she looks like a real person, of course they wouldn't recognize her.
This probably terrified her boyfriend, which made him even angrier.
It was all a bluff. She realized even more deeply that she wasn't actually the most timid one.
He had probably been holding back those harsh and unpleasant words for a long time, and today he finally had the chance to say them, wanting to pierce her heart.
In the past, she could probably cry for a whole day after hearing just half a sentence.
For some reason, those words only briefly crossed her mind, and she instead recalled their somewhat romantic first encounter.
It's a cliché: she was bullied because she didn't have parents, and he couldn't stand it, so he fought with the people who were bullying her.
Later she learned that it was just that they had a past conflict.
But what remains most profound is that moment of sudden, overwhelming excitement.
While she was trying to maintain her dream, discordant voices would always pop up, attracting her attention and forcing her to transform into Sherlock Holmes.
However, just as she was about to destroy this dream, what surged up were their most beautiful memories.
This feeling was more agonizing than being betrayed or abandoned; it was an unsolvable mockery of her life.
She desperately searched for medicine, thinking of that boy. However, his blurred expression suddenly gave her an absurd thought: had he ever felt the same way?
Was he her predecessor?
On the surface, she went along with it, ran away crying, and deliberately separated from him.
Because she now knows why she can't leave her room at night.
Back to the present, as she was lost in thought, the sound of chains had already climbed up to the second floor.
Her room was at the very back, but the sound seemed to travel towards the very back.
As she got closer, she recognized the sound as someone dragging a chain. The chain stopped at her door, and she could clearly hear herself breathing softly.
Then, the sound continued forward, to the end of the corridor, and pushed open the window.
But the hotel owner had sealed the window shut, and she couldn't open it; the sound returned to her door once more.
There was a knock at the door.
It was the metal slot for swiping room cards that was being shaken, rattling and rattling, becoming more and more rapid.
Unable to open the door, the person outside gave up after a while and went to the next room.
The noises that only occur at night can cause the hotel building to resonate, and if the door is opened in the middle of the night, the old retaining clips can easily become completely loose.
There is actually a keyhole below the slot.
Every Monday, the hotel owner would reinforce the locking mechanisms of each door.
Of course, this room can't be opened. The blue-haired girl didn't come back last night, and room 201 hasn't been opened.
The doors that were open led to two other rooms.
There is no spare room key, but that doesn't mean there is no spare key.
Clang.
She heard a sound coming from diagonally opposite her; it was the sound of the card slot hitting the ground.
Her childhood sweetheart always slept very soundly. Amidst the noise of the entire hotel, she didn't even hear his questioning voice. The first and last sound he made was a scream.
But her boyfriend is easily woken up and is probably huddled under the covers, staring in terror at the door.
Then……
哢哒.
The door next door was also opened with a key.
First came blustering shouts and curses, then it turned into crying and begging for help, and finally a loud scream.
She could only hear the sounds, yet it was as if she were seeing them with her own eyes, and she could almost smell the blood in front of her nose.
But what she remembered was that time when she played the piano off-key, creating an awkward situation. Everyone else exchanged glances, laughing at her, but he suddenly cheered for her, making him the most embarrassed one.
The cheers and screams mingled together, and she couldn't help but smile, a smile that was somewhat sweet.
The sound of chains echoed down the corridor and faded into the distance. She didn't notice it at all, lost in her memories. When she came to her senses, the room was much quieter than before.
Perhaps because the sound of chains is real, once you get far away, the other chaotic sounds are just like white noise, nothing special.
There are many voices in the world. Her expression was somewhat deranged.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
It's the blue-haired girl's phone.
She jolted awake, grabbed her phone, but there were no calls coming in.
But the bell kept ringing, and she looked around suspiciously.
The ringing stopped because the call was answered, and she heard the blue-haired girl's voice talking on the phone inside the room.
It was exactly the same thing she heard on the balcony last night, even the tone was the same.
"Yes, that's it, isn't it hilarious... Hey, what's with the 'keep your voice down'? What, is your girlfriend upset? Don't interrupt my call."
"Alright, I don't know what you're worried about. You guys still don't understand her. Even if I told her to her face, yes, we knew from the beginning that we were going to find a scapegoat, and we all decided on you, so we didn't tell you, she would just pretend not to understand and tell me not to joke around! Pathetic bastards, who can't live without whom?"
The last sentence seemed to be whispered on her back, close to her ear, and her tears first dripped onto the back of her hand.
He was clearly her best friend.
It was the person who held her and said, "I'm still here for you. You mustn't do anything foolish. I can't live without you." when her loved ones passed away.
Overwhelmed by immense pain, she collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest, unable to breathe.
The chaotic voices became clear again, like countless people standing in the room, judging her.
It's so painful, I can't bear it anymore, who, who will save me...
"Take a nap," she vaguely heard the boy whisper.
His voice naturally carried a cold tone, but this one sentence had a hint of tenderness, as if he were coaxing her to sleep.
More tears welled up, but her body stopped trembling.
That's right... take a nap.
The girl got up, walked to the window, and stared blankly at the dark sea.
It didn't rain today, but the waves were much more noticeable and could be seen clearly even at night.
She opened the balcony door.
A beautiful song drifted softly from the other side of the sea.
Unhurried and gentle, each note is melodious and drawn out... low and melancholic, like a swallow flying low across the sky on a rainy day.
Just as people feel sleepy when the sun sets and night falls, it is a natural law.
However, the singing seemed to come not only from the seaside, but also... she looked up and heard it coming from upstairs.
By the way, the boy's room seems to be right above hers, 301.
Was the singing upstairs for her?
Sleepiness gently enveloped her, and she returned to bed, folded her hands over her stomach, and closed her eyes.
The noise gradually subsided until it disappeared, as if it were swaying in the song, sleeping with her.
Painful memories become blurred and distant, only the songs remain.
She had a truly beautiful dream.
good evening.
Xie Tan seemed to hear what the cat said.
He realized he was dreaming.
He returned to the half-awake state he had been in the previous night, listening to the noisy sounds.
But he couldn't move or open his eyes; his consciousness seemed to have separated from his body, and he couldn't wake up no matter what he did.
This state is more like sleep paralysis.
He began to wonder how he had fallen asleep.
Looking back now, it's clearer than it was then; he was just too tired back then.
He picked up the knife, but was stopped by the suddenly appearing cat number 7 who called out to look at the sea. He first saw the cat's eyes, which were golden but were also tinged with the dim night, giving them an ancient luster.
It was as if the sun had sunk below the horizon and entered the eyes of this beast, darker than any other sun seen before, after dusk.
He looked at the sea under the night sky again, as if the sun had sunk further down, disappearing into complete darkness and could no longer be found.
The sea does seem different; although it blends seamlessly with the sky, you can still see the waves under the starlight.
Then... the cat attacked him! He collapsed onto the bed, and as the world spun around him, he saw the lucky wreath he had been hanging on the door.
Xie Tan: "..."
Bad cat!
Xie Tan was pondering why No. 7 did this, but it was actually quite understandable.
From the cat's perspective, after waking up from a nap, it sees its host holding a knife, seemingly about to harm itself. It's already quite composed that it doesn't bristle and scream; it even chose to outsmart its host.
Is that right? Isn't his cat supposed to be a silly little cat? That breaks the cat's image.
Anyway... well, he's a bad person.
As Xie Tan was thinking this, he suddenly heard the sound of chains being dragged on the ground.
He moved from the third-floor stairwell to his room.
He doesn't even need to hold his breath; he can't move at all.
The man went to the end of the corridor first, but couldn't open the window, so he turned back to his door.
Something fell, and he heard the lock turning again.
The person seemed to have poor eyesight, or perhaps the third floor was too dark without lights, and couldn't see clearly. It took them a long time to open the door, and there was a constant rustling sound.
However, the moment the door was completely turned off, the door next door opened first. The person was drawn to the door next door, and the sound of chains being dragged towards the next door echoed.
He seemed to hear the person walk to the window next door, push it open, and then...
His door was slammed shut.
Aside from the possibility of it being haunted, he couldn't hear any more sounds from next door in the room, which was physically soundproof.
However, without giving him a break, he heard the "clack, clack" of high heels again.
They came to him from inside his house and sat down by his bed.
Even a sigh, though just a sigh, had a melodious beauty to it, like singing.
...and then they really started singing.
The singing was right next to his ear, like a hand gently stroking his back, patting him softly, one pat after another.
It's as if it's saying, "Sleep...sleep..."
Xie Tan's consciousness uncontrollably relaxed, plunging into a deeper level.
When he woke up again, he found himself standing on Sunrise Avenue in the town.
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