On the other side of the corridor, Zheng Ren was engaged in a three-on-one fight against a Hunter. The pressure on him was far less than what Zuo Chengan faced.
In fact, he had enough spare energy to use Zhao Chengyuan's mirror tool as a makeshift toothbrush, scrubbing the Hunter's teeth clean.
A cascade of dislodged teeth clattered onto the floor, a sound that filled Zheng Ren with deep satisfaction.
The group's morale soared as the Hunters suddenly lost their will to fight.
At the sa ti, faint rays of sunlight began filtering through the windows.
[Daybreak has arrived! Hunters have retreated.]
Though both Hunters had been whittled down to barely 20% of their health, Zuo Chengan had deliberately held back, ensuring they retained so of their combat capability.
With the battle over, Zuo Chengan hefted his axe and turned toward the door to Room 207, where Liu Shuang had hidden.
His face darkened with resolve. Without a word, he brought the axe down hard on the lock.
Realizing Zuo Chengan's intent, Zhao Chengyuan quickly joined in and hacked at the flimsy door with all his might, ignoring Liu Shuang's panicked cries from within.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on?" Liu Shuang shouted, his voice cracking with fear.
Zhao Chengyuan didn't answer, pouring his frustration and fury into every blow.
The door, already fragile, soon crumbled into a pile of splinters.
Inside, Liu Shuang was cornered, clutching his precious dried lamb like a lifeline. His eyes darted wildly as he stamred, "W-What's going on? Let's talk this out, okay? Self-preservation is just human instinct..."
Zhao Chengyuan pointed his axe directly at Liu Shuang's face, his tone cold and resolute. "Apologize."
"I… I'll definitely do my part tonight!" Liu Shuang stamred, but his excuse was cut short by a solid punch from Zhao Chengyuan.
Though typically mild-mannered, Zhao Chengyuan was not one to let a betrayal slide.
His punch sent Liu Shuang reeling into the wall with a loud thud, before bouncing back from the impact. Without hesitation, Zhao Chengyuan raised his fist for another blow.
Liu Shuang cowered, shielding his face and wailing, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was wrong! I'm a coward and a weakling! Please, have rcy!"
Tears spilled down Liu Shuang's cheeks as his voice cracked into sobs.
Zhao Chengyuan's raised fist hesitated in midair.
Was it compassion? Exhaustion? No one could tell why the second blow never ca.
For a mont, Liu Shuang thought he had succeeded in worming his way out.
It wouldn't be the first ti his slick words had smoothed over a confrontation. People like Zhao Chengyuan, he believed, were easy to manipulate with a show of remorse.
But his relief was short-lived. Instead of striking him again, Zhao Chengyuan grabbed Liu Shuang by the collar and dragged him bodily out of Room 207.
"W-What are you doing?" Liu Shuang protested, thrashing in vain.
Zhao Chengyuan offered no reply, pulling him to the door of Room 208, the next target for the night's hunt.
However, the door to Room 208 was locked.
Hesitant to act, He Jini remained frozen in place until Li Yueqiu tossed the key to Zhao Chengyuan. He unlocked the door with unsettling calm, then flung Liu Shuang inside like a discarded rag doll.
A muffled crash sounded from within, followed by a sickening crack and Liu Shuang's pained screams. "My leg! My leg!"
Zhao Chengyuan stood at the doorway, his expression unyielding. "Take one step out, and I'll break your other leg."
With that, he threw the key onto Liu Shuang's crumpled form and stepped back, his nacing aura evaporating as quickly as it had appeared.
The rage that had driven him monts ago ebbed away, leaving behind the familiar, timid man everyone knew.
He quietly handed his own room key to Li Yueqiu and He Jini with a soft apology before retreating into one of the less-damaged rooms to wait for nightfall.
For the coming battle with the Hunters, it didn't matter where he stayed.
…
For once, the corridor was eerily silent during the day.
Everyone retreated to their rooms, desperate to recover their strength for what they knew would be the last, and likely bloodiest, night.
Each harbored their own thoughts: so resolved to simply endure until the ga's tir ran out—one brush with madness was enough.
Others, like Zuo Chengan, chose the opposite. If they were going to fight, they might as well finish off the Hunters to claim every possible reward that might include items, tools, or even sothing rare.
It was a gamble, but one worth taking.
In contrast, Liu Shuang sat trembling in a corner of the corridor, clutching his injured leg. The pain was so intense his entire body shivered, but he dared not cry out.
Instead, he mouthed curses at the others for abandoning him, venting his frustration in silence. Once he cald down, his thoughts turned to survival.
By his reckoning, tonight's target should be Room 208. Since he wasn't the official occupant of that room, the Hunters should theoretically have no interest in him.
All he needed to do was avoid Room 208. Even a broken door could provide so psychological comfort.
After listening intently for any sounds outside, Liu Shuang cautiously opened the door. Dragging his injured leg, he painfully crawled back to Room 207.
The door, previously splintered by Zuo Chengan and Zhao Chengyuan, hung in pieces—a pitiful defense, but better than nothing.
He had no choice but to settle for the nearest room. His injuries made venturing further impossible.
As he settled into his chosen refuge, Liu Shuang reminded himself that it was the last night. He just needed to survive until dawn.
The hallway darkened ominously.
[The Hunters have appeared! Number deployed: 2.]
The two remaining Hunters, weakened and battered, didn't bother with their usual theatrics of stalking the corridor or scratching every door to intimidate.
Instead, they went straight to 208, scratching perfunctorily at its door, as though completing a checklist.
In Room 207, Liu Shuang smirked.
Stupid NPCs, he thought. Bound by the rigid ga rules.
Twirling the Room 208 key in his fingers, he shifted into a more comfortable position to await the ga's end.
What Liu Shuang didn't know, however, was that had he witnessed the Hunters in battle the previous night, he would never have made such a naïve assumption.
These creatures were far from ordinary, rule-bound NPCs.
Within monts, the Hunters had broken down the door to Room 208. They didn't even glance inside, their focus locked on Liu Shuang's presence in the adjacent room.
Following their unnatural instincts, they stalked directly toward him.
Hearing the scratching outside stop, Liu Shuang relaxed.
The Hunters had breached Room 208—his earlier decision to relocate seed vindicated. He breathed a sigh of relief, imagining the chaos he had avoided.
Then he noticed the silence.
It was too quiet.
A rancid stench filled his nostrils. It ca from above.
Heart pounding, Liu Shuang glanced upward, only to see two Hunters looming through the jagged hole in Room 207's broken door.
Their long claws reached through, hovering over his neck, as though calculating the perfect place to strike.
"AAAHHH!!" Liu Shuang scread, his first clear look at the Hunters' grotesque faces driving him into blind panic.
He scrambled backward, clawing for the axe he had left on the floor.
In his desperation, he hacked at anything and everything—walls, the already broken door—until the hole widened enough for the Hunters to wedge half their bodies through.
Upon realizing his mistake, Liu Shuang's terror surged anew.
He swung wildly with no technique, slashing at the claws, the walls, the air, all the while shrieking, "Die! Die! Stay away from !"
Despite his hysteria, a flicker of rational thought remained. He knew the others were watching from their rooms, doing nothing to help.
Pride and sha no longer mattered as he cried out for aid, "Sobody! Anybody! Big Brother, Big Sister—please save ! Mom! Dad! I'm begging you, help!"
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