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| Descend from the Stars (STARS) |
Seeing Xu Rongchuan's expression, Xu Dan—who had been expecting praise—began to feel uneasy. He quickly racked his brain to recall if he'd done anything wrong, all while cautiously studying his brother's face, not even daring to use his abilities to peek at his emotions.
"...Did I do something wrong?" he asked hesitantly.
Thanks to years of mission experience, Xu Rongchuan managed to maintain his composure.
He didn't judge right or wrong outright, instead saying, "Tell me in detail what happened."
Xu Dan stood obediently before Xu Rongchuan like a primary school student reporting exam results to a parent, rubbing his hands together before launching into a meticulous account of his mission at the bar.
The further he got into his story, the more complicated Xu Rongchuan's expression became. Xu Dan watched nervously, and when he finished, he anxiously twisted his serpent tail. "That's what happened."
In summary: He had wreaked havoc in the bar, punished evil and rewarded good, saving a group of victims who had mistakenly wandered into the Demon's Cave. The process had just been a bit bloody and his actions a bit reckless—but he hadn't harmed a single innocent human.
Xu Rongchuan let out a sigh of relief. Before Xu Dan had even explained, he'd already drafted his resignation letter in his head.
"You didn't do anything wrong," he first affirmed his performance, reaching out to ruffle his hair, then hesitated. "It's just... well... never mind, it's nothing."
Anyway, Xu Dan couldn't die. So what if he was a little reckless?
Xu Dan's eyes lit up, and he immediately pushed his luck. "Then did I do well?"
"Yes," Xu Rongchuan smiled, genuinely relieved. Their Sixth Division had finally gotten a new recruit who could handle the front lines—they had to nurture him carefully. "Xu Dan, today you're the hero who saved eighteen people."
Xu Dan was so happy he slithered back and forth across the carpet. "Will there be a reward? I want a reward from my brother!"
"There will be, I'll prepare it when we get back," Xu Rongchuan said, peeling off his bloodstained clothes. "First, go wash off the blood. We'll discuss the mission details later. Wen Shu is locked up somewhere in this hotel—we need to find him before noon."
Xu Dan happily dashed into the bathroom, where the sound of running water and cheerful humming soon followed, as if he were genuinely on vacation at the hotel. His mood eased the tension in Xu Rongchuan, who took advantage of his shower time to walk back to the transparent glass.
Six hours later, Wen Shu was still tied to the cross, displayed as a "culinary masterpiece" for every resident to see. The exhibition would end at 8 o'clock.
In other words, in an hour, he might be transported to the "Back Kitchen" to be prepared as actual food.
Where exactly was he being held?
After daybreak, without the atmospheric lighting, the cross reflected a stark, blood-red hue under natural light. Xu Rongchuan stared at the scene, his brow slowly furrowing.
By now, a few things were certain:
First, his instincts told him the hotel was clearly safer during the day, closer to reality. But after dark, everything here underwent unseen changes—an eerie force distorted it all, especially areas outside the hotel rooms.
Second, the "master" of this place craved desire and bloodshed. It was likely either an Anomalous Object or a Superhuman related to desire, and its power surpassed even Bai Xuanming, the captain of the Second Division.
Third, the Wen Shu he was seeing now was real—he was indeed confined within visible range, yet couldn't be found through conventional means.
Fourth, the male waiter from earlier today was suspicious.
There were many other loose threads and clues he couldn’t immediately verify, which held no value for now. Xu Rongchuan’s mind raced. After a moment, he stepped away from the display glass and walked to the door at the entrance.
He peered through the peephole at the empty corridor outside.
By his estimate, the guests who had attended the morning ball should have finished their meals and started returning to their rooms. But after waiting several minutes, the hallway remained deserted.
Then, a figure in a suit vest appeared in the corridor.
His head was lowered, obscuring his face, as he walked slowly across the carpet, drawing closer. Just as he was about to pass Room 5401, where Xu Rongchuan was staying, his footsteps seemed to pause, and his head tilted slightly.
Then, he took a few steps to the left and vanished from the peephole’s view.
Xu Rongchuan frowned, his hand gripping the doorknob. The man’s attire wasn’t that of a guest—clearly, he was a hotel employee. Could he be the same one who had guided Xu Rongchuan earlier?
Just as he was about to open the door, suddenly, a starkly black-and-white eye appeared in the peephole.
The bloodshot whites of the eye stared straight through the curved glass, directly at Xu Rongchuan inside the room.
Xu Rongchuan’s breath hitched. He swiftly dodged to the right, his heart pounding—
What the hell was that? So terrifying!
A few seconds later, having recovered from the shock, he looked through the peephole again. The man in the suit vest was now standing below it and no longer pressing his eye against the glass, but simply gazing quietly in this direction. It was the same fair-skinned waiter who had guided Xu Rongchuan that morning.
Xu Rongchuan met his gaze calmly. After a moment, seemingly detecting nothing unusual, the man slowly walked toward the neighboring room.
Xu Rongchuan watched as he entered Room 5402.
There was no sound of a doorbell being pressed, meaning no guest had summoned him. It was highly likely that Room 5402 was still unoccupied. What was he doing there?
Best not to alert the enemy…
Xu Rongchuan glanced out the window. The weather was fine today—bright and sunny with excellent visibility. A plan quickly formed in his mind. Just then, Xu Dan emerged from his shower, with his newly manifested tail glistening wetly. Xu Rongchuan studied him thoughtfully, making Xu Dan blush. “What are you looking at?”
“Xu Dan, how well can you use your tail?”
Xu Dan blinked. “Use it? How?”
Xu Rongchuan walked to the window, pushed it open as far as it would go, then motioned for Xu Dan to come closer.
The high-rise windows had angle restrictions—even at maximum, they only opened wide enough to stick an arm through. Xu Rongchuan and Xu Dan pressed close together, straining to look outside.
They could see the space for the air conditioning unit beside the window, and to the right was Room 5402.
Xu Rongchuan exerted force with one hand—snap—and broke the window’s limiter bar barehanded, fully opening the window.
On the 54th floor, the wind howled inside. Clouds obscured part of the view, and even a single glance at the blurry streets below was enough to induce vertigo.
Xu Dan nervously wrapped his tail around Xu Rongchuan’s waist. “Be careful.”
Xu Rongchuan said, “Can your tail hold me tight? I’ll need about ten seconds.”
Xu Dan nodded confidently. “I can! But…”
"Leave it to you," Xu Rongchuan patted his shoulder and then decisively stepped out without hesitation.
Xu Dan's face instantly paled. Though he was happy to be trusted, how could he let his fragile human brother do such a thing!
"Let me, let me!" He hurriedly tried to catch up, but Xu Rongchuan was already halfway out the window, suspended in mid-air.
Xu Dan immediately froze before wrapping his tail tightly around his brother while gripping the windowsill with both hands. Too tight, and he feared it would hurt; too loose, and he worried he might fall. Fine beads of sweat quickly formed on his forehead, even when freshly washed from the bath, as he stared unblinkingly at Xu Rongchuan.
"Be careful," he whispered.
Xu Rongchuan's thoughts drifted for half a second, thinking: It's not so bad having someone worry about you during a high-risk mission.
Using the strength of the tail, he agilely flipped into the space of the outdoor air conditioning unit, then patted the tail to signal it to let go. Once Xu Dan confirmed his brother was steady, he released his grip before quickly sprouting tiny suction cups that firmly adhered to the exterior wall. In the blink of an eye, he followed Xu Rongchuan into the unit.
Xu Rongchuan: "...? That works?"
Not giving him another chance to take risks, Xu Dan pulled him into a tight embrace and, like a gecko, scaled the wall with his tail to the window of the adjacent room, 5402.
The two now stood eerily on the exterior of the 54th floor. If there were occupants inside 5402, the shock would surely rival facing a boss in terms of sanity loss.
Xu Rongchuan whispered, "Your abilities are way too handy!"
Xu Dan, bashful, took the opportunity to lick his brother's cheek.
Xu Rongchuan blocked his tongue and peered inside 5402.
The layout of 5402 differed from the standard hotel room—more lived-in, with distinctly personal decor and clutter strewn about. It was odd, neither resembling a guest room nor a staff quarters—ordinary staff wouldn’t have access to an eighty-square-meter luxury penthouse suite.
It seemed more like... a private room reserved by the hotel owner himself.
Just as this thought surfaced, someone appeared.
Xu Rongchuan leaned slightly away from the window while still cautiously observing the figure. The figure wore a suit vest—the same waiter who had startled him at the entrance earlier.
He seemed to have just stepped out of the bathroom, his footsteps heavy as he dragged a dark, bulky object onto a metal desk with his back to the window.
For several minutes, he did nothing but stare intently at the object.
Then, he picked up a cleaver.
Thunk!
The cleaver struck the metal desk with a grating sound. Once, twice, thrice...
Xu Rongchuan finally recognized it—half of a giant serpent’s tail!
Unlike the iridescent scales of Wen Shu and Xu Dan, the severed tail on the desk belonged to a genuine, patterned jungle python. Xu Rongchuan couldn’t help but frown. At that moment, the figure inside seemed to sense something and abruptly turned around.
His eyes locked directly with Xu Rongchuan’s.
The robotic waiter’s face twisted into a snarl as he suddenly lunged with the cleaver raised and slashing straight at Xu Rongchuan outside the window!
Xu Dan swiftly pulled Xu Rongchuan aside just as the sharp sound of shattering glass erupted. The window of 5402 exploded into fragments, the bloodied cleaver grazing past Xu Rongchuan’s face as it swung through the air.
Xu Dan wanted to take his brother back to hide in Room 5401, but Xu Rongchuan seized the opportunity to grab the man's wrist. Dragged by the tremendous force as the man retrieved his cleaver, he tumbled entirely into Room 5402.
Several more loud thuds followed, muffled, like the sound of flesh hitting something hard. Xu Dan’s heart was already in turmoil as he hurried into 5402, only to find the waiter collapsed in a pool of blood as the cleaver embedded in his skull.
Xu Dan: "Are you okay, brother?"
Splattered with blood, Xu Rongchuan pressed a finger to his lips, his expression grave, signaling him to stay silent.
As they spoke, the figure in the blood pool slowly melted, turning into a foul, shapeless mass of flesh.
Amid the sickening sound of dissolving flesh and blood, Xu Rongchuan caught another noise—one even more bizarre.
He looked up.
The waiter who had fallen to the cleaver just minutes ago emerged unscathed from the bathroom, his face blank and calm while dragging the same massive Serpent tail behind him as he lumbered toward them.
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