Chapter Seven: Survival Mission

The next morning, Ji Li was already seated in the center of the hall. He hadn’t rested much the night before; instead, he had organized and printed five copies of the hotel rules and details of the spirits left behind by previous managers.

Early dawn found him sitting on a solid wooden chair in the hall, eyes closed, quietly waiting for the arrival of the new staff.

“So, it seems I have no choice left...” The third personality’s voice, tinged with melancholy, echoed faintly in Ji Li’s mind.

The second personality remained silent all morning, seemingly still dormant, while the third conversed with Ji Li at length, gradually coming to terms with this helpless reality.

Ji Li kept his eyes shut, listening to the third’s words. His fingers trembled slightly as he murmured deeply, “We have no choice...”

…

On October 22, 2015, as the clock struck ten sharp, a unique beam of light suddenly appeared at the center of the hall.

A dazzling yet mysterious white radiance split the Golden Hotel into two parts.

As the light dimmed slightly, five hurried, bewildered figures materialized out of thin air at the hotel entrance.

“What the hell! What’s going on?!” A rebellious young man with a nonconformist hairstyle sniffed arrogantly, looking around in confusion, his words surprisingly elegant.

His reaction was relatively normal—just stunned. But the two beside him were even more dramatic.

A middle-aged woman clutching a bottle of soy sauce and wearing an apron plopped down onto the ground, screaming in terror at the unfamiliar surroundings.

Next to her was a boy who looked like a high school student. They didn’t know each other but huddled together tightly, clearly frightened by the situation.

The most composed was a middle-aged man with a pale face, slight stubble, and glasses. Dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit, he instinctively adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and stepped back calmly upon taking in everything before him.

His eyes, dull but sharp, immediately focused on Ji Li, who sat motionless like a withered tree in meditation at the center of the hall.

Beside Ji Li stood a slender young man who was bolder. After scratching his head, he suddenly seemed to realize something.

He pulled out his phone and began filming the hotel’s structure, muttering words no one could catch.

After a brief moment of confusion, the rebellious youth turned his anger toward Ji Li.

“Who are you? Did you bring us here?!”

The room fell into a heavy silence as everyone’s attention shifted to the strange hotel and that solitary figure.

Ji Li slowly opened his gray, misty eyes. His handsome yet pale face looked upon the five newcomers with a faint, satisfied smile.

But to them, that smile felt sinister.

The woman in the apron dragged the high school boy back to the hotel’s entrance, frantically banging on the door, utterly unwilling to meet Ji Li’s gaze.

…

“What the hell are you smiling at? I’m talking to you! Didn’t you hear me?” The rebellious youth snapped, his temper flaring as if he couldn’t tolerate Ji Li’s seemingly listless, defeated appearance.

He charged forward, grabbing Ji Li’s collar with brute force and yanking him up.

“Speak! Are you behind all this?”

Ji Li didn’t even glance at the incoming fist; his focus remained on the two men who had behaved peculiarly.

“You can tell that among these five new recruits, there’s someone extraordinary.”

Seeing Ji Li’s indifference only fueled the youth’s rage. He punched Ji Li squarely in the face.

But then...

In everyone’s stunned gaze, the youth’s face suddenly flushed deep red, as if a strange flame surged beneath his exposed skin.

“Ah!!!”

Within less than two minutes of entering the hotel, under all eyes, the rebellious youth turned to ashes.

Rubbing his slightly stinging left cheek, Ji Li smiled softly and addressed the remaining four:

“Welcome to the Tianhai Hotel.”

…

After witnessing the rebellious youth’s fate, everyone settled down obediently.

During this time, Ji Li gathered a rough understanding of the four.

The high school boy was named Cao Yuan. He had been in class moments ago but was abruptly summoned here to become a new staff member.

The woman in the apron, Ding Miaoxin, was a homemaker preparing lunch at home when she was suddenly transported here.

It was clear neither of them possessed special abilities, and they absorbed information very slowly.

Ji Li’s attention was truly drawn to the remaining two.

The man in the Zhongshan suit with glasses was named Fang Shenyen, a teacher by profession. But Ji Li sensed something unsettling about him: his demeanor was too cold and overly restrained. His behavior felt less like rationality and more like mechanical lifelessness.

Moreover, Ji Li could feel a presence of deathly energy surrounding him.

The slender, bold young man was named Yu Guo. He was an outdoor streamer who explored eerie locations for a living. Upon arrival, he immediately started live streaming.

“Are... are we all cursed?” Cao Yuan’s legs trembled uncontrollably as he asked in a shaky voice.

Ding Miaoxin was even more overwhelmed. She collapsed to the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling without a word.

Only Fang Shenyen and Yu Guo remained standing, steadying themselves to listen to Ji Li’s explanation.

…

Ji Li nodded and placed an envelope in front of each of them, speaking quietly:

“This is the situation. All I can say is that you must accept your fate and carefully study the spirit rules inside the envelope. Otherwise, a single mission could cost you your life.”

The others had many questions, but Ji Li dismissed them upstairs.

While walking, Fang Shenyen suddenly stopped and turned to Ji Li:

“Are you the manager of this hotel?”

Ji Li looked at him deeply and replied softly, “For now, yes.”

…

The clamor in the hall had just died down, leaving only Ji Li and a pile of cold ashes.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the center of the hall. With the rebellious youth’s death, the Tianhai Hotel’s earlier rules should have summoned a replacement.

“Fang Shenyen... his name suits him.

I can see he’s full of questions but highly restrained. Among the four, he’s the only one who understands the situation clearly and wants to study the hotel and spirit rules before approaching you,” the third personality silently analyzed the newcomers beside him.

Ji Li nodded. “Besides him, I think Yu Guo is decent too.

When the rebellious youth died, everyone averted their eyes except Yu Guo, who watched boldly. I didn’t explain, and he didn’t ask. He’s a daring, meticulous, and tactful type.”

But as time passed, Ji Li sensed something was wrong.

Ten minutes had elapsed since the rebellious youth’s death, yet no replacement had appeared, blatantly contradicting the previous rules.

“Could it be that death from infighting inside the hotel doesn’t count for replacements?”

Before Ji Li could figure it out, his pocket vibrated sharply.

A chill ran through him. He knew a new mission had arrived and quickly pulled out his phone.

The cold glow of the screen illuminated his pale face, displaying a long message in black text on a white background:

“Recipient: Tianhai Hotel, Acting Manager Ji Li of Branch Seven.

Please arrive before 8 PM on October 22, 2015, at Room 701, Unit 4, Building 2, Sanhe Community, Eastern Suburb of the city.

Survival until 8 AM the next day will be considered mission completion and a new tenant’s arrival.

A replacement is waiting at the mission location; proceed to rendezvous.

Sender: Tianhai.”