I Wasn't Born Lucky

The young man’s side profile soon disappeared as he followed the hotel’s staff into an elevator.

"Moriarty?" Hull saw that Xiao Li’s eyes were wrong and followed the gaze into the hotel, but he didn’t see anything worthy of attention.

Xiao Li retracted his gaze and replied, "I just saw someone who looks like an acquaintance from reality."

Xie Zeqing interjected. "It should just be a similar appearance. Ordinary people won’t be pulled into the instance. Does your friend have a passerby face?"

...Strictly speaking, Shen Chenzhi’s appearance was the exact opposite of a passerby. Even so, Xiao Li didn’t clarify it to the other side and nodded casually. "Probably."

Xie Zeqing told him, "There is still a bit of safety time remaining. We should discuss the task and don’t think about your passerby friend."

The topic was thus torn apart. He didn’t get a response from Xiao Li, nor did he ask again. After all, everything was about the task.

Reiko pointed to the first item on the task book and stuttered in half-familiar English. "The first task is very strange. It requires us to verify the truth of the task within seven days and to enter the room for verification. Isn’t there a very obvious loophole? As long as we enter the room and see the ghost, it is enough to prove the truth of the strange story. Isn’t this very simple?"

Taotie replied, "I don’t think so. All reincarnators who think of the task so simply are basically dead. This ’verification’ must mean experiencing the strange story and surviving seven days under the attack of the strange story to complete the task."

"I agree with Taotie." Hull spoke in English. "The first task is passive hiding while the second task is an active attack. This is consistent with the style of the instance tasks. It’s just that the second task is also strange. What does it mean by end everything before it comes?"

Reiko didn’t understand and asked Hull to type out the key words in English. After translation, she said, "We don’t have any clues at present. Speculation is just a shot in the dark. We should inquire slowly after entering and staying in this hotel."

Xie Zeqing was as quiet as a chicken throughout the whole process. He wasn’t good at English but wouldn’t say it to keep his face. He was currently blindly guessing and was ready to ask Xiao Li in private.

Xiao Li looked at the door of the Cavill Hotel. A second before the safety time ended, he asked, "Who here has money? It has to be cash because cards aren’t universal here."

The rest of the reincarnators, "......"

Xie Zeqing understood this sentence. He raised his chin and pulled a wallet out from his pants pocket. "An essential item in a big city, an unlimited wallet. It can only be used in an instance and after withdrawing money, more money will keep appearing in the wallet."

He took out a stack of money and was prepared to walk to the hotel door when a CG appeared in the sky, stopping him.

At this moment, the safety time reached zero.

This time, the CG wasn’t a previously shot scene but a live broadcast room. The name of the live room was ’taking you to explore the legend of haunted places, 6 not 6, please give Anchor Ri Yan a few more planes.’

It was obvious that this live broadcast had just started. A young man with pink hair appeared in front of the camera while holding a selfie stick. He first adjusted the angle of the camera and aid, "Hello everyone, I’m your anchor Ri Yan. Today, I’m not broadcasting playing a game but something more exciting."

His background showed that he was in the corridor of a hotel. The interior of the hotel was full of lights. There was a long mirror in the corridor and a vase was placed at a certain distance.

The anchor Ri Yan said, "I think everyone has heard the strange urban story about the Carvill Hotel, right? It is said that this hotel is very strange. The room numbers for each floor goes up to eight at the most. For example, the first floor is 101 to 108. However, in the deepest corridor of the ninth floor, the room number 909 appears from time to time. Many people who stay on the ninth floor have witnessed the room but it often disappears when someone deliberately wants to find it."

"The hotel staff has been refuting the rumour, stating there are only eight rooms on the ninth floor. It goes up to 908 and 909 isn’t a room. Nevertheless, rumours about 909 have been boiling. It is said that everybody who enters Room 909 will encounter all sorts of bad luck and die in strange ways after a period of time.

"Today, I am your anchor and will be spending time with you. I’ve spent a lot of money to book a room at the Cavill Hotel, ready to stay for 3~5 days. I’ll take you to see the room that doesn’t exist."

The moment he finished speaking, the barrage of the live broadcast came out. [So great today? Okay, I’ll reward you. I like supernatural broadcasts.]

[Will the room really show up? I think this strange story is a lie. It won’t be found on the ninth floor.]

"It is a strange story. You’ll see."

Ri Yan laughed and moved forward while interacting with the audience in the live broadcast. He came to the ninth floor and pointed to the room numbers one by one: 901, 902, 903... The moment he approached 908, Ri Yan turned the camera back to himself. "Don’t say it, this ninth floor corridor might be bright but I always feel it is gloomy."

He shuddered as he talked enthusiastically.

[Don’t keep people on tenterhooks. If you want a reward then I’ll give you a yacht. Quickly, show us.]

[What about the ghost? I want to see a ghost?]

[Wrap it up, wrap it up.]

Ri Yan looked at the sharply rising number of rewards and was secretly pleased. He pretended to be in a dilemma and made up his mind. He moved the camera away from his face and turned to room 908. Next to this room was the end and it was only a wall with a copy of the Mona Lisa. It smiled demurely at the camera. There was no so-called Room 909.

[I knew it was a lie.]

[Sure enough, I was scaring myself.]

[I’m disappointed. What is the difference between this and an ordinary hotel?]

The livestream was filled with disappointment. Ri Yan already had a plan. He saw this and immediately turned the camera to appease them. "Don’t do this. There’s still time in the future to meet the strange story."

"Or tell me what else you want to see and I’ll go livestream it for you. What about other strange stories?"

He was eloquently appeasing the audience in his live broadcast room but he didn’t realize that the light above his head was flickering for a moment and became dim. He finally appeased the audience and was raising his head to leave, but he suddenly froze.

He caught something out of the corner of his eye. The end of the corridor now contained one more room. The room was exactly the same as the other hotel rooms, except that the sign above said Room 909.

"This... what is this situation?" Ri Yan took a step back and stuttered.

[What? The room showed up?]

[The anchor is really working hard at this time. Which studio is this? The room is quite realistic. The host performed well to put a sense of panic into the show.]

[Let’s go. Quickly show the Oscar directors the anchor’s performance.]

Ri Yan panicked. "No, no, this time it is true. It... it suddenly appeared. The moment I looked up, it appeared!"

[Then go in and take a look. I’ll reward you with ten yachts!]

[Yes, go inside Ri Yan. You are a big anchor in my heart.]

[As long as you go in, I’ll give you some advertising space, no matter how much it costs.]

Ri Yan looked at the door that suddenly appeared. He originally came here to explore because he wanted to find a gimmick. He didn’t really expect to encounter this strange urban story...

He faced the camera and said, "Or... forget it. I... I’ll come back tomorrow with some friends."

[What if there is no tomorrow? It must be today or I won’t give you the reward tomorrow.]

Ri Yan instinctively wanted to leave but the audience didn’t agree. They filled the screen saying they would report a refund if he didn’t go in. He saw the viewers rapidly rising. This was the peak of his live broadcast in recent years and couldn’t bear this traffic. Plus, the people on screen was still giving him gifts. It was nearly half a year’s pay.

Ri Yan chose to compromise and he gulped. "Okay, then I will... go in and see, but only for a moment. I won’t go door. I’ll stand at the door and show you."

He stretched out his hand nervously and touched the door of Room 909. He didn’t have a door card but the doorknob automatically bent door the moment he put his hand on it and the door opened in response. Ri Yan stood at the door and saw the scene inside the room.

The title CG ended here.

Xie Zeqing commented, "He really doesn’t know fear. Every time I see this type of dead person, I want to beat him up."

Xiao Li shook his head. He didn’t agree with Xie Zeqing and just entered the hotel.

The Cavill Hotel was very large and there was a very high dome roof. It was very beautiful and this seemed to be a foreign country. There was an endless stream of guests from all countries.

The reincarnators started bickering about what floor to stay on. Hull and Reiko wanted to be on the first floor, which was the furthest away from the ninth floor and easy to escape. Maybach wanted to be on the ninth floor, which was convenient for observation. Xiao Li also voted for the ninth floor and designated 908 as the best. This was the closest to the room that didn’t exist. Unfortunately, he was told that 908 was occupied.

The result they ended up with was a compromise. They would stay on the ninth floor but a distance away from the end. The sweet front desk lady gave them 903, 905 and 906. According to the reincarnators’ request, three people would sleep in a room.

They got the door card, declined the staff’s request to lead the way and took the elevator. Xiao Li was the first to go out onto the ninth floor. The corridor was too long to walk toward the end so he walked forward.

He passed Room 906. The mirror reflected Xiao Li’s side and doubled the space. Finally, he stopped at the end of the corridor. The wall was as the livestream showed. It had a painting of the Mona Lisa hung, elegant and mysterious, like it was covered with a hazy veil. However, the ninth room didn’t exist and there were no traces of the anchor Ri Yan. Was this a special opportunity? Or just by virtue of luck...

Xiao Li placed one hand on his chest and the other hand on his chin as he looked at the painting. The rest of the reincarnators chose to go to their rooms first.

Xie didn’t smell any ghosts so he easily followed Xiao Li. Seeing that he only stared at the painting, Xie Zeqing also stood beside Xiao Li for a while. "What’s wrong with the painting?"

"Um? Nothing."

"Why are you staring for so long?"

"Oh, I just wanted to learn from the experience of other painters."

Xie Zeqing, "......"

He recalled the other person’s painting skills and thought that Xiao Li would probably have to learn for a long time...

Xie Zeqing wanted to pat Xiao Li on the shoulder and let him go back to the room first when the door to 908 opened. Xiao Li and Xie Zeqing turned their heads at the same time and saw a young man coming out of the room.

The young man was wearing a simple shirt and had a slender physique. His facial features were beautiful and he looked exactly like Shen Chenzhi. Looking at it closely from the front, he looked exactly the same. The youth saw them and his eyes stayed on Xiao Li for a long time. Even Xie Zeqing felt it was unusual.

Xiao Li broke his silence. "...Shen Chenzhi?"

The young man nodded in default agreement and stated, "You are also a reincarnator."

Xiao Li wondered, "How are you here?"

Weren’t reincarnators normally put together? Why was Shen Chenzhi separate if he was a reincarnator?

Shen Chenzhi briefly spoke. "I used an item and intervened in a special instance."

It was like Wang Huai on the secret train. Users with such items couldn’t interfere with the instance task. Xiao Li nodded. He didn’t ask much and was unusually calm, accepting the fact that his deskmate was also a reincarnator.

He glanced at the door of 908 and reminded this person, "Be careful next door."

Xiao Li spoke carefully but he looked at the door of 908 with some regret. 906 was a bit too far away to listen to possible movements in 909. He was quite curious about what would be in the room. His mood shifted quickly but Shen Chenzhi noticed his gaze. The young man looked over and asked, "Do you want to stay in this room?"

Xiao Li hadn’t spoken when Shen Chenzhi directly told him, "I can let you."

Xiao Li, "......??"

Since it was directly given to him, he didn’t say anything.