“What’s behind the doors?” Ding Yi inquired, her curiosity piqued by the variety of entrances.

“Mostly cinemas, amusement parks, casinos, bars, all sorts of entertainment venues,” Yan Ming replied casually.

“Entertainment venues?”

This revelation was something Ding Yi hadn’t anticipated within this strange, rule-bound hotel.

“We get twenty days of rest this time, but for those twenty days, there are no phones, no computers, no TVs, nothing at all,” Jiang Xianqing sighed, a hint of boredom in her voice. “Some people are just too bored, others feel like they don’t know if they’ll make it out of the next instance alive, so they enjoy themselves as much as they can while they can.”

As they spoke, the two led Ding Yi through one of the many doors lining the hallway.

Just as Ding Yi had guessed, a vast space unfolded behind the unassuming entrance, even larger than she had initially imagined.

They entered what appeared to be a supermarket, a place meticulously decorated and arranged to mirror the familiar stores of the real world. This uncanny resemblance momentarily disoriented Ding Yi. The individuals busily working within the store were, as expected, robots of various shapes and sizes, diligently stocking shelves, guiding customers, and even offering promotional samples.

The shelves were laden with a wide array of items, encompassing daily necessities, dry goods, and surprisingly, even fresh fruits, vegetables, poultry, and livestock.

Unsurprisingly, the price tags were marked with stars, the ubiquitous currency of this new reality.

Jiang Xianqing explained that although the difficulty of the instances varied and the colors of the stars earned differed, these stars held the same value when it came to making purchases.

Ding Yi glanced at the prices displayed in the supermarket. She couldn’t definitively say whether they were expensive or not. Most everyday items were priced at a few tenths of a star, and numerous small trinkets cost only a few hundredths of a star. However, when it came to items like cigarettes, alcohol, or larger goods such as game consoles, the prices were all in whole stars.

Ding Yi wasn’t a particularly materialistic person. With food, clothing, and accommodation all provided, and the freedom to order whatever she desired to eat, there was truly nothing she felt an absolute need to buy.

However, her lack of purchasing didn’t reflect the behavior of others. Many individuals carried baskets, their brows furrowed in concentration as they carefully calculated how many precious stars each item would cost.

Near the cashier area, a bookshelf that stretched all the way to the ceiling stood against the wall, filled with a diverse collection of books.

These books weren’t shrink-wrapped, but each one had a price tag affixed to its back cover. A sign prominently displayed on the bookshelf read: “All books can be read for free within the store, but a fee must be paid to take them out. Damaged books must be compensated at the original price.”

Ding Yi expressed a desire to browse the selection, while Jiang Xianqing wanted to explore the art supplies section, and Yan Ming was drawn to the comics. Consequently, the three companions split up in two directions, agreeing to reconvene at the bookshelf after Jiang Xianqing had finished browsing.

Ding Yi claimed she was looking at books, but she merely grabbed one at random and placed it on a nearby table, propping her chin up with her hand as she subtly observed the cashier and the supermarket entrance.

Suddenly, a young man with an unremarkable appearance and build caught her attention due to his nervous and furtive demeanor.

She watched as the young man stiffly approached the cigarette and alcohol section, his eyes darting around cautiously, observing the other shoppers. After confirming that no one seemed to be paying attention to him, he swiftly pried off two packs of cigarettes and concealed them in his pockets.

Perhaps it was his first attempt at such an act, or perhaps he was simply overcome with nervousness, but he fumbled twice while trying to put the cigarettes in his pocket before finally managing to stuff them in and making a hasty retreat.

The cigarette and alcohol section was conveniently located right next to the entrance, allowing him to make a dash for freedom in just a couple of steps.

Almost simultaneously, a look of triumphant joy spread across the young man’s face as he believed his illicit act had been successful, when an electric net crackled into existence at the previously empty entrance.

The blue and white lightning appeared intensely intimidating. With a sharp scream of pain and surprise, the young man collapsed to the ground. The robot nearest to him slowly approached his prone form, extended its mechanical arm, roughly administered a shot into his arm, retrieved the two undamaged packs of cigarettes from his pocket, and then unceremoniously ejected the young man from the premises.

“Don’t worry.”

Yan Ming softly comforted the frowning Ding Yi. “Although that just now looked scary, it wasn’t fatal. That shot was a recovery agent. Although the process is painful, it only takes about five minutes to heal. There are people like that trying to skip out on payment at the casino entrance every single day.”

“There’s no such thing as skipping out on a bill or stealing here. Even if you take something small, you’ll be discovered. Even if you manage to eat it, you’ll get shocked, and they’ll stick a tube in and suck it all out.”

Yan Ming seemed to recall something, his brow furrowing with distaste suddenly. “Cigarettes and alcohol are costly here. Some black-hearted scoundrels will gather together to bully people, forcing others to pay for their purchases.”

“No one cares?” Ding Yi asked, surprised by this apparent injustice.

“Sure, they do,” an older man sitting on a nearby bench chuckled dryly. “Make a big scene and get the patrol team involved. If you resist, that’s fighting, and both of you will be sent to the small dark room. If you don’t resist, you hand over your stars.”

“If you’re lucky, those people will be discovered by the patrol team and sent to the small dark room when they’re threatening and coercing you. If you’re unlucky, you’ll not only get beaten up, but you’ll also be sent to the small dark room together.”

When the older man mentioned the small dark room, his expression visibly darkened, and even his voice dropped to a much lower register. “Do you think this kind of situation is rare? It’s everywhere, especially in the casinos. But those inhuman beasts, even if you send them to the small dark room, they’ll only be more ruthless when they come out.”

Small dark room?

Actually, after her own recent experience in the small dark room, Ding Yi had been wondering if the scene she encountered inside was fundamentally different from what others experienced.

Otherwise, why would a simple strawberry cake elicit such bewildered and disturbed reactions from everyone else?

“What’s inside the small dark room?” Ding Yi finally asked, seeking to understand the discrepancy.

The older man initially didn’t want to waste his breath on the unpleasant topic, as it would only dredge up nightmares he desperately wanted to forget. But when his gaze fell upon the neat row of red stars on her arm, the sarcastic words that had already formed on his lips were abruptly swallowed back.

Not only her, but even the seemingly dull-witted young man sitting across from her sported a similar impressive row of red stars on his hand.

“Everyone’s small dark room is different,” the older man said, clearing his throat twice. “But everyone’s small dark room is terrifying.”

“Although you can’t die inside, the pain and the mental collapse are real,” the older man continued, his eyes drifting shut as if reliving a traumatic memory. The experience in the small dark room had clearly left him with indelible psychological damage.

He shifted the focus away from himself, speaking of others instead. “I also heard that someone saw their deceased parents reappear inside, chasing him with a kitchen knife and eventually hacking him to death. When he came out, that person was already raving mad and had to be forcibly sent to the hospital for treatment before he eventually returned to normal.”

Ding Yi was utterly confused and couldn’t comprehend a single thing.

Were they even talking about the same small dark room?

“You good-for-nothing, you only have four stars in total, and you’re still hiding them. Hurry up and stick out your hand!” a gruff voice barked nearby.

“Please, my grandma is still waiting for me at home! I have to get out quickly. I’ll steal for you again! I’ll definitely succeed this time!” a desperate voice pleaded.

Amidst the rising noise, Ding Yi turned her head and saw the young man who had been electrocuted and thrown out earlier being dragged back into the supermarket by three fierce-looking men.

“Damn it, if I hadn’t had such rotten luck, would I need you to buy me cigarettes? I’m telling you, that bitch was definitely cheating, damn it! I worked my ass off and only got four stars, and they’re all gone after playing a couple of rounds!” the man with the stubble and thinning hair cursed, his voice growing increasingly obscene. He turned his head to angrily ask his companions why it was taking so long to procure a pack of cigarettes when he suddenly heard a yelp. That damn little bastard had bolted.

A lean woman shook her head with a look of utter disgust. “You’re a good-for-nothing who doesn’t even have a single star to your name. How dare you complain about others?”

“Three able-bodied adults ganging up on a child. Aren’t you even slightly ashamed?” Ding Yi interjected, her voice calm but firm.

The stubble-faced man sneered, his eyes narrowing. “Who the hell are you?”

“Oh, one of those moral judges who have read their brains out, right?” he added sarcastically.

Ding Yi considered his words for a moment and then nodded. “If you say so, then so be it.”

The beaten young man, clutching his nose and having seemingly recovered somewhat, raised his hand to strike her.

But Ding Yi wasn’t the same naive individual she had been just a few days prior. She was now Ding Yi 2.0, a person who had successfully dodged the sneak attacks of a malevolent old man and the relentless pursuits of terrifying monsters.

Faced with such a predictable attack, Ding Yi not only easily sidestepped the clumsy blow but also managed to redirect the momentum, causing the young man’s fist to connect squarely with the stubble-faced man’s face.

“You blind bastard!” the stubble-faced man roared in pain and fury, instinctively slapping the young man hard across the face. Another companion immediately stepped forward, attempting to mediate and redirect the escalating anger back towards Ding Yi.

“Boss, Black Bear, this woman ruined our plan. We should deal with her first. We’re all brothers here, there’s no need for infighting.”

The stubble-faced man shoved away the companion he had just struck and charged at Ding Yi with bloodshot eyes, his face contorted in rage. “You’re dead!”