A crowd of evil spirits line up to confess to me

Chapter 10

Eventually, they managed to investigate and found out that the last living person Fang Jian had contacted before his death was Gu Wujì. They speculated that Gu Wujì must have acquired something valuable in the dungeon.

So, Peng Haocang specifically came to this dungeon with the aim of retrieving the items Gu Wujì had obtained in previous dungeon. However, it wasn't as easy as he thought, so he first approached Gu Wujì.

But Gu Wujì wasn't the type Peng Haocang imagined. Instead, he was surprisingly trusting of others. Even when Peng Haocang deliberately brought up mundane matters to test him, Gu Wujì seemed genuinely grateful.

Watching Gu Wujì's figure disappear, Peng Haocang's gaze grew deeper. How could a newcomer possibly have killed Fang Jian? Gu Wujì was probably quite cunning, deliberately pretending to be naive in front of him.

...

...

Before nightfall, everyone finally saw a hotel by the roadside. It looked very shabby and the warm orange glow contrasted sharply with the cold and eerie atmosphere outside.

Everyone knew there must be something wrong inside; not a single soul dared to step in voluntarily. After all, who knew if there were people or ghosts inside, or if there was some trap waiting to spring upon them? Their lives could easily be forfeited inside.

There was an even more pressing issue: everyone was starving. Lost in the forest for some time now, they hadn't eaten anything. Now, they were beginning to feel the gnawing sensation of hunger, bordering on panic.

Gu Wujì decided to take matters into his own hands. Ignoring the astonished looks of the others, he politely knocked on the door.

He didn't think much of it himself; after all, there was an inn here, so why not just go inside?

Upon hearing some commotion inside and noticing the door wasn't locked, Gu Wujì pushed it open without hesitation. As he moved to enter, he realized everyone else was standing stiffly behind him. He couldn't help but be surprised and glanced back at the others. "Aren't you coming in? Or do you prefer to stay out here and enjoy the mountain breeze?"

The others couldn't help but want to roll their eyes inwardly. It was clearly Gu Wujì who made the bold move, yet his attitude now made it seem like they were the abnormal ones.

Peng Haocang's eyes showed a hint of surprise, quickly followed by masking his astonishment. In his eyes, Gu Wujì must have had the capability to protect himself, to have pushed the door open so confidently. He probably already calculated what would happen next... This person was so cunning and powerful, not easy to deal with.

"Since the system wants us to stay in the inn, we must enter. Otherwise, something will definitely happen at night," Peng Haocang spoke again, with the demeanor of an experienced elder. "Let's all go in quickly."

The others nodded in agreement. Being stranded in the wilderness was unnerving; who knew what strange things might come out at night? If there was a chance to enter the inn, they would take it.

Surprisingly, the interior of the inn appeared quite normal, at least at first glance, with no apparent issues.

An elderly woman, who seemed to be the innkeeper, sat behind the counter, her appearance seemingly ordinary but carrying a subtle, indescribable sense of gloom.

There were several young waitstaff in the inn, wearing expressions of slight impatience, but they all appeared to be nothing more than ordinary humans.

The central table was already laden with food, emitting an enticing aroma that made all the players, who were already famished, feel an uncontrollable hunger.

One person even rushed forward and sat down, ready to dig into the food on the table, but his companions quickly restrained him. "Are you crazy? Do you think you can you just eat whatever you want?"

"What's there to be afraid of? The system can't possibly let us starve to death like this. These foods are probably meant to replenish our strength. Besides, in a state of hunger, we're more vulnerable. If ghosts really appear, we might not even have the strength to run away. We'd just be sitting ducks," he argued confidently, but ultimately lacked the courage to be the first to take a bite.

At that moment, Peng Haocang approached and addressed the group, "I've been through several game scenarios already. In these scenarios, not all entities are necessarily malevolent spirits; they could be monsters, or other creatures, or even mutated humans forced to stay here..."

At this point, a hint of reluctance flashed in his eyes, followed by his words, "There are also many benevolent beings here, whom I believe some of you must have encountered. I have an item to detect toxins; let me try it."

Gu Wujì couldn't help but recall the ghost of the maid who had kindly helped him in a previous scenario, feeling a deep resonance with Peng Haocang's words.

However, in reality, Gu Wujì was the only one truly moved by Peng Haocang's words. The others felt a wave of confusion. What? Ghosts helping people? Is that even possible?

Amidst the astonished gazes of the others, Peng Haocang picked up a piece of cabbage and ate it, slightly furrowing his brow. Then, he said, "Seems fine. Everyone, dig in."

If an ordinary person came out and said a few words like that, no one would believe them. But Peng Haocang seemed so reliable, and he even personally took the risk,  gaining everyone's trust.

The players all sat down eagerly, devouring the food before them. Whether it was due to extreme hunger or not, the dishes tasted exceptionally delicious, making them unable to stop eating.

Gu Wujì also sat down, but unlike the others, he didn't indulge himself in the feast. Instead, he quietly ate the plain rice.

"Aren't you eating?" Peng Haocang asked with concern.

"I'm not very hungry," Gu Wujì frowned, unable to explain why. Just looking at the food made him feel uncomfortable, with no desire to eat whatsoever.

"Well, you shouldn't force it," Peng Haocang said aloud, but internally, his wariness of Gu Wujì deepened slightly.

The meal passed without any issues. Peng Haocang even took the initiative to negotiate with the elderly woman who everyone felt was suspicious, but she completely ignored his inquiries, displaying a cold and dismissive attitude. She only took their money and sent them on their way.

While the others didn't pay much attention, Gu Wujì keenly noticed that the color of the counter seemed off...

The waitstaff approached to lead them to the guest rooms on the second floor.

As the waitstaff appeared to be normal humans, the group tried to engage them in conversation along the way, hoping to glean some information about the inn.

However, the attitude of the waitstaff could only be described as extremely poor. Besides pointing out a few rooms where they could rest, they showed no intention of saying anything else. Their faces remained sour throughout, and the other players gained nothing from them.

As one waitress turned to leave, Gu Wujì appeared in her path and greeted her kindly, "Hello, I'd like to ask you something."

Someone couldn't help but snicker, thinking Gu Wujì was just asking for trouble. Clearly, the waitress wouldn't give away any information.

But...

The female staff member, who had just been extremely grumpy, suddenly did a complete 180-degree turnaround in her attitude. She spoke softly, "Guest, feel free to ask."

Others: "???"

Did this NPC just change her attitude based on looks?!