The ghost baby seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then turned as if provoked, wanting to bite Gu Wuji.
Gu Wuji's extensive experience with ghosts was unimaginable for an ordinary person. He even had proficient methods to deal with such ghost babies. He firmly held the ghost baby down, and with his astonishing strength, the ghost baby couldn't manage to bite anyone.
"Although you're still a child and may not understand, it's not right to bite people randomly. It's very uncivilized behavior," Gu Wuji patiently lectured.
"Look at your parents. They work so hard for you, but you casually bite guests like this. If something goes wrong because of your biting, damaging the inn's reputation, can you justify their efforts?"
In Gu Wuji's gentle voice, the ghost baby surprisingly stopped struggling, as if bewildered by his words. Its mouth, which had been biting everywhere, closed shut.
"Isn't this much better? This is what a good child does." Gu Wuji immediately looked encouragingly at the ghost baby, even reaching out to pat its head. "Your parents will surely be proud of you."
The ghost baby didn't know much to begin with, and now, being patted on the head by Gu Wuji, it suddenly felt a sense of pride and obediently nestled in Gu Wuji's embrace.
The whole scene went from a creepy horror movie to something resembling an educational film.
Gu Wuji held the ghost baby and opened the door to the room labeled "Employee Restroom."
The sight that greeted them had nothing to do with an employee rest area. The room was extremely dilapidated, with spiderwebs hanging on the walls. When the door opened, thick dust billowed up, as if no one had ever lived there.
"What's going on? Is this hotel treating its employees so poorly?" Gu Wuji remarked, and the ghost baby squirmed in slight dissatisfaction at his words.
"Alright, alright, I know your inn wouldn't mistreat its employees like this. There must be another reason," Gu Wuji quickly reassured, and the ghost baby settled down.
Gu Wuji took a few steps inside, wiping the dust off the wall beside him. Below, dried blood adorned the wall, still vivid in color as if freshly splattered.
He pondered for a moment, glancing around and noticed the windows were boarded up, with only faint light seeping through.
"It seems there's nothing here." Gu Wuji turned to leave, but the door slammed shut with a loud bang.
Gu Wuji: "..."
He reached for the door handle, only to find it locked.
The sound of dripping water echoed from behind. The ghost baby in Gu Wuji's arms began to emit short, sharp noises, almost like a warning.
Gu Wuji turned his head, and the room, once covered in dust, was now spotlessly clean, allowing him to clearly see the splatters of blood all around.
It was like a murder scene where someone had just been killed, except there was no body.
No.
Gu Wuji heard the dripping of water again. He looked up to see a woman pinned to the ceiling. Her disheveled body was crudely stitched together, blood still oozing from the seams, dripping onto the floor.
The woman's bloodshot eyes stared fiercely at Gu Wuji, filled with deep resentment.
However, she seemed somewhat wary of the ghost baby in Gu Wuji's grasp, hesitating to approach.
Gu Wuji noticed this scene clearly and felt surprised. He hadn't expected the ghost baby to have such an effect. Could it be that its grudge was even deeper than that of the dismembered waitress?
In fact, Gu Wuji was quite familiar with the appearance of this female ghost. She was the waitress who had answered some of his questions on the day he arrived.
"It's been a while," Gu Wuji said gently, looking at her. "I'm sorry for what happened to you. My purpose in coming here is to investigate who killed you. If possible, could you provide me with some assistance?"
The female ghost seemed provoked, disregarding the ghost baby as she moved closer, pressing herself against the ceiling not far from Gu Wuji. Her eyes stared at him intensely, almost as if they were about to fall out of their sockets.
Despite the terrifying sight, Gu Wuji's expression remained unchanged as he continued to earnestly address the female ghost.
After all, he didn't sense much murderous intent from her, just an instinctive resentment.
The female ghost hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the ghost baby in Gu Wuji's arms. Suddenly, her body became semi-transparent, and she lunged towards Gu Wuji.
The ghost baby struggled fiercely, causing the female ghost's body to involuntarily tremble. Her already translucent figure became even more blurred.
Gu Wuji recalled the events of the first instance and immediately reached out, touching the female ghost's body.
In the next moment, a scene flashed before his mind.
Surrounded by a pitch-black corridor, hurried footsteps echoed behind, and the person seemed to be trembling with fear, yet they didn't cry out for help. Occasionally, they glanced back, vaguely seeing a figure holding a sharp weapon.
Finally, they reached the staircase, and Gu Wuji could sense their relief.
It didn't make sense. Even after arriving here, unable to shake off the pursuer, why would they be so excited?
But then, that figure followed them into the stairwell. The person's shock and fear reached its peak, but it was too late. The blade struck their body from behind.
It wasn't supposed to be like this...
...
When Gu Wuji woke up, he found himself lying on the dusty floor of the employee rest area. The blood and the female ghost had disappeared, leaving only the ghost baby still clinging to him, looking as if it were asleep.
"This little one is quite cute," Gu Wuji said, lifting it up. His head throbbed faintly, but he knew that the scene he had just witnessed must have been something the female ghost wanted to convey to him.
"So, it seems there's another ghost in this hotel? And it can harm other ghosts..." Gu Wuji pondered as he pushed open the door. "Obviously, the waitress thought she could find safety in the stairwell. Perhaps the ghost was confined to the corridor? But for some reason, it was able to break free..."
With these thoughts in mind, Gu Wuji arrived at another room.
Most of the rooms on the third floor had been opened up for the hotel owner's family to live in.
Gu Wuji found this door locked tight. He attempted to use his strength, but the door didn't budge.
"It seems violence won't solve this. I need a key," Gu Wuji muttered to himself, glancing at the sleeping ghost baby in his arms. He felt a bit uneasy about forcibly breaking into someone's home in front of others.
In any case, he couldn't enter here today. Gu Wuji decided to head downstairs.
On the first floor, the group was still pestering the staff, their brows dripping with sweat. After all, who knew if they were dealing with a person or a ghost.
When Gu Wuji's footsteps approached, they all breathed a sigh of relief, turning to see Gu Wuji holding a baby in his arms.
Everyone: "???"
What's going on? How did you come back with someone else's baby? And is the child really okay?
Peng Haocang, who already knew some of the situation, was utterly shocked. His gaze towards Gu Wuji was as if he were seeing a ghost.
How could this guy casually carry such a big weapon in his arms like it's nothing!
Everyone was too shocked to notice, but the old woman at the counter glanced over.
Gu Wuji gestured with his eyes to the others, then knocked on the kitchen door and pushed it open. Inside, the two people were still maintaining their previous demeanor, and the atmosphere remained cold and eerie. However, this time, the woman no longer held a child in her arms.
When the woman saw Gu Wuji enter, she initially gave him a sinister look, but then she froze when her gaze fell on the child in Gu Wuji's arms.
"Sister, you should take care of this child. If he wanders off and encounters any trouble, what will happen? Luckily, he met me. Otherwise, who knows what could have happened," Gu Wuji's tone carried a hint of reproach towards the irresponsible guardian.
The woman listened in a daze, and she finally took the child without fully registering what was happening.
What's going on? Why do I suddenly feel guilty, as if I'm an extremely irresponsible parent?