The Bride

The next day, Shang Xing suddenly woke up and immediately sat bolt upright in bed.

Several white camellia flowers on the bed were scattered to the floor by his movement. He looked around; the red words on the wall were still there, the two crimson words "The Bride," giving a chilling sensation. All of it confirmed that what happened last night was real. Hua Jian had indeed found him, and had even been right beside him.

The blood-written words on the wall slowly receded, and the faint smell of blood in the air also dissipated.

Before he could think much, a rapid, forceful knocking sound came from the door, echoing in the quiet morning, like a death curse. Shang Xing calmed himself, walked to the door, and looked through the peephole, trying to see the situation outside. He caught a glimpse of an eye right behind the peephole. That eye was very close to the peephole, moving rapidly, dragging streaks of red blood within it, looking terrifying. Someone behind the door was also staring through the peephole.

A voice from outside the door said, "I am a servant of the Sunflower Hotel, bringing your formal attire. You need to wear it and go to the 3rd floor of the hotel to attend the demon's wedding."

Hearing this, Shang Xing turned the doorknob, allowing the servant to enter. The servant carried a tray, on which a neatly folded set of clothes was placed. Shang Xing vigilantly stared at the servant. The servant put down the clothes and said, "The wedding will begin at 12 o'clock; it is now 11 o'clock. Please be sure to arrive on time." With that, the servant bowed politely and left.

Shang Xing picked up the clothes: a white shirt, with a sunflower embroidered on the chest, and a pair of black trousers. With only an hour left, Shang Xing quickly washed his face, put on the clothes the servant brought, and left room number 5.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, the air was filled with a pungent, nauseating smell of fresh blood. Shang Xing frowned, he looked towards the rooms ahead and found that rooms 1 to 4 were all open. He went to room 4, knocked on the door, but inside, it was silent, and a bone-chilling draft seeped from the crack under the door. He pushed the door open, and when he saw the scene inside, he couldn't help but gasp.

Under the orange light, the blood-stained mattress on the left looked particularly gruesome. The blanket on the mattress was pulled into a mess, cotton stuffing scattered, and small pieces of flesh were strewn upon it. By the floor-to-ceiling window sat a vase, and inside the vase was a "sunflower"—yellow petals wrapped around a head, the body of the vase still trembling and twitching. Looking closely, the body of the vase was stitched together from human body parts! The player in room 4 had actually been transformed into a sunflower and... a vase! The person's eyes were wide open, staring in death.

Shang Xing couldn't bear to look anymore and closed the door.

The strong smell of blood in the hallway made Shang Xing uncomfortable; he slightly covered his nose, but the intense scent still pierced through, entering his lungs. The player in room 4 was dead. Shang Xing looked towards rooms 1 to 3. Where were the other players?

He pushed open the door to room 3. In front of the floor-to-ceiling window sat a blood-soaked sunflower vase. The head of the player from room 3 was surrounded by sunflower petals, and the head itself was riddled with dense holes, extremely similar to sunflower seeds inside. Goosebumps immediately erupted all over Shang Xing's body; his trypophobia was instantly triggered upon seeing that player's head. He quickly left room 3.

Rooms 1 and 2, however, did not have blood-soaked sunflower vases. It was highly likely that, apart from Kai Kang in room 1, a girl in room 2, and himself, all other players had been transformed into sunflowers and vases. In just one night, out of five players, only three remained. Why did those two players die?

Shang Xing pondered as he left the 5th floor. Now, he had to go to the 3rd floor to attend the demon's wedding.