Chapter 63: The Helpline is Fake

Rule 1: Passengers in the upper cabins may freely enter and exit all floors. Passengers in the middle cabins may enter and exit all upper floors except the upper cabins. The activity range for passengers in the lower and bottom cabins is restricted to areas at or below the middle cabins; violators will be executed on the spot.

Rule 2: If passengers encounter danger, they may dial the emergency hotline. Upon receiving a distress signal, staff members will proceed to the rescue at the earliest opportunity.

Rule 3: Please protect your companion. If your companion dies, you must reform a new two-person team within 24 hours. Stragglers will be executed on the spot. (The countdown begins after the rules are refreshed; teaming up is permitted by any means.)

Rule 4: The rooms in the upper cabins are completely safe. Passengers staying in the upper cabins must not leave their rooms at night.

Rule 5: Staff members will conduct room checks during the night; all passengers are requested to cooperate actively.

Rule 6: The rules on the cruise ship refresh every night at 11:00 PM. Please pay close attention, everyone.

Rule 7: The true rules of yesterday remain valid.

The rules on the slip of paper had completely changed.

Looking at the brand-new rules, April's breathing grew heavy. She had originally thought that as long as she utilized others to figure out the truth and falsehoods of the rules, she could ensure absolute safety. She never expected that the rules on the cruise ship would change every single day!

It seemed she could not burn the small slip of paper; she had to keep it to monitor the daily changes in the rules!

With these thoughts, April folded the slip of paper.

Director Zhou's voice suddenly came from behind her.

"April, it's so late, why haven't you gone back yet?"

"Ah, I'm heading back right now!"

Panicking, April shoved the slip of paper into her pants pocket.

Director Zhou walked up in front of her and looked at her suspiciously.

"What were you hiding just now?"

"I wasn't hiding anything!"

April reached out, took Director Zhou's hand, and looked up at her with a sweet smile.

"Director Mom, I'm sleepy, let's go back!"

***

"Mm!"

Director Zhou nodded, her gaze lingering on April's pants pocket. She had clearly seen April hiding something in her pocket just now; why was April denying it?

In the dead of night, the lights in the middle and lower cabins suddenly went out, leaving only the greenish glow of the emergency exit signs. The light from the indicators was very dim, barely illuminating the nearby corridors.

Two girls were fast asleep when a sudden "knock, knock, knock" sounded at their door.

"Who is it?" one of the girls asked sleepily.

Suddenly remembering that they were currently on a cruise ship shrouded in strange entities, the girl instantly lost all sleepiness. She tiptoed out of bed and nudged her companion lying on the other bed.

"Wake up, someone is knocking at the door."

"Can't you just go open it?" The short-haired girl waved a hand, closing her eyes to continue sleeping.

The long-haired girl grabbed her hand, her voice trembling with nervousness.

"Do you think the person knocking... isn't... isn't human?"

As soon as those words left her mouth, the short-haired girl sobered up completely. She hurriedly went to switch on the light, but despite the audible click of the switch, the ceiling light failed to turn on.

"Call!"

The short-haired girl took out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and picked up the receiver of the room phone. Before she had time to press the button for the service hotline, she was stopped by the long-haired girl.

Grunting in fear, she said, "No, the rules have truths and lies mixed in. What if... what if this rule is fake?"

"If it's fake, at worst someone just hangs up, but what if it's real?"

The short-haired girl pushed her companion's hand away and pressed the button for the service hotline.

The call connected, but before the girl could speak, she heard the familiar knocking sound coming from right through the earpiece.

Clack!

The short-haired girl's hand loosened, and the receiver slipped from her grasp.

Outside the door, the knocking suddenly escalated into frantic pounding.

***

The long-haired girl shivered uncontrollably, looking anxiously at her companion.

"What... what did the phone say?"

"The one who answered... was the entity outside!"

As the short-haired girl's voice trailed off, the long-haired girl went limp all over and collapsed backward onto the bed.

It was over; they were dead for sure!

Passengers in the middle and lower cabins were kept awake by the relentless knocking. Most of them dared not risk dialing the emergency hotline, choosing instead to pull their blankets over their heads and shiver under the covers.

The bottom cabin had no separate rooms, let alone doors to provide a barrier.

April was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt an itch on her face and reached out to scratch it. The tickling sensation subsided, and just as she lowered her hand, her nose began to itch as well.

The sensation felt as though someone were deliberately tickling her with a feather.

No, it didn't just feel like a feather; it felt like human hair!

Abruptly, April opened her eyes, coming face-to-face in a jump scare with a strange entity. She widened her eyes in terror, wanting to scream, but found herself utterly voiceless.

The entity sniffed around her face, then turned toward Director Zhou.

Only then did April manage to clearly see that the entity's eyeballs were completely white—it appeared to be blind!

As April was processing this, a woman's scream suddenly rang out from ahead.

The entity instantly jerked upright, darted swiftly to the woman's side, and sank its teeth directly into her head.

The woman's shrieks woke everyone in the bottom cabin.

A man frowned in displeasure and muttered a low complaint, "In the middle of the night, what are you yelling..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his voice was abruptly cut short.

The bottom cabin was pitch black, illuminated only by the faint, flickering light of a single oil lamp.

Director Zhou had just woken up in time to witness the man being devoured by the entity. Her face paled with terror, and before she could emit a sound, a small hand clamped firmly over her mouth.