Xia Tianqiong gazed at the Mirror Ghost, identical to himself, and sneered, "You shortsighted spirit, how much gold could I possibly carry?
At most, just a few dozen taels. If you form a contract with me, you'll have endless money in the future. Can't you even calculate that?"
"I roam free and unfettered. Why would I bind myself to a feeble human for a bit of money? Abandon this futile hope."
The Gambling Ghost laughed coldly, his expression filled with disdain.
"If you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, you'll miss your chance for a fair contract."
Xia Tianqiong prepared to subdue the Mirror Ghost by force when a knock on the door interrupted him.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Both man and ghost turned to the mirror.
The sound came from the real world outside.
Outside Xia Tianqiong's room, two police officers and a hotel maid were knocking.
A guest had died in this budget hotel last night, initially thought to be an isolated incident. But today, several guests failed to check out on time.
When the staff checked, they found several more dead bodies, in terrifying conditions.
This led the police to suspect more victims in the building, prompting a floor-by-floor, room-by-room search.
"Stop knocking, just open the door!"
The maid knocked a few more times, but receiving no response, the young officer urged her to use the keycard.
"Anyone inside? I'm opening the door!"
The maid knew someone was staying in this room and followed protocol by announcing before opening it.
As she swiped the card, the door unlocked with a beep.
The budget hotel rooms were small, and as the door opened, the bed piled with golden objects immediately caught the eyes of the three outside.
The eager young officer stepped in first.
He was followed by a portly older officer, and lastly the maid.
The bathroom was right by the door; the officers glanced inside, saw no one, and moved on.
The maid, however, peeked in and saw two identical figures in the mirror.
"The mirror! In the mirror... ah!"
Before she could finish, a force pulled her into the mirror.
The officers, who had turned their attention to the gold, drew their guns and rushed to the bathroom upon hearing the maid's scream.
They too were pulled into the mirror upon glancing at it.
"Who... who are you?"
The maid asked, terrified, seeing her exact duplicate beside her.
Each officer also had a mirror double.
Such was the nature of the Mirror Ghost: each person entering the mirror realm would find a doppelgänger.
These doubles could mimic their appearance, actions, expressions, and even speech.
Thus, when the officers entered, they were mirrored, each holding a gun pointed at their counterpart.
"Officer Zhang, don't point at me!"
The young officer aimed at his duplicate, only to see the older officer pointing a gun at him.
"I can't tell which one is you!"
The experienced officer realized that when he aimed at someone, his duplicate did the same, mirroring his every move and expression.
Seeing the three newcomers, Xia Tianqiong felt unease.
The Mirror Ghost's death rules changed when facing multiple people.
Initially, he could escape by breaking the mirror, but the rules had now shifted.
As more people entered, the cramped mirror space expanded.
Now, with four humans and their four mirror doubles, totaling eight, the space felt less confined.
Simultaneously, Xia Tianqiong's double mirrored his every move and expression, no longer engaging in conversation.
He understood the new death rules were now in effect.
"There are words on the mirror!"
The maid screamed.
Everyone looked at the mirror to see blood-red words gradually appearing, as if written by a finger dipped in blood.
[So many people. Let's play a game!]
The young officer aimed his gun at the mirror, eyes on Xia Tianqiong, "What's going on? What is this?"
Believing Xia Tianqiong knew more since he entered first, the officer demanded answers.
"I don't know," Xia Tianqiong shook his head, "Look at the mirror, there's more."
As if an invisible hand were writing, more blood-red words appeared.
[This game is called 'Find the True Self.']
[Rule One: Each round, a random person must identify the true self among the others. Correct choices advance to the next round and receive a fragment of the Mirror.]
[Rule Two: After the game starts, every minute, each person gains a new mirror double.]
[Rule Three: Each person has three minutes to choose.]
The game's simplicity was deceptive; Xia Tianqiong knew it concealed critical details.
While the Mirror Ghost outlined the rules, more people entered Xia Tianqiong's room in the real world.
The police had left the door ajar.
A middle-aged couple, returning from an affair, noticed the gold on the bed as they passed by.
"That looks like gold!"
Liu Wangcai's eyes widened as he stood at the door, tempted to enter.
"Don't go in, even if it's gold, it's someone else's. Let's leave."
Luo Ying tried to dissuade him, but Liu Wangcai ignored her, calling softly into the room, "Anyone here?"
Receiving no response, he crept in.
Luo Ying tried to pull him back but failed.
Liu Wangcai peeked into the bathroom to check for occupants before proceeding.
Finding it empty, he noticed the blood-red words on the mirror, automatically writing themselves, and the figures inside.
"Damn! What's this?"
He froze in terror, nearly losing his soul. Before he could react, the mirror pulled him in.
Luo Ying, puzzled, ran into the bathroom and suffered the same fate.
The chaos didn't end there; the cleaning lady, seeing the couple sneaking in and hearing their screams, came to check and was also sucked in.
Now it was truly bustling!
Seven living people and seven mirror doubles occupied the space, which had further expanded.
"I... I was just looking, not stealing."
Liu Wangcai, seeing the officers with their guns, almost confessed out of fear.
But he quickly composed himself and asked, "Who are you? What's happening?"
Officer Zhang Zhihu squinted at Liu Wangcai, his seasoned eyes recognizing the man's dubious character.
With a hostile snort, he ordered, "Shut up and look at the mirror."
Liu Wangcai, Luo Ying, and the cleaning lady turned to the mirror.
Alongside the game rules, new blood-red words appeared.
[Haha, more people make it fun! Let's start the game!]
As the last exclamation mark was written, all the blood-red words flickered and vanished.
Replaced by the images of the seven people, appearing and disappearing in turn, like a roulette wheel.
Whomever it landed on would begin the first round.