The occupant from the neighboring room appeared to be human.
She wore a gas mask adorned with brass skull patterns, and a tattered burlap cloak that covered most of her body, obscuring her face.
As soon as she rushed out, her gaze was as sharp as a knife.
However, when her eyes caught sight of the open door behind Ji Xun, the murderous intent in her eyes instantly vanished, replaced by surprise. She couldn't help but exclaim, "You're still alive?"
...
Her voice was deliberately hushed, but it was clear she was quite young.
She must have recognized him, which explained why she didn't attack.
"???"
Ji Xun couldn't help but feel confused by her words.
Had he died before?
It seemed like this woman knew him.
But Ji Xun had no memory of the previous owner of this body. He had just crossed over and was clueless about everything. His instincts told him not to say too much for now.
In that moment of confrontation, the mechanical-arm girl seemed to recall something. She lowered her steam cannon first and made a gesture of peace.
She looked at Ji Xun's empty clothes, and it was clear that she had made some guesses. She was puzzled and muttered again, "You've been with the Fallen Witch all night and still survived?"
"..."
Ji Xun said nothing, but lowered his gun.
The woman had clearly mentioned the Fallen Witch, implying that she knew a lot.
The mysterious woman studied Ji Xun, her gaze lingering for a moment. As if realizing something, she cut straight to the point: "Are you a lone hunter, or do you have a team? What I mean is, are you interested in cooperating?"
She was blunt.
Seeing that Ji Xun didn't immediately reject her offer, she added, "Otherwise, with your current condition, if the Fallen Witch finds you tonight, you won't survive until tomorrow."
"What...?" Ji Xun blinked rapidly, trying to process the information.
The woman's tone was neutral, almost detached. She probably hadn't known the original owner, but had at least seen him before. That saved Ji Xun some trouble.
But the part where she said he wouldn't survive tonight—what did she mean by that?
It was clear that she knew a lot of the information he desperately needed.
Ji Xun kept his composure, not revealing his thoughts. He cautiously asked, "Cooperate?"
"Yes."
The mysterious woman, seeing that he didn't immediately dismiss her, got straight to the point. "I'm interested in the materials the Fallen Witch produces. If you're willing to cooperate, we can hunt down this B-grade corrupted entity tonight. Although I can't guarantee we'll succeed, I'll do my best to kill it. Killing the creature is the only way you can leave this space alive."
She paused, then added, "Of course, I'll do my best to keep you safe."
"..."
Ji Xun processed the information. She was essentially offering a "monster hunt" for materials.
This strange other-dimensional space seemed to function a lot like a game dungeon.
He wanted to probe for more information, but he didn't know enough about this world yet and wasn't sure where to start.
The girl with the mechanical arm seemed to sense his hesitation.
She immediately assumed he didn't believe her and responded with a strange tone, "You really don't know what you're up against, do you? The Fallen Witch won't just let you go."
"..."
Ji Xun remained silent but reflected on the naked corpse lying on the bed.
He had felt the radiation-like contamination when he approached it—a monster unlike anything he could comprehend.
This woman's advanced equipment and her lack of confidence in killing the monster only reinforced his earlier conclusion: He couldn't deal with it alone.
However, that didn't mean he trusted her completely.
Ji Xun fell into a brief moment of thought.
...
Was there even a choice?
Anyone who's marked by a B-grade disaster would be foolish not to accept help, right?
Seeing Ji Xun hesitate, the girl with the mechanical arm must have come to her own conclusions. She stared at him with a look of disbelief. "You didn't buy any intel before coming here, did you?" she asked, her expression making it clear she thought he was a fool heading to his own death.
"..."
Ji Xun was about to try and extract more information when she had already filled in the blanks.
He decided to go along with her assumption. "So... the Fallen Witch is going to come after me again?"
The woman's expression behind the mask shifted to one of exasperation.
She paused for a moment before explaining, "You must have seen the enlightenment message. It's a B-grade disaster of the spiritual type, and it can lock onto human souls. You spent the whole night with it. In this space, no matter where you hide, it will find you."
"..."
Ji Xun raised an eyebrow.
So the enlightenment wasn't exclusive to him—this was some kind of rule of the world.
What he understood was that he had been marked by the creature.
He quickly realized that the reason this woman wanted to cooperate wasn't because of his strength, but because she wanted to exploit the monster's tracking ability. She needed a "decoy."
But hearing this only calmed some of his concerns.
After all, they were strangers—no one would help you for no reason.
Even if she was using him, he didn't take it personally.
Cooperation based on mutual value was more stable.
He thought for a moment, then asked the question that had been bothering him: "Could we kill it now? I mean..."
He had initially intended to say that the creature seemed to be in a dormant state, appearing harmless and easy to kill.
But he was cut off.
The mechanical-arm girl gave him a look that clearly said, Of course you don't know anything before promptly shutting down his idea. "If it were that easy to kill a B-grade disaster, this other-dimensional space wouldn't have such a high death rate. Even if you could somehow damage its body, once night falls, it will revive, intact. People have tried this multiple times already. And... anyone who gets close to its body will leave behind a 'hate mark.' Once night comes, the marked person is as good as dead."
Oh.
So the plan wouldn't work.
Ji Xun was only asking out of curiosity, but now he understood.
He raised an eyebrow. "Dead for sure?"
"Yes." The mechanical-arm girl was certain. "As far as I know, it's a guarantee."
"If you don't believe me, you can go ahead and try shooting it. You're already marked anyway."
She then looked Ji Xun over again, still clearly puzzled by how he had survived the night, and added, "I'm curious—how did you survive last night?"
"..."
Ji Xun didn't intend to explain that the original owner had died, nor could he explain why he was still alive.
But now, in this situation, he had no choice.
Although he didn't believe everything she said, he was fairly certain about a few things:
The monster inside that room was indeed formidable, and he couldn't handle it on his own. The girl was well-equipped. If she wanted to kill him, she wouldn't waste time talking. She either wanted him as bait, or needed his cooperation to make use of the baiting tactic. As long as he still had some use, he wasn't in immediate danger.
With that in mind, Ji Xun made up his mind.
He needed information, and this woman was his best source.
Without hesitation, he said, "I agree to cooperate."
Then, he added, "But before we proceed, could you share some information about this space?"
"Sure!"
The mechanical-arm girl clearly relaxed upon hearing this.
She had been worried about meeting an idiot who didn't understand the situation.
Having a decoy made it much easier for her to hunt the disaster.
She gestured to the room she had just exited, labeled 2013. "We still have twelve hours before nightfall, and I need to make some preparations. If you want to survive until tonight, you can stay in that room. Or if you're not afraid of encountering monsters, you can follow me. But I can't guarantee your safety..."
Ji Xun made his decision immediately. "I'll go with you."
Clearly, it would be safer to stay with her.