Host, Please Be Honest! What Exactly Are You?

Drip. Drip. Drip...

Blood?

Everyone's paused briefly before picking up their feet and dashing through the now gloomy hallways.

"Over there! Over there! I think the smell is coming from over there!"

Left, right, left, right.

They continuously ran through the magnificent hallways as fast as they could... Though pausing from time to time fearfully.

Ghu Sota's nostrils tinkled and twitched uncontrollably from it all.

F***!

He had never smelt anything like this!

He didn't know if human and chicken blood would smell the same. But in his imagination, it smelt as though someone had killed thousands of chickens and left their blood out got millions of years. The stench was a mix of blood and garbage all at once, as though it were rotting too.

What was that? What the hell was that?

Terrible. Terrible.

He felt that his nose was about to explode from stench-overload.

Everyone else felt that this was too exaggerated, with even the Gias frowning at the weirdness of things.

What was that other stench they smelt mixed in with the blood?

The gang dashed through the scene with all their might, stopping before the massive underground storage facility within the building.

Finally, they found the source!

Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.

The clock was ticking, but time seemed to have frozen in place as everyone now stared at the heavy metal door before them with a dreadful silence.

Bubuum. Bubuum.

Hearts raced, sweat poured out, and everyone suddenly felt a deep chill within their souls.

Yes! They had indeed picked up their courage after following the Grandmaster.

But now that they were here, the fear that they had pushed away suddenly hit them like a storm.

And now, all sorts of doubts, worries and concerns flooded their brains and weakened their state of mind even more.

"No one... I-I can't spot anyone." The lead security guard said while trying to peer through the rectangular glass on the massive door.

The Guards! The guards! They were gone!

Wei Gia quickly moved to the glass screen, trying to peer in and confirm things for himself too.

He looked up, he looked up, down and every other corner, failing to spot anyone or anything inside.

But, the lights were indeed flickering, him a bad premonition. No. They didn't have any more time to waste!

"Open it."

"Ye-yes, sort!" The lead security guard responded before punching the door code with trembling hands.

~Peep. Peep. Peep.~

The keypad sounds were all everyone could hear.

And for them who used to think it very ordinary, now only felt as though the sounds were as disastrous as death's call.

Finally, the guard punched in the last code, and the keypad turned green.

~Di-Deeng!

Unlocked. The door was now unlocked!

"Grandmaster..."

The guard looked to Dorian for confirmation before opening the door vigilantly.

'There's nothing to fear. There's nothing to fear... There's nothing to fear...'

OPEN!

Instantly, many jumped back briefly, with all sorts of looks on their faces.

Ghu Sota had long placed his hands over his face while maintaining a kung-fu stance.

-Defence mode activated-.

Ghu Sota protected himself honestly while secretly imagining the scene where several creatures would dash through the door and leap onto them murderously.

But why was it that reality was always different from what he expected?

Dorian walked ahead of the ridiculous gang, heading straight into the room calmly. "Let's go."

"..."

Grandpa Cane, AK.A, Old Hou with his trusty cane, and many others taking their action poses, could only smile awkwardly while following behind the Grandmaster.

Lying tough. How could they embarrass themselves so much?

Even Old Gia also found himself infected by the silliness from the Hous.

He looked at his good friend with black lines on his face.

'Why is this bastard making me look bad before the Grandmaster? And you, little Sota, haven't you seen enough to not keep jumping around like a cricket in this manner? Blame you! Blame you!'

Some people blamed Ghu Sota, while others blamed the Hous instead.

Look. Look. Now, they acted like 3-year-olds before the Grandmaster. So what should they do now to raise their prestige up again?

(:T^T:)

.

Like so, the gang followed Dorian closely.

And sure enough, the doors they passed through were just the first in a few.

That's right.

After that first scene, they passed through several other security doors with keypads on them.

And along the way, they saw several desks at the sides, meaning there were supposed to be guards and an entire check-in and check-out security team here, ensuring that only workers could get in after a quick search.

At the side, they saw numerous scanners and several other detecting machines as well.

~Flick. Flick.

The lights were still flickering from time to time within the cold room.

And even though everyone already had a sense of judgement.

Now, they had arrived at the last door that would lead them to the Storage Facility.

And while the security guard punched in the code, several people couldn't help assessing the matter considerably.

"This is too weird from a human stance." Ghu Dwo spoke, gesturing at the many workstations. "There are no signs of struggle, with the desks here looking neat and organized."

"Indeed. Look at the positioning of the documents and pens and the desks. It's as though those seated there willingly stopped their work and stood up all on their own. But this doesn't make any sense. If I'm about to be possessed, shouldn't I at least show a moment of despair, knock down a few items or at least get shaken up a bit?"

Yes. Yes... He's right.

Several people instantly turned into detectives.

But it was just that even though their initial thoughts were right... Who said that these creatures could only harm a person through possession?

[Host... Will it be a Mantanoid?]

'Hmm... It should.

~Peep. Peep. Peep. Catchack!

The final door was unlocked.

And now, it was time to dive deep into the belly of the beast!

Old Gia's frown deepened. "Everyone, stay close and sharp... We're going in!"