Chapter 39.1 ?

According to Xu Ming’s experience, at times like this, the stairs are usually the best option.

After all, elevators are high-risk areas in horror movies.

But her situation was quite special now—on one hand, the blubberman in her mind had been beeping since the moment she stepped out, constantly reminding her that the stairs on the right were already crawling with butterflies; on the other hand, her hand was not very convenient.

—When she closed the door just now, something had obviously scraped her right arm hard. Now a large bloodstain had already spread along her clothes.

The stairs were winding and had no lights. Given that one arm was injured, taking the stairs would be too risky. Therefore, Xu Ming quickly decided to follow the principle of running in a straight line and dashed towards the elevator on the other side of the corridor.

“Are you serious?” While waiting for the elevator to come up, the blubberman still asked her sincerely, “Isn’t it worse if something happens to the elevator?”

Breaking down or stopping is fine, but what if it goes out of control and plummets…

“This place only has three floors,” Xu Ming gritted her teeth, pressing her left hand hard against the wound. “And isn’t there still you!”

Seemingly not expecting her to say this, the blubberman was obviously taken aback. After a second, he said softly, “Oh, I didn’t expect it, you actually value me.”

“Well, you have good taste.”

His tone even carried a hint of being flattered.

…It made Xu Ming fall silent for a moment.

What does this have to do with taste?

She just thought that the blubberman could change size and was of suitable hardness. If something happened, it could be used to pry the door open, as a footrest, or even as a cushion…

While she was still pondering, the elevator doors opened. Bright light flooded out.

Without a second’s hesitation, Xu Ming immediately grabbed the blubberman from her bag and threw him inside, quickly saying, “Press it,” and then using the elevator light, she pulled out a piece of paper from her bag, smeared it with her blood, swiftly ripped off the double-sided tape stuck to the back, and slapped the paper onto the elevator door.

Though her actions were slightly hampered by her injured arm, they were very smooth, as if she had rehearsed them countless times in her mind.

As soon as she finished, she heard the sound of the door of 8307 being broken open in the distance. Xu Ming shivered, quickly slipped inside, and the elevator doors closed just as she felt a strong wind behind her.

With a “thud,” the elevator doors fully shut. The cabin was silent.

The blubberman had now stretched to the height of an adult, using the same meticulously refined face, and was pressing the elevator close button hard, so hard that his knuckles were flattened.

After a while, making sure there were no more strange sounds in the elevator, he slowly withdrew his fingers, his face still showing a lingering fear.

“So,” he turned his head mechanically to Xu Ming. “What was that paper just now…”

“The leftovers from making the signs.” Xu Ming leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, her arms crossed, holding a handbag with the rulebook and a takeout bag with the urban legend root on her right shoulder. Her face had begun to turn pale. “Yufei stuck double-sided tape on the back of the sign.”

Convenient for going out for promotions… no, for burntmen to use when receiving guests.

“Oh.” The blubberman nodded, half understanding, then sincerely asked, “So what’s the point of writing a ‘7’ in a place with only three floors?”

“Self-deception. Covering one’s ears while stealing a bell.” Xu Ming was very honest.

Blubberman: “…”

Xu Ming was indeed gambling. In this situation, the hatred directed at her was probably dead set. The only thing she could gamble on was whether the opponent’s hatred for her could overpower their dislike for the number 7.

Of course, just a ‘7’ wouldn’t work. As the blubberman said, if it were that useful, the magic cube building would already be full of safe zones.

So she specifically chose the previously prepared sign, because it had the stamp of the Urban Legend Demolition Office. As long as that stamp was there, it meant the content on the paper couldn’t be altered or erased by outsiders—Xu Ming figured this would be more effective than graffiti on the spot.

No matter what, at least there was nothing strange in the elevator for now, and it was quiet outside. So Xu Ming was willing to believe the paper had some effect.

She rested in place for a while, with the help of the blubberman, she simply bandaged the wound with tissues and clothes, then took out an unused sign, wrote a big ‘7’ on it, and stuck it on her chest.

Then she pressed the elevator button. The car started moving quickly, heading downward.

For some reason, the speed was very slow. But at least it was descending.

The blubberman breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly started to worry again. He turned his head and saw Xu Ming holding the root, examining it, almost scaring him out of his wits.

“Don’t take it out!” he waved his hand in disdain, “Put it away quickly!”

Xu Ming: “…”

“Something everyone wants to snatch, why do you avoid it like the plague?” she couldn’t help but mutter, then thought for a moment, and handed the egg-shaped object to the blubberman: “Hey, why don’t you swallow it and try?”

Blubberman: …???

What kind of crazy idea is this?

“Absorb it.” Xu Ming said confidently, “Roots can absorb roots, isn’t that what you said?”

Her purpose was simple, don’t let the butterfly get the root again. As for who ends up with the root, she didn’t care.

On the other hand, she had no clue about the method of absorbing the rulebook, so she might as well feed it to the blubberman. Anyway, it was deeply bound to the rulebook, so it was considered one of their own.