Warning: This chapter contains some graphic and sensitive descriptions. Please read with caution.
After we provided and relentlessly explained the information regarding Julienne, the receptionist took the room key and guided us to room 3054.She knocked on the door first, and when no one answered, she used her key to unlock it.With a soft electronic sound, I involuntarily held my breath as the door opened. A lemon scent wafted from the room.The receptionist didn't let us enter immediately.Vivienne never came here; most of their parties were held at Vivienne's house because it was larger and more relaxed for gatherings. Although I was in a rush, I didn't take offense at the receptionist's behavior. After all, we were strangers to her.The entrance was a simple small kitchen, with a bathroom to the left. The bedroom was separated from the kitchen by a wall, so we couldn't see it directly. The entire room smelled of lemon."Madame Charpentier?" The receptionist politely didn't enter directly. "Your friends say they haven't been able to reach you and are worried you might be in trouble. Can we come in?" she asked again.No response."Let's go." I kept holding César's hand and gestured for the receptionist to let us enter. Without hesitation, she stepped back to allow us to go in first.I stopped when I reached the point where I could see the bed. Julienne's body was covered by a thick duvet, only her head was exposed. Her pale lips were slightly parted, and there were traces of tears at the corners of her eyes."Julienne? Julienne? Julienne?" I called her name as I approached the bed. The lemon scent was stronger around the bed than anywhere else.Standing by the bed, I realized she had stopped breathing.She was dead... The realization hit me like a brick.I froze. César stepped closer to me as if he wanted to hug me."She's ill, right? Otherwise, why would she be under such a thick blanket?" the receptionist asked from behind us."No, she's dead," César replied calmly."What? How is that possible?" For the first time, the receptionist lost her composure.She rushed in front of us, trying to wake Julienne, even pulling the duvet off her.When she pulled the cover back, I could only see a bit of red."Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!" She screamed sharply, taking a quick step back and bumping into us. It was then I saw Julienne's body, mutilated to the point where her original form was unrecognizable, and even her bones were visible.She had been tortured to death.I couldn't help but feel the acid rise in my stomach, and my eyes were quickly covered by a pair of hands as César pulled me out of the room.His hands were still over my eyes as he said to the receptionist, "Call the police."Tears streamed uncontrollably.Were these the emotions of the original Vivienne?The police arrived quickly, and we simply made a statement, providing some information. They told us to go home, and they would contact us if anything else needed to be added.César and I returned home in silence.I told César I wanted to be alone for a while, so I went to my room and locked the door behind me.I composed myself, needing to think about this calmly.In Vivienne's memory, César, Aristide, Gérald, and Pierre all knew that Julienne was Vivienne's best friend because Julienne had often helped Vivienne by coming up with excuses when Vivienne went out with one of them.Following the latest assumption, connecting the test content with the first challenge in the series:Sophie is Théo's girlfriend and Julienne's friend;Théo and Julienne have been friends since childhood;Pierre has a relationship with Sophie;Julienne lied when she said she didn't know Pierre;Sophie, Théo, Julienne, and Pierre—together, they must have stories Vivienne doesn't know. Vivienne doesn't know Théo. It's crucial to learn more about this from Pierre if possible.Julienne hid many things from Vivienne;Sophie died in the lake;The body is still at the university?Julienne died on the bed;A dismembered body covered by a blanket;Both deaths were shocking—one body rotting from water, the other slashed by a sharp instrument. But Julienne's body exuded an impression of hidden sin...And one last thing. Sophie and Julienne are like me, the players. There's a high probability of death if the task fails, and my mission is to discover the true cause of their deaths in this world. If my mission is not accomplished, could the task of the next person lead to Vivienne's death? Or perhaps there are other players here besides them, they just haven't had the opportunity to interact because they are playing their own characters...The additional task invitation showed that when I suspected something over 90%, the task automatically determined it was my choice because I was almost convinced that Julienne and Sophie were the same as me, and that Julienne had a mission related to me, which would explain many things. But I hadn't considered that this assumption could cost someone's life, and I also faced, for the first time, the cost of failing a challenge.I just realized how stupid I am. It's been less than a day, and I can stay here for up to two years. During this time, if I don't have the chance to submit the right answers immediately, I might also be attacked and receive death threats. I can't even be too confident in my own assumptions, and if I'm wrong, it will prevent me from going back.I thought I had taken Beau's words very seriously and had implemented them, but I had only tried to stay out of it. I just acted as though the character was showing emotions at certain times, but in reality, I'm now part of this world. I can't escape it if I'm killed before the mystery is solved.The person who designed this challenge is treacherous.I need to be awake to play the role, but I am also the role myself...