Han Fei did not accept Zhan Lele's gift. Although his social anxiety was not as severe as before, he still wasn't good at interpersonal communication, or rather, his interpersonal skills had begun to develop in a different direction under the influence of a certain game.
After returning home, Han Fei had a hearty meal, something he had scrimped and saved for before, in hopes of buying a house of his own one day.
But ever since he started playing the Healing-type Game, his mental knots had been untied. A house? Money? These things were too mundane!
Now, he just wanted to quietly watch the sunrise each day and savor the beauty in life.
"How did I never realize how delicious the food from the downstairs restaurant was before?"
After tidying up the table a bit, Han Fei blankly stared at the wall covered with victims' photos.
"My Monster roommate's greatest wish is to catch the murderer, but how am I to face such a vicious killer?"
"I'm just a minor actor, and the other party is logical, good at disguise, has a strong anti-investigation awareness, having killed eight people and still managing to evade police searches—a psychopathic murderer! If I really find a clue about him, will that guy silence me in reality?"
Han Fei's complexion gradually worsened; investigating a murder case and slowly getting close to the real culprit was not cool at all, but rather extremely dangerous.
"I need to cooperate with the police, but I can't reveal the existence of the game. The more people who know about me, the more likely the murderer will come after me."
"Now, he is in the dark, and I am also in the dark; everyone is still safe. If I step into the light by myself, he will definitely find a way to kill me."
Clenching his fists, Han Fei was very self-aware; he was just a weakling with a Physical Strength of only five.
"I can quit the game, but not reality," Han Fei stood up from the sofa, "I can't keep being so decadent."
He turned on his computer and immediately ordered a metal tactical pen, a collapsible baton, a high-powered flashlight, and an electric shock anti-wolf device.
Then he opened related websites and purchased numerous courses on criminal psychology, self-defense, and survival skills. In this era where knowledge payment was completely widespread, as long as one was willing to spend money, one could acquire truly useful knowledge.
"I really wasted too much time before. I should make my life fulfilling."
Being proactive, exercising, and continuously learning and charging up outside of work, people who didn't know the situation would probably think Han Fei was a very radiant and cheerful person.
After setting a plan, Han Fei began to study diligently. He needed to understand not only the criminal's psyche but also learn how to rescue the victims from despair—both were matters of life and death for him.
Getting close to midnight, Han Fei locked the doors and windows and hesitantly put on the gaming helmet.
"Last time, I exited on the third floor. I need to avoid the Little Ghost guarding the body; after logging into the game, I'll head straight to the fourth floor!"
After connecting all the wires, as Midnight arrived, the world before Han Fei turned blood red.
"Welcome to Perfect Life! Now you can..."
The cold, mechanical synthetic voice hadn't finished speaking when Han Fei opened his eyes. Just at that moment, his complexion turned very poor.
His fingers stiffened from the chill transmitted by the ring. Han Fei looked up, the third-floor door, previously covered in Talisman Paper, was half-open. A child with an indiscernible face was sitting at the doorway!
"He's waiting for me!"
Goosebumps instantly appeared; Han Fei thought he had greatly improved his mental fortitude, but at this moment, he realized he had been too naive. The horror of this Underworld game far exceeded his imagination.
"I haven't completed the task and haven't stayed for three hours yet. If that little ghost drags me into the room..." Han Fei dared not think further. He tried to move backward, but as soon as he did, the child lifted his head.
In the dark corridor, with the child's face indiscernible staring at him, Han Fei felt a chill running down his spine.
"If I desperately run upstairs now, I might have a chance to reach the fourth floor, but the problem is I still have to open the door." Han Fei was almost in despair, but just then the child suddenly stood up.
As Han Fei felt puzzled, the security door behind him was suddenly opened.
"Come in!"
A force pulled Han Fei backward, as if urging him to enter the room.
Hearing the familiar voice, Han Fei didn't hesitate.
With only one chance, he quickly coordinated with the other person to accelerate backward.
With his eyes on the child starting to crawl frantically, Han Fei narrowly retreated into Granny's room.
"Bang!"
The security door was slammed shut, and the unnerving sound of nails scratching continued from outside. Han Fei collapsed on the floor, his back drenched in cold sweat.
"Are you alright?" Meng Shi coughed a few times as she helped Han Fei up from the floor.
"Granny, if it weren't for you saving me, I think I really would have been done for! Thank you!" Han Fei was genuinely grateful.
"Why did you suddenly run to the third floor?" Meng Shi looked unwell, and her condition seemed to have worsened.
"My room is haunted! Besides, I have some things I want to ask you." Han Fei wasn't just pretending; his room was truly haunted.
"Wait a moment, let me check if that child has left." The old lady placed the red candle next to the security door. The light of the flame illuminated the walls, and only then did Han Fei realize that there were no lights on in the room.
The old woman watched the flickering flame and the shadows on the wall. After a long time, she spoke, "There's no shadow of the child; he didn't follow us inside."
"What exactly is the deal with that child? He looked so scary!" Han Fei was just beginning to recover from the shock.
Meng Shi didn't respond but took the candle and shakily walked towards the inner room.
"Granny, from the time I encountered the child to when you opened the door, there was only a short interval. Were you standing by the door all this time, or did you just happen to see me?" Han Fei was a bit suspicious. He knew the old lady wasn't a bad person, but it never hurt to be cautious.
"I was always in the room watching the door across the hall." Meng Shi put the red candle on the table, sighed deeply, and the wrinkles on her face deepened: "Chenchen has disappeared; I suspect he ran into the room across the hall."
"Chenchen is lost?" Han Fei was also startled.
"Ah, do you know why I always lock Chenchen in the bedroom?" The old lady said wearily as she sat down in a chair.
"Why?" Han Fei was genuinely curious. He remembered his first visit to the old woman's home. At that time, she had unlocked the bedroom door and called Chenchen out to eat.
This detail had almost slipped Han Fei's mind, but recalling it now, he realized something was off.
"Because Chenchen always wants to go out to play with that non-existent child. I noticed a long time ago. Chenchen often mentions a strange name, and he frequently sits by the door covered with talisman papers, constantly muttering as if communicating with another child."