"Brother Fu?" The old and skinny man was clueless as to what Han Fei was saying.
"Are you friends with Wei Youfu? But why haven't I heard him talking about you?"
"Think again. My name is Han Fei." With great sincerity, Han Fei looked at the old fella. Since it had been 10 years, the old guy started to worry if he had forgotten.
"When you mention that, I recall Fu having some pals previously, but you don't appear or feel any older, huh?" The old man wasn't really sure.
"As an actor, I depend on my appearance. I focus a lot on maintenance due to the character orientation problem. I've been working hard lately." Han Fei avoided the subject since he didn't want to say too much.
"Uncle, I sincerely want to help Brother Fu."
"Wei Youfu had a lot of unmet desires. He put worked his ass off to provide his wife with a home. The youngster approached me just before they were murdered. He told me that he had been saving money in secret. He wanted a makeup wedding for Ah Mei. He even purchased bridal bedding for her." The old man's head and hands trembled.
"It's pointless to discuss this right now. I believe finding the killer should be his first priority. After all, the killer killed his unborn kid and the one he loved most."
"Home, wedding, and arrest of the murderer." Han Fei thought about this.
He looked at the weak old man, "Uncle, I believe Brother Fu should be concerned about your health as well. Please take good care of yourself. I'll use every effort to capture that psychotic killer!"
Outlining his contact information, Han Fei said, "Call me if you need anything, and I'll do my best to help you."
Han Fei gave a few more thoughts and left his contact information before departing with Li Xue.
"Hey, why were you pretending to be Wei Youfu's friend? I see you're eager to help the old man." Li Xue thought about the matter as she left the neighborhood.
"I ..." Han Fei was at a loss for words. He just observed the run-down residences behind him.
"I wasn't faking friendship with Wei Youfu. We'll get along just well."
"What an oddball."
"Get on," Li Xue said as she hopped on her motorcycle and tossed a helmet to Han Fei as she went by.
"What are you doing?"
"I'll send you home."
...
Han Fei returned to his flat and sat far away from his desk, staring at the game on top of it.
Blood had dried within the controller, making it appear as if mysterious red lines were carved on top of the interior wall.
Till today, Han Fei was holding on to a sliver of luck, thinking that this might be a prank, but what he saw and heard today made him give up that idea completely.
"I can learn more about that world in the game by completing the beginner's level according to the mission system. It looks like I still need to do the novice tasks before I crack the code."
As the sun set, Han Fei moved to the window and looked at the buildings.
It feels that with the rapid growth of technology, he developed a sense of strangeness in the actual world, in contrast to the gaming world.
As time passed, he found himself on the edge of the world, feeling overwhelmed by the numerous new things that pop up every day.
"That is something I don't want to think about. I can get through today." Han Fei sat down in front of his computer and went searching for cases from 10 years prior.
It was a question of life and death for him. Han Fei took his work extremely seriously. He printed out all the information provided by the police and pinned it to the wall in front of his desk.
The wall, which had been empty, was quickly covered in a variety of case leads and pictures. People who don't know him may mistake him for a private detective if they see this wall.
"In the human jigsaw puzzle case, there were eight victims altogether. The bodies of the first seven victims were identified, but the eighth victim's body was completely decayed. After comparing all the information, the authorities couldn't find the eighth victim's details in the citizen database. Therefore, when the case was publicized, they simply referred to the eighth victim by the number 8."
Han Fei, who worked till late at night, had a basic understanding of the case ten years ago. He looked at the details on the wall and held up the game as midnight approached.
"In the game, the murdered people are still alive. There are numerous mysteries, but for now, my top concern is making sure I survive."
Han Fei connected all the cables when the clock hit zero and began playing the game.
The world in front of him was drenched in scarlet blood. He simultaneously experienced nausea and a feeling to be floating. A robotic voice boomed out in the back of Han Fei's head as he was about to lose consciousness.
"Welcome to the perfect life! The life is now yours to choose!"
Han Fei, who had just opened his eyes, was resting on the first floor's stairs. It appeared as if nobody was present in the existing building because of how calm the area was.
"First, let's go to Grandma Meng Shi!"
Han Fei's aim this time was crystal clear after his initial encounter in the game. He must create a plan to extort any information from Grandma Meng Shi while spending the full three hours at Grandma Meng Shi's home.
He can end the game at any point after three hours and then proceed to explore the unknown territory.
In this manner, even if he comes across danger, he need not be terrified; he may just quit playing.
In other words, the first three hours of the game, when Han Fei has just joined in, are the most dangerous.
The rusted iron railing had some black soggy substance clinging to it. There was a lot of disturbing graffiti on the dusty wall. The majority of those were little figures with only half-body art. Everything appeared to be really strange.
Han Fei resisted the urge to scream and run. He silently and steadily approached Grandma Meng Shi's door after picking up the kitchen knife that had fallen on the ground.
There were two black stains on the ground as if the filthy things within the plastic bags had leaked out.
The place where the black plastic bags had been picked up close to the entrance had lost its paint.
"Granny?"
Han Fei gently knocked on the door without using any force, but the sound of his knocking echoed across the silent corridor.
"Is nobody there?"
Han Fei placed his ear on the front door. There was no sound coming from Grandma Meng Shi's house. It appeared as though no one had lived there for a long time.
"Where would they go in the middle of the night?"
The second time Han Fei knocked on the door, he became faintly aware that something wasn't right.
Something appeared to be moving in the initial quiet corridor as he focused on listening!
The other person likewise took significant measures to reduce noise, but Han Fei could still detect a faint rustling.
"The sound is coming from above, and someone is approaching me! Is it the knocking that attracts him?"
Han Fei moved over to the banister of the staircase and stared upstairs along the space in the center of the staircase.
He raised his head with a gentle twist of his neck.
Han Fei's body stiffened violently. There was also a face staring at him on the sixth floor!
Their eyes met. They both sped up their steps at the same time!
"4th floor! I have to get to the fourth floor!" Han Fei was aware that the building's exit door was locked.
He couldn't leave the building, and running downstairs would have meant certain death. He had to return to the fourth floor of his apartment!
"Since I'm on the third floor and he's on the sixth, I'm closer to safety than he is to kill me. It is important to be quick as it will take some time for me to unlock the door."
He dug out the giant set of keys that he had tucked into his pocket when he first went to Grandma Meng Shi's house and had never taken out.