82 Clearing the 6th Floor

 

Even after he pulled the picture to its maximum amplification, Han Fei still could not tell what that shadowy blur was supposed to be. He stared at the picture and his brain clocked overtime.

‘There has to be a reason why this picture is taken and then left inside my phone. It is definitely meant for me to find. But who would do this? And why? Is it because it is unable to communicate with me normally and this is the only way it can reach me?’ Han Fei was confused. The picture chilled him, the joy from earlier dissipated. ‘My phone can only be unlocked with my fingerprint. This means that whoever this is, it has interacted with my body. But it did not harm me. Furthermore, I am completely vulnerable to the threat in the real world when I am in the game so it could have easily killed me if it wanted to back then. Could this be the doing of the cemetery custodian who sold me the gaming helmet?’

Han Fei had a feeling that things were not that simple. Perhaps he was spared because the culprit needed him to be alive. He was after all the receptacle for the precious black box. ‘Many parties are searching for the black box. The founder of Perfect Life created the black box and it attracted the attention of this mysterious butterfly. I will probably run into more unusual characters in the future.’ The black box was inside Han Fei’s brain so if they wanted to get the black box, they would have to perform cranial surgery on him. Balling up his fists, Han Fei was reminded of the warning the system gave him when he first exited the game. He was told to explore the game as fast as possible. ‘The black box is stuck in my head and it is not something I can just remove easily. Ignoring the game won’t help me either. All I can do now is level up and explore the game, perhaps the truth is hidden inside it.’

Han Fei stared transfixed at the gaming helmet when knocking came from his door. It caused the man to jump. He hid the fruit knife behind him and sidled to his front door. He spied through the peephole and saw Li Xue standing outside. Putting the knife away, when Han Fei opened the door, his expression had returned to normal. “Why have you decided to pay me a visit? Has your superior allowed you to return to the heavy crime unit?”

“I wish, but the boss has given me a new mission instead.” Li Xue entered the room and closed the door. “He said that before the butterfly is captured, I am to patrol your neighbourhood heavily.”

“So he wants you to protect me?”

“I suppose so. You are now a key protected individual. Things around here might still look normal to you but your place is now being heavily monitored. If the butterfly dares to show up, he’ll fall into the net.” Li Xue picked up the glass and gulped down the water. “I’m here to inform you about that. Other than that, a new surveillance system has been installed at this building. If you run into any danger, just rush towards any camera available and wave. The officers on duty will come to rescue you immediately.”

“Thanks.” After the scare Han Fei had gone through with the photo, this was welcomed news.

“We’re just doing our duty.” Li Xue informed Han Fei about the camera locations inside his building and then she left.

‘Having police protection solves one of my problems, at least now I don’t need to worry about my real-life safety when I am in the gaming world.’ Han Fei glanced at the clock, it was still early so he picked up the books on the table to read. When it was almost midnight, Han Fei started to remind himself of the layout of the apartment building in the game. ‘When I last quit, I have already left Room 1074, so after I log in, I need to keep my head low and rush down the stairs as fast as I can.’

Han Fei played a few dry runs in his mind. After memorizing every corner, he connected the wires and put on the helmet. Blood descended. Before the notification arrived, the moment Han Fei could open his eyes, he dashed down the stairs like a jaguar. He ran all the way back to Room 1044 without turning once around. He only gave a gasp of relief when he was inside the room. ‘The mirror on the 7th floor didn’t camp for my return. It’s a reasonable neighbour.’

After shutting the anti-theft door, Han Fei entered the front bedroom and crawled into bed. ‘I should rest for an hour first. Then I’ll use the second hour to revise all my studies and the third hour to practice my combat skills.’ Han Fei closed his eyes not to sleep but to think. There were too many questions that needed to be answered. After spending 3 hours inside the haunted house, Han Fei checked his character profile. He added the skill point he gained from the hidden mission to acting before he turned to the mission interface.

‘I still have 2 days left to complete the Grade F Mission, Human Jigsaw. If I can accomplish it, I’m sure it’ll be of tremendous help to me.’ Han Fei took out the landlord’s spare key from his inventory. ‘I have the master key to all the rooms but unfortunately none of the keys is marked. If I am going to try them one by one, that’ll take too much time. And I know staying too long in the corridor will be too dangerous. If only I can persuade Xu Qin to come with me.

‘Other than that, I still have the other mission-- Grade G Mission, Explore the 6th Floor. Based on my calculation, most of the non-locals should be dead by now. I should focus on completing this mission first before I attempt to search for the human jigsaw pieces.’ Han Fei knew how to use the game’s rules to be his best advantage. He would not take unnecessary risk. Completing the easier mission first meant that he would be able to quit at any time when he attempted the second mission. After he was ready, Han Fei exited Room 1044 quietly. Perhaps it was his illusion but the apartment felt quieter. ‘Have some of the neighbours moved away when I was gone?’

Han Fei stuck to the wall as he moved to the 5th floor. To his disappointment, Xu Qin was still not home. ‘I hope nothing has happened to her. She hasn’t been seen for 2 days already…’

Han Fei got no response when he knocked on her door so he had to travel to the 6th floor alone. Almost all the non-locals on the 6th floor had been preyed upon in their goal to hunt Han Fei so the floor was relatively safe now. ‘I had to visit all 4 rooms on the 5th floor to complete the mission, Explore the 5th floor, it should be the same in this case.’ Han Fei took out the landlord’s spare keys. He controlled his breath and tried them out one by one. Throughout the process, Han Fei made no noise. Perhaps it was his high luck point, Han Fei found the correct key to 1061 only after a few trials. He entered to a room that looked more like a torture chamber. ‘Xu Qin is right, these people are barely humans.’

Using roughly 10 minutes, Han Fei cleared Room 1061 and Room 1062. He swiped everything that the system could identify, including the poisons that the feminine man concocted and the blood bags used to keep the human cocoons fed.

Han Fei had been to Room 1064 already so now he only needed to enter Room 1063 and the mission would be completed. Everything went smoothly but as he arrived at the door to Room 1063, the strange footsteps returned in the corridor and it appeared chillingly close to Han Fei.