147 The Song in the Building

 

Captain Si was afraid that Han Fei would be fooled by Ming Mei’s appearance so he told Han Fei the crimes the girl had committed. Han Fei reacted with appropriate shock. “A girl as sweet as her has done so many scary things? But shouldn’t she be about 7 when this happened?”

“Never underestimate the sin in people. One of the reasons the child has psychological illness is because she is haunted by the deeds she did when she was young. She is traumatized by the vision of the girl whom she had harmed.” Captain Si said seriously, “It is true that they are still humans and we should respect their rights but we shan’t show them mercy, that will be putting salt on injury for those that they have wronged.”

“Understood. How long will she serve if she gets sentenced?” Han Fei asked.

“The girl is still young and she suffers from psychological illness. For her to be convicted, we need her to confess to her crimes first.”

“Looks like we’ll have to cure her as soon as possible.” Han Fei turned to the doctor. “Doc, I’m not trying to question your professionalism but are you sure the treatment helmet will work? Doesn’t Deep Space Tech work in communications?”

“Deep Space Tech is also the pioneer in neuroscience. I’m sure you’ve heard about their upcoming game, Perfect Life, right?”

“I have, the ads for it are everywhere.”

“This treatment helmet is connected to Perfect Life’s photon computer, it is the latest instrument acquired by our organization. Using the photon computer’s powerful calculation and analytical ability, it can capture the patient’s mental world within less than 1 second. Through this device, we can technically pinpoint the source of the patient’s trauma and try to resolve that fear at its source.”

“In other words, this treatment helmet shares the same server as Perfect Life?” Han Fei was not a computer engineer, he asked to clarify.

“There is no server. Currently all the products released by Deep Space Tech surround their 8th generation photon computer. It is the core of their company. If you want to use their company’s latest products, you’ll have to connect to that 8th generation photon computer. I suppose this is their way of cornering the market.” The doctor in the white coat explained patiently.

“Doc, aren’t you a psychiatrist, why are you so familiar with the working of Deep Space Tech?” Han Fei latched onto this inconspicuous detail. Everything was interconnected and the man could not be too careful. His experience proved that sometimes coincidences could be fatal.

“Times are changing, technology nowadays can help us identify ourselves better. Embracing technology is the correct choice in every field.”

“Doc, that is an interesting perspective to have. By the way, I have not gotten your name yet.” Han Fei remembered Li Xue’s teacher warning him about the two professions, teacher and doctor.

“My name is Hu Wei.”

When Han Fei reached home, it was already 11 pm. He had a simple supper, connected the wires and put on the helmet. Blood dripped over everything and the world as Han Fei knew it changed…

The log in notification just ended when Han Fei felt his body being shoved to the ground. His eyes opened and he felt a chill running down his face. He realized his mouth was being clamped together by a pair of pale hands. Chilblains rose on the back of his neck. Han Fei slowly turned around and realized Wei Youfu was the one who pressed him to the ground. With confusion in his eyes, Han Fei extended his hand to point at the door, asking non-verbally, ‘Is there someone outside the door?’

Wei Youfu did not seem to get Han Fei, however he did loosen his grip around Han Fei’s jaw. Wei Youfu put his finger to his lips, signaling Han Fei to keep quiet. An oppressive silence blanketed not only Room 1044 but the entire Happiness Neighbourhood. There was not one sound that could be heard.

After a full 10 minutes, Wei Youfu slowly climbed up from the ground. He glanced out the window through the gaps. Suddenly a woman’s singing echoed inside the quiet Happiness Neighbourhood. It was that strange nursery rhyme with off-beat rhythm. It was also slowly approaching Apartment 1!

The moment Han Fei heard that voice, his heart squeezed. He silently removed the landlord’s ring and stored it inside his inventory. He huddled under the window and remained motionless. Han Fei heard this similar singing at the shop next to the convenience store before. If not for his ability to quit the game, he would be dead already. Since he had a close interaction with the singer, he understood how scary it was. ‘Why has it appeared inside the Happiness Neighbourhood?’

The singing reverberated like an echo. There was a moment where the song was right outside the window even though they were hiding on the 4th floor. Holding his hands over his mouth, Han Fei curled next to Wei Youfu, who had sat back down. He tried to make an eye contact with Youfu but the latter only shook his head slightly, warning Han Fei from doing anything stupid.

The song kept on going, and to make things worse, about 10 minutes later, the song appeared inside the stairwell of Apartment 1. The voice-activated lights came on one floor after another. Han Fei’s heart threatened to rise out of his throat as well.

Bang! A door on the 2nd floor was shoved open and then it was followed quickly by more doors being opened!

The song soon arrived on the 4th floor!

Bang! Bang! The doors to Room 1041 and 1042 were opened at the same time. The anti-theft doors slammed heavily on the wall. Then the song floated upstairs. When the door to Room 1041 was pushed open, Han Fei could barely breathe. He held his breath and did not dare to make any noise. The sound of door slamming echoed around the building. Other than the banging and the singing, there were no other voices. The world suddenly became audibly-deprived.

The song soon descended from the top floor. When it passed the 4th floor, the door to Room 1043 flew open. It was just next door!

The song gradually faded away until it disappeared fully.

Collapsing to the ground, Han Fei noticed his shirt was soaked, it was like he was just hauled out from a cold pool. Patting Han Fei lightly on his back, Wei Youfu took out a pen and paper. He wrote something and passed it to Han Fei—let’s not speak first, in case of the return.

Wei Youfu did not specify whose return but Han Fei knew the meaning. When Drake warned that the entity above the Pure Hatred could not be mentioned, it seemed like he meant it quite literally. Han Fei nodded. Half an hour later, when other sounds returned to the streets below, Wei Youfu climbed up from the ground. He placed his hand over his heart and said softly, “It’s okay now. You guys can come out already.” As he said so, pairs of hands appeared behind Wei Youfu. The victims from the human jigsaw case materialized and they formed a circular shield around Little Eight.

“We barely escaped that but I’m not sure we’ll be so lucky next time.” Wei Youfu’s face was paler than usual. He went to open the front door. Other than Room 1044, all the other 3 rooms on the 4th floor were busted open.

“That thing can enter the neighbourhood?” Han Fei took a long time before he found his breath.

“That was the first time.” Wei Youfu frowned. “When the previous manager was still around, the song would appear outside the neighbourhood but it never came in here.”

“This was the first time and I was so lucky to be around for it?” Han Fei leaned weakly against the wall and looked outside the door. “It feels like it was looking for something, wasn’t it?”

“It should be looking for Little Eight. As the previous manager once said, the 8th victim is a key. Hence, procuring Little Eight might help them to open the door to leave this world.”