648 No. 0

 

“When we wanted to join, the player called Qiang Wei denied us. Do you think he’ll believe you?” Lee Guo Er didn’t understand Han Fei. “They are a group, so they will look after their own.”

“Qiang Wei is very rational. He didn’t make his choice out of emotions but because of the biggest benefit. I don’t need him to help me. I only need to tell him the truth and have him make the decision.” Han Fei had a feeling that the players at Perfect Life Hotel were different. They weren’t locals and came from another world.

“I still think that’s very risky.” Lee Guo Er followed behind Han Fei. “But if you insist on going, we should depart now lest we are blocked by F.”

“We should call a taxi.” When Han Fei turned the corner, he noticed a black taxi coming from the distance. It looked like a driverless hearse, looking for its owner.

“Do you want to die?” Lee Guo Er rejected this idea. Even the ugly cat in Han Fei’s backpack meowed in protest.

“It’s too slow if we walk.” Han Fei held his chest. “But most importantly, I want to verify something.”

“What is it?”

“F has the ability to predict the future, and I appear to have the ability to predict death. Whenever death is close, I’ll be intensely nervous.” Han Fei walked to the street and waved. “However, I didn’t feel anything when I saw the black taxi. That means I won’t die. In that case, why can’t we use its service?”

Lee Guo Er didn’t know what to say. “I thought that man was as crazy as they come, but I was wrong.” The black taxi moved alone down the street. It stopped beside Han Fei. A strange ‘Ka-thump’ sound came from inside the black car. It made people feel uncomfortable.

“Get in the car!” Han Fei opened the car door. A horrible stench wafted out, but there was nothing that should give off that scent.

“Wait, you’re serious about this?” Lee Guo Er resisted for a bit. But the ugly cat in Han Fei’s backpack didn’t have a choice. It was tossed into the taxi by Han Fei.

“Fine, I’ll trust you again.” Lee Guo Er entered the car and sat at the back. After Lee Guo Er got in, Han Fei opened the front passenger door. He wanted to have better communication with the driver.

“Go to Perfect Life Hotel, please. Please drive faster. We’re running on a tight schedule.” When Han Fei spoke, he paid attention to his physical condition. His heart was beating normally, and his brain didn’t exude any fear. Compared to Han Fei, the driver appeared more anxious. He grabbed the steering wheel tightly. His index fingers trembled, and his face was bloodless.

“Perfect Life… Hotel…” The driver stammered weakly as if he could collapse at any moment. Lee Guo Er hugged Han Fei’s backpack. She tried the door and realized it was locked. If she wanted to escape, she had to smash the window. The driver started the car without any more communication.

The black taxi moved through the night. This appeared to be the driver’s first job. He grabbed the steering wheel tightly. His shirt was soaked with sweat. His gaze wandered. He glanced at the rearview mirror and then the electric clock.

“Sir, you better focus on the road.” Han Fei had Company inside his sleeve. If the driver acted strangely, he would give him Company.

“Okay. Where are you going again?”

“Perfect Life Hotel. If you don’t know the way, I can give you the directions.” Han Fei already memorized the route when they went there for the first time. There was a map in his brain, and he was slowly filling it up.

“It’s alright. I know the way.” The driver looked abnormal, but he didn’t have any problems. At least his driving was fine. Han Fei looked out the windows. This was his first time exploring the city from this perspective. It felt like he had entered a horror movie. After turning two corners, the driver’s legs started to shake. He glanced at the clock. “Perfect Life Hotel. I know that place. You’re going there, right?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect Life Hotel, Perfect Life Hotel.” The driver kept repeating the location. When the light turned green, he stepped on the pedal and drove forward.

Lee Guo Er coughed twice and then handed her phone to Han Fei. “Someone is looking for you via messages. They’re asking if you’re coming home for dinner.”

Han Fei was confused, but he accepted the phone. He clicked open the messages, and the latest one was written by Lee Guo Er—The stench came from under the backseat. The edges of the seat have bloodstains. Someone has died here. Look at the video. The phone might not have a clear video.

Han Fei checked the video Lee Guo Er shot. She used the phone to record a video of the space under her seat to see what was underneath. After putting it on mute, Han Fei played the video calmly. The videos only lasted for a few seconds. The space under the backseat was completely dark. He couldn’t see anything clearly.

“The stench did come from under there.” Han Fei viewed the videos repeatedly, and he finally noticed something strange. There was a white blur right under where Lee Guo Er was seated.

“Why would I go home for dinner when I’m with you?” Han Fei turned around and said. When he returned the phone, his eyes moved under the seat.

A man’s head was shoved under the seat. His eyes were bulging, and his face was covered in blood.

“Tell her I have something to do later. I won’t be going back tonight and tell her to be careful of her safety.” Han Fei played the role of a womanizer perfectly.

Lee Guo Er got Han Fei’s hints as she took back her phone. She placed her hands in her pockets. She looked calm, but she was already on high alert.

They took another turn. The driver’s face was covered in sweat. It appeared like he had some problem with his heart. His head lowered, and he mumbled emotionlessly, “Go to Perfect Life Hotel. I know the way. Go to Perfect Life Hotel. There is a house there. The house is planted with many flowers. The children are laughing. I can see my child. Yes, I need to fetch him from school and bring him to the secret blue white garden with butterflies.”

The clock on the dashboard showed that it was 11.58 pm. There were two minutes to midnight. The taxi started to become weird. The driver was still moving towards Perfect Life Hotel, but he started to mumble incoherently. “My son loves the sea. He and his friends were sent to a place where blue flowers grew. They had just been planted when there was a fire. When I arrived, my son was blooming in flames. His scream was like a blossoming black flower, taking root in my heart…”

Lee Guo Er noticed there was a newspaper stuck between the backseat cushion. The paper came with two grey pictures. A tuition center caught on fire. The article appended a picture of a child rolling in the flames before dying. The other picture was a crushed taxi. Both the driver and the passenger were in such a horrible state that their bodies were pixelated. Out of anxiety, Lee Guo Er took the paper out. When she saw the headlines, her heart pounded. “Taxi driver moonlighting as a serial killer because he believes it will bring his son back?

“One certain taxi driver blamed his son’s death on innocent passengers. He said he would kill the passengers as sacrifices to his son to revive him. He said there were many methods for resurrection, and he was using the least effective method.

“To complete this ritual, the man exhausted his savings to prepare nine ceremonies. He murdered eight targeted passengers and one innocent bystander.”

Lee Guo Er’s face was pale, and it was midnight.

The digit on the clock all became zero. The driver appeared to be awakened. His eyes widened, and he looked straight ahead. “Where am I going? Oh, yes. I’m going to Blue White Tuition Center to bring my son home!”

When the driver changed, Han Fei’s brain was stimulated. The names on his heart turned red. The prayers of No. 11 echoed in his mind. Midnight was the time when the ghosts fully unleashed their power. Bliss’ heart and the blade inside his sleeve came alive. The heart pounded, and blood flowed. Han Fei’s capillaries expanded. He felt immense pain. The pain came from Bliss. Han Fei felt like there were 22 arms tearing into his brain to crush his mind. The clock chimed for midnight. It rang 12 times. A wound was torn through his mind. At that moment, he heard a very robotic yet familiar voice say, “Player 0…”

At that moment, Han Fei felt like he was struck by lightning. He held his beating heart, and his body trembled. Joy, pain, despair, and various emotions filled up his mind.

Midnight arrived, and it was the ghost’s time. The driver radiated death. Han Fei beside him trembled uncontrollably. The two at the front had lost their minds. Lee Guo Er hugged the kitten. She was looking quite helpless.

“The clown has traded with me. The present he gave me is the tool for me to clear the missions.” With immense determination, Han Fei slowly got used to the pain. He felt that all the blood had flowed back into his heart. His normal skin started to surface with faded patterns.

He opened his eyes, and tears leaked out. But at that moment, he could see things he couldn’t before.

“I still can’t remember the past, but the clown has torn open a hole in the black cloth that smothers my memory. I need to rely on myself to widen this hole, to regain my identity!”

Han Fei gained new info, Player 0.

‘Numbers are very important. In the script, there are No. 11 and a No. 4. I now have the number, 0. Perhaps they are related?

‘The numbers are the children’s numbers at the orphanage. Am I once an orphan there too?

‘No. 11 was abandoned 11 times and was sent to strange adopted parents by the orphanage. The orphanage appears to want to create monsters out of these children by torturing them.’

Han Fei analyzed much info from No. 11’s experience.

‘No. 11 built a small theme park on the rooftop of his building. There is a real theme park at the end of this city. Is that a hint?’ Han Fei had a very scary instinct. After he found a clue, he would quickly analyze it.

‘Could my parents be my adopted parents? Were they assigned to me by the orphanage?’ Various possibilities crossed Han Fei’s mind. He soon decided what to do next. ‘I’ve collected No. 11’s present. Tomorrow night, I need to get to No. 4. F can see the future, and he might go there too. So I need to be fast!’

Han Fei raised his head. He noticed the taxi was driving down an unfamiliar street. The driver appeared to have lost his mind as he drove towards a fixed destination.