99 different deaths could break anyone but Han Fei’s expression didn’t change too much. He looked at his multiple deaths in the water calmly. “Does Dream’s 7th ritual have to do with me?” The past had been changed. The former Han Fei was gone but Dream’s 7th ritual vessel had to do with Han Fei. Han Fei’s adopted father took pictures of Han Fei and the pool became a Sea of Brains that soaked Han Fei’s past. When he saw the pictures, there was a voice in Han Fei’s brain telling him to move forward. His body leaned forward as if he would only be complete after he picked up all the pictures. “Memory, instinct, everything is calling me to get closer. They want me to embrace death.”
The shadows of death squished together underwater. They kept gushing toward Han Fei as if afraid that they’d be forgotten. “I would save unknown strangers. How would I abandon my past? No matter how gory and heavy, I will shoulder the past because the past makes me who I am today.”
With Big Sin looking on with anticipation, Han Fei touched the pictures. The closest picture looked normal. Han Fei’s neck was sliced in his sleep. He didn’t even have the chance to scream. Indescribable pain came from the neck. A dull blade was sawing through his neck. When Han Fei touched the picture, his consciousness was pulled into the pool.
Water splashed everywhere. Everyone was shocked. Han Fei, who was standing beside the pool, jumped into it! The pool was used to preserve dead bodies so it was filled with Formalin!
“Han Fei!”
“Has he lost his mind?” Director Xu shook Captain Zhang. He didn’t expect the young man he was so scared of to do something like this. “Why are you standing here for? Go and save him!”
“But he seemed to have jumped into the pool voluntarily.”
“It doesn’t matter. We have to save him!”
The few people found mops and brooms and pushed them into the pool. However, in the blink of an eye, Han Fei had disappeared into the murky pool.
“How deep is this pool?” Lee Guo Er asked with concern.
“We haven’t used this kind of pool for a very long time already. In fact, this basement should be abandoned. Normally, it is Doctor Han who maintains this place…”
“I asked how deep this pool is!” Lee Guo Er pulled out her knife and placed it on Director Xu’s neck. “Speak!”
“About two meters… or perhaps deeper. Teacher Han has once expanded this place.” Director Xu was scared. He knew the woman would really kill him.
“Two meters?” Lee Guo Er removed her shirt and tossed it aside. She stood beside the pool and looked at the spot where Han Fei submerged.
“Don’t be crazy!” Xiao Jia and Captain Zhang came to stop her. “Han Fei is not a reckless person. He must have his reason for doing this!”
“Yes! He probably saw something and jumped in. We can go and get him if he doesn’t surface after a few more minutes!” Captain Zhang turned around. “I remember we have a professional lifeguard, right?”
The lifeguard walked out of the back of the ground. He was unwilling. He had only saved people from the river, but not from the dead people pool. After all, who would drown in this kind of place?
“Don’t worry. This pool is not deep. Based on my experience, perhaps we can try to break the bottom of the pool to lower the water level.” The lifeguard said, “After all, the pool is so murky. Plus, there are too many humanoid objects in there.”
The few surrounded the pool to discuss the rescue plan. The water surface slowly returned to normal. It was worth noting that once Han Fei jumped into the pool, all the pictures turned around as if to look at Han Fei.
The pain came from everything. Han Fei felt like he was constantly sinking like the pool had no bottom.
“Han Fei, why do you have to be so smart? We could have lived together happily. You just need to act like a good kid. Why the sudden resistance?” The closest picture touched Han Fei. The picture on it disappeared as the pain intensified in Han Fei. A cruel image appeared in his mind. Han Fei’s adopted father stood beside him and sliced his neck when he woke up. Han Fei’s eyes bulged. He was experiencing his many deaths again.
“Son, mom will let you in on a secret. You have to be careful of your father. I’ve long suspected that he is a serial killer. Don’t look at me like that. I’m different from him! I, I will only torture them. I’ve not killed anyone… other than you.” Another picture stuck to Han Fei’s leg, and a new death memory appeared. Han Fei discovered his adopted mother’s hidden carcasses. The normally kind mother turned into a monster. She forced the medicine down Han Fei’s throat while begging for his forgiveness. His throat burned like it was about to explode. Han Fei struggled and inadvertently touched more pictures.
The endless deaths and despair didn’t make Han Fei lose his mind. While he endured the pain, he silently retained these memories. He remembered the faces of all his killers and the location of his deaths. 99 deaths were connected into a string where 99 hearts were strung.
99 deaths were applied to the same person. Han Fei’s soul was twisted and his consciousness was about to collapse. At that moment, a cool and familiar came from the back of his brain. “Notification for Player 0000. Your pet, Big Sin’s loyalty has increased to 96 points.”
Han Fei regained temporary clarity. He looked up, and Big Sin was standing at the edge of the pool. Before he got a closer look, another picture landed on his face.
“It looks like there are benefits for me to stay in Fu Sheng’s brain. Can I borrow your face?” The unfamiliar memory slithered upward. The death memory shocked Han Fei.
The dead Butterfly stood among the flowers outside Blue White Tuition Center. He smiled, “Since you can recognize me and enter Fu Sheng’s altar alive, then it means that the butterfly that has flown into the cryptic world has died. It’s you who killed him!
“There’s no need for argument. No one can lie to a God. I know you’re Fu Sheng’s chosen child, just like how we had chosen him.
“I do not wish for you to walk Fu Sheng’s old path. Give me the black box, and I’ll tell you all the secrets.’
When the memory ended, Han Fei’s body collapsed like blocks. He didn’t even know how he did.
“Was that Dream? Why did he look just like Butterfly? Dream has no actual body. Will it appear in the form that is most hated by its viewer?” Han Fei was almost at his limit. However, he was far from regaining all his death memories. He struggled to the surface. A picture landed on his chest and stuck to his heart.
“I wish to make a deal with you.” The maddening laughter echoed. In one of his lives, Han Fei actively contacted Mad Laughter in the red orphanage. He unlocked all the chains and let Mad Laughter go!
The memory was insane. Han Fei didn’t open part of the chain for Mad Laughter to take over his body, but he planned to help Mad Laughter escape from his mind so that Mad Laughter could gain an independent body and consciousness!
Han Fei knew that only by forgetting everything could he lower his mind’s restraints on Mad Laughter for him to escape from the bindings of the red orphanage. To achieve that goal, Han Fei died 99 times.
“I was the one who personally released the monster from the red orphanage? What kind of experience I’ve had in this city that I was forced to make a deal with Mad Laughter?”
Thinking back, Han Fei actually didn’t have many friends, so he decided to be his own best friend.
2 comments:
Thank you for the chapter, LonelyTree!
I guess you can call it self-love lol
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