The black mist engulfed Mad Laughter. All the despair in the world gathered inside the blade box. Only Han Fei, the wife, and the mute girl were left.
After knowing the real rules, Fu Sheng didn’t vote for the magician but chose death. He knew that he wouldn’t get the votes from four people. Therefore, he wanted his stepmother to live instead. The best solution was to die with the magician and help Han Fei gain four votes. Fu Sheng said something before he died. Everything in his brain was fake, but his memory with his stepmother was real. After Fu Yi died, the only person who cared about him was his stepmother. He wanted his stepmother to survive, and the hotel could read his thoughts. It was why the real rules were hidden at first.
Every guest had their own goal. The hotel boss hoped that Fu Sheng would take over and maintain the theme park. He wouldn’t let Fu Sheng do anything rash. He would do anything to make sure that Fu Sheng remained alive, even if it meant he had to kill Fu Sheng’s family. Every guest there had wandered in despair. However, they also had a softer side that they didn’t want people to see. That was the complexity of humanity.
The hotel’s walls fell with the shell of the black box. Everything in the world started to crack like they were about to crumble alongside the black box.
“Is it over? Did we survive?”
The rain had stopped. The black lightning, the flood, everything surrounded the black box.
“Hold on tight.” Earlier it was the mute girl who held the black box, but things were different now. When she tried to touch the black box again, her fingers cracked. The black box had gained a new owner, and it would not allow anyone else to approach it. When Han Fei reached out his hands to touch the black box, the voice at the back of his head rang out again. At first, it was blurry. But with some pain, the familiar feeling returned. Fu Sheng’s influence on the black box disappeared. None of the personas affected Han Fei anymore. The black box truly belonged to Han Fei. He was its only guardian!
Han Fei had completed all the trials Fu Sheng had left for Han Fei. During the final choice, Fu Sheng and Mad Laughter surrendered the black box to Han Fei. Han Fei slowly lifted up the black box. The thunder, flood, and endless darkness moved upwards too. It looked like Han Fei was holding up the despairing world. The shell of the black box slowly fell away. The trace of the previous owner was eliminated. The endless darkness disappeared with the outer shell of the black box. When the last piece collapsed, this despairing world collapsed too. All of Han Fei’s memory returned. In the last scene, he saw he had a new black box in his hands. The black box dragged his consciousness into the brain of a dead body. That appeared to be the place where the black box first appeared.
“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve reached Stage 10! Congratulations on finding yourself and obtaining all the managerial rights!
“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve completed random altar mission 1—The Clown! You’ve successfully helped No. 11 find his happiness! You’ve gained a lot of EXP and No. 11’s friendship.
“You’ve completed random altar mission 2—Happiness Neighborhood. You’ve saved the paper craftsman and helped him regain his memory! You’ve gained a lot of EXP and the paper craftsman’s friendship.
“You’ve completed random altar mission 3—Fraudster. You’ve tricked the consciousness of an Unmentionable! You’ve gained a lot of EXP and the rare title—Fraudster.
“Fraudster (Rare title): Charm -2. Increase the power of all speech-related abilities!
“You’ve completed random altar mission 4—Background. You’ve discovered the real identity of your adopted parents and survived for a week at home. You’ve gained a lot of EXP.”
…
“You’ve completed random altar mission 10—Big Player. You’ve cleared all the games inside the theme park. You’ve gained a lot of EXP and the approval of all the theme park workers.
“You’ve completed random altar mission 11—Burn! You’ve destroyed Dream’s children’s castle. You’ve obtained a lot of EXP and friendliness with Ghost +3.”
…
“You’ve completed random altar mission 19—Sacrifice. You’ve successfully destroyed all ten resurrection rituals and saved ten who had been made into sacrifice. You’ve gained a lot of EXP and passive ability—Exorcism.
“Exorcism (Grade F Passive Ability): Ghosts and monsters will be less hostile to you.
“You’ve completed random altar mission 20—Reunion. You’ve saved Fu Sheng’s lingering kindness. You’ve gained a lot of EXP and the blessing from Fu Sheng’s kindness.
“You’ve completed random altar mission 21—Ghost Story Script. You’ve collected more than 50 ghost stories. You’ve gained a lot of EXP and an altar special ability—Summon Soul.
“Summon Soul (Altar Special Ability): Can only be used inside an altar world. Can awaken the memory of one of your teammates.”
…
“You’ve completed random altar mission 35—Full Marks. You’ve obtained 100 points. You can choose to bring one theme park worker who has approved of you out of the altar.
“You’ve completed random altar mission 36—Savior. When the two worlds merged, you saved more than 10000 people. You’ve gained a unique reward—Luck +1!”
…
“You’ve completed random altar mission 99—99 Deaths. You’ve died 99 times in the memory world. You’ve obtained a hidden reward—Grade D ability, Immortal Persona.
“Immortal Persona (Grade D Ability): After using this ability, your consciousness will be indestructible. The influence and shackles on your persona will be shed. The effect lasts for 10 seconds.
“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve reached Level 22 and obtained 1 Free attribute point!
“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve reached Level 23 and obtained 1 Free attribute point!
“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve reached Level 24 and obtained 1 Free attribute point!”
…
Han Fei opened his eyes. The hotel, the black box, and the dark world disappeared. Even the wife and the girl had disappeared. He looked around the things he saw shocked his heart. The sky was red. The ferris wheel was dangling with dead bodies. The expanding theme park was filled with chaos. The maddening visitors collided with the workers. Endless monsters weaved through the black mist. Every monster was gathering here.
“It’s time for me to wake up…” Han Fei wanted to move, but he couldn’t. He turned back and saw something even more startling. He had become the giant body hidden under the theme park!
Or, more accurately, his consciousness had entered the Unmentionable’s carcass and became the only consciousness inside its mind! He was the body’s brain. He could issue simple orders to the Unmentionable’s body!
‘What is happening? I’m the chosen guest. I’ve found myself. Why did I become the Unmentionable’s brain?’ Han Fei was shocked. Shouts came from around him.
“The first-generation ghost has opened its eyes! Quick! Kill it!”
“Block the passage! Seal up the cryptic world!”
“Abandon the deal! We have to destroy it even if we have to sacrifice the whole city!”
The roars erupted. Han Fei felt the pain coming from his body. ‘First-generation ghost? Is the body of a first-generation ghost? It is the reason the door towards the cryptic world was open?!’
Han Fei soon grasped it. There were five managers in the theme park. Everyone had their role. Brain was the weakest, but no one dared to underestimate him. ‘The power of Brain is to become the consciousness of the first-generation ghost?’
The altar world recorded the things that had happened to Fu Sheng. He had fought with all the managers to take over the first-generation ghost. In the end, Fu Sheng was reborn. That was the moment he became the owner of the black box.
In the Heart hotel, when the guests fought to be the main consciousness, they were fighting for control of the first-generation ghost and everything that was Han Fei. The chosen one would be reborn.
Han Fei’s consciousness was slowly joining with the Unmentionable’s body. For the first time in a long time, he felt fear. The process was irreversible. Once the process ended, he would know the secrets of the body and could temporarily control it. However, his consciousness would be trapped and eventually fade away in this body.
‘I know why the turn-over rate for Brain is so high. Among the five managers, he is the only exhaustible.’
1 comment:
The chapters always feel so short
Thank you for the chapter, LonelyTree!
Post a Comment