With his patient guidance, Bai Xian slowly entered the state. He studied everything about Han Fei closely, from his most common habits to the emotions in his eyes. To help Bai Xian get into character, Han Fei didn’t hide any secrets from him. Bai Xian finally understood why Han Fei had that unique presence after hearing about his movie-like life. Han Fei was living in a horror movie.
“I’ll try my best.” Bai Xian liked to challenge different characters. He was lacking the award for best actor, and for that, he had been working hard.
“Relax. Find your zone. After I log out, you’ll be me.” Han Fei took out his favorite ‘snacks’ from his inventory. “Take these pig’s hearts. You can munch on them if you’re hungry. My friends and neighbors will cooperate with you.” He waved his hands, and the ground started to tremble. Soon, Big Sin ran over excitedly. “This is Big Sin. It’s my little pet. Can you touch it?” Han Fei introduced his family to Bai Xian.
“Me? Touch it?” Bai Xian extended his hand, but it stopped above Big Sin’s spiky head. He was a professional actor, but at that moment, even he was hesitant.
“Touching it will help raise your resistance to soul poison.” Han Fei moved to demonstrate. However, considering he only had 1 Life Points left, his palm didn’t fall. “Never mind. You should try to connect with it. I’ve ordered it not to randomly kill you.”
“Are you sure?” Bai Xian didn’t know what to say.
“It might cause some accidents, but you can rely on the others. You can turn to them if there’s a problem.” Han Fei introduced Wei Youfu and Xu Qin to Bai Xian. Everything knew the situation Han Fei was in and they were all ready to help.
When Bai Xian communicated with the neighbors, Han Fei used the plastic surgery hospital’s altar to edit the memory of the players who had entered the cryptic world. After he was done, Han Fei was at his limit. He gave Bai Xian his coat and mask. Then, he found a quiet corner and logged off. The world turned. The city became red. The person who stuck behind Han Fei didn’t disappear, but he had weakened a lot. He looked down the distance, and at the edge of the city, the dream swamp was spreading towards the Ziggurat.
Han Fei opened his eyes. He felt like his body was about to break. This Inheritance Mission was the hardest mission he had ever attempted. 99 deaths exhausted his mind and body. He almost wouldn’t be able to return. “I can’t sleep yet.” He wanted to crawl out of the gaming hub, but he didn’t even have the energy to lift his arm. The pain pulsated all over his body. In that extreme pain, Han Fei fainted.
After who knew how long, Han Fei felt chills on his body. When he opened his eyes, his mental state was more stable, and his body had recovered somewhat. The nutrient cocktail in the gaming hub had been exhausted. Han Fei pushed the door opened and crawled towards the fridge. He took out the meat he had prepared. Han Fei started with small bites. As his strength returned, he started to feast. He ate for half an hour before the pain and tiredness receded. Han Fei collapsed to the ground. His pupils focused again, but his arms and body were still shaking uncontrollably.
“Fu Sheng’s Inheritance Mission almost killed me.” Han Fei then looked around. He noticed that his room had become very different. More accurately, he could sense many people outside his room. He could even hear their breathing. “Have I been exposed?” Taking a deep breath, Han Fei picked up his phone that had shut down on its own and switched it back on.
The 99+ unread messages and unanswered calls made him frown. With his small friend list, he didn’t think this would ever happen.
“Something big has happened.”
Han Fei opened the computer. He didn’t even need to search for his name because it was on the front page.
“Perfect Life’s biggest hidden map is exposed! The grave guardian is a horror movie actor, Han Fei?!”
“Actor or killer?”
“Thousands of players were killed. We need Perfect Life to give us an explanation!”
“The final boss is allegedly Han Fei. The walking evil king!”
“The players are angry! The final duel is in the theme park maze. Come and help us kill him!”
“Even if we’re just gardeners, farmers, and veterinarians, we’ll protect our happiness and preserve the joy that is Perfect Life!”
Han Fei felt a headache from reading the posts. The real trouble wasn’t these players but the two giant conglomerates, Immortal Pharma and Deep Space Tech. They wouldn’t allow a virus-like character to exist in their games. The video of the maze path had been shared on the internet. Thankfully, the path was extremely unstable due to the collision of different forces. None of the videos was clear.
“Earlier, I was the hero, but now I’m the final bad guy, a cheater, and a super hacker.” Han Fei looked at the rumors. The path to the cryptic world had a long-lasting effect, and everyone wanted to be a part of it. “These people are too crazy. Are they trying to make me into everyone’s enemy?” There were many videos from ‘experts’ on the internet. They said that Han Fei’s actions in real life were merely a disguise. He was actually an extremely wicked devil. These experts sounded so confident in their analysis. At least Han Fei could jot down their names.
“The headache is returning. Dream sure is evil. It has fully manipulated the human mind. It only needed one reason to knock me off the pedestal.”
Han Fei’s fingers tapped the table. He hadn’t been so anxious for a long time already. There was a buzzing. Han Fei had just switched on his phone, and the messages surged in. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to read the messages, and Li Xue’s phone came. At the same time, Huang Yin also sent a video request to Han Fei. Everyone was looking for him. Han Fei adjusted his breathing. He used the encrypted number to call Huang Yin.
“Han Fei! What’s with that path? Are you crazy?” Huang Yin sounded more anxious than Han Fei.
“Something happened. It’s hard to explain it.”
“What do you need from me?”
“You are Perfect Life’s top player. This crisis is the best chance for you to gain reputation, so don’t miss out on it.” Han Fei told Huang Yin about how he had edited parts of the players’ memory. Bai Xian would play him in the cryptic world. With Huang Yin’s help in the surface world, they could survive this hurdle.
“Even at a time like this, you’re still thinking about reputation?”
“Things have already happened, so we have to take advantage of it.” Han Fei told Huang Yin many things and told him to head to the theme park maze too. Han Fei had just hung up when Li Xue’s call came. She hadn’t stopped calling.
“Actually, I haven’t done anything illegal, so I don’t need to be so worried.” Han Fei answered Li Xue’s call. Before he could say anything, Li Xue asked, “Is that you in Perfect Life?”
“It’s not me. It’s a misunderstanding.” Han Fei answered calmly. His mental constitution and masterful acting could trick even the polygraph.
“I’m asking for my teacher. You have to answer honestly. Are you the one who has used unknown methods to destroy Perfect Life?” This was very crucial to the police. Li Xue needed a confirmation.
“No.”
“Okay. Open the door now. We’re outside. We’ll lead you to the station.”
“The police are outside my door?!” Han Fei glanced at the door. “Is it that serious?”
“Don’t communicate with anyone on the way. We’ll discuss this at the station.” Once Li Xue hung up, there was a knocking on the door. Han Fei didn’t hurry to open it. He knew that once he left the room, he wouldn’t be able to return so soon.
“I have to log in again within 24 hours of logging out, or else the black box in my brain will explode.” Han Fei was now the black box’s real owner. Fu Sheng’s memory imprint had been wiped, so he had no idea if these limitations still existed or not. Han Fei didn’t have the courage to test them out. Han Fei adjusted his emotions and submerged into masterful acting. He drank some water and stood up to open the door.
“Back away. Don’t stay too close to the door.” Five fully-armed officers entered the room. They had on different uniforms than normal police. One of them immediately removed his uniform and equipment once he was inside the room. He placed them before Han Fei. “Put them on and come with us.” Han Fei was Butterfly’s target. Before Butterfly was captured, the police would continue to protect him. Han Fei’s face was fully covered by the helmet. He looked very professional.
“Are you ready?”
The team leader had Han Fei stand in the middle of the group, and they walked down the stairs. Since it was time for shift change, Han Fei’s team left the building naturally. It was okay in the neighborhood. There was no outsider. There were some tenants staring at Han Fei’s building strangely.
Han Fei only understood the police’s intention after he left the neighborhood. The whole street was packed. They were all there to find Han Fei!
The cameras were like stars. Han Fei felt his eyes going dizzy. “It looks like I have to find another place to live.”
With the police’s help, Han Fei sneaked out of the neighborhood. The police drove the superstar to the station.
They walked down the corridor and entered the deepest room at the station. The door opened. The officers moved away to guard the door. They signaled for Han Fei to enter alone. The room had no windows or surveillance. Every three meters, there was a light to ensure there was no shadow.
“In the past, I’ve always been to the branch. I’ve never been here before.” Han Fei looked into the room. An elder was seated in a wheelchair. Two middle-aged officers in white shirts sat beside him. Li Xue and the other officers were all standing to the side.
“Actually, he looks quite fitting in this gear.” The man in the wheelchair was Li Xue’s teacher. His physique had weakened, but his expression softened. A fleeting smile hung on his face.
Han Fei knew that silence is gold. After he entered the room, he planned to stand with the other young officers. However, the others all moved away when he got close. Only Li Xue didn’t abandon him.
“Everyone, please sit down. Since Han Fei said that person is not him, then he is not that person.” The elder eliminated the tension. “We’ve trusted him so many times, so why not this time?”
“The people from Deep Space Tech and Immortal Pharma are here. This loophole has caused them great damage. It is more than several million. They hope we can openly interrogate Han Fei and push all the blame on him.”
“So they want to find a scapegoat? Do they want to use a young man’s whole life to cover up their own incompetence?
“If Han Fei is framed, then we should help him clear his name; if he really did all those things, we could find a place that suits his talents.”
Then, everyone turned to the elder again.
“Why are you looking at me? I can’t care less about Deep Space Tech and Immortal Pharma. I don’t care about Perfect Life either. I just want to capture Butterfly and answer the families of his victims.” The elder mumbled, “The colorful sky on the other side of the path is just a butterfly that flutters fearlessly in the dark. This is the thing we should worry about.”
1 comment:
Thank you for the chapter, LonelyTree!
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