CH 620

The monster’s single eyeball dominated the whole window. Its body was huge and possessed a presence stronger than Pure Hatreds.

“It’s weaker than the Singer, so it’s not an Unmentionable, but it’s stronger than Pure Hatred?” Being stared at by the giant eye, Han Fei felt as if his secrets had been exposed.

Black blood slid down the window frame. The painter’s bone cracked eerily. His muscle and skin turned to the side as if the window on his back was about to open. It was a painted window, but it gave the feeling that there was really another world on the other side. As the window was nudged open, the eyeball started to pulse. In mere seconds, the giant eyeball was dominated by red capillaries. Han Fei’s image was reflected in the giant eye. However, the reflection was slightly different from the normal Han Fei…

Resisting the pressure, Han Fei met the monster’s eye. He realized his reflection in the monster’s eye was different from himself. There was a normal version of himself and then another Han Fei who was covered in blood and laughing nonstop standing behind him. The two versions of Han Fei stood back to back. One of them had permanently lost his laughter, and the other couldn’t do anything but to laugh.

“This monster is No. 4? The painter’s power comes from No. 4?” Han Fei took a step forward. All the Pure Hatreds also moved to surround the painter.

“How can I communicate with the person outside the window?” Han Fei wanted to speak to the monster outside the window, but the painter and the monster didn’t answer.

Black blood dripped. The painter’s body was torn into a strange shape. If the window continued to open, the painter would be torn apart. The wound on his arm stopped bleeding. He pointed at the faceless woman’s head. Han Fei understood the painter’s meaning then. He wanted to take away the faceless woman’s head. If Han Fei refused, then he would sacrifice himself and release the monster on his back.

“Your request is to bring away this Pure Hatred? That is doable.” Han Fei moved a chair and sat beside the altar. He was the real owner of this mall. “I didn’t plan to harm you in the first place. Everything I did was out of self-defense. If you had been to my neighborhood, you’d realize that I’m a democratic person. I only want peace and for my neighbors to find happiness.” Han Fei had faced the Singer alone before, so he was not afraid of the monster outside the window.

“The Ziggurat, plastic surgery hospital, and the theme park are connected. The theme park is the most mysterious and has the most secrets. If you are willing to cooperate with us, you can take away this head and come to find us for help in the future.” Han Fei opened his menu and glanced at the greyed-out exit button. He switched on masterful acting. “I’ll be honest. I have forgotten my past, but from the clues that I have, I am the hope to save all the numbered orphans. Perhaps I can heal their pain and save them from the despairing nightmare.” Looking at the giant eye outside the window, Han Fei stood up, “We’ve met once outside. You should remember what No. 4 told me.”

The painter’s face twitched with the mention of No. 4. He wanted to save the children, but the only thing he could do back then was to paint the colorful windows on the enclosed underground basement.

“I’m going to finish what you started. I can’t ask that you help me fully, but I hope you can cooperate with me. After it’s over, we’ll share the secrets inside the theme park, and I will return this Pure Hatred’s head to you.” Han Fei turned to the theme park. “In real life, you heard No. 4’s warning too. After clearing all the games at the theme park, a monster will revive with my body. However, even with this threat, I will not stop because I know certain things are more important than my life. Someone has to do these things.”

Han Fei was telling the truth. He knew the theme park was very dangerous, but he also knew that if he stopped moving, everything that he had now would one day be taken away from him. He could not accept watching his neighbors die. He had already taken them as his family.

“If someone has to take the risk, then I hope that person is me.” That was Han Fei’s real thought. With the buff from masterful acting and devil’s whisper, his words cut into people’s hearts. The painter, who was numb to everything, turned to look at Han Fei. His face was expressionless, so no one could tell what he was thinking.

Several seconds later, the window on the painter’s back cracked. Han Fei in the giant eyeball became clearer. The monster seemed to remember something. Han Fei, in its eyes, started to change. He became shorter and younger. As Han Fei changed, the monster started to lose control. The terrifying pressure aimed to crush Han Fei.

“It can remember me…” Han Fei met the monster’s gaze. He looked at the giant eyeball. It was as if he was looking at a mirror. The reflection was his memory, showing Han Fei’s actual childhood. Han Fei, who couldn’t laugh, and Han Fei, who couldn’t stop laughing, stood back to back. They were both children. The two children slowly joined together. As they were about to combine into one, the giant pupil exploded. Blood splattered on the window. A roar came from the window, and the mall shook. The glass cracked, and the cracks spread onto the painter’s body. Once the window was fully open, the painter would perish, and that appeared to be the meaning of his existence.

The painter raised his arm and closed the window at the last moment. All the black blood flowed back into the wounds. The window on his back slowly returned to normal, and the giant eyeball disappeared. The window turned back into a normal oil painting. The wounds on the painter didn’t disappear. He was extremely vulnerable.

The painter stood up and walked towards the backdoor without saying anything. He didn’t agree to help Han Fei, but he didn’t take the faceless woman’s head either. His expression didn’t even change. Mirror God saw this opportunity and communicated with Han Fei through the altar to make a move.

Han Fei shook his head. After seeing the window behind the painter, he realized the price to pay to kill the painter was too high. Once the monster outside the window was released, there was no telling who might win. Plus, the imminent mission was to enter the theme park to find the other players. If he didn’t do that, more players would be sent to the cryptic world through the maze.

“We don’t have a 100 percent chance to kill the painter. Once he leaves, all the plans will be delayed.” Pure murder was not possible to survive in the cryptic world. Of course, blind kindness would lead to death too. Han Fei didn’t make a move. After the painter reached the backdoor and planned to exit, he suddenly stopped. He turned his neck around, and he scratched the wound on his arm. He dropped something on the ground.

Xu Qin grabbed the bloody thing. It was a wrinkled picture soaked in blood. She carefully unfurled the picture. There was a hard candy wrapped inside.

“Is this the birthday present the painter gave No. 4? No. 4 kept it all these times?” Han Fei examined the picture. There were 31 children in the picture, but there were 32 numbers under the picture, from 0 to 31.

Due to time, the children’s faces were blurred and rotten. Han Fei looked very closely, but he still couldn’t find himself.

“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve discovered Grade D Cursed Object, Their Group Picture!

“Their Group Picture: You can’t remember some of their names. It means there are Unmentionables among them.

“Warning! This picture might bring you great tragedies. Never recite their numbers!”

“Grade D?” Han Fei’s hands shook. This was his first time encountering a Grade D Cursed Object. “Why would the painter have this?”

“It’s not that surprising. Butterfly had two altars and the shell of an Unmentionable. He is already quite poor compared to the Butterfly.” Mirror God commented.

“You’re right.” Han Fei placed the picture in the inventory. The picture looked normal, but if he recited everyone’s number, then the curse might be triggered. Everyone around it would be killed by the curse.

“This is a good trump card.” Then, Han Fei picked up the normal candy.

“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve discovered Grade E Mission Object—Candy that Changed Fate.

“Candy that Changed Fate: This candy changed his fate, and it might change yours too.

“Warning! If used within the right memory world, the candy will have a special effect!”

The painter left but gave Han Fei two very important things. “The man is quite special. He came and left without noise. He dropped a Grade D Cursed Object casually.”

Han Fei didn’t think he had convinced the painter. It was more like the monster outside the window had chosen him.

“You suggested exploring the theme park together, and then you’d return him the faceless woman’s head. However, the painter didn’t even ask for the faceless woman’s head when he left but instead gave you two big presents. Does this mean he has agreed to help?” Mirror God appeared beside the altar. He looked at the faceless woman’s head, and the scale in his eyes tipped.

“We’ll keep the head for now. When it’s time to explore the theme park, I’ll leave her head here, and I’ll need you to watch over it for me.” Han Fei said, “The theme park might contain the last altar Fu Sheng left for me. We should be able to tell what kind of person he is then.”

“Han Fei, I still think you shouldn’t trust Fu Sheng so implicitly. The old manager was obsessed with the cryptic world. He’d do anything to achieve his goal.” The Mirror God said after some hesitation. “I saw him… revive himself through his children to venture deeper into the cryptic world.”

Han Fei became serious. He walked to the window and glanced at the theme park shrouded in darkness. “You mean this might be a trap for him to revive with my body.” Han Fei turned to look at the three Pure Hatreds beside him. He relaxed and asked, “If the old manager wants to harm me, will you help him or me?” Xu Qin chose to side with Han Fei without hesitation. Zhuang Wen was not familiar with Fu Sheng, so she chose Han Fei too.

After some hesitation, the Mirror God appeared to get Han Fei’s meaning. “You are the better candidate compared to him.”

“Fu Sheng should understand that too.” Han Fei’s path was different from Fu Sheng's. He believed his path was the correct one. Han Fei exited the mall while munching on the pork heart. With the two Pure Hatred’s help, he completed a Grade G Mission. He logged off when he returned to the Ziggurat.

Han Fei crawled out of the gaming hub. He went online to search everything on the theme park. Fu Tian was born in Xin Lu. He lived in the countryside when he was young. Based on the information, Han Fei confirmed that the theme park Fu Tian visited with Fu Sheng when they were young was at Xin Lu’s northern countryside.

The theme park was abandoned decades ago. Then, it was purchased by Immortal Pharma. After some simple renovation, it became a private theme park.

“It’s troublesome since it’s not open to the public.”

Han Fei glanced at the wall. It was still early, only 3.30 am. After some thought, Han Fei changed and left home. Considering he just made big news yesterday night, Han Fei didn’t dare to use the neighborhood gate anymore. He was afraid of running into the group of reporters outside. He jumped over the wall and left the neighborhood.