CH 777

9-11 minutes 30.04.2023

Han Fei didn’t hide his movement. He paid attention to the people around him as he moved to a secluded spot. The auditorium was still boisterous. No one could imagine that imminent danger. People living in the intelligent city had been content for too long.

‘The intelligent city is indeed different from the countryside. There are virtual ads and cameras everywhere. The streets are filled with auto cars and various auto amenities. Service robots controlled by photon computer maintained the city. Every year, the city would change. In comparison, the countryside felt so dead.’ The virtual projections lit up the night sky. A milky way sky bridge was being built to connect all the skyscrapers. Humanity’s imagination and anticipation of the future were gathered here. ‘Fu Sheng has started a new era, but other than me, no one else will remember his name.’ Han Fei looked down the distance. There was a skyscraper more than 100 meters tall on the left side of the city. That was Immortal Pharma’s headquarters. Different from Deep Space Tech’s openness, accessibility, and so on, Immortal Pharma’s building was closed to the public. It was one of the most mysterious places in the intelligent city.

‘Now that Fu Sheng is gone. What kind of era will I face?’

Han Fei moved forward. He suddenly lifted his head. The last autocar sped down the road. All the virtual screens started to show errors. The security cameras were down. The lights went out.

“Sunny Boy, female, shy and introverted…” A man in a raccoon mask appeared under the streetlight, “Your appearance is very different from your profile. You are indeed crazy!”

“Did you come alone?” Han Fei used his singing voice to answer.

“It’s not easy to hack into the intelligent city. The hackers used a lot of effort to get three minutes for us.” Raccoon walked towards Han Fei.

“You’ve wasted ten seconds already.”

“Is it a waste? Look around you.” Raccoon put on special gloves. One hit by him and the victim would lose a piece of their flesh. While he conversed with Han Fei, the other members of the murderer’s clubhouse appeared. Everyone radiated a heavy presence of death.

“Have you heard kill and run? We would appear at a specific location at a specific time to kill a specific target. We’ve done that many times before, but this is the first time we’re doing it inside the intelligent city.” A man with a crocodile mask said.

“We will deal with you in three minutes and then cut off your body. Each of us will carry a small part, so you’ll disappear into nothingness.” A woman in a starfish mask said.

“Three minutes to dismember a person? I love people who brag.” Han Fei lifted his head to reveal a smile. “Do you think you can do something I can’t?”

Find the original at bit.ly/3Tfs4P4.

When Han Fei spoke, both he and the members moved at the same time. It was clear that the members who ambushed Han Fei were all trained members. However, their normal practice target was different from Han Fei. To ensure that the enemy lost the number’s advantage, Han Fei didn’t hold back. Before the enemies surrounded him, Han Fei charged forward. He was very fast in the dark. Before Raccoon could react, a heavy punch landed on his face. The mask shattered, and the man’s face caved. The chips of the mask cut into his face. Raccoon collapsed to the ground. The others knew Raccoon’s capability. However, unlike normal people, they became more excited after Raccoon was beaten down. A blade made from unique material brushed past the back of Han Fei’s head. Han Fei rolled forward and grabbed a convenient ‘weapon’. He dragged Raccoon’s leg and used the man as a shield. He also attacked at the same time. Han Fei didn’t think about escaping. He needed to capture these few people. He would be able to catch a big fish through them. The high-class members were well-trained. They were different from normal people in the sense that pain could make them fight better and faster.

‘Is this change brought on by the Unmentionable?’

The members of the murderer’s clubhouse would lose their rationality once they wanted to kill. Every one of them had severe mental issues. Killing would release their sickest selves.

‘Butterfly likes to convince normal people to kill. The murderer’s clubhouse is a haven for those who are already crazy.’ In less than three minutes, the members were all on the ground. Han Fei didn’t want to expose himself, so he quickly left too. However, at that moment, there was a ticking sound. Han Fei turned around as the hair stood on the back of his neck. He felt a lethal threat. He picked up Raccoon and looked into the dark.

“I don’t plan to do anything to you. I just want to confirm our new partner.” A woman in a death mask walked out of the darkness. She was graceful and lithe, completely different from the high-class members. “I didn’t expect that Sunny Boy would be you… Clown.”

Hearing her, Han Fei’s first reaction was to charge at her while holding his ‘shield’.

“No matter who you are, once you appear in that mirror, you are one of us. God doesn’t allow murders among core members.” Death didn’t move, but she maintained a safe distance from Han Fei.

“I can guess who you are, considering how fast you appeared here from the auditorium.” Han Fei knew that he wouldn’t be able to catch up to Death. So he had another idea. Ye Xuan would be in Perfect Life for the competition. As long as he found out about her gaming time, he could try to drag her down to the cryptic world.

“It doesn’t matter who I am. Identity doesn’t matter. You will soon understand.” Death looked away from Han Fei and at the tallest buildings in the intelligent city. “You are very lucky to get on the last bus because this city will change soon.”

“Change?”

“The legendary Fu Tian from the last era is dead. His most perfect work has started to show bugs. The seventh-generation photon computer started to show loopholes. The waves of the night will soon rush into everyone’s mind.” Death waved at Han Fei. “No one can stop it. The lock of fate has been broken. They are returning.”

“Do you mean the things from the mirror?” Han Fei had a feeling Death was talking about FU Sheng, but that elder had already been forgotten by everyone.

“Compared to them, we are like ants living between the new and old era. The only thing we can do is to look up into the sky,” Death kept retreating. When the lights came on, they disappeared down the street.

“She sure ran fast. She definitely wanted to kill me but was discovered by me.” Han Fei also retreated before the security came back on. Not long after they departed, the police and robot police came to the scene and started to close off the scene. The police came and went. An autocar stopped outside the auditorium. The female passenger inside the car took off her Death mask. “What kind of monster is he? How did he discover me when I was so far away?” The woman’s back was soaked in a cold sweat. She used the fastest speed to remove the illegal weapons and changed, “I shouldn’t have done that. He’s definitely not a normal person!”

The woman took out her phone and made a few calls. “Go and help me investigate Participant 127, Sunny Boy. Get it within the next 24 hours. The price doesn’t matter!” After hanging up, the woman still couldn’t calm down. “It’s too dangerous lately. I can’t use real people anymore. I’ll have to use the NPC in the game.” The woman set the car home. She wiped away the cold sweat and put on the gaming helmet.

Han Fei avoided the police and hurried to the intelligent city. He arrived before midnight. No matter what happened outside, he insisted on playing every night. Because of this game, Han Fei became quite disciplined.

“I logged off in the black rain zone. I wonder what will happen when I log in. Such horrible fate.” Han Fei crawled into the gaming hub and put on the helmet. Blood covered everything. When he opened his eyes, the chill came all over him. He looked around and noticed an elder with a giant black plant on his back kneeling in the corner of the room. He was shocked by Han Fei’s sudden appearance, but he quickly covered his mouth, signaling Han Fei to be quiet.

Han Fei, who didn’t have the log-out button, was nervous too. He took out Rest in Peace from his inventory and touched the ghost tattoo on his chest. ‘It feels like this elder is afraid of something.’

He followed the elder’s gaze out the window. Black rain fell on the dark street. The blood stain on the floor was slowly being washed away. Seeing Han Fei slowly approach the window, the elder waved frantically. Han Fei paused and froze. About several seconds later, a giant monster appeared on the street. It was like a person and an animal. A child’s face grew on its enlarged left ear. It dragged its large body through the rain. It wore clothes patched together from many girls’ dresses.

“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve discovered God’s 10th creation—Listen.

“Listen (Super Large Lingering Spirit): Every personality defect is caused by a childhood misfortune. The kids have listened to many things they shouldn’t. In the end, they became a monster.

“Warning! Stay quiet! Do not make any sound!”