Chapter 12

"Brother Youfu?" The emaciated old man had no idea what Han Fei was talking about: "Are you Youfu's friend? But why hasn't he ever mentioned you?"

"Please think carefully, my name is Han Fei." Han Fei looked at the old man with sincerity, making the old man start to doubt whether he had forgotten, after all, it had been ten years.

"When you mention it, I do remember Youfu had some friends before, but you don't seem that old, do you?" The old man was uncertain.

"I'm an actor, relying on my face for a living. Due to the role I play, I pay great attention to my appearance, and I've been acting out of town for a long time." Han Fei avoided the topic: "Old sir, I really want to do something for Brother Youfu."

"Youfu had too many unfulfilled wishes. He worked tirelessly to give Ah Mei a home. Not long before they were killed, that child came to me and said he had secretly saved some money to give Ah Mei a proper wedding." The old man shook his head: "Now it's all useless. I think his greatest wish would be to catch the murderer, after all, the murderer killed the person he loved the most."

"Home, wedding, catching the murderer." Han Fei memorized these things and looked at the haggard old man: "Old sir, I think Brother Youfu would also be very worried about your health. You must stay healthy. I will do everything in my power to catch that deranged killer!"

As he spoke, Han Fei took out his phone: "This is my contact number. If you need anything, just call me, and I will definitely help you."

After leaving his number, Han Fei gave a few more instructions before leaving with Li Xue.

"Hey, why did you pretend to be Wei Youfu's friend? It seems like you really intend to take care of that old man." After leaving the neighborhood, Li Xue asked her question.

"I..." Han Fei didn't know how to answer. He just glanced at the dilapidated apartment building behind him: "I'm not pretending to be Wei Youfu's friend. We will become friends."

"What a strange person." Li Xue got on her motorcycle and threw a helmet to Han Fei as she passed by him: "Get on."

"What are you going to do?"

"Take you home."

...

Back at his rented place, Han Fei sat in the farthest corner from his desk, staring at the game helmet on the desk.

The blood inside the helmet had dried, forming mysterious red patterns on the inner wall.

Han Fei had once harbored a glimmer of hope that it might be a prank, but today's events completely dispelled that notion.

"The game task system says completing the beginner task will help me understand that world. It seems I have to complete the beginner task."

As night fell, Han Fei walked to the window and glanced at the skyscrapers in the city center.

In fact, not just the game world, with the rapid development of technology, he even felt a sense of unfamiliarity with the real world.

The times were moving forward, and living in the old city, he always felt at a loss with the countless new things that emerged every day.

"I won't think about it anymore. Let's see if I can survive today." Han Fei sat in front of his computer and began searching for the case from ten years ago.

Concerning his own life and death, Han Fei was very serious. He printed out all the information released by the police and posted it on the wall in front of his desk.

The originally blank wall soon became covered with various case clues and photos. If someone unfamiliar saw this, they might think he was a private detective.

"The Human Jigsaw case had eight victims. The first seven victims were found missing parts of their bodies, while the eighth victim's body was mostly composed of parts. After comparing all the data, the police did not find the eighth victim's information in the citizen database, so they referred to the eighth victim as 'Number 8' in the case report..."

Working late into the night, Han Fei finally had a general understanding of the case from ten years ago. He looked at the time on the computer screen and picked up the game helmet as midnight approached.

"The victims appeared in the game, and there are many mysteries. But my top priority now is to ensure my own survival."

As the clock struck midnight, Han Fei connected all the wires and entered the game.

The world before his eyes was covered in blood-red, and a sense of weightlessness and dizziness came over him. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, a cold voice echoed in his mind.

"Welcome to Perfect Life! Now you can choose your own perfect life!"

Opening his eyes, Han Fei found himself lying on the stairs of the first floor. The surroundings were very quiet, as if there was no one alive in the entire building.

"Find Meng Shi first!"

With the experience from the first game, Han Fei's goal this time was very clear: to get some task from the old lady, complete it, and then stay at her place for three hours.

After three hours, he could exit the game at any time and then explore unknown areas.

This way, even if he encountered danger, he wouldn't have to fear, as he could simply exit the game.

In other words, the most dangerous period of the game was the first three hours after Han Fei logged in.

The rusty iron railing was covered with some black dirt, and the dusty walls were filled with uncomfortable graffiti. The bodies of the little figures were mostly incomplete, looking very eerie.

Han Fei didn't dare to make a sound. He picked up the kitchen knife from the ground and quietly approached the old lady's door.

The peeling paint on the door had been cleaned, leaving only two dark stains on the ground, as if the dirt from the plastic bags had seeped out.

"Granny?"

He knocked lightly on the door, not daring to use much force, but the sound still echoed in the quiet hallway.

"Is no one there?"

Han Fei pressed his ear against the security door. There was no sound from inside the old lady's house, as if it hadn't been inhabited for a long time.

"Where could they have gone at this hour of the night?" Han Fei knocked on the door again. As the sound of the knock echoed, he noticed something was off.

Straining his ears, he heard something moving in the quiet hallway!

The other person was deliberately slowing their steps to avoid making noise, but Han Fei still heard a faint rustling sound.

"The sound is coming from upstairs. Someone is coming towards me! Did the knock attract them?"

Han Fei walked to the stair railing and looked up through the gap in the middle of the stairs.

His neck slowly turned, and his body suddenly tensed. On the sixth floor, a face was looking at him!

Their eyes met, and both of them quickened their pace!

Han Fei started running upstairs, while the person on the sixth floor ran down.

"Fourth floor! I must go to the fourth floor!"

Han Fei knew the hallway door was locked, and he couldn't leave the building. Running downstairs would mean certain death, so he could only return to his home on the fourth floor!

"I'm on the third floor, and the person is on the sixth floor. I'm closer to the fourth floor! The key is that I need time to open the door!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large bunch of keys. He had put them in his pocket when he first went to the old lady's house for dumplings and had never taken them out.