Chapter 14

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

Enjoying good fortune together and facing difficulties together—this is how one should treat good friends, and neighbors as well. It would be such a waste to enjoy the thrill of watching TV in a haunted house at three in the morning all by myself, so Han Fei decided to invite his neighbors to join him.

He was determined to change his reclusive personality from today on and become a righteous and enthusiastic person.

While his eyes remained fixed on the TV, Han Fei's body began to move slowly.

In fact, the moment the hand appeared behind him, Han Fei had decided to take a gamble.

Compared to the sudden appearance of a ghost, the neighbor outside the door, reeking of blood, seemed somewhat more acceptable.

Adjusting his posture slightly, Han Fei's mind raced, coming up with several plans.

The neighbor from the sixth floor was hiding outside the door, crouching in a blind spot to avoid being seen through the peephole.

Han Fei thought that if he suddenly opened the door, the neighbor from the sixth floor, given their apparent madness, might not even bother to identify who had opened it before launching an attack.

To shift the ghost's hatred, the only way was to get the ghost out first.

The plan seemed perfect in his mind, but when he actually started to implement it, Han Fei found it extremely difficult. His body was enveloped in darkness, and the cold breath seeped into every nerve, making even the slightest movement feel terrifying.

The cold light from the TV screen was distorted, and the small figure with a mutilated body kept breaking free and being recaptured. No one knew who was grabbing it, but it was clear that it could not escape.

The small figure's silent screams seemed to foretell something. Its futile struggles were dragged into the black house by an invisible hand.

It tried every possible method, using various objects in the room to resist. It could barely escape the room each time, but every time it left the black house, part of its body was missing.

The small figure's body became increasingly damaged, and its speed slowed down. By the seventh time it escaped the black room, it seemed to have accepted its fate.

This time, it didn't wait for the invisible hands to come; halfway through its run, it turned to look behind it.

The scene shifted, and a monster composed of different human parts appeared on the TV screen, following the mutilated small figure.

The monster's arms turned into black smoke, grabbed the small figure, and dragged it back into the black house.

Soon, the door opened, and the small figure, now missing another part of its body, walked out of the door.

This time, the small figure didn't run away. It stopped at the entrance of the black room, looked into the dark doorway, and slowly walked in.

The animation showed the inside of the black room for the first time. Han Fei held his breath, eager to see what was inside this nightmare-like room.

The expected cruel scene did not appear. The inside of the black room looked ordinary, with a shoe cabinet at the entrance, slightly cracked floors, and occasional black and red stains on the walls. An old digital clock showed the time as 3:15.

"This room layout..."

In the center of the small living room was a sofa, and in front of it, the TV seemed to be playing something.

The small figure, with a heart full of despair, did not run away again. It sat down on the sofa in despair.

The TV turned on, and the mutilated small figure stared at the screen, as if staring at Han Fei outside the screen.

Han Fei's heart skipped a beat. He was certain that the nightmare-like black room in the animation was the room he was currently in!

The small figure in the animation silently watched the TV, and suddenly, a face appeared from the bedroom behind it, followed by a neck and a body. The monster composed of human parts seemed to have grown larger.

The monster walked behind the small figure's sofa, placed one hand on the small figure's left shoulder, and then the other hand on the right shoulder.

The cold sensation made Han Fei's neck break out in goosebumps, and his right shoulder suddenly felt heavy.

Oh no!

The small figure in the animation seemed to be Han Fei himself, and the monster composed of human parts seemed to be standing behind him.

With his shoulders grabbed, the despair of the small figure in the animation seemed to pass to Han Fei.

Repeated futile escapes, with the body constantly losing parts, this was an unsolvable nightmare.

The small figure in the animation gave up struggling. The monster's body began to crack, revealing the faces hidden inside.

The sound of skin tearing and bones dislocating echoed behind Han Fei. His situation was the same as the small figure in the animation, the only difference being that the small figure had given up, while Han Fei was still staring at the monster in the animation, focusing on the human faces beneath its ugly exterior.

Before logging into the game, Han Fei had researched the human puzzle case and seen all the victims' photos. He realized that the faces in the monster's body were those of the victims, including Wei Youfu and his wife, Aimei.

With his shoulders locked, feeling the coldness and the immense force trying to drag him away, Han Fei felt a pain in his shoulders, closer to death than ever before.

The small figure in the animation was torn apart, and blood seeped out of the TV screen, causing the already eerie room to change again.

Han Fei also felt the pain in his shoulders, never feeling so close to death.

With his body firmly held by the hands, unable to escape, the small figure in the TV had been dismembered, which seemed to be Han Fei's final fate.

Under the immense pressure of death, Han Fei made one last attempt.

"You will kill me, I am not surprised."

"However, if there is a possibility, could I hear my wife's voice one more time? She is waiting for me to come home, and I promised to give her a wedding."

Clenching his teeth, his eyes were already wet. In the final moments of life and death, the man in front of him was not concerned about his own life but thought about the promise to his wife.

Simple words, as if containing some power, made the pale, human-composed arms hesitate.

"I worked hard, always working overtime until the early hours of the morning, but I never felt tired. I knew the light at home was still on."

"I am not afraid of death; I am afraid that she will keep waiting for me. Can you let me say goodbye to her?"

Tears welled up, his eyes red and swollen, and the ordinary face showed a determined look.

In the TV animation, the two faces in the monster's body that resembled Wei Youfu and Aimei slowly returned to normal. The hostility diminished, and they gazed at Han Fei, as if seeing themselves for a moment.

The monster stopped, and the seven faces inside its body seemed to be in disagreement.

Han Fei remained seated on the sofa, not daring to move, his eyes fixed on the TV.

The words he spoke were from Wei Youfu's perspective. No one had given Wei Youfu a chance back then, and now the choice was in Wei Youfu's hands.

Time ticked by, and the faces inside the monster's body became increasingly agitated. Just as they were about to attack Han Fei again, the seemingly honest and kind Wei Youfu suddenly went mad, biting the face next to him.

The room seemed to tremble, and the legs behind the TV cabinet quickly disappeared. Something seemed to be happening behind Han Fei.

Suppressing his curiosity, Han Fei continued to stare at the TV, his hands tightly clenched.

Soon, half an hour passed, and the oppressive feeling in the room gradually disappeared.

"Attention, Player 0000! You have successfully completed the G-level beginner task—Watching TV!"

"Attention, Player 0000! You have successfully leveled up to Level 2!"