Chapter 22

Han Fei knew that the old woman was not telling a story; she was talking about something that had happened to her.

The more kind-hearted a person is, the more they will feel uneasy and tormented after doing something against their conscience.

This guilt can become a disease, nesting in the heart, causing a dull ache whenever it is thought of.

Looking at the old woman's current state, Han Fei didn't know what to say.

Human hearts are complex; even a lifetime of kindness can lead to becoming an accomplice.

The old woman's health was not good; she clutched her chest and did not continue speaking.

During his conversation with Meng Shi, Han Fei noticed something very noteworthy.

The old woman in the game seemed to have no memory of her own death, which was strange.

The victims of the fourth-floor human puzzle case had etched their despair and pain into their bones; they were wildly aggressive, completely irrational, and had forgotten many things, except for the fact that they had been brutally murdered.

On the contrary, the old lady on the third floor, Meng Shi, was kind and gentle, remembering what had happened in her life, but she had forgotten that she was already dead.

Both were deceased, and Chen Ge suspected that the difference in their states was related to their condition at the time of death.

Those who were tortured and killed, harboring resentment and pain, would also become insane in the game.

However, someone like the old lady, whose death had a hidden cause, ultimately retained her sanity. Perhaps at the time of her death, she had little hatred, only regret and remorse.

Han Fei was still unclear about the specific reasons. The game was full of unknowns for him, and he needed to investigate step by step.

"Player 0000, please note! The G-level ordinary task of listening and accompanying has been completed! Meng Shi's friendliness increased by ten!"

"Player 0000, please note! Meng Shi's friendliness has reached the standard! Congratulations, you have gained Meng Shi's friendship! You have now learned how to get along well with your neighbors!"

Han Fei scrolled to the end of his attribute panel, where a new life chart had appeared, and Meng Shi's name was listed under the neighbors section.

"Meng Shi (Slight Regret): The old woman has a kind heart. She feels she owes the world and many people, with a self-sacrificing personality trait."

Staring at the character information, Han Fei was puzzled: "What does the 'Slight Regret' after the old woman's name mean?"

He tried touching the words "Slight Regret" on the attribute panel, and a cold, mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

"Most normal residents in this world have regrets, perhaps a certain obsession, an irretrievable past, or an unresolved issue."

"Regret levels are divided into Slight, Very, and Extreme. Different levels of regret manifest in different ways."

Hearing the voice in his mind, Han Fei became even more confused: "So, the NPCs are divided into three levels? No, the system only said that most normal residents in this world have regrets, but this netherworld also has ghosts and many abnormal people! They should have another classification system."

After gaining Meng Shi's friendship, Han Fei learned about the classification of normal residents, but to know the classification of ghosts and abnormal people, he would need to gain the friendship of a ghost or an abnormal person.

Three hours passed quickly, and Han Fei put on the jade pendant given by the old woman and went to the door.

His finger, which was wearing the ring, still felt cold. Han Fei knew the child had not gone far and was still lingering near the door.

"Granny, I think that child might stay by the door. When I open the door, I'll lead him away, and then you should immediately go to the opposite house to find Chen Chen. Don't hesitate."

"Okay." The old lady was determined to save her grandson.

"I'll count to three and open the door. You must wait until the child follows me before coming out." Han Fei took out the bunch of keys from his pocket and held the security door key: "Ready!"

"One, two, three!"

The security door opened, and Han Fei dashed out like an arrow.

As he entered the hallway, his fingers were immediately frozen, and he heard the child's crying.

Looking back, he saw a pale child crawling up the stairs!

Han Fei took three steps at a time. When he reached the fourth floor, he felt a heavy weight on his back.

"It's climbing on my back?!"

The cold spread from his back to his neck, then to his cheeks. Han Fei didn't dare to be distracted and quickly inserted the key into the lock.

He turned the key with all his might, his eyes fixed on the door!

As the cold swept across his cheeks and the security door was about to open, a pale child's face appeared from Han Fei's shoulder, stretching out in front of him!

The two faces were only a few inches apart, and Han Fei's hair stood on end. Anyone else would have been scared out of their wits, but he gritted his teeth and managed to open the security door.

His neck was deformed by the pressure, making it difficult to breathe. The child tried to push Han Fei down the stairs, but he charged into the house with a desperate determination.

He fell to the ground, and the child who had been choking him sat on his shoulders, covering his eyes with cold little hands.

The eerie crying echoed in his mind. Han Fei didn't have time to think and crawled toward the deepest bedroom in the haunted house, remembering that the monster had disappeared there.

The extra stamina from his level-up was crucial. He successfully reached the bedroom door and pounded on it desperately.

The door lock trembled; the haunted house hadn't been this lively in a long time.

"Wei Youfu!"

The dusty bedroom door finally burst open, and a cold wind blew out. The two little hands covering Han Fei's eyes slowly released.

Han Fei then saw seven figures sitting by the bed in the deepest part of the haunted house, their backs to him.

The room was like an ice cellar, pitch black and bone-chillingly cold.

At this moment, Han Fei did something even the ghosts didn't expect. He crawled into the bedroom with the child on his shoulders and even closed the bedroom door behind him!

In the darkness, the child's crying became even more piercing. Han Fei couldn't see anything, and he shivered, muttering: "This kid really wants to play with someone. He wants a friend. I thought, 'We have so many friends, he must be so happy.'"

When the pressure on his shoulders disappeared, Han Fei didn't hesitate for a second and immediately opened the bedroom door and rushed out.

The child on his back was gone, and Han Fei realized the child's crying had been left in the bedroom.

He collapsed on the ground, taking a long breath: "Scared the life out of me."

When the child had been choking him, he really thought he was going to die.

After checking the bedroom door and making sure it was closed, Han Fei ran to the living room: "The task to find Chen Chen isn't complete. I hope nothing has happened to the old lady."