Chapter 25

One person goes to the supermarket, one person goes to the movies, one person goes to have a hot pot.

When night fell, Han Fei came to the riverside alone.

The sunset sank into the river, and the streetlights shone on him.

The temperature gradually dropped, and the pedestrians around gradually decreased, but Han Fei still stood there, looking at the other side of the river.

"Han Fei? Why are you here alone?" Li Xue, dressed casually, jogged over.

"There's no scene for me today, so I just wandered around." As midnight approached, Han Fei admitted he was nervous; whether he would survive the next time he logged in depended entirely on luck.

"I saw you eating hot pot alone at the mall just now. I was going to say hello, but you left right after you finished." Li Xue stood next to Han Fei: "When you're feeling down, it's best to go out with friends, forget everything, and relax."

"I... don't have any friends." Han Fei thought for a moment and added: "I only have one decent neighbor."

"Then have you always been alone?"

"Yep." Han Fei's voice was very magnetic.

Looking at Han Fei standing by the river, Li Xue remembered a phrase her boss once said: overly idealistic people often don't fit in.

The river breeze blew Han Fei's bangs, and he silently gazed at the Smart New City on the other side of the river, where the tall buildings were brightly lit, but the brilliant lights couldn't reach him on the other side of the river.

Han Fei and Li Xue stood by the river, while Zhao Ming and Zhang Xiaotian hid in the bushes about twenty meters away.

"Why do I feel like Li Xue really values Han Fei? Do you think someone with Han Fei's personality would be popular with girls?" Zhang Xiaotian squatted and asked in a low voice.

"It depends. Someone like Han Fei, who looks decent, girls might find him moody; if you were like that, they'd probably think you were just whining."

"Are you asking for a beating?"

"Just being honest." Zhao Ming didn't continue arguing with Zhang Xiaotian. He took out his phone and called Captain Wang: "Captain, we've been following Han Fei all day, and he has indeed changed my impression. Someone like him is unlikely to start a fire."

Zhao Ming and Zhang Xiaotian's suspicions about Han Fei had decreased significantly; his unintentional kindness had moved them.

"Did he notice you while you were following him?" Captain Wang seemed to doubt Zhao Ming's tracking skills: "What about Li Xue? Have her take the call; that girl may not follow the rules, but she's very capable."

"Li Xue? She's talking to Han Fei by the river right now."

"What?"

"Talking about life and such..."

"Is that what I asked? Is that the point? I told you to observe him in secret! All three of you, get back here immediately!"

Li Xue, who was standing by the river with Han Fei, suddenly received a message, but she didn't even seem to want to look at it.

After a while, her phone kept vibrating.

"Is that your phone? Aren't you going to answer it?" Han Fei could hear the buzzing.

"Maybe we can talk another time." Li Xue hung up and left the riverside with her phone.

The night grew darker, and Han Fei stayed until after ten o'clock before going home.

Walking down the familiar road, Han Fei returned to his rented small apartment. He ordered some barbecue takeout and played a program he had previously appeared in on his computer.

"In the show, I laughed so happily, but was I really that happy?"

Time passed unnoticed, and after drinking some alcohol, Han Fei sat quietly by the table. He skillfully connected various cables and picked up the game helmet.

Looking at the time at the bottom of the computer screen, Han Fei didn't know what he was thinking. He forced himself to focus and put on the game helmet when midnight arrived.

His vision was blocked, and his body felt like it was sinking into the sea. Then everything around him turned blood red.

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

Before his eyes even opened, Han Fei smelled a pungent odor. He didn't move, carefully feeling the cold sensation on his ring finger.

"The ghost is right next to me."

There was no worse news than this. Han Fei tried to stay calm, knowing that the next few minutes could determine his life or death.

When he opened his eyes, almost as soon as his vision focused, a sickly excitement surged in Han Fei's eyes. He needed to use his acting skills to establish his "character."

Looking around, he was still in Room 1034, but the room had undergone a complete transformation since he left.

All the furniture was destroyed, the floor was littered with fragments and debris, the wardrobe was smashed, the bed was overturned, and the blankets and mattresses were torn into shreds. The room was covered with children's handprints.

It seemed the ghost in the room had turned the place upside down to find him.

The landlord's ring emitted a cold aura, but the aura was weak and vague.

Han Fei raised his arm, feeling the cold sensation on his fingertips, and turned to see "Cry" standing on the altar in the corner of the living room.

This small, dark shadow emitted a much weaker aura than before. Both of its arms were missing, and it was regenerating very slowly.

Seeing this, Han Fei understood two things.

First, Cry, unable to find him, went mad and continued searching in other neighbors' apartments, leading to conflicts with them.

Second, Cry's missing arms and fluctuating aura indicated that there might be more dangerous ghosts hidden in the building.

He had just said a casual word, but it seemed to have had a significant impact.

Cry, having lost its arms, stood quietly on the severely damaged altar, surrounded by shredded paper figures, but no other children were visible.

"You just wanted someone to play with you, and they cruelly took your arms. That's not fair." Han Fei approached Cry: "Who did it? Maybe I can help you."

Han Fei didn't directly say that Cry had lost the game, didn't force Cry to keep the promise, and didn't mention the three tasks Cry owed him.

At this moment, Han Fei seemed to have found an interesting toy. He didn't hide his malice and squatted in front of Cry: "Don't cry, don't cry, what happened?"

He had said the same words earlier, but now they sounded different.

Squatting next to Cry, he seemed more like a wild beast ready to pounce, secretly sharpening its fangs.

The dark shadow turned its head to face Han Fei, as if sizing him up.

Everyone in the neighborhood called him Cry, but only Han Fei told him not to cry and showed no fear.

Cry didn't want to believe it, but he was gradually starting to doubt. The person in front of him might be even more evil and terrifying, perhaps a ghost in human skin.