Chapter 6

After losing his job, Han Fei played many games, mainly to vent the stress inside him, hoping to quickly adjust his state and regain the motivation to live.

Now that his goal has been achieved, after playing the game "Perfect Life," he deeply understood the beauty of life. The injustices he had faced seemed so insignificant compared to the horrors of ghosts and perverts.

In a sense, he was indeed healed.

However, this method of healing was rather brutal, like having a splinter in his finger and cutting off the entire arm to get rid of it.

He collapsed weakly on the ground, with pain and fatigue tormenting every nerve. Han Fei didn't know whether he had fallen asleep or passed out.

...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At seven in the morning, Han Fei was woken by the knocking at the door. He got up from the floor, still a bit dazed.

It wasn't until he saw the game helmet on the table and the bloodstains inside it that he realized last night's game wasn't just a dream.

"Rookie tasks are so difficult, and there will definitely be even more terrifying tasks later. Isn't this just sending me to my death? I'm just a comedian, I don't even know how to fight. How can I possibly stand up to a whole building of vicious 'neighbors'?"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The knocking continued. Before playing the game, Han Fei, who suffered from severe social anxiety, would most likely pretend no one was home and wait for the person to leave.

But after playing the game, he didn't think much about it and simply went to open the door.

"Hello, we are from the Happiness Road Police Station in the old district. I'm Zhao Ming, and this is my colleague Zhang Xiaotian."

"Police?"

Seeing the two officers in uniform at the door, Han Fei's eyes lit up. The thing in his head called "Black Box" had threatened to cause brain death if he called the police, but now the police had come to him.

"Please come in!" Han Fei had never been so eager to communicate with anyone. He invited the two officers into the house and went to the fridge to find some drinks.

"We came here to ask you some questions. A fire occurred in our jurisdiction, and surveillance footage shows you at the scene." The two officers looked at Han Fei's enthusiastic demeanor, finding it a bit strange. Zhao Ming checked his phone and noticed that Han Fei's behavior didn't match the information in the police investigation.

"Actually, I also have something to tell you." Han Fei sat down across from the police with a drink.

"Oh?" The two officers exchanged glances, their expressions becoming more serious. They stared intently at Han Fei: "What do you want to tell us?"

"Last night..."

"Warning! Player 0000, please note! Do not reveal the existence of the first version of 'Perfect Life' to anyone! After three warnings, the Black Box will explode in your brain!"

His brain felt as if it was being yanked, and the deep tremor from his brain made Han Fei open his mouth but unable to continue speaking.

The two officers looked at Han Fei's half-open mouth, and the three of them remained motionless for a few seconds.

"What happened last night?" The two officers waited, unaware of the pressure Han Fei was under. Large beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks, and the terrifying sensation of destruction in his brain lingered.

Veins bulged on his forehead, and Han Fei clenched his teeth. He slammed his fist on the sofa but ultimately didn't reveal the existence of the game.

The two officers were startled by Han Fei's actions: "Calm down, speak calmly. Resisting with force is the most foolish thing to do."

Racking his brain, Han Fei deliberately avoided mentioning the game and tried to explain his troubles from another angle.

To prevent the Black Box in his head from exploding, he spoke each word very carefully: "At midnight last night, pay attention to this time, an old lady invited me to eat dumplings. Her grandson suddenly threw the fish soup, saying the ingredients were taken from a coffin, but the ingredients were actually from the fridge. I felt like there might be a body in their fridge."

"Shouldn't you reflect on yourself for having such thoughts?" The two officers looked at Han Fei's serious expression. Zhao Ming quietly turned on the body camera, and Zhang Xiaotian subtly placed his hand behind his back: "Then what?"

"I went home and started sleeping. The bathroom door moved on its own, and something came out. Do you believe in ghosts?"

"What?"

"Ghosts! They crouch on the ground and suddenly disappear, with a pale face and a body without bones! When I opened my eyes, it was hiding next to the bedside lamp!" Han Fei's emotions grew more intense. He was afraid the police would leave and miss the chance to seek help, so he gesticulated wildly, fully demonstrating his solid acting skills.

"I've already taken out the body camera, and you're telling me about ghosts?" Zhao Ming took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone calm: "If that's all you want to tell us, then forget it. We'll ask you a few questions, and please answer truthfully."

"Heaven and earth, I'm telling the truth!" Han Fei wasn't acting; he blinked frantically, like a hostage, but his captor was a game, not a kidnapper.

"The first question: Why were you at the antique street in the old district at 1:30 PM yesterday?"

"I went to buy second-hand games. By the way! We can find the shop owner! Comrades, let's go find the shop owner together..."

"What shop owner? Many of the buildings on that old street are dilapidated, and all the shops were closed three months ago."

"That's impossible! I've been buying games from that second-hand store for three consecutive days! Let's go there now! I'll take you to the store!" Han Fei stood up.

"Are you really unaware or just pretending? A fire broke out on antique street yesterday afternoon, and all the second-hand stores were destroyed. Fortunately, the shops had been closed for a long time, so no one was injured." Zhao Ming and Zhang Xiaotian found Han Fei suspicious.

"All the second-hand stores were burned down?" Han Fei looked at the two officers in shock. After a moment, his eyes became determined: "That's impossible! There's a loophole! I clearly remember the shop owner's appearance! If you find this person, you can prove I'm not lying!"

Han Fei, a professional actor, had a very good memory. He took out paper and pen and wrote down the shop owner's appearance: "Find him according to this! You'll definitely find him!"

"I can responsibly tell you that there are no shops operating there..."

Zhao Ming was about to say more when his phone vibrated. He asked Zhang Xiaotian to keep an eye on Han Fei and stepped out of the room.

"Hello? Captain Wang?"

"Have you arrived at the arson suspect's house? Did you find anything?"

"We've arrived. After talking and questioning him, we found that he is indeed a bit off."

"Tell me more."

"Based on the personality model built from citizen information and big data, he is a very introverted and hardworking comedian. We also found his psychological counseling records, which state that he has severe social anxiety disorder."

"A comedian with social anxiety?"

"The citizen information and data analysis say that, but in our actual interaction, the suspect was extremely agitated and behaved very strangely. I suspect his social anxiety has improved, but..."

"But what?"

"But he seems to have gone mad."