Chapter 91

Upon hearing the story of Cry, Han Fei was deeply saddened.

However, amidst his sorrow, Han Fei was even more curious about what Cry had seen that day.

After patiently questioning, Cry wildly gestured with his hands and eventually burst into tears.

"Don't cry, don't cry. I'm not trying to rub salt in your wound; I just really want to know what's on the ninth floor. Actually, I'm planning to go to the ninth floor tonight too."

Hearing that Han Fei was also going to the ninth floor, Cry's waving arms slowly stopped. He stared at Han Fei for a long time, then wrote four characters on Han Fei's palm: Remember yourself.

"Remember yourself?"

Han Fei wanted to ask more, but Cry disappeared from the spirit altar as if avoiding a plague.

"This kid... is he really that distant?"

Without leaving room 1034, Han Fei sat amidst a pile of talismans and paper figures, his mind engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

"The last two pieces of the human puzzle in the F-class mission are on the ninth floor. If I can't find all the pieces tonight, the mission will fail, and my previous efforts will be in vain."

"I want to save my roommates and complete their bodies. I also want to uncover the secrets of the tenth floor, which can only be done by going through the ninth floor. In other words, I will eventually have to go to the ninth floor."

Han Fei knew the ninth floor was dangerous, but he didn't want to give up on the F-class mission.

He deliberated until three in the morning, and when the game exit button lit up, Han Fei finally made up his mind.

"Let's take a look at the ninth floor first. If it's really dangerous, I'll run to Ying Yue's place for shelter. If that doesn't work, I'll log out."

The F-class human puzzle mission was entering its final countdown. Han Fei left room 1034 and started his ascent, preparing to attempt the ninth floor.

The eerie footsteps did not sound, and Han Fei smoothly reached the eighth floor.

He first went to greet Ying Yue and opened the security door of her home. If he encountered danger later, he could skip the step of opening the door and run inside directly.

After doing this, Han Fei still didn't go up. He leaned on the railing and peered up through the gaps, looking at the ninth and tenth floors.

The ninth and tenth floors showed no abnormalities, appearing even safer than the other floors, like a regular old residential building.

The more ordinary and normal it seemed, the more uneasy Han Fei felt. He didn't know where the ghosts would appear, and he couldn't focus on any particular area.

Gripping the railing, Han Fei paid attention to his surroundings while keeping an eye on the game exit button.

"Let's go up and take a look."

Stepping onto the stairs leading to the ninth floor, Han Fei didn't notice anything wrong. The stairs were just ordinary stairs, the air had no strange smell, and he heard no odd sounds.

After confirming there was no danger, Han Fei reached the middle of the eighth and ninth floors, where Cry had severed his own arms.

Standing at the corner between the two floors, Han Fei looked up at the four doors on the ninth floor.

The security doors were ordinary, with nothing but room numbers on them. After taking a few more steps, he noticed something strange.

In front of room 1091, there was a brazier with unburned paper money inside. Next to the brazier was a black frame containing a black-and-white photo with no face.

"Something doesn't feel right."

The faceless black-and-white photo gave Han Fei a chill. After a closer look, he realized the person in the photo was wearing the same clothes as him!

His legs involuntarily wanted to retreat, but when Han Fei turned around, he found the stairs he had come from had disappeared, leaving only suffocating darkness behind him.

"Player 0000, please note! You have collected all the former building manager's relics, meeting the conditions to successfully trigger the F-class Manager Mission: Building Manager!"

"Building Manager (F-class Manager Mission): The basic duties of the building manager are to understand and manage the basic situation of the residents, eliminate various safety hazards, mediate family and neighborhood disputes, actively resolve conflicts, assist vulnerable groups, and kill anyone who wants to become the building manager."

"Note! Due to the significant difference between your level and the mission, additional mission hints are provided!"

"In every building in this world, there exists the most cunning, cruel, insane, and terrifying entity, which some residents call the manager. You now have two paths: be killed by him or become him."

"Note! Each manager mission is formed based on the memory and past of the previous manager. You will enter the manager's memory, where death has no penalty, but each death will cost you part of your memory."

"Note! If you forget who you are during the mission, you will be permanently trapped in the manager mission, becoming part of the previous manager's memory, and he will use your body to be reborn!"

The sudden voice in his head made Han Fei freeze: "F-class manager mission? F-class missions are much harder than G-class missions, and manager missions seem to be even more difficult than regular missions. How hard will it be with both combined?"

The way back was swallowed by darkness, and the stairs had completely disappeared. Han Fei tried to walk into the darkness, but his health points dropped drastically as soon as he approached.

Now he finally understood why no one who went to the ninth floor ever came back down—there was no way down!

With no way to retreat, Han Fei had to go to the ninth floor. Then he discovered something even more terrifying.

Turning to look up, he saw a wall, as if the building had no tenth floor, and the ninth floor was the top.

"The mission hint said that all manager missions are formed based on the memory of the previous manager. So, I might have been pulled into the manager's memory? I can only complete the mission if I gain the recognition of the previous manager?"

Taking a deep breath, Han Fei tried to gather his thoughts, but when he opened his attribute panel, he was completely shaken.

Next to his character's name, a new line appeared: The player is in an abnormal state and cannot exit the game temporarily.

"Cannot exit?!"

Han Fei knew what these words meant. If he couldn't complete the F-class mission, he might be trapped here forever!

Anxious and restless, it took Han Fei a long time to calm down. He squatted in front of room 1091, where the person in the photo on the door had completely turned into himself.

"It's okay, as long as I complete the mission, I can leave. I should be able to do it." Han Fei stared at his own photo, where he was smiling happily, a smile he hadn't shown in a long time.

"In the deep world, regular missions are the easiest, followed by hidden missions, and then manager missions. Once you accept a manager mission, you enter a special state. Manager missions seem to be the core of the entire deep world mission system!"

"If I can complete such a mission, I will gain a deeper understanding of the entire deep world."

Everything has its good and bad sides. Han Fei didn't wallow in despair. He knew that risk and reward were equal.