When all pain and despair was gathered on a single person, that person’s power level would have a drastic increase but the process would seriously harm said person as well. The human puzzle case victims knew this would impact them negatively but they still insisted on helping Han Fei. Taking in their expressionless faces, and their eyes dominated by pain and despair, Han Fei was quite touched.
“We’re going to Apartment 2 today for a peaceful talk, we should avoid using force if possible.” Han Fei watched as the victims disappeared after they walked behind Wei Youfu, they appeared to dissolve into his body but nothing about Wei Youfu appeared to have changed. “We can’t leave this place that easily so when you plan to leave, just notify me.”
“Okay.” To prevent further accidents, Han Fei decided to visit each of his neighbours and wait for 3 hours to be over before he made his move to the opposite building. He first dropped by to check on Xu Qin. The latter was not home, she was probably out grocery shopping again. “Xu Qin’s curse can only be controlled via endless consumption but the more she consumes, the stronger the curse on her body. How can I help her?” Xu Qin accompanied Han Fei to Apartment 2 yesterday night. Xu Qin had to ingest all her stores of food before she could calm down again. As the curse continued to deepen, Han Fei could not guarantee if Xu Qin could still return from the edge the next time she went berserk.
“The previous building manager appeared to have done something on Meng Si and Xu Qin’s memory but that does not solve the problem. Avoidance merely delays the problem, it does not solve it.” Han Fei continued to move up the floors. Han Fei found Ying Yue, the poor girl still won’t communicate with Han Fei. She just guarded the aquarium. After making sure that there was no mission available inside the building, Han Fei returned to Room 1044. After he waited for 3 hours, he left with Wei Youfu.
“Youfu, careful not to stress yourself. If you can’t handle it, just leave me and save yourself first.” Han Fei could log off after he completed one mission, so he meant what he said. Wei Youfu chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I am very weak but Little Eight is very strong, don’t worry.” Han Fei tried a lot of the landlord’s keys before he found the correct one. He looked out. Half a human head peeked from the top of the outer walls around the neighbourhood. Two pupil-less eyes stared at him.
“A ghost from outside the neighbourhood? I wonder what kind of ghost that is.” The ghost outside the wall did not make any move, it merely stared quietly at Han Fei. The milky white eyes seemed to follow the man.
“We shan’t stay outside for too long. Hurry.” Xu Qin said something similar yesterday. These old tenants seemed to understand that it was dangerous to stay too long outside in the world. The duo hurried to Apartment 2. Once he entered the corridor, Han Fei was greeted by a stinging smell of death and blood. “After Xu Qin and I left yesterday, the tenants appeared to have gotten into a fight with the rest of the non-locals.”
Stepping through the dried pools of blood, Han Fei just arrived at the 2nd floor when he encountered a girl. She wandered among the stairs with her arms behind her. There was a strangulation mark covered under her collar. Her skin was incredibly pale. The girl did not react to Han Fei’s arrival.
“Hello, is there anything I can help you with?” Han Fei actively tried to communicate with the girl. He noticed the arms behind the girl were bleeding. “Are you injured? Did those non-locals hurt you?” Using Soul-Depth Touch, Han Fei studied the girl’s broken arm under the girl’s surprised gaze. “Your wound is fresh, who did this? Perhaps I can help you.”
“You can help me find my hands?” The girl’s eyes wandered between her stumps and Han Fei. “Don’t toy with me. I know people here hate me. Yesterday, someone said he’d help me too but I realized he was just saying that. All of you hate me, I know it…”
“The world is so big, there is bound to be people who hate you but also people who love you. I know talk is cheap. After I chase away all these non-locals, I’ll help you locate your hands, then you’ll believe me.” Han Fei detected only a weak resentment from the girl.
“You really wish to help me?” The girl’s voice was thick with distrust probably because she had been disappointed too many times.
“Of course.” After giving his guarantee, Han Fei finally heard the system notification.
“Notification for Player 0000! You have triggered Grade G Mission—Find the Missing Hands.
“Find the missing Hands (Grade G Normal Mission): No time limit. Find the cursed hands inside Apartment 2.”
‘A cursed pair of hands?’ Han Fei was about to ask the girl why her hands were cursed when the sound of door opening came from the corridor. The doors on the 3rd floor opened and a pair of ghosts shuffled down. One was tall and the other was short. They carried a mouldy haze around them. They were misfortune and tragedy personified. After these two, another set of footsteps echoed in the corridor. Following a heady smell of blood, a man with a knife stuck in his chest walked down the stairs.
Then, the door on the 4th floor clicked open. The woman covered in bruises and wounds sauntered down carrying a human head in her embrace.
“Be careful.” Wei Youfu warned. Han Fei also did not expect the ghost tenants at Apartment 2 to appear all at once. He initially intended to talk to them one by one.
“We came from Apartment 1, we want to help you deal with the non-locals.” Han Fei said with a kind smile. His expression changed very fast. As a professional actor, he could input 10 different emotions behind a similar smile.
“There’s no need for that. We’ve already killed all the non-locals here ourselves.” The tall ghost said. His voice was gravelly and dipped with an intense loathing.
“But they will return. You might have killed this batch now, but the next batch will come to take their places and they’ll only be stronger.” Han Fei was not lying. Based on the previous manager’s final words, Han Fei was certain that something scary would be coming for him.
“And your point is?”
“We’re the only occupants of this neighbourhood so I believe we should help each other to protect and improve our home.” Han Fei said with sincerity, “If you run into any difficulty, we’ll come to help; and I hope you’ll do the same for us.”
“You alone wish to represent the entire Apartment 1?” The man with the knife in his chest said chillingly. He looked more like a moving carcass. “That aside, I couldn’t care less what happened to the rest of you.”
He turned to the other ghosts in his building. “I personally do not believe in solidarity and cooperation, in this place, only by killing each other that we can survive.”
“How about this, we’ll vote it out. The majority wins.” Han Fei raised his hand. “Every tenant in Happiness Neighbourhood will have a power of vote. If you agree to the alliance, raise your hand.” Wei Youfu raised his hand soon after. The tall ghost wanted to as well but when he realized none of his neighbours did, he put down his hand again.
“If voting can solve problems, then this city would not be drowned in despair.” The man with the knife in his chest scoffed. “You’ve helped us yesterday night so we’ll let you go this time. Leave while you still can.”
“Who said voting can’t solve problems?” Han Fei still maintained the kind smile on his face but he moved several steps away from Wei Youfu. While the rest looked on with confusion, a pair of arms reached out from Wei Youfu’s back. The Yin energy spread like waves. Then more pairs of hands grew and multiplied. Ghastly human faces carved on the hands howled in pain.
The despair of the several victims weaved together. The resentment gathered and bound with each other to form a giant red spectre!
