422 Light the Altar
The event that night scarred Bai Xian deeply. He didn’t even dare to accept his phone. It felt like he was already considering changing his number so Han Fei couldn’t reach him anymore.
“I believe this is a limited edition Deep Space Tech phone, are you sure you’re going to dump it because of the videos inside?” Han Fei didn’t get it. If he had the latest Deep Space Tech phone, he would not let it go so easily. He would fight to get it back even if it was stolen by ghost.
“Really, I don’t need it anymore.” Bai Xian took another step back as Han Fei walked towards him with the phone. When he saw what Han Fei was holding, his face paled even more. “Why didn’t you leave the white shoes with the police?”
“You mean this?” Han Fei unwrapped the murderer’s jacket which was used to cover up the white shoes. “I want to study them closer.”
“Study them? My god, I’ve seen actors stealing props from sets, but I have not seen an actor swiping evidence from a crime scene! I think you better leave them with the police!” Bai Xian’s scalp was numb. As the senior, he felt he had the responsibility to prevent Han Fei from making more mistakes. In the end, the white shoes were taken by the police as evidence.
Han Fei and Bai Xian were then released by the police. When they walked down the corridor lit up by the police’s searchlights, they ran into the security guard. The man squatted at the corner wearing a uniform that didn’t fit him. He looked lost.
“The man is quite pitiable to have been lied to by his own brother.” Han Fei intended to talk to the guard to get his contact number. He was worried that the white shoes might take revenge on the guard. However, before Han Fei got close, the guard stood up dumbly. He stared at Bai Xian behind Han Fei and then pointed. “You look so similar to my idol, his name is Bai Xian.”
Earlier the guard was too nervous to notice he was in the company of a big celebrity.
“You got the wrong person.” Bai Xian picked up his pace and darted out like the wind. “My name is Hei Yin.”
Han Fei and Bai Xian returned to Bai Xian’s car. Bai Xian looked at Han Fei who sat in the passenger seat. He laughed self-deprecatingly. “Truly not everyone can be a hero, I think I should stay as an actor. Now I think I understand why you didn’t care about the glitz and glamor.” In the entertainment industry, everyone felt like they were shielded inside a bubble. They floated in the sky but that also meant that they had detached themselves from the world. Bai Xian learned a lot that night. He was taught some great lessons. He was about to share more with Han Fei when Han Fei suddenly gave him back his phone. “What’s wrong?”
“Director Zhang has given you 20 calls, what should we tell him?”
“Damn! I’ve forgotten all about him!” They quickly made a video call to Director Zhang. They wanted to include the police cruisers behind them as evidence but once the call was connected, Director Zhang’s stern face filled up the screen. “This is the first time I have to take the stage to accept nominations on an actor’s behalf in my life as a director. Where the hell are the both of you now?”
“We’re still in the countryside. The police just arrived.”
“Then there’s no need for you two to return anymore. The event is almost over. Take care of yourself.” Even though Director Zhang was angry, he understood the situation. His words were ultimately of concern. To be frank, Director Zhang was both angry and glad that night. The actor he cultivated was nominated for many awards and that made him proud.
After hanging up, Bai Xian drove Han Fei home. When he saw where Han Fei lived, he was shocked. “Han Fei, you’ve earned so much already, why are you still living in this place? I’d advise you to buy a home for yourself in the intelligent city. It’s worth it whether you plan to live there yourself, or for investment.” Bai Xian had a point. “Plus, you’re a celebrity now. It’s too unsafe for you to stay in a neighbourhood with patrols and guards.”
“Brother Bai, you underestimate this neighbourhood.” Han Fei got down from the car. “Your neighbourhood might have security and photon computer’s defences, but my neighbourhood is constantly watched by the police. As long as the Butterfly is still out there, my neighbourhood is the safest place in Xin Lu.” With a professional smile, Han Fei bade farewell to Bai Xian.
As Bai Xian drove away, he thought to himself, ‘The man has such a simple life, perhaps I should pursue that simplicity too.’
Han Fei hurried home before midnight. He looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. Eating, showering, and preparing, when Han Fei was done, it was almost midnight. He crawled into the gaming hub. “The plastic surgery hospital is looking for the Butterfly’s trace. I need to complete my plan before they realize the Butterfly has already been vanquished.” Putting on the helmet, Han Fei started gaming.
The feeling of wetness came from all over his body. It seeped into his soul. When the city was dyed red, Han Fei’s consciousness was bleeding as well. The blood was not his but they leaked out from behind him.
Opening his eyes, Han Fei found himself standing at the spot where he logged off last time. He looked at his hands and his pale skin was free of blood stains. “What is that blood world that appears during the login screen? It seems to be viewable by Unmentionables only…” Hearing Han Fei’s mumbling, the living room door opened. Ying Yue and Drake walked in.
“Boss, a large number of monsters bound by life thread have appeared around Ziggurat. They appear to have noticed the Butterfly’s absence.” Drake looked worried. It was not easy for them to find a safe space but people kept trying to ruin that.
“The monsters from the hospital have their own life threads, and it looks like they’ve made their move.” Han Fei glanced at his Life Points. It was thanks to his masterful acting that he managed to look so calm despite only having 1 life point. “Wait a moment.” Han Fei looked at his character profile. When he saw that he had been given a new curse, anticipation grew in his heart. He scrolled down. Thanks to the work he did in real life with the police, Han Fei’s afterlife karma continued to grow, it was now 101 points.
‘To level up the altar, I need to have a minimum reputation too.’ Han Fei scrolled to the reputation page and noticed his reputation had rocketed to 97 points. He had no idea how his neighbours managed that. It felt like they had vented all the negative emotions they had been harbouring. This gave Han Fei a bad premonition. ‘I fear that in the future, whenever I tell others my name, a bunch of ghosts will jump out to ambush me.’
However, Han Fei had no choice. This was the minimum requirement to level up the altar. ‘For normal Unmentionables, everyone knows their name but no one dares to mention it… I think I understand now why the system warns the players from building their own altar before level 30.’ As a player less than level 20, his name was now known to innumerable Lingering Spirits.
Han Fei shivered at the thought of Lingering Spirits chanting his name in hatred. ‘I didn’t expect my reputation to spread so quickly. I better call my neighbours back, they have done too good of a job! If this continues, my reputation might reach 200 points soon. Especially Big Sin, I have to catch it back!’
Walking out from the room with Drake and Ying Yue, Han Fei planned to go to Ancestral Hall Street. The moment his reputation reached 100, he would upgrade his altar instantly. Before he left, Han Fei paid a visit to the jumper woman. When she was relatively conscious he invited her to Ancestral Hall Street with him.
With the company of the jumper woman, Han Fei felt more at ease.
On the way there, Han Fei completed a Grade G Mission. Han Fei had completed all the missions available at Ziggurat, but he still couldn’t reach level 20. Han Fei reached Ancestral Hall Street. He entered the hall at the centre of the street alone. The tenants from Ziggurat guarded outside the door, they were all waiting for Han Fei to light the altar.
