The surface of the human cocoon was wrapped in something that looked like blood capillaries. It was feeding from the broken limbs. “The non-locals escaped into this apartment to rear this thing?” The human cocoon in the bedroom was hugely different from the human cocoon Han Fei had. He did not dare to carelessly reach out for it. Instead he found a broom and lightly knocked against the thing. The outer casing of the cocoon was extremely thin, it was basically transparent. When Han Fei’s broom knocked against it, he could see a shadow inside wiggling in response. “It feels like the thing inside is about to break out from its cocoon soon.”
To get to the bottom of this mystery, as much as Han Fei was wary of it, he had to place his hand on the cocoon for the system to examine it further. He gathered his courage and reached his hand into the heap of human carcasses. His fingers tried to evade the body parts. When Han Fei’s hand was about several cm from the cocoon, a thin blood thread emerged from the bottom of the cocoon. The thread pierced into Han Fei’s finger like a needle. Sensing the pain, Han Fei quickly pulled his hand back. The human cocoon in Room 1064 had been carefully looked after. It was well nourished. The thing inside the cocoon was not only alive, it could sense the immediate outer world around it.
‘The thing inside appears to possess intelligence, it is not a normal insect.’ Han Fei studied the wound on his fingertip. It was not big, but it was deep. ‘It is of no use to me, if anything, its existence is a danger to me.’ Han Fei took out the lighter from his pocket, he carried this thing originally to light up the cigarettes. “Are you an insect or a ghost? Or something else completely?” A dancing flame flickered inside the cold room. Han Fei grabbed some waste paper, wrapped it around the end of the broom and made it into a temporary torch. The man’s shadow swayed along with the dancing flame. Han Fei held the lit broom in his right hand while his left hand slowly approached the human cocoon. “I dare you to poke me again.”
The flame casted its ray on the cocoon. Under the skein, the small shadow trembled anxiously but it had nowhere to run. The blood capillaries charred from the flame. Han Fei could hear a wailing inside the room but at the same time, it also sounded far away. “Was that you?” Regardless, Han Fei was unfazed. He placed the lit torch right above the human cocoon. His hand finally got the chance to touch the blood red cocoon.
“Notification for Player 0000! You have found Grade G Blood Red Item, Human Cocoon.
“Human Cocoon (Blood Red Item): The cocoon for some kind of insect. It has feasted on a lot of blood and curse, it is in its final preparatory stage to break out from the cocoon.”
Staring at the cocoon that sat on top of the decomposing heap, Han Fei hesitated. The thing was about to break out from its cocoon soon, if he removed it from this environment, he might disrupt its growth. Han Fei personally wanted to see what kind of monster would emerge from this cocoon, after all, these non-locals had spent so much effort to provide it with a warm bed. However, Han Fei had no idea how long this preparatory stage would last. It was unrealistic for him to wait here forever, what if his other neighbours decided to drop in for a visit? It was unlikely that Xu Qin would be interested to come and do some bug watching with him either. “Those two are not the only ones staying on this floor. I’ve not explored the 3 other rooms yet. If I leave this thing here, it’ll definitely be taken away by the other non-locals.” Several seconds later, Han Fei made a decision. He reached out to tear away the capillaries on the cocoon’s surface. He yanked the cocoon off the bed and then shoved it inside his inventory. The moment he tore off the capillaries, the wailing intensified and strange noises came from the other rooms of the same floor.
“I better leave this place soon. It’ll be terrible if I get blocked up inside this room.” Han Fei did not want his loot to be taken away by others so he left Room 1064 in a hurry. “I’ve basically searched through the entire room, there’s nothing else that is worth staying for.”
After returning to the 5th floor, Han Fei knocked on the door to Room 1052. “Big Sister, I’ve found another cocoon on the 6th floor.” When he was Inside the room, Han Fei handed the cocoon over to Xu Qin. Xu Qin was surprisingly interested to witness the birth of the thing inside the cocoon. In the end, the two decided to keep the cocoon inside Room 1051 for now. The thing inside the cocoon was very sensitive. It could sense the danger inside Room 1051. It wailed miserably but that only increased Xu Qin’s interest in it even further. “I believe a cursed ghost is trapped inside the cocoon. It is very unique.” Xu Qin personally set the cocoon inside Room 1051. “Don’t worry, I will keep it well fed.”
Han Fei then said goodbye to Xu Qin and returned to the 4th floor. He did not log off because he had another task to do that night. Han Fei glanced downstairs. While he still had time, Han Fei wanted to have a talk with Weep. When he reached the 3rd floor, Han Fei noticed the door to Room 1034 was wide open. A chill draft seeped out from it. Han Fei hesitated sensing the ice from the ring. The last time he entered Room 1034, he barely escaped alive. While he hesitated, the strange footsteps returned. This time, it moved even faster and it sounded like it was heading right for Han Fei. “Xu Qin is right, I shouldn’t stay in the corridor for too long.”
Han Fei wasted no time and rushed into Weep’s room. Closing the door, Han Fei felt like he had walked into a morgue. He looked at the broken furniture and torn talismans, he felt quite sorry. He stepped over to the ceremonial urn at the corner. When the footsteps in the corridor disappeared, he asked softly, “Weep, are you here?” There was no response. Weep, who wished for companionship and friendship, did not appear to want them from Han Fei.
“We might have started this on the wrong foot. Let’s start from the beginning one more time…” Noticing the lack of response, Han Fei retreated to the door and said slowly, “You should still remember the name, He Yuhuai, right?”
The moment Han Fei uttered that name, the temperature in the room dropped. The scattered talisman and paper money rustled noisily. The paper dolls quivered in fear. A thin arm reached out from the broken urn. It was followed by a flimsy shadow.
“Weep…” Han Fei voiced out the thoughts that were in his heart, “He Shouye is dead but the crime he committed is not. Many souls are awaiting their justice and they need your help. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?” Just the mention of He Shouye’s name caused the shadow to twist. Children’s faces appeared on its body. Weep scratched at its body madly. Black blood splashed onto the ground.
“Calm down! Alright, I won’t ask any more questions. Please calm down.”
Weep looked like he was in extreme pain. He was about to dig out his own flesh. The child appeared to possess intense hatred towards the body that carried He Shouye’s lineage. Han Fei could not imagine the despair the boy must have gone through to harbor such intense hatred towards his father even after death. “Weep, the man is dead, no one is going to harm you anymore.”
After knowing He Yuhuai’s history, Han Fei couldn’t help but pity the child. He resisted his innate fear and slowly approached the boy. The small shadow mutilated himself. No matter how hard Han Fei consoled him, he could not stop Weep from literally tearing himself apart. Stooping before the boy who was blind with self-contempt, Han Fei subconsciously committed to this action. He opened his arms and lightly pulled Weep into a hug. “Everything’s okay now. I’m here for you, you hear me? I’m here for you.”
The black blood splashed on Han Fei’s body. They sizzled with pain but the man did not let go. His body was frozen numb but his heart was warm. He had no idea why he had done this. He was very afraid and very tired, but he knew he had to stop Weep from hurting himself. From his perspective, Weep had done nothing wrong, the one who should be punished was He Shouye. After a few minutes, Weep finally calmed down.
Han Fei was fully drained by then. He decided not to pressure Weep further. The past was too painful for the boy.
Han Fei released his grasp enveloping the boy. His arms were sore and paralyzed. It probably did him no good to have such close contact with a ghost.
Weep kept his head lowered. His arms dangled weakly by his sides. He still refused to actually acknowledge Han Fei’s presence.
“If you ever feel lonely, I will come to visit you, I’ll be your friend, the one who will stand by you.” Since Weep still did not give him any response, Han Fei gave a sigh and climbed up. He headed to the door. When he was about to reach the door, Han Fei turned around as if he was reminded of something. He looked at the small shadow at the corner, “You lost to me in the game of hide and seek. You remember our bet, right? You promised to help me do 3 things.”
Finally, that got a response from Weep. Seeing Weep reacting to his words, Han Fei’s face softened with a smile. “The first thing that I need you to do is to take good care of yourself. Don’t blame and injure yourself anymore no matter what happens in the future.”
The eyes slowly raised. When Weep looked to the door, Han Fei had already left Room 1034.
Dragging his exhausted body to the stairwell, the robotic voice suddenly erupted in his mind. “Notification for Player 0000! Friendliness with He Yuhuai increases by 5! Forming a peaceful neighbourly relationship is the first step to a perfect life.”
