706 Key
Han Fei didn’t have the time to immerse himself in the joy of reunion. He dragged his broken body up from the ground. When he was pulled underwater by Lake God, he almost died. In that situation, Big Sin, who was bound by the altar, was heavily simulated. Combine that with the sacrifice of the blood cocoon, Big Sin managed to break free.
This ugly monster found a trace of Dream on Fu Sheng’s altar. It became stronger and scarier. It emitted stronger misfortune and death too.
“This, this is your pet?!” The lifeguard grabbed Han Fei’s clothes and hid behind him. He didn’t even dare to look at Big Sin.
“It is my pet.” Han Fei sighed in relief when he saw Big Sin. It was a very powerful ally. Big Sin was sometimes more powerful than Pure Hatred. “It has already consumed the Lake God, so it will protect all the villagers here in the future. Even though it looks ugly, it is not bad. It is our friend.”
“Friend?” The lifeguard forced himself to look at Big Sin. The semi-human monster crawled toward Han Fei. It allowed Han Fei to pet its head, but its spike pierced into Han Fei’s flesh. Neither of them minded.
“Han Fei, your hand is bleeding.”
“It’s fine. I’m raising my resistance against Soul Poison. Didn’t you notice all the water spiders died after they bit me?” Han Fei patted Big Sin’s head. “Do you want to try?”
“No, thank you.” The lifeguard shook his head vehemently.
“It’s quite gentle. You should communicate with it more. Its name is Big Sin.” Sitting on Big Sin’s back, Han Fei returned to the stone house.
Staring at Han Fei and Big Sin, the lifeguard mumbled, “We might be saved this time.” Big Sin led Han Fei back to Guan Miao. The ugly old man knelt before Big Sin and prayed in the local dialect. He appeared to be asking for divine forgiveness.
“That Lake God was merely a monster who had lived for a long time. It became the Lake God due to your worship and faith. While it enjoyed your sacrifices, it also preyed on the villagers.” Han Fei grabbed Guan Miao and studied the scales on his body. After Big Sin ate the blood cocoon, the scales on Guan Miao started to recover. However, the old man’s life force was gone. He looked even older.
“The vacation town’s young men have been made into the blood cocoons and the others into water ghosts. They won’t be coming back. If you really want change, have faith in Big Sin. At least, it’s more reliable than that Lake God.” Big Sin was the manifestation of tragedy. Its life was tragic. If it gained people’s faith, the pressure on it might lessen.
After inspecting the stone house, Han Fei checked the island. After making sure he didn’t miss anything, he led the group and left. Destruction of the fourth ritual took too much time. He had to rush back to Happiness Neighborhood lest there were accidents. The four of them got on the boat. Big Sin submerged underwater and pushed the boat from below. The lantern swayed. The water ghosts stayed away. They had recognized Big Sin as their new master.
Before Han Fei reached the shore, the villagers had gathered. They could sense the changes in their bodies and knew that Han Fei had succeeded. Guan Miao cooperated with Han Fei. He didn’t tell them what happened in the stone house but hailed Big Sin as the new Lake God. The water rippled as Big Sin climbed out of the water. The villagers immediately knelt on the ground and prayed. Big Sin was bored. The presence of death filled up the air.
“It’s getting late. We need to return to Happiness Neighborhood.” Han Fei told Guan Miao some things and prepared to leave. The four took the taxi, and Big Sin raced behind them. It was fast and could morph into shadows, so it could always keep up.
“Han Fei, where did you get your pet? Why can it absorb Dream’s power?” Yan Yue’s mother asked. Dream had prepared the ritual, but it benefited this monster instead.
“I’m not sure.” Han Fei didn’t plan to explain anything.
“It has dominated the blood cocoon and consumed the Lake God, cutting off Dream’s backup plan. Now you can control the water ghosts in the lake. This is crucial to us.” Yan Yue’s mother pointed at the city in the dark. “The underwater system of this city is connected to the lake. You can have it chase the water ghosts into the underwater system and have them be our eyes and ears.”
“Hmm. That is not a bad idea.” Han Fei nodded seriously.
“The main issue is that your pet looks too scary. The citizens will be scared when they see it. So it’s better for it to stay in the dark.” Even Yan Yue’s mother felt uneasy around Big Sin. Yan Yue was very fragile. If she accidentally brushed against Big Sin, she would be tortured by Soul Poison.
The black taxi entered Happiness Neighborhood before midnight. Different from the outside, the night sky here was red. The overlapping of this area and the cryptic world intensified. This place would become the crossroad for both worlds every midnight. The citizens gathered in Buildings One, Two, and Three. They were so scared that they hid inside the rooms.
“You’re finally back!” Worm who was guarding the entrance was relieved to see Han Fei. “The sky has turned red. The cleaned apartments started to get strange again. Currently, Xiao Yu’s mother is the only one handling everything.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll turn this into a safe zone.” Han Fei waved behind him and Big Sin walked out between Building Ten and One. Its over 5 meters large body shone underneath the red sky. It was very oppressive. “Tell everyone to stay indoors. I’m going to patrol the place tonight.”
Sitting on Big Sin’s shoulders, Han Fei took out the script. He studied the other stories. After Big Sin awakened, he had the ability to fight back.
Worm looked at Han Fei. His lips twitched as he sensed the death from Big Sin. ‘Even though he’s only reading the script, it’s like he’s plotting a murder. Is that the power of a top actor?’
The clock at midnight chimed. Happiness Neighborhood overlapped with the cryptic world. The air of despair rose up from underground and soaked into the walls. It grabbed at everyone’s throat like invisible hands. The citizens were shivering in fear. No one knew who would die next. Their only hope was Han Fei. In extreme fear, they looked outside the window. The shadow on the monster’s shoulders gave them comfort.
“Come. Let me see what is hidden underneath Happiness Neighborhood. How much despair has accumulated at this place built for the orphans?” When Han Fei was first here, he ended up escaping; the second time, he was here, he found the feeling of home; this third time, he became the owner and decided to chase out all the unwanted tenants.
Time ticked by. With a scream, Happiness Neighborhood revealed its other side.
On the surface of the buildings’ outside walls, colorful paintings of children playing appeared. They were playing different games with bright smiles on their faces. However, for each game, one child had to die. On this path paved by death, the children were killed until the last 31 remained.
Laughter and cries echoed. Han Fei had no idea where they came from. The adults hiding inside the buildings started to act strangely. Some of them sought death, while others saw their dearly departed. Of course, most felt fear, like they too were forced to play the death games.
While the neighborhood mutated, Han Fei had been observing. He followed Big Sin’s eyes and focused on Building 11. “The source of despair is under that building!”
Big Sin charged toward Building 11. Its large body rammed through the first floor. The road cracked and the windows shattered. Big Sin was told by Han Fei to attack. This was the first time Han Fei saw Big Sin not hold back as well.
As the manifestation of tragedy, Big Sin was covered in misfortune. When necessary, its body could expand in size!
Human arms slammed on the ground. Its skin was stuck to the ground, and death was injected underground. The creature was the king of poison. Nothing could harm it but anything that it touched, be it humans or ghosts would be poisoned. A rustling voice came from below Building 11. Soon, a monster fully shaped by despair appeared. Han Fei had seen this thing before. Its body was like a centipede with human heads joined together. Each face was a visage of despair. Others were afraid of this creature. Once they were captured, their heads would be torn off and made into part of the creature. However, Big Sin was not worried. Before the monster reacted, it grabbed the monster and shoved it into its mouth. Big Sin was very efficient. It would bite any creature to tell if it was dangerous or not. The things that Big Sin couldn’t kill would only make it stronger.
Holding Rest in Peace, Han Fei jumped down. He pulled the red strings and examined the crack before Building 11. “You have so much fun chasing me before, haven’t you?”
Han Fei was effective too. His every attack was meant to kill. He wanted to kill the enemy in the fastest way possible. The citizens by the windows watched. The stronger Han Fei was, the brighter the flames of hope in their hearts.
“Shall we go help him?”
“We’re only going to add trouble.”
“Counting last time, he has saved me twice already. Is he really a fugitive?”
“He should be framed.”
The survivors had improved impressions of Han Fei. They started to side with him. The crack on the ground expanded. The monsters made from despair crawled out. Most of them were stopped by Big Sin. Han Fei hid behind Big Sin with Rest in Peace. He was waiting for the chance to strike.
Han Fei felt at ease for the first time in a battle. “Are we that powerful?”
The massacre continued for a long time. When the last despair was defeated, the front of Building 11 collapsed. The building had sunken about half a meter underground. The cracks spread like a spider web. Big Sin was covered in wounds, but it didn’t mind. In fact, it looked like it wanted more.
“Come. Let’s go down to look.” Han Fei and Big Sin smashed through the ground.
Even the soil at Happiness Neighborhood was imbued with despair. The despair bound together like blood vessels and connected all the apartment buildings. Following the vessels, Han Fei found the source of the despair.
In the center of the neighborhood’s underground was an incomplete altar. He pulled the cloth away. There was no figurine inside the altar but a key. The key appeared to be made from human bones. It was made from eight parts. All the misfortune and despair at Happiness Neighborhood coagulated into this key.
“The existence of the Happiness Neighborhood is to produce this key?” Han Fei was reminded of a detail he was told when he first started the game. “I remember someone told me that Little Eight is a key that can open the exit. At the time, I was confused. How could a person be a key?”
