Chapter 782: The Residents
The sign on the sixth floor said that this place was called Red Alley.
Even though Han Fei couldn’t see anything special about the middle-aged woman, he had a feeling that she was not a simple character since she was named by the system. After saving Xiao Zhu, Sister Hong’s friendliness level also increased by two. For Han Fei, this was very important.
“Based on the way you’re dressed, you two came from the other floor. I suggest you smear this thing all over your clothes to conceal your presence.” Sister Hong took out a box from the drawer. It contained a brownish-red gel. It looked like congealed blood, but it was actually some kind of unique mold. The elder still didn’t quite trust Sister Hong, but Han Fei smeared the gel over his clothes without hesitation.
“You knew we were from the other floor when you first met us, right? How are we that different from the residents of Red Alley?” Han Fei handed the box to the elder after he used it.
“The people here have dullness in their eyes, but you’re different.” Sister Hong led Xiao Zhu into the bathroom that was stuffed with trash. She didn’t close the door and switched on the rusted faucet. She used brown water to wash Xiao Zhu’s body. As the cold and smelly water washed over her skin, Xiao Zhu shivered. She bit on her hand as tears flowed down her face. She didn’t dare to cry out loud.
“Wash up yourself. Do not leave behind any traces. If those people manage to trace it, no one can save you.” Sister Hong turned the faucet up to the maximum and then exited the bathroom and sat down on the bed. “The two of you should stay here tonight and don’t go anywhere. Do not switch off the light near the door. No matter what happens outside, do not open the door.”
“The man at the restaurant is a murderer. I doubt he has any friends. Who would avenge him?” Han Fei was slowly trying new topics.
“I don’t know how it is on the other floors, but Red Alley has its own rules.” Sister Hong lit a cigarette. She crossed her legs, showing no decency at all. “Is your power related to Charm? I feel an attraction to you and want to answer your questions.”
“We do come from another floor. We are not that familiar with the lower floors. Can you tell me the people and places we should pay attention to?” Han Fei took out the bone coins. “You can have as many of these things as you like. Plus, I can give you stuff that money can’t buy, like freedom and safety.”
Sister Hong looked at Han Fei silently. Eventually, she extinguished her cigarette. “You are really special. Do you come from floor 50 and above?”
“It doesn’t matter where I come from. The important thing is I can give you things you will never have before. I swear on Big Sin’s name that I will not harm you.”
“Who is Big Sin?” Sister Hong was confused.
Han Fei undid the buttons of his collar to show off the ghost tattoo. “It is my God. It is sin and a symbol.”
Sister Hong used her finger to touch the tattoo. The presence of Big Sin cut her finger. She licked the blood off her finger. Sister Hong was not scared but became more interested in Han Fei. “I am only familiar with the places below the 50th floor. This is a chaotic land of sin dominated by various forces and monsters. There are Red Alley, Casino, Rusted Stairs, Mausoleum, Disciples, Night Police, Sin Seekers, Blind Merchants, Deviants, Death Borns, Dictators, Taboos, and Sustenance. Killers, murderers, and crazy people are hidden among them. Everyone you see will have a hidden face.”
Sister Hong provided a lot of information. Han Fei had to process it slowly, “Every one of those are enemies?”
“Most of them are dominated by evil. Red Alley forces the victim to sell their bodies; everything can be bet on at the Casino, including soul and life; the cleaners of the Rusted Stairs are responsible for cleaning away the dead bodies. They used the elevator access card to take advantage of the sinners living here; there were no normal people in the Mausoleum. Most of them are half-dead monsters; the disciples of God are normally very kind and peaceful, but they can kill each other for the sake of God’s rituals…” Through Sister Hong, Han Fei slowly understood this crazy place.
Night police were bounty hunters in disguise; Deviants were creations of mutations. They were strong and crazy; No one had seen a Death Born before. According to legend, everyone who met them had died; the Dictators were the managers for floors below fifty. They designated the rules and knew how to get to the upper floors; Sister Hong didn’t explain the meaning of Sustenance. She only told Han Fei that once someone became Sustenance, they would be incredible pain; the final one was the Taboos that even Sister Hong was not familiar with. But she knew running into them was not good. Taboos could wipe out an entire floor.
“Of the various forces, there are two that are neutral. One is the Blind Merchant you’ve met. They have their own network and are responsible for transporting the various items between floors. I heard they come from the area above floor 50. Every blind merchant knows many things, and they will never harm anyone.
“Other than the Blind Merchants, there’s another unique presence called Sin Seekers.” At this point, Sister Hong studied Han Fei. “They are not criminals. In fact, they are filled with justice. They will take extreme risks to capture criminals. They have the beauty of humanity. However, they all end up in the worst state. Some of them became criminals, while others became Sustenance. But strangely enough, there will always be Sin Seekers every few months. They seem to be toys created by God. God wants to watch how the people of justice slowly walk towards ruination.”
“What properties will Sin Seekers have?” Han Fei had a feeling that Sister Hong had mistaken him for a Sin Seeker.
“After they kill a criminal, they will be able to gain their power and memory through carrying their sin.” Sister Hong stood up to study Han Fei’s ghost tattoo. “The stronger the Sin Seeker, the more sins they will have on their body.”
Han Fei remembered that after Big Sin consumed Zhu Wu, Zhu Wu’s name appeared on its body. Plus, Big Sin became stronger. It looked like Big Sin had the same power as the Sin Seekers. If Sister Hong weren’t lying, then Big Sin had a very high chance of becoming this skyscraper’s scariest and most unpredictable Sin Seeker. Han Fei pressed his lips.
Sin Seekers sounded like living humans Unmentionable brought in from the real world. He trapped the agent of justice in the skyscraper and watched them sink in the mud of sin. This brought him joy. Han Fei was reminded of something. Li Xue’s teacher once said that the garden owner planned to make him into his creation. Li Xue’s teacher never bowed to evil. He had been battling Butterfly for a decade and refused all evils. Was he not the perfect candidate to be a Sin Seeker?
Han Fei had a bad feeling, but he had trouble looking after himself now. He planned to warn Li Xue’s teacher after he left the game.
“What are you thinking about?” The icy fingers touched Han Fei’s ghost tattoo. “Your God is called Big Sin, then what is your name? Small Sin?”
Han Fei frowned. To prevent his real name from being cursed, he hesitated and said, “My name is Bai Cha.”
