Chapter 789: Taboo
The reporter picked up Han Fei’s blood wine and finished it in one gulp. Probably only alcohol could make him forget the worm in his brain.
“You’ve once investigated Immortal Pharma’s orphanage?” Han Fei’s eyes changed. He pointed at his own face. “Have you seen a child with a healing persona?”
“All my memories related to those kids are wiped. If you really want to know, you have to find the people who put the worm in my brain.” The reporter tossed the empty glass away. “Okay. Now let me see the path you speak off.”
“No problem,” Han Fei took two steps back. “Spirit-farer!”
The blood sea tore open the menu. The smell of blood raged like a storm and swallowed the small room. The reporter looked at Han Fei with disbelief. He slowly sat up. He couldn’t see the ghost door, but he could sense the endless presence of horror coming out from one part of the room. That presence didn’t exist locally in the skyscraper.
“Huang Yin!” The two words caused the storm to rage even harder. The other monster summoned by Han Fei seemed to sense something. The bloody shadow moved madly through the building. The ghost faces started to scream. The soul bell chimes. Huang Yin’s name was bitten by a ghost face and dragged out of the sea. Five fingers grabbed the edge of the ghost door. Blood dripped down the white coat. Huang Yin followed the shifting nightmares and walked out of the ghost door. The black pupils slowly returned to normal. After Huang Yin saw Han Fei, his expression relaxed, “What do you need from me?” Huang Yin would always help Han Fei.
“Why are you that close to Level 40?” Han Fei didn’t expect that. Huang Yin was truly stepping into the role of being the No. 1 player.
“I’ve picked three hidden professions most suitable for me. I should be able to help you more now.” Previously, Huang Yin’s attitude was similar to other casual players. However, ever since he was attacked by Butterfly, Huang Yin changed. Before Han Fei said anything, Huang Yin opened his inventory and showed off the rare items he had collected, “These are for you. I haven’t had the chance to give them to you.”
“Brother Huang, you’ve been such a great help.” If they were somewhere else, these things might be useless, but in the skyscraper, anything uncorrupted could trade for many things.
“As long as I can help.” When Huang Yin removed the items, he saw the reporter. “Who is he?”
“A fallen hero.” Han Fei could sense the bloody shadow moving closer. The creature from the blood sea seemed to be interested in Huang Yin too. “Brother Huang, I need to send you back. This place is too dangerous.” After Han Fei placed everything Huang Yin brought in his inventory, he used Resurrection to send Huang Yin back. After Huang Yin returned, the bloody shadow seemed to have lost its target. It slowed.
“You should have seen that, right?” Han Fei placed an actual bottle of wine from the surface world before the reporter, “I can bring you home.”
“Home…” The reporter hadn’t heard that for a long time already. He looked at the spot where the ghost door opened, and his pupils trembled. The bloodred names appeared on his neck like brands. However, the reporter didn’t feel pain. He grabbed the bottle and downed it. His throat burned, and his eyes were bloodshot. However, deep inside his eyes, the ashes started to flicker again. “As long as you can bring me away from this skyscraper for me to meet my child and see him being alive, I’ll give you everything I have! Including my soul, freedom, and dignity!”
The reporter stood up unsteadily. His dirty hair flapped on his face. His thin body contained explosive energy. The bloodred names were like poisonous bugs. They granted him special power but also tormented his mind.
“You have a deal.” Han Fei shook the reporter’s hand.
“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve discovered Night Police, Ji Zheng!
“Ji Zheng (Forbidden Rank Night Police): The Night Police are ranked into four levels, Danger, Forbidden, Tragedy, and Night.
“Warning! They who once uphold justice are now the scariest people in the skyscraper! Be careful! Even the weakest Night Police can be extremely dangerous!”
The system didn’t provide any info regarding Ji Zheng’s ability. Perhaps it was because Ji Zheng hadn’t fully trusted Han Fei yet.
“There’s a reason why I’ve come to see you. There’s a Calamity Ghost hidden deep inside the sixth-floor corridor. A Rusted Stairs cleaner told me to come to find you.” Han Fei planned to start the high difficulty grade E mission.
“Has he become a Calamity Ghost?” Ji Zheng revealed a cruel smell. “In the past, Rusted Stairs requested me to kill that child, but they didn’t know that child was once the victim of Immortal Pharma’s orphanage. I also didn’t know why he’s suddenly appearing on the sixth floor and as a Calamity Ghost.”
“Do you know him?”
“More than that.” Ji Zheng touched his camera. “After I took the rewards from the Rusted Stairs, I didn’t kill the child. In fact, I taught him how to be stronger. I raised that child with sin and resentment. He’s losing control now!”
Ji Zheng was indeed different from before. The scale of good and evil in his heart was destroyed. Only a shell was left.
“Does the child know that he’ll end up a monster?”
“I’ve given him a choice, whether to leave the world painlessly or survive in extreme pain to spread the pain to the criminals who like to create pain.” Ji Zheng stood up and exited the room. The light shone on his gritty face. “He made the same choice as I did.”
As Ji Zheng walked out, the bar became silent. They looked at Ji Zheng with fear and Han Fei with shock.
“An eye for an eye. How this skyscraper treats us, we’ll treat it back the same way.” Han Fei nodded. “It’s only fair, right?”
“Why are you so much like a Night Police?” Ji Zheng’s smile grew bigger. He and Han Fei walked out of the bar together. The other unique citizens followed behind them. They walked to the elevator. Before they reached it, a sharp scream came from somewhere beneath them. Han Fei’s soul felt like it had been pierced. He could sense that his connection with the bloody shadow had suddenly intensified!
The bloody shadow had a conflict with something inside the stairwell. It used its full power and some unknown ability.
“It sure is brave to use the stairwell after midnight.” Sister Hong grumbled under her breath. Han Fei heard her and asked, “Is the stairwell that dangerous after midnight?”
“Taboos roam the stairwell after midnight.” Ji Zheng used his camera to take a picture of where the scream came from. “However, such a big commotion wouldn’t happen if it was a normal citizen running into a Taboo. This should be two Taboos fighting.” He glanced at the camera and urged Han Fei, “Come. We need to get to the sixth floor. I’ll bring the Calamity Ghost away from here with me.”
“You should go there first. I have to go somewhere else for now.” Han Fei grabbed the collector. “You’re the boss of Rusted Stairs on the tenth floor. So you should have other elevator cards, right?”
“Yes, but I can’t give them…”
“Stop rambling.” Han Fei turned to Ji Zheng, “If the Calamity Ghost knows how to control himself, I am willing to accept him. The sixth floor is my territory, you can try to negotiate with him there.”
“Is the Taboo in the stairwell your reason for leaving in such a hurry?” Ji Zheng waved his camera. “I can see that your fate is bound to that Taboo.”
“Just move!” Han Fei underestimated Ji Zheng’s power, but that was a good thing for Han Fei. Han Fei grabbed the collector and forced him to use his elevator card. They entered Elevator 9.
“Move!” Han Fei was anxious. He could feel the bloody shadow fast approaching. The Taboo in the stairwell appeared to have injured it.
“Which floor are we going to?”
“The higher, the better!” Han Fei closed the door. He saw the collector press the button for Floor 25. “Can’t we go higher?”
“Taking the elevator is a very dangerous thing to do. The higher we go, the higher the chance for us to run into an accident. The 25th floor is the limit for me.” The collector wanted to cry. He hadn’t felt so helpless in a long time already.
“I’ll trust you this time.” Han Fei glanced at the changing numbers. His face was dark. The bloody shadow was getting closer!
The thing had entered the elevator shaft. It was climbing up the shaft using the elevator chains.
‘I’ve triggered it when it used Spirit-farer for the third time. Then, it fought the Taboo in the stairwell and was injured. It should be highly enraged now. I can’t let it catch up to me now.’ Han Fei opened his menu. The exit button hadn’t lit up, but it was almost time.
Han Fei sweated profusely. The collector shivered as the number on the panel increased. There were many Taboos on the higher floors.
11, 13…
When the elevator reached the 15th floor, some blood spread on the bottom of the elevator booth. In a short amount of time, the blood spread, and it leaked through the bottom!
“What is going on?” The collector was scared. He had not encountered something like this before.
“Is there anywhere dangerous on the 15th floor?” Han Fei pressed for the elevator door to open.
“I rarely come to the 15th floor.” The collector was stunned. The doors opened, and Han Fei charged out. The collector shouted in fear. “Where are you going?”
“Run!” Han Fei answered succinctly. A few seconds later, the collector who was still inside the booth felt his whole world turn red. He looked up, and the crimson shadow had enveloped the whole booth. Among the waves of red, there was a human face that resembled Han Fei.
