My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 428: Midnight Mall

Chapter 428: Chapter 428: Midnight Mall

"The sudden deaths of those three members of the Inevitable Truth, I suspect it’s related to the Deep World. Someone among them might have heard a call from the darkness," Huang Ying’s voice was low and hoarse, it was evident he hadn’t rested well during this period.

"A call?"

"Now I feel it’s not just us searching for the Deep World, but something in the Deep World wants to come out. In a very subtle way, they are calling out to Explorers, tempting them to open Pandora’s box." Huang Ying used triple encryption to send Han Fei a video.

"This is a video recorded by one of the deceased in the game. He was an elderly historian with bipolar disorder, living alone after his divorce. He initially played the game to heal himself but accidentally discovered some interesting things during gameplay. He began researching into the histories of NPCs, becoming engrossed, and played the game for thirty-two hours straight."

An elderly man with poor health, playing the game for a long time; while the Game Box can provide some physical conditioning, the mental exhaustion is difficult to completely relieve.

"Watch the last part of the video carefully, the old man begins talking to himself in the game. One minute before being forcibly logged off by the system, his game character collapses, as if it lost its soul."

Following Huang Ying’s pointers, Han Fei watched the video repeatedly. In the beginning, the old man during a conversation with an NPC, discovered that an NPC’s relative had died, their funeral customs different from those in reality.

Curious, the old man began exploring to figure out the origins and reasons behind the unique funeral customs, specially visiting those NPCs close to death in the game, recording videos and treating this as a research topic.

He gradually found that some NPCs mentioned a Divine Spirit that conducts souls—a spirit without a name, only known by the soul-summoning song that sounds in the ears of the dying whenever he appears.

The old man spent several days wandering around the city district, trying to gather more clues and conjecturing the location of that Divine Spirit’s shrine. Regrettably, before any results could be found, he passed away first.

"All NPCs contacted by the old man fall within the key observation range of the Inevitable Truth, but they have not found anything unusual so far."

"Keep an eye on that side, and who else knows about this video? Have all members of the Inevitable Truth seen it?" Han Fei did not want to blow things out of proportion; those people, heads spun by the original shares of Eternal Life Pharmaceutical, never consider the consequences of their actions.

"This video is a core secret, only the most core members are aware of it." After saying this, Huang Ying sent Han Fei a very long password: "Within the vast organization of the Inevitable Truth, there’s a hidden map exploration group only the few core members can join. I managed to become one of the group members by barely making it in with my hidden identity as an underground dark merchant. Most of the group members are real elites engaged in different professions, any one of whom can be the protagonist of their own story in real life, their experiences nothing short of legendary. They are the brains behind the Inevitable Truth."

"Underground dark merchant? How many identities do you have now?" Han Fei casually asked.

"Seven: top-ranking player Huang Ying, wanted criminal Blood Doctor, great philanthropist Mr. Happiness, underground dark merchant Masked Man, the mayor’s adopted son’s loyal friend, the most mysterious Black Box Hunter, and the urban legend Nightmare." Huang Ying laid all his cards on the table for Han Fei.

"In just a few days, you’ve been able to turn the situation around, Brother Huang Ying, you’re truly not ordinary." After enduring the torment of the Butterfly and the trial of the Deep World, Huang Ying had long since changed.

"I owe what I have now entirely to the item you sent me; I can lead all players until Level 50, but after that, it’s hard to say. Everyone’s life is an adventure, and many players have already shown extraordinary talents, making it increasingly difficult to suppress them." Huang Ying was very modest.

"Leveling up in ’Perfect Life’ gets harder the further you go; you still have enough time to build an advantage."

"I’ll try my best to do that. Oh, and the password I sent you is the login password for the Inevitable Truth core exploration group. Using that password, you can enter their internal website. The core members of the exploration group share information with each other. Some of them might find other entrances to the Deep World." Huang Ying’s final statement was earnest: "Never underestimate humans, nor overestimate human nature; they are capable of doing anything."

After hanging up the phone, Han Fei looked out the window, his brain ceaselessly pondering: "Wrapped in endless night, the Deep World, what are those most terrifying ghosts planning every day? Do they also want to leave the Deep World?"

"Fu Sheng was incredibly powerful, even the weakest of his three children is Unspeakable, yet he still failed. He did not open the innermost layer of the Black Box or see the end of the night."

"If powerful Fu Sheng ended so, do I really have the power to change anything?"

Touching the back of his head, where there was clearly no wound, Han Fei still felt a piercing pain when he touched it.

"Thinking more about it is useless, because the Black Box is in my Brain Sea, an unchangeable fact. What I can do is to strive forward, carrying everyone towards our only hope."

The sun rose slowly, and Han Fei bathed in its light, the chill on his body dispelled, his soul too seemed to feel a touch of warmth.

After drinking a cup of hot tea, Han Fei canceled the day’s promotional activities and began to search for cases related to the mall in his room.

He felt a sense of urgency from Fu Sheng’s various actions, perhaps what Fu Sheng feared most had already begun.

Over the years, Xinhu had developed many large and small malls, but there were almost no homicide cases, and Han Fei’s search hit a deadlock.

By noon, Huang Ying called Han Fei again, basically saying that Inevitable Truth had already started to mobilize fully in search of the passage to the Deep World, with internal staff of Deep Space Technology also getting involved.

The existence of the Deep World was initially just a hypothesis, but now more and more people are willing to believe. Perhaps believing in such a world is also an escape from the drab reality.

Han Fei couldn’t stop others; what he could do was try his best to survive, and if he encountered other players in the Deep World, he would help them if possible.

As night fell, Han Fei had a hearty meal at the small shop downstairs.

His appetite was getting bigger, and every time he came, the shop owner was all smiles, feeling like the God of Wealth had arrived.

However, the waitress was somewhat afraid of Han Fei, as she felt that every time he came, it was like he was eating his last meal, with an underlying sense of tragedy.

After serving the dishes, she dared not stay too long, for fear that after Han Fei had his fill, he would put on a black hood, take out an evil weapon, and head straight for the bank.

Han Fei didn’t know the waitress’s real thoughts; he would always smile politely after paying the bill, and most of the time, the waitress would "shyly" avoid him from afar.

Returning home, Han Fei didn’t wait until midnight this time; he logged into the game two hours early.

The familiar blood-red scene was still there. As his consciousness and soul grew stronger, he could hear more clearly the voice coming from behind him.

The person clinging to his back seemed to want to tell him something.

Opening his eyes, the blood-red was replaced by fog. Han Fei pushed open the room door, and Yinglong and Ying Yue were waiting outside.

"Where is Mirror God?"

"He is still in the mirror, he hasn’t shown up," Yinglong said, removing the black cloth that covered the mirror. The mirror was empty, reflecting no one’s figure.

The owners, having learned through the death group chat that Han Fei had returned, gathered around the room. Tonight, everyone planned to go out together.

Some of them wanted to repay Cry and Red Skirt for saving their lives, while others coveted the large amounts of "goods" hoarded in the mall. If they could absorb and consume all those "goods," the power of all the owners could make a qualitative leap.

One hour before midnight, the mirror where the Mirror God resided underwent a strange change, dense blood silk appeared within the mirror, and the Mirror God appeared in everyone’s sight without making a sound.

He was still wearing the same clothes as before, but he felt completely different to everyone, It was only upon closer inspection that one could see that the chest of the Mirror God had been hollowed out, He was like the butterfly that night of the Soul-returning, who had placed his heart somewhere else.

"Han Fei, before you enter the underground mall, I want to ask you one last time—are you sure you want to fight with Ten Fingers for control of the shrine? If you encounter any mishaps in the process, your fate will be a hundred times more miserable than death, All of you will become merchandise, your soul will be divided into countless pieces, you might even watch yourself being consumed bit by bit, Are you really prepared?" the Mirror God said heavily.

"I’ve thought it through." Han Fei nodded.

"Since you’re sure about this, I will do my utmost to help you," the Mirror God pointed to the mirror surface: "Come over here, stand in front of the mirror, and press your forehead and heart against the glass."

As Han Fei did as he was told, his body against the cold mirror, he heard the system notification in his mind.

"Attention to player number 0000! Your passive ability ’Mirror God’s Blessing’ has been upgraded to F level! You can effectively avoid mirror-type curses, You will not be deceived by mirrors, and there is a very small chance of seeing the Mirror God when you look into a mirror."

Before Han Fei had a chance to carefully examine his passive ability, the Mirror God spoke again: "You must remember what I’m about to say, no matter what you encounter in the Unspeakable Memory World, never give up the hope of living, and don’t forget your own name. If you feel like you’re about to lose yourself, look for a mirror, Inside it, you will find the answers you seek."

"Thank you, Mirror God."

"This is all I can do to help you."

All the Fierce Ghosts in the Death Building Area went out again, They emerged from the fog and meandered through the intricate alleys until they stopped near the mall.

"If you go over now, you will instantly be discovered by the ghosts and monsters inside the mall, From now on, we can only rely on Han Fei," the Mirror God’s plan had reached its most critical step, using Han Fei’s soul covered by the fog to carry him into the underground mall: "Remember, only when the mall starts to bleed on the surface and a large number of souls escape can you make your move."

Repeated admonitions and warnings, it had been a long time since the Mirror God had been like this, In fact, he was more nervous than anyone right now.

Letting the other neighbors stay away, Han Fei alone, carrying the mirror, stepped out of the alley.

"When the clock strikes midnight, the mall’s usually closed back door will open, We only have one minute. Don’t hesitate when you enter, go straight down the staff corridor, The Shrine is on the bottom floor of the mall."

"Alright, I have the layout memorized. I won’t make a single mistake," Han Fei replied.

As midnight approached, Han Fei silently counted his heartbeats, and with thirty seconds left before midnight, carrying the mirror, he stepped out of the shadow and quickly approached the mall back door.

Due to the existence of the Soul Fog, even hatred couldn’t sense Han Fei in advance.

He and the Mirror God were using this to sneak into the underground mall unnoticed.

Calculating the time taken for each step carefully, when Han Fei arrived at the back door of the mall, he saw rust start to fall off that door, and the thick scent of blood seemed to seep through the years from the door itself.

Raising his arm, Han Fei grasped the door exactly when the midnight hour struck, and a strange voice emerged in his mind.

"You possess the rarest of souls I’ve witnessed, your atrium and brain sea hiding several different selves, You are eligible to enter this door."

Han Fei didn’t even try to open the door; he felt as if a force had pulled him inside directly.

When he came to his senses again, he was already inside the mall.

"Attention to player number 0000! You have successfully discovered a G-level Hidden Map—Midnight Mall!"

"Caution! The Slaughter Map has been activated! The building poses significant danger!"

Han Fei couldn’t afford to pay attention to the system’s notifications now; he pushed open the door to the staff corridor on his left and ran down the stairs.

Not long after he departed, a massive shadow appeared at the mall’s back door, A limb, carved with human faces, reached out from the shadow and tried to twist the back door. Finding it locked, it finally relaxed.

Yet the shadow did not leave, It lingered by the back door for a while before also entering the staff corridor.

"Han Fei, you better hurry up, Something’s coming from behind," the Mirror God whispered a warning, and Han Fei sped up once again.

Below the mall lay several storerooms in a complex layout, If Han Fei made one wrong move and tried to return, the shadow behind him would catch up.

This was a game with no way back, a game that he absolutely couldn’t afford to lose.

Focused intensely, Han Fei navigated from room to room under the Mirror God’s guidance, The storerooms were filled with all manner of oddities that summed up all the cruelty of the mortal world; for a moment, Han Fei even felt like he had run through the eighteen levels of Hell.

Finally, at the end of all the "merchandise," they saw a black shrine that had been singed by fire, Its surface was black and appeared to crumble upon touch.

"Hurry!"

Hearing the urgent urge of the Mirror God, Han Fei did not hesitate to open the door of the shrine, Almost at the same moment, he heard an explosion from behind.

The mirror that harbored the Mirror God had, unbeknownst to when, become covered with cracks, The moment Han Fei opened the Shrine, that was when the mirror shattered.

"My soul can buy you one chance to enter the Shrine, That’s the price of Soul Trading! But as long as you survive, I won’t be scattered!"

As the black cloth dropped to the floor, both Han Fei and all the shards of the mirror vanished without a trace, as if they had entered the Shrine itself.

"Attention to player number 0000! You have successfully triggered a G-level Shrine Inheritance Task—Midnight Mall!"

"Midnight Mall (Shrine Inheritance Task is only available to players who own a shrine): Fulfill the previous Master of Shrine’s last wish, amend his regrets from his memories, and gain his approval."

"Caution! Due to the vast difference between the player’s level and the task level, additional guidance is provided!"

"Shrine Inheritance Tasks are not precisely the same as Manager Tasks, Each death of the player carries a high chance of being assimilated by the Shrine Master’s memories! Please proceed with extreme caution!"