My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 473: The Last Sacrificial Offering (5000 Votes for Monthly Pass)

Chapter 473: Chapter 473: The Last Sacrificial Offering (5000 Votes for Monthly Pass)

The departed doctor was unaware that his three sentences would actually accelerate the destruction of the world. At this moment, he was still fawning beside Boss Gu, whispering something to him.

Boss Gu also maintained a superficial politeness and even had his bodyguard give the doctor a bank card.

They looked chatty and jovial, as if they had a good relationship, but in reality, each had their own schemes.

After the doctor left, Boss Gu and his bodyguard approached Han Fei.

"I’ve asked the doctor to take good care of your mother. Stay strong. The harder the times, the more you can’t collapse," Boss Gu said, his eyes filled with feigned concern as he matched Han Fei with his acting skills.

"Thank you." His store uniform soaked, clinging to his skin, Han Fei’s body trembled slightly, he opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he could only manage a weak "thank you."

Having learned that his mother might only have a week left, Han Fei was trying hard to suppress his sorrow, but that sense of despair still radiated out from within.

Struggling to hold onto the armrest of the chair, a droplet of water fell from Han Fei’s pale face. It seemed as if he had been completely defeated by reality and was about to collapse.

Seeing Han Fei’s miserable state pleased Boss Gu. Now, by applying just a bit more pressure, Han Fei would likely abandon all hope and truly fall into the abyss.

Imagining the pain Han Fei would suffer next, Boss Gu’s mouth curled into a slight curve. He pat Han Fei on the shoulder in a patronizing manner, "No matter what, life must go on. Come on, come back to the store with me to check if those two caused any damage in the department store last night."

After comforting Han Fei, Boss Gu and his three bodyguards walked ahead, while another bodyguard stayed beside Han Fei. He seemed to be showing concern for Han Fei but actually appeared more like he was monitoring every move Han Fei made.

This arrangement by Boss Gu was of great concern to Han Fei, in fact, Boss Gu’s hypocritical acting had already aroused Han Fei’s suspicion.

"This old bastard is selfish and shameless; his concern must have a reason. According to what he said last time, the ritual to the gods requires a sacrificial offering. Huang Li, Pei Yang, and other surviving store employees are all contenders for this. Therefore, by deduction, I must also be one of the sacrificial offerings."

Although Han Fei’s name didn’t include an animal, he had taken on the memories of the Master of Shrine. At this moment, he represented the former Master of Shrine, the most crucial offering in a normal ceremony.

Watched closely by the bodyguard, Han Fei didn’t show any extreme reaction but instead appeared "weak," barely able to walk.

Sitting in Boss Gu’s car, Han Fei was so exhausted that he fell into a deep sleep immediately.

"He can even sleep in this?" Boss Gu didn’t know that Han Fei could sleep soundly in a police car; he just stared coldly at Han Fei.

Scanning him up and down, he couldn’t find any flaws in Han Fei. The latter seemed to be an unsophisticated college student with no ulterior motives.

"Sleep then, cherish this last beautiful dream."

Boss Gu stroked the ring on his hand. It had a strange color and an eerie design, looking as if it were made of ashes.

The car quickly arrived at the department store, which should have been open and busy, but there wasn’t a single customer in sight, only some merchants and store employees coming and going.

Boss Gu had an ominous premonition. He immediately told the driver to stop the car, pushed open the door, and ran into the department store.

As his first business venture in Shahe, he felt a strong attachment to the department store.

The bodyguards followed with umbrellas, and Han Fei, who had been jostled awake, trailed behind.

Entering through entrance C, Boss Gu stepped onto the department store floor and saw water stains and shattered glass everywhere. Numerous store windows had been smashed, and each staircase’s handrail was twisted and deformed as if people had trampled over them.

Standing in the center of the department store, Boss Gu looked up to see the advertising ribbons hanging torn from the top. The large clock at the very top had stopped working. The worst was on the third floor in the women’s section, where nearly every shop was in total disarray.

Feeling dizzy, veins bulging on his forehead, Boss Gu nearly collapsed from anger.

Already frail, his body couldn’t take much more. He pulled a small bottle of medicine from his jacket.

But as he bent his head to pour out a few pills, his gaze caught the sight of the cracked floor of the department store, all the fissures vaguely forming the shape of a well.

"Impossible!" Boss Gu shouted, startling the nearby janitor.

"The women’s section on the third floor? Did she escape? How could she possibly escape!"

Shouting loudly, Boss Gu pushed past the people around him and headed straight for the secondhand store.

The store door wasn’t locked. Accompanied by the sound of "ding-dong," Boss Gu rushed into the secondhand store followed by his bodyguards and Han Fei.

Most of the ground-level shelves were fine, still in their original state, and Boss Gu let out a sigh of relief when he saw this.

First, he went to the shrine on the ground, lifted the black cloth, and found the ground-level shrine intact, showing no signs of anomaly.

"Good, the seal wasn’t tampered with ..."

After he finished speaking, he lifted the board covering the entrance to the underground storeroom, and the moment he did, an extreme chill emanated from below.

Boss Gu’s expression changed, and he entered the underground storeroom with his bodyguards.

Half a foot of standing water covered the storeroom floor, and numerous shelves had been toppled, soaking in the stinking dirty water.

Boss Gu was stunned; his high-end scarf fell into the water. He looked soulless as he walked step by step to the deepest part of the storeroom.

The thick black cloth floated on the surface of the water, the dark shrine still in its place, except that the top of the shrine had been smashed open with a big hole!

His eyes almost bleeding, Boss Gu’s body shook uncontrollably, his trembling even more vivid than the emotion Han Fei had just performed.

"Who did this, who did it!"

Grinding his teeth, Boss Gu had been operating in Shahe for so many years, and this was the first time he was so angry.

Following behind the bodyguards, Han Fei stood by the escalator. He did not dare to get too close to the shrine, fearing something might go wrong.

"Boss, there’s still one surveillance camera in the store that’s working!" to minimize the time spent underground, Han Fei shouted loudly, diverting Boss Gu’s attention.

He ran to the counter and opened a specific section of the surveillance footage he had intentionally left intact.

In fact, Ghost Fetus was too lazy to destroy the surveillance cameras. It was Han Fei himself who had tampered with them, editing maliciously as if to mislead. The surviving footage captured the Chef and the Dwarf from an incidental angle, and also the Dwarf’s terrifying human head tattoo.

"Last night, it was these two who tried to kill me! I fought back desperately, but their strength was incredible, hardly human!" Han Fei showed the surveillance to Boss Gu, whose heart was bleeding with hatred as he focused all his anger on Ghost Fetus.

He had indeed suspected Han Fei, but how could a mere ordinary person damage the shrine? How could they wreck the department store to this extent? Even if he gave him a hammer and asked him to smash each shop one by one, it would be difficult to destroy the entire department store like this.

Besides, Han Fei’s mother was in the hospital, which was his most fatal weakness. Boss Gu was not at all worried that Han Fei could escape from his grasp.

Therefore, from the start, Boss Gu never believed that Han Fei had the ability to cause destruction.

"Time and again, these madmen really think I don’t have means of retaliation?" A sinister look crossed his face as the festering wounds on Boss Gu’s skin began to bleed. He stood in front of the counter for a long time before taking out his phone and making a call.

Half an hour later, a huge truck appeared at the entrance of the department store.

Han Fei had seen this truck once before; it seemed like it was always used to transport goods to the underground storeroom.

"Seal off entrance C to the department store first, no pedestrian access allowed."

A bunch of people emerged from the back of the truck, carrying professional tools, entering the secondhand store to dismantle the board leading to the underground storeroom.

"What are they doing?" Han Fei observed those people from behind the counter.

"Be careful! Don’t bump it!" Boss Gu’s voice came intermittently, and he seemed to have never been so anxious before.

After another ten minutes or so, Han Fei clearly felt the ground shake, followed by the sound of water splashing from the underground storeroom.

Several workers quickly moved an item covered with a black cloth up from below.

"The underground shrine?" Han Fei shook his head softly. Although there were no longer any ghosts and monsters in the department store, and the shrine no longer needed to suppress anything, he thought it unlikely that the shrine could be moved.

Peering through the gaps in the black cloth, Han Fei caught a glimpse of what seemed to be the outline of shelves. It appeared that the department store owner was preparing to clear out the contents of the underground storeroom, though Han Fei didn’t understand why.

Several workers started dismantling the bulk of the shelves together, and Han Fei also took the opportunity to go down under the pretext of helping and took a look.

Most shelves had been removed, the remaining ones positioned in specific locations. Upon closer examination, he saw that this layout resembled the structure of the buildings in Shahe Origin.

After removing numerous shelves, Boss Gu also discovered the large hole in the wall. The water in the storeroom had been flowing out of that well.

No photograph could be seen in the well anymore, and Boss Gu’s complexion turned terribly pale as he kept coughing. Han Fei grew increasingly anxious, worried that if the boss died from anger, he would have to deal with the Ten Fingers alone.

The downpour was torrential, and the well water continued to rise.

Boss Gu stood in the water, gritting his teeth as he directed the workers.

They first sealed the breach in the wall, drained the water from the storeroom, and then started inscribing a multitude of bizarre symbols on the walls and floor of the storeroom.

Han Fei had seen similar symbols on the scrap papers in Room 13; they seemed to be the written language of the Shrine, representing something special.

"The body of the hanging woman was composed of these symbols. The department store boss seemed to like leaving the mark of the Shrine on the wronged dead."

Retrieving the photographs that had fallen into the well could only temporarily free them; it seemed there was an additional layer of bondage within their souls.

"All the traded souls were clearly priced. They became ’goods’ and got involved with the Shrine."

Thinking this, Han Fei was extremely grateful. He had almost connected with the Shrine several times since he entered Memory World. The Shrine had continually pressured him to make a wish, but he had dodged it every time.

Now, even though he was among the people closest to the Shrine, it could not control his destiny.

After the last symbol was completed, the underground storeroom had completely changed its appearance; standing in the storeroom felt like standing inside the Shrine.

Following the boss’s instructions, the workers not only drew various symbols but also brought in the slaughtered livestock underground, placing them in every corner.

Once everything was dealt with, they submitted a photograph of themselves to Boss Gu.

Only those who had surrendered their photographs were allowed to settle their salaries.

The workers were indifferent to the odd request, as Boss Gu paid them well. They would do the work and give their photographs; it didn’t matter at all to them.

The workers happily collected their doubled wages, unaware of the hysterical madness in Boss Gu’s eyes.

As the wage settlement was nearing completion, a few workers who had received their pay gathered together and secretly pointed at Boss Gu, apparently discussing something.

What started as casual conversation between workers turned too sensational to ignore. More and more people quietly gathered around, as their voices grew louder, and some comments reached Boss Gu’s ears.

"Have you heard? Boss Gu is so keen on charity because he feels guilty for driving his ex-wife to death and throwing his own child into the well."

"That’s not right. I read online that Boss Gu does charity as a front for money-making. He’s made several hundred million already."

"Indeed, look at the department store; it’s empty every day. How did he buy up half of Shahe Origin?"

"That’s all hearsay. My old uncle is a security guard at Shahe Origin. He used to work under Boss Gu when he was younger. He says Boss Gu had his fingers in everything and the number of people who died because of him can’t be counted on one hand."

"What does a lousy security guard know? My sister and a college student sponsored by Boss Gu were schoolmates. She says that Boss Gu appears nice and upright on the surface, but he’s actually got loads of illegitimate children."

The workers chatted with more enthusiasm as they scrolled through information on their phones.

The murmuring surrounded Boss Gu; the buzzing made the veins on his hands, which were handing out money, turn bluish-green.

"All of you, get out!"

The underground storeroom had been arranged into an altar, and Boss Gu had his bodyguards drive out all the workers.

"These people without even trade value, where did they hear these rumors?" Boss Gu pulled out his phone and gave it a quick glance. His blood pressure shot up instantly.

"Who is spreading rumors!" Enraged, Boss Gu almost threw his phone away. Staring at the group of departing workers, he said viciously, "You two come here and break through this wall."

The bodyguards did their duty, smashing open the wall opposite the Shrine as instructed by Boss Gu.

Behind the wall lay a chilly secret chamber, filled with countless photographs.

"I’ve done so many good deeds; now it’s your turn to repay me."

Boss Gu dumped all the photographs that the workers had just turned in into that room. "You earn as much as you work for. If you want double pay, then you must pay a double price."

The walls were smashed through, and the massive number of photos stored in the hidden room spilled onto the floor of the underground storeroom, pressing onto those freshly drawn strange symbols.

"The altar has been set up, now all we need is to place the Sacrificial Offering on the offering table," Boss Gu stared at Han Fei’s retreating figure and sent all the bodyguards out.

After confirming that there was no one around, he took out his cell phone again and dialed a number.

"The task I gave you last time, you didn’t complete it. Your son didn’t get hurt, and he came back jumping around."

"Boss Gu, I also didn’t expect that this little bastard would get Brother Snake’s men to come after me..."

"Stop with the nonsense, this time I’m giving you ten times the money, you go help me do something."

"What do you need?"

"You’ve always thought of your wife as a burden, haven’t you? Now you can get rid of this burden."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She’s staying on the fourth floor, room 401 of the People’s Hospital. The doctor will do rounds at two o’clock tonight, and then he will leave," Boss Gu didn’t continue, "Make good use of this opportunity, the money’s already in the usual place, don’t disappoint me again."

"You want me to do it myself? But she’s not going to live much longer anyway."

"The money I’ve given won’t be taken back, but if you take my money without completing the task I’ve given you, you know what the consequences will be, right?"

After hanging up the phone, a cruel smile appeared on Boss Gu’s chilling face: "In such despair, he will definitely become the most perfect Sacrificial Offering."

As he stepped out of the underground storeroom, Boss Gu told two security guards to stay in the shop. He wanted to superficially encourage Han Fei with a few words but was interrupted by his phone suddenly ringing.

Seeing the caller ID, Boss Gu frowned and immediately answered: "What’s happened at home?"

"I was cleaning as usual today, and I noticed the red sweater from Paradise is missing."

"Which red sweater?"

"The one in the secret compartment..."

"Snap!" Boss Gu’s hands weren’t steady, and his cell phone fell straight to the ground.

"Boss, boss? Are you okay?"

Pupils trembling, Boss Gu recalled what the workers had been discussing; his face turned pale with fright, overwhelmed by immense fear.

The truth had been taken away!

"Boss, the chains in the corner of Paradise seem to have been chopped off, there’s much less trash on the ground today, and the raw meat hasn’t decreased, should I still change it on schedule?" The voice kept coming from the cell phone, but Boss Gu didn’t answer; he didn’t even bend down to pick up the phone.

It was a long while before Boss Gu seemed to wake from a dream. He picked up the phone and hung up the call.

"You two stay in the shop tonight, keep my employees company on the night shift, and wherever you go, the three of you must move together," Boss Gu spoke rapidly and immediately left with the other two bodyguards after speaking.

"The boss seemed very anxious, did something happen at home?" Han Fei stood by the counter, pouring himself a cup of hot water: "Right, I forgot that the boss has no relatives, his home only has him."

The truth had been exposed, Boss Gu looked like he had many subordinates, but in reality, he was always alone, no one was truly willing to help him, whether for money, or out of coercion.

Han Fei’s situation was the exact opposite, he appeared to be all alone, but in reality, there were countless hands secretly supporting him.

After the boss left, Han Fei’s phone vibrated, and he glanced at the caller ID; it was Lin Lu calling.

"Hello? Do you need something from me?"

"Why did you tell me to take leave back at the hospital? You were all secretive and didn’t explain."

"I can’t talk about it now, but you better leave there as soon as possible," Han Fei said very seriously.

"I asked my boss for leave, but he refused, chewed me out, and told me to take the night shift," Lin Lu said feeling somewhat wronged.