My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 499: Mirror Clinic (6000 votes for monthly ticket)

Chapter 499: Chapter 499: Mirror Clinic (6000 votes for monthly ticket)

When the man in black first started talking, nobody paid much attention and simply treated it as a story.

But as he slowly continued, everyone’s gaze concentrated on him.

There seem to be some things that shouldn’t be talked about at night—talk about them too much, and it seems they might actually come true.

"My wife was looking in the mirror, but the person in the mirror was not her."

"I was right next to her at the time; I can’t directly tell you the feeling of fear I had. I was completely stunned at that moment, and by the time I regained my senses, my wife had returned to normal."

"My wife is five years older than me, but she looks even younger than I do. I used to find her face incredibly enchanting, but since that day, the more I looked at her face, the stranger and more terrifying it felt."

"Usually, the longer you look at something, the more familiar it becomes, but it was the exact opposite with my wife’s face. The fear was torturing me, and my wife noticed my unease."

"She seemed unaware of the abnormality on her. Following my suggestion, we decided to have another operation to restore her original face."

"I personally went back to the hospital, prepared everything for her, but the surgery failed, and her face was injured, so she had to wrap it in gauze every day."

"My wife began to act more and more abnormally, stuffing things under the gauze, and often locking herself alone in the room."

"At that time, I no longer cared what she looked like. I just wanted to live a good, peaceful life with her. No matter what her face turned into, I would stay by her side."

"When she was in pain, I tried my best to make her happy, cooked delicious meals for her, and took her shopping for all sorts of things, but she grew colder and colder."

"About a week later, my wife removed the gauze from her face. Do you know what I saw?"

The man in black clasped his hands tightly together and said, word by word, "I saw a shattered face."

"I will never forget that scene. I was even too frightened to take a step."

"The woman sitting in front of the mirror started crying. The tears couldn’t even slide down her cheeks; they went straight into the flesh. She rushed at me like a madwoman and, after cutting my face with a knife, ran outside."

"When I saw her again, she had died, and before dying, she had destroyed her own face."

"Do you think this is where it ended?"

"The real horror came after her death. Afterward, there always seemed to be laughter coming from the mirrors in my home, and at midnight, a woman would appear in the mirror."

"I went to see a doctor, and they said I was experiencing severe shock, causing illusions, and prescribed me many medications."

"I complied with the treatment actively, but it was useless. As long as I saw that woman in the mirror, I was forever haunted, never to be free."

After the man in black finished talking, his eyes were full of suppressed pain: "Even now, I can still see her."

"Alright, everyone has heard the story," President Li clapped his hands. "The plot is basically like this. The main locations he mentioned just now have been checked by my people, and we strive to replicate them perfectly to shoot at the very places these events happened."

Unlike adapting the real-life events as President Li did with the case in "Twin Flowers," he doesn’t chase the truth but aims to recreate the atmosphere and setting.

"The story is a good one, but it lacks substance. That’s where the scriptwriters need to do some expansion," Director Zhang also expressed his opinion, clearly not quite satisfied with the story. If it weren’t for the hefty offer from President Li, he might have refused this film.

"I’ve already built the main framework; the details need to be slowly filled in, and we might need to interact more with this gentleman." Both writers stood up intending to exchange contact information with the man in black, pulling out their phones, but the man in black remained indifferent.

"Brother, we will surely meet again, give me your number for easier contact," one writer said.

The man in black ignored the writer, stood up silently: "I know you all don’t believe it, but when she really appears, you will regret it."

Picking up the metal bottle on the table, the man in black looked towards Xia Yilan, "By that time, none of you will be able to escape."

After saying this, the man in black put on his mask, shook off the writer’s hand trying to stop him, and left directly.

"He doesn’t really have a mental illness, does he?" the writer, who had wanted the phone number, complained softly, "I’ve been in this profession for over a decade and have never seen someone so bizarre."

"If he does have a mental illness, even better, we can claim our story is 100% real to the public and even incorporate him into the movie," a young actor standing behind Xia Yilan tried to lighten the awkward mood, but after speaking, no one in the room said a word.

"I need to go to the restroom." Xia Yilan seemed uncomfortable. She picked up her bag and headed outside.

As Xia Yilan left, Han Fei also stood up with a smile: "You guys talk, I’m going to check on her."

Having left the private room, Han Fei had intended to look for the man in black, but the man had vanished without a trace.

"I should have had a good talk with him, but no matter, I remembered what he looked like. The police should be able to find him with their help."

The others in the private room thought the man in black was making up stories, yet Han Fei felt there was truth mixed with lies in the man’s words.

Eternal Life Pharmaceutical indeed wanted to create the perfect body and perfect consciousness. Now, both paths had encountered problems.

"The woman in the plastic surgery hospital must represent the body, the child wearing white shoes probably represents the personality consciousness. Now, the only one I don’t understand is that painter."

There were at least three hatreds in the plastic surgery hospital. Han Fei was gradually uncovering their secrets, step by step.

Having not found the man in black, Han Fei prepared to head back. As he reached the end of the corridor, he suddenly discovered Xia Yilan facing a wall, standing at the corner with a cellphone in her hand.

The woman’s phone wasn’t connected, yet her mouth kept moving, muttering something incessantly.

Her voice was low, and her speech rapid, as if possessed, she talked to herself.

"Kill him, he must be killed, he knows I will die, he has seen the shattered face, he knows my face..."

Her lips moved, her facial skin trembled. Xia Yilan, who was speaking, suddenly turned her head to look behind. Seeing nothing but emptiness, she turned back around and continued mumbling in an even lower voice.

Leaning against the wall, Han Fei said nothing and quietly returned to the private room.

President Li was very confident about the film and kept making promises to everyone. Director Zhang also started discussing some details with the scriptwriter.

"Han Fei, come! Sit here." President Li was enthusiastic. "What do you think this movie will turn out like? If you confirm you’ll act in it, I have the contract ready for you. You’ll be the protagonist!"

"I am indeed interested, and once the script is ready, I can participate." Han Fei mainly wanted to see what the woman in the mirror looked like. By sticking with these reckless people, he would also have a higher chance of witnessing abnormal phenomena. Should any problem arise, he would have colleagues to share the burden.

Seeing Han Fei agree to act, President Li was even happier, heartily downing a few drinks.

"It’s getting late, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head home first." Han Fei said with a smile, greeted Director Zhang, and then left.

As he opened the door of the private room, Xia Yilan was just coming in. She was startled upon seeing Han Fei. "You’re leaving so early? There are still activities tonight. Won’t you join us?"

"I have other matters tonight." Han Fei was a fresh breeze in the entertainment world, a man whom the paparazzi and gossip reporters had given up on. His daily life was not about acting or going home to play games, never leaving home after ten-thirty in the evening, even middle schoolers were not as well-behaved as him.

"Don’t be so uptight. Enjoy the nightlife while you’re young." Xia Yilan took the opportunity to move closer to Han Fei as she entered, but Han Fei politely stepped back, opening the way for her.

"My nightlife is rich enough." After Xia Yilan entered the private room, Han Fei took his cellphone and left straight away. He had just noticed that the rotten smell on Xia Yilan seemed even stronger than before.

Leaving Baixiang Pavilion, Han Fei was about to call Li Xue when he suddenly felt someone staring at him, the gaze unnaturally cold.

Looking around, Han Fei spotted the man in black at the corner of the street. The man had not gone far.

"Hello."

"If you don’t want to die, you better not take that role," the man in black said, lowering the brim of his cap. "I’m not joking, nor making up stories, nor am I insane."

"Why are you telling me this alone?" Han Fei was even more curious about this. In the private room, the man in black had also made sure Han Fei sat beside him. He seemed quite fearful, and Han Fei might have given him a sense of security.

"There’s no particular reason." The man in black turned to leave.

"Do you need my help?" After Han Fei spoke, the man in black slowly stopped: "If you follow the legal news, you’d find I’ve helped many people. You give me the same feeling as them."

The man in black turned his head again, hesitated for a long time, and finally gave Han Fei a number. "I’m called Chou Ba. There are things I dare not say during the night. I’ll tell you when it’s daylight."

Seemingly afraid of being seen by more people, the man in black did not stay any longer and quickly left, disappearing into the night.

"Afraid to speak at night? Unspeakable?" Han Fei shook his head. "The plastic surgery hospital only harbors hatred. He’s probably only afraid to speak at night because he has a guilty conscience."

Memorizing the number, Han Fei took a ride back to his home.

Three players were still not out of the Deep World, and Han Fei was a bit worried about them. Before midnight, he entered the game box.

"Players who accidentally enter the Deep World all seem to have some connection with Eternal Life Pharmaceutical. Could this also be a fallback of Fu Sheng?"

After putting on the game helmet, Han Fei’s vision turned a deep red.

As blood began to drip, he opened his eyes.

In the gloomy room filled with old furniture, Han Fei pushed open the door and saw Cry and Ying Yue sitting on the Spiritual Altar at the entrance.

Cry held a black button picked up from who knows where, seemingly letting Ying Yue choose.

"Do you want to help her find her eyes?" Han Fei touched Cry’s head, finding this child, who radiated despair and dark energy, quite adorable.

Leading Cry and Ying Yue, Han Fei then found Feng Ziyu.

As a former senior game tester, Feng Ziyu was highly familiar with various games. He perfectly assumed the role of an NPC and led interactions between the Death Building’s security guard, Tie Nan, and Yantang, enhancing their gaming experience.

After confirming that the three players were not in danger, Han Fei received both good news and bad news.

The good news came from Mirror God, who discovered traces of Big Evil and Bai Sinian at the top floor of the department store. The pair had traversed Lost Paradise and seemed to be intending to return.

The bad news also came from Mirror God. He sensed an unspeakable aura behind Big Evil and suspected that an unspeakable being had marked Big Evil with hatred.

"At least we only offended one," Han Fei sighed in relief. When he had upgraded the shrine to gain reputation, he had allowed Big Evil to destroy another’s shrine. This debt was surely to be repaid unless the creditor’s soul had scattered.

Wearing the beast-faced mask, Han Fei prepared to check on those players while finding an opportunity to send Aunt Li away after midnight.

The Deep World was still too dangerous for Aunt Li. At her age, she couldn’t handle such intense shocks.

With early notice from Feng Ziyu, Han Fei and several players had an encounter on the first floor of the Death Building.

Possessing master-level acting skills, Han Fei didn’t seem like someone who had just logged off for a whole day. His eyes showed a hint of weariness and his tone and voice were much worse compared to yesterday.

"Brother Youfu! We meet again!" the three players gathered around.

"Haven’t you found a way to leave yet?" asked Han Fei, somewhat surprised but soon resigned, "Right, with your current abilities, it indeed seems too difficult to leave."

"We’ve found many keys, but none work. We’ve almost tried every door in this building, yet we still can’t leave," said Tie Nan, feeling a bit desperate and embarrassed in front of a professional player like Han Fei.

"A key may not necessarily be a key, but a key must always be a key," Han Fei said, puzzling over his own words. It seemed like he was hinting at something, leaving the three players deep in thought: "I just got back from a dangerous area. After I complete the missions, I’ll head out again. You guys just stay here for the time being. If I have extra keys, I’ll share them with you."

"Can you really bear to stay in such a depressing place?" Yantang was full of curiosity about Han Fei.

"Would you rather live continuously in a comfort zone, or lead a life filled with the unknown?" Han Fei’s eyes cleared a bit, revealing a spark.

"I understand now." Yantang gazed at Han Fei with a touch of admiration. The greatest sign of respect was wanting to become like him.

At that moment, Yantang did not know that Han Fei had already logged off to sing a song, saved a kitten, casually made the trending search, and enjoyed several good meals.

If he could stay in the comfort zone continuously, Han Fei reckoned he wouldn’t bother turning over. He had no choice, but Yantang seemed to have misunderstood, thinking Han Fei was incredibly grand.

"You guys wait here. I’m heading outside the fog," said Han Fei, about to leave when Aunt Li, who looked terribly exhausted, suddenly walked up to him.

"Sister Li? What’s the matter?"

"I faintly heard my husband’s voice. Could you take me to see him?" Aunt Li seemed aware her request was a bit excessive. She directly recited her real-world phone number: "I don’t play games, nor understand tools and treasures. I can’t offer you anything in-game, but if you take me to find him, I can pay you in reality."

Han Fei hadn’t expected that Aunt Li was also a player who spent heavily on games. He completely understood her emotions, but outside the fog was indeed too dangerous.

Dying in the Deep World could mean actual death, so it was better not to risk it.

"I’m not lying to you, my real name in reality is Li..."

"Okay," Han Fei cut Aunt Li off before she could continue: "Sister, you must remember never to reveal real-world information in the game."

"I just want to make you believe me. Can you take me to see him?" Aunt Li looked at Han Fei with hope. She had been searching for her husband for nearly twenty years in reality and now that she had a clue, she was determined to seize the opportunity with all her might.

"Can you tell me how you heard his voice?" Han Fei was also curious. The Death Building Area was shrouded in fog, and as the Master of Shrine, he would instantly know if an outsider entered.

"It seems related to this talent of mine. Since we parted yesterday, I’ve heard my husband’s voice by my ear. It sounds distant at times and near at others; he also seems to want to see me." Aunt Li’s talent was called Mourning, where her longing and emotions could reach the deceased.

"Let me think," Han Fei stared at Aunt Li, whose husband had worked for Eternal Life Pharmaceutical and was a doctor at the Plastic Surgery Hospital. If he could bring Aunt Li’s husband back into the fog, perhaps he could uncover all the secrets of the Plastic Surgery Hospital.

"Okay, I’ll take you, but you must listen to me. Outside the fog is extremely dangerous, and if you die, everything ends," Han Fei said. With that, his stature grew even larger in Yantang’s heart, and Tie Nan began to see him in a new light.

As a professional player, Tie Nan knew that a game account was as important as life itself. Yet Han Fei was willing to risk losing his account to help a low-level Aunt Li. His heart was truly kind.

"It’s too dangerous for you to go alone with Aunt. Let me come with you," said Tie Nan, stepping forward, with Yantang also preparing to join.

Han Fei was about to refuse, but then he thought it over. Yantang’s real-world information was not even accessible by Li Xue, which suggested she might have another identity; Tie Nan’s father was a senior executive at Eternal Life Pharmaceutical, and his induction into the Deep World could potentially trigger something.

Even if he didn’t think about these, Han Fei felt they needed training. Only through continuous refining could they truly become helpful to him.

Levelling up in the Shallow World was relatively simple; once their attributes increased, they could potentially transform from low-level fodder to high-level fodder.

"All right, I’ll take you, but it’s very dangerous outside the fog, so I need to make some preparations first," Han Fei told the three players to move freely and arranged to meet again in three hours.

Taking advantage of the time, Han Fei learned all the skill books Huang Ying had previously sent down. Unlike players from the Shallow World, he now had an excess of skill points and learned skills such as unlocking, diving, clothing making, skin transplant, and explosives.

Three hours later, Han Fei, holding the Spiritual Altar, gathered the three players again, and they headed towards the edge of the fog.

"The voice came from this direction; I heard it clearly. My husband seems to be calling for help," said Aunt Li as she jogged ahead, the others closely following her.

They avoided the hotel they had visited the night before and ventured deeper.

"Wait a second!"

Han Fei signaled everyone to stop. He stared at a blood-stained shoe print at the crossroads, which seemed to have been left by a child.

"It’s getting unsafe here; be ready to run towards the fog at any moment."

Pulling Aunt Li behind him, Han Fei took the Rebirth Saber from his pocket, walking at the forefront with Xu Qin.

"We’re almost there. The voice is very strong; it must be at the end of this street!" Aunt Li was excited; she felt her husband had already seen her.

"The more intense it gets, the more we need to avoid rash actions," Han Fei moved swiftly through the shadows. He hadn’t even approached the building when his ring issued a premonition.

"Could it be a ghost detected by the landlord’s ring from so far away?"

Slowing down, Han Fei looked at the clinic Aunt Li pointed out. A cold chill from the ring made it seem as if something terribly horrifying was hiding within the small clinic.

"The child’s shoe print has disappeared; the white shoes didn’t come this way, so it might not be driven by hatred."

Approaching slowly, when Han Fei reached the clinic downstairs, a system notification suddenly sounded.

"Attention player 0000! You have discovered a special building—Mirror Clinic, successfully lighting up the first building on the Plastic Surgery Hospital map!"

"Mirror Clinic?" Stepping inside, Han Fei soon realized why the clinic was so named.

Inside the small clinic, mirrors were placed everywhere. Although there was no one inside the clinic, there were figures standing behind each mirror, all facing away from the glass, varying in height and size.

"Could it be that all the residents have fled here?"

Stepping on the clean and neat stairs, Han Fei was the first to enter the clinic.

The atmosphere inside was so oppressive it was suffocating; the mirrors nearly blocked all the passageways, and one had to stick close to the mirrors to navigate.

"Is this clinic specially for treating mirrors?"

Gently touching the mirror surface, the cold sensation entered his mind, and the system’s voice sounded again.

"Attention player 0000! You have successfully triggered an F-level hidden mission—Mirror Clinic."

"When you cry in front of a mirror, the you in the mirror is smiling back. It likes to see you cry and starts finding ways to make you cry more, slowly moving to the side of your bed and extending its hand out of the mirror."

"Mission requirement: Find the you in the mirror that smiles."