My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 767: Even the Devil isn’t as good at penny-pinching as you

Chapter 767: Chapter 767: Even the Devil isn’t as good at penny-pinching as you

The Crow, who had always seemed indifferent to everything, saw his pupils slowly constrict after hearing what the Guinea Pig had said.

He asked the Guinea Pig to confirm once more, "The mirrors in the underground of the Shouxi Mirror Factory weren’t smashed by violence? They were burst open?"

"I’ve been to the scene. The mirrors exploded from the inside. All those years of accumulated Death Intent dissipated, and the bridge that helped you ascend has already collapsed. Whether those dead souls and ghosts have fled or have been absorbed by him, I do not know." The Guinea Pig’s gaze was icy as he pointed at the Crow, "I’ve always said we must be careful. That guy is no ordinary person!"

"To shatter the mirrors... does that mean he has killed more people than I have?" The Crow and the Guinea Pig were not on the same wavelength; touching his plague-symbolizing crow mask, he even spoke with a hint of excitement.

"Guinea Pig, Crow, stop arguing. The one who caused the mirrors to break might just be the person the Divine Spirit has been looking for." The woman wearing the Empress mask spoke slowly. She seemed to always hold a high position, her presence markedly different from the others, "After the Butterfly disappeared, it has been a long time since we last had a super-criminal recognized by the police department. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

"Super-criminal?" The Crow’s hands pressed against the edge of the wooden table; he clearly understood what the term meant.

In Murder Club, core members possess abilities far surpassing those of high-level members. The two are not on the same level, and a super-criminal is an entity even beyond core members.

In the long history of Xinhu, there have been no more than ten super-criminals at large. They are the city’s threat and shame, and the police force is constantly on the hunt to bring them to justice.

"Do you think that Sunshine Boy has the qualifications to become a super-criminal?" the Guinea Pig looked at the Empress.

"Perhaps he already is, and the monster living in his heart just hasn’t been completely drawn out yet." The Empress sat on her chair, examining the strange pattern on her glove, "Even the Butterfly didn’t manage to break that mirror, but he did. I can’t even imagine how many people he must have killed. But on the other hand, how is it that after committing such heinous acts, he can still live so freely?"

"What do you think we should do? Welcome him actively? Or find a way to kill him?" The Guinea Pig was somewhat uneasy, sensing a threat from the Sunshine Boy.

"We can now be sure that he’s not with the police."

"Yes, the Divine Spirit’s mirror cannot be wrong. The police would never use a butcher with blood on his hands, one who has killed at least dozens, as an undercover agent. A super psychopath who acts entirely on his own whims would never work for the police."

"For the time being, let’s maintain some distance. We could give him the status of core member, but we must not reveal our most critical secrets, such as the existence of the Divine Spirit or our connections with the night." The Empress suggested after a moment’s thought.

"You’re playing with fire. If he really is a super-criminal, then we might also become his targets," the Guinea Pig looked towards the two empty seats at the end of the long table, "Remember how the Butterfly treated us? In the eyes of a super-criminal, everyone else, beside themselves, is dispensable."

"Let’s not talk about this anymore," the Empress shifted her gaze to the other side of the long table, where a man wearing a pure white mask sat, "White, how are things with Sunday Night School? Has the new Butterfly been tamed by you yet?"

The man wearing the blank mask shook his head: "Not even close."

...

Inside an office of Xinhu City’s main police branch’s Major Crime Unit, Li Xue’s superior stood beside a desk, while a white-haired old man sat where he himself would usually be.

"Why have you come in person? It would have been fine for Li Xue to relay the message." The usually stern superior spoke quietly, as if he were facing his elder.

"Li Xue is the youngest of all my students, stubborn and resistant to discipline; I know she has caused you trouble." The old man sitting on the chair was Li Xue’s mentor, having solved countless major and minor cases. He had been pursuing the Butterfly for over ten years and was a living legend in the police force.

"Not at all, Li Xue has been a great help to us, though indeed she can sometimes be insubordinate," murmured the leader softly.

"Obedience is a duty, she’s too emotional." The old man shook his head slightly, then took out a document from his bosom, "I’ve received information sent by another one of my students, you all should be cautious as well."

"Another one of your students?" The leader suddenly seemed to think of something, "Is it him?"

"Yes." The old man placed the document on the table.

Upon opening the document, Li Xue’s leader found a completely blank sheet of paper, "What does this mean?"

"The blank that Butterfly leaves behind after its disappearance will be filled by a new Monster. We might have to return to the worst situation of dealing with several super criminals at once."

...

After Han Fei rode his motorcycle into the Old City District, he took off his mask. The Vulture, who was sitting in the back seat, shut his eyes tightly, afraid to see Han Fei’s face.

The downpour was so intense that Vulture had never been so scared in his life.

"We’ve arrived, get off." Han Fei parked the motorcycle in the back alley and urged Vulture to come quickly.

"Are we going to your Flesh Factory? Will you turn me into minced meat to feed dogs? Please let me go, can I become your dog in the future?" Vulture’s voice trembled as he could hardly imagine the brutal means Han Fei might use to torture him after seeing those dead in the mirror.

"Shut up, don’t compare me to a pervert, and don’t judge others by your filthy thoughts," Han Fei gripped Vulture, avoiding the cameras, and arrived at Jin Jun’s place.

Jin Jun, who had been notified in advance, was all prepared and opened the door to welcome Han Fei and Vulture in.

"Is this the den of evil?" Vulture, soaking wet with broken arms, knelt on the floor, "Everything appears normal, the bodies might have been reworked into all kinds of crafts, isn’t this black carpet woven from human hair?"

Han Fei didn’t bother with Vulture and had Jin Jun procure a Perfect Life Game account, then forced Vulture to complete the verification.

During the verification, Han Fei also discovered Vulture’s real identity information. His parents used to be owners of a hotel in the Smart District, but they fell into ruin. His family had intended to flee the country for refuge, but for some reason unknown, Vulture stayed behind, lurking in the far suburbs.

Vulture, lying in the Game Box, was still very scared, completely unable to guess what Han Fei was planning.

The torture he imagined didn’t happen—instead, he was just made to play a game, and it was even a Healing type of game.

Once Vulture logged in successfully, Han Fei instructed Jin Jun to keep an eye on him, and he immediately rushed towards his own home.

Before Midnight struck, Han Fei had returned home, took off his raincoat, and laid down in the Game Box.

As the Blood Sea descended, Han Fei heard a familiar laugh on the game login screen. Kuangxiao seemed to have become even more active.

Opening his eyes, Han Fei opened the Attribute Panel and found that his Blood Volume was still just a sliver; the Shrine built inside the Paradise Passage was still continuously draining Han Fei’s Life Power.

"Fu Sheng’s Shrine has a much higher Level than me. I need to think of a way quickly to provide ample sustenance for that shrine." Han Fei couldn’t support the Shrine himself and the solution he could think of was to capture a Ghost to take his place.

Accompanied by Cry and Ying Yue, Han Fei entered the Paradise Area.

The tens of thousands of souls he had brought out from Fu Sheng’s Shrine had merged into the Deep World, becoming new citizens of Monster City—unlike the original ghosts and monsters of the Deep World, they all retained their rationality and kindness.

As Han Fei walked past them, those souls would greet him, creating a very harmonious scene.

"It’s really hard to imagine such a scene here in the Deep World," the Ghost Manager said when he learned of Han Fei’s arrival and rushed over immediately. He had already distributed the Slaughter Sabers he brought from Beast Alley to some potential citizens, and had now formed a new ghost management team responsible for maintaining public order.

Building after building, in a style that conformed to the Underworld’s aesthetic, was being renovated. This city belonged to everyone, as well as to Han Fei.

Entering the Paradise Passage, there were fearless players who came here every day. The curiosity of humans for the unknown was fully displayed in them; they would rather die on the path of exploration than live in ignorance.

Han Fei admired these people, and he now wanted to use the Life Value of these players to alleviate some of his own pressure.

He approached Paradise Shrine and had the neighbors from Happiness Residential Community secure the perimeter, ensuring no one else was near before he opened his Attribute Panel.

With a touch of his finger, Han Fei slowly recited two words, "Soul-summoning!"

The Blood-colored Ghost Gate opened before Han Fei, and the image and information of a vulture surfaced in his mind. He reached out towards the Blood Sea.

Moments later, a grotesquely disfigured little fish, its tail sawed off, was caught by the Ghost Face and leaped out of the Blood Sea.

The Blood Gate closed, and the Vulture appeared in front of Han Fei, still holding a communicator, his face full of confusion.

"What are you doing with a communicator? You’re not thinking of contacting the police in reality and calling them?" Han Fei grasped the Vulture’s neck, and that familiar strength immediately awakened the Vulture.

"No, no! How could I possibly call the police?!" Vulture said, ducking his head, not daring to look at Han Fei’s face.

"It’s okay, you can look freely; after all, I’m going to erase your memories bit by bit." Han Fei dragged the Vulture in front of the Paradise Shrine, then tried to communicate with the shrine to let it consume the Vulture’s Life Value.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the Vulture’s Life Value was emptied. If it weren’t for Han Fei’s quick reaction, the Vulture’s soul might have been absorbed by the shrine.

"It seems I can’t let players replace me; they would be sucked dry." Han Fei threw a piece of offal to the Vulture, instructing him to eat it to heal, and this kind act triggered a bout of wild thoughts in the Vulture, his hands trembling as he clutched the meat.

"Eat up quickly; we’ll have to go elsewhere afterward."

Once the Vulture’s Blood Volume had slightly recovered, Han Fei took him to the Department Store’s Soul Trading Shrine to consult with the Mirror God about what an ordinary perverted soul could be exchanged for.

After asking for the prices, Han Fei, somewhat disappointed, took the Vulture to the Plastic Surgery Hospital and laid him in front of the Soul Surgery Shrine for memory alteration surgery.

Seeing the Vulture’s plight, the neighbors from Happiness Residential Community all felt he had met a sad fate; even the Large-scaled Grudge had not enjoyed the treatment of visiting three shrines in a row.

"The Devil himself isn’t as penny-pinching as you are; are you planning to establish a complete production and trade chain?" Li Zai followed Han Fei, full of anticipation. "A soul assembly line—that sounds amazing."

"Don’t misunderstand me; I only target and exploit the wicked," Han Fei said as he began altering the Vulture’s memories, implanting fear and obedience deep within his soul.

"Even the devils in hell say the same thing."

After modifying Vulture’s memories, Han Fei took Vulture to the Black Rain Area.

"Why is it raining here too?" Rain seemed to become a lifetime shadow for Vulture, and even after his memories were modified, the sight of raindrops still instinctively frightened him.

"Don’t say a word more than necessary when the time comes." Han Fei led Vulture to the second floor of the convenience store, where he lifted the lid on the sauce jar, "Come here."

"Is something wrong?"

"I want to show you the flowers I’ve grown."

Using the secret of touching the depths of the soul, Han Fei pulled Bu Kaixin from his shattered skull. Pointing at Vulture with his other hand, he said, "I’ve checked your records; you should recognize him. His name is Vulture."

Upon hearing the name "Vulture," Bu Kaixin covered his head; it seemed that the mere act of remembering the past brought him the pain of feeling his body being torn apart.

"I have the ability to help you idiots leave. I can offer you a brand-new choice and can make you experience pain beyond imagination, so don’t lie to me again." Han Fei seemed to have squeezed the last bit of value out of Vulture, using him for many experiments and not forgetting to make an example of him.

"You are a special flower, but I’ve never known what your special ability actually is. The Florist says that nurturing flowers requires emotional investment. Isn’t our bond deep enough?" Han Fei opened the Attribute Panel and looked at the info on Bu Kaixin; the column for special ability was still full of question marks.

"Everything that happened to him will happen to you, whether good or bad. You have already sided with me. Trusting me unconditionally is your only choice." Han Fei had the memory-altered Vulture greet Bu Kaixin, and then he sent Vulture back to the Shallow World using his Soul-returning Talent.

It was at the moment Vulture was sent away that the system sent a prompt.

Player number 0000, please note! Information on Special Flower Grade E has changed!

"Bu Kaixin (Grade E Special Flower): This flower has a person’s name; he never smiled, everyone calls him ’Unhappy’."

"Special Ability - Soul Transfer: His seeds can germinate within the souls of other flowers, usurping their memories to grow."

"Did you realize I have access to another passage, and does that excite you?" Han Fei stared at the colorful seed in Bu Kaixin’s chest; he now knew how to use this flower.

Leaving the branch of Yimin Convenience Store, Han Fei, holding a black umbrella, arrived at the club.

The blind old man was sitting in the lobby, fiddling with a long-broken radio. When he heard Han Fei’s footsteps, he looked up, revealing the two deep holes on his face.

"Old man, I’d like to take a trip to the dance studio."

"You want to learn to dance?"

"Yes, learn to dance." Han Fei’s main purpose was to take a look at the mirrors in the dance studio; he had seen things he had never seen before in the mirror in the workshop’s basement, such as the thirty children who were killed.

He had never observed the memories belonging to Kuangxiao that way, and he very much wanted to see those thirty children again, see the people he had killed with his own hands.