My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 811: It Initially Started as a Slight Abnormality

Chapter 811: Chapter 811: It Initially Started as a Slight Abnormality

Han Fei had been in the Paradise for a long time until Huang Ying suddenly called him.

The other party used that encrypted number, which Huang Ying only used to contact Han Fei in emergencies.

Exiting the Paradise, Han Fei made sure there was no one around before answering the call: "Brother Huang Ying?"

"There are some issues in the Shallow World of ’Perfect Life,’ some players are experiencing abnormal mental states after logging off." Huang Ying’s speech was rapid: "It’s serious, I can’t explain it over the phone. You should come to the Smart New City."

"Last night, the unspeakable ghost started affecting reality, choosing ’Perfect Life’ as the medium. I’m already aware of this." Han Fei placed the black key close to him; he still didn’t know the location of the door, but he felt that one day he would find it.

"I think it’s best if you have a look, because this situation isn’t isolated. All players with abnormal mental states died in the Paradise Passage. I suspect the two unspeakables are working together, one is opening the passage, and the other will continue to use the passage for something even more terrifying." Huang Ying was somewhat worried: "Has there been any new problems with that passage in the Paradise?"

"The Hatred guarding the passage is about to enter the Skyscraper." Han Fei frowned, changing his mind: "I’ll head to the Smart New City immediately, give me an address."

Two hours later, Han Fei and Huang Ying met at a high-end residential area in the Smart New City. They took the elevator together to the door of room 3014.

"This resident from the same community as me is a key member of the Commerce Alliance in ’Perfect Life.’ He died in the Paradise Passage that night." Huang Ying waved at the camera, waiting for the homeowner to open the door: "After logging off, he initially just felt a headache, but then it got increasingly abnormal."

After waiting for a few minutes, the door was opened, but it was unclear who opened it.

The smell of pungent air freshener wafted out from inside. The living room was in disarray, with planks and nails scattered on the floor, and the furniture had been moved around.

"President Zhang?" Huang Ying, holding his phone, walked ahead cautiously, kicking away planks on the floor: "The ghost exorcist I invited for you has arrived, are you okay?"

Han Fei glanced behind him, realizing that the ghost exorcist Huang Ying referred to was himself.

Slowly entering the living room, Han Fei saw some used adult diapers and a large number of air freshener bottles in the corner.

Suddenly, a creaking sound came from the bedroom, the wardrobe door was pushed open, and a pale arm stretched out, followed by a shoulder, and finally a bloodless face.

"President Zhang!"

Huang Ying ran to the bedroom and pulled President Zhang out of the wardrobe. The other party’s belly was bulging, and his pockets were stuffed with various medications.

"Why did you lock yourself in the wardrobe in broad daylight?" Huang Ying held down President Zhang’s still trembling shoulders: "It’s okay now, the ghost exorcist is here, all your disturbances will be resolved."

It took a while for President Zhang to return to normal. He lay on the floor, grabbing Han Fei’s arm directly: "Help me, that thing wants to kill me!"

"Don’t panic, tell us slowly." Han Fei squatted beside President Zhang, glancing at his abnormally distended belly.

"I saw it, at first it only appeared at night, but later it started appearing during the day too!" President Zhang clutched his head, eyes full of horror, gripping Han Fei with trembling hands: "There’s an extra person in my bathroom! As long as I don’t turn on the light, it’ll stand inside! It also crouches behind me, climbing over my head!"

President Zhang pointed towards the bathroom, the wooden door completely barricaded with planks by him, though it seemed to no avail.

"Since when did you start seeing it?"

"The Perfect Life Game! It was after I was killed by a ghost in the Nightmare Passage that day!" President Zhang fished out a bottle of pills from his pocket, ready to swallow without counting, but was stopped by Huang Ying.

"The ghosts in the passage are all our own, it must be the Dream’s will secretly doing something." Han Fei walked to the bathroom door, removing all the planks and opening the door.

The luxuriously decorated bathroom had no ghost presence. Compared to other rooms, it appeared cleaner and tidier.

"There’s no ghost, I’m certain there’s no ghost here."

"Impossible! Look, it’s right there! It’s hiding in there!" President Zhang clutched his head, screaming like a child.

"The ghost in the passage won’t follow you out. You must have been influenced by the Dream, which brought out the darkest things from within you." Han Fei grabbed President Zhang and brought him to the bathroom door: "Have you done anything in the bathroom before that you regret? Only by telling the truth can I help you."

Seeing President Zhang struggling and screaming without cooperating, Han Fei lifted him up and pressed him onto the toilet: "If you don’t tell, I’ll lock you in the bathroom, not letting you out."

Huang Ying, standing aside, wore a bitter smile at this scene; he really called Han Fei over to save people.

Under Han Fei’s threat, President Zhang finally spoke: "My sister, due to family pressure, committed suicide in the bathroom. She said she hated everyone in the family. Since then, I’ve never dared to use the toilet alone at night. I always hear her voice, and every time I enter the bathroom, it feels like she’s standing inside, wanting to strangle me!"

"The fear in your heart has been transformed into an illusion by the Dream." Huang Ying roughly understood.

"It might not be an illusion; after some time, maybe his sister will really appear." Han Fei’s words frightened both President Zhang and Huang Ying: "No one can say clearly what ghosts really are. They die, they exist, they’ve always been in people’s minds, from the Deep Layer to the Shallow Layer, into every person’s dreams."

Han Fei had entered Fu Sheng’s Paradise Shrine, knowing the First Generation Ghost emerged due to the accumulation of negative emotions from people.

If everyone in Xinhu is like President Zhang, more terrifying ghosts will inevitably descend, and past tragedies will replay.

"The Garden Owner coordinates reality and the Deep World, the Dream’s awareness has already laid the groundwork; there are already two unspeakables involved, no one knows how many more will secretly join in."

Some things just thinking about make Han Fei’s scalp tingle. Xinhu has unknowingly become the center of the storm, this vortex that devours everything continues to expand.

"The best way to overcome fear is to face it, but for most people that’s too difficult."

Han Fei let go of President Zhang’s hand. Normally dressed in a suit, President Zhang crawled and rolled out of the bathroom; he couldn’t stay here for even a moment.

"You don’t have a way either?" Huang Ying opened his phone: "This is a list from the Inevitable Truth Mutual Aid Society statistics. Extreme cases like President Zhang aren’t many, but the number of people with unstable mental states is surging. Furthermore, there’s something strange: those players whose spirits are abnormal are mainly concentrated in Xinhu."

"Eternal Life Pharmaceutical and Deep Space Technology are in Xinhu. Is it easier to have problems the closer you are to the Smart Brain?"

"I’m not sure either." Huang Ying furrowed his brows tightly together; he had never encountered such a difficult matter. Previously, he always felt there was plenty of time, but didn’t expect the disaster to come so fast.

"There are people inside Eternal Life Pharmaceutical and Deep Space Technology cooperating with the three major criminal organizations, and even the Unspeakable is hidden within their company. We have too many enemies now." Han Fei has contradictions with the two tech giants, but he must preserve Perfect Life; that mental paradise is not only Fu Sheng’s entire effort but also crucial for offsetting the despair of the Deep World.

"What should we do next?" Huang Ying controlled President Zhang.

"In the game, rally the players to unite and protect their homeland, don’t let those Ghosts and Monsters exploit the gaps." After a moment of silence, Han Fei continued: "Abandon illusions and prepare for the merger of the Deep World and the Shallow."

"Has the situation deteriorated to that extent?"

"We must plan for the worst." Han Fei needs to return to the Deep World quickly; he has to notify the Hatred on the floor to guard the passage: "The more we delay, the more people will be affected by the Deep World. The upcoming nights will decide many things."

"Will the ghosts of the Deep World...really come out?" Huang Ying had not experienced Fu Sheng’s Memory Shrine and couldn’t imagine the horrors within.

"Let me put it this way: the despair people create keeps accumulating to the point it can now easily bury humanity itself." Han Fei is not a pessimist; he’s merely stating facts: "Stop wasting time, every night from now on requires full effort."

"Understood." Huang Ying nodded and called for emergency services to take President Zhang away.

"Regarding matters in Xinhu, you can contact the police directly. I might have to stay in the dark for a while." Han Fei prepared to leave, but stopped at the door: "In the meantime, keep an eye on Liuli Cat and other players I’ve saved; they are the future’s sparks. Make sure they don’t burn out prematurely."

"Being seen by everyone during the livestream does indeed make them easy targets for criminal organizations. I’ll be vigilant."

After chatting with Huang Ying, Han Fei entered the supermarket in the Smart District to buy various supplies, preparing for the next week.

...

The sky turned dark, and virtual idol Caibao carried newly bought cat litter and cat food back to the community. Online, she’s bold and passionate; in reality, she’s socially anxious and introverted, rarely greeting neighbors.

"Strange, why is the community so quiet today?"

Dark clouds slowly gathered over Xinhu, and fine raindrops fell onto her arms. Caibao gradually widened her eyes, reaching out to touch the rain: "Why is this rain black?"

Looking up, Caibao discovered a downpour of black rain; the dark, viscous rain seemed like the malice at the bottom of people’s hearts.

Passersby rushed around, no one paid attention to Caibao. The black rain seemed visible only to specific individuals.

"I just changed clothes; now I have to shower again when I get back."

Caibao hugged the cat litter and dashed into the hallway, unsure if it was an illusion or for other reasons; the hallway today was exceptionally cold as if this wasn’t the path home but led to another place.

In a panic, she took out her keys, trying several times before finally unlocking the door. Throughout the process, she kept looking back; despite the empty hallway, she felt as though she was being followed.

Rushing inside, Caibao shut the door as fast as possible, yet when she turned around, that strange feeling emerged again.

"This is my house, right? Why does it feel a little unfamiliar?"

After ensuring the door was locked, Caibao set down the cat litter, calling out her cat’s name.

The house was silent; the cat didn’t respond, only her own voice echoed around.

Looking at the empty room, Caibao switched on the living room light and walked forward, brushing her hand against the wall. She suddenly heard something crawling in her bedroom.

Calling her cat’s name, Caibao ran into the bedroom, seeing the bed sheet shifting.

"Don’t crawl under the bed! You’ll get covered in dust again!"

Caibao squatted down and lifted a corner of the sheet, reaching underneath: "Come out!"

After feeling around for a while and finding nothing, she bent down to look under the bed, her gaze suddenly fixing on the bedroom corner where her cat’s body was covered in bloodstains, hidden behind the door.

As the clock’s hands crossed, Caibao’s bent fingers suddenly touched something, cold and icy, like a person’s face.