My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 849: Eyes Brimming with Despair

Chapter 849: Chapter 849: Eyes Brimming with Despair

The murky, viscous sewage has accumulated an unknown amount of despair and resentment; just standing at the edge of the undersea tunnel, one can feel the oppression.

The ghost hidden within the Underground Water Life House is definitely a hatred igniting black fire. It is likely more terrifying than any hatred Han Fei has encountered before.

"What do you plan to do next?" Han Fei had already destroyed the aquarium’s surface structures, but under the influence of the hatred ghost creature, it wouldn’t take long for it to restore itself, becoming even more terrifying than before. "Why don’t we bring some pumps over? See if we can drain it?"

"It’s useless. This black water and resentment have merged into one and will never run dry unless the hatred within it is killed." The leader of the third group is an expert in ghosts and monsters; due to his unique personality ability, he once integrated into a group of ghosts, living as one of them in the depths of the city after the disaster.

"Going into the water is too dangerous; facing the hatred alone is like courting death."

The main body of the Water Life House is underground; there are two ways to enter: jump directly into the opening above or "visit" through the undersea tunnel.

"Let’s leave it to the professionals."

The leader of the tenth group is a burly man who carried various equipment to the water’s edge. He took a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on, the contrast created by his robust, exaggerated muscles and gentle face.

"Determining the type of hatred doesn’t necessarily require going under; we can lure it out." The leader of the tenth group, known as the Top Student, fits the name perfectly – widely knowledgeable, fiercely combative, able to conduct research all night and tear apart fierce ghosts and grudges in combat.

One after another, heavy boxes were opened, and all sorts of strange items were taken out. The Top Student built an altar beside the underground water tank, placing fresh sacrificial animals on top.

"You all step back!"

Taking out a peachwood long sword, the Top Student scattered a bag of flesh balls onto the water’s surface. Using the free hand, he began to draw talismans with ghost blood.

"What’s that leader doing?" Han Fei was somewhat perplexed.

"After our many years of research, we can already determine the category of hatred through various methods." The Seventh explained softly to Han Fei: "Ghosts that can become hatred level generally fall into several categories: aggregates of various negative emotions, like jealousy or fear. These aggregates, once igniting their own black fire, become extremely difficult to handle and very hard to kill. Besides aggregates, there’s extreme obsessions, where hatred towards a person or event reaches a peak, strengthening this grudge after becoming a ghost. Sinking deeper and deeper, such pure hatred is most common, like the little girl you just consumed."

"So what’s the connection with the altar the tenth group leader set up?" Han Fei still didn’t quite understand.

"The third type of hatred is peculiar. They don’t exist as real ghosts but are kaidan passed around by word of mouth, becoming realities under the influence of the disaster. If such a ghost reaches the hatred level, it becomes extremely terrifying, and as long as people in the mortal world still talk about them, they won’t dissipate. The best way to deal with such hatred is to seal it within a Curse Item and bring it back to the bureau." The Seventh explained patiently to Han Fei: "Each type of hatred requires a different execution method, so we want to rule out the third situation first."

The flesh balls sank into the water, talismans burned on the altar, and numerous papermen fell into the water tank, but there was no abnormality from the hatred hidden in the deep water.

With rituals, earth worshipping, and ghost summoning, the Top Student went through all the procedures: "It seems it’s not the hardest type of hatred, thankfully."

Burning the offering table and sacrifices, the tenth group members placed two huge silver boxes on the shore, taking out various high-tech devices, some checking sound waves, some detecting abnormal magnetic fields. They submerged them into the black water in sequence and monitored in real time with special helmets.

Ten minutes passed, and the equipment had not yet reached the bottom.

When they tried to pull the equipment up, they felt strong resistance, and eventually, several team members retrieved only half a broken rope.

"Don’t worry, I have other testing methods." The Top Student motioned for the member to drive the modified car nearby. He placed a medium-type resentment imprisoned in a corpse on the water surface: "Stay calm and watch me lure that thing out."

The resentment controlled the corpse, simulating human fear. For ghosts and monsters, such negative emotions are exquisitely tasty.

"I don’t believe it can hold back?"

The resentment within the corpse erupted with fear surpassing any before. Thirteen investigation teams all focused intently on the calm water surface, prepared for battle.

A few seconds later, ripples appeared on the water’s surface, and simultaneously, fresh blood seeped from the prosthetic eye in Han Fei’s pocket, staining his coat.

"Is Gao Cheng’s prosthetic eye reacting?"

Before Han Fei could check, the corpse soaked in the water suddenly exploded, smashing the medium-type resentment hidden inside with some force, causing a blood rain in the aquarium hall.

After trying various methods, the leader of the tenth group still couldn’t determine the type and ability of the hatred. Several heads turned towards the position of the first group.

The leader of the first group glanced at Han Fei: "Can the ghost you control operate the instruments?"

"I can give it a try." Han Fei called upon the ghost and monster again, but medium-level resentment couldn’t enter deep water, and the Executioner and Principal had completely lost themselves, only knowing destruction.

However, to help pave the way, Han Fei braved the rising mental pollution and sent the Principal into deep water, but it also didn’t force out the hidden hatred. The hatred at the bottom seemed to be in slumber, with no reactions to the outside world.

When the Mental Pollution Index was about to exceed forty, Han Fei retrieved it; any further, he might have a mental breakdown.

"Looks like we must go in ourselves. Groups Two to Seven maintain vigilance as planned. Groups Eight, Nine, and I will go underwater to place the equipment in specified locations to activate it. Groups Ten to Thirteen will support at the undersea tunnel entrance." The leader of the first group, who speaks rarely, finally spoke. He is a cautious person who makes decisions after thorough consideration, as his words could determine the life and death of many investigation team members.

Entering the Underground Water Life House is perilous, but no one from the groups named by the first group leader backed down, showing no fear or timidity on their faces.

"Group Nine in position." The leader of Group Nine, Runjiao, is the daughter of a captain who grew up at sea and once enthusiastically joined the rescue team. During the disaster, she became unpredictable due to losing family members one after another, suffering severe mental problems. After treatment at the Disaster Investigation Bureau, she awakened dual personalities – fury and tranquility.

Those who’ve faced her likened her to the sea, sometimes violently raging, other times calmly peaceful.

The entire Group Nine boasts rich disaster relief experience; floods, swamps, storms, they’ve encountered every extreme environment. They are a specially assigned unit in the investigative squad.

"Group Eight in position." Removing his hat, Group Eight’s leader Qian Yi appears gentlemanly. Known as a gambler in the underground casinos of Xinhu, he lost over a billion in wagers against ghosts, losing his lover, children, parents, a hand, an eye, and even sacrificed his heart to a nameless divine spirit. With a gambler’s personality, he is a madman whose only wish for the rest of his life is to see that ghost again, to gather the chips and gamble again to bring back his family.

Group Eight is also a special environment investigation team, composed of criminals with past mistakes. They need to redeem their crimes and earn their freedom through contributions.

"Check safety measures and diving equipment. All action teams, take care not to lose sight of each other."

After the leader of the first group finished speaking, he took off his jacket, revealing the tight-fitting diving suit. They had already considered such situations before the operation.

"Field command authority is handed over to the second team leader, Ning Pan. Prepare to go underwater!"

Taking the lead, the first team leader put on his diving equipment and jumped into the pitch-black grudge sewage. He led three investigation teams along the outer wall of the undersea tunnel to explore downward.

"The will of these people is terrifyingly strong. The Disaster Investigation Bureau is truly the most powerful combat spot. The ghosts and monsters hidden in the grudge say they will jump and do it without batting an eye."

Seeing these people act without hesitation, Han Fei’s eyes brightened somewhat. Even in the worst future scenario, the flame of humanity has not extinguished.

"Stay in the middle of the team, don’t rush forward," said Long Yuan, the leader of the eleventh team, as he walked at the front of the team. They moved step by step forward to reach the entrance of the undersea tunnel.

The once dreamy and illusory undersea tunnel now could only be seen as murky, filthy, and filled with corpses. Swollen, pale dead faces were stuck on the outside of the glass tunnel, and occasional unknown grudges swam by.

Approximately three minutes later, a voice from Ning Pan, the leader of the second team, echoed inside the black ring: "The eighth and ninth teams have successfully secured the detection equipment at the target location. First team, if you hear this, return immediately!"

The strongest first team leader had now lost contact, and there was no reply within the black ring.

"Repeat! First team, if you hear this, respond immediately!"

The numbers on the black ring were changing, and both the ninth and eighth teams had sent back signals.

In three minutes, logically speaking, even if an accident occurred, it should have been detected. Yet, no one expected the first team to disappear silently into the deep water.

The eighth and ninth teams decided to continue diving to check the first team’s situation. All the investigation teams were focused on the first team, but at this moment, another problem arose in the undersea tunnel.

With a strange noise reverberating, Han Fei looked toward a certain spot in the tunnel, sensing something approaching in the deep sea water.

"Boom!"

After a slight impact sound, a pale human face stuck to the outside of the glass tunnel. It was a head with eyes completely regressed. The ghosts and monsters in this dark deep water seemed to have eye issues, as if their eye sockets were filled with impurity-ridden fragments of glass balls.

"Eyes?" Han Fei instinctively touched the prosthetic eye in his pocket, feeling the wet and icy blood in his palm.

"Teams ten to thirteen, take heed! Guard the tunnel entrance!" said Ning Pan, the leader of the second team, prioritizing stability and preparing to pause the investigation upon encountering an accident.

The ghost seemed to have sensed the investigation teams retreat, and in the deep darkness, regrets and grudges began to appear more and more.

The situation was critical. Grudges suddenly began to gather underwater, and while those onshore had not figured out the situation, a member from the ninth team surfaced with an utterly horrified expression, shouting to the tenth team leader: "Dive fifteen meters deep! No sight of the first team members! The equipment from the eighth and ninth teams has been set up, start the devices immediately to ascertain the underwater condition!"

Now no one knew what the first team encountered. The only way was to activate the devices to attract the attention of ghosts and monsters to see if it could help the first team escape.

"Only two devices are completed; the effect should be much weaker, but we have no choice but to try." The tenth team leader took out the remote control device and pressed the switch.

The calm surface of the water began to tremble, as fragments of a god statue were stored inside the devices, mimicking a hint of unspeakable aura.

"Attention!"

Two beams of strong light shone into the water from the left and right, but the light couldn’t travel far in the sewage laden with negative emotions. The team members could only faintly see some outlines by using the power of their personality.

As the extremely weak unspeakable aura spread in the deep water, the underwater silence was shattered, and a terrifying force awakened!

The members of the eighth and ninth teams gradually left. Using the strong light, they saw a dense mass of corpses and water ghosts.

"Has the first team still not responded? Should we initiate the second phase?" The tenth team leader looked at Ning Pan, hesitant to make a decision.

"The longer it drags on, the more troublesome it becomes! Start immediately! All teams prepare for rescue!"

"Roger!"

The fragments of the god statue inside the device turned into ash, and the unspeakable aura soared dramatically. Under such a terrifying threat, the hidden hatred could no longer be concealed.

The pitch-black sewage turned blood red, and all the water ghosts began to frantically dash around, with intense hatred black fire burning in the water. Terrifying eyeballs looked at the members of the investigation team.

"All members of the first team are in its eyes!"

Those two enormous eyeballs, one completely composed of various corpses, accumulated boundless grudge energy, emitting an aura of disaster and misfortune.

The other was crystal clear, with pure hatred black fire burning within, continually igniting the obsession with revenge.

"Player number 0000, take heed! You have discovered Hatred—Gao Xing’s Memory."

"Gao Xing’s Memory (Disaster Level Hatred): You always said I was your eyes, but now you want to give these eyes to another child. I understand now—it turns out you love him more than your own eyes! Or maybe you fear that these eyes might one day see the truth! You wish to make me blind like you!"

For the first time, Han Fei saw the Disaster Level Hatred rating in the system prompt, feeling extremely ominous.

"Normally, by the ability of the first team leader, even faced with hatred, they should be able to escape. Now, however, they are silently trapped in the eyes—this is much more terrifying than typical hatred!"