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Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: This Child Insisted on Coming to Our Home to Play

Han Fei knew that the Old Woman wasn't telling a story; she was recounting events that had actually happened to her.The kinder a person is, the more unease and torment they feel internally after doing something against their conscience.This guilt becomes a sickness, lodged deep in the heart, causing a dull ache whenever it's remembered.Looking at the Old Woman in her current state, Han Fei didn't know what to say.The human heart is complex; even a lifelong kind person can become an accomplice.The Old Woman's health wasn't very good; she clutched her chest and didn't continue speaking.During his conversation with Meng Shi just now, Han Fei also discovered something very noteworthy.The Old Woman in the game seemed to have no memory of her own death, which was very strange.The victims of the Fourth Floor Human Body Puzzle Case had the despair and pain of their dying moments etched into their bones; they were frenzied and violent, completely irrational, forgetting many things, yet they never forgot the fact that they were cruelly murdered.However, the Old Woman Meng Shi on the Third Floor was the exact opposite; she was kind and benevolent, remembering events from her life but forgetting the fact that she had died.Both were deceased, and Han Fei suspected that the reason for such a difference was related to their state at the time of death.Those who were tortured and killed, harboring resentment and pain, would also become insane in the game.But for someone like the Old Woman, whose cause of death had other hidden circumstances, she managed to preserve her sanity. Perhaps at the time of her death, the Old Woman felt little hatred, only regret and sorrow.Han Fei was still unclear about the specific reasons; this game was full of unknowns for him, and he needed to investigate step by step.Player No. 0000, please note! G-level normal mission 'Listening and companionship' has been completed! Meng Shi's favorability increased by ten!Player No. 0000, please note! Meng Shi's favorability has reached the standard! Congratulations on gaining Meng Shi's friendship! You have now learned how to live harmoniously with Neighbors!Han Fei scrolled to the end of his attribute panel, where a new 'Life Atlas' appeared, with Meng Shi's name under the Neighbor column.Meng Shi (Slight Regret): The Old Woman has a kind heart. She feels she owes this world and many people. A sacrificial personality trait.Staring at the character information, Han Fei was puzzled: "What does 'Slight Regret' after the Old Woman's name mean?"He tried touching the words 'Slight Regret' on the attribute panel, and a cold, mechanical synthetic voice appeared in his mind.The vast majority of normal residents in this world harbor regrets, perhaps a certain obsession, an irreversible past, or an unresolved knot in their heart.Regret levels are divided into'Slight', 'Great', and 'Extreme'. Different levels of regret manifest in different ways.Hearing the voice in his mind, Han Fei became even more confused: "So, the NPC levels are divided into three tiers? No, the system only said that the vast majority of normal residents in this world harbor regrets, but this underworld has ghosts and a large number of abnormal people! They should have another classification system."After gaining Meng Shi's friendship, Han Fei learned the classification of normal residents, but to know the classification of ghosts and abnormal people, he would probably have to gain the friendship of a ghost or an abnormal person first.Three hours passed quickly, and Han Fei put on the jade pendant given by the Old Woman before going to the Room Door.His ring-wearing finger still felt a chill, and Han Fei knew that the Child hadn't gone far, still lingering near the Room Door."Grandma, I estimate that Child might stay by the door. Later, I'll open the door and lure him away first, and then you immediately go to the opposite room to find Chen Chen. Don't hesitate." Han Fei was quite worried about the Old Woman, as she was over seventy and had some difficulty moving."Okay." To save her grandson, the Old Woman was determined."I'll open the door after counting to three. You must wait until the Child leaves with me before coming out." Han Fei first rummaged through his pocket for the large bunch of keys, taking out the anti-theft door key: "Get ready!""One, two, three!"The anti-theft door opened immediately, and Han Fei rushed out like an arrow.Upon entering the hallway, his fingers were instantly frozen, and the Child's crying could be heard in his ears.Looking back, a pale-bodied Child was crawling on the staircase!Han Fei took three steps at a time. When he reached the Fourth Floor, he felt a sudden weight on his back."It climbed onto my back?!"A chill spread from his back to his neck, then to his cheeks. Han Fei didn't dare to be distracted and quickly inserted the key into the lock.He desperately turned the key, his eyes fixed on the Room Door!As the chill swept across his cheek and the anti-theft door was about to open, a pale Child's face emerged from Han Fei's shoulder and extended in front of him!The two faces were only a dozen centimeters apart. Han Fei's hair stood on end from fright; anyone else would probably have been scared insane, but he gritted his teeth and managed to open the anti-theft door under such circumstances.His neck was distorted from being choked, and breathing became difficult. The Child wanted to push Han Fei down the stairs, but Han Fei, with the thought of fighting to the death, rushed into the room.He fell to the ground, and the Child who had been choking him sat on his shoulder, its cold little hands covering his eyes.Eerie crying entered his mind. Han Fei couldn't think much and directly crawled towards the innermost Bedroom of the Haunted House. He remembered that the monster had disappeared there.The one point of stamina he gained from upgrading earlier became crucial. He successfully crawled to the Bedroom door and desperately knocked on the Room Door.The door lock rattled; this Haunted House seemed to have not been so lively in a long time."Wei Youfu!"The dust-covered Bedroom door finally burst open, and a chilling wind blew out from it. The two small hands covering Han Fei's eyes slowly loosened.Only then did Han Fei see seven figures sitting with their backs to him by the bed in the innermost Bedroom of the Haunted House.That room was like an ice cellar, pitch black and bone-chillingly cold.At this moment, Han Fei made a move that even the ghosts hadn't anticipated: he took the Child sitting on his shoulder and directly crawled into the Bedroom, then casually closed the Bedroom door!In the pitch darkness, the Child's crying became even more piercing. Han Fei couldn't see anything; he shivered, constantly muttering: "This Child insisted on coming to find someone to play with, he wants friends, and I thought, with so many friends in our house, he'd surely be happy."As soon as the pressure on his shoulder disappeared, Han Fei didn't hesitate for a second, immediately opened the Bedroom door, and rushed out.The Child on his back was gone, and Han Fei realized the Child's crying had been left behind in the Bedroom.He collapsed on the ground, letting out a long sigh of relief: "That scared me to death."When the Child choked his neck just now, he truly thought he was going to die.After checking the Bedroom door and making sure it was closed, Han Fei ran towards the Living Room: "The mission to find Chen Chen hasn't been completed yet. Did something happen to the Old Woman?"

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