Chapter 15: Who Is Healing Whom
The cold mechanical synthesized voice echoed in his mind, but Han Fei didn't let it distract him. His entire focus was on the TV screen.
The eerie animation hadn't finished yet, and in the centre of the screen, the humanoid monster made of pieced-together bodies still stood behind the sofa.
The small figure had been dismembered, and the room was covered in bloodstains. The monster, despite the killings, seemed even more tormented. Under its torn skin, several faces were biting and tearing at each other, and Wei Youfu and Amei, who had just regained a trace of their humanity, seemed to be losing it again.
Han Fei didn't know what would happen next, but he was certain that the reason the monster hadn't dragged him away was because Wei Youfu and Amei had influenced it.
If the faces representing Wei Youfu and Amei were harmed or lost control again, he would once again face the threat of death.
"The deceased appearing in the game, I'm not sure about their current state. But one thing is certain—they still retain some of their previous memories. At least Wei Youfu and Amei can understand what I'm saying."
Watching the suffering monster on the TV screen, Han Fei resisted the urge to turn around and softly said, "Your happy and joyful life was destroyed by that psychopathic murderer, so you want revenge?"
What Han Fei said was a useless statement, summarizing the monster's behaviour in words. But in practice, this sentence helped bridge the gap between Han Fei and the monster, while also redirecting its hatred.
The cause of all the tragedy was neither the innocent Han Fei nor Wei Youfu and Amei, who were also victims. It was the person who killed them.
Although Han Fei had never studied psychology, he had visited a psychologist several times due to his severe social anxiety. He distinctly remembered a phrase on one doctor's wall: "Let go of your own world and accept someone else's world."
To comfort someone who had suffered, one should not confine the definition of suffering to their own understanding. If one hadn't experienced it themselves, they should not try to communicate using their own thought process. A good psychologist would patiently listen in such situations.
Han Fei himself didn't understand all this, but he felt more comfortable when the doctor did that for him. So now, he positioned himself as that doctor.
In the haunted house, in the presence of the humanoid monster, Han Fei chose to be a listener, facing away from the monster.
He couldn't see the terrifying and grotesque appearance of the monster, only hearing its agonizing voice.
"You must have been here for a long time..."
Recalling the communication techniques the doctor used, Han Fei provided the most heartfelt comfort based on the other's mental state.
Slowly, the animation on the TV screen began to change.
The faces representing Wei Youfu and Amei on the monster's body stopped resisting. They seemed to be moved by Han Fei's words, and a hint of humanity appeared on their previously mad and terrifying faces.
Seeing Wei Youfu and Amei like this, the remaining faces became more hysterical. They seemed to want to unleash their pain and despair, projecting it onto Wei Youfu and Amei.
Those faces couldn't listen to Han Fei's words; their pain seemed much deeper than that of the initial two victims.
"The later the victim's time of death, the greater the suffering they endure? What did the killer of the human puzzle pattern do to them?"
The animation on the TV seemed to depict what had happened. Han Fei watched as Wei Youfu and Amei were about to be torn apart, knowing that he couldn't let it continue.
The two victims had regained a trace of their humanity after listening to his words, and that was the key to changing everything.
If he allowed them to be devoured by the other victims, he might face an even more deranged monster next time, one that wouldn't hesitate to devour its own kind.
Rising slowly, Han Fei had completed his beginner's task and could quit the game at any moment. Now was his bravest moment.
"You two saved me once. I won't leave you, a couple, alone."
"If the other victims want to vent their anger, then I'll find a target for them."
Walking quickly to the living room door, Han Fei made a move, and the monster reacted. The other five faces weren't planning to let him go. The pain and despair had twisted them.
Smelling the faint scent of blood in the air, Han Fei knew that the neighbour outside the door hadn't left. "If the neighbour on the sixth floor doesn't intend to harm me, then I'll communicate with him and find a way to control the monster in the haunted house. But if he harbours murderous thoughts, then I'll have to lure him into the house and make him the target of the victims' anger."
Wei Youfu and Amei were about to be devoured, and the monster was becoming increasingly uncontrollable. Han Fei couldn't waste any more time. He grabbed the security door, fully prepared for what was to come, and forcefully pulled it open!
In that instant, a sharp knife thrust through the door slit.
Han Fei, who had been prepared, narrowly avoided it.
The neighbour outside seemed to know that something was wrong with the house and had no intention of venturing further into the haunted house. Han Fei noticed this and, as the neighbour withdrew the knife, he grabbed the neighbour’s arm with all his strength and forcibly pulled him into the house!
"Bang!"
Both fell to the ground. The neighbour seemed to realize something and quickly tried to get up, but Han Fei reacted faster and more decisively.
Without fleeing or touching the doorknob, Han Fei forcefully slammed his body into the door, shutting the security door!
He had trapped himself and the neighbour inside.
The TV emitted a dim cold light, illuminating their faces. The neighbour from the sixth floor, who had previously appeared insane and obsessed with blood, seemed to have awakened.
With a new intruder in the haunted house, all the faces filled with despair turned their gaze toward the neighbour from the sixth floor. This time, Wei Youfu and Amei didn't obstruct.
A massive black shadow engulfed the room as the tormented monster rushed in from the living room.
The neighbour from the sixth floor reacted quickly, reaching for the doorknob, but Han Fei forcefully knocked him down.
Both fell to the ground. The desperate neighbour stared at Han Fei with bloodshot eyes, devoid of the fanaticism and obsession with blood. All that remained in his eyes was anger and confusion, as if he was saying with his gaze, "Do you really want to drag me to die with you?"
The monster, tormented by despair and pain, had already grabbed the neighbour. In the darkness, it seemed that countless arms were hidden.
The neighbour struggled desperately, uttering the most venomous words of greeting to Han Fei.
Han Fei watched as the neighbour was gradually pulled deeper into the room, and then he forced an unsightly expression toward the neighbour from the sixth floor. "Welcome to the happy and warm family."
The eerie animation hadn't finished yet, and in the centre of the screen, the humanoid monster made of pieced-together bodies still stood behind the sofa.
The small figure had been dismembered, and the room was covered in bloodstains. The monster, despite the killings, seemed even more tormented. Under its torn skin, several faces were biting and tearing at each other, and Wei Youfu and Amei, who had just regained a trace of their humanity, seemed to be losing it again.
Han Fei didn't know what would happen next, but he was certain that the reason the monster hadn't dragged him away was because Wei Youfu and Amei had influenced it.
If the faces representing Wei Youfu and Amei were harmed or lost control again, he would once again face the threat of death.
"The deceased appearing in the game, I'm not sure about their current state. But one thing is certain—they still retain some of their previous memories. At least Wei Youfu and Amei can understand what I'm saying."
Watching the suffering monster on the TV screen, Han Fei resisted the urge to turn around and softly said, "Your happy and joyful life was destroyed by that psychopathic murderer, so you want revenge?"
What Han Fei said was a useless statement, summarizing the monster's behaviour in words. But in practice, this sentence helped bridge the gap between Han Fei and the monster, while also redirecting its hatred.
The cause of all the tragedy was neither the innocent Han Fei nor Wei Youfu and Amei, who were also victims. It was the person who killed them.
Although Han Fei had never studied psychology, he had visited a psychologist several times due to his severe social anxiety. He distinctly remembered a phrase on one doctor's wall: "Let go of your own world and accept someone else's world."
To comfort someone who had suffered, one should not confine the definition of suffering to their own understanding. If one hadn't experienced it themselves, they should not try to communicate using their own thought process. A good psychologist would patiently listen in such situations.
Han Fei himself didn't understand all this, but he felt more comfortable when the doctor did that for him. So now, he positioned himself as that doctor.
In the haunted house, in the presence of the humanoid monster, Han Fei chose to be a listener, facing away from the monster.
He couldn't see the terrifying and grotesque appearance of the monster, only hearing its agonizing voice.
"You must have been here for a long time..."
Recalling the communication techniques the doctor used, Han Fei provided the most heartfelt comfort based on the other's mental state.
Slowly, the animation on the TV screen began to change.
The faces representing Wei Youfu and Amei on the monster's body stopped resisting. They seemed to be moved by Han Fei's words, and a hint of humanity appeared on their previously mad and terrifying faces.
Seeing Wei Youfu and Amei like this, the remaining faces became more hysterical. They seemed to want to unleash their pain and despair, projecting it onto Wei Youfu and Amei.
Those faces couldn't listen to Han Fei's words; their pain seemed much deeper than that of the initial two victims.
"The later the victim's time of death, the greater the suffering they endure? What did the killer of the human puzzle pattern do to them?"
The animation on the TV seemed to depict what had happened. Han Fei watched as Wei Youfu and Amei were about to be torn apart, knowing that he couldn't let it continue.
The two victims had regained a trace of their humanity after listening to his words, and that was the key to changing everything.
If he allowed them to be devoured by the other victims, he might face an even more deranged monster next time, one that wouldn't hesitate to devour its own kind.
Rising slowly, Han Fei had completed his beginner's task and could quit the game at any moment. Now was his bravest moment.
"You two saved me once. I won't leave you, a couple, alone."
"If the other victims want to vent their anger, then I'll find a target for them."
Walking quickly to the living room door, Han Fei made a move, and the monster reacted. The other five faces weren't planning to let him go. The pain and despair had twisted them.
Smelling the faint scent of blood in the air, Han Fei knew that the neighbour outside the door hadn't left. "If the neighbour on the sixth floor doesn't intend to harm me, then I'll communicate with him and find a way to control the monster in the haunted house. But if he harbours murderous thoughts, then I'll have to lure him into the house and make him the target of the victims' anger."
Wei Youfu and Amei were about to be devoured, and the monster was becoming increasingly uncontrollable. Han Fei couldn't waste any more time. He grabbed the security door, fully prepared for what was to come, and forcefully pulled it open!
In that instant, a sharp knife thrust through the door slit.
Han Fei, who had been prepared, narrowly avoided it.
The neighbour outside seemed to know that something was wrong with the house and had no intention of venturing further into the haunted house. Han Fei noticed this and, as the neighbour withdrew the knife, he grabbed the neighbour’s arm with all his strength and forcibly pulled him into the house!
"Bang!"
Both fell to the ground. The neighbour seemed to realize something and quickly tried to get up, but Han Fei reacted faster and more decisively.
Without fleeing or touching the doorknob, Han Fei forcefully slammed his body into the door, shutting the security door!
He had trapped himself and the neighbour inside.
The TV emitted a dim cold light, illuminating their faces. The neighbour from the sixth floor, who had previously appeared insane and obsessed with blood, seemed to have awakened.
With a new intruder in the haunted house, all the faces filled with despair turned their gaze toward the neighbour from the sixth floor. This time, Wei Youfu and Amei didn't obstruct.
A massive black shadow engulfed the room as the tormented monster rushed in from the living room.
The neighbour from the sixth floor reacted quickly, reaching for the doorknob, but Han Fei forcefully knocked him down.
Both fell to the ground. The desperate neighbour stared at Han Fei with bloodshot eyes, devoid of the fanaticism and obsession with blood. All that remained in his eyes was anger and confusion, as if he was saying with his gaze, "Do you really want to drag me to die with you?"
The monster, tormented by despair and pain, had already grabbed the neighbour. In the darkness, it seemed that countless arms were hidden.
The neighbour struggled desperately, uttering the most venomous words of greeting to Han Fei.
Han Fei watched as the neighbour was gradually pulled deeper into the room, and then he forced an unsightly expression toward the neighbour from the sixth floor. "Welcome to the happy and warm family."
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