Chapter 20: The Courage in Fear
"Chenchen has always been a bit introverted since he was little. He doesn't like to actively play with the kids in the courtyard and often keeps to himself."
"I don't know when it started, but he suddenly became livelier. I was happy at first, thinking that Chenchen had finally found friends of his own."
"But later on, I noticed something was off. Chenchen would only go out to play after 7 p.m., and when he came back, he would be dirty with small scratches on his arms and cheeks."
"There was one time when he didn't come back late, and I was really worried. I asked the building manager to look for him, and we searched for a long time. In the end, we found Chenchen in the abandoned water tank in the community."
"He was huddled alone in the water tank, trembling. We asked him what he was doing, and he said he was playing hide-and-seek with his friend."
"The building manager and I asked him the name of his friend, and after hesitating for a while, Chenchen finally said his friend's name was 'Ku'."
"I found it strange at the time. Who has a name like 'Ku'? The expression on the building manager's face also changed when he heard the name. He asked Chenchen if Ku lived on the third floor."
"Chenchen nodded, and then the building manager told me something even more horrifying. Although there hadn't been any murders in the room on the third floor covered in talismans, there were more eerie things happening than murders."
"A long time ago, children in the neighbourhood kept going missing, and the clothes and belongings left behind by those children were all found in room 1034 on the third floor."
"Room 1034 was like a room that devoured children. It wasn't until later, when everyone completely sealed the doors and windows on the third floor, that the situation improved."
"That child named Ku hasn't appeared for a long time, but unexpectedly, he suddenly attached himself to Chenchen."
The wrinkles on the old woman's face squeezed together. "Ever since I stopped letting Chenchen go out to play with Ku, Chenchen has been acting as if he's possessed. His temper has become violent, and he often says that someone is waiting for him, someone is calling his name. Whenever I give in and let him out, he runs to the opposite side and talks to himself through the door, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying. In the end, I had no choice but to lock him in the bedroom."
After listening to the old woman's story, Han Fei's heart sank. There were many terrifying things in this building, and no one wanted to go near room 1034. It had been sealed off, which showed how terrifying Ku was.
"I locked Chenchen in the bedroom, but his behaviour has been getting worse. Yesterday, when we finished dinner, I wasn't paying attention for a moment, and that child ran out. When I chased after him to the door, I discovered that the door across from us was half-open, and someone had removed the talismans and wooden boards on the door." The old woman sighed. She was truly worried about Chenchen.
"It's possible that Chenchen tore off the talismans, but he probably couldn't remove the wooden boards with his strength. It was someone else who caused the damage," Han Fei said, thinking that his neighbours were all abnormal. He considered the worst-case scenario, "Has something major happened in this building recently?"
"I don't know either." The old woman shook her head, then suddenly spoke after thinking for a while, "Oh, I haven't seen the building manager for a long time. It feels like he's gone missing."
"The building manager?" Han Fei had heard that title more than once. "Who exactly is the building manager you're talking about?"
"He's the earliest resident in this building, in his sixties. He looks kind and has a good relationship with some of the older neighbours. But as those old neighbours left, the building manager's condition also worsened."
"Is it possible for someone living in this place to be in good condition?" Han Fei carefully recalled Meng Shi's words. He had a feeling that the building manager she mentioned was someone he had seen before. "Auntie, is the building manager you're talking about an old man with white hair and a mole on the side of his neck?"
"Yes! Where did you see him?" The old woman was surprised.
"Is it really him?" The scattered clues in Han Fei's mind gradually pieced together. The old man he mentioned earlier was the one who sold him the game helmet!
That old man was not ordinary! The Guardian should only be one of his identities!
Han Fei's brain quickly processed the information he had. It was still too little to go on. "Auntie, do you know where the building manager usually lives?"
"He lives in room 1101 on the tenth floor. Are you planning to find the building manager to save Chenchen?" Meng Shi looked worried. "The hallway is not safe, and if we go out now, we might encounter Ku."
Han Fei noted down the number 1101. It was the most important clue he had obtained since entering the game. "To go to room 1101, I have to go upstairs. I'm only level 2 now, so the chances of reaching the tenth floor alive are very low. I can't rush it; I need to be steady."
Looking at Meng Shi, Han Fei had an idea.
Chenchen was the most important person to Meng Shi, and now that he was in danger, if Han Fei could save him, Meng Shi would become a reliable companion he could trust completely.
Teaming up with a seventy-year-old lady was not something Han Fei would have considered before, but in their current situation, every bit of strength was extremely valuable.
Meng Shi had just saved his life, and from a moral standpoint, helping the old lady would be a way to repay her.
The most crucial point was that Han Fei didn't plan to enter the room next door to find Chenchen. What he wanted to do was lure Ku into the haunted house on the fourth floor and permanently deal with him.
Even if his monster roommate hadn't killed Ku, if it could hold him back, Han Fei and the old lady would have time to enter the room on the third floor to search for Chenchen.
And even if they didn't find Chenchen, Han Fei was willing to risk his life to do these things. It would be enough to gain the old lady's trust.
If the old lady completely trusted him, he would have his first real friend in this terrifying and dreadful underworld apartment!
After careful consideration, Han Fei finally made up his mind. He took a deep breath and, with a determined expression of facing death, said to the old lady, "Auntie, I have a plan that might be able to save Chenchen."
"What plan?" The old woman asked anxiously.
"I'll be the bait and lure Ku upstairs. While I distract him, you can take the opportunity to go to the opposite room and search for Chenchen. If Chenchen is in that room, bring him out as soon as possible."
"No, it's too dangerous! You would be risking your life! Absolutely not!" The old woman sternly refused.
"We can't keep waiting here forever." Han Fei expressed his true thoughts. "Here's what we'll do: let's wait for three hours. If Ku is still guarding the door after three hours, then we'll do it my way. I'll lure him away, and you can go into the room to find Chenchen. If Ku leaves after three hours, I'll go upstairs to seek help from the other neighbours."
"But whether you lure Ku away or ask for help from the neighbours, it's extremely dangerous. One small mistake could cost you your life. Aren't you afraid?" The old woman was worried about Han Fei.
"I'm scared, I'm really scared, but we don't have a better option right now." Han Fei's face showed determination, and his fingers felt somewhat icy as he moved them. "Perhaps true courage lies in being brave when we're afraid."
Seeing that Han Fei was willing to take such risks even though he was clearly terrified, the old woman was truly touched.
At the same time, a cold voice echoed in Han Fei's mind: "Player with ID 0000, please take note! Meng Shi's friendliness level increased by ten. Building harmonious neighbourly relations is the first step toward a perfect life."
"Player with ID 0000, please take note! G-grade hidden quest 'Finding Chenchen' has been triggered! Will you accept the quest?"
"I don't know when it started, but he suddenly became livelier. I was happy at first, thinking that Chenchen had finally found friends of his own."
"But later on, I noticed something was off. Chenchen would only go out to play after 7 p.m., and when he came back, he would be dirty with small scratches on his arms and cheeks."
"There was one time when he didn't come back late, and I was really worried. I asked the building manager to look for him, and we searched for a long time. In the end, we found Chenchen in the abandoned water tank in the community."
"He was huddled alone in the water tank, trembling. We asked him what he was doing, and he said he was playing hide-and-seek with his friend."
"The building manager and I asked him the name of his friend, and after hesitating for a while, Chenchen finally said his friend's name was 'Ku'."
"I found it strange at the time. Who has a name like 'Ku'? The expression on the building manager's face also changed when he heard the name. He asked Chenchen if Ku lived on the third floor."
"Chenchen nodded, and then the building manager told me something even more horrifying. Although there hadn't been any murders in the room on the third floor covered in talismans, there were more eerie things happening than murders."
"A long time ago, children in the neighbourhood kept going missing, and the clothes and belongings left behind by those children were all found in room 1034 on the third floor."
"Room 1034 was like a room that devoured children. It wasn't until later, when everyone completely sealed the doors and windows on the third floor, that the situation improved."
"That child named Ku hasn't appeared for a long time, but unexpectedly, he suddenly attached himself to Chenchen."
The wrinkles on the old woman's face squeezed together. "Ever since I stopped letting Chenchen go out to play with Ku, Chenchen has been acting as if he's possessed. His temper has become violent, and he often says that someone is waiting for him, someone is calling his name. Whenever I give in and let him out, he runs to the opposite side and talks to himself through the door, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying. In the end, I had no choice but to lock him in the bedroom."
After listening to the old woman's story, Han Fei's heart sank. There were many terrifying things in this building, and no one wanted to go near room 1034. It had been sealed off, which showed how terrifying Ku was.
"I locked Chenchen in the bedroom, but his behaviour has been getting worse. Yesterday, when we finished dinner, I wasn't paying attention for a moment, and that child ran out. When I chased after him to the door, I discovered that the door across from us was half-open, and someone had removed the talismans and wooden boards on the door." The old woman sighed. She was truly worried about Chenchen.
"It's possible that Chenchen tore off the talismans, but he probably couldn't remove the wooden boards with his strength. It was someone else who caused the damage," Han Fei said, thinking that his neighbours were all abnormal. He considered the worst-case scenario, "Has something major happened in this building recently?"
"I don't know either." The old woman shook her head, then suddenly spoke after thinking for a while, "Oh, I haven't seen the building manager for a long time. It feels like he's gone missing."
"The building manager?" Han Fei had heard that title more than once. "Who exactly is the building manager you're talking about?"
"He's the earliest resident in this building, in his sixties. He looks kind and has a good relationship with some of the older neighbours. But as those old neighbours left, the building manager's condition also worsened."
"Is it possible for someone living in this place to be in good condition?" Han Fei carefully recalled Meng Shi's words. He had a feeling that the building manager she mentioned was someone he had seen before. "Auntie, is the building manager you're talking about an old man with white hair and a mole on the side of his neck?"
"Yes! Where did you see him?" The old woman was surprised.
"Is it really him?" The scattered clues in Han Fei's mind gradually pieced together. The old man he mentioned earlier was the one who sold him the game helmet!
That old man was not ordinary! The Guardian should only be one of his identities!
Han Fei's brain quickly processed the information he had. It was still too little to go on. "Auntie, do you know where the building manager usually lives?"
"He lives in room 1101 on the tenth floor. Are you planning to find the building manager to save Chenchen?" Meng Shi looked worried. "The hallway is not safe, and if we go out now, we might encounter Ku."
Han Fei noted down the number 1101. It was the most important clue he had obtained since entering the game. "To go to room 1101, I have to go upstairs. I'm only level 2 now, so the chances of reaching the tenth floor alive are very low. I can't rush it; I need to be steady."
Looking at Meng Shi, Han Fei had an idea.
Chenchen was the most important person to Meng Shi, and now that he was in danger, if Han Fei could save him, Meng Shi would become a reliable companion he could trust completely.
Teaming up with a seventy-year-old lady was not something Han Fei would have considered before, but in their current situation, every bit of strength was extremely valuable.
Meng Shi had just saved his life, and from a moral standpoint, helping the old lady would be a way to repay her.
The most crucial point was that Han Fei didn't plan to enter the room next door to find Chenchen. What he wanted to do was lure Ku into the haunted house on the fourth floor and permanently deal with him.
Even if his monster roommate hadn't killed Ku, if it could hold him back, Han Fei and the old lady would have time to enter the room on the third floor to search for Chenchen.
And even if they didn't find Chenchen, Han Fei was willing to risk his life to do these things. It would be enough to gain the old lady's trust.
If the old lady completely trusted him, he would have his first real friend in this terrifying and dreadful underworld apartment!
After careful consideration, Han Fei finally made up his mind. He took a deep breath and, with a determined expression of facing death, said to the old lady, "Auntie, I have a plan that might be able to save Chenchen."
"What plan?" The old woman asked anxiously.
"I'll be the bait and lure Ku upstairs. While I distract him, you can take the opportunity to go to the opposite room and search for Chenchen. If Chenchen is in that room, bring him out as soon as possible."
"No, it's too dangerous! You would be risking your life! Absolutely not!" The old woman sternly refused.
"We can't keep waiting here forever." Han Fei expressed his true thoughts. "Here's what we'll do: let's wait for three hours. If Ku is still guarding the door after three hours, then we'll do it my way. I'll lure him away, and you can go into the room to find Chenchen. If Ku leaves after three hours, I'll go upstairs to seek help from the other neighbours."
"But whether you lure Ku away or ask for help from the neighbours, it's extremely dangerous. One small mistake could cost you your life. Aren't you afraid?" The old woman was worried about Han Fei.
"I'm scared, I'm really scared, but we don't have a better option right now." Han Fei's face showed determination, and his fingers felt somewhat icy as he moved them. "Perhaps true courage lies in being brave when we're afraid."
Seeing that Han Fei was willing to take such risks even though he was clearly terrified, the old woman was truly touched.
At the same time, a cold voice echoed in Han Fei's mind: "Player with ID 0000, please take note! Meng Shi's friendliness level increased by ten. Building harmonious neighbourly relations is the first step toward a perfect life."
"Player with ID 0000, please take note! G-grade hidden quest 'Finding Chenchen' has been triggered! Will you accept the quest?"
Comments
Post a Comment