Chapter 6: Overcoming Social Anxiety, but Losing Sanity
After losing his job, Han Fei played numerous games to release the pressure within him, hoping to quickly adjust his state of mind and regain motivation for life.
Now that he had achieved his goal, having played the game "Perfect Life," he deeply understood the beauty of life. The injustices he had faced seemed so insignificant in the face of ghosts and deranged individuals.
In a way, he had indeed been healed.
However, this method of healing was rather brutal, like having a splinter embedded in your finger and then chopping off the entire arm.
He collapsed weakly to the ground, pain and exhaustion tormenting every nerve. Han Fei didn't know if he eventually fell asleep or slipped into unconsciousness.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It was 7 a.m. when Han Fei was awakened by the persistent knocking. He struggled to get up from the floor, his mind still foggy.
As his gaze fell upon the game helmet on the table, along with the bloodstains inside, he realized that the events of the previous night were not a mere dream.
"The beginner's task was already so difficult. There must be even more terrifying tasks ahead. Am I being sent to my death? I'm just a comedian. I don't even know how to fight. How am I supposed to confront those vicious neighbours on the entire floor?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The knocking continued, but this time, Han Fei, who had experienced the game, didn't think twice. He casually walked over and opened the door.
"Hello, we are officers from the Happy Road Police Station in the old district. I'm Zhao Ming, and this is my colleague, Zhang Xiaotian."
"Police?"
Han Fei's eyes lit up as he saw the two police officers in uniform standing at the door. In his mind, the "black box" had threatened him with brain death if he reported the incident, but now the police had come on their own.
"Please come in!" Han Fei, who had never been so proactive in engaging with people, invited the officers into his home and went to the refrigerator to fetch some drinks.
"We came here to ask you something. There was a fire incident in our jurisdiction, and surveillance footage captured you at the scene." The two officers found Han Fei's enthusiastic demeanour somewhat strange. Zhao Ming took out his phone and checked the information, noticing that Han Fei's behaviour differed from what was documented in the police investigation.
"Actually, there is something I want to tell you," Han Fei said, sitting across from the police officers with his drink in hand.
"Oh?" The two officers exchanged glances, their expressions growing serious as they focused intently on Han Fei. "What do you want to tell us?"
"I... last night..."
"Warning! Attention, Player 0000! Do not disclose the existence of Perfect Life: First Edition to anyone! After three warnings, the Black Box will explode in your brain!"
As if someone had grabbed hold of his brain's nerves, Han Fei opened his mouth but couldn't continue speaking due to the trembling sensation originating deep within his brain.
The two police officers looked at Han Fei, his mouth half-open, and the three of them stood motionless for a few seconds.
"What happened to you last night?" The two officers waited, unaware of the immense pressure Han Fei was enduring. Sweat, the size of peas, trickled down Han Fei's cheeks as the terrifying sensation of annihilating every brain nerve lingered deep within his mind.
Veins protruded from his forehead as Han Fei gritted his teeth, fiercely slamming his fist on the sofa, but ultimately, he couldn't bring himself to reveal the existence of the game.
The two officers were startled by Han Fei's action. "Calm down. Let's have a proper conversation. Resisting with force is the most foolish approach."
Racking his brain, Han Fei deliberately avoided mentioning the game, attempting to express his troubles from a different angle.
To prevent the Black Box in his mind from exploding, he spoke each word with extreme caution. "At midnight, remember this time, an old lady invited me to have dumplings. Her grandson suddenly threw the fish soup, claiming that the ingredients were taken from coffins. However, the ingredients were taken from the refrigerator. I felt like they were hiding a corpse in their fridge."
"Given such thoughts, shouldn't you reflect on yourself?" The two officers looked at Han Fei's serious demeanour. Zhao Ming quietly activated his body camera, while Zhang Xiaotian's hand subtly moved behind his back. "And then?"
"I went back home and started sleeping. The bathroom door moved on its own, and something came out from inside. Do you believe in ghosts in this world?"
"What?"
"Ghosts! It was crouching on the floor, and then it suddenly disappeared. It had an incredibly pale face, and its body was like it had no bones! As soon as I opened my eyes, it was hiding next to the bedside lamp!" Han Fei's emotions grew increasingly excited. He was afraid that the police would leave and miss his plea for help, so he gesticulated and displayed his solid acting skills.
"I've even taken out my body camera, and you're telling me about ghosts?" Zhao Ming took a deep breath, trying to maintain a calm tone. "If that's all you want to tell us, then forget it. Next, we'll ask you a few questions, and we expect you to answer truthfully."
"On my honour, I'm telling the truth!" Han Fei wasn't acting. He blinked desperately, like a hostage, only the one holding him captive wasn't a kidnapper but a game.
"First question, why were you at the Antique Street in the Old Town at 1:30 p.m. yesterday?" Zhao Ming didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point.
"I was there to buy second-hand games! Oh, and we can go find the store owner! Officers, you can come with me to find that store owner."
"There is no store owner. Many of the buildings on that street are hazardous. All the shops closed three months ago."
"It's impossible! I've been buying games from that antique shop for the past three days! Let's go there now! I'll take you to the shop!" Han Fei stood up directly.
"Are you genuinely unaware or pretending to be ignorant? Yesterday afternoon, there was a major fire at Antique Street, and all the antique shops were burned down. Fortunately, the shops had already closed, so no one was injured." Zhao Ming and Zhang Xiaotian found Han Fei somewhat suspicious.
"All the antique shops were burned down?" Han Fei looked at the two police officers in a daze. After a moment, his gaze became resolute again. "Impossible! There must be a loophole! I vividly remember the appearance of the store owner! If you find this person, it will prove that I'm not lying!"
Han Fei was a professional actor, and his memory was exceptionally good. He took out pen and paper and wrote down the store owner's physical characteristics. "You can use this information to find him! You'll find him!"
"I can assure you that there are no operating shops there." Zhao Ming wanted to say more, but his phone suddenly vibrated. He asked Zhang Xiaotian to keep an eye on Han Fei and stepped out of the room.
"Hello? Captain Wang?"
"Have you arrived at the suspect's house in the Antique Street arson case? Any discoveries?" A middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"We've arrived. After talking and questioning, we found that this person is indeed a bit strange." Zhao Ming glanced into the room and lowered his voice.
"Tell me more."
"Based on the personality model established from citizen information big data, he is an introverted and hardworking comedian. We also found his psychological counselling records, which state that he suffers from severe social anxiety disorder."
"A comedian with social anxiety?"
"That's how it's recorded in the citizen information and data analysis. But after our actual contact, we found that the suspect's emotions were highly excited, and his behaviour was extremely peculiar. I suspect that his social anxiety has been cured, but..."
"But what?"
"But it seems like he's gone insane."
Now that he had achieved his goal, having played the game "Perfect Life," he deeply understood the beauty of life. The injustices he had faced seemed so insignificant in the face of ghosts and deranged individuals.
In a way, he had indeed been healed.
However, this method of healing was rather brutal, like having a splinter embedded in your finger and then chopping off the entire arm.
He collapsed weakly to the ground, pain and exhaustion tormenting every nerve. Han Fei didn't know if he eventually fell asleep or slipped into unconsciousness.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It was 7 a.m. when Han Fei was awakened by the persistent knocking. He struggled to get up from the floor, his mind still foggy.
As his gaze fell upon the game helmet on the table, along with the bloodstains inside, he realized that the events of the previous night were not a mere dream.
"The beginner's task was already so difficult. There must be even more terrifying tasks ahead. Am I being sent to my death? I'm just a comedian. I don't even know how to fight. How am I supposed to confront those vicious neighbours on the entire floor?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The knocking continued, but this time, Han Fei, who had experienced the game, didn't think twice. He casually walked over and opened the door.
"Hello, we are officers from the Happy Road Police Station in the old district. I'm Zhao Ming, and this is my colleague, Zhang Xiaotian."
"Police?"
Han Fei's eyes lit up as he saw the two police officers in uniform standing at the door. In his mind, the "black box" had threatened him with brain death if he reported the incident, but now the police had come on their own.
"Please come in!" Han Fei, who had never been so proactive in engaging with people, invited the officers into his home and went to the refrigerator to fetch some drinks.
"We came here to ask you something. There was a fire incident in our jurisdiction, and surveillance footage captured you at the scene." The two officers found Han Fei's enthusiastic demeanour somewhat strange. Zhao Ming took out his phone and checked the information, noticing that Han Fei's behaviour differed from what was documented in the police investigation.
"Actually, there is something I want to tell you," Han Fei said, sitting across from the police officers with his drink in hand.
"Oh?" The two officers exchanged glances, their expressions growing serious as they focused intently on Han Fei. "What do you want to tell us?"
"I... last night..."
"Warning! Attention, Player 0000! Do not disclose the existence of Perfect Life: First Edition to anyone! After three warnings, the Black Box will explode in your brain!"
As if someone had grabbed hold of his brain's nerves, Han Fei opened his mouth but couldn't continue speaking due to the trembling sensation originating deep within his brain.
The two police officers looked at Han Fei, his mouth half-open, and the three of them stood motionless for a few seconds.
"What happened to you last night?" The two officers waited, unaware of the immense pressure Han Fei was enduring. Sweat, the size of peas, trickled down Han Fei's cheeks as the terrifying sensation of annihilating every brain nerve lingered deep within his mind.
Veins protruded from his forehead as Han Fei gritted his teeth, fiercely slamming his fist on the sofa, but ultimately, he couldn't bring himself to reveal the existence of the game.
The two officers were startled by Han Fei's action. "Calm down. Let's have a proper conversation. Resisting with force is the most foolish approach."
Racking his brain, Han Fei deliberately avoided mentioning the game, attempting to express his troubles from a different angle.
To prevent the Black Box in his mind from exploding, he spoke each word with extreme caution. "At midnight, remember this time, an old lady invited me to have dumplings. Her grandson suddenly threw the fish soup, claiming that the ingredients were taken from coffins. However, the ingredients were taken from the refrigerator. I felt like they were hiding a corpse in their fridge."
"Given such thoughts, shouldn't you reflect on yourself?" The two officers looked at Han Fei's serious demeanour. Zhao Ming quietly activated his body camera, while Zhang Xiaotian's hand subtly moved behind his back. "And then?"
"I went back home and started sleeping. The bathroom door moved on its own, and something came out from inside. Do you believe in ghosts in this world?"
"What?"
"Ghosts! It was crouching on the floor, and then it suddenly disappeared. It had an incredibly pale face, and its body was like it had no bones! As soon as I opened my eyes, it was hiding next to the bedside lamp!" Han Fei's emotions grew increasingly excited. He was afraid that the police would leave and miss his plea for help, so he gesticulated and displayed his solid acting skills.
"I've even taken out my body camera, and you're telling me about ghosts?" Zhao Ming took a deep breath, trying to maintain a calm tone. "If that's all you want to tell us, then forget it. Next, we'll ask you a few questions, and we expect you to answer truthfully."
"On my honour, I'm telling the truth!" Han Fei wasn't acting. He blinked desperately, like a hostage, only the one holding him captive wasn't a kidnapper but a game.
"First question, why were you at the Antique Street in the Old Town at 1:30 p.m. yesterday?" Zhao Ming didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point.
"I was there to buy second-hand games! Oh, and we can go find the store owner! Officers, you can come with me to find that store owner."
"There is no store owner. Many of the buildings on that street are hazardous. All the shops closed three months ago."
"It's impossible! I've been buying games from that antique shop for the past three days! Let's go there now! I'll take you to the shop!" Han Fei stood up directly.
"Are you genuinely unaware or pretending to be ignorant? Yesterday afternoon, there was a major fire at Antique Street, and all the antique shops were burned down. Fortunately, the shops had already closed, so no one was injured." Zhao Ming and Zhang Xiaotian found Han Fei somewhat suspicious.
"All the antique shops were burned down?" Han Fei looked at the two police officers in a daze. After a moment, his gaze became resolute again. "Impossible! There must be a loophole! I vividly remember the appearance of the store owner! If you find this person, it will prove that I'm not lying!"
Han Fei was a professional actor, and his memory was exceptionally good. He took out pen and paper and wrote down the store owner's physical characteristics. "You can use this information to find him! You'll find him!"
"I can assure you that there are no operating shops there." Zhao Ming wanted to say more, but his phone suddenly vibrated. He asked Zhang Xiaotian to keep an eye on Han Fei and stepped out of the room.
"Hello? Captain Wang?"
"Have you arrived at the suspect's house in the Antique Street arson case? Any discoveries?" A middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"We've arrived. After talking and questioning, we found that this person is indeed a bit strange." Zhao Ming glanced into the room and lowered his voice.
"Tell me more."
"Based on the personality model established from citizen information big data, he is an introverted and hardworking comedian. We also found his psychological counselling records, which state that he suffers from severe social anxiety disorder."
"A comedian with social anxiety?"
"That's how it's recorded in the citizen information and data analysis. But after our actual contact, we found that the suspect's emotions were highly excited, and his behaviour was extremely peculiar. I suspect that his social anxiety has been cured, but..."
"But what?"
"But it seems like he's gone insane."
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