The ringtone of the phone in the living room rang once, and the deford couple stopped banging on the security door. The hallway suddenly beca quiet.
The players, dripping with cold sweat, retreated repeatedly. Even the strongest among them, Love Like Smoke, was so frightened that his legs went weak, nearly tumbling down the stairs.
"Finally, we can catch our breath." Three players ran down the stairs, away from the door.
"Where are you planning to go?" Han Fei grabbed Love Like Smoke’s shoulder: "Both upstairs and downstairs are dead ends. The only way out is from here."
"From here?" Love Like Smoke looked around, finally glancing toward the hallway window.
"Alright, let’s go ho together." Han Fei’s voice and deanor slowly changed. As he gradually imrsed in the identity of the deceased, the coldness and silence on him completely vanished. His facial expression softened, and his eyes glead with the joy of returning ho, an anticipation of reunion.
Optimistic and positive, no matter how hard or tiring things got outside, he would never complain to those he loved most. His parents had taken care of him for so long; now their child had grown up to beco a responsible, hardworking, and dependable person.
In just a few minutes, Han Fei’s aura felt entirely different. He walked back to the third floor, staring at the rusty security door.
The bloodstains seeping from the door gap were increasing, slowly spreading across the hallway. If left unchecked, the stains would corrupt the entire apartnt building, leaving the players trapped in this nightmare.
However, Han Fei wasn’t concerned about the blood or the curse. It seed as if he couldn’t see the filth, his eyes filled only with the happiness of finally returning ho.
He gently knocked on the door, rembering the first ti the middle-aged man rushed to open it for him. That anticipation was genuine, and now he didn’t want to let that anticipation down.
"Dad, Mom, I’m back."
Han Fei didn’t use his Word Spirit ability, but his voice, kissed by the Devil, perfectly matched his role.
The eerie sound of bones scraping the floor echoed. Even though the middle-aged man had lost his sanity and mutated into a Monster, he still rushed to open the door imdiately, for he had been waiting too long.
His bulging eyes were filled with blood, his swollen face torn, his skeleton sharp and jagged. He seed to have fallen from a great height, his internal organs severely damaged, leaving black bloodstains with every move.
The middle-aged woman erged from the kitchen, her body twisted from a fall, holding a sharp vegetable knife, her mouth opening and closing unconsciously muttering sothing.
The small room had fully mutated, an unbearable stench emanating from every item, concealing god knows how much filth in the darkness.
The players following Han Fei instinctively covered their mouths and noses. Just seeing the current state of the middle-aged couple made them tremble with fear, unable to overco the terror from the depths of their hearts.
As he walked into the room, it seed Han Fei couldn’t see the abnormalities inside, as if this mutated ho was now even more comforting than it ever was!
The first ti he entered the third floor, Han Fei was highly alert. The second ti entering this room, he felt like he had returned ho; those were two completely different states.
Bai Xian tried to act a bit more normal, but he couldn’t be as natural as Han Fei.
Seeing his long-unseen parents, Han Fei was extrely happy, discussing the various things he encountered at work with the middle-aged man and gently hugging the middle-aged woman. He used to be poor at expressing emotions; after losing once, he didn’t want any regrets.
The middle-aged couple, having lost their sanity, seed to rember sothing. They did not attack Han Fei, who was so close. The twisted mother, holding the knife, returned to the kitchen. The grotesque-faced father, steps unsteady, brought a tray of rotten, worm-infested fruits.
"A few of my colleagues have nowhere to go for New Year’s, so I invited them over, thought it would be lively." Han Fei placed the fruit tray on the coffee table as several players, apprehensive, walked in from outside, sitting side by side on the sofa, muscles tense, breathing hurried.
"Whether rich or poor, co ho for New Year’s. Leave all unhappiness in the past year behind, embrace a new life with the New Year." Han Fei held his father’s hand, helped arrange the plates, then rolled up his sleeves, heading to the kitchen.
He wanted to help his mother with chores, washing vegetables and cooking, but the middle-aged woman refused, seemingly disdaining Han Fei’s clumsy work, continuously motioning him to leave.
Mother didn’t say it, but she wanted Han Fei to rest; Han Fei understood and stayed in the kitchen, recounting his experiences from the past year.
It’s important to talk with parents during New Year’s, as they might have been waiting for a long ti.
The kitchen was harmonious, yet the living room was shrouded in gloom. The remaining four players sat tightly pressed against each other, not daring to move, heads lowered, afraid to make eye contact with the mutated middle-aged man. Cold sweat trickled down their faces.
On the bloodstained sofa sat what seed to be decaying corpses. The coffee table was filled with snacks and Candy, but the mix contained flesh and blood. It wasn’t just a matter of appetite; they had to stifle the urge to vomit.
"Has that guy gone mad?" Love Like Smoke sneaked a glance into the kitchen, feeling Han Fei seed to prefer the darkness and gloom over light: "Doesn’t it feel like he’s lived here for a long ti?"
Every second was an excruciating tornt, a seeming eternity passed, and Han Fei finally brought out the last dish with the middle-aged woman.
"Ti to eat, ti to eat."
Everyone sat around the dining table, still no one moved to eat, but this ti Han Fei seed to have endless words, continuously conversing with the middle-aged couple, making the atmosphere not entirely awkward.
What shocked the other players most was that the terrifying mutated couple seed to enjoy listening to Han Fei, showing no aggressiveness, quietly listening, their eyes filled with affectionate love for Han Fei.
Even in their clouded minds, they still rembered waiting for soone’s return.
Their twisted bodies, mutated faces, terrifying aura could not change a fact—they truly loved their child.
New Year’s Eve, a family reunion, but unfortunately, the clock on the wall’s hands kept moving, it was almost midnight.
As the atmosphere around the dining table completely eased, Han Fei’s words gradually dwindled. Where there is reunion, naturally there is parting. He could feel the room’s mutation weakening.
At the final mont, Han Fei raised his glass, looking at the middle-aged couple: "Dad, Mom, I have a silly question to ask you."
Seeing the middle-aged couple looking at him, Han Fei’s gaze turned complex: "If one day, I beco a Ghost, would you still love ?"
Upon hearing Han Fei’s question, the couple hadn’t reacted yet, but the players were already stunned.
In a nightmare, a person asks a ghost, if they turn into a ghost themselves, would the ghost still love them?
What kind of situation is this? What kind of rich experiences must one have to ask such a question?
As ti ticked away, the terrifying middle-aged couple seed to rember sothing, their faces reflected in the tallic dinner spoons.
After a long ti, the middle-aged couple nodded slightly, regardless of what their child becos, they would always love him.
"For , the answer to this question is the sa as yours." Han Fei stood up and took out the newspaper from under the coffee table that recorded the child’s death, the yellowing paper was crumpled, and there were large bloodstains on it.
He placed the report about the child’s death in front of the middle-aged couple: "Thank you for always waiting for to co ho, but I must leave. Please be sure to take care of yourselves in the future."
The middle-aged man clutched the newspaper, bone spurs protruding from his skin; the middle-aged woman grabbed Han Fei’s hand, shaking her head repeatedly, seemingly hoping Han Fei wouldn’t leave.
Their emotions grew more intense, their will constantly struggling between the nightmare and themselves, the long extinguished light in the room flickered suddenly.
In the nightmare, the light seed to hold special aning, signaling the start of transformation, extinguishnt when the light goes out; when the couple tried to reclaim their self-will, the light began to flicker again.
The couple was in utmost pain, their wounds deepening as the nightmare relentlessly tornted their souls, Han Fei used his Healing Personality, tightly embracing the elderly couple.
Finally, the living room lights ca back on, the bloodstains dissipating under the light, everything seed to return to the scene when the players first entered.
Warm, bright, no matter where, there would always be a light left for you.
The transformation was interrupted, the couple regained their self-awareness, and the nightmare woven from their mories began to slowly dissipate.
The couple gazed at the doorway, their figures becoming blurry between light and shadow.
All their wishes transford into dreams, quietly surging into Han Fei’s body, everything ended, yet everything would also have a fresh start.
Midnight’s clock rang, welcoming a new year.
...
Opening his eyes, Han Fei and the other four players reappeared in the hospital in the Main City District shrouded by gray mist.
Having left the sa nightmare simultaneously, before moving, it seed like they could still see each other.
After clearing the third layer of nightmare, the Butterfly Pattern on Han Fei was consud by Kuangxiao’s Ghost Pattern.
Perhaps due to the unique way of clearing it, others could repeat challenges in nightmares they’ve cleared, but Han Fei’s cleared nightmare was simply gone.
Looking at the increasingly bloody Ghost Pattern within the gray mist, Han Fei felt a slight change in his body: "These nightmares, after being healed by , seem to beco my power; Kuangxiao also seems to want to use these nightmares to find weaknesses and loopholes in Dream Managent."
"Boss! Thank you for your help!" Love Like Smoke bowed towards Han Fei from afar: "I can’t repay your life-saving grace, how about letting join your Guild, and I’ll serve you loyally!"
"Your plan is so calculated, the beads on your abacus are flying into my face." Hao Xue shook his head, also expressing gratitude to Han Fei, realizing the First Guild truly lived up to its na, where even a random person could outclass them; their understanding of the ga and various operations were on completely different levels, Hao Xue felt he learned a lot.
"Han Fei, would you be interested in teaming up? The Comrce Alliance is willing to offer you a satisfactory price!" After comparing options, Aqi realized that so high-level players on the market were simply jokes upon seeing Han Fei.
After briefly responding, Han Fei grabbed Bai Xian’s arm: "Brother Bai, have you rested well?"
"Huh?"
Bai Xian hadn’t reacted yet, and Han Fei already pulled him to take a few steps forward.
The familiar sensation of weightlessness ca, the gray mist dispersed, and pure darkness enveloped them, they appeared in a construction site.
Two unfinished buildings were surrounded by tal sheets, the ground was uneven, dug into many large pits, carrying a sewage-like stench in the air.
"The third layer nightmare is an apartnt building, the fourth layer nightmare consists of two unfinished buildings; the nightmare area keeps getting larger." Han Fei started cautiously observing the surroundings, while Bai Xian was still dazed.
Two minutes ago, he had just exited one nightmare, and now he was entering a new nightmare!
"F-Fourth layer nightmare?" Bai Xian’s mouth twitched: "You sure move swiftly, don’t you?"
"Didn’t I ask if you’ve rested well?"
"Wasn’t it just two minutes? Even grade schoolers get ten minutes for a bathroom break!" Bai Xian just wanted to show Han Fei the situation here, but Han Fei seed to be genuinely intending to speedrun.
"You two seem quite close, are you free players?" A cold voice ca, as three players wearing similarly dark coats looked towards Han Fei and Bai Xian: "We’re mbers of the Inevitable Truth Guild, the fourth layer nightmare is very dangerous, if possible, I’d prefer everyone keeps distance and not drag each other down."
The man speaking was relatively tall, with his na—Online Addict—written on his clothing. He spoke politely enough, but his aning was clear, hoping Han Fei and Bai Xian wouldn’t drag them down.
Inevitable Truth had cleared four layers of nightmares, leaving so experience, and coupled with a large number of high-rank players, and so core mbers having been baptized by the Deep World, they quickly organized several strong strategy groups within a short ti.
Actually, Han Fei could understand them too, in this death ga, if encountered with incompetent teammates, it could indeed lead to the demise of the whole team.
"Sure, I had the sa thought." Han Fei smiled, leading Bai Xian towards the left unfinished building, while the three Inevitable Truth mbers entered the right unfinished building.
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