Chapter 244
The worst memory in the old man’s mind began to surface. The scenarios that he had been trying to avoid confronted him. His expression became scarier and more twisted, his eyes overflowing with hatred. The darker side that he had been keeping hidden showed itself. The skin that wrapped around his bones started to crack. The age spots on his arm and face morphed into some kind of curse. Uncle Lee had been harbouring a deep resentment against time, the cruelty that it had descended upon him, one that he was powerless to stop. All the goodness in the world wouldn’t involve him anymore, after all, his life was reaching its end soon. In this final moment of his life, he did not wish to give anyone blessing, instead he hoped to drag everyone down with him into the pits of hell.
Han Fei had done deep research into each one of Spider’s personas. Among them, Ol’ Lee represented the helplessness of human nature before the vicissitudes of life and the overwhelming sense of loss before the yawning abyss that was human destiny. This persona could be easily taken advantage of by the Butterfly, so Han Fei made Ol’ Lee his first target. The old man slowly morphed into a monster. His body elongated in size as his bones cracked noisily. He was like a scarecrow draped in human skin. There was no humanity left in him, only hatred and terror.
‘Will all the personas turn into unique monsters corresponding to their fear?’ Han Fei studied Ol’ Lee carefully. He waited for Xu Qin and Weep to arrive, then they ganged up on their enemy. Ol’ Lee, who had lost all human shape, took out different blades and chains from the steel cupboard. His favorite pastime was to torture these young fleshes inside the damp and dark butchering ground. Each blade was screaming with innocent souls, it was hard to imagine how many lives Ol’ Lee had claimed down here. The butchers inside the Cattle Alley only had one butcher’s knife but Ol’ Lee who had a human face had a whole cupboard of them. Looks like in terms of slaughtering, humans were still better at it than animals.
The cupboard tipped over, Ol’ Lee charged towards the exit brandishing his knives. Ol’ Lee was clever, he knew he wouldn’t win against 3 enemies so his plan was to run. Unfortunately for him, Han Fei’s group had already predicted this and had come up with the solution for any possible scenario. If the old man had taken Han Fei as hostage, then he might have a chance at survival. If Ol’ Lee chose to escape or fight, his only path was death.
“Uncle Lee loves his own life more than anything else, despite how much he laments his old age and harsh fate. He will show his claws when he’s cornered but those are all faked. He is just a paper tiger that is all bark and no bite.” Han Fei already told Xu Qin and Weep everything he knew about Ol’ Lee before he departed alone to accost the old man. Han Fei had read the old man’s thoughts. This was a slaughter both physically and mentally. The old man was already in trouble fighting off Xu Qin, much less Xu Qin who had the aid from Weep and Han Fei.
In just half a minute, the old man’s body had more than 10 new wounds. Ol’ Lee placed all of his attention on Xu Qin and fully underestimated Weep. He would suffer for that mistake because one of his eyes was soon blinded by despair. The old man could not believe this. The small boy who looked so frail had the ability to control the despair in people’s hearts, that was an ability which was unheard off.
As the wounds on his body increased, the despair in the old man’s heart intensified. His conviction was already weak to begin with, as Weep continued to wear down his mind, he was slowly edging towards despair. “I can give you the masks! I can even tell you all the secrets about this building!” The old cried out. He was trying to find leverage for his survival but the 3 in the room showed no sign of pulling back. “I know how to remove the curse at the Cattle Alley! Don’t you love your sister? If you do not lift that curse, she’ll be tormented by it for life! She’ll never be able to leave this place! She will not be able to escape because only by consuming the meat produced at Cattle Alley that she’ll be able to retain her rationality!” Seeing a lack of response from his attackers, the old man delivered another important piece of news. “There is a number behind each of the masks here. If you collect all the masks, you can become the new manager of the Cattle Alley! I already have 2 masks, I can give them to you!”
The worst memory was drawn out and the despair in his heart sharpened into nails as they punctured his soul. The pain was indescribable. “I promise to help you if you let me go! I know many things about this place! There have been many new arrivals recently. There is a hairdresser, a nurse, and a veterinarian. They have already formed a pact to kill your big sister! They are related to the disappearance of the writer as well. It’s the outsiders who have killed the writer! The doctor is in cahoots with them, they plan to murder everyone here! The doctor is the most dangerous presence here! After you kill me, you’ll only be targeted by him!”
It was hard to tell whether the old man was lying or not, in any case, he had revealed plenty of useful information. At least now Han Fei knew the writer’s disappearance might have to do with the doctor.
“I’m telling you the truth! You can go and ask the Dreamer. The drawings in the boy’s room can prove everything I say!” The old man realized Xu Qin’s attacks had slowed down. He assumed his words had gotten their attention. What he did not know was that Han Fei had sneaked behind him and aimed the butcher’s knife at the back of his neck. The moment Han Fei locked onto his target, pairs of pale hands appeared around the hilt. The 3 inch blade which was formed by the brilliance of humanity slashed downwards. The blade reflected many human faces, they swore to help Han Fei forever.
When the blade touched the old man’s body, the shield of malice was forced back immediately. Rest in peace sliced through the flesh without any resistance, it easily severed Uncle Lee’s neck. The power of Dawn Butcher was activated. The more cruel Han Fei’s target was, the sharper the blade would become. When the 6th persona’s head fell to the ground, the blade made from humanity disappeared like it was never there to begin with. Malice and hatred exploded around them. Han Fei released the black snake from the ghost tattoo and had it consume all the negative energy.
‘Outsiders have infiltrated into this building, among them is the hairdresser who has stolen Xu Qin’s knife.’ Han Fei felt there was a need to plan this out. Even though they had taken down Uncle Lee, it did not mean that Uncle Lee was weak. In fact, the old man was stronger than a medium Lingering Spirit. And there were others more powerful than Uncle Lee at the building. If Han Fei’s group earned their ire and was surrounded, the chance of their survival was low.
“We better leave this place now.” Han Fei reached to pluck off the old man’s mask. When he obtained the mask, the system said, “Notification for Player 0000! You’ve gained the House of the Butcher’s approval through your own method! Congratulations for obtaining the 6th Butcher’s Mask and becoming a member of the House of the Butcher!
“Notification for Player 0000! Your Professional Resume has been updated! Would you like to show or hide your resume on your character profile?
“On the first night you were hired by the convenience store, you ruined your boss’ coffin and snuffed out its mind.
“When you went to apply for a job at Yi Ming Private Academy, you did everything within your power to ruin the discipline teacher’s reputation.
“To become the Midnight Butcher, you have ruined the foundation of the meat packing plant and murdered more than a handful of your colleagues. Blood follows you like a shadow.
“Today, after you’ve entered the House of the Butcher, you murdered the person who was trying to offer you a tenancy. Congratulations for completing all the requirements to unlock Grade G Title—Business Killer.
“Business Killer (Upgradeable Unique Title): The title perfectly encapsulates your professional life. Every business that you’ve joined is now in shambles. With this title, your Charm will drop by 2 points.”
After reading all that, Han Fei decided to hide his personal resume. He even pushed the new title to the bottom of his other titles.
‘Are you kidding me? Who dares to hire me if they see this title and its explanation? Furthermore, it feels like the system has seriously misunderstood me. How can it frame everything like it was my fault? I’m the real victim here!’ Studying his bloody resume, Han Fei was quite speechless.