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“Summons?”

“It feels like certain things from the cryptic world are trying to come out. They used some kind of secret method to call after these explorers, seducing them to open Pandora’s Box.” Huang Yin sent a video to Han Fei. “This is a video taken by one of the victims in the game. He was a senior archaeologist. He suffered from agitation. After his divorce, he had been living alone. He started the game to heal himself but during the process, he accidentally discovered something interesting. He started to study the NPC’s history. He was so drawn by it that he played the game nonstop for 32 hours.” Even though the gaming hub would help adjust the player’s physical condition, prolonged gaming would hurt the body especially for the elderly. “Pay attention to the last part. The old man started to mumble to himself in the game. Before he was forcibly kicked out by the system, his in-game character had already collapsed on the ground like he had lost his soul.”

Han Fei looked at the video. Initially the old man started a conversation with an NPC, the NPC’s family member died and the old man discovered their funeral ritual was different from real life. Out of curiosity, the old man started to explore further, he wanted to know more about the culture. He started to visit the NPC with deaths in the family, he recorded the video to study the culture. He noticed that the NPCs would mention a deity who could guide the dead souls. The deity had no name but the NPCs knew that whenever he appeared, the dying would hear his soul-summoning song. The old man walked around the town to collect more clues but before he could find any result, the old man himself died.

“All the NPCs the old man approached were in the name list of important NPCs noted by Absolute Truth as well. However, the group hasn’t discovered this connection yet.”

“You have to help me pay attention to the group’s movement. Also, how many people have seen this video? Does Absolute Truth have this video?” Han Fei didn’t want this to go big. The people from Absolute Truth were charmed by the stock of Immortal Pharma, they did things without thinking them through.

“This video is highly confidential, only the core members will know about it.” Huang Yin then sent a very long password to Han Fei. “In Absolute Truth, there is a hidden map explorer unit that only a small number of core members can join. I barely inched my way into it using my identity as a black-market dealer. The group’s members are all real elites, they come from different professions and they are influential characters in real life. They are the brain of Absolute Truth.”

“Black market dealer? How many identities do you have?” Han Fei asked casually.

“I have 7, the top player, Huang Yin; the escaped convict, Blood Doctor; the philanthropist, Mr. Happiness; the black-market dealer, the Masked Man; the best friend of the Mayor’s adopted son; the most mysterious black box hunter; the urban legend, Nightmare.” Huang Yin revealed everything to Han Fei.

“Brother Huang I’m impressed, you’ve managed to do so many things in just a few days.” After the torture by the Butterfly, Huang Yin was no longer the same man he was.

“This is all thanks to you. Before level 50, I will have a lead over the other players but I’m not that confident after level 50. Many players have shown extraordinary talents, it’ll be harder to stay in the lead.” Huang Yin was humble.

“Perfect Life will be harder as time goes on, but you still have enough time to improve yourself.”

“I will try my best. Right, the password that I just sent you is the login password for Absolute Truth’s explorer unit. Using that password, you can enter their inner website. The members of the explorer unit share info among themselves, some of them might have already found some other entrance to the cryptic world.” Huang Yin said seriously, “Never underestimate human beings and human nature, they could do anything.” After hanging up, Han Fei looked out the window and he kept pondering, ‘The cryptic world is shrouded in darkness, what have the scariest ghosts been planning every day? Do they wish to leave the cryptic world too? Fu Sheng was so powerful, even the weakest of his children was an Unmentionable but even so, he has failed. He was unable to open the last layer of the black box and saw the end of the darkness. Could I succeed where he failed?’

Touching the back of his head, even though there was no wound, Han Fei still felt a heart-drilling pain. ‘It’s pointless thinking too much about it because the black box is in my brain, that is an unchangeable truth. The only thing I can do is to move forward to bring everyone towards the only hope.’

The sun rose. Han Fei bathed in the light, the chill on his body was chased away and his soul was warmed. He took a sip of warm tea. Han Fei rescheduled his morning activity and stayed at home to search for all the info he could on the mall. Han Fei felt desperation from Fu Sheng’s various activities. Perhaps the things that Fu Sheng worried about had begun. Xin Lu had been in development for many years, there were many malls built, big and small but there were almost no deaths reported in any of them, so Han Fei’s investigation hit a roadblock.

Around noon, Huang Yin gave Han Fei another call. The gist was that Absolute Truth had started to officially look for paths to the cryptic world, even the workers from Deep Space Tech had intervened. The existence of the cryptic world was just a legend but more and more people were willing to believe it, perhaps this provided a spark of interest in their boring daily lives. Han Fei couldn’t stop others, the only thing he could do was to try to survive and help the other players if he ran into them in the cryptic world.

After night fell, Han Fei went downstairs to have his dinner. Due to his increasing appetite, the boss would smile brightly whenever he saw Han Fei because Han Fei would spend a lot at his shop. But the waitress was rather afraid of Han Fei because she had this feeling that Han Fei was having his last meal every time. There was some kind of melancholic courage radiating from the man. Han Fei didn’t know the waitress’ real thought. He would smile at her whenever he paid, most of the time, the waitress would evade him ‘shyly’.

Han Fei returned home and this time he didn’t wait for midnight but logged in 2 hours earlier than normal. The blood hadn’t changed, as his consciousness and soul became stronger, he could hear the voice that came from his back clearer. The person who leaned on his back appeared to be trying to tell him something.

Opening his eyes, the blood was replaced by mist. Han Fei pushed open the door, Drake and Ying Yue were guarding outside. “Where’s the Mirror God?”

“He’s still inside the mirror, he hasn’t shown up.” Drake pulled down the black cloth covering the mirror, the mirror was empty. Through the death chat group, the tenants knew that Han Fei had returned. They gathered to prepare for their departure that night. Some of them sincerely wanted to help Weep and the red dress, others hungered after the merchandise at the mall. In any case, if the merchandise was absorbed by the tenants, all of them would get stronger.

When there was an hour left until midnight, the mirror started to change. Blood cracks appeared on the mirror surface and the Mirror God suddenly materialized. He was still the same but he gave off a feeling that was very different from before. Upon closer inspection, one would realize that his chest was hollow. Like the Butterfly on the Night of Resurrection, the Mirror God had placed his heart somewhere else.

“Han Fei, before we go to the mall, I need to ask you one last time, are you sure you want to do this? If something happens during the process when you fight for the control of the altar, you will end up worse than death. Every part of you will be made into merchandise, your soul will be split into pieces and you will see yourself being eaten piece by piece. Are you ready to face that?” The Mirror God was serious.

“I’m ready.” Han Fei nodded.

“In that case, I will do my best to help you.” The Mirror God pointed at the mirror surface. “Come and stand before the mirror. Place your forehead and chest on the mirror.” Han Fei obliged. He felt the chill of the mirror and then the system pinged. “Notification for Player 0000! Your passive, Mirror God’s blessing has been raised to Grade F! You can now effectively avoid mirror-type curse, you will not be tricked by mirrors. When you look into the mirror, there is a small chance you might see the Mirror God.”

Before Han Fei could study his upgraded passive, the Mirror God spoke, “Remember what I’m going to say next, no matter what you encounter in that Unmentionable’s memory world, do not give up on hope. Do not forget your name. When you feel lost, find a mirror, there will be answers in the mirror.”

“Thank you.”

“That is the best I can do to help you.” All the ghosts departed again. They walked out from the mist and stopped when they reached the mall. “When you guys get closer, you’ll be instantly detected by the monsters inside the mall so you’ll have to leave the rest to Han Fei.” They had reached the most crucial part of the Mirror God’s plan. Han Fei would use Soul Mist to hide their presence and carried the Mirror God to sneak into the mall’s underground. “Remember, the rest of you should only make your move when the floor of the mall starts to bleed and the spirits inside the mall start to run amok.” The Mirror God hadn’t been so chatty before, he was the most nervous there.

Telling the other neighbours to stay away, Han Fei carried the mirror alone and walked out from the alley. “When the bell for midnight struck, the mall’s always closed backdoor will open, we only have a minute. Do not hesitate after you enter it, follow the worker’s path and head downwards, the altar is at the lowest floor.”

“Okay, I’ve memorized the layout.” Han Fei counted his heartbeat. When there were 30 seconds to midnight, he carried the mirror and walked out from the shadow. He hurried towards the backdoor. Due to the Soul Mist, even Pure Hatred couldn’t sense Han Fei. Mirror God used this to try to sneak into the underground of the mall. Every step was perfectly calculated. When Han Fei reached the backdoor, the rust on the door started to peel. The smell of blood seemed to drift out through the confines of time.

Han Fei grabbed the door at midnight and an unfamiliar voice rang in his mind. “You are the rarest soul I’ve seen. Your heart and mind are home to several selves, you have the right to enter this door.” Before Han Fei even did anything, he was sucked into the door. When he came to his senses, he was already inside the mall.

“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve successfully discovered a Grade G hidden map—Midnight Mall!

“Warning! The Murder Map has been triggered, there is great danger inside this building!”

Han Fei didn’t even have time to care about the notifications. He pushed open the worker-only door on the left and then ran down the stairs. Not long after he left, a large shadow appeared near the backdoor. An arm carved with human faces reached out from the shadow to try the backdoor. It only sighed in relief when it realized the door couldn’t be opened. However, the shadow didn’t fade away. It stopped at the backdoor and then also turned into the worker’s path.

“Han Fei, you need to hurry, something is coming from behind.” Mirror God warned and Han Fei sped up. There were many warehouses under the mall and the layout was very complex. If Han Fei took the wrong turn, he would have to turn around and he’d be captured by the shadow. This was a game where he couldn’t make a single mistake. Han Fei was highly focused. With the Mirror God’s guidance, he passed through the rooms. There were many strange items stored in the warehouses, it showcased the cruelty of humanity. For a moment, Han Fei felt he was running through Dante’s Inferno. Finally at the end of all the merchandise, they saw a black altar, the altar had been scorched, it was charred black.

“Quick!” Mirror God urged. Han Fei opened the door of the altar, at the same time, a splintering sound came from behind him. The mirror was cracked. When Han Fei opened the altar, the mirror shattered. “My soul will be sold in exchange for your chance to enter the altar, that is the price to pay at this platform! But as long as you are alive, I will not perish!”

The black cloth on the altar fell to the ground. Han Fei and all the mirror pieces disappeared like they had entered the altar.

“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve triggered the succession mission for Grade E altar—Midnight Mall!

“Midnight Mall: Complete the previous altar owner’s last wish, fulfill his regret and earn his approval. Warning, due to the great difference between the mission difficulty and player level, the player will get additional hints.

“Succession Missions are different from Manager Missions. With each death, the player has a large chance to be assimilated into the owner’s memory! So be careful!”