74hy

“Is it his soul inside the window or part of his consciousness?” Han Fei slowly approached. For some reason, he felt like he had seen No. 4 before. His hand raised, and he placed his hand on the window. Through the painted window, Han Fei and No. 4 stood opposite each other. Their palms overlapped. The boy looked up like he was comparing Han Fei with someone in his memory. As the memory and reality overlapped, No. 4 shook his head. “Even the healing persona can’t heal that monster. My biggest drawback is to harbor impossible hope. Monsters will always be monsters. Even with human skin, they are still monsters.” The boy looked at the window. It was unclear whether he was looking at Han Fei or the world inside the window.

“You might not believe me, but I have to tell you that I’m the only survivor of the bloody night. I can’t remember anything after that. Can you help me?”

When Han Fei brought up the bloody night, the boy’s body surfaced with cracks. He whipped his head back to look at Han Fei again. “You’re really him? How can you return to normal after that maddening stimulation? Is the healing persona really the perfect persona? Impossible! There is no perfect persona in this world!” No. 4 grew older. He seemed to age in an instant. His condition also worsened. The wounds joined together. He seemed to be wearing clothes made from red threads.

“Tell me everything you know! About the plastic surgery hospital, the numbered children, and the siblings, Fu Tian and Fu Sheng!” The siren called. Han Fei pressed against the window. He wanted to know the truth desperately.

“Fu Tian, Fu Sheng…” No. 4, whose body was rapidly changing, opened his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was in pain. “He made me into this!”

Shadows billowed out of No. 4’s skin. His body grew bigger and bigger until he lost the human shape.

“Him? Not them? Are you talking about Fu Tian or Fu Sheng?” Han Fei captured the detail immediately. “Have you forgotten everything about Fu Sheng? Am I the only living person who has the memory of him?”

“Don’t go to the theme park! It is the biggest conspiracy. The reward for clearing all the game is—for him to revive with your body!” No. 4’s mind collapsed. He became a monster dominated by destruction. He rammed against the window.

The red paint dripped on the ground. The painter moved to stand before the painted window. He stood facing Han Fei, with his back turned to the window. Then something strange happened. The painting started to melt as it crawled into the painter’s back. The silent painter stared at Han Fei as the window dissolved into his body. This was a very critical moment for him. If Han Fei chose this moment to attack, it would seriously injure the painter.

Han Fei stood there obediently until the painter finished absorbing the window. No. 4’s growl came from his wound shaped like a 4. The clothes on his back were torn apart. A window was painted on his back. A crazy monster was trapped inside it. Every time the monster struggled, the painter’s soul would shatter. However, he would soon repair it. His body was like a painting. Whenever there was damage, he would repair it immediately.

“He hasn’t told me everything! Why is the final reward at the theme park to have someone revive in my body? Is that someone Fu Tian or Fu Sheng?” Fu Sheng had completed Fu Sheng’s altar mission. He knew Fu Tian and Fu Sheng were geniuses.

The painter looked at Han Fei. His eyes sunk. He said nothing and walked out. The wall he walked past faded in color. All the oil paintings returned to normal.

The police siren came closer. When Han Fei exited the room, the painter was gone.

“No. 4 was a destructive persona, failed product and died on his 18th birthday. What more does he know?”

The siren came closer. Rays of light came from upstairs. “Is the crew here already?” Han Fei looked around before walking towards Li Feng who was curled up at the corner. He knelt before her and asked, “Can you get up? You can help A-Lin and I’ll go carry Wu Li.” “Han Fei, what were those?”

“You were imagining things. You were screaming at me when I arrived.”

“Impossible!” Li Feng shook her head and scratched the wall. “These paintings are alive! I saw children walk out of them!”

“It’s the latest optical illusion technology. You were too nervous. I’d suggest you go relax and play some casual game tonight.” Han Fei said, “Have you played Perfect Life?”

Li Feng slowly recovered. She nodded. “Occasionally. I’m a casual player.”

“I’m a casual player too. Can you tell me your in-game Id and your birthday? We can play together tonight.” Han Fei stood up and extended Li Feng his hand. Asking id was normal but birthday? There was something strange about that. Li Feng was startled, but she still told him everything. After all, Han Fei did save her life.

Han Fei helped Li Feng up and then moved to carry Wu Li on his back. He used the flashlight on the guard’s phone and climbed the stairs. When he came to the second-floor basement, the livestream returned to normal. All of them reappeared on the cameras.

When the audience saw the bloody Han Fei and the other actors he had saved, they were so happy like it was new year. A direct contrast was the livestream for Bai Cha and Xiao Chen. The idol actor, Xiao Chen, was crushed under a cupboard. His mouth foamed and he was unconscious. After abandoning everyone, Bai Cha hid inside the second-floor basement’s toilet alone. His face was pale as he moved things to block behind the door.

The audience looked down on him when Bai Cha abandoned his teammates to run off on his own. They said that Bai Cha was able to escape because he had sacrificed the others. He used the others to attract the monster’s attention so that he could escape on his own. Many viewers scolded him but Bai Cha’s fans countered. The situation was so dangerous, and everyone would have done the things Bai Cha did. No one would be so selfless as to risk their own safety to save everyone.

However, when Han Fei managed to save everyone, these fans piped down. Everyone was different. Some would run during danger, while others would stand forward to save everyone. Han Fei wasn’t doing this out of heroism.

The audience placed themselves inside the hospital. Would they want Han Fei or Bai Cha as their teammate?

Han Fei’s popularity rose again. He was steadily moving towards the B-list. Bai Cha was Han Fei’s former rival. But after tonight, probably no one would compare them anymore. The crew intervened. The situation inside Bai Cha and Han Fei’s rooms was wildly different. The saddest part was Bai Cha still had no idea he was on a livestream. He continued to move the mop and sink to block the door. With tears on his face, he cursed everyone out.

Bai Cha was not doing himself any service. When the crew arrived and told him the truth, he’d faint.

The strong ray of light cut through the dark. When the crew met up with Han Fei, all the livestreams stopped. The livestreams halted halfway through the show. Technically, Tang Yi had created another record.

The footsteps echoed as the medic team rushed towards Han Fei with mobile medical equipment. They started to check on the actors. The other workers went to get Xiao Chen and Bai Cha.

Han Fei looked like he was most injured thanks to the ‘blood’ on his body, but actually, he wasn’t wounded. His physique was so good that even the doctor was impressed.

“Han Fei, are you alright?” Tang Yi and Jia Jia ran in from the entrance. They were different from when they first met Han Fei. They were so worried like Han Fei was some kind of protected creature.

“I’m fine. You better check on the others.” Han Fei was processing what No. 4 said but Tang Yi grabbed his arm. “Han Fei, can we talk?” Tang Yi’s hand was cold, his forehead was sweaty, his heart raced. He was always praised for his courage but he was really frightened this time. Before Han Fei could say anything, Tang Yi dragged Han Fei to the back of the crowd. His other hand grabbed Han Fei’s palm. A note was hidden inside it. “This is the account password. I’ve placed the money there. Please don’t tell anyone what happened during the show tonight!”

“Why?”

“Just say that it’s all part of the script!” Tang Yi wiped his sweat. “I’ve gotten in big trouble this time. When the livestream was only halfway through, we were almost banned. However, two forces much more powerful than I am intervened. One party wanted to stop the livestream immediately, while the other party wanted me to continue. They wanted more people to see what was going on inside the plastic surgery hospital.”

“This building once belonged to Immortal Pharma, so it’s logical they would want to stop the livestream. But who could oppose them? Deep Space Tech works with them to create Perfect Life, so they are allies. Other than them, who dared to oppose a giant force like Immortal Pharma?” Han Fei looked at Tang Yi who shook his head.

“I don’t dare say, so please don’t ask me anymore.” Tang Yi held Han Fei’s hands tightly. “Brother, when this is over, I’ll thank you in person! If not for you, things would end up a lot worse.”

“You mean how the short guard went insane and really wanted to kill Bai Cha on the livestream?”

“That’s just one of them. But don’t ask me anymore.” Tang Yi’s voice was shaking. It was obvious that he was really scared this time. However, as an experienced producer, Tang Yi only showed this side before Han Fei. When he went back to the crew and the reporters, he became confident again.

“Tang Yi knows some insider info. I should ask him if he plays Perfect Life or not.” Han Fei was the first to leave the hospital. Several police cruisers were outside the building. The Xin Lu Police cared about his safety dearly.

With an officer accompanying him, Han Fei cleaned away the ‘blood’. Then he put on another set of clothes and took back his phone.

“It’s 9 pm.” Han Fei turned to study the plastic surgery hospital. He had gained many crucial clues that night. He couldn’t wait to get back into the cryptic world.

“The show is halted. I can go home early, right?”