My Healing Games

Chapter 429 Midnight Mall
"I suspect the sudden deaths of those three members of the Inevitable Truth are related to the Deep World. It's as if one of them heard a call from the darkness." Huang Ying's voice was low and hoarse, showing that he hadn't had a proper rest during this time.

"call?"

“Now I feel that it’s not just us searching for the Deep World, but something in the Deep World also wants to come out. They are calling out to the explorers in a very subtle way, tempting them to open Pandora’s box.” Huang Ying sent a video to Han Fei using triple encryption.

"This is a video recorded by one of the sudden deaths in the game. He was an elderly historian who suffered from bipolar disorder and had been living alone since his divorce. He originally played this game to heal himself, but he unexpectedly discovered something very interesting while playing. He began to study the history of the NPCs and became so engrossed in it that he played the game for 32 consecutive hours."

For an elderly person who is already in poor health, playing games for extended periods of time may provide some physical relief, but it is difficult to completely alleviate mental fatigue.

“If you watch the last part of the video carefully, the old man starts talking to himself in the game. A minute before he was forcibly kicked offline by the system, his game character was already lying on the ground, as if he had lost his soul.”

With Huang Ying's prompting, Han Fei watched the video repeatedly. The old man initially discovered during a conversation with an NPC that one of the NPCs' relatives had passed away, and that their funeral customs were different from those in reality.

Driven by curiosity, the old man began to explore, wanting to find out the origin and cause of that special funeral custom. He specifically visited NPCs who were about to die in the game, recorded videos, and studied it as a research topic.

He gradually discovered that some NPCs would mention a deity who guided souls. This deity had no name, and people only knew that whenever he appeared, the dying would hear a song summoning souls.

The old man spent several days visiting various locations in the city, trying to gather more clues to deduce the location of the shrine. Unfortunately, he left before he could find any results.

"All the NPCs that the old man has come into contact with are within the key observation range of the Inevitable Truth, but they haven't found anything unusual yet."

"Keep an eye on what's happening over there. Also, how many people know about this video? Have all the members of the Truth faction seen it?" Han Fei didn't want to make a big fuss. Those people who were blinded by the original shares of Yong Sheng Pharmaceuticals didn't consider the consequences of their actions.

“This video is top secret; only the most core members know about it.” After saying this, Huang Ying sent Han Fei a long password: “Within the massive organization of Inevitable Truth, there is a hidden map exploration team that only a very small number of core members can join. I barely managed to become one of the team members by using my covert identity as an underground black market dealer. Most of the members in this team are true elites. They are engaged in different professions, and any one of them could be a protagonist in real life. Each of their experiences can be described as legendary. They are the brains of Inevitable Truth.”

"An underground black market dealer? How many identities do you have now?" Han Fei asked casually.

"Seven: Huang Ying, the top player; Blood Doctor, the wanted criminal; Mr. Happiness, the great philanthropist; Masked Man, the underground black market dealer; the mayor's adopted son's best friend; the most mysterious Black Box Hunter; and Nightmare, the urban legend." Huang Ying revealed all his secrets to Han Fei.

"You managed to turn things around in just a few days. Brother Huang, you're truly extraordinary." After experiencing the torment of the butterfly and undergoing profound trials, Huang Ying was no longer the same person he had been before.

"I owe everything I have now to you. Before level 50, I could lead all the players, but after level 50, it's hard to say. Everyone's life is a series of adventures, and many players have already shown extraordinary talent. It will become increasingly difficult to subdue them." Huang Ying said modestly.

"Upgrading in 'Perfect Life' becomes increasingly difficult as you progress, but you still have plenty of time to build an advantage."

“I will try my best. By the way, the password I just sent you is the login password for the Inevitable Truth Core Exploration Team. You can use that password to access their internal website. The core members of the exploration team share information, and some of them might find other entrances to the deeper world.” Huang Ying said very solemnly at the end, “Never underestimate humanity, and never overestimate human nature. They are capable of anything.”

After hanging up the phone, Han Fei looked out the window, his mind racing: "The Deep World is shrouded in endless darkness. What are those most terrifying ghosts planning every day? Could they also want to leave the Deep World?"

"Fu Sheng's strength is immense. Even the weakest of his three children is beyond description, yet he still failed. He couldn't open the innermost layer of the black box, nor could he see the end of the night."

"If someone as capable as Fu Sheng is like this, do I really have the ability to change it?"

Touching the back of his head, where there were no wounds, Han Fei still felt excruciating pain when he touched it.

"There's no use thinking about it anymore, because the black box is in my mind. It's an unchangeable fact. All I can do is try my best to move forward and lead everyone toward the only hope."

As the sun slowly rose, Han Fei was bathed in its light. The chill on his body was dispelled, and his soul seemed to feel a touch of warmth.

After drinking a cup of hot tea, Han Fei canceled his daytime promotional activities and began searching for cases related to the shopping mall in his room.

He sensed a sense of urgency from Fu Sheng's various actions; perhaps the thing Fu Sheng feared most had begun to happen.

Over the years of development in Shanghai, there have been many shopping malls of all sizes, but almost none of them have actually resulted in murder cases, and Han Fei's investigation has reached a stalemate.

At noon, Huang Ying called Han Fei again, saying that the inevitable truth had begun a full-scale search for a passage to the deep world, and that internal personnel from Deep Space Technology had also become involved.

The existence of the deep world was initially just a hypothesis, but now more and more people are willing to believe it. Perhaps believing in the existence of such a world is also a way of escaping the dull and boring reality.

Han Fei couldn't stop others; all he could do was try his best to survive. If he encountered other players in the deeper world, he would try his best to help them.

As night fell, Han Fei went downstairs to a small shop and had a hearty meal.

His appetite grew larger and larger, and every time the shop owner saw him, he would smile and feel that the God of Wealth had arrived.

However, the waitress was somewhat afraid of Han Fei, because she felt that every time Han Fei came, it was as if he was eating his last meal, with a hint of tragic grandeur.

She never dared to linger after serving the food, fearing that Han Fei would eat and drink his fill, then put on a black hood, take out a murder weapon, and head straight for the bank.

Han Fei was unaware of the waiter's true thoughts. After paying each time, he would politely smile at the waiter, who would usually shyly avoid him from a distance.

Back at home, Han Fei didn't wait until midnight this time; he logged into the game two hours early.

The crimson color before him remained unchanged, but as his consciousness and soul grew stronger, he heard the voice coming from behind him more and more clearly.

The person pressed against his back seemed to want to tell him something.

Opening his eyes, Han Fei saw that the crimson color had been replaced by mist. He pushed open the door, and Yinglong and Yingyue were waiting outside.

Where is the Mirror God?

"He's still in the mirror, he hasn't shown himself yet." Yinglong removed the black cloth covering the mirror, and the mirror was empty, reflecting no one's image.

The homeowners learned through a dead group chat that Han Fei had returned, and they all gathered around the room, planning to go out together that night.

Some of them were there to repay the kindness of the girl in the red dress who saved their lives, while others were envious of the large amount of "goods" stockpiled in the mall. If they could absorb and devour all of those "goods," the strength of all the owners would be significantly enhanced.

With one hour left until midnight, the mirror where the Mirror God was located underwent a strange change. Countless blood vessels appeared in the mirror, and the Mirror God silently appeared in everyone's sight.

He was still wearing the same clothes as before, but he gave off a completely different feeling. If you looked closely, you would find that the Mirror God's chest had been hollowed out. He was like the butterfly on the night of the return of the soul, having placed his heart elsewhere.

"Han Fei, before we enter the underground mall, I have to ask you one last time—are you sure you want to fight with Ten Fingers for control of the shrine? If something goes wrong during the struggle, your fate will be a hundred times worse than death. Everything you own will become merchandise, your soul will be divided into countless pieces, and you might even watch yourself being eaten bit by bit. Are you really prepared?" Mirror God's tone was heavy.

"I've made up my mind." Han Fei nodded.

“Since you’re sure you want to do this, I will do everything I can to help you.” The Mirror God pointed to the mirror: “Come here, stand in front of the mirror, and put your forehead and heart against the mirror.”

Han Fei did as instructed, his body pressed against the cool mirror, and a system notification sounded in his mind.

"Attention player number 0000! Your passive ability, Blessing of the Mirror God, has been upgraded to F-rank! You can effectively avoid mirror-type curses, you will not be deceived by mirrors, and there is a very small chance that you will see the Mirror God when you look in the mirror."

Before Han Fei could examine his passive ability closely, the Mirror God spoke again: "You must remember what I'm about to say. No matter what you encounter in that unspeakable world of memories, never give up hope of survival, and never forget your name. If you feel like you're about to lose your way, go find the mirror; the mirror will hold the answers you seek."

"Thank you, Mirror God."

"This is all I can do to help you."

All the vengeful spirits in the dead building area went out again. They emerged from the mist and wandered through the intricate alleys until they approached the shopping mall.

“If you go over there, you’ll be discovered by the ghosts in the mall instantly. From now on, we’ll have to leave it to Han Fei.” Mirror God’s plan had reached its most crucial step. Using Han Fei’s soul, which was shrouded in mist, he carried him into the mall’s underground area: “Remember, you can only make your move when blood starts flowing from the mall’s surface and a large number of souls in the mall are escaping.”

Despite repeated reminders and instructions, Mirror God hadn't been like this in a long time; in fact, he was more nervous than anyone else.

He told his neighbors to stay far away, and Han Fei carried the mirror out of the alley alone.

"When the clock strikes midnight, the back door of the mall, which has been closed, will open. We only have one minute. Once inside, do not hesitate and go straight down the staff passage to the basement. The shrine is on the bottom floor of the mall."

"Okay, I've memorized the terrain, I won't make a single wrong move."

As midnight approached, Han Fei silently counted his heartbeats. With thirty seconds left until midnight, he stepped out of the shadows with his back to the mirror and approached the back door of the mall as quickly as possible.

Because of the presence of the soul mist, even hatred could not sense Han Fei in advance.

He and Mirror God took advantage of this to try and sneak into the mall's underground area.

Precisely calculating the time spent on each step, Han Fei arrived at the back door of the mall just as the rust on the door began to peel off, and a strong smell of blood seemed to emanate from the door, as if it had traveled through time.

Raising his arm, Han Fei grabbed the door at exactly midnight, and an unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind.

“You are the rarest soul I have ever seen. Several different selves are hidden in your heart and mind. You are qualified to enter this door.”

Han Fei didn't open the door at all; he felt as if he was sucked directly into the doorway by a force.

When he came to his senses again, he was already in the mall.

"Attention Player 0000! You have successfully discovered the E-level hidden map – Midnight Mall!"

"Warning! The kill map has been highlighted! This building is extremely dangerous!"

Han Fei didn't care about the system's prompts at all. He pushed open the door to the employee passage on his left and ran down the stairs.

Not long after he left, a huge shadow appeared at the back door of the mall. An arm covered with human faces stretched out from the shadow and tried to twist the back door. He was relieved when he found that he could not open it.

However, the shadow did not leave; it lingered at the back door for a while before entering the employee passage.

"Han Fei, you'd better hurry up, something's coming from behind," Mirror God whispered a reminder, and Han Fei sped up again.

There are several warehouses below the mall, and the terrain is very complicated. If Han Fei takes one wrong step and then retreats, he will be caught by the shadows behind him.

This is a game with no way out, a game that absolutely cannot be lost.

With his attention highly focused, Han Fei passed through room after room under the guidance of the Mirror God. The warehouses were filled with all sorts of strange and wonderful things, embodying all the cruelty of the world. At one point, Han Fei even felt as if he had run through the eighteenth level of hell.

Continuing downwards, they finally came to the end of all the "cargo" and saw a black shrine. The shrine had been scorched by a fire, and its surface was blackened, as if it would crumble at the slightest touch.

"quick!"

Hearing the Mirror God's anxious urging, Han Fei opened the door on the shrine without hesitation. Almost at the same time, he heard a loud bang behind him.

The mirror where the Mirror God was hiding had become covered in cracks at some point, and the mirror shattered when Han Fei opened the shrine.

"My soul can be exchanged for one chance for you to enter the shrine; this is the price of the soul trade! But as long as you live, I will not be completely destroyed!"

The black cloth on the shrine fell to the ground, and Han Fei and all the mirror shards disappeared, as if they had entered the shrine.

"Attention Player 0000! You have successfully triggered the E-rank Shrine Inheritance Quest - Midnight Mall!"

"Midnight Mall (Shrine Inheritance Quest can only be accepted by players who own the shrine): Fulfill the last wishes of the previous shrine owner, make up for the regrets in his memory, and gain his approval."

"Attention! Due to the significant difference between the player's level and the quest level, an additional warning has been added!"

"The Shrine Inheritance quest and the Administrator quest are not entirely the same. Each time a player dies, there is a very high chance that they will be assimilated by the Shrine Master's memories! Please be careful!"

(End of this chapter)