My Healing Games

Chapter 436 Is Despair Just Beginning? (5000 words)

"The mission is complete?" Han Fei arrived at Wang Ping'an's home at the father's warm invitation. He was sitting on a somewhat worn-out sofa with a teacup in his hand.

The old man and Wang Ping'an went into the kitchen to get busy, while Han Fei took the opportunity to start looking through the attribute panel.

The rewards from the homecoming mission far exceeded Han Fei's expectations. The title of "Good Person" could slow down the rate at which his mood value dropped, and this ability was very important. With the title of "Good Person," he was also able to leave the mall for a short time at night.

Besides the "Good Person" title, the "Going Home" quest also brought Han Fei a surprise: the experience points gained upon completion of the quest.

The tasks in the shrine master's memory world are different from those in the deeper world. There is no clear level division, but the experience given after completing the task is equivalent to that of an F-level hidden task.

Because Han Fei chose both sides of the black box at the same time, it made it much harder for him to gain experience. At his current level, he couldn't level up by doing G-level missions at all, but F-level and E-level missions were also very rare, which is why he was only level sixteen at the moment.

"I can level up by completing a large number of random tasks in the shrine's master's memory world!"

Leveling up is the most direct way to improve attributes, and in addition, Han Fei has the hidden profession of Midnight Butcher, so his body is strengthened to a certain extent every time he levels up.

Previously, he couldn't even escape the pursuit of regret, but now he can chase after ordinary resentment. This is the benefit of improved physical attributes.

"The difficulty of the random quests at the shrines doesn't all vary; the more difficult quests should yield more experience points!"

Looking at his attribute panel, Han Fei realized that if things continued this way, he should be able to level up after completing three or four more random shrine quests.

With a shift in his gaze, Han Fei quietly opened his inventory again before closing the attribute panel.

After entering the shrine master's memory world, he subconsciously ignored the existence of the inventory. The rules of this world seemed to deliberately downplay the presence of foreign items, and the shrine master's memories did not want any foreign items to change everything here.

"Can I only take out one item?"

Han Fei chose the blood-red paper doll without much thought, as it gave him a sense of security.

After making his choice, something surprising happened to Han Fei.

The paper figure, which was originally the same height as an adult, changed shape. When Han Fei took it out of his inventory, the paper figure was only the size of a palm, and the blood color on it had completely faded, and he could not feel any yin energy.

"Is it because my mood is slowly recovering that I haven't been able to see the paper doll's true appearance?"

The paper figure, no bigger than a palm, was exquisitely made, and its face looked exactly like Xu Qin's. It didn't look like a paper figure at all, but more like a piece of folk art.

The kitchen door opened, and Wang Ping'an, who had taken off his motorcycle helmet, walked over with a silly grin, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand.

Han Fei calmly placed the paper figure close to his body, then got up to greet Wang Ping'an.

"Just sit there! Let Ping An come; he also wants to thank you." The old man gripped the edge of his wheelchair, a simple smile on his face. "There are still many good people in the world. Young man, what's your name?"

"Han Fei".

"A good name, it's obvious that a cultured person gave you it." The old man pushed the last two apples in the fruit plate next to Han Fei. "It's too late, why don't you wait until dawn before going back?"

Wang Ping'an heated up the food in the kitchen and put it all on the table. The old man was very hospitable: "Ping'an comes home late every day, so I always save food for him. Come and have some too."

"Thank you for your help." Han Fei was indeed very hungry; he had only had a bowl of rice porridge for dinner.

Without any hesitation, Han Fei and Ping An picked up their chopsticks and started eating. Under these circumstances, even the leftovers tasted delicious.

The old man looked at Han Fei and Wang Ping'an with a smile on his face: "Ping'an hasn't brought any friends back in a long time. This child is different from other children. He learns things very slowly, but he is really kind-hearted. After my accident, he worked as a food deliveryman to support his family, working late every day. I know he is often bullied outside, but he never says anything. Every time he sees me, he just smiles foolishly, like a little kid."

"Don't worry, sir, I'll be Ping An's friend from now on." Han Fei swallowed the food in his mouth and found that his mood score had returned to forty-five.

Since Wang Ping'an's home can restore his mood, he'll probably come here often in the future.

Han Fei put his hand on Wang Ping'an's shoulder and said righteously, "Ping'an, if you encounter any trouble while delivering food in the future, just go to the second-hand supermarket in the mall and find me. I will definitely help you if I can. But you must remember, don't just go into the store. It's not very safe inside."

Wang Ping'an nodded repeatedly, though it was unclear whether he had truly understood Han Fei's meaning.

After a satisfying meal, Han Fei's mood index successfully recovered to fifty.

To be honest, he was also worried about Huangli's safety, but he simply didn't have the ability to walk back at night.

As soon as he leaves Wang Ping'an's house, his mood will start to drop. He also has to be wary of the boy's father while walking alone through those terrifying streets and alleys.

Just thinking about it made Han Fei feel uneasy. The safest thing to do was to wait until dawn before leaving.

The old man wasn't in good health and went to bed early. Han Fei then used some of his previous knowledge of psychotherapy to get a general understanding of Wang Ping'an's condition by playing a game.

He tried to communicate with Wang Ping'an to gain his trust.

At four o'clock in the morning, the sky was already beginning to lighten, and the terrifying darkness was slowly fading away.

"Ping An, before you go to work, remember to lock the doors and windows and be careful!"

After giving his instructions, Han Fei hurriedly left Wang Ping'an's house and ran towards the mall.

"I hope Huang Li is alright. If something happens to her, I might become the last employee of that store."

As Han Fei ran along the road, he noticed that after daybreak, the rate at which his mood value slowed down when he went out became much slower. This was good news for him, as he could at least explore more distant places during the day.

Hearing the rushing water, Han Fei walked to the gap in the fence. He clearly remembered that someone had followed them last night.

Slowing down, Han Fei took out his phone and started filming; he wanted to preserve evidence.

"Why are there only my and Wang Ping'an's shoe prints?" Han Fei squinted. He immediately noticed that the place had been cleaned up and some of the shoe prints had been removed. However, the person was not very professional and accidentally removed some of Han Fei's shoe prints during the cleaning process.

"The fabric of the clothes on the gap in the fence is the same as that of the little boy. If the man didn't move the body, the boy could very well have been buried here!"

The little boy's clothes were in Han Fei's pocket; it was crucial evidence.

"Should we go down and check?" Han Fei hesitated for a moment, "Never mind, let's go back to the shop first. I don't feel safe being out alone..."

He stepped back, but just then, Han Fei heard hurried footsteps!

"Someone!"

He didn't have time to look back; he immediately jumped forward to dodge!

The sharp knife pierced his coat and nearly went through his lower back.

With a quick roll, Han Fei adjusted his position, scrambled to his feet on the shallows, and looked behind him.

The blade struck again, accompanied by gusts of cold wind.

"I knew you were lying to me! Did you see something?! You must have seen something!"

A middle-aged man's voice reached Han Fei's ears; the man gritted his teeth and had a ferocious expression.

He was wearing a baseball cap and a dark coat, with half of a mud-covered face mask sticking out of his pocket.

This person had been to a secondhand supermarket before, and yesterday he wanted to buy back the boy's toy!

"You really did kill your own child and wife!"

At this point, there was no point in pretending to be stupid anymore. The boy's father was a madman who, without being entirely certain, directly swung his knife at Han Fei.

"You know quite a lot!" The man was burly and strong. He grabbed the sharp knife and lunged at Han Fei again. His movements were incredibly fast, unlike those of an ordinary office worker.

As he dodged with all his might, Han Fei's pupils gradually shrank, for defense was not his forte.

Forced to retreat, their shoes soaked by the river, they had reached the riverbank in their rapid movement.

The terrain was uneven, and Han Fei finally seized an opportunity when his opponent lost his footing. He immediately closed the distance and began to counterattack!
Having spent so long navigating the deepest world, Han Fei's actions have become incredibly ruthless.

He delivered a swift chop to the man's Adam's apple, and as the man's neck nearly deformed, he locked the man's arm, his fingers almost digging into the man's flesh.

Every move was deadly; Han Fei's attacks aimed straight for vital points. This was not a street brawl, but a professional assassin carrying out a mission.

The man was much more robust and stronger than Han Fei, but he felt a sense of fear in front of Han Fei. This young man, who was pretending to be an innocent rabbit, seemed to really have murderous intentions!
"Bah!"

The man struggled to break free, but the knife in his hand fell onto the rocks.

At this moment, the knife was closer to Han Fei. If Han Fei wasn't confident in his skills, he might have immediately tried to grab the knife to defend himself.

But reality was the opposite; the man who was farther away from the knife rushed towards it, as if only holding the knife could give him a sense of security.

The moment the other man moved, Han Fei closed in. Without even looking at the knife, he clenched his fist and struck the man's jaw hard.

With the knife right in front of him, the man bent over in pain, and Han Fei's knee, which had been gathering strength, slammed into the man's body.

The man let out a scream, and without even bothering to pick up the knife, he scrambled and crawled away.

Han Fei had no intention of letting him go and kept close behind.

After running about ten meters, the man tripped over something on the ground and fell off the riverbank.

Water splashed up, and Han Fei took off his coat, ready to jump into the river to continue the chase. But as he stood on the bank, he noticed that the man's body was sinking rapidly. It seemed as if there were toys in the deep water grabbing the man's hair and clothes, preventing him from surfacing.

Ripples spread outwards, and Han Fei watched as the man slowly sank to the bottom of the water.

How deep is this sandy river?

The slowly flowing river gave Han Fei a sense of death and misfortune, and he was unwilling to stay by the river.

"Is that person dead?"

The shallow water seeped into his shoes, carrying a chilling sensation. As Han Fei backed away, he saw the thing that had tripped the man earlier.

It was a child's wooden puppet toy, covered in mud, and its design was from the same series as the headless puppet in the store.

"Attention player number 0000! You have completed the shrine random quest - Toy, and successfully helped the boy redeem his toy."

"Ten percent of the shrine owner's regret has been resolved! A large amount of experience has been gained! A special item—a toy—has been obtained."

"Toy (Special item from the shrine, cannot be taken out of the memory world): When he was dismantling the child's 'toy,' he didn't realize that from that day on, he would also become a 'toy' in the child's eyes."

"The purpose of this item is unknown, and some changes may occur after dark."

"Attention player number 0000! You have completed a random shrine quest and have been granted one opportunity to open your inventory. You can choose one item to bring into the shrine owner's memory world."

Upon hearing the system notification, Han Fei opened his inventory, pondered for a moment, and then took out a bladeless knife.

"I can level up after completing one more random shrine quest. Everything seems to be going in the right direction, but I still have a bad feeling about it."

As dawn broke, pedestrians began to appear on the distant streets.

Han Fei dared not linger there. He quickly left the riverbank and ran all the way back to the mall.

It's a little past five in the morning, the mall hasn't opened yet, and there aren't many people around.

Han Fei quietly pushed open the shop door. As the tinkling sound rang out, a hurried footstep came from deep inside the shop.

Not long after, Huang Li appeared in the shop, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was messy and there were marks on her face from sleeping.

"You're finally back!" Huang Li perked up immediately upon seeing Han Fei. "You skipped work for several hours on your first day! I thought something had happened to you! You scared me to death!"

"Sister Huang, I went to deliver the food to that deliveryman, but something happened. I'm really sorry." Han Fei looked Huang Li up and down. There was nothing unusual about her. Nothing terrible had happened after he left last night.

"I'll let it go this time and won't tell the boss, but this is a one-time exception!" Huang Li's tone was stern, but she was still quite considerate of Han Fei: "Did you go rolling around in the mud? How did your clothes get so dirty?"

"The deliveryman father's wheelchair fell onto the shallow sandy beach, and I helped him lift it out."

“You are indeed a kind-hearted person, but sometimes being too kind isn’t good.” Huang Li sighed and didn’t blame Han Fei anymore: “Go home and get some rest. You’ll be on duty alone tonight.”

"Okay." Han Fei glanced around the store a few times: "Sister Huang, nothing happened in the mall last night, right? Those two security guards didn't give you any trouble, did they?"

"No, those two have been acting strangely and suspiciously ever since they came back from the third floor. They've been wandering around the mall the whole time and haven't come over here at all." Huang Li stretched.

"Be careful, those two security guards might do something. Why don't you lock the shop door before you go to sleep?" Han Fei didn't trust the two security guards, and given what Huang Li had just said, he suspected that something might have already taken over their bodies.

"It's okay, the store has security cameras, they don't have the guts."

"Alright." After saying that, Han Fei left the secondhand store. As he walked down the mall aisle, he always felt like someone was watching him from behind.

Maintaining a normal pace, Han Fei didn't turn around until he was almost out of Exit C of the mall. He saw the two security guards standing side by side on the second-floor railing, their faces unusually pale.

The sky outside was already bright, and there were more and more pedestrians on the road. Han Fei did not stay in the mall any longer, but walked towards his home.

He stayed up all night, and his physical condition was deteriorating, as was his mood. He needed to rest immediately.

After crossing the stone bridge, bypassing the abandoned park, and passing through two alleys, Han Fei returned to his home.

Upon opening the door, a musty smell wafted out, but Han Fei was already used to it.

He entered the room, and as he closed the door again, the system notification sounded once more.

"Attention player number 0000! You have successfully survived the first night, and your diary has been updated."

"The diary has been updated? But I haven't written anything." Han Fei opened the refrigerator door, took out the notebook, and when he turned to the latest page, he found that there were many lines of extremely messy writing on it.

"I found a new job today, all night shifts, so I can free up my daytime hours and work in other places."

"The new job isn't difficult; I've already mastered it. It's just that the mall is a bit scary at night."

The diary entries consisted of trivial matters, but the handwriting became increasingly illegible, suggesting that the writer was under immense mental pressure.

“I memorized the location of all the items and their prices. My mother has always told me to be a responsible person. Yes, she also told me to be a good person, because good people will be rewarded.”

“I helped a delivery driver. I prevented him from being bullied by security guards. I meant well, I really meant nothing by it. But why? Why did it turn out like this? I didn't want it! I really didn't want it! Someone, please save me! I just wanted to help someone, why did it end up killing him! He's dead, I saw him die with my own eyes, the knife was stabbed into his chest, he was the one who wanted to kill me!”

The writing at the end of the diary was distorted, and the writer was incoherent, as if he had gone mad.

Upon seeing the last few sentences of the diary, Han Fei's face darkened.

This diary wasn't written by him; it must be the memory of the shrine's owner.

Everything went as Han Fei had predicted. The shrine owner helped the deliveryman, but he didn't take him home immediately. After waiting for a long time and finding that the deliveryman's father still hadn't come and he couldn't reach him by phone, he finally took the deliveryman home.

The two found the old man's wheelchair while crossing the shallows. They went down to check on it and unexpectedly ran into the boy's father.

Without saying a word, the boy's father tried to kill him. During the fight, the knife fell to the ground, quite close to the shrine's owner.

He grabbed a knife to defend himself, but in the chaos, he stabbed the boy's father in a vital spot, causing the man to fall into the sandy river.

The only eyewitness and witness to the entire incident was Wang Ping'an, who was mentally challenged.

“I didn’t touch the knife last night, but the boy’s father was still killed. It seems that there are some key points in this world of memories that cannot be changed.”

Han Fei slowly clenched his fists. If the key points of his memory could not be changed, how could he make up for the regrets of the shrine's master, and how could he grasp the only light in this deepest despair?

(End of this chapter)