Chapter 20: Courage in the Face of Fear
"Chenchen has been quite introverted since he was young. He is not willing to take the initiative to play with other children in the courtyard and is often alone."
"I don't know when he suddenly became lively. I was very happy at the time, thinking that Chenchen had finally found his friends."
"But later I gradually realized something was wrong. Chenchen always went out to play after 7pm. When he came back, he was always dirty, with small wounds on his arms and cheeks."
"One time he didn't come back very late, I was really worried so I asked the building manager to go look for him. We searched for a long time and finally found Chenchen in an abandoned water tank in the community."
"He was curled up in the water tank by himself, his body trembling constantly. We asked him what he was doing, and he said he was playing hide-and-seek with his friends."
"The building manager and I asked him the name of his friend. Chenchen hesitated for a long time before he said his friend's name was Ku."
"I felt strange at the time. How could someone's name be Ku? When the building manager heard this name, his expression suddenly changed. He asked Chenchen if Ku lived on the third floor."
" Chenchen nodded, and then the building manager said something even more terrifying. Although no murder had ever occurred in the room on the third floor covered with talisman paper, something even stranger than murder had happened."
"Children have been missing in the community for a long time. All the remaining clothes and belongings of those children were found in Room 1034 on the third floor."
"Room 1034 was like a house that eats children. The situation did not improve until everyone sealed up the doors and windows on the third floor."
"That crying kid hasn't appeared for a long time. I didn't expect him to suddenly haunt Chenchen."
The wrinkles on the old man's face squeezed together : "Ever since I stopped letting Chenchen go out and play with Ku, Chenchen seems to be possessed by evil spirits. His personality has become irritable, and he often says that someone is waiting for him or calling his name. Whenever I let him out out of pity, he would run to the other side and talk to himself through the door, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying. In the end, I had no choice but to lock him in the bedroom."
After listening to the old man's story, Han Fei felt disappointed . There were many scary things in this building, but no one wanted to get close to Room 1034. Finally, they were forced to seal the room. This showed how scary it was.
"Chenchen was locked in the bedroom by me, and his temper has been getting worse and worse. Yesterday after dinner, I wasn't paying attention and the child ran out. When I chased him to the door, I found that the door opposite was half open. I don't know who had removed the talisman paper on the door and the wooden boards nailed inside the door." The old woman sighed. She was really worried about Chenchen.
"It's possible that Chenchen tore the talisman paper, but he probably couldn't tear the wooden board down with his strength. The vandalism was done by other residents." Han Fei felt that none of his neighbors were normal, so he considered the worst when thinking about the problem: "Has anything big happened in this building recently?"
"I don't know either." The old lady shook her head and thought for a while before suddenly saying, "By the way, I haven't seen the building manager for a long time. It feels like he's missing."
"Building Manager?" Han Fei had heard this title more than once. "Grandma, who is the building manager you are talking about?"
"He was one of the earliest residents of this building. He was in his sixties, looked very kind, and had a good relationship with some of the old neighbors. But as those old neighbors left, the building manager's condition became worse and worse."
"How can the living conditions here not be bad?" Han Fei thought carefully about Meng Shi's words. He felt as if he had seen the building manager Meng Shi was talking about before: "Grandma, does the building manager you are talking about have all white hair and a black mole ..."
"Yes! Where did you see him?" The old lady was very surprised.
"Is it really him?" The scattered clues in his mind gradually became one. The old man Han Fei just mentioned was the shop owner who sold him the gaming helmet!
That old man is definitely not a simple person! Tomb keeper should be just one of his identities!
Han Fei's brain worked quickly. He still had too little information. "Grandma, do you know where the building manager usually lives?"
"He lives in Room 1101 on the tenth floor. Are you going to ask the building manager to rescue Chenchen?" Meng Shi looked worried: "The corridor is not safe. Besides, if we go out now, we might run into someone crying."
Han Fei wrote down the number 1101. This was the most important clue he had obtained since entering the game. "If you want to go to room 1101, you have to go upstairs. I'm only level 2 now, and the probability of reaching the tenth floor alive is too low. I can't be impatient. I have to take it step by step."
After looking at Meng Shi, Han Fei had an idea.
Chenchen is Meng Shi’s most important relative. Now Chenchen is in danger. If he can rescue Chenchen, Meng Shi will become a companion he can completely trust.
Han Fei would never have thought of teaming up with an old lady in her seventies before, but in this situation, every bit of strength is extremely valuable.
Meng Shi just saved my life. From a moral point of view, helping the old lady is my way of repaying her kindness.
Another crucial point is that Han Fei is not going to enter the next room to look for Chenchen. What he wants to do is to lead the crying man to the haunted house on the fourth floor and solve the problem of crying once and for all.
To take a step back, even if the monster roommate didn't kill Ku, as long as it could delay Ku, he and the old lady would have time to enter the room on the third floor to look for Chenchen.
To take a step back, even if Chenchen was not found, Han Fei was able to risk his life to do these things, which was enough to gain the old man's trust.
As long as he can make the old man trust him 100%, he will have his first real friend in this terrifying underworld apartment!
After much deliberation, Han Fei finally made up his mind and decided to seize this rare opportunity.
Taking a deep breath, Han Fei said to the old lady with a fearless expression: "Grandma, I have a way that may be able to save Chenchen."
"What can we do?" the old man asked anxiously.
"I'll be the bait and lead the crying upstairs. You take this opportunity to go to the opposite side and check. If Chenchen is in that room, bring him out immediately."
"No! You are risking your life! Absolutely not!" The old man refused sternly.
"It's not a good idea for us to stay here all the time." Han Fei expressed his true thoughts: "How about this, we wait for three hours. If Ku is still guarding the door after three hours, then do as I say. I will lead him away and you go to the house to find Chenchen. If Ku leaves after three hours, then I will go upstairs and ask other neighbors for help."
"But whether you try to distract the crying or ask other neighbors for help, it is very dangerous. You may lose your life if you are not careful. Aren't you afraid?" The old lady was very worried about Han Fei.
"I'm scared. I'm very scared, but there's no better way now." Han Fei's face was firm, and he moved his cold fingers: "Perhaps the courage a person shows when he's scared is the real courage."
Seeing that Han Fei was willing to do this even though he was scared to death, the old man was really moved.
At the same time, the cold voice in Han Fei's mind suddenly sounded: "Player No. 0000, please pay attention! Meng Shi's friendliness level has increased by ten. Harmonious neighborhood relations are the first step to a perfect life."
"Player No. 0000, please note! The G-level hidden mission "Find Chenchen" has been triggered! Do you want to accept the mission?"
