490 The Gallery
Auntie Lee’s words grabbed everyone’s attention immediately. Han Fei was shocked too. “Auntie, you mean you’ve been here in real life?”
“Yes, I felt this place look familiar when I first arrived. I confirmed that I’ve been here after seeing these paintings.” Auntie Lee referred to the paintings on the 7th floor. All the paintings on this floor had to do with human anatomy, paintings like severed limbs, and so on. “My husband was a famous doctor at Xin Lu, he had brought me here to stay before. At the time, I was shocked by these paintings but he thought they were beautiful. He wanted to find the manager and offered a high price to purchase them.”
“Then, did the hotel sell them to you?”
“No, the paintings were the hotel owner’s artwork and they were not for sale.” Auntie Lee shared the story from when she was young. “I can’t remember the details, this happened 30 years ago. At the time, my husband was still alive. He loved me but ever since we came to this hospital. He had more out-of-town duties and became stranger in person.”
“Could… he have an affair?” Ironman’s EQ was as low as his muscle was large. Auntie Lee glared at him immediately. “My husband loved me, it was the luckiest thing in my life to have met him. Until now I can’t forget him, unfortunately, I won’t be able to see him again.” Auntie Lee was sad. It was obvious that she still hadn’t walked out of the grief. It was to make her happy that her son spent a lot of money to buy her the gaming hub. This was a happy family. The couples loved each other and the child was filial. But something went wrong along the way.
“Auntie, do you mind continuing?” Han Fei signaled everyone to quiet down. He originally just wanted to send these people back to the surface world to earn some afterlife karma but he felt like he was onto something.
“My husband worked for Immortal Pharma. 30 years ago, Immortal Pharma wanted to build a high-class nursing home in Xin Lu countryside. The place would serve the rich and famous. My husband was one of the first batches of doctors sent there. The whole thing was strange. The nursing home was not that far from Xin Lu but it forbade its employees from leaving the premises. I couldn’t even go to see him. We could only meet at the hotel close to the nursing home.” Auntie Lee pointed to the wall. “I saw this painting at that hotel and it was since then that my husband’s taste became very strange.”
Auntie Lee adjusted her emotions. “After we left the hotel, my husband was moved from his original post because he met me in private. He needed to leave home more often. Sometimes he didn’t come home for 2 weeks. When he was at Xin Lu, he would go and attend some strange gatherings. Then it became stranger. He sent our young son to a relative’s home and severed all connection with his son. I asked him why and he said because someone wanted to kill our son. I could sense the pressure he was under so I tried my best to look after him. But not too long after that, he wanted to divorce me. The reason was crazy, it was because he was afraid that I’d die because of him.
“Naturally I refused. My husband gave up on that idea but he started to self-mutilate. I asked him about it and he said it was the only way he could pay penance. I had no idea how I survived those days. They were filled with pain, everything was grey. My husband would hug his head and cry like a child. He would kneel and plead for mercy inside an empty room. My heart pained seeing this but I didn’t know how to help him.
“About 1 month after that, he suddenly returned to normal. He personally cooked a delicious meal for me. We talked about our history together. At night, he put on his suit. It was very formal, it felt like he was preparing for his own funeral. Before we slept, he told me something. He said I shouldn’t buy any white shoes for our child and if there were white shoes suddenly appearing at home, we should move immediately. Until now I have no idea what he meant but I did follow his orders.” Auntie Lee pointed at her black shoes. “But when I woke up the next morning, my husband was gone. Our bedroom was filled with children’s shoeprints.”
“Children’s shoeprints?”
“Yes, they were about the size of my palm. They covered the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the bed, everywhere. It felt like a group of kids had infiltrated into our home to steal my husband away.” Auntie Lee looked at the other players. “I know what you think but this is not a story. It’s real. I don’t know where the shoeprints came from but they are real.”
“Sister Lee, I believe you.” Han Fei stood beside Auntie Lee, he memorized the woman’s face. “You should still love him, right? Do you still miss him?” Han Fei now understood why the woman was in the cryptic world. Her mourn talent was triggered. She might be able to see her husband but her husband would be a different person already.
“Of course I wouldn’t forget him! I always felt like he wasn’t sick but he was trying everything he could to protect me and my son. So I have to find him no matter what.” Auntie Lee smiled helplessly. “I’ve spent years looking for him but there’s nothing. Now our son is old and has left home. Sometimes when I am alone, I would talk to my husband’s picture.”
Han Fei comforted the woman and turned to remove the painting from the hall. The painting loved by the auntie’s husband was very strange. It used an abstract style to distort a person into 7 pieces and each piece was added with beautiful details.
“Sister, do you remember if your husband has said anything when he saw this painting?”
“I can’t remember now. He just kept on praising the broken human body parts. He said it was beautiful and the human body is an art.” Auntie Lee thought about it. “Right, when my husband said he wanted to purchase this painting, a server led him to the 11th floor. The boss was there.”
“10th and 11th are the galleries. I believe the artwork there is not for normal eyes.” Han Fei asked. “Sister, after your husband disappeared, did you come to this hotel to find him?”
“I did come a few times but this hotel was very unique. It only served the customer from Immortal Pharma plastic surgery hospital. For outsiders, one had to make a booking and even so, we could only stay in rooms below the 7th floor.” Auntie Lee was confused, “But why would the hotel appear inside the game?”
“The game is made by Immortal Pharma and Deep Space Tech so it’s normal for buildings related to them to appear here.” In real life, the art hotel only served the private plastic surgery hospital. In the cryptic world, the art hotel was within the plastic surgery hospital’s zone, the connection between them was deep. Han Fei had a new plan, he was going to take over this hotel. ‘There are 3 Pure Hatreds at the hospital. The white shoe appeared the most often, let’s start with him.’
This hospital built by Immortal Pharma was very special to Han Fei. Based on his investigation, he had visited this hospital when he was young, perhaps he had even received treatment there too. Immortal Pharma’s CEO’s brother found him and the scene from his childhood orphanage was rebuilt inside the hospital… These seemingly unrelated clues were slowly being weaved together. Han Fei felt like he was slowly uncovering the truth.
‘Happiness Neighborhood is the starting home, the plastic surgery hospital is when the personality starts to change as the child moves away from home. After the personality is formed, the child will be sent into the Lost Theme Park to play.’ The map appeared in Han Fei’s mind. He believed Fu Sheng had explored the world according to this order too. ‘How many things have that old man been hiding from me? His memory fragment can be found at the plastic surgery hospital too. This time I have to catch him and ask him everything.’
Even though Fu Sheng was Han Fei’s guide, Han Fei had problems with his teaching method.
Ironman coughed twice. He held his stomach. “Guys, what should we do now?” His stomach was touched by a ghost. Yin energy poisoned his body and his Life Points were dropping. On Ironman, Han Fei saw the fragility of the human body, he started to understand why Fu Sheng chose to become an Unmentionable. Han Fei dragged an anaconda out of the shadow from underneath Xu Qin. Han Fei placed the thing on Ironman’s stomach and soon all the Yin energy was sucked away.
“How did you do that? Is that a special skill from the hidden map?” Ironman touched his stomach.
“That was my family member’s pet.” Han Fei was thinking about something else. He took the painting and walked down the 7th floor corridor.
“A pet? How did you raise such a pet? Is there a secret?” Ironman’s eyes glowed as he followed behind Han Fei.
“Not much secret, you just have to be tough.”
“Boss, then what is your pet?”
“A kitten.” Han Fei didn’t pay much attention to Ironman, he collected all the paintings on the 7th floor and placed them before Yan Tang. “What can you see from these paintings?”
“Death, desire, and a twisted beauty.” Yan Tang studied them and then moved the paintings. “There are 7 paintings on the 7th floor and each painting looks isolated from the rest but they can be pieced together to form a whole picture. I feel like they are telling the same story.
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“The people in the 4th floor paintings have painful expressions, only the killer was smiling but look at these paintings.
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“All the dismembered people look like they are in penance. I feel like they volunteered to be killed.” Yan Tang placed the picture favored by the auntie’s husband together with another painting. “Look at these two. The first is the one liked by Auntie’s husband. In the second painting, the man was lying down. However, he was not lying on a bed but a white coat, so he might be a doctor. Then look at his clothes, it’s a western suit. This fits Auntie Lee’s description. Her husband was a doctor and he was last seen wearing a suit. So my analysis is that this dismembered man in the second painting is Auntie Lee’s husband.”
Auntie Lee shook her head, refusing to agree with Yan Tang.
“After placing all the paintings together, you’ll find another similarity. All the dismembered people are doctors. Everything in the paintings is related to hospitals like scalpels, white coats, and bandages. I can’t figure out why. All the doctors are in penance. Could the killer be their former patient?” Once Yan Yang said that there was a strange sound coming from behind the safety door. It sounded like a blood capillary bursting. They hurried over to look. The door was normal but there was a new pattern on it. It looked like a face. Han Fei stabbed the face using Rest in Peace. There was no response.
“Xiao Yan, you mean my husband has caused someone’s death? He was paying penance for that?” Auntie Lee hadn’t played a VR game before. She was impressed by the realistic nature of the game.
“Based on your description, I believe your husband’s patient was a kid who liked to wear white shoes. His husband’s death was probably related to the child and he might be related to the child’s death.” Yan Tang looked at the 7 paintings on the ground. “What I say next might be uncomfortable but I believe they are the truth.”
“Go on, I wish to hear your thoughts.”
“I am used to seeing things from the worst angle and reality proves that I am always right.” Yan Tang continued to analyze and Han Fei didn’t stop him. “Perhaps your husband did love you but from a moment on, he had changed. It’s not that he didn’t love you anymore but something inside his heart had been replaced. He was a normal person but from his reaction at the hotel when he saw these paintings, something had changed.
“When a normal person saw a dismembered body, their first reaction wouldn’t be admiration. The first reaction should be a sense of danger because their kin had been brutally murdered. But your husband’s reaction was the total opposite. He was excited and happy. This was how a predator would react after it had gotten the prey. So your husband had become a predator and the other humans were his prey.” Yan Tang looked at Auntie Lee, “I don’t deny that he still loved you but that didn’t mean he won’t hurt other humans, those two feelings aren’t mutually exclusive.”
Auntie Lee was not expecting this. She looked at the other players, hoping someone would counter Yan Tang.
“You said he had met with the hotel boss in private and visited the boss’ gallery. Now you know how many people have died at this hotel. What do you think the gallery would be about?” Yan Tang continued, “You said he joined some special meetings, what do you think those meetings were like?” Seeing the pressure on the woman’s face, Yan Tang didn’t continue, “Of course, this was just my speculation. Don’t mind it.”
The auntie had tears in her eyes. She played the game to relax but this was pulling up all of her bad memories.
“We’ll go upstairs to take a look ourselves.” Han Fei walked to the woman. He could use Resurrection once per night. “If I say you have a chance to meet your husband in this world, you…”
“Really?” Auntie Lee interrupted Han Fei. Her eyes were red and her body shook but it was hard to tell if it was due to excitement or fear or something else.
“If you survive, you’ll meet him. I’ll do my best to help you reunite with him. But when that happens, I need you to do something for me.” Han Fei’s voice was alluring. He was like the devil with the apple in the paintings.
“No problem!” The husband was the thorn in Auntie Lee’s heart. Her pain throughout the years had to do with her husband. Han Fei knew that Auntie Lee would agree. When he used Soul-depth Touch to shake these players’ hands, Han Fei realized that living players who accidentally wandered into the cryptic world had shadows in their hearts.
Auntie Lee’s shadow was related to her missing husband; Huang Yin’s shadow was because of his mother; Seaglass Cat had problems with her eyes. Her soul was like a cracked cat, perhaps it was because she was bullied a lot when she was a child. As Han Fei met more players, he started to grasp the theorem behind this. Other than the players who voluntarily seek death, the other players had to satisfy a few conditions and they might be pulled into the cryptic world.
Their luck must be low; their talents must be related to the supernatural; their heart had shadows and they once thought about dying.
‘The cryptic world might serve a purpose. Certain people have found themselves here for a reason.’ Han Fei led the players to the 10th Floor. Since they were caught in an endless loop, there was no need to hurry. If this loop was made by a Large Lingering Spirit, the only way out was to have Xu Qin force her way through it. But unless necessary, Han Fei wouldn’t take that risk.
There was still one more hour until the end of his mission. Han Fei’s arrived at the 10th floor, they all wanted to see the gallery. As the safety door opened, the chill rushed in. The scene before them had nothing to do with art… at least that was what Han Fei thought.
The layer between the 10th and 11th floors was removed so the two floors were connected. The 6 meters tall lobby was filled with refrigerators and freezers. They were placed in a disorderly fashion. Freezer mist oozed out of them. They seemed to be operating normally.
“The hotel boss is a killer so these things are probably used to keep the…” Ironman used his hand to close Yan Tang’s mouth. The players stood there and all turned to Han Fei.
“This art gallery is different from what I imagined. I expected more paintings.” Seaglass Cat held Auntie Lee. They were at the back of the group.
“Stay close to me and be careful.” Han Fei’s eyes scanned the lobby. He touched his ring. The chill was strongest at this place. The lobby was dominated by fridges and they created a maze. A dead smell lingered in the air.
A wire above them suddenly snapped. The spark lit up the darkness temporarily. Han Fei saw one of the fridges open. There was a pale green face inside. Taking out Rest in Peace, Han Fei stood beside Xu Qin. “Sis, don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
The gallery was larger than they expected. Han Fei’s group didn’t go far when the footsteps became more flurried, it sounded like something else had mixed into their group. After turning a corner, Han Fei turned back to look. Ironman and Yan Tang were now at the back of the group. Behind them was the darkness. “The two of you need to move faster.” Han Fei waved at them. Han Fei felt like something was different about Ironman’s back but he couldn’t tell what.
Ironman opened all the fridges they came across but most of them were empty. Ironman was losing his patience. He heard Han Fei urge him so he turned to run forward. At that moment, Han Fei saw two more legs appear behind Ironman. The gait was similar to Ironman’s. Han Fei used his eyes to signal for Seaglass Cat and Auntie Lee to go first while he stayed to block Ironman.
“Brother, I need you to follow my orders.” Han Fei took out Rest in Peace.
“What do you need from me?” Ironman was passionate. He knew now was the time for him to contribute.
“When I count to 1, I need you to bend down as fast as you can.” The knife chased away the chill. Han Fei grabbed Rest in Peace and pierced at Ironman. Seeing the knife fly at him, Ironman quickly squatted down. Behind him came the sound of ice being melted by a hot brand.
“Didn’t you say you’d count to 1?!” Ironman hugged his head. He was scared. He collapsed to the ground and realized he was sitting in a pool of black blood. He turned back to look and a frozen head fell to the ground.
“It’s fine now.” Han Fei pulled back Rest in Peace and started to study the dead body.
“He didn’t tell you the truth lest you got scared.” Yan Tang helped Ironman up. “Don’t you feel warmed?”