Chapter 13 - 13 13 The Second Task Watching TV

13: Chapter 13 The Second Task: Watching TV 13: Chapter 13 The Second Task: Watching TV Han Fei’s brain reacted in a fraction of a second, he had no time to think, his body moved on its own. Both sides were racing against time, and Han Fei was the first to reach the fourth floor, where he started looking for the anti-theft door key with a big bunch of keys in hand. The footsteps behind him were getting closer, and what made him even more uneasy was that besides the footsteps, he also smelled a strong scent of blood! Indeed, that thick, foul smell was almost suffocating him. “Hurry up! Even faster!” An actor’s rigorous training in muscle and body control helped Han Fei a great deal; although he was frantic inside, his hands did not tremble. The moment he found the key, he inserted it into the lock in one go. With the sound of the latch springing, Han Fei pulled open the anti-theft door forcefully and charged in. He slammed the door shut behind him and covered his mouth. Separated by a door, he could clearly hear the breathing outside, akin to that of a beast. “What the hell is this thing?” Barely standing up straight, Han Fei peered outside through the peephole; the empty corridor revealed nothing. “The breathing has stopped, but the smell of blood is still there!” It was impossible for Han Fei to open the door now; he kept adjusting the angle until he finally saw a partial face hidden under the door through the peephole. The guy on the sixth floor had not left! He was hiding in the blind spot of the peephole, stationed right outside Han Fei’s door! If the old lady on the third floor gave Han Fei a sense of kindness laced with a trace of weirdness, then the person on the sixth floor gave Han Fei the impression of being utterly deranged, bloody, and cunning. “There’s a big problem with my neighbors!” Han Fei took a step back, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead: “With that guy guarding the door, there’s no way I can get out, and to quit the game I must complete a task, do I have to do the newbie task in this room?” Honestly, the seemingly simplest newbie task had already left a psychological shadow on Han Fei. “Let’s just wait it out for three hours.” Han Fei didn’t know how to describe his current situation, with a blood-scented murderer blocking his door and the Haunted House he lived in being haunted at night; neither wolves ahead nor tigers behind could adequately express his plight. “After playing for so long, I’m still level one; maybe things will get better after I level up.” The game was compulsory, and for now, Han Fei could only console himself that way. Staring at the clock on the wall, Han Fei dared not walk into the room; after turning on all the lights, he just stood beside the anti-theft door. The smell of blood in the corridor grew stronger, and occasionally strange noises would come through. The neighbor on the sixth floor had a lot of patience, but his way of “greeting” was a bit too much for Han Fei to handle. “When I completed the task of changing the fuse, the system had hinted at me—harmonious neighborly relations are the first step to a Perfect Life, which means this game expects me to build good relationships with neighbors.” “If I want to survive, I need to gain the friendship and help of my neighbors.” Smelling the pungent blood in the air, Han Fei grimaced, “This really is a Healing game, I’m introverted, socially anxious, and it just gives me the treatment that being friendless will lead to death.” Time slowly passed, and it had reached three in the morning. The three-hour time limit had expired, and now as long as he completed one more task, Han Fei could leave the game. The “hospitable” neighbor outside the door had not yet left, and Han Fei could not go out for the time being, so after much consideration, he decided to attempt the newbie task. “If that ghost comes chasing me again, I’ll just open the anti-theft door. If the neighbor on the sixth floor happens to be killed off by the ghost, I’ll figure out a way to take his keys, live in his place and carry on his life, not letting his sacrifice be in vain.” That was the ideal scenario, but more likely, as soon as Han Fei opened the door, he’d be directly offed by the neighbor. He opened the task panel, and after much hesitation, Han Fei finally selected the beginner task two—watching television. When he was doing the sleeping task, he had already discovered there was a ghost in the bathroom. Choosing the bathing task at this point would be like deliberately seeking intimate contact with a ghost, right? “Player No. 0000 has accepted the G-level beginner task—watching television!” “Task introduction: Since you’ve moved here, you can no longer remember how many times you’ve suffered from insomnia. Unable to sleep, you decide to watch television for a while.” “Task requirements: Please turn off all the lights in the house, turn on the television, and watch any channel for thirty minutes. Do not take your eyes off the television screen during those thirty minutes.” This beginner task seemed simple just from reading the introduction, but Han Fei knew that some things couldn’t be judged by their appearance. Unable to leave the room, Han Fei had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it. He turned off all the lights in the house and turned on the television at 3:05 in the morning. The old square box television emitted a crackling sound, which seemed to be due to poor signal reception; most channels had no image, just black and white static. The beginner task had unknowingly started, Han Fei with the remote control in his left hand and a kitchen knife in his right, sat erect on the sofa, eyes fixed straight on the television screen. “It’s okay, I just have to last for thirty minutes.” He kept changing channels, and when Han Fei turned to channel 44, there was finally an image on the television. The lighting was dim, and the images being broadcast were unclear, seeming to be a cartoon, but Han Fei had never seen an animation like it, because its style was just too eerie. “Underworld Mini Theater?” Han Fei leaned forward, trying to turn up the television volume, when suddenly he heard footsteps. The gradually clarifying sound wasn’t coming from the television, but was arising from within the bedroom. Someone was moving around in the house! The footsteps were getting closer to Han Fei, the person left the bedroom and headed straight toward him. “Is it that ghost?” “Might it be holding a knife?” Han Fei didn’t dare to move an inch, the footsteps finally vanished behind the sofa. Watching television at home at three in the morning, with the lights off, footsteps suddenly resounded, and that sound disappeared behind you. “Did it leave? Or is it still standing behind me?” His Adam’s apple quivered slightly, Han Fei resisted the urge to look back, his eyes glued to the television. The animation on the screen was silent, and the maimed little figure in it seemed to be dodging something. Barely pausing, it would be grabbed by a pair of invisible hands and dragged backward. Han Fei didn’t know what the animation was trying to convey, but when the little figure was caught for the third time, he felt a sudden weight on his left shoulder, as if something had landed on him. Without turning his head, he glanced at his left shoulder with his peripheral vision and caught a glimpse of a pale arm. His heart began to race uncontrollably, Han Fei bit his teeth hard, forcing himself to watch the television. Yet, when he moved his gaze, he saw an even more terrifying sight. Behind the stand where the square box television was placed, there appeared a pair of legs. There was more than one ghost in this haunted house, Han Fei’s body started to tremble, and he now wanted to run to the anti-theft door and invite the neighbor from the sixth floor to watch television together.