Chapter 3 Go to sleep!

Some folks play games to kill time, some play for the thrill of victory. Han Fei, on the other hand, plays games mostly to relieve stress. But now, he feels like the pressure has just gone up a notch.

Putting down the broom, Han Fei scanned the room. The dim yellow light above flickered, and that warm feeling seemed long gone.

He quietly moved to the fridge. The old lady had only opened the top part before; nobody knew what was in the bottom.

A whole person couldn't fit in the fridge, could they?

Taking a deep breath, Han Fei slowly opened the bottom part. He pulled out drawer after drawer, revealing black plastic bags bulging with something.

He'd seen a similar scene in horror movies, but seeing it in person was a whole different experience.

Fingers cautiously reached into the drawer. Han Fei was worried he might find a face or hair or something.

Throat swallowing, he used his nails to open a bag. Inside were just frozen fish and chicken.

No explicit scenes he imagined. Han Fei, while the old lady was still away, quickly closed the fridge.

"What are you doing?"

A frail, hoarse voice sounded from behind. A chill ran up Han Fei's spine.

How does this old lady move so silently?

Turning around, Han Fei casually picked up the broom on the floor. A professional actor, he quickly composed his expression. "I thought I'd help you clean up. Maybe it's because of the long power outage; there was a bit of a leak under the fridge. I suspect an issue with the refrigeration system."

The old lady's expression didn't change throughout, always kind and gentle. But her face, seen too much, gave an inexplicable sense of unease. As if this was the only expression she'd ever show.

"Granny, I've been living away from home for a long time. Today, I felt a bit of warmth in your place. I'm really grateful. We're neighbors now, so if you need anything, just let me know."

Regardless of whether there was a corpse in the old lady's fridge, Han Fei at least acted like a naive and straightforward fool.

The old lady had trouble walking. Han Fei earnestly cleaned the living room. "Take good rest. I won't disturb you."

After organizing the room, that mechanical synthesized voice appeared in his mind again. "Player 0000, please note! Your enthusiastic performance has left a good impression on Meng Shi. Meng Shi's friendliness +5. Harmonious neighborly relations are the first step to a perfect life."

As the mechanical voice sounded, the old lady had somehow appeared behind Han Fei. "I was going to tell you during dinner, but now you probably don't have the mood for it after what happened at my place. You're a good kid, and Granny also wants you as a neighbor. But you better heed my advice, don't be too greedy, move out as soon as possible. Something happened in the room you're living in."

"Something happened?"

"Don't ask too much. Just remember, when you go to sleep tonight, make sure to lock the bathroom door."

Seeming tired, the old lady didn't continue the conversation. She walked into the kitchen alone.

Not long after, strange sounds came from the kitchen, followed by a rich meaty aroma. Han Fei didn't dare linger and quickly left the old lady's home.

Once out of the door, his suspended heart finally dropped.

"This game seems a bit off."

Certainly, Han Fei didn't find a corpse in the old lady's fridge, but he recalled a detail.

When he first arrived at the old lady's place, the fuse had burned out.

If the fuse itself was of good quality, burning out usually indicated an overload.

But when he was cleaning just now, looking over the kitchen and living room, there were only a few appliances in the old lady's house - lights, TV, and a fridge.

Just these appliances shouldn't burn out the fuse. So there's probably another electrical device in the old lady's house.

"The child's bedroom is locked. Why did the old lady lock the child in the room? Did the child see something? Is there another fridge in the child's room?"

Thinking about this, Han Fei was stunned. He suddenly had a bad feeling. He shivered inexplicably, looking at the somewhat eerie hallway.

Behind each of those doors, it seemed like someone was watching him.

"Why does this hallway feel so heavy with negative energy?"

Han Fei quickly returned to his own door. He struggled with the bunch of keys for a long time before opening the security door.

Back in his own place, looking at the shabby and desolate living room, he breathed heavily. "Am I just being too nervous? It's like turning a healing game into a Resident Evil scenario."

Pouring a glass of water, Han Fei paced around his room continuously. The old lady's last words echoed in his mind like a curse.

"Something happened in the room; lock the bathroom door at night..."

Han Fei started scanning the surroundings again. The room was worn, covered in dust. Besides, there was something strange. Except for the bathroom, every window had thick, light-blocking curtains.

Coming to the window, he lifted a corner of the curtain.

Underneath was a window sealed with wooden boards. Peeking through the cracks, it revealed a pitch-black city outside.

This game world, shrouded in darkness, was enormous. The boundary was nowhere in sight.

"I thought this game was supposed to have warm scenes and soothing music?"

Han Fei pulled the curtain back down. He realized that the online reviews of this game were somewhat one-sided. Despite being a daytime game, it seemed to contain many gloomy elements.

"Am I playing it wrong?"

Sitting on the sofa, Han Fei closed his eyes. In his mind appeared a stats panel and a mission panel.

The mission system had activated after he helped the old lady with the fuse. The voice suggested that completing newbie missions would help him quickly understand this world.

Thinking about this, Han Fei opened the mission panel, looking at the three newbie missions. His expression became somewhat strange.

Newbie Mission 1: Take a shower.

Newbie Mission 2: Watch TV.

Newbie Mission 3: Sleep.

The newbie missions in this game were "simple" to an absurd degree, with no unnecessary explanations, just everyday activities.

"Should I start with sleeping? I'm pretty good at that."

Han Fei didn't randomly choose. He thought of the old lady's advice, particularly about locking the bathroom door when sleeping. This hint could be crucial to completing the mission.

Rather than a random choice, Han Fei felt sleeping was more secure.

"I choose Newbie Mission 3 - Sleep." As soon as Han Fei had this thought, the mission was selected, and the cold mechanical voice appeared again.

"Player 0000 has accepted G-rank newbie mission - Sleep!"

"Mission Introduction: After a busy day, you lie down on the bed in your bedroom with your tired body."

"Mission Requirements: Please turn off all lights in the room, lie down in the bedroom bed within five minutes, no matter what happens, do not leave the bed for three hours."

"Is it that simple?" Han Fei confirmed he didn't miss any mission information. Standing up, he entered thebedroom. The double bed, covered in dust, was messily made with a set of red bedding-pillows, blankets, and sheets.

"A bright red color, looks quite festive."

Han Fei furrowed his brows as he neatly arranged the bed. Then, at the entrance of the bathroom, when he was about to follow the old lady's advice and lock the door from the inside, he discovered a problem.

The bathroom door could only be locked from the inside. It was impossible to lock it from the outside.

After some thought, Han Fei wedged the broom diagonally into the door handle, blocking the bathroom door. Then, he moved the shoe cabinet to the bathroom door.

"That should do it, I guess?"

To be on the safe side, he went back to the kitchen and picked up the kitchen knife from the cutting board. "Is it weird to sleep with a kitchen knife in a healing game? Well, evil intentions should be guarded against, better safe than sorry."

As the five-minute preparation time was about to end, he turned off all the lights in the room and lay down on the bed, holding the kitchen knife.

The mechanical synthesized voice echoed again, "Player 0000 has accepted G-rank newbie mission - Sleep!"

"Mission Introduction: After a busy day, you lie down on the bed in your bedroom with your tired body."

"Mission Requirements: Please turn off all lights in the room, lie down in the bedroom bed within five minutes, no matter what happens, do not leave the bed for three hours."

"Is it really that simple?" Han Fei murmured. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the mission.

The room, enveloped in darkness, felt unusually quiet. Han Fei could hear his own breathing and the occasional creaks from the old building.

Minutes passed, and the eerie silence made him increasingly uneasy. He tried to focus on the mission, but his mind couldn't shake off the strange feeling.

Suddenly, the ambient sound changed. It was a soft, distant laughter. Han Fei's eyes snapped open, scanning the dark room.

"Is this part of the game, or is something really happening?"

The laughter grew louder, echoing through the room. Han Fei tightened his grip on the kitchen knife, ready for anything.

Then, a voice, almost a whisper, reached his ears. "Welcome to my world."

The room temperature seemed to drop, and Han Fei felt a chill running down his spine. He was paralyzed, unable to move.

The laughter intensified, surrounding him. Shadows danced on the walls, forming grotesque shapes. The room that was supposed to be comforting turned into a sinister stage.

"What kind of game is this?"

Han Fei's heart pounded, and his instincts screamed at him to get out of there. But he forced himself to stay on the bed, reminding himself that it was just a game.

The laughter reached a crescendo, and then, abruptly, it stopped. The room fell silent again.

Han Fei lay there, breathing heavily, waiting for something to happen. The three-hour requirement seemed like an eternity.

Just as he started to relax, the mechanical voice sounded again. "Congratulations! You have completed G-rank newbie mission - Sleep!"

Han Fei's body felt heavy, and he slowly sat up. The room returned to its dimly lit state, and the oppressive atmosphere lifted.

"Was that all part of the mission? What kind of game messes with your head like this?"

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. The unease lingered, but he had to continue playing to unravel the mysteries of this strange game.

The mission panel updated with new tasks:

Newbie Mission 4: Explore the surroundings.

Newbie Mission 5: Cook a meal.

Newbie Mission 6: Visit a neighbor.

Han Fei sighed. "Guess there's no turning back now."

With a deep breath, he got up from the bed, still holding the kitchen knife, and prepared to face the next challenges in this unsettling game.