Chapter 124: The Midnight Ring |
After realizing that those monsters were real people, Guan Shan didn't feel any relief. Instead, he felt things had become even more terrifying.
Initially, he only had to face virtual monsters, which, although terrifying and disgusting, he could at least comfort himself by thinking, "It's just fake," and muster the courage to confront them.
It had taken him a long time to feel he was getting used to it, perhaps someday even being able to calmly play horror games.
But now, suddenly being told that these were all powerful Espers in reality.
And Guan Shan had thoroughly offended them, making it a life-and-death struggle.
This wasn't reassuring at all; it was a fear greater than the sum of its parts!
Guan Shan rubbed his temples, trying to ease his anxiety: "So, the two monsters on the bus were the vanguard sent by 'Death Hive.' After I killed them thinking they were just monsters, the second attack happened in the alley the next day."
"Then, during the mission breakthrough, I directly teleported to their stronghold, snatching their resources and killing those Worker Bees. And the NPC swordsman I met... was the girl Gao Ye I had joked was cosplaying!"
Guan Shan couldn't help but laugh and cry. No wonder Gao Ye acted so strangely when they met the second time. This explained it.
Guan Shan paused, looking at the information on the two "Drone Bees" in the document, feeling embarrassed: "So, Ali was once a person and still retains human consciousness?"
He had sent Ali to the cattery for breeding, constantly telling it to have more offspring and then get neutered.
"This sounds truly inhumane... This is completely devoid of humanity!"
Guan Shan couldn't help but collapse onto the desk, "I'm not such a perverted person! I really thought it was just a stray cat!"
But it was too late to say anything now.
These documented records clearly indicated what kind of person he was in the eyes of the Special Security Group.
And as long as the simulator existed, things would only get worse...
Guan Shan, resigned to his fate, continued flipping through the documents, feeling somewhat relieved: "Ha, at least the apartment instance wasn't 'Death Hive'—"
"Instead, it was 'The Church of Unity,' damn it!"
Now, he was being targeted by two criminal organizations at the same time...
The only consolation was that the recently ended hospital instance had nothing to do with these organizations. It was purely the actions of Xiang Wen and another Esper.
But Guan Shan had overheard Lin Wu and Wei Hong talking, knowing that the genes in Xiang Wen's possession came from an illegal source, hinting at an unverified chain of interests.
However, despite the worsening situation, Guan Shan now thoroughly understood what had happened in the seven instances.
He also had a rough idea of the structure of the Special Security Group and Espers.
"There are still some strange parts, like the woman and child in the apartment, who should be Han Ying and Qin Yaoyao."
"They weren't monsters, but they appeared in the simulator's perspective, and I obtained items from their 'relics.'"
"Generally, these special items should be monster drops."
Guan Shan pondered, thinking of a possibility: "After being sacrificed by Qin Deguang, they didn't actually die... At least their consciousness remained, merging with Qin Deguang in the apartment. But instead of becoming evil spirits, they tried to warn me."
"She was pointing upwards, indicating that room 704 was safe, and those items could help me."
Looking at the description of the [Innocent Child's Drawing] again.
—"With crude strokes, it depicts the innocent inner world of a child, but reality denied her such a world."
It referred to Qin Yaoyao, who died at the age of six at the hands of her father.
The child holding her mother's hand in the mirror, whose face was unclear, might not have understood what death was before leaving this world...
Guan Shan sighed, feeling immense pity for Han Ying and her daughter's death and deep hatred for the perpetrator of this tragedy.
"The Church of Unity... This thing is probably even more sinister than 'Death Hive.'"
'Death Hive' kills people; 'The Church of Unity' destroys souls!
And worse, even the Special Security Group knew little about it. The documents only had brief descriptions.
Because its headquarters were abroad...
All they knew was that they worshiped the 'Divine Master,' with members categorized as 'Unifiers,' 'Educators,' and 'Nirvana Seekers.'
The 'Educators' were responsible for recruiting members, likely the masterminds behind the Qin Deguang incident.
After reading these documents, Guan Shan couldn't sleep all night, feeling a bright red "Danger" sign hanging over his head.
"No, I can't sit and wait for death. I'm already targeted, and hiding won't help. These damned bees won't stop. It's better to join the Special Security Group's operations and gather some intelligence."
"This way... At least next time the simulator activates, I'll know some information, not having to guess the BOSS's skills."
He made up his mind to contact his exclusive customer service the next day to learn more about the Special Security Group.
Tossing and turning: "But they might target people I know. If it doesn't affect Xiao Shen in the simulator, would it be safer to always keep her with me?"
"But what if it's just an exception? The Special Security Group seems to have sent people to protect her, so maybe it's better to stay away... But I just confessed; would Xiao Shen be mad?"
As he struggled with his thoughts, he suddenly heard his phone ring.
His train of thought was interrupted. He got up to check the time, which was exactly 2 AM.
He twitched his mouth: "Who's calling me at this hour, cosplaying Sadako's midnight ring?"
Despite his words, Guan Shan still picked up the phone. What if it was something urgent?
However, the caller wasn't someone he expected.
"Dr. Lu?"
Guan Shan was stunned. It was the number of Lu Qiuqiu, which he had saved when he first entered the hospital.
Strange, weren't things settled? Xiang Wen was dead, and Lu Qiuqiu's task as a free informant for justice should be over. Why call now?
"Hello, Dr. Lu?"
Guan Shan answered the phone, joking: "Is there a post-discharge recovery consultation project?"
Lu Qiuqiu's voice, trembling with sobs, came through: "I'm really sorry... I had no other choice but to ask you... My dad..."
"My dad is missing."
"?"
Guan Shan was puzzled: "Your dad is missing, and you don't call the police? Why call me? Do you suspect I kidnapped your dad?"
Lu Qiuqiu choked up, quickly saying: "No, I... I wanted your help. I've already called the police, but they've been searching all day without finding him. The police can only treat it as a missing person case."
Guan Shan frowned: "You think it's not a normal disappearance?"
Lu Qiuqiu hummed in agreement: "There was another person who disappeared like this before... It was the detective who came to the hospital to investigate before you. In other words, your predecessor."