The old man in the Corpse Pit also saw Han Fei and Yinglong, and he truly couldn’t believe that in this world perpetually shrouded by darkness, he could still witness such a scene.
The bloodstained telephone wire withdrew from corpse after corpse, and the old man actively removed the Curse from all the guests.
All along, the dialogue with the guests had been with themselves, their own inner obsessions had become the Curse that bound them.
The sleepwalking guests slowly came to their senses, their expressions varied, some surprised, some with a look of panic, and among them, the man in the raincoat was the most peculiar.
He concealed a sharp knife under his raincoat, his gloomy eyes swept over Han Fei, and he silently moved towards the edge of the Corpse Pit.
When he was merely one or two meters away from Han Fei, he suddenly lunged at Han Fei with the knife!
The wrist was struck heavily, and strands of blood-red telephone wire wound around the raincoat man’s body.
"At first, my heart was filled only with longing for my family and my spouse. I forgot when this longing started to change, but I know the reason for its transformation was because it heard too much despair and malice," said the old man from the Corpse Pit as he threw the raincoat man in front of Han Fei: "I know each and every guest’s secret; it was I who turned their yearnings into reality."
"Old man, I would not say I’m a bad person, but I’m certainly not a pushover. I firmly believe that only fairness can bring about something beautiful, so if someone has done wrong, then they must face the appropriate punishment," Han Fei stood atop the pile of corpses: "Tell me every guest’s story, and together we’ll decide their fate."
Among the guests, some were merely troubled by obsessions, deceived and manipulated by the voices on the phone, while some were downright devils who had long since lost their humanity, like the raincoat man.
This guy killed his ex-wife in the basement and then refused to leave their child, born from her remarriage, alone.
After he went mad, he felt the urge to kill any child he saw, thinking they were the offspring of his ex-wife and another man.
It was he who had previously attacked and sent Yinghuo’s mother to the basement, and Yinglong had also inadvertently entered the hotel while trying to save his brother.
Some guests were influenced by the Curse brought by the telephone, but for others, their own malice was affecting the telephone, making this exceedingly rare cursed object even more sinister.
Having figured out every guest’s story, Han Fei no longer restrained Cry and Li Zai, allowing them to freely attack those guests with hands covered in blood.
Cry and Li Zai were not Han Fei’s subordinates; everyone was equal, especially Li Zai, who helped Han Fei only for a full meal.
Yinglong was seriously injured, yet he also joined in the feeding, which could help him recover quickly.
Inside the hotel, a storm of carnage erupted, a scene even more terrifying than before.
"In this Deep World, there are good thoughts and evil thoughts, and I don’t yet have the ability to sway evil thoughts, so for me, the way to change the world is to let good thoughts devour the evil ones."
Standing amidst the blood rain, Han Fei looked at the surviving guests and the old man on the ground: "I too am struggling to survive, and I could die at any moment for various reasons, but I can assure you, as long as I am alive, I will try hard to help you find your relatives and homes."
"Hiding in this place, comforting yourselves with false voices on the phone, that’s just self-deception, and it will never close the distance between you and your loved ones. Only by venturing out, only by constantly exploring into the distance, will you get closer to your family."
All malevolent guests inside the inn had been devoured, leaving only Big Head and his mother, along with that drunk man. These three guests hadn’t hurt anyone; they were merely affected by the Curse.
"You can go live across the street at Happiness Residential Community, it’s safe there. If you insist on staying here, I hope you will partner with the convenience store next door and help each other out in times of trouble, trusting one another," he said.
No one objected to what Han Fei said; the surviving guests looked at Han Fei with a mixture of respect and fear.
After consuming some Residual Souls and regrets, Yinglong’s physical condition improved significantly. However, it was saddening that he and Yinghuo’s mother had already been killed by the man in the raincoat.
During the time when his mother’s soul was scattering, Yinghuo had actually been holding the phone, communicating with the voice in his mind.
"Mother always kept Yinghuo away from the convenience store. When he appeared at the back door of the store, I should have realized that something had happened to her...," lamented Yinglong heavily. But in fact, there was nothing he could have done at that time. He was still under the Paperman Store Manager’s Curse, struggling to protect himself, let alone rescue others.
More and more emotion began to appear in Yinglong’s remaining One-eyed, a positive change.
After comforting Yinglong, Han Fei walked over to the elderly man, prepared to connect a phone line to Yimin Convenience Store.
As for connecting the phone to Happiness Residential Community, he wasn’t considering it just yet.
He needed to ensure the community was in an absolutely safe state; rashly connecting it to something from the outside world could introduce risks.
After dealing with the inn’s matters, Han Fei finally received the system’s notification.
"Player number 0000, please take note!"
"You have successfully completed the Level G ordinary task—Find the Missing Clerk! Earn the basic reward of one Skill Point, and Yinglong’s friendliness increased by twenty!"
"You have successfully completed the Level G hidden task—The Disappearing Brother! You helped Yinghuo find his brother and reunited them! Earn the basic reward of one Skill Point, and Yinglong and Yinghuo’s friendliness increased by twenty!"
"Completion of the hidden task exceeded one hundred percent, earning double Experience! An additional reward targeting Yinglong is awarded—Devoted Heart."
"Because you saved Yinglong multiple times, the Shop Clerk Yinglong’s obsession has changed, and from now on, he will never betray you!"
"You have successfully completed the Level G hidden task—Midnight Inn! Earn the basic reward of one Skill Point, the innkeeper Yan Zhong’s friendliness increased by ten, and you’ve earned a Level G Curse Item reward—A phone that hears the voices of the departed."
"A phone that hears the voices of the departed (Level G Curse Item): I know I’ll never see you again, but I still yearn to hear your voice."
"Player number 0000, please take note! You have successfully leveled up to Level Eight! Earn one Attribute Point!"
Completing three tasks at once, Han Fei smoothly advanced to Level Eight, and he allocated all three Skill Points he earned to Acting. His Acting was now at High-level Acting Level Six, not far from Master level.
A 25-year-old master in Acting is simply unimaginable in reality; Han Fei himself was full of anticipation.
"It will become very difficult to upgrade beyond Master level; besides needing Skill Points, it will require completing tasks and a certain Talent. However, for the time being, High-level Acting is sufficient."
"In the future, I might have to contend with the most cunning malice in the Deep World. Their Acting might not be inferior to mine, but that’s a matter for later."