My Iyashikei Game

“Are you looking for me?” Vegebun was startled. She didn’t expect Ye Xuan to be looking for her. Vegebun was dazed being so close to Ye Xuan. Ye Xuan was like an angel, and she was just a common person.

“Your song is so special. It’s like while you’re in hell, you don’t forget to enjoy the night sky. I can see a group of people chasing after the light. They struggle in the mud with their torches to bring light to the darkness.” Ye Xuan praised.

Vegebun was embarrassed. Seaglass Cat sang everything. She hadn’t even opened her mouth. However, Ye Xuan’s eyes were on her when she said those praises. “I think you have great potential. I anticipate meeting you in the final.” Ye Xuan extended her hand to Vegebun. She was very modest. “You should be from Xin Ly, right? Perhaps we can meet in real life.”

“Okay.” Vegebun was flustered. She was just the stand-in. She didn’t expect to grab Ye Xuan’s attention. Actually not just Ye Xuan but many people were staring at her. Their stares were strange. They were like her fans, but their eyes were filled with fear too.

“Then, we’ll meet in the final.” Ye Xuan held Vegebun’s hand. “Right. I’m curious. Why did you give yourself this name?”

“Oh. That’s because I’m a leo… I mean, I am a sunny person, and I want to live every day happily.” Vegebun stammered because this was her first time being stared at by so many people.

“Haha. You’re very interesting. We should communicate more often in the future.” Ye Xuan let go and left with her manager. After entering the passage, the expression under the angel mask changed drastically. The smile was gone. She turned on the communicator and said with confusion, “There aren’t that many coincidences. I am wearing the angel’s mask, and their group is called the Devil and the Cat. And we’re both in Hall Seven. Sunny Boy should be the person from Dolphin Bay yesterday night, but why is he trying to approach me?”

“No one is so stupid to expose their identity in the grey area. This should be a coincidence. The two Sunny Boys are not the same.” A male voice came. “What you need to do now is to rest.”

“Rest? The guard dogs at Xin Lu have targeted me. Plus, the people from the murderer’s nightclub want to kill me. I even feel like the mission they gave Sunny Boy is to kill me.” Ye Qian’s voice was distorted. It was like she was a completely different person.

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“Don’t worry. Sunny Boy has been killing all night at Dolphin Bay, and he left around dawn. But this Sunny Boy in the competition stayed in the singing practice room throughout the night. This proves that they are not the same person.” The man comforted her.

“I hope so….”

Outside Hall Seven, Seaglass Cat drew Vegebun into the dressing room.

“Cat, I think we have new fans already!” Vegebun thought back to the way their ‘fans’ looked at her, and she felt uncomfortable, “So this is what feels like to have fans. It’s quite new.”

“Even though I don’t know what’s happening, this doesn’t feel right.” Seaglass Cat signaled for Vegebun to sit. “You’re standing in for Han Fei. He’s being targeted by many crazy people in Xin Lu. We better be careful.” With an apology in her eyes, Seaglass Cat held Vegebun’s hand. “Sorry for dragging you into this. What you need to do now is to play this role nicely and not expose your identity to anyone else.”

“I understand. The most dangerous thing for people in our business is to have our identities exposed.” Vegebun was a very kind person. That was why she was a good friend of Seaglass Cat.

“Be careful.” Seaglass Cat poured a glass of drink for Vegebun. “There are two more rounds to the preliminary. Hopefully, everything is fine.” After they rested, Seaglass Cat and Vegebun left Heaven Opera House.

“Cat, I think we’re being followed,” Vegebun whispered. She turned back to look. The players with the tattoo of Death Flower were mixed in the crowd, and they were following the duo.

“Don’t look back and continue to head north.”

“North? But that’s a forest. Normally, people won’t go there.”

“Don’t worry. Just listen to me.” Seaglass Cat held Vegebun’s hand. They continued to move like they didn’t notice they had been followed. After they entered the forest, the people following them started to disappear. It felt like a man-eating monster was hiding in the forest. The tree shook, and Vegebun felt great pressure. She silently turned back. Behind a large tree, there was a doctor in a bloody coat. He was like a nightmare or a ghost. She broke out in cold sweat instantly. When Vegebun wanted to take a closer look, the blood doctor was gone.

“Don’t be scared. That’s my friend’s friend.” Seaglass Cat comforted Vegebun as she looked to the other side of the city.

…

At 5 pm, Han Fei, who was still napping, was woken up by Huang Yin’s call.

“Han Fei, I met a group of special players in Perfect Life. They all have the tattoo of a wilted flower on them. When Sunny Boy and Seaglass Cat took the stage, they appeared.”

“So soon?” Han Fei was shocked. “I thought they would only make their moves during the finals. I didn’t expect them to show up so soon.”

“Who are they?”

“A group of crazy people who are active in the gray zone. They admire death and murder. They are very good at torture and mind control.” Han Fei didn’t hide anything from Huang Yin. “I was wondering if they play Perfect Life. Since they have taken the hook, this should be simpler.” With Spirit-farer, Han Fei could do many things in the cryptic world that he couldn’t do in real life. He only needed their info and could try to draw the members of the three organizations into the cryptic world. Then, he would introduce them to things scarier than death.

“So that’s part of your plan.” Huang Yin hesitated, “I accidentally killed all of them today.”

“It’s okay. Those are just small prawns. The big fish hasn’t appeared yet.”

“You are sounding more and more like the final villain.”

“You killed all those people, and you call me the villain?” Han Fei was speechless, but in Perfect Life, Huang Yin was indeed the hero who saved all the players. After discussing some other things, Han Fei hung up. He looked out the window. “Is it going to rain again?”

Night fell, and Han Fei walked to the window to watch the rain slip down the window. “The rainy day in the intelligent city is very similar to the rainy drain in the black rain zone.”

The ascension ritual for Death Chat Group was that night. The members requested Han Fei to arrive at Shou Xi Mirror Factory before midnight. Han Fei departed early because he needed to come back to play the game. Han Fei waited until 8 pm, and the sky was fully dark before he left. Rain poured harder on Xin Lu. There were no people on the road. Han Fei rode the rental bike and rode all the way to Northern Countryside in his black raincoat. When no one was around, he put the clown mask on. “Shou Xi Mirror Factory was abandoned 30 years ago. According to legends, the factory owner’s whole family died in the factory in strange ways. Their bodies were attached to the mirrors.” Info about Shou Xi Mirror Factory appeared in his mind. The place was very haunted. Many people who used their mirrors faced problems. Even in the countryside, no one dared to go there. Rain slid down the mask. Han Fei zipped down the road like lightning. While everyone hurried home, he rushed towards the abandoned places.

“Strange. Why is the GPS acting up? Why is there no signal here?” When he was 1 km from the factory, Han Fei’s bike and phone started to have problems. “Tonight’s atmosphere is completely different from last night. Is it possible that the core members have personally come to give me the final test?”

Han Fei decided that he would be careful. He exited the zone and called Li Xue and Huang Yin. He told them some things and entered the area. Riding through the dangerous buildings, Han Fei felt even more unsettled. “Someone is watching me.”

Han Fei didn’t slow down as he rode to the mirror factory. The factory was quite large. Many of the equipment was still there. However, the devices used to make mirrors were now used to kill.

Thunder boomed. Han Fei parked the bike at the door. He pushed open the rusted iron door and entered the factory yard. The ground was uneven, and there were big holes everywhere. They were filled with murky water. The clown was standing alone in the rain.

The heavy chains fell to the ground. A man with a blue crab mask opened the door to the garage. Beside him was a dwarf in a tiger mask. The two stared right at Han Fei like Han Fei was a dead body. They didn’t say anything. Even through the distance, Han Fei could smell the blood on them. Blood had soaked into their pores. The rain slammed against the garage. The thunder overwhelmed the chugging of the machines. The meat grinders seemed to be prepared for Han Fei. “Is this a welcoming party?”

Han Fei entered the garage. The Crab loosened the chains, and the heavy garage door shut down again. The weak light lit up the room. Broken mirrors were placed inside the garage so that the victim could see the torture from all angles.

“Sunny Boy? I hate your name. It’s like a clown.” A hoarse voice came from behind one of the meat grinders. A young man in a bald eagle mask appeared in the garage. “There is only a 10 percent chance a high-class member can become a core member, so don’t think you’re that special. There have been many who have been here, but there are not many who are able to leave alive.”

“The person in charge of Death Chat Group is Crow. Isn’t he here?” Han Fei was not scared at all.

“If you succeed, then he’ll come.” The bald eagle looked at Han Fei coldly. Then, he tapped the working machine beside him. “If you fail, this will be your final home.”

“This is getting boring. Why can’t I skip all this talking like in the game?” Han Fei walked towards Bald Eagle. “Tell me. What is the ritual?” “We’ll see how long you can continue to be so arrogant.” Not only Bald Eagle but also Tiger and Crab looked at Han Fei like hungry beasts. Bald Eagle pulled on a lever and led Han Fei to a simple elevator. They entered the first-floor basement of the factory. Similar to the hotel at Si Shui Bay, this place was made into a stage. This should be a base for the murderer’s clubhouse too. They walked through the torture devices and stopped before a wall. Bald Eagle pulled back the black cloth to reveal the large mirror facing the stage.

“This mirror will decide whether you’ll ascend or not. It’ll show your death and the people you’ve killed. Your victims will appear behind you and climb onto your back.” Bald Eagle said in a fanatical voice as he caressed the mirror. “Sustain the weight, and you’ll succeed. Or else…”

Before he finished, he felt a sticky feeling on his fingers. He turned and realized the mirror was bleeding.