Invasion of reality (11)
On the way back, Chen Li rested with his eyes half-closed. His body had been cleansed and refreshed by the black mist. The mist that had once enveloped the car had vanished, and no one knew what had just happened.
While waiting at a red light, a sudden commotion erupted outside. Half-asleep, Chen Li blinked in confusion and turned toward the source of the noise.
Through the gaps in the crowd, he could just make out a blood-covered man being carried into an ambulance on a stretcher.
Chen Li’s face paled: “What happened?”
Fu Moyang released a trace of ghostly energy, scanned the area, and replied: “There’s an apartment in that building that’s been vacant for years. Today, out of nowhere, a food delivery order came from there. The person they just carried out was the delivery guy.”
No one knows if it was a cruel prank, or if something was inside…
If it’s the latter, it means these vengeful ghosts are getting increasingly skilled at blending into human life.
Even without doing anything reckless, people could easily stumble into a trap.
The light turned green, and they drove forward with the flow of traffic. A heavy feeling settled in Chen Li’s chest.
Suddenly, Fu Moyang turned the steering wheel and took a detour.
Chen Li blinked in surprise: “Where are we going?”
Fu Moyang smirked: “To eat.”
He used Fu Yan’s VIP status at an upscale private kitchen, skipping the need for a reservation entirely.
Because of a contract made a thousand years ago, anyone who knew Fu Yan instinctively treated Fu Moyang as the head of the Fu family.
They ended up spending over two hours at the restaurant. As if already knowing something, Fu Moyang then dragged Chen Li to the mall for a walk.
It was a weekday, and thanks to recent supernatural incidents, the huge mall was nearly empty.
Still dazed, Chen Li was led around by Fu Moyang and ended up with a pile of new clothes. His waist was still sore, and Fu Moyang just swiped his card for everything—no need to even try them on.
Finally, Chen Li couldn’t take it anymore and insisted they go home, managing to stop Fu Moyang’s spree.
The moment they arrived at the front door, Chen Li suddenly understood why Fu Moyang had insisted on staying out a bit longer.
Gu Fu, who had parted ways with them just that morning, was leaning against Chen Li’s front door, smoking a cigarette. His head was lowered, expression hidden, and when he heard them approaching, he quickly stubbed it out in a fluster.
“Lizi…”
His voice held a faint bitterness.
Only a few hours had passed, yet his mental state had visibly deteriorated. The bloodshot veins in his eyes betrayed the intense inner turmoil he’d endured just to show up here.
But he’d come, nonetheless.
Chen Li quickly reached for his keys: “Come in and sit.”
“No need.”
Two voices rang out simultaneously.
Chen Li looked up in a daze at both of them.
Gu Fu smiled faintly: “I’ll leave right after I say this. I’ve got a lot to do.”
If he’d still had a shred of wishful thinking before, that vanished the moment he saw the two of them returning home, chatting and laughing together. He could no longer lie to himself. If he hadn’t already been thoroughly beaten down by Fu Moyang earlier, maybe he would’ve kept struggling.
But now, just seeing Fu Moyang made his wounds ache.
Looking at Fu Moyang again, Gu Fu’s expression stiffened. He forced the words out: “Tell me how to enter the core of the Horror Game.”
Fu Moyang tossed him a card casually: “Tomorrow at 6 PM, go to this address. Only fifty people can come.”
Gu Fu glanced down. The card read in bold characters: FuTech Tower.
Pocketing the card, his face grew even more grim: “Also, as a Supernatural Regulation Bureau squad leader, I formally request that you join us. I’ll assign you a special invite. Once this mission is completed, the case will be recorded under your name.”
From Fu Moyang’s attire alone, it was clear money wasn’t something he lacked. So Gu Fu had to negotiate another way.
Even though deep down, he knew—someone like Fu Moyang wouldn’t care about something as hollow as reputation.
“Alright.”
The indifferent reply caught him off guard.
Gu Fu stared, stunned that he had agreed so easily.
Then his gaze shifted to Chen Li—and in that moment, he understood why.
Gu Fu gave a bitter smile: “Then I’ll go.”
Time was short. He had reports to file and personnel to gather. Every minute counted.
Fu Moyang pressed the elevator button without ceremony: “No need to see you out.”
Chen Li opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, Fu Moyang grabbed him and dragged him inside.
Fu Moyang raised an eyebrow: “Not tired anymore?”
Chen Li read the danger in his eyes instantly. He trembled, kicked free, and bolted straight into the room, pulling the blanket over his head.
“Tired. Going to sleep!”
. . . . .
At exactly 6 PM the next day, they arrived at FuTech Tower as planned. Fu Yan had already cleared the place in advance.
Because the operation was confidential, the entire area was sealed off.
Gu Fu leaned against a car, smoking. Next to him stood a cold-faced domineering woman and a cute, sweet-looking girl.
Xiao Fang tilted her head: “Does that person really know how to get in?”
The domineering woman was the guild leader of the Hearts Guild. She flicked her red hair: “No idea. I’ve only met him once—and he’s dangerous.”
Gu Fu said nothing, silently smoking.
The cheerful persona he usually wore around Chen Li was gone. What remained was a shadowy, brooding presence.
The Hearts Guild Leader shrugged: “Looks like our second-ranked player isn’t in the best mood today.”
At Gu Fu’s feet were five or six crushed cigarette butts.
When Chen Li arrived, he saw this scene—and when he spotted Xiao Fang, his heart nearly skipped a beat.
Even though she looked a little different now, he immediately recognized her.
She was the same twin-tailed girl who had played the role of puppeteer in the circus instance.
It was originally her who gave him an invitation card to the Hearts Guild, which almost caused him to be exposed in front of Gu Fu.
He never expected to run into a familiar player here. His first reaction wasn’t happiness but to cover his face, afraid of being recognized.
System 001: [Don’t be afraid. Although after the Horror Game invaded reality, players who removed the restrictions can recognize each other in real life, this restriction still applies to you because you’re an NPC.]
Chen Li breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, the look Xiao Fang gave him was one of amazement, with no hint of familiarity or suspicion.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the two of them, especially Fu Moyang, who seemed like a natural spotlight—wherever he went, all eyes followed.
The Hearts Guild Leader approached: “Hello, Consultant Fu.”
Fu Moyang raised an eyebrow: “Hello.”
The Hearts Guild Leader’s voice wavered slightly: “I didn’t expect you to actually come. I thought someone as ruthless as you would—”
She suddenly caught sight of Chen Li’s curious face and swallowed the rest of her words.
A woman’s intuition is sharp.
If she dared to speak ill of a man in front of this young man, nothing good would come of it.
The Hearts Guild Leader changed her tone and smiled warmly at Chen Li: “And who might this adorable young one be?”
She thought Chen Li looked familiar, then after a closer look, recognition dawned.
“Oh, it’s you! I’ve seen you on the trending searches.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Chen Li shyly shrank back behind Fu Moyang: “I’m already an adult.”
“Uh-huh?” The Hearts Guild Leader chuckled, about to tease him more, but suddenly felt a hostile glare directed at her.
She wisely raised her hands and stopped talking.
Gu Fu stepped forward with a dark expression: “Why did you bring Lizi here?”
Chen Li blinked and answered quickly: “I want to go in with you all.”
Gu Fu clenched his fists, then loosened them, glaring angrily at Fu Moyang: “What do you mean by this? Is this how you take care of people?!”
Fu Moyang remained indifferent.
He had planned to go solo, only reluctantly agreeing to bring some humans along after Chen Li joined.
When it came to anything involving the lamb, he wanted everything to be perfect, without a single flaw.
The atmosphere instantly turned icy until a man in military uniform walked over, breaking the tension. His dark eyes carried authority: “Is this the special consultant you said could get us into the core?”
Gu Fu forced down his anger: “Yes.”
The man in uniform looked at Fu Moyang with surprise in his eyes.
What a lone wolf, licking the blade’s edge.
Xiao Li saluted, gave a brief introduction, then gestured to the well-trained soldiers behind him: “These are my men. Over there are the top-ranked players summoned by the special unit. Altogether, exactly fifty people.”
The two groups were clearly divided: one stood neatly in formation, fully equipped, like poised battle knives ready to strike; the other lounged casually, almost scattered, but their eyes were sharp and vigilant. Everyone here had survived several life-and-death battles and their blades already stained with blood.
Based on the average combat strength of ordinary people, everyone here was undoubtedly an excellent fighter.
But Fu Moyang just glanced over casually, indifferent: “Let’s go.”
Xiao Fang was taken aback: “Just leave like this? No further instructions?”
She had tossed and turned all night yesterday, unable to sleep, and had made up her mind to re-enter the game. Yet the leader seemed like they were… just going on a picnic??
She had to admit, this kind of attitude was oddly reassuring.
It even eased the deep-rooted fear she had of Horror Game.
Fu Moyang paused for a moment and reluctantly said: “The props you collected before entering the core are still usable. Don’t hesitate to use them all.”
With that, he grabbed Chen Li’s hand and strode forward.
Xiao Li waved his hand: “Keep up!”
He had never witnessed the horrors of the Horror Game but still dared not be careless.
The Hearts Guild Leader stuffed the allocated items into her waist and snorted: “If I can use props, that would be great. Compared to guns, I’d rather use the players’ methods to get a feel for this.”
They followed Fu Moyang down to the Basement Level 2 of the FuTech Tower. Two golden dragons, which had once rested on forbidden stone pillars, suddenly seemed to come alive. Their ruby eyes shone down on the few dozen people below. Opening their mouths, they let out ethereal sounds—a long dragon’s roar that echoed across the sky, as if sending off the brave warriors on their journey.
Or perhaps as a thunderous warning to anyone who dared enter the unknown.
Everyone’s faces showed shock, yet no one hesitated.
Standing next to Chen Li, System 001 explained: [The Horror Game fears Father, so it set up traps in this Forbidden Area to force him to require external stimuli to awaken from his slumber. At the same time, it made a critical mistake—it left behind a heavy trace here.]
After all, it wasn’t very smart, leaving its weakness in the most dangerous place.
Thanks to that trace, Fu Moyang was able to tear open the space between dimensions and enter the game directly.
All other instances had been cleared. Now, only the final instance remained—the Core.