Chapter 15 Seven Grades

Upon a careful look, Zhao Xi's black and white obituary photo was different from all the obituary photos Gao Ming had previously obtained. The photo was full of wrinkles and cracks, and all traces converged on the chains on the arms of Gao Ming and Zhao Xi.

"Those black chains seem to be moving..."

The Zhao Xi in the obituary photo was a bit blurry, and it seemed like he was transferring something to Gao Ming via the chains.

"The words behind the black and white obituary photo seem to be hinting at me, to obtain Zhao Xi's abilities, I need to let more people know about his past, to let him completely let go of his tenacity."

"But then again, what are Zhao Xi's abilities? Surviving a fall from a building?"

"There is also a big difference between the obituary photos, it looks like I still have a lot to explore and experiment with."

Gao Ming packed up the two obituary photos; he planned to bring all the obituary photos with him the next time he entered the game, to try each one, and also to let the family members get to know each other.

"I wonder if Qi Yan is still alive? I should remind Zhao Xi and Teacher Yao that there might be a cruel and dangerous Rainy Night Killer hidden in the apartment building."

The corridor lights came on, and Gao Ming returned to the fifth floor; as soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Xuan Wen execute a back throw, taking down the Disfigured Investigator to the ground.

"Doesn't your investigation bureau teach hand-to-hand combat?"

The investigator on the ground initially thought Gao Ming would come over to stop the altercation, but Gao Ming's comment made his cries for help get stuck in his throat, "We... we never lay a hand on ordinary people!"

"Very principled." Gao Ming entered the room, double locked the security door, closed the windows, and drew the curtains: "Now no one can hear us talking, should we have an honest conversation?"

Xuan Wen gave Gao Ming a look and changed into an angry expression; she held the investigator's arm and demanded, "Why did you suddenly appear in my house?"

"It's going to break! It's going to break! Let go first, and I'll explain to you bit by bit!" the Investigator struggled to get up from the ground: "Both of you are direct witnesses to an Abnormal Event, there's no point in hiding it."

He rubbed his wrist and shared the information about the Abnormal Event with them.

"I find it strange, you say Abnormal Events have been happening in Xinhu for over half a year, why can't anyone find any information about them?" Xuan Wen's voice was particularly pleasant; if it hadn't been for the recent scuffle, the Investigator might have thought she was a gentle girl.

"Even for investigators who are aware of various survival rules, the odds of surviving an Abnormal Event are only thirty-four percent, and the survival rate for ordinary people is less than one in ten. Moreover, the very few ordinary people who do survive tend to suffer from serious psychological issues and physical disabilities. They are sent to the Investigation Bureau for free treatment." The Investigator looked at Gao Ming, "That's why I think he's impressive, and I want him to join the Investigation Bureau."

"If I don't join, will I also be taken away for 'treatment'?" Gao Ming asked with "curiosity," staring at the Investigator.

"No," the Investigator said with a serious tone, "Hiding it won't work, the Abnormal Event will break out on a large scale sooner or later. What we can do now is to prepare as much as possible for the disaster while trying to delay its occurrence."

"Can anyone join?" Xuan Wen seemed to have another idea.

"Your friend here is very smart, and one of the bravest people I've ever met. If he joins the Investigation Bureau, he could save many more citizens, but indeed, he will also face various dangers." The Investigator touched his somewhat terrifying face, "I ended up like this because of a certain Abnormal Event. And I'm considered lucky, of all the investigators who went in with me, I was the only one who survived."

"I'll give it serious consideration." Gao Ming was also unsure when the disaster would fully unfold, so joining the Investigation Bureau seemed like a good choice.

"We face dangers on the front line, but correspondingly, when danger arrives, our rights are also very significant." The Investigator subtly hinted to Gao Ming, then he changed the subject, "In the future, you might encounter Abnormal Events again. Consider this survival rulebook, which we haven't perfected yet, my gift to you."

Scrolling through the Black Ring, the Investigator had Gao Ming take out his phone; after exchanging contact details with Gao Ming, he sent him a document.

"Abnormal Events are classified into seven levels according to their severity, danger, and destructiveness." The Investigator had high hopes for Gao Ming and earnestly decoded the data for him:

"Level 0: It's confirmed that an Abnormal Event has occurred, but it does not possess any of the dangerous characteristics or behaviors present in levels 1 through 6."

"Level 1: The event exhibits abnormal phenomena, but this anomaly will not interfere with people in reality, will not make contact with them, nor will it affect the normal life of individuals within the affected area."

"Level 2: The abnormal phenomenon clearly affects people, behavior within the affected area becomes abnormal, with situations including but not limited to mental disorder, perception confusion, cognition blurriness, etc. The abnormal behaviors are confined to the area where the anomaly occurred, and the people who come into contact with the anomaly remain sane. They can be brought back to normal with intervention from others after losing control of their actions."

"Level 3: A specific 'ghost' appears in the Abnormal Event, and the behavior of those who come into contact with the anomaly spirals out of control, with instances of self-harm, suicide, or attacks on others arising. Their self-awareness is completely assimilated by the anomaly, and even close family members cannot put an end to their conduct."

"Level 4: Signs of spread begin manifesting in the Abnormal Event; as fear spreads, the affected area keeps expanding. At this stage, the 'ghost' at the core of the Abnormal Event starts to grow rapidly, feeding on murder, bloodshed, and fear. All negative emotions are devoured by it and all unease becomes its nourishment."

"Level 5: The impact of the Abnormal Event extends to a large area, the 'ghost' within the event has 'matured,' and is extremely difficult to kill. They have firmly taken root in people's minds."

"Level 6: The Abnormal Event becomes utterly uncontrollable; there is no known solution to such events. They themselves represent fear, and all investigators must at all costs prevent level 6 Abnormal Events from occurring!"

"What we just experienced was a level 3 Abnormal Event, because a specific 'ghost' appeared. To tell you the truth, if it wasn't for you, I would've been a goner." The investigator seemed to suddenly remember something, "Right, what about that elder who was with us?"

"He disappeared after going down to the first floor." Gao Ming did not reveal the existence of the photograph.

"Not good!" The investigator's face changed color and he ran towards the door, "That old man has been trapped in the Abnormal Event!"

Following the investigator, Gao Ming arrived at Room 2707. Teacher Yao had stopped breathing, and his daughter had dialed for an ambulance early, but it was already too late.

The contrast between Teacher Yao's emaciated, withered body and the various awards and banners on the wall was striking. Until his death, he still had a photograph of his youthful, brave deed by his pillow.

"Perhaps the old man had his own reasons."

The elderly man was no more, but there was no chilling sensation in the room, as if he was finally able to sleep soundly.

After the ambulance had taken Teacher Yao away, Gao Ming and Xuan Wen returned to Room 2507, now it was time that belonged to just the two of them.

"You cleared the ghost story game in my room with that uncle?" Xuan Wen tilted her head as she looked at Gao Ming, her face still bearing a gentle smile.

"Don't put it that way, I wanted to take you with me, but you didn't show up." Gao Ming took out Zhao Xi's photograph, "The blank photograph you gave me disappeared, the 'ticket' seems to be usable only once."

"It's strange, I was repelled from the outside." Xuan Wen slowly moved closer, "The ghost story game is highly dangerous, I'm a bit curious as to how you cleared it."

"According to the danger levels provided by the Bureau of Investigation, the prematurely triggered ghost story game is probably only level three dangerous. However, the game's ghost itself has the potential to grow into a ghost story," Gao Ming did not plan to give Zhao Xi's photograph to Xuan Wen, but he also couldn't let Xuan Wen only make sacrifices without offering her anything in return, "Take a close look at this black and white photograph, I've discovered another way that can make you more real, more powerful."

"The chains and blood vessels on the photograph are pulsing? What's that?" Xuan Wen noticed the unique aspect of Zhao Xi's photograph.

"The chains can be understood as the bonds between family members. I can gain his abilities, but I also need to make more people aware of his pain..." Gao Ming flipped the photograph over, "I'm contemplating a possibility, whether letting more people know Zhao Xi's story, resulting in an emotional change for him, would bestow something upon the deceased Zhao Xi. It doesn't have to be sending live players to a point where both worlds overlap to experience life and death; perhaps we can turn Zhao Xi's experience into a game. This game would effectively serve as Zhao's gravestone, with the emotions each player experiences during the game potentially influencing Zhao."

"That makes sense, but there's something I need to remind you of. Your game became reality because something happened to you in that tunnel, not because you have a specific ability. If you want to make the game you're creating now also become reality, you'll likely have to visit that tunnel again, to clarify everything."

"I've never thought about letting my own game continue to become reality, I just want to use this method to get more people to know Zhao Xi's story," Gao Ming naturally put away Zhao Xi's black and white photo, "If Zhao Xi really changes, it's like adding a safer backup plan to your life."

"What, you want to devour me?" Xuan Wen crossed her arms behind her back as if she was bound.

"There you go again," said Gao Ming as he picked up his backpack and headed outside, "Do I look like that kind of person to you?"