Names appeared on the empty plaques. Brother Chong had to write it many times before Gao Ming’s name would stay. “I left your name on the plaque in the Fu Family Ancestral Hall. Your lives are now connected. It will protect you and will yearn for your future.” After he left the room, Brother Chong became chattier. “Do you believe in fate?”
“You will in the future.” Brother Chong and Gao Ming entered the passage behind the ancestral hall. Among the heap of abandoned devices, they found two useable nutrient chambers. They looked similar to the ones at Immortal Pharma, but they were older and less presentable.
“Lay in there. Relax. If we wanted to kill you, you would have died already.” Brother Chong personally connected the wires for Gao Ming. Then, he crawled into the nutrient chamber. As the lights came on, Gao Ming felt his soul being torn apart. His body fell into a whirlpool. As he closed his eyes, he heard an intermittent voice, “Welcome to Perfect Life.”
The smell of paint assaulted him. A hand fell on Gao Ming’s shoulder. He turned around and realised he was no longer in Fu Family Village. He was inside a strange and complicated building. The black mist blocked out the sky and earth. There was no greenery. Everything was touched by death. There was one dominating emotion, and that was despair.
“How is this place connected to perfect?” Gao Ming looked around carefully. This place felt just like the brain realm test of Immortal Pharma. However, the building was more stable and larger than the snow manor.
“This used to be a wonderful place. Xin Lu was filled with hope. The people raised the fire of their souls to the sky. They almost chased away the mist and lit up the night.” Brother Chong stood beside Gao Ming. He looked sad as he looked out the window, “We once raised a humanmade sun up there. Even the Unmentionable Gods had to avoid it.”
“Unmentionable…” The word moved something in his mind. The shackles loosened again, “Whose nightmare is this? I’ve participated in the brain realm game of Immortal Pharma. They are also developing a collective brain space.”
“The brain realm game is a scam. A long time ago, I also thought this was a game, but this is merely the other side of reality,” Brother Chong was getting old. He even started to learn to control his self-harming tendencies. He only needed to do that when he was under a lot of pressure.
“I can’t remember. A mysterious force is making us forget these things.” Brother Chong walked to the window, “I can only remember the culprit, which is Immortal Pharma. They were exploring the human body and brain when they opened the door inside the nightmare and released the thing hidden in the other world. Xin Lu had to pay a huge price to kill that thing.” He leaned on the window, “The sacrificed people are buried in the past. Immortal Pharma swept in to steal the credit. All the witnesses were forced to undergo brain surgery. The resistance was taken down. Perfect World is now in shambles and split into different parts. We are currently in one of them. You can call this place the Death Building. It is preserved by that legendary existence.”
Brother Chong’s eyes shone with admiration, “You came to Molten Fire to look for Huang Yin, right?”
“Yes.” Gao Ming didn’t deny it. He found crucial clues from Wang Pingan. Other than Wang Pingan’s forgotten brother, Huang Yin should be the person who was closest to the truth.
“There are many who resist Immortal Pharma, but Huang Yin is our hope. He represents truth, strong determination and our hope.” Gao Ming could sense how special Huang Yin was through Brother Chong.
“However, his condition is not good. You only dare to mention his name.” Gao Ming observed everything, “Do you know how to find me? Perhaps I can bring him some clues.”
Brother Chong shook his head, “No one knows where he is. He can’t find him, but he might find you.”
Brother Chong opened the bedroom door and looked out into the dark corridor. “The game zones of Perfect Life are split into many pieces. Most of them have been permanently sealed away by Immortal Pharma. Only a small part escaped their monitor and became islands among the black mist. If you can collect these pieces or steal them back from Immortal Pharma and combine them together, Huang Yin will sense it and come to meet you.” Brother Chong became serious, “This is something only you can do. Most of us are illegal citizens who don’t even have ID. However, you are not only a hero but also a participant in Immortal Pharma’s tests. They will not harm you, even just to protect themselves.” With a cough, Brother Chong added, “When we checked your files, we noticed something. Someone inside Immortal Pharma is purposely trying to hide your information. This is a good chance. Someone from the inside is willing to help you.”
Gao Ming didn’t know if Brother Chong was talking about Tang Ling or Xuan Wen.
“What should I do now exactly?”
“Your current access is too low. It’s probably lower than Old Cao. You have to get to Level Five as soon as possible. Then, you need to reach the central projects within Immortal Pharma. We’ll assist you through this process.” Brother Chong entered the corridor. Gao Ming followed him silently. They took the elevator. All the buttons were a red four.
Brother Chong pressed a random button. The elevator plummeted. When it stopped, the presence of death faded. Weak light flowed into the booth. Brother Chong handed Gao Ming a mask while he walked out undisguised.
Outside the elevator was a blood-coloured lobby. All the rooms were opened up to create stalls and shops. There were a lot of people. They were covered in black robes. They were silent as they made their purchases. They didn’t stay.
“This is the reception lobby for the Death Building. It is also one of the few remaining trading centres in Perfect Life. Every player who is here has experienced the tragedy from many years ago. They are living evidence of Immortal Pharma’s sin.”