"Let's die together! You've ruined my simple and happy life, and you must pay the price!"
In fact, before going to see Zeng Jian tonight, Gao Jianfei wasn't entirely determined to take revenge. He still harbored a sliver of hope that if he confronted Zeng Jian face-to-face, Zeng Jian would recognize his mistakes, personally apologize to the Gao family, and fully compensate for the medical expenses.
But this was merely Gao Jianfei's fantasy.
Zeng Jian's arrogance, overbearing attitude, and indifference towards Gao's mother's life completely shattered Gao Jianfei's naive fantasy!
The dagger was hidden under Gao Jianfei's bed. Before taking revenge, Gao Jianfei needed to prepare some money for his parents and aunt.
There are over 100,000 yuan, which can be used to support my parents and aunt in their old age.
Of course, accumulating over 100,000 yuan in a short period is extremely difficult for someone of Gao Jianfei's stature. He wouldn't commit robbery, murder, or other illegal acts.
He found a shortcut.
When Gao Jianfei was working at KT, he met a friend named Qiu Yuan, with whom he had a fairly good relationship.
Qiu Yuan was about the same age as Gao Jianfei, around 22 or 23. At first, like Gao Jianfei, he worked as a waiter in a karaoke bar, earning around 1000 yuan a month. After a few months, Qiu Yuan couldn't bear the hardship of working late every night, and being a lazy person, he resolutely quit his job.
Back when they worked together at KT, Gao Jianfei and Qiu Yuan got along fairly well, so even after Qiu Yuan quit his job, he still kept in touch with Gao Jianfei by phone. The two would occasionally meet up for drinks.
A year later, Qiu Yuan's life had undergone a dramatic change!
He drove a car, bought a 110-square-meter apartment in the city on a mortgage, dressed in designer clothes, and wore a gold necklace about the thickness of his little finger around his neck.
Gao Jianfei was very puzzled by Qiu Yuan's change.
Gao Jianfei knew exactly what kind of person Qiu Yuan was! This guy came from a similarly poor family to Gao Jianfei. He didn't continue his studies after graduating from junior high school and spent his days wandering around the streets. He worked sporadically and even fantasized about being kept by a rich woman, dating prostitutes, and scamming them out of money, among other unrealistic goals.
How can someone like that buy a car and a house on their own?
Gao Jianfei was completely baffled by Qiu Yuan's rise to prominence.
Driven by curiosity, Gao Jianfei began to press Qiu Yuan about how he had obtained the money.
At first, Qiu Yuan would always stammer and give vague, perfunctory answers, refusing to tell the truth.
Later, on one occasion when both of them had drunk some alcohol, Gao Jianfei brought up the old matter again and asked Qiu Yuan about it.
This time, Qiu Yuan didn't shut up. He smiled and asked Gao Jianfei, "Little Gao, do you know that a person can have two kidneys?"
Gao Jianfei paused for a moment, then said, "I know that. Everyone has two kidneys, everyone knows that."
Qiu Yuan smiled mysteriously, "Well then, let me tell you, a normal person won't die from having a kidney removed. In fact, as long as they recover properly afterward, even losing a kidney won't have any impact on their health!"
Gao Jianfei vaguely understood Qiu Yuan's implied meaning.
"Xiao Gao, let me tell you something else. The price of a kidney is about 4.12 million. Of course, this is our purchase price. If it goes through our hands and is resold to patients who need kidney transplants, or even sold abroad, the price will certainly be more than that!" Qiu Yuan smugly blew a smoke ring. "Xiao Gao, do you know that last year I partnered with a group of brothers to do this business and made this much money..." He held up five fingers and waved them in front of Gao Jianfei.
500,000!
"Organizing illegal kidney sales!" Gao Jianfei suddenly understood Qiu Yuan's rise to power. A sudden, inexplicable feeling of disgust arose within him towards Qiu Yuan.
At the time, Qiu Yuan said to Gao Jianfei, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Xiao Gao, I see you're in good physical condition, and your family is poor. If you want to sell a kidney, just come to me! We're friends, and I, Qiu Yuan, certainly won't let you down. As long as the tissue matching is done and your kidney matches the patient's, I'll give you this price... 120,000! That's the highest price in China! Think about it carefully!"
Gao Jianfei rejected Qiu Yuan at that time.
Are you kidding me? Is it really worth turning yourself into a cripple for a few hundred thousand?
More than a year later, half a month after Gao's mother's accident, Gao Jianfei ran around trying to sue the perpetrator Zeng Jian, but to no avail. He was also unable to raise enough money for his mother's continued treatment. Then, the words Qiu Yuan had said that time echoed in Gao Jianfei's ears like a demon.
After considering it for three days, Gao Jianfei called Qiu Yuan.
"Qiu Yuan, something happened to my mother. I need a lot of money right now. Can you help me make some contact? I need to sell a kidney." Gao Jianfei said to Qiu Yuan bluntly over the phone.
“K, no problem! Xiao Gao, we’ve been friends for years, and I know your family situation very well, so I completely trust you! I’ll take you to the hospital for matching tomorrow, and we’ll go with the price I told you last time… 120,000! You just need to lie down on the operating table, and I’ll collect the money after it’s done!” Qiu Yuan answered Gao Jianfei quickly and professionally.
That's how it was settled.
The next day, Qiu Yuan took Gao Jianfei to the hospital for tissue typing. They went to a large, state-run hospital. They had a urinalysis, blood test, electrocardiogram, kidney function tests, a bilateral renal ultrasound, and their height and weight were measured.
After finishing all that, Qiu Yuan said to Gao Jianfei, "Xiao Gao, I will submit your matching information to the company. I will give you an answer in five days. Just go home and wait for my news. Don't feel guilty. It's just a simple surgery, nothing serious."
When he got home, Gao Jianfei felt a little scared and regretful, but when he saw his mother lying in bed, his disabled father, and his simple aunt, he immediately threw his regret, fear and anxiety into the trash can.
"For the sake of my family, I have to take this path!" Gao Jianfei told himself.
After waiting for a few days, which was yesterday, Qiu Yuan called Gao Jianfei... "Xiao Gao, I have good news for you! You've been a match! Your kidney can be sold! I've already arranged the surgery. It'll be done the day after tomorrow night at a township hospital in Yangfu Town in the suburbs. Are you okay with that?"
Gao Jianfei took a deep breath. "No problem, I'll be there on time the day after tomorrow. But... I need cash. I need the money after the surgery!"
Qiu Yuan smiled easily, "We used to pay by credit card, but you're my friend, so I can accommodate your request! Okay, no problem, 120,000 in cash, I'll have the company prepare it for you right away!"
The night was deep.
Gao Jianfei smoked half a pack of cigarettes, looked up at the lonely stars in the night sky, and laughed silently. "Haha! What a tragedy! My life is just a tragedy! Haha! Selling a kidney, murder, these are things I would never have thought about before, but I never expected... Haha! Is this a dream? If it is a dream, God, I beg you, please let it wake up soon!"
No one can describe Gao Jianfei's current state of mind, and no one can describe it.
He stared blankly at the desolate night sky, and two lines of tears flowed uncontrollably down his face.
He was like an unclaimed package, completely abandoned by this cold world!
Just then, a strange crimson streak flashed across the sky! The crimson streak left a trail of light as it plummeted down!
"A shooting star?" Gao Jianfei shook his dazed head, staring intently at the rapidly falling crimson light.
It's getting closer! Closer and closer!
Suddenly, the light and shadow shot straight towards Gao Jianfei with lightning speed!
Before Gao Jianfei could even dodge or think, the crimson light slammed directly into his forehead!
"Buzz!"
Gao Jianfei felt his mind go numb, stars flashed before his eyes, and his feet felt like they were walking on cotton, floating and unsteady. Then, Gao Jianfei lost his momentum and fell backward to the ground with a thud.
As he fell, a clear female voice rang in Gao Jianfei's mind... "Congratulations, Earthling, you have obtained an outer space software... the Super Ghost Device!"
Chapter Three Functions
Chapter Three Functions
If one had to describe Gao Jianfei's feelings at this moment in one word, it would be... like a dream!
He clearly remembered that he was smoking under the locust tree in the yard when an object resembling a meteor hit him on the head, making him dizzy and causing him to fall to the ground. He didn't know if he would be killed, but he should at least be seriously injured, right?
However, Gao Jianfei has no headache or backache, and his whole body is normal!
Strangely, the environment I was in had completely changed!
The low, dilapidated bungalows, the crooked locust trees, even the dark, deep night sky, the lonely stars, and the moon hiding in the clouds—all of them disappeared!
Instead, a special space has been created!
This is a huge space, with a fog overhead that obscures everything. The space is filled with rows and rows of neat little houses!
Yes, they are little houses! Hundreds and thousands, countless little houses!
Each hut had its doors and windows tightly shut, but the exterior walls looked brand new, as if they had just been completed and built.
Gao Jianfei was completely bewildered. He took a few steps unconsciously and came to the front of the first small house in the first row. Looking up, he saw a small, black, palm-sized iron plaque hanging on the wooden door of the small house, with the number "1-1" written on it.
The second hut was marked with numbers... "1-2" on its door.
"1-3"
"1-4"
"1-34"
"1-156"
Gao Jianfei strolled around in front of the rows of small houses for a full five minutes and discovered that each house had a number accurately recorded on its doorplate!
"What are these?" Gao Jianfei was completely dumbfounded! He realized that the scene before him was beyond his comprehension and acceptance!
Just then, a clear female voice rang out in the vast space, "Congratulations, Earthling, you have obtained an outer space software... the Super Ghost Device!"
"Who...who?" Gao Jianfei trembled at the sudden voice. He looked around frantically, but didn't see a single person!
"Hello, please don't panic. I am just an intelligent program. My existence is to help you understand the function and correct usage of this Super Ghost Device, and to gradually guide you to complete control over it," the clear female voice said calmly.
"A super ghost device? An intelligent program?" Gao Jianfei's mind was in complete chaos! Utterly chaotic! All the anger and hatred in his heart were forcibly dispelled by a fierce, sticky substance!
He pinched his thigh hard... "Ouch! Ouch! It really hurts! This isn't a dream!"
"Of course it's not a dream! You can try to calm down. If you need, I'll explain the origin and general function of this Super Ghost Instrument software to you right now!" the woman's voice said in the same unchanging tone.
"Then... you begin your explanation, I'm listening." After a few heavy breaths, Gao Jianfei finally managed to suppress the turbulent waves surging within him. In fact, Gao Jianfei had read some online novels, especially urban fantasy novels; he'd read over a dozen. The content of those novels was invariably about the protagonist who, through some fortuitous encounter, obtained some incredible ability or item, and then gradually rose to the pinnacle of the world, looking down upon all living beings. Of course, in Gao Jianfei's view, those novels had no scientific basis whatsoever; they were purely products for passing the time. So Gao Jianfei read them and never bothered to delve into them or think about them.
And what is happening to me right now, could it be...?
Thinking this way, Gao Jianfei's fear not only disappeared, but he also felt a faint sense of anticipation, and even... a little excitement!
"Very good, I think you've calmed down completely. Now, please listen carefully..." The woman's voice began to speak gently, "This is software from outer space; it doesn't belong to your Earth. Its inventor is Zhuoyue, a 16-year-old Ocean Star person. Zhuoyue is a renowned prodigy on Ocean Star. At the age of 12, he was already working for a large game development company on Ocean Star. He also began researching other planets in the universe to gain inspiration for creating best-selling games. Zhuoyue chose Earth because he discovered that Earth's civilization was remarkably similar to Ocean Star's! However, Ocean Star's civilization was millions of years ahead of Earth's. But this didn't diminish Zhuoyue's research and love for Earth's civilization. Finally, after two years, Zhuoyue invented this game software... Super Ghost Instrument!"
"Wait... game software? You're saying this is a game software invented by a teenager?" Gao Jianfei felt a bit dumbfounded.
Originally, he thought he had struck gold, just like the protagonist in those urban fantasy novels who obtained a magical artifact that could create the world and embark on an awesome path. But he never expected that... this so-called Super Ghost Device software was just a game software invented by an alien kid!
"Damn it! Given my situation, I'll have to sell a kidney tomorrow, how can I still be in the mood to play games?" Gao Jianfei cursed inwardly.
"Dear Earthlings, perhaps to the people of Ocean Star, the Super Ghost Device is just a game software, but to Earthlings, whose civilization lags behind by millions of years, it's much more than just a casual game," the female voice patiently explained. "You should know that the genius boy Zhuo Er created this game with 'soul' as its core concept and extended from it. What is 'soul'? In fact, 'soul' is the scattered brainwaves left in space after a person dies. The basic principle of this Super Ghost Device is to piece together these scattered brainwaves in space in a special way, restoring them to their original state!"
After a pause, the woman's voice added, "According to what you Earthlings call 'souls' and 'scattered brainwaves,' they are actually what we call 'ghosts.'"
"Ghosts?" Gao Jianfei felt increasingly confused. He racked his brains, processing what the woman's voice had just said, and came to a conclusion. "Could I understand it this way? A person dies, but they still have a soul. The soul doesn't completely dissipate with the annihilation of the physical body. So, the soul wanders in space. However, after a period of time, these souls are broken down by the special energy in the space, becoming incomplete souls. And the function of this Super Ghost Instrument is to gather the incomplete souls left in the space by a deceased person, and piece them together like puzzle pieces... Is my understanding correct?"
"You're very smart!" The woman's voice seemed to carry a hint of approval.
"But I don't understand, even if this software can gather and piece together souls, what's so fun about that? I'm sorry, I just find it disgusting! We've also developed many games on Earth. Although, as you said, Earth's civilization is millions of years behind Ocean Star's civilization, our Earth's games, whether single-player or online, are much more fun than your ghost-playing game!" Gao Jianfei said truthfully.
“You've clearly underestimated this super ghost device! Let me explain.” The woman's voice wasn't angered by Gao Jianfei's questioning; it remained smooth and melodious. “The great fun of this super ghost device lies in its ability to gather and piece together the soul of a deceased person, allowing it to materialize in the space you're currently in. I believe you've seen those houses in the space; those are dwellings specifically prepared for the ghosts you've gathered. They can materialize here and live in these houses. Once you enter this space, you can chat with these ghosts, make friends, and touch their bodies…”
"Wait! This is too perverted!" Gao Jianfei felt a chill. "I'm friends with ghosts? Chat with ghosts? I can even touch their bodies? I admit, this Super Ghost Device software does have its unique features. At least, if one of my relatives or friends dies, I can piece together their scattered souls in the space and then make them materialize, so they can live in these houses. After I enter the space, I can see what they looked like when they were alive, and continue to be friends and relatives with them. But is that meaningful? They are still ghosts after all, and it seems they can't leave this space. The main function of this software is nothing more than comforting the user's longing for relatives and friends. Am I right?"
"You're really impatient. I haven't finished speaking. Please give me a moment, okay?" The woman's voice gathered its thoughts. "It's like this, piecing together ghosts, making them materialize in this space—that's just the first step. It's just the tip of the iceberg of the Super Ghost Instrument. The true essence of this software lies in this space, in the small house where the ghost's physical body resides. You can learn some of the abilities they were skilled in during their lifetime! And while you're learning their abilities, the software will also provide you with great convenience, allowing you to learn in a short time..." Inside, you learn to master the abilities of ghosts in their previous lives. The software precisely categorizes different ghosts. Ghosts with no or negligible abilities in life are classified as Level 1 ghosts; those with significant abilities in a particular area are classified as Level 2 ghosts; and so on… Level 10 ghosts are those with terrifying abilities in their previous lives! As you can see, the space you are currently in is where Level 1 ghosts live, Level 2 ghosts live on the second floor, Level 3 ghosts live on the third floor… Level 10 ghosts live on the tenth floor. Therefore, you can deduce that… This space has 10 floors. However, your current level is clearly insufficient, so you cannot go to the second floor or any higher floors. To increase the playability of this Super Ghost Device, the designers have also included fictional characters from novels on Earth in the ghost category. When you reach the required level, you can freely summon the ghosts of these fictional characters, making them materialize in this space and learning their special skills from their previous lives. Of course, the designers don't want this software to be a hodgepodge, so the ghosts of fictional characters are limited to those from novels in China. For example, you cannot access the ghosts of fictional characters like Ultraman, Superman, Athena, or Saint Seiya through the Super Ghost Device. I can reveal some personal information to you: the designers really enjoy reading martial arts novels from China, so when you reach the required level, you can not only access the ghosts of some deceased people in reality, but also the ghosts of some fictional characters from Chinese martial arts novels!
"This... everything you've said reminds me of one word... 'A fairy tale!' Honestly, I simply can't believe it." Gao Jianfei truly couldn't believe the incredible functions of this Super Ghost Instrument.
"Indeed, it's unrealistic to expect you to accept this software immediately. You'll need some time to digest it, which is understandable! The software you possess is unique on Earth. It was specially designed by an exceptional designer to express gratitude for the inspiration Earth's civilization provided, and it's the only super ghost device on Earth! The exceptional designer specifically chose China as the location for its deployment. China has a vast territory and a population of over a billion. For you to obtain this super ghost device under such extremely slim circumstances, you are truly one of the luckiest people on Earth, and in China!"
Gao Jianfei chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Am I one of the lucky ones in China? Ha, what a huge irony!"
After thinking for a moment, Gao Jianfei, with a tentative and amusing mindset, asked, "So, how do I raise my level to what you call a high-level ghost, and then be qualified to climb to the higher floors of this space?"
A snap of fingers echoed in the space, and immediately, a virtual display screen appeared before Gao Jianfei's eyes. Looking up, Gao Jianfei saw rows of clearly legible Chinese characters written on the screen…