“Baby, why aren’t you going to take a shower yet?”
The female puppet, still in the kitchen tidying up, asked. Gu Zhan jumped in surprise, truly feeling like a child in this house. He quickly hid the phone and called out to the kitchen, “Dad already went; I’ll be there in a moment.”
"Okay," the female puppet said, "Baby, you need to sleep early tonight so you can grow. Hurry up and wash up."
Gu Zhan walked toward the bathroom.
Their family lived quite comfortably; the master bedroom had its own bathroom and also a shared restroom.
Before washing up, Gu Zhan first went to his room to put his phone away.
Then he went to the shared restroom.
While taking off his clothes, he hesitated for a moment.
Wasn’t this place being livestreamed? Then washing up…
However, in fact, the livestream couldn't capture anything happening in the restroom.
So, overly private matters would be blocked from the livestream.
The game system primarily focused on horror and gore, but it had a very low tolerance for sexual content. It probably didn’t want humans to be distracted by these unnecessary "emotions," hoping they would remain immersed in the fear of being pursued by instances and scores.
【Didn’t I buy a ticket? Why can't I see anything??】
【We paid for this!】
【Stop shouting; when has the instance ever shown you this?】
【I don't care about the others, but this player is good-looking...】
【I suggest improving this; doesn’t the livestream system want to earn more points?】
【They don’t want to earn more points; they just want you to recall the fear of being dominated by the BOSS while watching the livestream.】
【There are so few people in this instance; this player's livestream should have the most viewers, yet the comments are so sparse.】
【Because there are originally few people who can clear this instance, you all entered with a token, right?】
【Yes, this instance doesn’t seem to allow entry without a token.】
【The difficulty is S-level, exceeding A-level; those lazy players don't want to enter.】
【It’s only S-level; there are SS and SSS levels afterward. Is this not enough?】
After taking a shower, Gu Zhan came out just in time to bump into "Dad," who had also just finished bathing. He held out a cup of milk and said with a smile, "Drink your milk and then go to sleep. Kids need to sleep early for their physical and mental health."
Gu Zhan took the milk and quietly said, "Dad, the milk is a bit hot. Can I take it back to my room to drink?"
"Of course," the male puppet said, watching Gu Zhan.
As Gu Zhan walked back with the milk, he stood at the door until Gu Zhan closed the room door.
Of course, he couldn’t drink the milk, but after looking around, he found no place in the room to pour it out. So he opened the window and dumped the milk outside.
But he only poured half; he left the other half on the table.
Sure enough, two or three minutes later, there was a knock on the door. He opened it, and the female puppet stood outside.
She saw the milk on the table and smiled, "Baby, you haven’t finished your milk yet. I need to wash the cup."
Gu Zhan quietly said, "Mom, I feel a bit full. Can I wait a bit?"
The female puppet replied, "But your dad and I need to go to sleep."
Gu Zhan said, "I can wash the cup myself."
"Really??" the female puppet said. "Don’t delay your sleep."
"Yes, washing a cup is quick," Gu Zhan said. "I’ll be very careful and won’t disturb you and Dad’s sleep."
With his "persuasion," the female puppet finally agreed. She said, "Alright, I’ll check tomorrow morning."
After saying this, she turned and left.
However, Gu Zhan’s expression was not relaxed.
"Checking tomorrow morning" likely meant it wouldn’t wait until then; it would probably happen tonight.
About ten minutes later, Gu Zhan finally dumped the remaining milk.
Then, holding the cup, he quietly walked toward the kitchen.
The living room lights were already off, with only a sliver of moonlight coming through the kitchen window. But as he approached the kitchen door, a shadow suddenly moved inside.
Someone stood against the moonlight and softly said to him, "Baby, are you done drinking?"
"…" Gu Zhan had long known that this female puppet wouldn’t go back to sleep. He didn’t expect her to wait for him here.
He replied softly, and the female puppet said, "Good boy, give me the cup, and you can go to sleep."
"Thank you, Mom." Gu Zhan handed over the cup.
【How did he know his mom was waiting for him here!】
【I’ve never understood why he can see the true nature of this instance directly??】
【It must be a talent; I think I’ve heard my friend mention this player.】
【Huh?? What’s going on?】
After taking the cup, the female puppet emphasized to Gu Zhan again, "You need to sleep early, okay? Kids should be asleep before nine."
Gu Zhan nodded and returned to his room.
As soon as he entered, the system reminded him again.
【Great! Today is so lucky; Dad didn’t even notice the phone was taken away. Such opportunities are rare! I must clear that mini-game! Once Dad and Mom fall asleep, I can open my phone and play!】
The tone of the game introduction really sounded like a child, but Gu Zhan felt no gratitude for the game’s content.
It felt like the system was relishing the chaos.
He first changed into his pajamas and lay quietly on the bed for a while before hearing footsteps at the door.
Then, with a creak, the door opened, but no one came in.
The person pushing the door seemed to just be standing outside, watching silently.
Gu Zhan lay in bed, afraid to move or look up, not knowing what the person was doing.
After a while, the door was closed again, and everything returned to darkness and silence.
Gu Zhan peeked out from under the covers and looked at the door—a narrow beam of moonlight illuminated it. If the angle was right, he could see the face of the person outside.
Gu Zhan adjusted his position for a better view.
After waiting a little longer, the outside fell completely silent. This was likely what the system meant by "Mom and Dad are asleep." Gu Zhan reached out from the covers and grabbed his phone, turning on the screen.
It had been a long time since he had touched this thing; the feel of it was somewhat nostalgic.
The phone was unlocked and easily accessible.
There were no apps on the phone, just a small yellow animal icon.
This was clearly a trap.
If Dad didn't play games, once he realized the game had been completed, he would definitely find out who had touched his phone.
But the persona of "himself" seemed to be that of a playful twelve-year-old boy, so he wouldn't think too much about it.
The system's attitude was also very clear: this side quest was mandatory.
Gu Zhan opened the game, which was very simple. All he had to do was control the little yellow chick to jump over obstacles and reach the end to complete the level.
However, he would encounter various obstacles along the way, requiring intense concentration to keep an eye on the little yellow chick.
Gu Zhan successfully cleared the first level when suddenly, he heard footsteps outside the door, followed by the door creaking open.
This was normally a very quiet sound that would go unnoticed, but because he was highly focused and the room was extremely quiet, the noise felt amplified, causing Gu Zhan to break out in a cold sweat.
At the moment the door opened, he quickly stuffed his phone under the blanket, using the bedding to block the phone's light, and the room fell silent.
Gu Zhan tightly closed his eyes and lay in bed, pretending to be asleep.
There was no movement at the door, and after an indeterminate amount of time, the person outside seemed to leave... Gu Zhan quietly opened his eyes to take a look.
The room was dimly lit, and he squinted, not fearing detection.
But the moment he opened his eyes, he suddenly felt something was off—a cold breeze brushed against his nose... His movements abruptly halted! He shut his eyes again, taking deep, steady breaths, as if he had truly fallen asleep.
【Damn!! So close!!!】
【I thought he was going to die】
【So scary, watching it again still gives me chills!】
He saw a gap in the door where the female puppet stood at the entrance. She hadn’t entered but stretched her neck inside... Her neck was very long, like a snake, winding through the entire room, her face hanging directly in front of Gu Zhan's, nearly touching his face.
Those carved puppet eyes were fixed on Gu Zhan, and her lips curled into a blood-red arc... as if they could snap his neck at any moment.
Unfortunately, Gu Zhan did not open his eyes.
It seemed he had truly fallen asleep.
The female puppet clicked her tongue in disappointment, her long neck slowly retracting.
She transformed back into the appearance Gu Zhan had seen during the day, standing at the door, looking quite regretful.
After a while, she finally left.
The sound of the door closing gently echoed, and only then did Gu Zhan open his eyes.
He had no idea what had just happened, but his subconscious told him it wasn’t a good thing.
An unpleasant atmosphere lingered in the room...
The phone hidden under the blanket vibrated, as if urging Gu Zhan to hurry up and play the mini-game.
This was no mini-game; it was clearly a matter of life and death.
Gu Zhan reopened the phone and started the second level.
Halfway through, he suddenly heard a sound again. Gu Zhan carefully tucked the phone away, but if he maintained that posture, it would be obvious from the door that he wasn’t asleep.
He should adjust his position before the door opened...
But this time, Gu Zhan didn’t move. He held that stiff position, not even closing his eyes.
【How amazing! How did he know!】
【Some people have a strong intuition, so it’s possible for them to discover this.】
【I don’t know if I should be surprised or regretful; I thought there would be some bloody scene.】
Above Gu Zhan, where he couldn’t see, a head was peering in from outside the window.
They lived on the second floor, and this head was extending from the neighboring room.
A long neck wrapped around the entire building, passing through the window and back, coiling several times before stopping outside Gu Zhan’s room.
From this angle, only the top of Gu Zhan’s head was visible, but as long as he moved, it would immediately reveal that he wasn’t asleep.
Similar to their house, nearly every building was entangled with long necks like giant pythons.
The heads at the end of these necks lingered at some windows, some pressing their ears against the walls, listening intently to the sounds within.
As night deepened, the fog on the street thickened. From a distance, one could only make out the outlines of the buildings, but the deformed monsters coiling around them...
After an indeterminate amount of time, the head outside gradually retracted.
The feeling of being watched, like a thorn in his back, disappeared.
The phone, trapped under the blanket, began to heat up again, vibrating to remind Gu Zhan to continue playing the mini-game.
Gu Zhan: “…”
Throughout the night, he felt as if he were walking on thin ice.
Every so often, his puppet parents would come to check on him. He had to hide his phone before they discovered it.
He had to maintain intense concentration the entire time and ensure he cleared the mini-game.
If he failed, he would have to start all over again.
By the time he completed all the levels, it was already two in the morning.
Physically and mentally exhausted.
He had to return the phone before his father woke up in the morning.
It was definitely not safe to go out now; there were surely people watching outside.
Gu Zhan could only temporarily put that aside and play a little game.
As dawn broke, he was jolted awake from his dream. Gu Zhan pretended to get up to go to the bathroom, groggily feeling his way to the washroom.
Everything outside was calm, with faint sunlight filtering into the living room; everything seemed normal.
Gu Zhan glanced at his parents’ closed door, circled around to the living room, placed the phone on the couch, and returned to his room.
Once back in his room, he went straight to sleep until the female puppet came to wake him up.
After staying up all night, intensely focused, Gu Zhan could hardly open his eyes when he got up.
Standing in front of the sink, he nearly dozed off while washing up.
The female puppet looked a bit unhappy and muttered, “Baby, didn’t I tell you to go to bed early?”
Gu Zhan replied, “Yesterday, the teacher explained a problem that I found really interesting. I kept thinking about it before I went to sleep, and as a result, I dreamt about that problem all night. I woke up feeling so tired.”
Upon hearing this, the female puppet’s expression changed immediately. “Oh, I see. You’ve worked hard, Baby. But while studying is important, you also need to take care of your health. Mommy will make you something delicious. What do you want to eat?”
[He really knows how to read the NPC’s feelings.]
[How did he know to say that?!]
[It’s actually quite simple; just observe carefully. This woman has been emphasizing the importance of studying, and as a parent, it’s normal for her to want her child to do well academically.]
[He’s smart and perceptive. The side quest he drew last night was probably the most difficult one. Since he completed that side quest, it makes sense that he knows how to make the female puppet happy.]
[That’s a good point.]
After finishing breakfast, Gu Zhan took a short nap on the way to school.
When he arrived at school, he finally felt awake.
As soon as he entered the classroom, he saw Yang Lin slumped over her desk.
Since no one else had arrived yet, Gu Zhan walked over and tapped her desk, prompting Yang Lin to lift her head, revealing her dark circles under her eyes.
She was so tired that she could barely open her eyes. Just as she was about to greet Gu Zhan, she noticed he looked just as worn out, which made her laugh. “Why do you look like you just woke up too?”
Gu Zhan said, “I had a side quest last night. What about you?”
Yang Lin sighed, “Don’t even mention it. My parents were fighting all night.”
Gu Zhan was surprised. “Fighting?”
Do NPCs also have conflicts?
Yang Lin rubbed her forehead in frustration. “Don’t mention it. My dad cheated, and my mom caught the mistress... They were pretending to be affectionate in front of me, and suddenly, they started arguing at dinner. They even flipped the table... Ah, help! I’ve been through a dungeon, and now I have to mediate NPC relationships!”
While they were talking, Yu Yezhou and Xu Yu arrived.
Noticing Yang Lin’s unusual appearance, Yu Yezhou asked what was wrong.
Yang Lin and Gu Zhan shared their respective stories.
When Yang Lin heard Gu Zhan mention that he had been playing a little game all night, she let out a long breath. “Hearing you say that makes me feel like I’m not the unluckiest one here.”
Gu Zhan: “…”
Yu Yezhou chuckled bitterly. “I had a similar experience yesterday. I secretly liked a girl in our class and wanted to make her a thousand origami cranes for her birthday... I folded cranes all night.”
Xu Yu’s troubles were similar to Yang Lin’s—his parents were also arguing. However, he managed to intervene, and their conflict wasn’t as deep as Yang Lin’s parents’.
After the argument was resolved, he had a relatively easy night.
Yu Yezhou said, “So far, we’ve summarized the things we can’t do. Besides asking questions, we also can’t break school rules or go against our parents’ wishes. What else?”
Gu Zhan added, “They really care about their kids’ grades.”
“Yes, yes!” Yang Lin nodded. “They started fighting because it was affecting my grades.”
Xu Yu remarked, “That’s quite normal. We are their children and students, so parents want their children’s academic performance to improve the most.”
As they chatted, the other students gradually arrived.
Before long, the teacher also came.
Their conversation ended, and everyone returned to their seats.
Gu Zhan noticed that Yu Yezhou had a new desk partner, but it wasn’t the same person as before… In just a day, someone had replaced the missing child.
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