In this family, Zhu Yan was probably the one who understood his aunt best.
His younger brother saw only their mother's indulgence toward him and her overbearing insistence that he succeed, while Zhu Yan had to deal with his aunt's suspicion, anxiety, and extreme desire for stability day after day.
Now, his aunt's peaceful life had been overturned in an instant, and in a painful direction.
The beginner's post he had read said so.
Some players would feel as though they had been brainwashed and would experience dizziness.
But his aunt would only desperately try to get life back on track rather than face the cruel truth.
Even if that track was only an illusion.
With those two conditions combined, Zhu Yan only had to [Roleplay] the illusion his aunt wanted, and he could manipulate everything relatively easily.
So Zhu Yan decisively chose to become her darling son.
His aunt's expression could only be described as terrified.
"Who is it? Why is everything spinning?" she asked, looking up to find the source of the voice. "What was that sound?!"
Zhu Yan immediately stepped forward, pushed his terrified younger brother aside, and supported her.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Zhu Yan moved so suddenly that his unsuspecting brother was shoved aside.
"Fuck you—"
He started to curse, but the moment he saw Zhu Yan, the words caught in his throat.
Standing before him was not his familiar older brother Zhu Yan, but another version of himself.
From his face and hairstyle to his height and clothes, everything was identical to his own.
The only differences were the other's eyes and the subtle expression on his face—
His younger brother stared fixedly at Zhu Yan. After realizing something, he whipped his head around to look at the Pseudo-human on the other side of the dining table.
Exactly the same.
That indescribably cruel, mechanical hunger was exactly the same!
His younger brother's expression gradually shifted from shock to fear.
How could this be...
When he came through the door just now, he was clearly "Zhu Yan"!
"Who the fuck are you cursing at?!"
Seizing the chance while his younger brother was still stunned, Zhu Yan snapped back and put his arm around his aunt, who was clutching her head in pain.
"Can't you see my mom's suffering?! I only got in a little while ago and you're already acting crazy. What the fuck do you want?!"
As he spoke, Zhu Yan pulled out a chair and helped his aunt sit down.
He turned to the Pseudo-human and spoke in his younger brother's usual bossy tone.
"Dad, can you hurry up and serve the food? Stop standing there with that cleaver, I'm starving!"
His aunt sat right beside him, panting like a bellows.
The successive upheavals and the announcement delivered right in her face had left her dazed, and the clear female voice still rang in her ears.
It was so bizarre that she immediately thought of the disgusting, strange dream she'd had last night!
When she tried to collect herself, however, she found two sons standing before her.
She didn't understand. She only felt as though she'd suddenly been dragged into a nightmare!
"Th-this is..." His aunt looked in disbelief at Zhu Yan, then at his younger brother.
Zhu Yan glared at the Pseudo-human.
He wasn't sure how intelligent the Pseudo-human was, or whether it could play along.
But it had been able to bring his younger brother home, and it had known to lock the door.
Zhu Yan surmised that it could at least understand human speech and might have inherited his uncle's memories.
So he decided to make it explicit.
"What are you standing there for? Can't you see this guy's gone crazy?"
He tilted his chin toward his younger brother, speaking sarcastically and twisting the facts.
"He seems to think he's me. He blocked my way when I came in, and he even bullied my mom."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" his younger brother screamed. "Mom, don't believe him!"
He pointed at Zhu Yan.
"We can only survive if we kill him!"
Zhu Yan was startled.
Was his younger brother's mission to "kill the false crown prince"?
Alarm bells immediately rang in his head. Keeping his movements and expression steady, he looked at the Pseudo-human.
The Pseudo-human seemed to have understood, its eyes fixed coldly on his younger brother.
Seeing its expression change, Zhu Yan hurriedly copied his younger brother's usual tone and made it explicit again.
"Dad, your nephew's practically staging a rebellion, and you're still not going to beat him up?!"
In that short span of time, his younger brother had also collected himself.
The instance was called [True and False Crown Prince], and given Zhu Yan's current behavior, what he had to face was already obvious.
His instance mission was [Kill the false crown prince and stay alive], meaning he had to kill the Zhu Yan in front of him.
The real Zhu Yan, like his father, might already be missing or dead.
The thing in front of him was a Pseudo-human!
There had only ever been two players in this instance: him and his mother!
His younger brother looked at Zhu Yan with some trepidation.
Killing a real person is easy, but a Pseudo-human...
The next second, however, he seemed to throw caution to the wind. He raised a stool and swung it straight down at Zhu Yan.
What was there to be afraid of?
The Pseudo-humans in this instance were level two, and his ability, [Humiliation], was level two as well!
He could completely overpower these Pseudo-humans!
"I'm going to kill you—!"
Zhu Yan hurriedly jumped back. "Dad!"
The stool missed Zhu Yan.
The Pseudo-human grabbed his younger brother around the waist from behind and dragged him backward.
His younger brother stumbled and fell to the floor, and the stool slammed down hard on his own foot.
"Fuck!"
The expression on the Pseudo-human's face changed slightly, becoming very similar to his uncle's.
It was a low-level Pseudo-human and had no way of knowing for certain how many players were in the instance or what their intentions were.
But it could understand human speech, and it had human memories and could imitate humans.
More importantly, it could recognize its own kind.
From the moment Zhu Yan came through the door, having used his [Roleplay] talent, the Pseudo-human had seen him as one of its own.
One of its own kind that couldn't be eaten, but also needed to feed!
Moreover, this member of its kind was clearly higher-level than itself, because he could change his appearance. He most likely had a high-level item that let him replicate human skins at will!
His imitation and manipulation of humans were also clearly a cut above its own.
Just now, this high-level Pseudo-human had called on it to restrain the player.
Players were food.
In the Pseudo-human's eyes, this was a hint that it was allowed to claim the food for itself!
"Enough," the Pseudo-human uncle said coldly, his tone already tinged with secret delight.
"Sit down and eat!"
Zhu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, regretting that he hadn't found a handy weapon in advance.
His aunt looked at him, then at his younger brother, who was struggling to get up. She was clearly utterly bewildered.
Her thoughts were in such disarray that she couldn't think at all.
With her head aching, his aunt chose to turn to her husband, who seemed the most normal.
With tears in her eyes, she asked cautiously, "Li, what's happening to me?"
"You're being fooled!" his younger brother roared.
Frantic enough to explode, he rushed forward undeterred and grabbed his mother's arm.
"Mom, you heard the game announcement, didn't you?!"
"What's your ability? What's your mission? They're both Pseudo-humans. We have to clear the instance to survive!"
Zhu Yan was also very curious about his aunt's mission.
But clearly, this was not a good time to ask.
His aunt was already on the verge of a breakdown. Her lips and hands trembled slightly, and her clouded eyes were brimming with terrified tears.
Was this real?
She clutched her head, hoping the dizziness from having her brain washed would go away.
Surely all of this was just a dream!
His aunt looked at his younger brother, whose face was tense and expression frightening, and for the first time reached out and pushed her son away.
Then she turned to her husband and asked again, cautiously and hopefully, "Li, what's happening?"
Zhu Yan glanced warily at his younger brother and immediately took action.
"If you're not crazy, shut up!" Zhu Yan roared at him. "Who are you calling Mom? You think you deserve a mom?"
"Call her Auntie like you should, dumbass. I've really been too nice to you!"
This classic phrasing was standard practice for his younger brother.
Zhu Yan imitated it convincingly, and sure enough, his aunt froze for a moment.
"Uncle" sneered. "I think you've lost your mind. What announcement? How come we didn't hear it?"
Even though Zhu Yan knew the Pseudo-human had taken him for one of its own, the moment he heard those words, a wave of lingering fear still washed over him.
It was too similar.
That complaining tone really was no different from his uncle's usual one.
The Pseudo-human's eyes stayed fixed on its "food."
It extended an arm somewhat stiffly, seized his younger brother, and pulled him back, pinning him in his seat.
Zhu Yan glanced at his aunt.
The Pseudo-human wasn't stupid. Its words were reassuring, just what his aunt wanted to hear.
Sure enough, his aunt's expression relaxed a little. She looked at Zhu Yan, then at his younger brother, and actually turned to the Pseudo-human as if seeking help.
"Th-then I... why do the two of them look the same?"
The Pseudo-human gripped his younger brother's arm tightly.
"How do they look the same?" it sneered.
It also thought they looked the same, but it could tell food from its own kind.
The Pseudo-human was getting impatient to eat and spouted nonsense based on his uncle's memories.
"Take a good look. My son is sitting right next to you."
His younger brother was both frantic and afraid.
The Pseudo-human was, after all, a level-two horror creature, a different proposition from a level-zero player.
There was no way his younger brother could break free of its grip without using his ability.
But to activate [Humiliation], he had to attack the other party.
His younger brother had no time to think. His survival instinct forcefully won out.
Under the dining table, he raised his foot and stomped hard on the top of the Pseudo-human's foot.
The Pseudo-human released its grip. His younger brother seized the chance to break free and lunged at Zhu Yan again.
"I'm going to kill you—"