Clatter—
The dishes Auntie had painstakingly prepared were knocked over. Plates smashed against the floor, sending sauce and shards of porcelain flying.
Zhu Yan knew he couldn't beat his younger brother, so he quickly snatched up a chopstick and dodged backward.
In that instant, his mind raced.
Auntie had just pushed his younger brother away, then appealed to the Pseudo-human for help without a second thought.
Her psychological defenses were already on the verge of collapse, so if things went smoothly...
He could make use of Auntie's ability—the ability she didn't even know she had—to deal with his younger brother!
Zhu Yan hurriedly shouted, "Mom! He's going to kill me! Help!"
If things didn't go smoothly, the chopstick could at least be used to poke his eyes out.
"Enough!" Auntie screamed.
A startling strength suddenly erupted from the woman's body.
She shot to her feet, blocked his younger brother and shoved him back.
A stool crashed to the floor, and his younger brother became as hysterical as Auntie usually was.
"What are you doing?! You fucking—"
"Shut up!" Auntie yelled. "You sick freak!"
It worked.
Zhu Yan gripped the chopstick tightly and hid behind Auntie, continuing to watch the situation. He didn't dare let his guard down.
He watched Auntie unleash a torrent of abuse.
To Auntie, his younger brother had now become the culprit who had shattered her peaceful life.
"You're sick! I don't care who you are, you're sick! You've infected me! You're not my son!"
Zhu Yan felt a heavy tightness in his chest.
He knew this was probably the effect of Auntie's [Complaining] ability.
But this time, [Complaining] wasn't directed at Zhu Yan, so his younger brother should have been affected more.
Zhu Yan looked at his younger brother and saw that his face had indeed gone deathly pale, his already dull lips even more bloodless.
His younger brother weakly opened his mouth, but Auntie stood there, pouring out an endless stream of words.
"Do you think I have it easy? I worked so hard to make all these dishes today, and this is how you repay me, you ungrateful brat!"
"I don't give a damn about your game or whatever. You know perfectly well I already suffer from neurasthenia and anxiety..."
...It was all the same stuff she usually used to scold Zhu Yan.
"You've upset me so much that I'm seeing and hearing things!"
Zhu Yan breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Someone like Auntie had a hard time accepting things, and her mental health was already poor.
When reality abruptly turned absurd enough to defy common sense, she would only be left dazed by the shock, then conclude she was sick or dreaming.
Oh, and on top of that was the new-player buff: "experience a sense of being brainwashed and dizziness."
Auntie was gasping for breath, and Zhu Yan hurried over to support her.
"Mom, calm down," he said, mimicking his younger brother perfectly. "Sit down. I'm really hungry."
The power of [Complaining] had left his younger brother's face ashen.
He rolled his eyes up to glare at Zhu Yan, his body and hands trembling with intense hatred.
Zhu Yan felt not the slightest sympathy for him, only relief at having survived the ordeal himself.
This spoiled man-child had wanted to kill him for a long time. It really was a fight to the death between them.
"Honestly!" Auntie clutched her chest. "Don't think I can't see the look in your eyes just because I'm having an episode!"
His younger brother roared, "Shut up!"
Acting on impulse was clearly not a good choice. That roar had evidently used up all his strength.
The Pseudo-human uncle dragged his younger brother back into his seat again, and this time, he was almost too weak to resist.
"I told you to calm down!" "Uncle" said sternly, his expression no different from the real uncle's.
But Zhu Yan keenly noticed that it seemed hungrier—
Those murky black eyes were fixed on his younger brother's neck, and its throat bobbed in a hungry swallow.
"We're all family. How did a meal turn into such a fight? Our son only comes home once a week..."
"We need to get back to the important business!"
Then it turned to Zhu Yan, its tone carrying a trace of mechanical deference.
"May we eat now?"
When it looked at Zhu Yan, its expression subtly changed again. It didn't look so hungry anymore.
There was even a trace of stiff... flattery?
Zhu Yan didn't know what had gone wrong. His stomach clenched from the pressure.
That wasn't the kind of expression one would show an ordinary member of the same species.
He had seen the class snitch wear that expression in front of teachers.
Does it think I'm its superior?
Zhu Yan didn't know why, and he had no time to think about it.
He knew what "eating" meant to a Pseudo-human.
So, in the space of a racing thought, he nodded, concealing his shallow, rapid breathing and making himself look more relaxed.
"Of course we can eat!"
Having received permission, the Pseudo-human pulled its lips outward into an eager grin.
His younger brother realized something.
"Mom!" he cried, bursting forward with startling strength at the brink of life and death.
"Save me!! Scold him!! I have no strength left, I'm going to—"
His younger brother let out a piercing scream.
Too late—
When he had first come in, he had taken a cleaver from the kitchen, only for the Pseudo-human to snatch it away.
A moment ago, that cleaver had struck his spine with a sharp clang. The sound made Zhu Yan turn deathly pale, but he didn't dare close his eyes.
Auntie froze, a few drops of crimson splattered across her face.
His younger brother's upper body was covered in sauce as he howled in pain, the hatred and unwillingness in his eyes almost tangible.
Of course, that look wasn't directed at Zhu Yan, but at Auntie.
He didn't understand.
He didn't understand why his own mother was so stupid!
He clearly had a level-two ability, far stronger than the few classmates around him who had level-one abilities.
He had been capable of clearing this instance. He had even managed to break free from the Pseudo-human!
His mother had gotten him killed!
Auntie stood up in a daze. Only after a few seconds did she let out a cry.
Then her eyes rolled back, and she went limp and fainted.
It was hard to blame Auntie. The scene was simply too gruesome.
Zhu Yan's heart pounded wildly. He dug his nails into his palms, desperately suppressing the urge to scream, vomit and faint.
No—those weren't reactions a Pseudo-human should have!
He had to maintain his current state—a state that was "normal" for a Pseudo-human!
The Pseudo-human raised its head from the table, its mouth already smeared with crimson.
"Aren't you eating?" There was nothing human left in its tone.
His younger brother's hand hung over the plate of hot-and-sour chicken wings. The thick metallic smell mingled with the aroma of the food, making Zhu Yan's stomach churn.
Zhu Yan bit down hard on his tongue.
He couldn't throw up. It wasn't over yet.
He wanted to live. He had to keep going.
Zhu Yan forced himself to stay alert and turned to check the time.
Only forty minutes had passed since the instance began.
And he needed to survive for two hours.
"Of course." Zhu Yan's stomach felt uncomfortable, but he imitated the Pseudo-human's true tone. "However, I need a quiet environment in which to eat."
"I'll enjoy my food in the bedroom. Please don't disturb me."
The Pseudo-human had addressed him respectfully, and he didn't know whether that was flattery or normal.
To be cautious, he didn't address the Pseudo-human in the same way.
The Pseudo-human, however, took it for granted.
This Advanced Imposter's attitude was already unbelievably good, so of course it wouldn't disturb him.
The Pseudo-human lowered its head and continued gnawing with wet, squelching sounds.
Zhu Yan hurriedly dragged his unconscious aunt into the bedroom, locked the door behind him and struggled to get her onto the bed.
He still hadn't recovered from the shock of what had just happened. Even in the bedroom, he still didn't dare vomit or cry.
It would be another hour and fifteen minutes before he could truly leave this place.
Until then, the most convenient approach was to keep the Pseudo-human from noticing anything wrong and keep Auntie from truly waking up.
In the living room, the sounds of eating never stopped.
Zhu Yan counted the time bit by bit. That hour and fifteen minutes felt as long as his entire life.
With only two minutes left, the Pseudo-human stopped eating.
There was a polite knock at the bedroom door, and Zhu Yan heard a thoroughly respectful greeting.
"Thank you for your generosity, Advanced Imposter."
"You truly are charming!"
"Have you finished eating? Would you like to leave the instance together?"