A Distant Mother

"I'm serious, this is for your own good..."

Xiao Xiao, on the other hand, had given it much thought: What if you become distorted after strengthening?

Whether I lose my 500 points or not is a small matter; the key issue is that it's not good for you.

Since you've already decided to go out and work, it's not unreasonable to ask you to sign a guarantee, right?

Look at those three dogs...

After waiting quietly for a while, I vaguely felt that the music from the Old Gramophone seemed to have become a bit more intense.

It sounds a bit like swearing for some reason?

And whether it was a hallucination or not, when Xiao Xiao looked up, he saw a slender figure flash past behind the white curtains, stretching out sharp nails as if trying to strangle something, but it didn't actually come out.

The music from the Old Gramophone didn't become a language I could use to communicate with myself.

This shows that special items are just that—special items—and are not intelligent enough to communicate directly with themselves.

In addition...

Xiao Xiao stopped and looked towards the end of the street; the Butcher's meat shop was already closed.

The window was dark, and only a faint glow from the television screen could be seen through it.

After buying the Butcher, Xiao Xiao also developed a vague connection with him.

At this point, it can be confirmed that the Butcher is in this room.

After encountering the Pain Hound and the Old Gramophone, Xiao Xiao also developed a strong interest in these special items.

How do they become associated with Pain Substance?

And through what logic was it reinforced?

The Pain Hound are incapable of communication; they understand nothing, only destroying the house and eating sausages. The Old Gramophone, though seemingly a bit mischievous in some ways, still cannot form an effective communication with him. To this day, he has never even seen this record player, which is essentially his own; he can only hear its peculiar musical taste through the window.

But the Butcher is different. From the perspective of the indigenous people, the good thing about him is that he is a complete individual, a living person.

Theoretically speaking, this should be something that can be communicated?

Perhaps, all I have to do is walk over and gently knock on the window to call him out and have a chat with him.

But...

... Xiao Xiao mustered his strength for a long time, but in the end he gave up.

After all, it's too scary...

Thinking back to those four years of severe headaches and panic, everything I saw was distorted and terrifying. The image that terrified me most back then was that Butcher. That impression is deeply ingrained in my mind, almost becoming a shadow...

I wouldn't dare go over there so late at night.

Even if we're going to talk, let's find a sunny afternoon to do it, shall we?

Oh, and for safety reasons, we should also bring Ruan Ruan along.

He sighed silently, putting the chaotic sound of the Old Gramophone out of his mind, and turned to walk home.

Let her think about whether or not she wants to sign the guarantee first.

With points in hand, I'm invincible. I can upgrade whenever I want, right?

However, he didn't know that when he turned his gaze away from the butcher shop, the drunken Butcher was sitting silently on the dilapidated sofa, with only static on the television opposite him, illuminating his numb and empty face.

Beside the sofa lay a chainsaw, long covered in dust, with dried, dark red bits of meat still clinging to its teeth.

The room was dark, with only the faint light from the streetlights outside shining through the window, illuminating a very small area.

The ever-present stench of blood in the room created a depressing and eerie atmosphere.

"Plop plop..."

He didn't eat dinner; instead, he poured cheap, spicy liquor down his throat, burning his heart.

He liked the gloomy environment, the darkness in the room, and he especially liked getting himself drunk until he couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion. Only in this way could he occasionally have a little bit of hallucination, as if he could see the people he had lost.

Suddenly, he realized something, turned his head sharply, and looked at a corner that was engulfed in darkness.

My heart was pounding, as if something was calling to me.

Even the chainsaw next to it, long since abandoned, seemed to exude a sense of joy, as if something was reviving.

However, his stiff body waited for a long time, but in the end, what he expected did not appear.

He slumped back into the sofa and continued to gulp down the cheap liquor.

But for some reason, her already dry eye sockets became somewhat moist again.

Back home, Xiao Xiao tiptoed without making a sound and quietly went back to his bedroom to rest.

The house was dark, the lights were off. Mom must have been asleep long ago. Working at the bar meant she'd be home much later than working at the docks. But that saved him the awkwardness of being with his mom every day, which was exactly what Xiao Xiao needed right now...

After waking up, he was constantly enveloped by a profound sense of alienation.

He could never be close to or trust his mother, after all, he had already seen her other side.

With the city's goodwill towards him, his mother always treated him very well. She never lost her temper so easily again, or looked at him with cold eyes as if she wanted to devour him. Instead, she always showed meticulous care and attention. Many times, Xiao Xiao felt as if he had returned to the past, to a time when nothing had happened.

But is this feeling real or fake?

Is it merely a manifestation of some logic within the city, or was she always loving and caring for herself before being maliciously influenced?

Xiao Xiao couldn't tell the difference.

Because he couldn't tell the difference, he would even instinctively avoid his mother's loving gestures.

Perhaps I really should move out?

Xiao Xiao realized that he now had enough money to rent another apartment in the city.

If all else fails, try getting close to Yang Jia or Ruan Ruan, or even Little Four... that would work too.

They probably wouldn't refuse themselves.

He had had this idea for a long time, and had been consciously saving money ever since he started working at the dock.

After all, once they realized the truth of this world, they felt a strong aversion to living with monsters.

Only...

As he pondered this question, he couldn't help but recall how his "mother" always tried so hard to be good to him...

What's most unbearable about this fake city is that it's too real.

It was an indescribable feeling. Xiao Xiao knew his mother was an imposter and had even seen her transformed into a monster, but he couldn't help but recall how she had taken care of him. As they spent more time together, he found himself forgetting the truth about her being a monster and becoming immersed in this simple yet heartwarming life. After all, she had always been playing the role of his mother...

After all, whenever she came home late, she would always remember to leave food for herself.

Seeing herself with a pretty girl would excite her to go grocery shopping, and she would even show off to her neighbors.

She would feel silently sad when she saw herself sometimes come home and hide in her bedroom without saying a word.

Even as if realizing that he didn't talk to her much, she started leaving notes for him...

These unusual emotions caused Xiao Xiao's originally firm resolve to waver slightly.

Of course, I still have to move out.

But perhaps before moving out, I should do something for my mother, like buying her a gift?

Perhaps we can keep it for her household expenses so she doesn't have to work at the supermarket anymore?

Perhaps, once she's saved enough money, she can renovate the house, since she's complained about the aging water pipes...

Sigh, I'm moving out simply because I don't want to live in this illusion, or even get lost in it.

But do something to make her happy, as a way of repaying her for all the efforts she's made...

As he pondered this, he returned to his bedroom, took off his shoes, and prepared to wash up and rest.

But this time, when he arrived in the living room, he suddenly felt something was wrong and turned to look at his mother's room.

It was quiet, so quiet.

As an observer, he always possessed an extraordinary sensitivity, able to vaguely perceive even things invisible to the naked eye. Yet, at this moment, he had a strange feeling. Looking at the tightly closed bedroom door, a certain intuition told him that no one was inside.

Feeling a little uneasy, he walked over, raised his hand, and wanted to knock on the door.

But then he put it down, and with a slight thought, the flesh on his shoulder silently split open, and a dark red eye slowly flew out.

With a thought, Xiao Xiao's eye silently flew into his mother's bedroom.

The dark red light immediately brought the bedroom environment into Xiao Xiao's view, which surprised him somewhat.

My mother's bed was neatly made, with no sign of anyone having rested there.

Mom still hasn't come home. Is she working the night shift?

No, although she sometimes works the night shift, she always gets home around midnight.

It is now past 2 a. m.

So, where did Mom go?

Xiao Xiao's mood was extremely strange; for some inexplicable reason, he even felt a faint sense of worry.

"Ding-a-ling..."

Just then, Xiao Xiao's phone rang.

In the silent, dark room, it seemed extremely out of place, and Xiao Xiao tensed up for a moment before picking up the phone.

The number on the screen was unfamiliar. Xiao Xiao hesitated for a moment before answering:

"Hey, is that Xiao Xiao? You little rascal, I finally found your phone number..."

"I'm your Aunt Zhang..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao was utterly taken aback. "Who is Aunt Zhang?"

"I'm your mom's colleague. We're really close. I even went with her to get a lucky charm for you before..."

The woman on the phone spoke quickly, seemingly realizing that Xiao Xiao might not recognize her. She hurriedly introduced herself and urged, "You need to come to the hospital quickly, your mother is here... I wanted to call you this afternoon, but I couldn't get her phone on. I finally managed to get a colleague at the supermarket to find your mother's emergency number so I could call you..."

"Etc..."

Xiao Xiao was suddenly taken aback. "The hospital?"

"What happened?"

"..."

"Oh dear, it's all because of that vixen your dad found. She brought some people to your house to look at the property, and your mom got into a fight with her. Her younger brother even tried to hit her; he looked like a thug and was really fierce. He pushed your mom to the ground, and your mom was so angry..."

"She had a heart attack! Luckily, I was chatting with you at your house, which helped me get her to the hospital..."

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Thanks to the Silver Alliance member, Ash! This is what Old Ghost earned from his hard work last night (no doge emoji).