Midnight

11:55 p.m.

The time Chen Jiabin left Doctor Lan's Private Clinic.

Over the past seven minutes, he had experienced the darkest moments of his life.

If he hadn't become Doctor Lan's assistant, he never would have believed you could pull such things out of a patient's stomach.

Fingers, watches, tree branches, live mice, TV remote controls, hair, feet...

When he pulled those things out of the patient's stomach, he had nearly fainted on the spot.

Were those things even edible?

How could they possibly not give you an upset stomach?

Afterward, Doctor Lan stitched up the patient's mouth, which had split open a full 360 degrees. The patient acted as if nothing had happened and even thanked the doctor.

When he left the clinic, he felt as if his soul had left his body.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle!!!"

Just then, the trees in the park rustled eerily in the darkness.

The sound jolted Chen Jiabin back to his senses. Only then did he realize he had less than five minutes to get back and go to sleep.

At that thought, he took off running.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle!!!"

"Scritch, scritch~~~"

As soon as he ran, it seemed like something in the woods and the undergrowth started chasing after him.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!!!"

"Chitter, chitter, chitter!!!"

Before he had run a hundred meters, Chen Jiabin saw a terrifying monster covered in jointed legs crawling down the exterior wall of a building ahead. The continuous clacking of its limbs and shell made a shrill, grating sound like fingernails scraping against a wall, enough to make anyone squirm!

On a patch of grass not far away, a gigantic, mountain-sized blob of a monster lay sprawled on the ground. Its head had a mouth like a volcanic crater, and with every breath it exhaled a moth covered in tentacles. Before long, dozens of those creatures were flying over the lawn.

Everything happening in the darkness nearly scared Chen Jiabin to death on the spot.

Over that short stretch of a few hundred meters, Chen Jiabin swore he ran faster than he ever had in his life.

23:57

Chen Jiabin reached the elevator lobby downstairs, drenched in cold sweat.

"Seventeen... nineteenth floor..."

"Damn it, there's no time!"

Both elevators were stopped on upper floors. Waiting a minute for one to come down, then taking another minute to ride up, would waste too much time.

At that rate, he wouldn't make it.

"The stairwell!"

At that thought, Chen Jiabin rushed toward the stairs.

His apartment wasn't on a high floor.

Just the fifth.

"If I go as fast as I can, I can make it up in thirty seconds."

He took a deep breath and charged up the stairs, taking five steps at a time.

Second floor

Third floor

Fourth floor

"Guh... guh... guh..."

Just as he was about to reach the fifth floor, an extremely eerie sound came from above. It was like a gravely ill old man groaning, or like someone with thick phlegm stuck in their throat. It was utterly terrifying.

Chen Jiabin's scalp instantly prickled.

His steps slowed despite himself.

But then he remembered that he had less than two minutes. If he delayed any longer, he was as good as dead.

He could only grit his teeth and keep going.

He charged up to the fifth floor in one breath, catching sight of a monster like a Human-faced Spider crouched on the stairs leading to the sixth floor.

He rushed into the apartment, took out his key, unlocked the door, shut it, ran into the bedroom, and jumped onto the bed, completing the whole sequence in one fluid motion.

"Thirty seconds left!"

Chen Jiabin lay on the bed, drenched in sweat.

He hadn't even turned on the light.

With all the tension, fear, and unease, on top of the exhaustion from running, there was no way he could fall asleep—let alone pass out instantly.

He took out a syringe he'd prepared in advance and, without hesitation, jabbed it into the back of his hand.

"Hurry up, hurry up, faster!"

He had considered that he might not be able to fall asleep, so he had secretly taken a dose of intravenous anesthetic from the clinic.

The pitch-black night fog descended, like dark clouds pressing down from above, enveloping the entire residential complex.

The black fog seemed alive, turning into countless wisps of dark vapor that darted wildly around the complex.

The park, Lotus Pond, paths, and woods were slowly swallowed by the black fog.

The stairwells, balconies, windows, living rooms, and bedrooms—it found its way everywhere, as if no one could keep it out.

"Ten seconds left."

"10"

"9"

"3"

"2"

"1"

Chen Jiabin suddenly opened his eyes, his emotions in shambles. "Impossible! Intravenous anesthetic knocks you unconscious in six seconds. It's already been ten!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!"

Just then, wisps of dark vapor slipped through the crack under the door. They surged into the room like a swarm of black bees, as though they had caught the scent of food.

Chen Jiabin's expression changed drastically. He looked down at the syringe in the back of his hand.

The needle had pierced his hand, but it hadn't gone into a vein. The anesthetic hadn't entered his bloodstream, which meant it wouldn't work.

Chen Jiabin had never imagined that after preparing for everything, he'd make a mistake at the very last step.

"Tick, tick."

Time: 00:00

Chen Jiabin was in complete despair.

"It's over!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the black fog turned into several terrifying streams of vapor and poured into Chen Jiabin's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose...

The fourth day.

The morning sunlight was exceptionally bright.

This was the first time Li Ran had seen sunlight inside an instance.

Basking in the sun, he felt as if the gloom of the past few days had been swept away.

"Do you think this outfit will outshine the other students' moms?"

Su Bingyao wore a simple yet elegant pink dress. The high-waisted bow belt made her already tall figure look even more perfect, while the V-neck framed her graceful swan neck just right. Paired with light-colored high heels and a matching handbag, she looked elegant and refined.

She walked slowly toward Li Ran. The sunlight fell just right on her fair, exquisite face, and a light touch of makeup made her look even more regal.

"Among a thousand blossoms, one enchanting glance; all earthly beauty fades to dust."

The moment Su Bingyao walked toward him, Li Ran couldn't help saying the line.

"You're exaggerating," Su Bingyao said with a smile, covering her mouth.

"I mean it."

Li Ran's earnest expression made Su Bingyao's beautiful eyes flicker. Her cheeks flushed, and she shyly turned her gaze away.

"Is our son dressed? We should get going."

"Coming!"

Li Ziyang ran out of the room. "Wow, Mom, you look beautiful!"

Su Bingyao patted her son's head and took his hand. "Let's go. Off to school."

At that moment, Li Ran couldn't help thinking, If only time could stop right here.

"Ding~!"

The elevator arrived, and its doors slowly opened.

Li Ran immediately stepped forward and shielded Su Bingyao and their son behind him.

However, no one was inside the elevator.

Su Bingyao and Li Ziyang looked at Li Ran in confusion.

"Better to be careful when we leave," Li Ran said.

"Okay, I'll listen to you," Su Bingyao replied.

Li Ran relaxed a little.

If he were alone, he could use Shadow Escape to get downstairs directly.

But now he had his whole family with him, so they had to take the elevator.

What he feared most was running into the Demon King of Killing in the elevator.

Fortunately...

They made it to the underground parking garage without a hitch, then drove straight to their son's school.

Li Ran had an uneasy feeling.

"I hope the school doesn't pull any weird stunts."

Everyone, your support means everything to this book. Every bit of engagement helps: adding it to your collection, voting for it, following along, commenting, or leaving a tip. All of it helps keep the story going. Little Stove is deeply grateful.