Dad, rest in peace

But a few days earlier, his computer at work had suddenly crashed, and a blood-red questionnaire had popped up on the pitch-black screen.

[Do you long for family affection? Do you long for a warm, loving home?]

Yu Qing had paused for a moment, then clicked [Yes].

Then, on his way home from work, the subway station had been sealed off without warning.

Yu Qing had waited nearly an hour, unable to get a taxi, and could only board a battered old bus in a daze.

The bus creaked and swayed. It should have been only five stops, yet it kept going until dawn.

Gradually, he had grown sleepy. His head had lolled to one side, and when he opened his eyes again, he was home.

This place was exactly like the apartment he had bought, except for the dad and mom he didn't recognize.

Murderous clowns running wild, a mayor's announcements that defied all reason.

Everything was wrong!

This... wasn't a normal world!

"I... I..." Yu Qing clasped his hands, expertly coaxing tears into the corners of his eyes.

His face was rather round, and his naturally large, almond-shaped eyes made his expression look all the more innocent and sincere. "I... I brought some dessert for you and Mom yesterday, but someone accidentally bumped into me on the way and spilled it, so I killed him. I didn't mean to."

He remembered the scattered bits of information about the rules he had just heard: he had to be honest with his parents.

If he wasn't, something might happen.

So he glossed over the murder as though it were nothing and continued without pausing for breath. "I know you and Mom work so hard every day, and you're both hungry. I've failed you as your child. I shouldn't have spilled the dessert. It's all my fault. Please punish me. I'll definitely..."

"All... uh... all right." Mom interrupted him. "I thought it was something serious. It's fine."

After saying that, Mom paused, clearly having missed the crucial detail. Her icy hand brushed over his shoulder. "Dinner's almost ready. Your dad has to go to work in a bit. Keep him company for a while."

With that, she headed back toward the kitchen, muttering in a voice full of disappointment, "We're running short of meat again. We can't eat so much today..."

Mom walked away.

Yet the aggrieved look on Yu Qing's face didn't fade at all. He took a tentative step, slowly approaching Dad. "But I... I still feel guilty."

"You... work so hard. How about... I give you a shave before dinner?"

"?" What a strange request.

Dad looked at him warily.

But Yu Qing's eyes brimmed with tears. He bent his slender body forward, humbling himself as he tried to please Dad with painstaking care. "I just noticed your beard was getting long. There's... there's nothing else..."

His words began to falter, his voice choking up, as though he feared that a single wrong move would bring disaster.

Dad stared at him, his eyes shifting. His expression slowly grew haughty, as though he was very pleased with Yu Qing's fear.

Then he leaned back against the sofa and offered a word of praise. "How thoughtful."

Afterward, he reclined on the sofa and slowly closed his eyes.

Only then did Yu Qing finally take out the thing he had kept hidden inside his coat-

A hand covered in dried blood, still gripping a knife!

It was the clown's hand!

Yes, this wasn't Yu Qing's first day here. He had already spent eleven whole days in this place!

Eleven days! He vaguely remembered a mechanical female voice abruptly appearing in his mind when he got off the bus.

It had told him that if he successfully survived ten days here, he would receive a reward.

But there had been nothing!

He had fought to stay alive, trembling as he avoided every monstrous thing in this place.

It had been eleven days. There was no reward, and no way out.

The overwhelming despair had left Yu Qing restless and irritable.

So he had deliberately gone out one night and bought dessert for his parents. Then, smack-

He had smashed the dessert into a clown consumed by bloodlust, then killed the clown right there on the street and chopped off its hand.

Afterward, his wrist had hurt for an entire day, as though it were broken. It felt like punishment.

Yu Qing understood-he couldn't kill "people" at will.

Since clowns were the only ones in this city allowed to kill "people" freely without punishment, then...

"Dad, rest in peace."

Yu Qing's face was rather round, with a hint of baby fat visible on closer inspection. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the clown's hand, pointing the knife downward.

Squish-

Dad's chest was sliced wide open. There was no blood, only a hollow cavity billowing black smoke.

Yu Qing, who had braced himself to be drenched in blood, froze.

As though he had narrowly escaped disaster, a little color returned to his pale face. His chest heaved.

"Dad, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." His mind raced, and he still obeyed the rule requiring him to be honest with his parents, his eyes brimming with tears. "I... I wanted to shave you. My hand slipped."

Then, without wasting a moment, he turned toward the kitchen. "Mom, are we short of meat? I'll go buy some!"

Mom seemed to be craving it badly. She agreed without a second thought.

That gave him enough time to drag Dad out of the apartment, cut off one hollow arm, and hurry into the kitchen.

With a thunk, he set the arm on the cutting board.

Yu Qing had been blessed with a fair, sweet-looking face. It was a gift from heaven.

His voice was gentle, his eyes jet-black. When he tilted his head slightly, his long white hair slid across his shoulder. He looked so soft and obedient that people couldn't help liking him.

"Mom, here's the meat I brought..."

Before he could finish, Yu Qing noticed his mother's features gradually twisting. Black smoke rose from her shapely body as it mutated outward from her waist in both directions.

Yu Qing kept smiling as though he hadn't noticed. "What's wrong, Mom? Is something the matter?"

Even as he spoke, his feet were already inching toward the kitchen doorway. The moment he stepped outside, he slammed the door shut with a bang.

Heavy pounding came from behind the door. "Qingqing! Qingqing!"

Mom seemed frightened. She shouted, "You bought the wrong meat! You bought the wrong meat!"

Yu Qing ignored her and hauled at the bolt with all his strength. When he finally locked it, he let out a harsh, gasping breath.

So these things could tell the difference. They wouldn't eat their own kind.

The door won't hold...!

Knock, knock, knock-

Suddenly, someone knocked! Yu Qing's heart jolted, and he fixed a wary stare on the front door.

Wisps of black smoke seeped into the apartment, and he caught a thick, bloody smell.

Knock, knock, knock-

"Who is it?"

Knock, knock, knock-

Yu Qing's grip tightened. He was just about to ask again when he heard a sudden crack-

A knife pierced the front door, blood dripping from its tip.

Yu Qing's heart lurched again. Drawing a breath, he tiptoed to one side, pulled back the curtain, and quietly peered through the little window...

Outside stood someone holding a sharp knife, a clown mask heralding death on their face and blood splattered all over their body.

As though they had caught the scent of a living person, they were smiling as they frantically slashed at his door!

Riiip-

Riiip-

The pure white wooden door teetered on the verge of collapse. The sound of splintering wood grew more violent with every slash. It was about to give way and be torn open!

Yu Qing swallowed. There was nowhere to run. He slowly backed toward the kitchen door...