Mom's Anniversary 8

The two silently exchanged a look.

There was no longer a sound outside the door.

Lu Mi wanted to open the door and look, but whatever was outside might still be there, so he decided to wait a little longer.

The lingering stench of blood was so strong it made him want to vomit. He could hardly ignore it.

Lu Mi found a mop in the bathroom and mopped up the pool of blood.

He couldn't get it completely clean, but at least it wasn't quite so disturbing anymore.

He put the mop back where it belonged. Seeing that Roman had slipped back onto the bed while he wasn't looking, he couldn't be bothered to chase him off. He whispered, "Doesn't that smell bother you?"

Roman pointed at his mask. "Do you think I wear this for decoration?"

Just then, the clock downstairs began chiming again. Lu Mi counted carefully. It was already ten at night.

I have to get to bed, now!

An eerie knocking suddenly sounded at the door, and a cold, sinister voice drifted in. "Child, are you asleep?"

It was "Mom," making her rounds two hours earlier than yesterday.

Lu Mi sprang into action, half dragging and half kicking Roman into the wardrobe to hide before lying down on the bed himself and pretending to sleep.

He had only been lying there for a few seconds and hadn't yet calmed his nerves when he heard a click. The door opened.

The hallway light stabbed at his eyes. Even through his closed eyelids, he could vaguely make out a figure approaching the bed, one sticky step at a time.

"He's asleep."

The woman tilted her head slightly.

"But... is he really asleep?"

Her face drew closer and closer to his until only a few millimeters separated them.

Lu Mi felt that icy presence settle over him. He held himself utterly still, wishing desperately that he had gone to sleep facing away from the door.

But he couldn't move now. He did his best to ignore "Mom" right in front of him, keeping his eyes still and his breathing steady, as though he really were asleep.

After they remained like that for who knew how long, "Mom" finally drew her head back:

"He's asleep, asleep. I need to check on the next child."

Lu Mi didn't let his guard down at her words. Yet he never could have expected that, even after "Mom" had reached the door, an icy hand would suddenly grab the ankle he had tucked beneath the covers-

The hand felt around gently, as if it were about to tickle the sole of his foot.

This is bad! Lu Mi thought. I'm really ticklish!

Bang-

A noise came from outside the door, as though something had been knocked over.

The hand paused. The figure standing in the doorway said, "Who is it now, wandering around outside instead of sleeping..."

Lu Mi felt the bone-chilling hand release his foot.

Warmth slowly returned beneath the covers. "Mom" disappeared from the doorway, and the door slowly closed by itself.

He waited a little longer before cautiously climbing out of bed and opening the wardrobe. It was empty.

"I'm over here."

He looked toward the voice. At some point, Roman had returned to his bed and was now blinking innocently at him.

Lu Mi didn't know whether to laugh or get angry. "What, do you like my bed that much?"

Roman, meanwhile, looked rather pleased with himself as he sought credit. "Did you hear that noise just now?"

"I heard it."

"Me." Roman pointed at himself with his index finger. "I risked my life to make that happen."

"Yes, yes, yes. Great job!" Lu Mi didn't believe Roman had been in any danger, but he praised him out of gratitude anyway. "Then I wonder if the amazing Roman could help me check what's going on outside?"

Roman looked puzzled. "What are you planning to do? Sleeping is the safest thing to do right now."

Lu Mi ignored him and crouched by the crack in the door to peer outside. "I need to make sure it's finished checking all the rooms and left before it's safe. But this person outside..."

He took a closer look. The person lay twisted at odd angles in front of his door, with a trail of blood stretching beneath her all the way to the other end of the hallway. It looked as though she had been dragged the whole way.

Her face had been stabbed into a bloody mess, and neither wrist had a bracelet.

"It's that newcomer." Lu Mi sighed.

The girl had survived until just now, so she must have had some sense of caution. Unfortunately, she had believed Xu Zhi completely. She had probably really thought "Mom" wouldn't come out to check the rooms until midnight, and that was why...

Roman was still on the bed, fiddling with his fingers. Lu Mi tried to goad him. "Why aren't you saying anything? Don't tell me you're not actually that impressive?"

Roman huffed. "It's not like I'm all-knowing and all-powerful..."

Lu Mi immediately pressed him. "Then what are you? An NPC in this game?"

At that question, Roman's expression instantly fell. He seemed unwilling to discuss the subject.

Lu Mi pursed his lips. "Fine, don't tell me. I'll go myself."

Once he reckoned "Mom" had finished her rounds, he opened the door as quietly as he could.

The hallway lights had already gone out, so he went back to fetch a small lamp.

The room was empty. Roman had already left.

Lu Mi figured that once he left this instance, they would never meet again anyway, even if they hadn't fallen out. Roman was just someone passing through his life.

The hallway was silent. Lu Mi held the lamp, making sure its glow was bright enough to let him see the way ahead, but not so bright that it would attract trouble.

The stench of decay crept into his nostrils. The young man whose throat had been pierced that morning still lay stiffly where he had fallen, and he had already begun to smell.

Lu Mi carefully skirted around him, not daring to look at his expression. He had looked like something straight out of a horror movie even in daylight, let alone at night.

He couldn't help wondering whether these bodies would just remain where they were if they didn't disappear automatically and the game's NPCs did nothing about them.

At the turn in the stairs, he heard a noise and quickly crouched down, hiding the little lamp beneath his jacket.

Was "Mom" still patrolling this late?

The sound came from the second floor. It sounded like an ordinary person's footsteps, so he quietly glanced up-

Judging by his build and the way he walked, it was Xu Zhi.

He lingered outside one of the rooms for a while, reaching for the handle several times, only to lower his hand again.

Finally, he looked both ways and hurried back to his own room.

Lu Mi thought back. That seemed to be Room 208.

It looked as though there really was an important clue inside, but going in to investigate would be very risky.

Still, Xu Zhi was a more experienced veteran, after all. His willingness to wander around after the room checks gave Lu Mi a little more courage.

He took a deep breath, went downstairs, and headed straight for the kitchen.

He wanted to know what "Mom" was guarding so carefully, and whether the refrigerator held what he suspected.

If he really stayed in his room all night as "Mom" demanded, he might be safe for the time being, but he could very well lose his chance to find any clues.

He didn't want to be the kind of person Ning Zhuangzhuang had described, someone who coasted to victory on other people's efforts.

With that thought, Lu Mi placed his hand on the edge of the refrigerator door, just as he had during the day.

"What do you think? Is there human flesh inside?" A voice suddenly sounded right beside his ear, giving Lu Mi a terrible fright.