A Happy Home

When Ah-Qiang saw his "mother's" cold eyes and strange questioning, he was not afraid at all; instead, his thuggish temper flared up.

He clutched his severed wrist, his face contorted in pain, yet he remained defiant, even attempting to shove "Mom" with his remaining left hand, hurling insults: "Get away! Monster! Don't touch me!"

The smile on "Mom's" face remained unchanged, still the standard smile with a concerned curve, but the emptiness deep in her eyes seemed to have turned into a tangible chill.

"Disobedient children," her voice was terrifyingly soft, "will be punished."

Before the words were even finished, a sudden change occurred!

Her once ordinary arm suddenly had its skin torn apart, and its bones twisted, extended, and deformed in a way that defied common sense. In less than half a second, it transformed into a hideous bone knife that gleamed with a chilling white light and had serrated bone spikes on its edges.

A flash of cold light!

It's faster than the naked eye can perceive!

"Pfft—!"

With a dull thud as a blade sliced ​​through flesh and Ah Qiang's sudden, heart-wrenching scream, a smooth line of blood appeared on his right wrist. The next moment, his right hand was severed at the wrist, falling to the clean floor with a thud, his fingers even twitching reflexively a few times.

Blood gushed from his severed wrist like a burst pipe, instantly staining the carpet beneath his feet. The heavy stench of blood filled the cozy living room.

"Ah—!! My hand! My hand!!" Ah Qiang clutched his bleeding severed arm, collapsed to the ground, and let out a pig-like scream, his face filled with extreme pain and fear.

And "Mom" maintained that chilling smile.

Her arm, which had transformed into a bone scalpel, quickly returned to its original shape, as if the horrific scene just now had been an illusion. She didn't even glance at Ah Qiang, who was screaming on the ground, but instead skillfully walked to the corner of the living room and retrieved a rather old-fashioned family medicine box.

Opening the first-aid kit revealed a chilling contents: rusty scissors, dark-colored gauze emitting a strange smell, a glass bottle containing an unidentified murky liquid, and even several oddly shaped bone needles that looked like they were used for suturing.

She crouched down and used the rusty scissors to cut open the sleeve of Ah Qiang's severed wrist. Her movements were rough and merciless, eliciting another scream from Ah Qiang. Then she picked up the bottle of murky liquid and poured it directly onto the bleeding wound.

"Hiss..." A sound like corrosion rang out, accompanied by Ah Qiang's even more mournful wail. The bleeding from the wound slowed down and congealed at a speed visible to the naked eye, forming a dark red, charred scab.

Then, "Mom" skillfully but without any gentleness wrapped Ah-Qiang's severed wrist with the dark-colored gauze, tying an ugly but sturdy knot.

Throughout the entire process, she wore that formulaic, cold "concerned" smile, as if she were dealing with a minor problem like accidentally breaking a vase or tripping and falling.

"Alright, child, be a good boy next time, okay?" She patted her bandaged wrist, stood up, and gently instructed him.

Ah Qiang was in so much pain that he almost fainted, and could only groan unconsciously. He didn't dare to say a single word of dissent.

This scene completely shocked the other candidates.

Old Wang's face was deathly pale, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he subconsciously took a half step back, clenching his fists tightly.

Xiaolin's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. She covered her mouth tightly to keep from screaming, and her body was shaking like a leaf.

Xiao Mei, who had previously thought she was being clever by hiding the medicine, was now terrified, her face drained of all color.

While her "mother's" attention was still on Ah-Qiang, she hurriedly and secretly stuffed the pills hidden between her fingers into her mouth and swallowed them dry. Because she was too nervous, she choked and her eyes rolled back, but she dared not make a loud noise. She could only desperately pound her chest.

The live stream chat exploded at that moment:

[Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! This is seriously cutting off hands!!!]

[Gravity Warning! Minors, close your eyes!]

[My God! It turned into a bone knife! What kind of monster is this?!]

[Ah Qiang deserved it! The rules were clearly stated, yet he still insisted on courting disaster!]

[Xiao Mei must be terrified! Quickly swallow the hidden pills! Now you know fear?]

Old Wang and Xiao Lin were also terrified; now no one dared to disobey.

[Pay close attention to Shi Mo! He didn't blink once from beginning to end! His expression didn't change at all! Is his mental fortitude made of steel?!]

[So calm! It's like they're just slicing up a cucumber, not witnessing a tragic severed hand!]

Are D-rank dungeons really this terrifying? They chop off hands without warning?! Who can withstand that?!

[It seems that even the lowest-level dungeons in this world of strange rules shouldn't be taken lightly!]

Shi Mo calmly observed the entire process.

From the speed and shape of "Mom's" arm transforming into a bone knife, to the immediacy of the rules' judgment and punishment of A-Qiang's behavior, and then to the effect of that strange medical kit... he seemed to be evaluating the performance of a substandard product.

"Inefficient, crude in its application of power, rigid in its rule-based judgment... truly D-level." He commented inwardly. This level of strangeness and rule-based power was like a child's toy to him.

"Children, were you all frightened? Go back to your rooms and rest." After dealing with A-Qiang, "Mom" turned around, her face once again displaying that "loving" smile, as if nothing had just happened. "When you're sick, you need to rest more and not overwork yourself."

This time, no one dared to raise the slightest objection.

Old Wang and Xiao Lin practically fled, each rushing into a room in the direction their "mother" pointed.

Xiao Mei, her legs trembling, staggered into another room.

"Mom" then dragged the semi-conscious Ah-Qiang into the last room.

Shi Mo was the last to move.

Following his "mother's" instructions, he entered the room assigned to his "son." The room was simply furnished: a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. He walked to the bed, lay down fully clothed, placed his hands on his abdomen, and stared at the ceiling with his heterochromatic eyes, his posture as perfect as someone awaiting burial.

The system whispered in his mind: [Host, good performance! Keep it up! You can close your eyes slightly to appear even weaker!]

Shi Mo ignored it. He simply lay there quietly, sensing the energy flow within the house and the omnipresent sense of being watched by countless "spectators."

This forced portrayal of "sickness and weakness" has only just begun. And the viewers in the live stream have already firmly etched this white-haired, heterochromatic-eyed, incredibly handsome, and mentally strong "sickly son" into their memories.