A Happy Home

The evening shadows, like thick ink, seeped into every corner of the "Happy Home".

In the hallway, "Mom's" voice arrived as expected, its overly gentle tone echoing in the silence, carrying a sticky, irresistible penetrating power: "Children~ come out for dinner~ Mom made your~ favorite~ dishes~"

The drawn-out syllable, like a cold snake, coiled around the heart of each candidate. The doors to the four rooms were pushed open one after another, making a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

Old Wang, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Mei walked out with heavy steps, their faces appearing even more ashen in the dim light.

The stench of blood in the air seemed even stronger than during the day, mixed with a slightly cloying, nauseating sweetness of rotting meat. The source of the smell was unknown; it might be emanating from Ah Qiang's room, or... perhaps from the kitchen.

A-Qiang was half-dragged and half-carried out by his "mother". He had almost lost all his strength, and the gauze wrapped around his broken wrist was soaked with dark red and yellowish-green pus, emitting a strong stench.

His eyes were vacant, his lips were cracked, and only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still alive. He was placed in a chair next to the dining table, his body limp against the back of the chair, like a marionette about to fall apart.

Inside the restaurant, the hanging chandelier emitted a dim, yellowish light that, instead of bringing warmth, made the scene on the table resemble some kind of eerie altar.

The table was indeed laden with "sumptuous" dishes.

The main course in the center was no longer just "raw steak." It resembled a piece of unprocessed meat, freshly torn from some large creature. Dark red muscle fibers twisted and knotted, with white layers of fat embedded within like worms. Even more chilling was the small piece of skin with curly hair seemingly clinging to the edge of the meat. Deep red blood seeped continuously from beneath the meat, pooling at the bottom of the plate, almost overflowing like a miniature pool of blood. Accompanying it was a black sauce as thick as tar, with an occasional bubble rising to the surface, releasing an even stronger, sweet and pungent odor when it burst, as if it were alive.

The bread in the basket was not only covered in mold spots, but the mold seemed to be wriggling slightly, displaying an ominous blue-green color.

The lettuce leaves in the vegetable salad were not only wilted and yellow, but the edges were also rotten black and crawling with tiny, maggot-like white creatures.

The dark red liquid in each person's cup, when viewed under the light, seemed to contain tiny, fibrous substances floating in it. Upon closer inspection, in addition to the smell of rust, there was also a fishy, ​​pungent odor, as if it were the smell of ruptured internal organs.

"Ugh—Ugh!" Kobayashi couldn't hold it in any longer and bent over to vomit. The little acid he had in his stomach mixed with bile and splashed onto the floor.

Old Wang's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He closed his eyes tightly, unable to bear looking any longer, and the veins on his forehead throbbed as he tried to suppress his emotions.

Xiao Mei let out a short scream, then immediately covered her mouth with her hand, her nails digging deep into the soft flesh of her cheeks, leaving several bloody marks. She trembled all over like a leaf in the wind, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

Stimulated by Xiaolin's vomiting, Aqiang also let out an even more violent dry heave, as if he were coughing up his internal organs, and the gauze at the severed wrist was instantly stained red with fresh blood.

"Mom" stood at the head of the table, her loving smile appearing particularly eerie in the dim light.

She seemed completely oblivious to the horrific scene before her, and to the suffocating stench. Her voice remained as gentle as could be: "Sit down, children. When you're sick, you need to eat well. Look, Mom has been busy for so long; this is all your 'favorites'."

She emphasized the word "favorite," her gaze like a cold searchlight, sweeping over the vomiting Xiaolin and the trembling Xiaomei, finally settling precisely on Shi Mo, the only one standing upright with a hint of... interest on his face.

Shi Mo calmly pulled out a chair and sat down with a smooth and natural motion, as if he were in a top-notch restaurant. His heterochromatic eyes glowed slightly in the dim light; the red one resembled congealed blood, while the golden one looked like the eye of a predator eyeing its prey.

He paid no attention to his companions' reactions, his gaze fixed intently on the huge piece of raw meat in the center, even tilting his head slightly as if assessing its "quality".

Under the horrified gazes of everyone (and countless viewers holding their breath in the live stream), he elegantly picked up the knife and fork. The movement, with its ancient aristocratic reserve and precision, was so out of place with its surroundings that it sent chills down one's spine.

The sharp knife sliced ​​into the raw meat with a sizzling sound, easily severing the tough fascia. Dark red blood flowed down the blade.

He steadily picked up a piece of almost completely raw meat, larger than his thumb, with his fork; the meat even trembled slightly on the fork. Without the slightest hesitation, he slowly put it into his mouth.

Then he began to chew.

There was no discomfort on his face; on the contrary, he had a focused expression that resembled an appreciation.

His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were savoring the sensation of flesh tearing between his teeth, tasting the raw, bloody flavor spreading in his mouth. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the undercooked chunk of meat with a clear "gulp." The sound echoed in the deathly silent restaurant, assaulting everyone's eardrums.

Then, he picked up the glass of murky, dark red liquid.

The liquid slid down his throat, and his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he was not entirely satisfied with the complex, pungent taste of entrails. But he still swallowed it, and even stuck out his tongue to gently lick away a trace of dark red that had stained his lips.

Throughout the entire process, he acted not so much as if he were eating, but rather as if he were performing an elegant yet cruel ritual. An inhuman, predatory indifference and elegance were fully displayed in him.

Looking at Shi Mo, the "mother's" formulaic smile melted away like ice and snow, becoming unusually real and...fervent? Her eyes were frighteningly bright, staring intently at Shi Mo's every move, as if admiring a masterpiece of art.

"Is it delicious, my child?" Her voice trembled slightly, a mixture of anticipation, approval, and even...admiration. "Mom specially prepared this for you, the freshest... 'ingredients,' it's very nourishing."

Shi Mo put down his empty cup, picked up a clean white napkin, and slowly wiped his mouth. His strangely beautiful eyes met his "mother's" gaze, calm and unwavering, as if he had just eaten ordinary food.

"Not bad," he commented casually, his tone as flat as if he were commenting on the weather. "The flesh is firm, and the blood... is fairly sweet."

[In the live stream, the chat went completely crazy, even experiencing a brief pause before erupting in an explosive burst:]

【!! What the hell did I just see?! He ate it! He really ate it! And he even commented on it?!】

[Ugh—!! I can't take it anymore, I'm throwing up! I can smell it even through the screen! That meat is definitely toxic!]

[Help! He's licking his lips! He seems...enjoying it?! My SAN value is plummeting!]

This is absolutely not human! Absolutely not! What normal person would eat that kind of stuff and call it "sweet and delicious"?!

But...but don't you guys think...the way he eats...that calm, cruel elegance...is so...so alluring...(Am I going crazy?)

[+1!!! It's so terrifying, but seeing him eat...that kind of thing with such a handsome face and such elegant movements...this extreme contrast...I'm actually... a little hooked? (I'm guilty, I repent)]

"Firm flesh, sweet blood..." Holy crap, are you a food critic?! Are you commenting on human flesh?! (So terrified he's rambling incoherently)

[If this were in a manga... this scene would be absolutely divine! A yandere beauty elegantly eating (?) and stuff... But! This is reality! Ugh! But... he's so seductive! (Currently experiencing a split personality)]

The way his mother looked at him was strange! Completely strange! It wasn't the way she looked at her 'son' anymore! It was... the way she looked at one of her own kind!

Old Wang, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Mei looked at Shi Mo with fear reaching its peak.

They no longer saw him as just a strange, powerful figure, but rather as an incomprehensible, terrifying being on par with "Mom." Ah-Qiang slumped completely in his chair, his eyes rolling back, barely breathing.

"Mom" was extremely satisfied with Shi Mo's answer, and her smile almost stretched to her ears: "I'm glad you like it! I'm glad you like it! Eat more! Eat more so you can grow strong!" She eagerly pushed the plate towards Shi Mo.

Then, she turned to look at the others. Her smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold indifference, her eyes like two poisoned icicles: "And you?" Her voice was devoid of warmth. "Is the meal Mom painstakingly prepared not to your liking?"

Old Wang, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Mei stared at their "mother's" lifeless eyes, then glanced at Shi Mo, who was slowly and methodically cutting a second piece of raw meat. A wave of overwhelming fear washed over them like an icy tide. Eat, and they might die, or turn into monsters; don't eat, and they'd die instantly!

The dining table became a judgment seat of despair, and the silver-haired "companion" was now more terrifying in their eyes than the "mother" wielding the bone knife.