A Happy Home

Dinner eventually ended in a suffocatingly eerie atmosphere.

Old Wang and Xiao Lin practically gulped down the moldy bread, their throats feeling like they were stuffed with sandpaper, each swallow accompanied by the urge to gag. Xiao Mei touched the relatively "intact" leaf in the salad with the tip of her fork, but the leaf instantly turned into a black, slimy substance. She was so frightened that she almost dropped the fork and dared not move again. A-Qiang slumped in his chair like a broken doll, unresponsive to everything around him, only the faint rise and fall of his chest proving that he was not completely gone.

"Mom" silently tidied up the tableware, the plates and dishes clinking together with a crisp yet cold sound.

The usual kind smile on her face vanished, replaced by a deep, unsettling indifference. She didn't look at anyone, but her silent discontent permeated every corner of the restaurant like a chilling current.

Before going to sleep, she gathered the five people (barely counted as five) back into the living room. The dim light cast flickering shadows on her face, making her expression appear exceptionally solemn, even... with a kind of religious fervor.

"Children," her voice was low and clear, each word seemingly etched into the air, "remember your mother's words. Go to bed early at night. No matter what you hear—"

She paused, her gaze slowly sweeping over everyone, finally lingering for a moment on Shi Mo's expressionless face.

"—No matter what sound you hear—crying, whispering, footsteps… or… anything else—absolutely, absolutely do not leave your room."

Her tone hardened, carrying an unquestionable, almost curse-like severity: "Don't open the door, don't be curious, don't respond. Tonight... the 'things' outside... are very hungry."

She replaced the word "unsafe" with "very hungry," instantly imbuing the night with an indescribable, vivid terror.

Old Wang and the girls nodded emphatically, as if they wanted to etch those words into their bones. A-Qiang let out a muffled whimper. Shi Mo remained unresponsive, but his heterochromatic pupils reflected a cold light under the lamplight, as if he already knew everything.

They each returned to their cage-like rooms. The night, like thick ink, completely engulfed the house.

late at night.

The absolute silence lasted for less than an hour.

Then, it came.

"Thump...thump...thump..."

Heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Those weren't the footsteps of humans; they sounded more like some enormous, clumsy creature with twisted joints measuring this limited space with its faltering steps. Each step landed between heartbeats, carrying a sticky, fleshy texture.

Then came the dragging sound of "ripping...ripping..." The sound was slow and continuous, as if something heavy and rough was being forcibly rubbed against the floor. Occasionally, there would be a soft "crack" like bones breaking, and the "drip" of liquid dripping.

A faint, sweeter, and fresher smell of blood seemed to begin to waft through the air than at dinner.

Amidst this chilling background noise, a faint, yet piercing sob, like an ice pick, broke through the air. The cry was not of any normal age; it was filled with despair, pain, and an inhuman resentment, as if it came from the cracks of hell, specifically designed to burrow into the listener's mind.

The candidates' mental fortitude was put to the ultimate test:

Xiaolin curled up in the darkest corner under the bed, wrapped herself up in the blanket, and didn't dare to show even a single hair.

She bit her lip hard to stifle a scream, the taste of blood filling her mouth. Her body trembled uncontrollably, tears and cold sweat mingling and soaking her clothes. She prayed frantically in her heart, begging this nightmare to end quickly.

Xiaomei's heart was pounding in her chest. She pressed herself against the door, her ear pressed tightly against the cold door panel. The dragging and footsteps so close at hand sent chills down her spine.

A strong curiosity and a desire for "exclusive footage" gnawed at her like a venomous snake.

Trembling, she slowly, bit by bit, peered through the tiny crack at the bottom of the door... just as she was about to catch a glimpse of what was happening outside—

"Don't look if you don't want to die!" Old Wang's suppressed growl, filled with fear and anger, exploded in her mind like thunder. "That thing... might be fishing!"

Xiao Mei jerked her head back, collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, a wave of fear washing over her as if doused with ice water. Old Wang's warning made her realize that what lay outside the door was not just terror, but also intelligent malice.

Ah-Qiang's situation was the most tragic.

The excruciating pain, high fever, and extreme fear had robbed him of his sanity.

He huddled in the corner of the bed, his eyes wide open, pupils unfocused, uttering meaningless hoarse sounds. With each footstep approaching his door, he could feel the invisible malice piercing through the door as if it were a tangible substance, licking at his soul. He felt like a piece of meat placed on a chopping board, waiting to be dragged away and dismembered.

And Shi Mo...

He lay flat on the bed, in a relaxed posture. His long, silvery-white hair spread out on the pillow like a stream under the moonlight. His heterochromatic eyes were closed, and his long eyelashes cast quiet shadows beneath them.

His breathing was long, steady, and even, without the slightest disturbance.

Fell asleep.

He not only fell asleep, but slept extremely soundly, even... peacefully?

The symphony outside the door—enough to drive a normal person to a mental breakdown and sanity collapse—hearing heavy footsteps, the dragging of flesh and blood, the venomous weeping, and the pervasive stench of blood, was filtered and analyzed by an invisible barrier.

Boring. That was his only assessment, or rather, not even an assessment, but merely an instinctive feeling. Just like how humans don't pay attention to ants crawling in the corner.

He could even spare a sliver of his attention to pinpoint that, in the early hours of the morning, "Mom" had appeared silently outside his door like a ghost. The lock made no sound, and the door was pushed open a crack.

"Mom" didn't come in immediately, but stood quietly at the door, gazing at him "sleeping" on the bed.

That gaze was no longer simply "compassion" or "scrutiny," but rather a mixture of too many indescribable emotions—an almost obsessive protectiveness, a sadness buried deep within the core of the rules, but more than that... a cautious, awe-inspiring inquiry. As if confirming something, or as if observing through him some grander, more essential existence.

She walked silently to the bedside, her movements as gentle as if afraid to disturb a fragile dream. She reached out and tucked the blanket around him, her fingertips pausing slightly as if electrocuted when they touched his cool silver hair, before slowly withdrawing her hand with an indescribable tenderness.

She stood by the bed for a long time, so long that time seemed to stand still. Finally, as if blending into the shadows, she quietly retreated and gently closed the door.

Throughout, Shi Mo's breathing rate remained unchanged. But he knew that "Mom's" unusual behavior, and the complex emotions in her eyes that transcended the rules of the game, all pointed to one fact—she might have instinctively sensed a small part of his true nature.

In the live stream, after the initial barrage of fear, viewers gradually discovered a fact that sent chills down their spines:

[Ahhh, it's over! Those footsteps stopped right in front of my (Imagine Kobayashi) door for at least a minute! I almost peed my pants!]

What is that being dragged?! And there's a dripping sound! I can't believe it! (Collapsed)

The crying sounded like a little girl? No, it sounded like an old woman too... How eerie!

[Xiao Mei almost got herself into serious trouble! Thank goodness Lao Wang saved her!]

[Ah Qiang is silent... Is he...? (Fear)]

[Wait... look at Shi Mo's split screen!!!]

[(Clicking on Shi Mo's live stream) Holy crap???]

[He...he's asleep?! His breathing is so steady! Is he really asleep?!]

【How is that possible?! How could someone fall asleep in this environment? Are you faking it?!】

[It doesn't look fake! Look at the rise and fall of his chest and abdomen, and the frequency of his eye movements; this is clearly a deep sleep state!]

Holy crap! There's screaming and carnage outside (maybe), and he's sleeping soundly inside like he's at home?!

[Mom just came in! She covered him with a blanket! She looked at him for a long time! That look in her eyes... I can't describe it, but it definitely didn't look like she was looking at her 'son'!]

[This is terrifying to think about, guys! He ate that raw meat and blood wine last night and was perfectly fine, and now he's completely unaffected by all the commotion outside...]

[(Trembling) Upstairs, please stop... I... I have a terrible thought...]

[(Weakly) He...he can't really...not be human, can he?]

[Shut up! Impossible! Shi Mo just has a strong mentality! Yes! That must be it! (Trying to convince myself)]

But... this can't be explained by psychological strength alone... that raw meat... that sleep... my mother's attitude...

[Don't scare yourself! Maybe he has some special ability to block perception? (A weak excuse)]

But... what if? (Swallows fearfully) What if he's the most...

[Please stop! My hair is standing on end! Just looking at his handsome face gives me the creeps!]

[+1, It's so beautiful, but the more I look at it, the more inhuman it seems... that elegance and composure are not like a living person at all...]

The comments section began to be shrouded in a creeping terror called "doubt." The initial amazement and admiration were gradually replaced by a deeper, more instinctive fear.

The more composed and "inhuman" Shi Mo appeared, the stronger this fear became.

For most of the candidates and countless viewers in front of their screens, this night was a long and agonizing mental torture.

Only Shi Mo, in this eerie "home" filled with resentment, bloodshed, and rules, felt as if he had returned to a truly comfortable nest, enjoying a high-quality, undisturbed deep sleep.

And this is precisely the most unsettling fact.