Going back a few months, the fog pollution in the real world had not yet spread on a large scale.
At that time, Mother Zhou had just returned from her first instance. She didn’t have the same discomfort as other newcomers. The drama troupe instance in the Huagu City was, to her, less stimulating than digging up corpses in an ancient tomb.
After all, that time she stole a corpse… she was caught.
Bang bang bang.
A constant knocking came from outside, interrupting Mother Zhou’s memory of retrieving the corpse. She went to open the door.
Outside the door, Auntie Wang let out a long sigh of relief after seeing her.
Two days ago, Mother Zhou had suddenly disappeared. Considering that she would occasionally go on trips, Auntie Wang hadn’t been too worried. But today was the anniversary of Qi’an’s father’s death. In previous years, they would always go to pay their respects. If she didn’t come back, there would definitely be a problem.
“I couldn’t reach you at all. I called, but no one answered. I was about to report you missing!”
Mother Zhou said calmly, “You were right to report me missing. I was at the police station.”
“?”
In the past two years, Mother Zhou had done her fair share of outrageous things. For the sake of her own mental health, Auntie Wang didn’t ask for details.
Anyway, the person had already been released. She only picked a key point to investigate. “Probation or…”
Mother Zhou waved her hand. “It wasn’t that serious. Later it was discovered that the corpse I stole didn’t belong to a human who had ever lived in this land, so it didn’t constitute the crime of tomb raiding.”
Auntie Wang was silent for a moment, then chose to change the subject. “Are you going to pay respects now? Or later.”
Mother Zhou: “Wait a moment, I’ll go change my clothes.”
A moment later, Mother Zhou changed into some plainer clothes. The two of them chatted as they bought a bouquet of flowers from the flower shop at the entrance of the residential area, and then drove to the cemetery.
Auntie Wang sat on the rabbit bus, feeling more and more amazed the more she looked at it. “It can hold so many people. It would definitely be very profitable as a private car.”
The premise was not to get caught.
Mother Zhou also liked this car very much. “This is the only fixed asset in our family that doesn’t have a loan.”
Occasionally chatting a bit, the road was smooth and wide, and soon they arrived at their destination.
As it was not a special day today, and it was raining, the entire cemetery was almost empty. The air was cool and cold.
Mother Zhou’s long hair was blown about by the wind, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were covered by strands of hair. The only traces left by time also disappeared.
Her previously black pupils had at some point turned into yellowish-brown irises. Her hair was bleached gold. When the wind blew, a few strands of special-colored hair, scarlet and yellow, would occasionally be revealed underneath.
Although her facial features were still the same as before, no one would associate her with her younger self.
Staring at the photo on the tombstone for a long time, the accumulated water on the ground reflected a face that even she herself found unfamiliar.
Mother Zhou suddenly asked, “If people can really be reunited after death, do you think he would still recognize me?”
An existence that doesn’t age and can’t control the desire to kill its own flesh and blood, can it still be considered human?
Hearing this, Auntie Wang’s eyes turned red, and she repeatedly emphasized, “He definitely will.”
Standing quietly for a long time, the rain fell harder and harder.
Mother Zhou sighed softly. “Let’s go.”
Every time she left the cemetery, her mood was always particularly heavy. Auntie Wang was a sentimental person and had been crying ever since she got in the car. Some things from her youth, especially when she realized that the vivid faces in her memory, some of which she could no longer remember clearly, made her even sadder.
When she came to her senses, she found that the car was driving further and further off course, and at some point, it had driven into a heavy fog.
“Did we take the wrong road?” Auntie Wang took out a tissue to wipe her face.
Mother Zhou: “My car is very stable. My driving experience is older than my son’s age.”
An irrelevant answer. Auntie Wang frowned and was about to say something more when she was interrupted by a hissing sound.
Rubbing her eyes, she was sure she hadn’t seen wrong. A small snake was actually crawling on the ground, coiling around her trouser leg.
“Snake!” She screamed on the spot.
Mother Zhou, who was driving, found a moment to say, “My snake doesn’t bite people.”
Sadness, anger, fear. All emotions were gathered in one day. A pile of words was stuck in her throat. Auntie Wang was actually somewhat emotionally numb.
Of course, she thought it might also be that she was scared out of her wits by the snake.
Mother Zhou reminded her, “Pocket.”
Auntie Wang felt it. A bottle of quick-acting heart-saving pills had been stuffed into her pocket at some point.
“Take two pills in advance.”
Auntie Wang looked at this bottle of medicine, silent for a long time. For a moment, she almost forgot the existence of the snake.
Mother Zhou seemed to be very well-prepared for this trip. “The other pocket.”
Auntie Wang was left-handed and would subconsciously reach for her left pocket. Hearing this, she felt her other pocket and pulled out a small bottle with a label on it.
The label was handwritten:
[Ingredient: Blood]
[Dosage Form/Specification: Liquid/40ml]
[Usage: Feed one drop to the snake every thirty days]
[Production Date: Today]
Under normal circumstances, the thin snake contained a wisp of Mother Zhou’s consciousness and would not easily attack. But to be on the safe side, Mother Zhou still gave her a small bottle of blood.
This production date made Auntie Wang’s heart pound.
The fog was getting thicker and thicker. Mother Zhou couldn’t bother to consider the emotions of the person next to her and was considerate in advance.
“Next, we’re going to a place. If you don’t want to be reunited with your old friends in the underworld so soon, you’d better take the snake with you.”
After thinking for a moment, Mother Zhou added, “If you go early, remember to tell my late husband that our child is very outstanding.”
You can go and tell him yourself.
The snake was coiled at a distance, not too close, not too far. The speed couldn’t be compared. At such a close distance, if the snake were to attack, she wouldn’t be able to dodge it at all.
In this situation, Auntie Wang felt it was better not to easily provoke Mother Zhou.
“She’s just crazy, her IQ should be fine.”
At least she won’t harm me.
Auntie Wang tried to extend her hand. In the next second, the snake actively slithered over and directly coiled around her wrist.
The cold and sticky feeling instantly chilled her to the bone. Auntie Wang shivered and almost fainted.
“It seems, it doesn’t bite.”
Mother Zhou, concentrating on driving, hummed in agreement.
She was preparing to randomly enter an instance from the great world to help the other party forcibly obtain a player identity. Everything went smoothly. After the car entered the tunnel, Auntie Wang was not forcibly repelled by the game’s consciousness.
“Done.”
Sure enough, with a snake by her side, her individual strength was enhanced, and she had the qualification to obtain a player identity.
A constant thumping sound. The bloated corpses in the tunnel frantically threw themselves at the rabbit bus, trying to squeeze onto the car. The glass on both sides vibrated as if it would shatter soon. Auntie Wang turned her head and was face to face with a swollen, rotting corpse face.
A snake was coiled around her hand, and in front of her was an endless tunnel. For a moment, Auntie Wang didn’t know which one to be shocked by.
Under extreme horror, her emotions finally reached a balance.
Mother Zhou finally began her belated explanation:
“The weather has been changing dramatically recently. Work is being stopped and holidays are being given everywhere. We hear this kind of news every day when we play mahjong.”
Auntie Wang took a deep breath, clutching her chest to try and calm her heartbeat.
Besides this news, there were more and more doomsday theories evolving from it on the internet.
Her thoughts were very chaotic. The corpses in the tunnel reminded her of things like zombie viruses and biochemical crises.
“The rumors are true.”
Mother Zhou briefly talked about the game and the players. Facts speak louder than words. These monsters were one of the proofs.
Auntie Wang’s mouth hung open as she continued to digest the facts.
After driving out of the tunnel, the road ahead was interconnected in all directions, all in a foggy state, like thousands of small paths to the underworld. The terrifying monsters behind them were crowded at the entrance of the tunnel. Although there were no barriers, they couldn’t come out.
A series of things that violated common sense constantly washed over Auntie Wang’s worldview.
Connecting it with her friend’s changes over the past few years, she finally gradually accepted the reality.
For a moment, Auntie Wang cried even louder than she did at the cemetery. “Sister, how could you evolve without me!”
Fortunately, she had brought her along now. She swallowed and asked the question she was most concerned about at the moment. “After I evolve, can I become beautiful too?”
She had never tasted what it was like to be a beautiful woman.
Mother Zhou was silent for a moment. “You will have a lot of charisma.”
“…”
Auntie Wang cried until she was out of breath.
Crying was an excellent way to vent emotions. Having been with the mutated Mother Zhou for many years, Auntie Wang’s ability to accept reality was getting stronger and stronger.
After almost drowning the snake on her hand with her tears, she asked with concern, “Is Qi’an also a player?”
“…Once, the child was drying clothes on the balcony. I saw from downstairs that his hair was both blue and long.”
She thought it was strange at the time.
Mother Zhou nodded.
As the two were talking, they had unknowingly entered a small, slowly widening road. After the fog gradually dissipated, a different scenery finally appeared.
The street ahead was similar to the real world.
Various small shops lined the roadside: clay pot rice, food stalls, hair salons, dental clinics, and so on, all crowded together. The signs seemed to be covered with a layer of dirt, greasy and unpleasant.
Mother Zhou temporarily parked the car by the side of the road. She could feel the presence of living people in this world. There should be an instance currently open.
“Where is it?”
Mother Zhou looked around, considering whether to randomly find a passerby to ask “friendly” or to send out a few snakes to scout the way.
As she was thinking, a warm voice suddenly sounded from behind. “Ma’am, our shop has a special offer today!”
The man’s skin was deathly pale, and he was holding a blood-stained flyer. He came and blocked the middle of the road, giving off a feeling that he wouldn’t let them pass if they didn’t enter the shop.
Auntie Wang swallowed. Her main focus was on the man’s other hand.
A pair of scissors constantly dripping with blood, with half a scalp hanging from it, looked both disgusting and terrifying.
“Ma’am…” The man took a step closer.
The smell of rot and salty fish drifted over.
Mother Zhou finally gave the other a look and glanced at the flyer. “Hair salon?”
She looked at the hairstylist with a strange gaze. “You want to cut my hair?”
The hairstylist’s scarlet lips turned outwards, revealing white teeth. “Old shop anniversary, no cheating young or old.”
There was also a female hairstylist in the shop, wearing the same ring as the man. It seemed to be a husband-and-wife shop. At this time, she also walked to the door.
Auntie Wang said in a low voice, “Let’s get in the car quickly and run them over.”
The owner of the clay pot rice shop heard the noise and came out, happening to stop near the car. She actively greeted the hair salon owner, smiling and saying, “Send the unused parts to my shop.”
The hairstylist couple looked easy-going. “Of course.”
They were already preparing to forcibly bring the customers into the shop.
Mother Zhou casually stroked her hair and said first, “Alright, I haven’t been to a hair salon in a long time either.”
Thank God for his grace.
Hearing this, the couple showed a ferocious and happy smile.
The hairstylist’s wife walked behind. As soon as they entered the room, she immediately lowered the roller shutter door, as if afraid the prey would run away.
There were two other customers in the shop, about twenty years old, who were getting their hair permed.
No one knew what was in the old equipment on their heads, but from the expressions of these two people, they were in considerable pain, as if they were about to be roasted.
One of them said in a weak tone, “Lucky props… are such a scam…”
After using it, not only did they not find a chance to escape, but it seemed that there were only two more victims.
Almost at the same time they entered the shop, Auntie Wang received a system notification.
She gasped. Before she could communicate with Mother Zhou, the hairstylist asked, “Who’s first?”
The couple’s division of labor was obviously different. One was responsible for washing hair and other tasks, and the other was responsible for cutting. They could only serve one customer at a time.
Mother Zhou let Auntie Wang go and sit in the rest area first. Her smile was very charming. “I’ll go.”
The woman, seeing her husband looking a little dazed, sneered and led Mother Zhou to the hair washing sink.
After successfully leading the sheep into the tiger’s den, there was no need to pretend anymore.
The hairstylist’s wife said coldly, “Lie down.”
Mother Zhou was very cooperative, lying on her back and fully exposing her neck.
The first time she had encountered such a cooperative customer, who didn’t scream and shout, let alone beg for mercy and cry. The hairstylist’s wife felt a subtle sense of displeasure. She deliberately turned the faucet to the maximum, and the sink was instantly filled with high-concentration blood.
Some insects of a similar color to the blood swam around, frantically trying to drill into the scalp and deeper into the brain.
The corner of the hairstylist’s wife’s mouth curled up more and more.
Scream.
Suffer!
Mother Zhou lay peacefully in her original position.
The blood insects brushed against her hair cuticles, and the cuticles actually opened up on their own. The insects disappeared in a fraction of a second, leaving only a little blood foam. The opening of the cuticles was large, but there was no sign of dryness. Her hair, on the contrary, became more glossy.
The dense, beautiful hair covered all killing intent. The hairstylist’s wife didn’t see clearly what had happened.
After a long time without hearing the customer’s scream, the water level in the sink had dropped a little. Due to the disappearance of the insects, it was vaguely even clearer than before.
Mother Zhou sat up at this time. “Have some sense.”
Still not coming to dry my hair?
The hairstylist’s wife stared at her intently, confirming that the other was completely unharmed.
“Could it be that the drain plug wasn’t properly blocked?”
On the other side, the male hairstylist was impatiently fiddling with his scissors. A few times, the tip of the scissors was pointed at Auntie Wang. The latter didn’t dare to look away and didn’t notice what was happening at the sink.
“The water temperature for washing hair is a bit low. Pay attention next time.”
Seeing Mother Zhou walk over perfectly fine, the male hairstylist was stunned for a moment.
Mother Zhou took the initiative to sit on the swivel chair.
The chairs in the shop were red. The previous customers, it was unknown what they had experienced, but when you sat on them, blood would still be squeezed out of the sponge.
The other two players who were forced to get a perm looked at each other. What was going on? When they were getting their hair washed, they almost lost half their lives and only survived by relying on props.
How could someone look refreshed and energetic instead?
“This is bad,” the player thought to himself.
Could it be that he was having a final burst of consciousness before death? To the point where he was even having hallucinations.
The hairstylist stood behind Mother Zhou.
The dilapidated shop didn’t even have an electric fan. When he raised his scissors, the unprecedented stench made Auntie Wang in the back unable to bear it anymore and she rushed to vomit in a sink.
His beloved sink was polluted. The hairstylist’s face turned black.
Completely unaffected by the smell, Mother Zhou sat gracefully, looking straight into the mirror.
Through the mirror, she looked at the hairstylist couple behind her and said with a smile, “My hair is very fragile. You have to be careful when you take care of it…”
