The sunlight penetrated the curtains and fell on Tang Ning's face. Tang Ning's eyelashes moved, he opened his eyes, and stared blankly at the curtains that were beautifully dyed by the sunlight.
This is where Mom was standing last night.
Birds were chirping. Tang Ning blinked his eyes. His head was very dizzy. He had been waking up from dreams intermittently last night. Sometimes he felt his mother was standing by the bed, sometimes he felt his mother was lying under the bed, and sometimes he felt his mother was lying on the ceiling. This kind of inconsistent illusion made him unable to sleep well.
Tang Ning reached for his phone from under his pillow and checked the time. It was seven in the morning.
It's a new day again.
But he had no fighting spirit or passion.
Tangning slowly opened the group chat. The moment he read the message, he suddenly opened his eyes wide. The sleepiness and decadence in his eyes disappeared in an instant, because Jiang Mianmian from the group sent a short message:
"I'm sorry, I can't be your guest today. Bai Wuliang is dead and I lost my eyes."
Bai Wuliang is dead?!
What's going on?! Is Jiang Mianmian really dead? Or what?!
Tangning had many questions to ask, but Jiang Mianmian's profile picture was gray, indicating that she was not online.
She hid.
No one knew where she was or what she did.
Tang Ning had a strong sense of unreality. If everyone were asked to vote for the player who was most likely to pass this dungeon, Tang Ning believed that Bai Wuliang would definitely get the highest number of votes.
How could Bai Wuliang, who was so powerful and had cleared so many A-level copies, die overnight
The cruelty of the A-level copy was once again bloodily displayed before him.
Zeng Yishuang and Bai Wuliang, it’s only the fourth day of the copy, who will be the next
After seven days, is there really any player who can complete the game alive
Tang Ning stared blankly at the group chat. In addition to Jiang Mianmian sending messages, Lu Yuhua and Bai Yingxue also sent messages one after another.
Lu Yuhua: "I'm not a guest."
Bai Yingxue: "I have my own things to do here, so I can't be your guest."
There are only six players left at the moment. Jiang Mianmian, Lu Yuhua and Bai Yingxue are not guests today, so only Tang Ning and Zhou Kangneng can be guests at Lin Yun's home.
Tang Ning felt that his condition was already very bad. He was in a daze. Zhou Kang should be fine, but how could they deal with the crisis of Lin Yun's family with only Zhou Kang
My head hurts.
Tang Ning felt like his head was about to explode when he saw this question as soon as he opened his eyes. Although he had played a lot of roles due to this A-level coincidence, Tang Ning still believed in his heart that Bai Wuliang and Jiang Mianmian were the backbone of the partnership.
What should I do? Should I continue to visit Lin Yun's house as planned
Tangning felt completely confused and had no idea what to do.
Lin Yun privately chatted with Tangning, "Cancel your visit to my house today. There are too few people and it's too dangerous."
Tang Ning read Lin Yun's message and knew there was no better way. If they continued to be guests, it would not be a visit, but a group of people committing suicide.
Lin Yun: "What are your plans and how are you doing?"
Tangning: "I haven't made up my mind yet. Next I want to go to the solitary and explore the monster in the confinement room."
The best candidate for the orphanage is definitely Bai Yingxue, provided that there is no problem with Bai Yingxue.
Bai Wuliang's sudden death made Tang Ning realize that if he was really alone, he had to hurry up, otherwise the teammates who were still here today might die tomorrow.
Lin Yun: "I am considering not burning the dragon head incense. If I complete an adventure mission, I can have a higher chance of survival."
Tang Ning had no intention of doing this. If the test he encountered while burning dragon head incense was to examine his conscience, he would not be able to pass it. Tang Ning took a deep breath and asked Lin Yun, "Do you know what happened to Jiang Mianmian and the others?"
Lin Yun: "I don't know either, but I guess Jiang Mianmian is probably out of control."
Lin Yun: "She and Bai Wuliang are a good pair. Some people even speculate that they are a couple. However, the two have never said anything about liking each other. From my observation, their relationship may be deeper than love. It may have evolved into a deep friendship like family affection."
Lin Yun: "I really didn't think Bai Wuliang would die."
Tang Ning looked at the message sent by Lin Yun quietly, feeling depressed.
He didn't know what to do with Jiang Mianmian in the future.
But he didn't know what to do in the future, or rather, he didn't know whether he would have a future.
Tang Ning put down his phone and covered his head with the quilt. He was so tired, so tired, so tired that he didn't want to move anymore.
Who should he find to live with him in the orphanage
Lin Yun burned dragon head incense, saying that the solitary courtyard was too dangerous and not suitable for Lin Yun.
According to Zhou Kang, his abilities can only be fully utilized in a place with food, and the orphanage is not suitable for him.
Bai Yingxue might have lost control, or it might have been his illusion.
Lu Yuhua
By the way, what happened to Lu Yuhua? He has been acting mysterious and spooky.
Tangning picked up her phone again. Lu Yuhua had appeared in the group today. Maybe she could get through to him. Tangning privately chatted with Lu Yuhua, "What's the basis for your previous statement that you don't trust Bai Wuliang?"
Lu Yuhua replied this time: "He is very strange. In my eyes, other people's monsters are always around people, some are above their heads, some are behind them, and no matter where they are, they are always outside the body."
"The first time I saw him, I noticed the monster was in his eyes."
"It was very dirty, and it kept spitting out dirty water."
"Every day he vomits more dirty water than the day before. Yesterday, the dirty water almost submerged his entire body..."
When Lu Yuhua started to complain about Bai Wuliang, she simply couldn't stop. Tang Ning thought about it and looked at Bai Wuliang from Lu Yuhua's perspective. The dirtiest guy always complained about others being dirty, especially Lu Yuhua who kept dripping water when they first met. It seemed that there were indeed some flaws in Bai Wuliang.
But Bai Wuliang is already dead.
Thinking of this, Tangning felt a vague sadness.
Tangning: "Do you know what happened to Bai Wuliang? Do you know why he died?"
Lu Yuhua: "I don't know, but someone who has been so deeply corrupted by the monster must be close to death, so it's normal for him to die."
Tangning was silent for a moment after reading this sentence, and then he typed, "Can I ask you what kind of monster you see in me?"
Lu Yuhua: "I'll have to see it carefully."
Lu Yuhua: "Will you explore the orphanage with me today?"
Tang Ning was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that it would be Lu Yuhua who invited him to explore the orphanage. Lu Yuhua knew that he had been a successful guest in the orphanage before. If that was the case, why would Lu Yuhua invite him again
Thinking about it carefully, it was rare for Lu Yuhua to say so much to him today. It seemed that it was just to warm up the relationship at the beginning. Otherwise, it would be very abrupt to suddenly invite him.
Did Lu Yuhua encounter some danger in the orphanage? But didn't Lu Yuhua and Bai Yingxue go to the orphanage once before? Why did he do it again
Too many doubts and puzzles surged in Tang Ning's mind, but her first reaction was not to refuse, because among all the players, Lu Yuhua was the most suitable candidate to live in the orphanage together.
Although Lu Yuhua was talking nonsense, he had a feeling that Bai Wuliang was up to something. He also said that Tang Ning's condition would get worse and worse.
Tangning considered his words carefully before asking, "What are you doing in the orphanage? Why did you invite me?"
Lu Yuhua: "I have something to do and cannot tell you. The reason I invited you is that your porcelain doll is more suitable for the orphanage. You got that porcelain doll from the orphanage. I think you also know that it is dangerous to overuse it. Don't you want to investigate the porcelain doll and Su Anyun?"
The porcelain doll looks exactly like Su Anyun. Just from Tang Ning's porcelain doll, it is easy to infer that Su Anyun and the orphanage have some connection. If there is no connection, the orphanage would not have a porcelain doll that looks exactly like Su Anyun.
There is no logical problem with Lu Yuhua's words, they are reasonable.
Tangning asked again, "Didn't you and Bai Yingxue stay in the orphanage together before? Is it just you and me this time, or will Bai Yingxue join us in the exploration?"
What Tangning didn't expect was Lu Yuhua's answer: "I don't believe Bai Yingxue."
Lu Yuhua: "Just you and me."
Lu Yuhua also recognized Bai Yingxue's problem? !
Tang Ning's spirits lifted. He and Zhou Kang had both suspected that there was something wrong with Bai Yingxue, but they had no definite evidence. Seeing Lu Yuhua saying the same thing, Tang Ning hurriedly asked why, but Lu Yuhua refused to answer, simply telling Tang Ning not to believe in Bai Yingxue.
Tang Ning realized that he couldn't get anything out of Lu Yuhua, so he gave up asking and agreed with Lu Yuhua on a time and place to meet. After Lu Yuhua came to pick him up, Tang Ning put down his phone.
A new exploration has begun.
Very tired.
But investigating Su Anyun and the monster in the confinement room was something he wanted to do himself.
Tang Ning struggled to get up from the bed, changed his clothes, and did not open the door immediately when he walked in.
For the first time, Tangning didn't hear any sound coming from outside the house. There was no sound of washing, no sound of housework, no sound of her brother and mother talking. It was quiet and peaceful, as if the whole house was silent.
Only Tang Ning was left.
Tang Ning's heart suddenly emptied. He stiffened and opened the door. The house was empty and quiet, and it seemed that he could hear a pin drop.
It’s so quiet, why is it so quiet
Tang Ning walked blankly into the bedroom. He stood there, looking at the empty sofa and the dark TV. His thin figure was reflected on the screen, as if this black box only contained his lonely soul.
Tang Ning was a little breathless. After he got a smartphone, he liked playing with his phone. Later, when he got his own computer, he hated watching TV even less. The only person in the house who would let the TV make any noise.
After my mother passed away, the TV in our house was never turned on again.
Tang Ning stood in the dead silent living room and looked at the dining table. The flowers on the table had not been changed today and looked a little wilted. The sliding door to the kitchen was closed. Even without looking through the frosted glass, Tang Ning knew that no one was in the kitchen.
Because there is no smell of cooking.
The deserted home was gloomy and cold, and Tang Ning's fingertips were trembling.
Tang Ning frowned in pain, opened his mouth and took deep breaths, his eyes moving around the quiet and cold home in a panic, first at the wind chimes that stood motionless in the window, then at the melon seeds on the plate that hadn't been touched.
Don't do this, don't do this
He tried hard to suppress the pain in his chest and looked around with his eyes open. Suddenly, his sight stopped on a piece of paper pressed by a porcelain bowl on the dining table.
He walked quickly to the dining table and picked up the note, which read: "Xiao Ning bought her own breakfast today. - Su Anyun"
This is the note Su Anyun left for him. Where is Mom? Why isn't Mom here
Tang Ning was extremely nervous. He recalled the goodnight kiss he asked his mother for last night. His mother tried to stop him from taking off the ring and kissed him between the eyebrows while the ring was in direct contact with him.
Was he seriously injured because of touching the ring
Tang Ning didn't dare to think about it anymore. He walked towards his mother's room step by step. His mother's door was closed.
Tang Ning listened carefully through the door, but he didn't hear anything. He was becoming increasingly short of breath and felt like he was about to lose his balance. He held the door handle with trembling hands and carefully pulled it down. He discovered that the door could be opened and his mother had not locked it.
Tang Ning's heart was beating rapidly. He didn't know what was in the room. He held his breath and pushed the door open a crack little by little.
Through this small gap, Tang Ning was able to get a glimpse of the scene inside the house.
He saw blood all over the ground.
A rotting figure sat in front of the dressing table, holding her right shoulder with her left hand and writing something with a pen in her right hand. Her back was facing Tang Ning, and the mirror reflected her unrecognizable face.
Mom in the room
After realizing this, Tang Ning felt relieved.
The will that was almost broken returned to him. He didn't dare to look at it any longer and closed the door carefully.
After completing such a simple action, he squatted down quietly as if all his strength had been drained away.
Uncontrollable tears fell to the ground.
It’s good that you are still here. It’s good that mom is still here. It’s really great that you are still here.
The horrifying face he had just seen reappeared in his mind. The dusty mirror showed that face clearly, allowing him to even see every scar.
Tang Ning squatted in front of the door and wiped the tears from his face with trembling hands. He told himself that he didn't ask for anything else, not the future, not later, not everything, just that his mother was still at home, no matter what form her mother took, as long as she was still there.
As he thought about this, the dissipated strength returned to him little by little, and he was like a dying man grabbing the only life-saving straw.
Tang Ning slowly stood up, holding onto the wall with his tear-stained slender white fingers. He wiped the tears from his face, and his ghostly figure was reflected on the dark TV screen.
Tang Ning walked out of his house, passed the building, and walked to the entrance of the community, where he saw Lu Yuhua waiting for him.
Lu Yuhua squatted on the ground. He raised his head and looked at Tangning with a mysterious look in his eyes, "You don't look well."
"Really?" Tangning looked at Lu Yuhua, who looked like she hadn't gotten enough rest yet, "You too."
"No, no, no." Lu Yuhua kept shaking her head, "I'm talking about your monster. Don't hurt your monster anymore. It's too fragile. Although you can hurt it easily, you will also hurt..."
"What is it?" Tangning asked.
Lu Yuhua glanced at Tangning with a look that didn't require looking someone straight in the face, "It's you."
"You are so fragile, you can only cry."
Tang Ning stood in front of the white walls and green trees. His face still showed traces of tears. When Tang Ning lowered his eyes and looked at Lu Yuhua, there was no excessive emotion on his delicate face. "Let's go, to the orphanage."
Lu Yuhua stood up.
"The last time Bai Yingxue took me with her, she bought a cake in advance. Are we buying one this time?" Tangning asked.
Lu Yuhua shook her head and said, "This time you and I are here as volunteers."
"Volunteer?" Tangning asked.
"Well, the orphanage is short of staff." Lu Yuhua waved his hand and stopped a bus. He took Tang Ning to find a seat and sat down.
There were not many people on the bus at this time. It was an old bus. On the way to the suburbs, the bus was shaking. The wind blowing in through the window also shook with it, making Tangning's hair shake. Tangning asked Lu Yuhua who was looking out the window, "What happened when you and Bai Yingxue entered the orphanage?"
"I saw monsters. Lots and lots of monsters." Lu Yuhua.
"Did you also see the monster in the confinement room?" Tangning asked.
“I have.”
Tangning quickly asked, "What does it look like?"
"Su Anyun." Lu Yuhua said softly: "Exactly the same as Su Anyun."
Tangning was not too surprised when he heard this answer. Instead, he felt that it was as he expected. If this was the case, then the Su Anyun he met in the orphanage was the monster in the confinement room.
Why is the monster in the detention room exactly the same as my brother at home? Why did the monster give him a porcelain doll? Why is my mother so against porcelain dolls
While Tang Ning was still pondering these things, the bus stopped and said, "It's done." Lu Yuhua patted his shoulder.
Tang Ning suddenly came to their senses and got off the bus with Lu Yuhua. The bus couldn't go directly up the mountain, so they still had some way to go.
"Why don't you drive over here?" Tang Ning asked. He remembered that Lu Yuhua's family had a car.
"I want to walk by myself." Lu Yuhua stretched out his hand and touched the branches and leaves on the rock wall. "Don't you think it's nice to walk on the mountain road occasionally and appreciate the natural scenery?"
If it was in the real world, it would be understandable to be so relaxed, but in the card world where time is tight and danger is lurking everywhere, Tang Ning couldn't understand Lu Yuhua's train of thought.
The air in the mountains was fresh and chilly. The trees overhead blocked the sunlight. The only sounds on this mountain road were the footsteps of Tang Ning and Lu Yuhua. Lu Yuhua looked around as he walked. He was like a tourist, and it seemed that every blade of grass and every tree here could attract his attention.
Because Lu Yuhua walked at a leisurely pace, it took them a while to finally arrive at the orphanage.
There was a tall iron gate, and inside it was cold and silent.
Lu Yuhua walked to the locked gate and knocked on it. The door of the guard room was pushed open by a hand, which then moved quickly on the ground like a foot. The spider-like guard crawled over quickly.
Its body was covered in blood, and its eyes lacked much human rationality, only the malice of a monster. When it looked at Tang Ning through the iron fence, the cold and terrifying malice became stronger, as if it could leap over the fence and pounce on Tang Ning and bite him.
Tang Ning's heart sank. In addition to fear, there was also a hint of sadness in his complex emotions.
He remembered that when he first came to the orphanage, the security guard who looked like a monster was actually a good man. However, now, the security guard who had died once seemed to have truly turned into a complete monster.
"Hello, we are volunteers here to help." Lu Yuhua took out a piece of paper that looked a little old from her arms.
The security guard came closer and took a closer look at the paper. After reading it once, he asked Lu Yuhua and Tang Ning, "Are you really coming in?"
Lu Yuhua said seriously: "Yes, we are accumulating credits, can you let us in?"
The security guard grandfather lay on the ground and raised his head, revealing a weird smile: "It's time to go home, you can play games with them when you come in."
Lu Yuhua remained calm: "Isn't it normal for volunteers to play with children?"
The gatekeeper opened the gate and welcomed: "Today's game is-"
"hide and seek."
There was no one in sight in the quiet solitary courtyard. In such dead silence, the sounds coming from their gate were particularly clear and even harsh.
A shudder ran up Tang Ning's spine all the way to the top of his head. Before he could even react to why he was so panicked, Lu Yuhua at the side pulled Tang Ning to lie down in the bushes!
Tangning fell onto the prickly grass. Lu Yuhua reached out and pulled the low bushes towards them, as if using them as a shield. Tangning looked through the gaps between the branches and suddenly opened his eyes wide.
I saw a head turning in the air, and staring at that head was a neck.
If humans and giraffes were combined, they would probably have a body shape like this.
Ignoring the monster's terrifying neck, the rest of it is normal. It is wearing adult clothes and is looking around in a dead silent orphanage, muttering, "I heard a sound."
"Someone must be hiding here."
It swept from one tree to another like lightning. "Is it on the tree?"
Tang Ning didn't dare to move. He even held his breath. He saw the monster's neck twisted like a snake as it crawled down the treetops and wandered on the ground. "Is it hiding in the bushes?"
In just a blink of an eye, the monster's head quickly jumped along the bushes on one side.
As Tang Ning stared in horror, the monster smiled with joy and rushed towards the bush where Tang Ning was without hesitation.
"Come and catch me!"
A cheerful child's voice rang out.
The monster that was about to dive into the bushes where Tang Ning was stopped. The smile on its face disappeared, and was replaced by an angry look.
"Bad boy!" It turned its head angrily and quickly chased towards the place where the sound was made.
Tang Ning fell to the ground, covering his mouth, his chest heaving violently.
That child's voice just now sounded familiar.
It seems to be the sound of small fish
Tang Ning carefully turned his head and looked through the bushes not far away. He saw a swing hanging under the tree. The swing was shaking slightly at this moment, as if someone had just jumped off the swing, and the remaining force on the swing made it still shake.
A pale hand grabbed the swing. It was an adult's hand that touched the iron chain from the swing seat. It touched very delicately, like a blind man touching an elephant. Tang Ning's pupils shrank. He wanted to see the owner of this hand, but the arm connected to the palm was like a bamboo pole and he couldn't see the end at a glance.
This seems to be the teacher who can make the limbs very different
Before Tangning could recall the details of the monster teacher she encountered last time, another voice came over, vague and uncertain: "Where are they hiding?"
besides
Tang Ning was going crazy. He held his breath and looked towards the source of the sound. He saw a huge balloon in the air.
Tang Ning blinked, and when he realized what it was, he suddenly got goose bumps all over his body!
That was a monster teacher with a belly as fat as a balloon!
Its field of vision is higher than that of the giraffe teacher just now. It can take in everything that happens in the entire orphanage. However, such a high altitude may sacrifice a certain degree of clarity, making it unable to see other details.
what to do?!
There are too many monsters in this game of hide-and-seek! He will definitely be discovered by the monsters! Could it be that he and Lu Yuhua have been hiding here all the time? But even if they hide here, there will be a time when they will be discovered...
Tang Ning saw that arm and hand were conducting a carpet search, touching every place carefully.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure, Tang Ning turned around and looked anxiously at Lu Yuhua who was lying beside him, wanting to ask Lu Yuhua for any ideas.
When Tang Ning saw Lu Yuhua's condition, she was a little stunned.
Lu Yuhua, who was lying on the ground, looked very calm.
It was really peaceful, even more peaceful than Lu Yuhua's usual spiritual state. It could even be described as "serene", like a very tired person lying on the grass looking up at the blue sky.
What's going on with Lu Yuhua? !
There is a good chance they were caught!
Tang Ning touched Lu Yuhua anxiously. His movements were very gentle, as he was afraid of making too much noise and alerting the monsters.
After being touched by him, Lu Yuhua slowly turned her head and looked at Tangning with bloodshot eyes. Under Tangning's anxious and fearful gaze, he said calmly, "3."
What
“2.”
Tangning's heart was beating fast! He wanted to stop Lu Yuhua from talking, but what if he attracted the monster
“1.”
A pleasant bell rang out, and Tang Ning's heart almost stopped. He listened to the clear bell sound echoing in the dead silent courtyard.
Lu Yuhua, who was holding onto the bush, loosened his grip. The short bush bounced and a leaf fell down. Lu Yuhua, who was lying on the grass, sat up. Without the shelter, Tang Ning felt insecure. He looked at Lu Yuhua in panic, wanting to ask what was wrong. After seeing Lu Yuhua's expression, Tang Ning became even more panicked.
At this moment, the peaceful expression on Lu Yuhua's face disappeared, becoming extremely strange, as if she was laughing, but also crying.
"The game is over, it's time for class," he announced to Tangning.