Chapter 192: The Hospitable Household

The old building where Lu Xin lived had only six floors.

Seen from afar, most of the surrounding buildings were taller, so they often obscured this old structure.

Even in the daytime, light rarely entered, so the rooms always remained somewhat dim.

Moreover, due to the crisscrossing roads nearby, the nearest buildings around this old structure were at least fifty or sixty meters away. It resembled a forgotten corner of the city, surrounded by several winding, undulating little paths.

Because it was near the Main Road and connected to other neighborhoods with more pedestrian traffic, the streetlights were intact.

At this moment, it was visible: starting from the far end of the little path, the streetlights began extinguishing, one after another.

It was as if two light-devouring monsters were crawling slowly along both sides of the path, inching their way towards this old building.

Without the artificial lights, the glow of the Crimson Moon in the city sky became more vivid.

Lu Xin nodded, then returned to the living room, sat down on the sofa, and quietly began watching TV.

…

Downstairs at the old building, perhaps because it was situated at the intersection of multiple paths, the wind began to grow restless.

Newspapers and plastic bags on the ground were picked up by the swirling wind, lifted into the air, then silently torn apart.

From the distance, following the extinguishing of the streetlights, two invisible masses of energy seemed to meet before the old building.

Normal people couldn’t see them, only sensing their presence as a subtle warping of the air where they were. Seeing that spot triggered an instinctive feel of Fear deep within, a subconscious dread towards that area.

However, under the light falling from the Crimson Moon in the sky, that distorted pocket of air vaguely revealed blocks of blurred light and shadow.

Adding imagination to these blocks of light and shadow, one could almost paint shapes.

One resembled a Psychic Entity shaped like Creeping Vine, and the other a chubby Monster draped with a Necklace of Human Heads.

They appeared from unknown origins, met before the old building, and tilted their heads to look upwards.

Almost all the windows of this old building were pitch black, except for one on the fourth floor, emitting a warm, yellow light.

So, the two Monsters simultaneously started climbing towards that window, taking different routes.

The vine-shaped Psychic Entity clung to the wall, beginning to inch its way upward.

The corpulent Psychic Entity, draped with a chain of human heads, dragged its bloated form, slowly squeezing its way into the stairwell.

“Crack…”

As it passed the Motorcycle parked in the stairwell, the dial on the Motorcycle instantly flashed a harsh, piercing red light.

This was a psychic detector installed on the Motorcycle.

The eerie red light illuminated the dark stairwell in irregular, stark bursts, alternating broken shadows with vivid flares.

The Psychic Entity seemed to sense something wrong; its motion forward slowed slightly as it crawled.

But its innate intelligence seemed insufficient to comprehend this, so it continued its slow crawl forward.

Where they passed, the air began to warp and feel oppressive.

Whether it was the rats in the dark corners or the stray cats in the empty rooms, all were startled, squeaking and mewing as they fled outdoors.

The larger cats carried kittens in their mouths, while the rats bit each other’s tails to form skittering lines in panic, fleeing rapidly.

The longer these entities spent inside the old building, the entire structure seemed to grow darker.

As if enveloped by a deeper shadow.

Only that one window on the fourth floor still shone with its cozy light.

In fact, it seemed even cozier.

…

Slowly, the vine-shaped Psychic Entity spread itself across the old building’s wall, extending upwards.

It had already crawled past every window, coating the entire building’s facade.

The window with the light was the last one left untouched.

Under the moonlight, dark crimson, snake-like Tentacles approached that window from all directions.

They pooled their strength, like gathered water ready to pour through that window.

Meanwhile, inside the stairwell on the fourth floor, the plump Psychic Entity had crawled its way there. Slowly shifting its bulk, it crawled towards the tightly shut door, from whose cracks threads of bright light spilled out. It drew closer and closer, inch by inch.

All the human heads on the Necklace wore expressions of schadenfreude.

Just then, a faint sound of “hee hee” laughter suddenly rippled through the air, like the giggle of a playful girl.

…

“Squeak…”

The Boston ivy on the building wall, just as it prepared to creep into the one open window, suddenly saw that window gently push open. A woman appeared in the frame, dressed exquisitely, wearing light makeup as if for a special occasion to greet guests.

“What are you waiting for?”

She smiled with restrained warmth. “Why don’t you you come in?”

Meanwhile, within the stairwell, the monstrous figure—bulky and draped in a Necklace of Human Heads—heard the girl’s laughter. Suddenly, the gloom around it brightened as the door ahead began slowly swinging inward.

The unstoppable flood of warm light from the room surged into the dark corridor.

But the light immediately dimmed again, as though a tall shadow now stood blocking the doorway.

…

Both Psychic Entities momentarily slowed their movements.

The vine-like Psychic Entity, already draped across countless Tentacles along the fourth-floor window frame, unexpectedly hesitated.

The Entity in the stairwell abruptly froze mid-movement.

At that instant, every face on its Necklace of Human Heads contorted into expressions of strange uncertainty.

…

“Snap!”

Back in Satellite City No. 4, the brooding High School Student had only just taken two bites of his bowl of wontons when he suddenly lifted his head, brows knitting together tightly.

“What is it?”

The people around him instinctively asked.

His face showed a flicker of doubt and confusion. “I… don’t know…”

…

“Huummm…”

Precisely then, in Satellite City No. 2, inside the sole lit room of the Old Building, the voltage became wildly unstable. The lights flickered violently, a disturbance that seemed to ripple outward—from the Old Building itself to the street beyond. Every bulb, visible or hidden, pulsed erratically before shattering with a sudden “Crack!”

Above them, the Crimson Moon grew brighter, its glow deepening to a vivid, chilling hue.

The Boston ivy that had crawled to the window began flowing inward, bit by bit.

Yet, looking closely, one could see its reluctance. Its form tensed into rigid lines. Under the crimson light, its body grew more sharply defined, like a mass of snakes frantically coiling backward upon themselves.

But the struggle seemed futile. It continued flowing, steadily, into the window’s opening.

“Ssssss…”

The involuntary flow accelerated, producing a sharp, grating sound like wire scraping glass.

Thus, its vast form—which had spread across almost the entire building wall—was swiftly sucked entirely through the narrow window frame.

Whether it willed it or not.

Faced with such an elegant and gracious hostess, who could possibly refuse?

…

Simultaneously, outside Room 401, the Psychic Entity that had reached the doorway felt its minimal intellect—or perhaps Instinct—instantly snap into hyper-aware dread. It frantically tried to retreat backward. The cramped stairwell trapped its bulky body; turning around was impossible. It simply reversed its posture, scrambling frantically.

“Itty bitty…”

As it scrabbled backwards, the multiple heads forming the grotesque Necklace of Human Heads glimpsed a faint silhouette on the ceiling above.

She wore a grimy white dress, ragged hair floating as if underwater.

“You’re here… so why run?”

She dropped from the ceiling, stretching out tiny hands to clutch its ample girth… Then, summoning every ounce of her baby-milk strength, she planted her feet and pushed.

Taken by surprise, the Monster staggered back a step.

Or rather, not entirely by force—perhaps startled more by her sudden descent.

Its immense, swollen body jerked violently. Instinctively, it recoiled.

This slight recoil brought a segment of its form into the warm light spilling from the doorway.

A large hand instantly shot out from the room, seizing that exposed portion.

The Monster’s body convulsed, violently expanding and contracting. Terror and despair seized every face upon its Necklace of Human Heads.

“SSSHHH-CK!”

The entire Monster was violently snatched into the room.

Since it was pulled into the room so swiftly and this monster’s body was exceptionally huge and bloated, it appeared as though its entire body had been torn apart in an instant, reduced to a pile of shredded flesh, before being dragged into the room.

Even the Necklace of Human Heads it wore snapped at once, scattering all the severed heads across the floor.

Most were pulled into the room along with the monster, while a few directly collapsed, transforming into pure Psychic Energy that vanished within the dark hallway.

Only one head remained intact. Its face wore an expression of terror as it began to roll desperately away.

“Hehe…”

But this head heard the giggling of a little girl.

In terror, it lifted its eyelids and saw a little girl squatting down, gently embracing it with her arms.

“Aaaaaah…”

“La la la…”

Amidst this head’s terrified shrieks, the little girl cradled it, hopping and skipping as she carried it back into her home.

…

Thump

The door suddenly slammed shut, plunging the hallway into pitch darkness.

The window snapped shut at the same moment, and the curtains drew themselves closed automatically, blocking out the warm light within.

The world outside the building instantly became eerily quiet, silent as the grave.

The voltage had stabilized, but the streetlight remained dark, its bulb shattered.

Only in the sky, a single Crimson Moon hung, intensely clear and beautiful.

…

Sigh…

Lu Xin sat quietly, watching TV for a while before looking up and noticing his home had become much livelier.

Mother was chatting with a guest, wearing a genial and friendly smile, and was even about to get scissors to offer the guest a manicure.

Father was being very enthusiastic. He had already gone into the kitchen, seemingly intent on preparing an extra dish.

Bang, bang, bang, bang…

The noise from him chopping bones was particularly loud, emitting a reassuring aura of mundane domesticity.

Little Sister had received a new Toy from the guest. She was now crawling on the ceiling, happily playing with it.

“I’m going to make a call…”

After waiting for a while and feeling that the three minutes mentioned by the Drunkard had passed, Lu Xin stood up.

These Monsters seemed to have been detained by his family and wouldn’t disappear again.

He walked over to the window, took out the Satellite Phone, and dialed a number connecting him to the Drunkard in Satellite City No. 4:

“You can move now.”

“I haven’t found the Ability User yet, but he should probably come here soon, so you don’t need to worry about him.”

“Even if he doesn’t come, I can track him myself. He won’t escape.”

“That’s right. Just focus on apprehending the targets you’re after.”

“Okay, I’ll share whatever information I get with you later.”

…

After the call ended, back in Satellite City No. 4, inside a certain command vehicle, a delicate-looking little girl’s expression turned grave.

She looked up at the fully armed Captain beside her, who was fixedly staring at her with a tense expression, and nodded: “It’s a go!”

The Captain, having collaborated many times before with the Drunkard, didn’t ask a single question, not even one.

He simply picked up his Walkie-Talkie immediately and barked: “Execute!”

“Take them all down!”

“Lethal force is authorized if resisted!”

…

Crashes and Shouts

Teams of fully armed soldiers simultaneously surged out from various concealed corners.

Some charged straight into a cafe located on a bustling street, swiftly securing everyone inside.

Others stormed into a residential apartment, apprehending a group of people who were gathered together chatting as if at an informal tea party.

Still others burst into what seemed like an ordinary company office; two sharp bangs echoed as gunfire dropped a receptionist who had been reaching for a weapon.

“Everyone stop, no sudden movements…”

At that very moment in Satellite City No. 4, on the street beside the snacks stalls, many of the people who had been seemingly eating, shopping, or chatting suddenly drew their guns. They swiftly closed in on the dumpling stall.

More than a dozen guns were now pointed at everyone seated at the table, including the High School Student and the little girl.

“What’s going on?”

The middle-aged Auntie cried out in panic, “What’s happening?”

Meeting his companions’ frightened gazes, the High School Student rubbed his heart, which felt strangely unsettled.

“I sensed the aura of the real…”

He slowly lifted his head, looked at his companions, and smiled. “We’re going home…”

“Don’t move! Don’t speak!”

A gun was pressed directly against the High School Student’s head, accompanied by a stern shout.

But the High School Student ignored it. He merely smiled as his body slowly tilted backward.

He wasn’t moving; he had instantly lost his Life. His body instantly stiffened.

The surrounding Police Officers exchanged bewildered looks, having no idea what had just happened. They only felt their bodies tense up.

…

“Everyone must die, but death is not the end.”

“We will eventually return to our home. There, we will never need to hide our true selves…”

“Home holds the truth of our entire existence. It may be ugly, it may be forgotten, but it is our original state.”

“I believe in home. I will forever remain in home…”

“…”

A calming voice echoed in his mind. The High School Student who had slowly fallen backward now slowly opened his eyes.

He saw warm lamplight, shining on somewhat old-fashioned, yet ordinary furnishings.

This brought him a profound sense of relief. The deepest, most secret flicker of worry within him vanished completely.

So what they said was true… after death, you really do return to your home…

He slowly sat up. He felt his body was incredibly light, and his vision seemed to have broadened considerably.

“So… I have returned to my home?” he murmured.

…

As he whispered to himself, his gaze shifted slightly. He saw a sofa.

On the sofa, a young man turned his head towards him, a warm smile on his face.

“No.”

He answered with a smile. “You’ve come to my home.”