Chapter 26: Father Is Not Father, Mother Is Not Mother

Chapter 26: Father Isn't Father, Mother Isn't Mother

Father and mother were the people Feng Ling knew best in this world.

Her mother was a very diligent and tidy housewife. Although she didn’t work outside, she kept their small home in Room 602 neat and clean, and her cooking was delicious. The only thing that bothered Feng Ling was that her mother always liked to make pork rib soup and preferred chopping the ribs herself.

Perhaps her mother was worried that her father would think she did nothing at home. Every time she chopped ribs, she made a lot of noise. It was only because the neighbors downstairs were good-tempered that no one complained.

This time, perhaps to prepare a good meal for her daughter who had returned from school, the sound of her mother chopping ribs went "thump—thump—" even louder than before, and it lasted longer than Feng Ling remembered.

Even after Feng Ling greeted her parents and retreated to her bedroom to unpack the clothes she'd brought back, she could still clearly hear the chopping ribs, and even the slight vibration of the walls.

As for Feng Ling’s father, he always seemed to sit on the sofa by the window, holding a large newspaper and reading it. Even when Feng Ling returned home and greeted him, he gave no response.

When Feng Ling looked at her father earlier, she couldn’t even see his face because it was blocked by the newspaper.

In Feng Ling’s memory, her father always left home after she went out and returned before she came back. Although he had a stable job as an ordinary middle-aged man, the timing made him seem like he stayed at home all day doing nothing.

Thinking of this, Feng Ling suddenly felt a bit guilty. Father and mother were the people she was most familiar with and closest to in this world, yet when she finally returned home, she could only see their flaws. It really shouldn’t be like this.

“I’m so strange today,” Feng Ling muttered to herself, then dismissed the vague thoughts in her mind and began to look around her small bedroom. The walls of the bedroom were a beautiful pink. The cold wind outside lifted the curtain's sheer layer, brushing over the desk and the neatly stacked textbooks.

On the wall hung a professional photo of Feng Ling’s family of three. In the photo, Feng Ling also had two braids, her mother was gentle and beautiful, and her father had a scholarly demeanor. No matter how you looked at it, they seemed like a very happy family.

They were truly happy.

Very happy.

Feng Ling checked the sky outside again and listened to the sound of chopping ribs still coming from outside. She thought she might as well take a shower first, change into her pajamas, and then wait comfortably for dinner.

Just as Feng Ling was about to change her clothes, she suddenly noticed the necklace hanging around her neck.

The silver necklace was given to her by her grandmother. Although Feng Ling couldn’t remember when her grandmother gave it to her, she remembered that the necklace's pendant could be opened, and inside was a photo of Feng Ling with her parents.

Why did her grandmother specifically give her such a necklace?

Feng Ling struggled to remember but still couldn’t recall anything.

“I’m really strange today.” Feng Ling rubbed her temples, opened the necklace's pendant, and looked at the photo inside.

In the photo, Feng Ling was about eight or nine years old, sitting happily on her parents’ laps. Her parents on both sides held her with joyful smiles. Even though the background was a rural house with a tiled roof and their clothes were patched, it didn’t affect the family’s happiness at all.

But the moment she saw this photo, Feng Ling went cold all over, as if frozen in fear. Her breathing and heartbeat nearly stopped in an instant.

The parents in the pendant photo were completely different from the parents in the family photo on the wall!

Why? Why were the parents in the photo her grandmother gave her completely different from the two people in the living room and kitchen outside? Their looks and demeanor were entirely unrelated!

As Feng Ling felt her blood run cold, she heard the sound of something shattering outside the window. She instinctively looked toward the window but was immediately drawn to the sky outside.

In the sky outside, a blood-red full moon hung high, like the eye of a demon staring at the entire world.

The moment she noticed the red moon, a door in Feng Ling’s mind that had been tightly locked was suddenly kicked open. Memories she couldn’t recall before came flooding back like a tidal wave.

Her parents’ appearance, the day her grandmother gave her the pendant, and her identity…

She remembered everything!

Feng Ling was indeed her name, but she had never known anything about a "Happy Community." She was born in a village on the outskirts of Honghuai City. Her parents died when she was eight years old, and the necklace and pendant were given to her by her grandmother at their funeral.

Eventually, her grandmother also died after an illness shortly after Feng Ling received her university admission letter. She had no one else in the world she cared about.

How could there suddenly be parents who liked to chop ribs and read newspapers!

Besides her identity in the real world, Feng Ling also remembered the Nightmare World. She had become a player in the Nightmare World not long ago. To be precise, she had only experienced one game—the beginner level when she was first selected.

After returning to the real world, she tried to continue studying and participating in various activities as if nothing had happened. She even threw herself into studying to prepare for certifications, as if that could make her forget the unfathomable existence of the Nightmare World.

But she ended up falling asleep in the library from exhaustion. While sleeping, she heard the sneering voice sending her back into the Nightmare World, along with a series of instructions regarding "Happy Community."

“Do all residents experience varying degrees of memory confusion?” Feng Ling also recalled the sneering voice mentioning the "New Resident Guide" and the important fourth rule.

She had lost her memory, hadn't noticed the red moon in the sky, and even had false memories—all because of this rule!

「Thump—thump—」

Now that Feng Ling had regained her memory, remembered she was in her second Nightmare World game, and recalled that the win condition for this level was to survive 48 hours in "Happy Community," as well as the evil ghosts and vengeful spirits she had encountered in the previous game…

Hearing the sound of chopping ribs outside her bedroom again and thinking of those so-called "parents," Feng Ling broke out in goosebumps all over.

What had she just greeted?!

The more Feng Ling thought about it, the more anxious she became. Her mind was racing. Realizing she was trapped in her sixth-floor bedroom, like a turtle in a jar or prey in a trap for the two things outside, she took a deep breath, opened the bedroom door, and rushed out.

From the bedroom door to the front door, Feng Ling stared straight ahead, holding her breath as she ran.

「Where are you going?」 The sound of chopping ribs in the kitchen suddenly stopped, followed by that thing's cold voice.

“I, I’m going for a walk.” Feng Ling had already opened the door, her heart in her throat.

But there was no sound of footsteps or any attempt to stop her from behind. Only the cold voice continued—

「Come back early… We’ll wait for you to eat.」

“Okay.” Feng Ling, barely breathing, rushed out, but she still remembered to shut the door carefully without making too much noise.