Chapter 346 A Peculiar Day

Chapter 346: A Peculiar Day

"Don't worry, Uncle Zhuang. My brother and I don't live far from Honghuai Tenth High School. Plus, I have enough bullets with me. Even if something unexpected happens, we can make it back to the school in time," Chen Xi reassured Zhuang Anping. "What's more, it's daytime now. The strange figures on the streets should have vanished or hidden away, just like those fish-headed monsters at the school."

Soon after leaving Honghuai Tenth High School, Chen Xi noticed Zhuang Anping's unease.

The morning sunlight filtered through the trees lining the street, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Despite the relative safety of daylight and the presence of many pedestrians, Chen Xi sensed an unusual stillness in the air.

"I'm fine. It's just my first time experiencing this peculiar feeling, and I'm a bit disoriented," Zhuang Anping said, gazing ahead with a hint of bewilderment in his voice.

"Peculiar feeling? What kind of feeling?" Chen Xi tilted her head, asking curiously.

"It's the feeling that even though I'm still alive, no one can see me or hear my voice," Zhuang Anping let out a bitter laugh. "I used to think the biggest difference between humans and ghosts was life and death. But now it seems the external environment can also affect us, even change us. If everyone believes you're dead, then even if you're still alive, you're not truly living."

"An old man who's already lived half his life shouldn't dwell on such serious philosophical questions," Chen Xi said lightheartedly, trying to ease Zhuang Anping's tense nerves.

They walked past rows of shops along the street. The goods in the display windows were neatly arranged, but not a single passerby stopped to look. An eerie silence permeated the air.

"Setting aside the real world and the nightmare world for now, I just feel like there's something in this Honghuai City that dictates what we should do. Take that player named Su Bai we met at school, for example. Sometimes when you called him by that name, he wasn't completely unresponsive, yet he repeatedly insisted his name was Xiao Lou."

"And even though we're clearly still alive, even that administrator's voice said we were 'dead.'"

"I've even started to somewhat understand that briefcase monster we encountered earlier. When he was grumbling, he mentioned that this is a world that 'follows the script,' saying everyone around us is just a controlled puppet on strings."

"Maybe he was right. Maybe all those people ignoring us along the way are just like we were when we lost our memories—completely unaware of this world. They might not even realize they're being controlled by some 'string' to carry out prearranged tasks."

As Zhuang Anping spoke, Chen Xi remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings. The pedestrians on the street indeed seemed unable to see or hear them, moving silently and mechanically.

Chen Xi began to feel a growing sense of unease.

"Alright, Uncle, let's not dwell on these things," Chen Xi shook her head, as if comforting Zhuang Anping and herself at the same time. "Since it's daytime, maybe we can do things we'd never experience in the real world. Like taking chocolate from a supermarket in plain sight? Or going to a kindergarten to play on the slide with the kids?"

Chen Xi wasn't the type to get stuck overthinking problems. Perhaps infected by her easygoing nature, the previously troubled Zhuang Anping gradually began to lighten up.

They continued walking along the street, the warmthless sunlight falling on their bodies, invisible to others. Although no strange figures appeared during the daytime, after walking for a while, both Chen Xi and Zhuang Anping noticed something amiss about Honghuai City in the daytime—

The pedestrians around them were far too silent.

In the real world, they had seen many people walking while using their phones, but the pedestrians in "Honghuai City" weren't looking at their phones or chatting with companions. Instead, they were truly like wooden puppets, silently staring straight ahead, walking continuously without stopping.

"Were they like this yesterday?" Chen Xi asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.