Chapter 112: Feed Me Cookies~

[Mission Trigger]
[Younger Sister's Request]
[Objective: Fulfill the younger sister’s request]
[Time Limit: 72:00:00]
[Success: You will uncover the truth to escape this place]
[Failure: Eternal lostness; you will remain here forever]

Ji Linmo closed the window and glanced discreetly at Qin Feng beside him. The other was still driving, showing no sign of having received any message. Could it be that the "younger sister" hadn’t sent him a text? Or perhaps Qin Feng didn’t have his phone on him?

“Qin Feng, after what happened last night, can you still make it home smoothly?” Ji Linmo withdrew his phone and asked.

“Going to the gym was just temporary. I’ll need to go home later to investigate some things. What about you?” Qin Feng replied.

For Ji Linmo, visiting the gym wasn’t only about investigating the meteorite impact. It was also about placing Liu Xiaoxiao somewhere safe to endure the last three days of this game. But Qin Feng’s situation was uncertain. If Qin Feng had really caused a big scene last night, his identity as “son” might have been nullified, and he might never be able to return home.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Ji. I didn’t cause much trouble; no one would suspect me.” Qin Feng chuckled lightly and then pulled down his lower eyelids. Beneath his eyes was a faint purple hue.

Ji Linmo remained silent, then silently pulled down his own eyelids in the rearview mirror. After a moment’s thought, he checked Liu Xiaoxiao’s eyes as well. Sure enough, the same purple tint appeared beneath her eyes.

—They are both infected, but this isn’t necessarily bad; the residents will see them as one of their own.

“Phew...” Liu Xiaoxiao swatted Ji Linmo’s hand away when he tried to pull her eyelid, muttered something, and turned over to sleep again.

“Qin Feng, let’s exchange information,” Ji Linmo suggested.

The two of them quickly reviewed their findings from last night and summarized two relatively clear rules.

First, the Meteorite Purple Eye Syndrome seems to cause severe mental contamination. At night, the uninfected appear to the infected as “medicine people” who can cure their illness. Once identified as such, the infected no longer recognize the person’s original identity but see them as furry beasts called “medicine people.”

Second, the infected residents of Happiness Town appear to be living undead. While killing them during the day results in death, at night they rise again with renewed consciousness.

“Haah... Did someone just pull my eyelids?” a yawn with a regional accent came from the back seat.

“Big brother Ji Linmo, was that you waking me? Where are we headed now?” Liu Xiaoxiao rubbed her eyes and climbed up from her seat, reaching out to clap Ji Linmo’s shoulder carelessly.

But in an instant, she froze, noticing Qin Feng watching through the rearview mirror. Her expression stiffened, and she obediently placed her hands quietly on her lap.

“You alright?” Ji Linmo noticed her sudden restraint and asked.

She instinctively shook her head, glanced at Qin Feng, then nervously nodded.

“Y-Yeah... I’m fine.” Lowering her head, she seemed fearful of meeting Qin Feng’s gaze.

Ji Linmo frowned slightly. Whatever happened after he lost consciousness last night was probably not as pleasant as Qin Feng claimed. Most likely, the little madman really did cause a scene and showed a terrifying side witnessed by Liu Xiaoxiao. But overall, the outcome was good, and he didn’t want to complicate matters further.

“Mr. Ji, want some breakfast?” The car suddenly stopped by the roadside. Qin Feng pulled out a bag of cookies from the drawer and handed it to Ji Linmo, then casually tossed the other bag to Liu Xiaoxiao.

“Let’s eat together.” Ji Linmo tore open the bag and offered some to Qin Feng. Looking out the window, the navigation showed they had arrived at the gym.

Yet on the rusty iron gate hung not the gym’s sign, but a shaky sign reading “Amusement Park.”

“Seems like it’s halfway through construction.” Ji Linmo glanced around and stepped out of the car. But as soon as he landed, he frowned deeply at the sight of purple snakeberries sprawling across the ground.

—No fruit should be purple.

Although he didn’t know what it meant, Ji Linmo strongly suspected the purple fruit was connected to viral contamination.

“Wow! Are these snakeberries? I used to eat these a lot back home!” Liu Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up as she licked the crumbs from the cookie bag and practically jumped out of the car.

—The hills were full of plump, vibrant purple snakeberries, glistening under the sunlight, dripping with sweetness. The juice seemed so abundant it threatened to overflow, their deliciousness imaginable even without tasting.

“Brother! We’ve struck it rich!” Liu Xiaoxiao grinned, eager to dive into the field and stuff the berries into her mouth.

But the next moment, Ji Linmo grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, scattering the berries on the ground.

“Liu Xiaoxiao, anything purple is poisonous. Don’t eat it,” Ji Linmo warned.

Seeing her unwilling expression, he frowned, preparing to say more. But then a clear voice came from nearby.

“Miss Liu Xiaoxiao, Mr. Ji says not to eat it~” Qin Feng smiled gently, his gaze fixed on Liu Xiaoxiao’s left hand.

Liu Xiaoxiao’s expression immediately changed; frightened, she tossed the snakeberries hidden in her hand and quickly hid behind Ji Linmo.

“I- I know, I won’t eat it. It looks gross anyway...” she muttered, peeking cautiously at Qin Feng from behind Ji Linmo.

Only after Qin Feng walked away did she reluctantly emerge.

“Liu Xiaoxiao, you’re really afraid of him... Has he threatened you somehow?” Ji Linmo asked quietly, noticing her unusual fear.

—With Lin Bufe’s experience last time, he was beginning to worry about Liu Xiaoxiao’s safety.

“No... but brother, I really think he’s... he’s scary,” Liu Xiaoxiao whispered. “When he saved me, he said a lot of things I didn’t understand. It was terrifying…”

Her words had barely fallen when the young man suddenly turned his head and looked their way.

Ji Linmo instinctively straightened up and cleared his throat softly. Liu Xiaoxiao shivered and ducked behind him like an ostrich, ending the conversation.

Well, it seemed Liu Xiaoxiao wasn’t the only one intimidated by Qin Feng. Ji Linmo silently thought as he lowered his hand from a feigned cough.