NFBE Chapter 461 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (72)
Chapter 461 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (72)
But then again, it doesn't seem like it...
Lu Liruan recalled that moment just now, and felt that the male host's gaze had not been directed at her and Liao Tingyuan.
"Is there a sound?"
Lu Liruan was so startled by that sudden movement that she started experiencing ringing in her ears; all she could hear now was her own heartbeat.
He was gripping the large spoon that Liao Tingyuan had just handed him tightly in his hand.
"If he tries to chase us down later, I'll rush over, jump up, and slap him hard on the head, then we'll turn around and run!"
Lu Liruan leaned close to Liao Tingyuan's ear,
She couldn't control the volume of her voice, and her breath fell on Liao Tingyuan's neck.
It made him involuntarily shrink back.
too close……
He was so close he could hear the girl's heartbeat, because she was pressed against him...
“Um…” Liao Tingyuan took a breath.
"I'll take the picture of him, you give me the pot."
Lu Liruan gripped the pot handle tightly: "It's okay, I'll do it!"
With wolves in front and tigers behind, Lu Liruan suddenly found courage. This has always been her nature; she never loses the courage to fight back.
"What I mean is, I don't need to jump up." Liao Tingyuan felt that what he said sounded a bit strange, but he had been with Lu Liruan for a long time, so he just spoke without thinking.
Lu Liruan: ...
Do you really have to tell me a lame joke under such a tense situation, thus demoralizing me?
Liao Tingyuan really didn't tell her any lame jokes.
"It's okay, I just have a lot of impact when I jump," Lu Liruan replied dryly.
"Hmm." Liao Tingyuan felt that being so serious about this issue... was even stranger.
He can still hear what's going on inside the house with one ear.
But strangely, it wasn't completely silent inside.
If there is absolutely no sound inside the house, people might suspect that someone is lying in wait behind the store, waiting for them to rush in and walk right into their trap.
But there are sounds coming from inside...
There were footsteps.
The footsteps made no attempt to conceal themselves; they were simply the normal sound of footsteps on the floor.
The direction wasn't towards the door, but rather... pacing around in the living room?
Lu Liruan's heartbeat gradually calmed down amidst Liao Tingyuan's "cold jokes".
Having seen her share of big events these days, she now has a lot of experience in regulating her emotions.
What is he doing?
Lu Liruan also noticed something strange.
At first, Lu Liruan thought there were two people in the house, and that one of them was acting as bait.
But as I listened, I heard the sound of something being smashed on the floor inside the house.
There were also some unclear sounds, which seemed to be the male homeowner cursing.
"He's insulting us?" Lu Liruan frowned, listening intently.
"No way..."
Liao Tingyuan slowly moved forward from behind the door.
"You! Where are you going!"
Liao Tingyuan made a "shh" gesture to her, signaling her to be quiet.
As they reached the door, the two of them closed the crack in the door, leaving the corridor pitch black.
Liao Tingyuan reopened a tiny gap.
A sliver of light peeked out eerily.
Then it turned into a wisp...
Then there was a door.
Liao Tingyuan opened the door to about the width of a hand.
Lu Liruan's heart was in her throat. She was already eyeing the best opening to strike, in case there was an ambush inside.
She dashed out from the side, leaped high, and then...
She had to calculate the distance carefully so she wouldn't accidentally hit Liao Tingyuan.
But nothing happened.
Lu Liruan only heard the footsteps getting louder and the male homeowner's curses.
They weren't the ones being criticized.
What... what's going on?
Could it be that the male homeowner has gone mad? Is he so insane that he doesn't care about them at all?
In what form does it exist?
Lu Liruan felt that this space was too chaotic, as if dead people and animals could return to any of their forms.
Lu Liruan and Liao Tingyuan had discussed this issue. When they saw the male homeowner's face clearly, he appeared to be "complete" when he arrived.
Liao Tingyuan's guess is:
All their changes occurred after space was formed.
It's also possible that... they all came into contact with the source of infection, and once the source of infection created a space, their state within it could change at will.
In other words, they become whatever the space wants them to be.
But these are all just speculations.
Lu Liruan watched Liao Tingyuan's back. He stood at the door, not very wary, just standing there.
"what happened?"
Lu Liruan squeezed next to him and looked into the house with him.
This scene was extremely strange and eerie.
They had been to this house several times before; it wasn't very big.
The living room was tiny, without even windows, and piled high with stuff, making it feel very cramped and dirty.
The presence of the male homeowner inside made the house feel even more cramped.
To be precise, they were standing at the door, no more than three steps away from the male homeowner inside.
But the male homeowner... didn't even glance in their direction.
He just kept going around in circles by himself.
Lu Liruan was initially bowing, but even though she and Liao Tingyuan were already standing in a row at the door, the male homeowner inside still ignored them.
Lu Liruan: ?
Has he really gone mad?
He tentatively took a step forward.
Lu Liruan stepped onto the floor inside the door and slowly walked in.
It was only about two steps away from the male homeowner.
Lu Liruan originally thought that this door... might be like some kind of barrier, so that as long as they didn't step inside, the male owner wouldn't be able to see them.
But once inside the barrier, the male owner will be able to see them.
Liao Tingyuan must have thought the same thing. As Lu Liruan took a step forward, he put one hand on her shoulder and the other on her waist.
Lu Liruan felt that as she stepped inside, Liao Tingyuan's grip tightened slightly.
It seemed that the moment he sensed something was wrong inside, he could scoop Lu Liruan up in one swift motion and turn to run away with her...
However, everything was strangely calm.
Lu Liruan prepared to walk forward again.
The hand on his waist pressed down and then released, and Liao Tingyuan walked in.
Now, all three of them were standing in this cramped little living room.
It was really crowded.
The male head of the household was right in front of Lu Liruan, just a step away, face to face with her.
Lu Liruan could clearly see the bloodshot veins in his eyes, which looked like they hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.
The veins on his neck were bulging from anger and cursing, and there were stains on his shirt.
I don't know how long it's been since he changed his clothes, he ended up looking so disheveled, completely different from his always spirited and meticulous appearance in the photos.
With a stubble beard and his hands clenched into fists, Lu Liruan and Liao Tingyuan could see the abrasions on his knuckles.
Soon, they found out how the abrasion was caused.
Right in front of them, the male homeowner punched the wall.
It immediately reopened the already broken skin, leaving bloodstains on the wall, but the male homeowner seemed completely oblivious to the pain.
He actually slammed it twice more.
Lu Liruan could feel how strong he was. This person was exuding a kind of madness. Experiencing such terrifying negative emotions up close made Lu Liruan hold her breath.
That dark, sticky feeling, like a maggot clinging to a bone, climbed onto everyone who approached.
Lu Liruan forced herself to look into his eyes, and was only thankful that the male host's gaze did not fall on her.
Instead, it seemed as if it had passed through his own body, staring intently at the doorway.
He truly couldn't see himself or Liao Tingyuan.
what 's wrong?
Lu Liruan raised her hand, wanting to touch the male owner to see if she could really touch him and whether he was a physical being.
Are these people... currently in the same spacetime plane?
"Don't touch it!"
Liao Tingyuan suddenly grabbed her hand.
They pulled her aside, just in time to avoid the male homeowner who suddenly started moving around.
"what happened?"
Once she was certain that the male homeowner was unaware of them, unable to see or hear them, Lu Liruan's voice returned to normal.
"Don't touch him. If we do, it might cause us to cross paths." Liao Tingyuan shook his head. "It seems that some people from other branches have encountered this situation before, and it caused a lot of trouble after they came into contact with him."
"Ouch!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Liruan not only withdrew her hand but also leaned back against the wall, afraid that her clothes might accidentally touch the male homeowner.
If they were in the same space as him, Lu Liruan looked around the small house and felt that the male owner could catch them like turtles in a jar.
She told Liao Tingyuan what he had said, and Liao Tingyuan looked at her with a complicated expression: "Ruan Ruan, we are not turtles."
"I was just using an analogy!" Lu Liruan didn't mean to be seen as a turtle.
Well... there aren't any other words!
The male homeowner appeared to be in an extremely unstable mental state; as he walked, he kicked the pile of dirty takeout food in the living room...
Lu Liruan watched as the takeout juice, which had already spoiled in the summer heat, spilled out, and a dense layer of tiny flying insects buzzed up, along with a strange smell that hit her nose.
“yue ——”
Lu Liruan fanned herself with her hand, but it was no use; the unpleasant smell had nowhere to hide.
Lu Liruan thought to herself that if she lived in such an environment, she would probably have gone crazy long ago.
The male homeowner walked faster and faster, making Lu Liruan feel dizzy in the small living room.
"Doesn't he get dizzy walking like this?" Lu Liruan sighed and asked, "How long is he going to walk?"
"We came here just to see him perform a speed walking demonstration, didn't we?"
"Maybe……"
Liao Tingyuan squinted, feeling a bit tired of watching.
The two of them huddled pitifully against the wall. If anyone else could see the scene inside the room, they would surely find it absurd and laughable.
The man walked along while staring at his phone, and then gradually, he started making calls incessantly.
You should only dial one number, keep dialing, keep dialing...
But no one answered the phone.
From the initial busy tone, it changed to the final message: "The number you dialed is currently switched off."
Even after hearing that the other party had turned off their phone, the male homeowner remained obsessed and continued to call incessantly.
Anyone could see that he was currently mentally unstable and manic.
The atmosphere was so oppressive and neurotic that Lu Liruan couldn't even speak.
Lu Liruan felt that even when the male protagonist pretended to be a normal person, he couldn't change the oppressive feeling he gave off.
It's unimaginable how difficult it must be for the woman to live under the same roof as this kind of person, while also having to keep things to herself, constantly on guard against him, and protecting her children.
"Who is he calling?" Lu Liruan squinted, trying to see the screen clearly, but failed.
"It's just a string of numbers." Liao Tingyuan also leaned closer to take a look, but when Lu Liruan turned around, their noses almost collided.
"Ah!" Lu Liruan was startled and subconsciously touched her own nose, then reached out and touched Liao Tingyuan's nose.
"You scared me..." She patted Liao Tingyuan's face again.
"I'm sorry," Liao Tingyuan murmured, his eyes drooping in a panic, not really knowing what he was saying anymore.
Fortunately, Lu Liruan didn't listen to what he said. Both of them were absent-minded and didn't notice anything strange about the other.
Just as they retreated back to the wall, they suddenly heard the sound of a key turning in the door.
?
Lu Liruan looked towards the door, which opened with a "click," seemingly hesitantly.
This was the first time Lu Liruan had seen the accomplice's face so clearly.
I actually saw it in the corridor a few nights ago, but the person at that time no longer looked "alive".
But now, at least he looks like a living, breathing person.
Wearing a large, dark blue cartoon T-shirt, black shorts, and carrying a shopping bag from the supermarket.
Her chubby face, with its excess fat, was covered in pimples.
At this moment, his expression was cautious and careful, and his fat body made no sound when he stepped on the ground.
The moment he entered, the male homeowner's sinister and violent gaze immediately followed him. His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't had water in a long time: "Where have you been?"
"Oh my god! I went to the supermarket and bought some things! We're completely out of things at home! I also went to... I even threw away some trash, the house smelled terrible!"
He spoke as if he had prepared his speech for a long time on the road, and it came out instantly.
The man's gaze fell on the bag in his hand.
"Why don't you answer the phone?"
"My phone is on silent, did you call me, bro?" He took out his phone and pressed a few buttons: "It's off..."
The male homeowner coldly surveyed him: "Didn't I tell you? You're not allowed to go anywhere while I'm asleep! You're not allowed to go anywhere! Are you deaf? Can't you understand human language?!"
Lu Liruan then realized why the male homeowner looked like he hadn't slept in a long time, with red eyes.
He was worried that while he was asleep, his accomplice would sneak away...
This is their home; they can escape as long as they find the right opportunity.
"I'm sorry, bro... I saw you were sleeping so soundly, so I went out to buy some things. I'm not not coming back! Bro, do you drink? I bought some beer!"
He said in a fawning and ingratiating tone.