Welfare Home or Zoo?

The three figures standing beside Wu Wang turned to look at him.

Among them, Father Wu's posture was ramrod straight. His skin was slightly coarse with a few weathered lines that only added to his mature charm. A light stubble dusted his chin, and fine lines at the corners of his eyes gave him a world-weary air.

He wore a simple, dark-colored shirt stretched across a solid chest, the cuffs rolled up to reveal sturdy forearms. He looked like the quintessential handsome, mature uncle.

Father Wu was a writer.

But he was also an enthusiast of free climbing and wilderness survival. When he wasn't writing, he spent a great deal of time training his body to an athlete's peak condition.

“Son, you've… had it rough.”

His voice was deep and low.

“I'm sorry for making you endure so many years of loneliness.”

In Wu Wang's memory, his father was not a man who expressed his feelings easily. At home, he would either be exercising, buried in his writing, or on the phone with his editor. He rarely struck up a conversation with his son.

Even so, on Wu Wang's birthday each year, a present would appear on the table right on time. His father would also personally enter the kitchen and spend hours baking him a large cake.

When Wu Wang did some of his more "abstract" things and got into trouble, his father was always the one who stepped forward to resolve the matter. He never hit him for his mistakes. Instead, he would calmly and patiently explain the reasoning behind right and wrong.

A father's love is not easily expressed.

But it is deep.

To be honest, when Wu Wang first saw this false figure, he expected it to twist into a terrifying form to call him to account, just like in the Little Black Room from 【Fight Back to School】.

It would have been better if it had. At least the psychological burden of attacking it would be less.

But this illusion… what it said was perfectly in line with his old man's personality. Compared to the complaining phantom from the Little Black Room, this one wasn't OOC (out of character) at all.

“Sigh, old man, I'm the one who's about to be sorry,” Wu Wang sighed.

He drew the 【Avalon Sheath (Low-spec Replica)】 from his backpack, the 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】 sheathed within it.

With a soft hiss of steel, Wu Wang drew his sword and pointed it at his father. He believed he wouldn't be swayed by such a low-level illusion.

Just then, Mother Wu, who was beside Father Wu, took a step forward.

Her appearance was not the tragic state he had seen in the Little Black Room after the accident. Her skin was as smooth as jade, and her bare face was exquisitely striking. She and Father Wu made a perfect, handsome couple.

Dressed in simple, everyday clothes, she clasped her hands before her, her brows furrowed in sorrow. She possessed a fragile, sorrowful beauty.

His mother was a university teacher.

She would always encourage and praise him without reservation. Even though her work was demanding, she never neglected his education or her time with him. She even frequently took him traveling as a child, encouraging him to learn all sorts of weird and wonderful things.

She said that broadening his horizons would help him decide his own future. She was dedicated to letting him choose his own path in life.

Occasionally, when his father was lecturing him, she would tease from the side.

"Our son is full of initiative and imagination, isn't that a good thing?"

She was an intelligent, independent, and strong mother.

At this moment, however, she wasn't the fierce image from the Little Black Room. She didn't blame him, nor was she as strict as a teacher.

Her eyes were just filled with sorrow as she spoke in an aching tone.

"Son, you've gotten thinner."

Those five short words conveyed the entirety of a mother's love. She wasn't a dead soul seeing the light of day again. She was a mother, spending the New Year alone, making a pained video call to her child who was working far from home, worried he wasn't eating enough.

Wu Wang's hand holding the 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】 trembled slightly.

It was just… too much like them.

He was certain that if his real parents were here, they would say the exact same things.

For a moment, he felt dazed. This memory welling up from the depths of his heart gave him a very strange feeling. He felt that something was deeply out of place, but he couldn't focus on the incongruity.

He only wanted to look at his deceased relatives for a moment longer.

Even if it was just for one more second…

The Red Vertical Pupil on his wrist blinked twice. An indescribable Mental Contamination pierced the depths of Wu Wang's soul.

It was like enjoying the full-body comfort of a hot spring, only to have a basin of ice water dumped over his head. The shock drenched him to the bone, snapping him alert.

Only then did Wu Wang realize the 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】 he had raised toward his father had been returned to its sheath at some unknown point.

“Hah… something's not right. Something… is altering my perception.”

He understood immediately. He was gradually becoming unable to act against these illusions of his family. This wasn't simple reluctance. It was a change originating from his subconscious, which then compelled his body to act.

Even after realizing this, when he looked at the sheath, Wu Wang had no thought of drawing the sword. His body was instinctively resisting the urge to attack them.

Taking a deep breath, he surveyed his surroundings, trying to find a way to break free.

If all else failed, he could only shoot himself in the head. Maybe reviving once would reset his status and break the stalemate. After all, that strange power made him unable to attack his family, not resist harming himself.

You can't stop me from killing myself, can you!

Just as Wu Wang was pulling a pistol from his backpack, a slender but surprisingly strong hand reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Wu Wang looked up and met her gaze.

“Eldest Sister… are you here to play the sentiment card too?”

She was a handsome woman with short hair.

That's right, not pretty, but handsome. Her sharp features and firm, piercing gaze would make anyone think of her as cool and dashing rather than beautiful. She wore practical, short-sleeved sportswear that perfectly accentuated her impressive figure. Her skin wasn't pale like her mother's or second sister's, but a healthy, sun-kissed wheat color.

Her entire aura was as sharp as a drawn sword. Wu Wang even subconsciously shrank back a little.

This was his Eldest Sister, Wu Qing.

She and Wu Xiaoyou had been adopted by his family together. Unlike his gentle second sister, who could seem a bit silly in daily life, she was a very strong woman.

And "strong" was meant literally.

In school, she was the president of the taekwondo club. She had earned the position with her absolute strength, capable of beating down everyone in the club, including the coach, regardless of gender.

She was also number one in every sport, be it basketball, track, or even rugby. Before the accident, she had already won enough medals representing the school to qualify for a provincial team.

Her personality was straightforward and magnanimous, the very picture of a tomboy.

He had heard from his second sister that back in the welfare home, the older boys were bullies and the management was poor. The orphans had a clear status hierarchy with their own little cliques. Some groups would even try to bully others out of their food, nearly starving them.

Under those circumstances, if Eldest Sister hadn't protected her, she probably would have become severely malnourished long ago.

Not only that, Eldest Sister beat the older kids into submission and became the king of the kids at the welfare home. After that, she warned everyone that bullying was forbidden.

In their family, she was the one who first took Wu Wang and their second sister out to get part-time summer jobs. Their goal was to buy a limited-edition signed book and some wilderness survival equipment for their father's birthday, and a massager and new clothes for their mother on Mother's Day.

In the eyes of the whole family, Eldest Sister was the type who would graduate and either become a self-reliant, powerful career woman or an outstanding professional athlete.

If he had to point out a flaw, it would be that she was fiercely protective of her own.

When Wu Wang got into trouble, she would, without a second thought, defend him and shut up the accusers. It was the same even when Wu Wang was actually in the wrong.

In her own words…

“You're my little brother. If you do something wrong, I'll beat you, of course. But no one else can.”

That was the first time Wu Wang learned what a "double-standard monster" was. Of course, he really did get beaten by Eldest Sister afterward. Their mom had requested it, saying that while imagination was a good thing, he still needed to be taught a lesson for his wrongdoing.

Unfortunately, it was useless. He still had this death-courting personality.

Sigh, in this family, besides me being a bit "abstract," everyone else seems pretty great. What's up with that? If it weren't for that accident… if I could take their spirits out and find a way to revive them… maybe everything could go back to those wonderful days…

A crisp slap landed hotly on his face just as that thought, driven by some irresistible force, began to emerge.

Feeling the familiar pain, Wu Wang couldn't help but complain.

"Seriously, Sis, can you not slap my face every time!"

In his family, only Eldest Sister would slap his face. But it was precisely this slap that made him realize how dangerous his previous thought had been.

He hadn't even confirmed if these three figures were really their lingering souls. Even if they were, methods to return a soul to the living were almost universally against the laws of nature. The creation of the 【Five-Flower Melody Puppet】 he had just witnessed in 【Anecdotes of the Pear Garden】 was a perfect example. Was he really going to perform such an evil art?

Being "abstract" was one thing, but if it came to actually doing something heinous and immoral, Wu Wang would almost certainly refuse. If his second sister found out, she would be sad. His family, resting in the underworld, would most likely shake their heads and sigh.

This slap was like a sudden enlightenment, temporarily snapping him awake.

His Eldest Sister didn't respond to his words. The expressionless, handsome woman just continued to pull on Wu Wang's wrist, slowly raising it.

She pressed her own forehead against the muzzle of Wu Wang's pistol. The cold metal didn't make her flinch in the slightest.

Instead, she spoke with utter determination.

“Little Brother, shoot.”

As soon as she spoke, another heavy blow struck Wu Wang's mind. The dazed state and subconscious resistance from before vanished without a trace. The image of his Eldest Sister grew clearer and clearer in his eyes.

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift slightly.

Right… this is too much like her. If it were my Eldest Sister, she would definitely say that.

He no longer hesitated.

“Eldest Sister, next time I do something wrong, can you just kick my butt instead of slapping my face? It's fleshier there, so it doesn't hurt as much.”

Bang!

The gun fired. A splash of blood appeared on Eldest Sister's forehead.

Instantly, Wu Wang felt a great weight lift from his heart. The torment of struggling against his own subconscious was finally gone.

At the same time, Eldest Sister's expression grew increasingly stiff. Only her lips trembled slightly as she spoke.

“Slapping your face… hurts… so you'll learn your lesson and not do stupid things…”

“Live well… you're not allowed to die…”

As soon as she finished speaking, the figures of Eldest Sister and his parents began to blur. The surrounding environment gradually grew dark.

From the spot where Eldest Sister had been standing, a painful wail erupted.

“Ah, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!”

Wu Wang instantly swapped the pistol for the 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】 and brandished it forward. The sound of the sword cutting through the air was met with a cry for mercy.

“Don't, don't, don't! I was wrong, big bro! I was wrong!”

The voice in the darkness sounded somewhat childish.

Wu Wang took out his phone for light and was stunned. His 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】 was resting on the neck of a tuxedo cat, who was begging for mercy in a human voice.

There was a small bald spot on its forehead where the fur had been blasted away, revealing reddish skin underneath. It was obvious that where Eldest Sister had told him to shoot was actually where this cat had been.

“Well, well, you got addicted to impersonating people, didn't you?”

Wu Wang growled.

“You wouldn't even let my Dick Cat go?”

After speaking, he prepared to bring the sword down.

Frightened, the tuxedo cat plopped onto the ground, held its head, and started wailing like a banshee. It cried and howled for a good while before realizing the sword hadn't fallen.

It then said sheepishly, “You are magnanimous… hehehe…”

What it didn't know was that Wu Wang hadn't struck because he realized this thing hadn't actually impersonated Dick Cat. The patch of white fur on Dick Cat's face was larger and more magnificent than this one's.

But he didn't lower the 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】 either. He crouched down and asked fiercely, "Talk. What's going on? Did you create those illusions just now?"

The tuxedo cat looked at the almost tangible killing intent emanating from Wu Wang. It swallowed.

"Yes..."

It immediately added, "But! I meant no harm! I just hoped you wouldn't hurt me!"

“Continue. More details,” Wu Wang said, surveying the surroundings. He had figured it out. This thing had almost no combat power. It was probably just tough-skinned, since a bullet couldn't even pierce its head. And its cowardice was astounding. Even now, it was still cowering on the ground with its head in its paws.

“I can make you see illusions of your loved ones.”

The cat spoke quickly and in great detail.

“They communicate in the form you remember them, with absolutely no noticeable flaws. They can gradually change your subconscious until you completely sink into a sweet paradise. At that point, I can secretly replace one of them and make you willing to protect me at all costs.”

After it finished, it couldn't help but mutter, "Who knew your family members were all crazy? She'd actually rather have you shoot her dead?"

The confession was so detailed that Wu Wang was a bit speechless. It almost sounded like a lie.

Seriously, buddy, you don't have a single shred of backbone, do you?

As if reading his thoughts, the tuxedo cat said miserably, "What else can I do? I'm not like those guys with powerful abilities. I can only rely on the strength of intruders like you to protect myself."

It continued, "Once I'm seen through, I can't use my ability on you again. It's better to be honest to avoid a beating.”

Holy shit! That makes a fuck-ton of sense!

Wu Wang was genuinely at a loss for words. He'd never seen an NPC surrender so quickly.

“Those guys? There are other beings like you in this welfare home?” Wu Wang asked.

The tuxedo cat nodded repeatedly. “Yes, big bro, yes. There are five beings like me in total, and they are much stronger than me.”

Just then, Wu Wang's gaze shifted to the corner of the room where several white skeletons lay. They looked like they had been dead for a long time.

His gaze toward the tuxedo cat turned hostile again.

It seemed this guy wasn't telling the whole truth. If his power was just about sinking into a "sweet paradise" and wanting protection, why had so many people died here? Did it kill all these people?

And why were the NPCs here animals? He could have accepted ghosts, but animals were just too strange.

Is this place a welfare home or a zoo?