Forces of Temptation

A patricide blood feast lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour.

The father was lying face up on the ground, his face was blurred by blood, and it was impossible to tell whether he was dead or not.

Before his resistance reached its peak, it was completely ruined by a silver table knife.

The lower half of his face was eaten away, the softest tongue and lips were cut open by the table knife, cut all the way deep, revealing a little snow-white and soft, monkey-like skull.

The two brothers and sisters sat down on the ground dripping with blood.

There are bits and pieces of debris in their nails.

The corners of their mouths were stained with blood, and a little happy, inexplicable smile.

The maddening hunger made them completely succumb to the instinct of biological hunting.

And when the instinct was satisfied and the emptiness in their stomachs was filled, the famine that had tortured them for many days came to an end temporarily.

Their expressions gradually changed from satisfied to empty.

Before he had time to regurgitate what kind of injustice he had committed, the tiredness caused by food poverty came surging.

… After more than ten days of hunger, I suddenly feel full and overeat a meal. This kind of satisfaction from body to heart is not trivial.

The two children hugged each other in the bloody smell, and fell asleep.

Not long after, three figures quietly entered through the window.

After entering the room, the aroma of food becomes clearer.

As the game progressed to the present, Li Yinhang was already so hungry that he fainted.

Even though the messy cups and plates on the ground were already covered with blood and unidentified fragments, when he saw the delicious food all over the floor, Li Yinhang's first reaction was to go up and cook him a meal before the dishes were cold.

Fortunately, she quickly stuffed a mouthful of the biscuit she had brought into her mouth and put it in her mouth to forcefully divert her attention and dilute her hunger as much as possible.

She understood it.

All the edible items that appeared in this game, even if it was bark, even if she died of starvation, she would not take a bite of it.

Nan Zhou walked up to his father's bloody corpse, bent down, and calmly poked open a pile of rotten flesh with his fingertips.

After inspecting it for a while, he raised his head amidst the pungent smell, and agreed in a very low voice: "Brother Fang, you are right."

All the fleshy and fatty places on the father's body were torn apart.

His stomach was also opened with a slap-sized opening, and some internal organs flowed out from their original positions, exuding a strange aura unique to internal organs.

And on his watery stomach grew a familiar doorknob.

Like a mushroom stalk growing from a damp and dark place.

——Behind this human stomach, there is another timeline hidden.

Facts have proved that Jiang Fang's judgment is very sober and completely correct.

On the contrary, if they really rescued the woodcutter NPC and tried to kill or drive away the two brothers and sisters, it would not only be of no help to pass the level, but also a time-consuming reverse clearance behavior.

Not only did they have to dig up the grave of their stepmother, search every corner they could find in the cabin, they might even kill their brothers and sisters to find the next door.

When the situation turned to that extreme situation, he still had to personally kill the NPC they had rescued himself in the end.

After experiencing such a round of intense consumption, Nan Zhou at that time might not be able to easily subdue the woodcutter, a strong adult man.

And Jiang Fang not only chose the most risk-avoiding method, but also considered the timeline reversal and paradox when he was hungry.

Nan Zhou touched his arm and gave him a thumbs up.

However, for the affirmation from Nan Zhou, Jiang Fang's mouth just slightly raised, as if he had something on his mind.

Nanzhou had no time, he thought, turned around to greet Li Yinhang, and at the same time pressed the slippery doorknob that was leaking digestive juices.

The sound of the lock spring springing made the younger sister on the sofa move and let out a vague dream.

Li Yinhang's scalp went numb, and the soles of his feet, which were pressed on the floor and were about to get close to the two of them, stood on tiptoe, not daring to move an inch.

She had already come to terms with it.

In the first timeline, the brother and sister's kindness to the three is because in their eyes, they are three packed takeaway lunches.

God knows if these two little bastards who have just eaten meat and tasted human taste are full.

Fortunately, when the younger sister hummed uncomfortably, the sleeping brother closed his eyes, turned over consciously, touched a corner of the eiderdown blanket, and covered it.

Along with the closing, there are also his slender arms that are not too strong.

A child with bloody hands hugged another blood-stained child from behind.

The two leaned against each other, and in the sound sleep, they gave each other a meager but also the greatest sense of security within their ability.

Nan Zhou looked at them.

Their relationship is still very good.

In the fate of being dominated by copies like puppets, they are at least dancing in pairs.

With such a little envy, Nan Zhou turned the doorknob to the end.

Click.

The eyes are bright at first, and then a burst of refreshing greenery invades the body.

The sun and the moon alternate, and day and night are reversed.

They returned to the forest again.

This time, the road leading to the cabin was blocked by trees and vines.

Obviously, their destination this time is either the Candy House or Daze.

After two timeline changes, Nanzhou has observed the pattern.

This game is not difficult.

The difficulty is that this is a level of choice + reverse time advancement.

From the clearance settings of the second timeline, it can be seen that since the father has died in the first timeline, in the earlier timeline, the father must die.

Jiang Fang let it go, it was precisely because of this consideration.

In short, they need to make efficient and time-saving choices as accurately as possible at various key points, find the door, and pass the level.

only……

Nan Zhou thought of the three rounds they had passed in the [Brain Invasion] dungeon.

The tin soldier in the library is lonely, so his purpose is to have players stay with him.

By the Swan Lake, the stepmother who pretends to be a princess is terrified, so while enjoying the fear of others viciously, she also has the fear that her secret will be revealed at any time.

Even the big bad wolf, whom they have never met, represents desire and deception.

So he will have intimate relationships with players, detaining them in dank trances.

Instances are usually combined with the purpose of guarding NPCs, and nested to give them corresponding levels.

The tin soldier corresponds to the chess game.

The stepmother corresponds to the fear test of "11+n" doors.

The big bad wolf corresponds to the challenge of hormonal control.

So, what is the wish that belongs to them that the two brothers and sisters refuse to admit?

Is it just to satisfy the appetite?

What will this nested time barrier ultimately lead to?

Nan Zhou was about to turn around and explain his thoughts when he saw Li Yinhang leaning on the tree and vomited out with a "wow".

As a normal person, seeing the scene of biting a living person just now, she can survive until this step before collapsing, which is already considered her strong stomach control.

The fragrance of grass and trees did not relieve the strong and fresh smell of blood in the nasal cavity, but under the counterbalance, the nausea further penetrated into the diaphragm.

Li Yinhang hugged the tree, his whole body fluttering.

But she still didn't forget to look down tenaciously, and said with relief: "It's all digested. There is no waste. It's great."

Nanzhou: "..."

Jiang Fang: "..."

Nan Zhou asked her: "Do you want to go into the warehouse to rest for a while?"

After weighing the pros and cons, Li Yinhang thinks that in his current state where his stomach is so weak that his legs are weak, holding on will only hinder him, and he will not be very handsome.

She chose to lie down and rest for a while.

After putting Li Yinhang into the backpack, Nan Zhou turned to Jiang Fang: "Brother Fang, let's go."

Jiang Fang: "Yes."

Jiang Fang: "Just now, I'm sorry."

Nan Zhou: "...Huh?"

Nan Zhou thought about it carefully, and probably understood which sentence Jiang Fang was apologizing for.

But why apologize to yourself for the right words?

The woodcutter is indeed a fictional character...

Thinking of this, Nan Zhou's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

——Jiang Fang wanted to apologize to herself because of this sentence, is it because Jiang Fang knew about her... things?

Nan Zhou lowered his eyes.

When he met the man surnamed Xie, he was already mentally prepared.

He couldn't rule out the possibility that there are players of "Gravity" who have played "Eternal Day" and seen themselves.

Nan Zhou once suspected that the Lin Zhisong he met in [Fear of the Full Moon] was also one of the players who had an impression of him.

At first, Nan Zhou didn't mind Jiang Fang or Li Yinhang knowing his identity.

From long ago, he was alone.

He doesn't mind breaking through the level alone like Xie He, and fulfilling his wish single-handedly.

However, the longer he spent with them, the less Nan Zhou wanted to tell the truth about himself.

He knew that Yinhang and Brother Fang's personalities would not hurt him, at most they would choose to part ways with him because they were worried about safety.

Nan Zhou thought, this is nothing.

...is there really nothing?

When Nan Zhou thought of the words "Parting ways", every word seemed to hit his heart sharply and angularly.

Nan Zhou couldn't understand such a heavy and slight pain.

Even if he understands the functions of every part of the brain, he will always be curious and incomprehensible about complex emotions like a small animal.

It was precisely because of his incomprehension that he couldn't resist the indescribable tension and soreness in his heart. He could only watch blankly, letting his strange emotions take whatever he wanted from his heart.

Nan Zhou was distracted for a while, and Jiang Fang's mind was also difficult to concentrate.

[Brain Invasion] This dungeon reminded him too much of the distant past with Nanzhou.

Chaotic, happy, messy, uncontrollable.

In the end, all emotions converged at 05:30 in the evening of a certain day.

That was not long after I came out of the bar of "Paper Gold".

After executing another unfamiliar dungeon, Jiang Fang led the team to Squirrel Town.

Jiang Fang knew that in order to avoid such troublesome emotions, he should have distanced himself from Nan Zhou.

But Jiang Fang just wanted to take him to watch the sunset fireworks that were set off regularly in the square.

He told himself, just watching the fireworks, that's all.

While waiting, Nan Zhou leaned on the steps, sucking a lollipop in his mouth, sucking the strawberry-flavored bright red candy until it became transparent.

He chatted with Jiang Fang: "What do you want to do after you go out?"

Jiang Fang replied, "I want to live a normal life."

This is actually a meaningless sentence.

Jiang Fang's life has never had anything to do with "normal".

Nan Zhou: "What is a 'normal life'?"

Jiang Fang skillfully lied casually, fabricating the ideal life he yearned for but never realized: "When you get up, make a breakfast and read the news of the day. Then go to work, work from nine to five, and bring some food home at night , or go to the bar with friends for a drink, and play a game on the football field..."

Nan Zhou held his head in one hand and looked at Jiang Fang: "But you saw last time, I don't know how to drink."

"Is this something that can be learned?" he asked.

Jiang Fang was taken aback.

A faint throbbing accompanied by helplessness swept over his heart like a tidal wave.

...Nanzhou is actually planning things after going out.

He wants to get out.

Jiang Fang closed his eyes.

He began to reflect, when did he give Nan Zhou some unnecessary hope?

...Just like last time, he suddenly confessed to himself?

But in reality there is no game backpack.

There is no storage slot.

There was no room for this little monster to give him an ID.

There was no way for him to leave with Nan Zhou on his body.

Even if I can really leave the game, "Gravity", as a game with serious mistakes and bugs, will only be shut down urgently and permanently.

Once the nightmare of this dungeon comes to an end, there will be no time for Nan Zhou and him to see each other again.

Once he started to conceive of the future, Jiang Fang's heart throbbed in pain.

For a moment, he didn't know what was the source of this burning feeling of bewilderment and panic.

He has no such experience, so his body and spirit should be rigid.

"I never played football."

On the other side, Nanzhou is still looking forward to the future seriously: "I can pick up the ball for you."

...Why do you have to think about such a thing?

"Breakfast, I can't make it. But I can buy it."

……enough.

"Can I get a job too? I taught children, though—"

……stop!

"Nan Zhou, you are not a real person." Jiang Fang blurted out, "If you are a real person, then..."

Having said this, Jiang Fang finally realized the degree of hurtful words and the emotional subtext hidden behind it, which was so hot that he was afraid.

If Nan Zhou is a real person, then... well...?

Can I promise him the future?

When did I start going crazy?

When can we talk about feelings so shamelessly and regardless of the cost?

"No..." Jiang Fang's face flushed slightly, "No. I'm sorry."

Sorry to hurt you.Sorry for giving you hopes you shouldn't have.

Nan Zhou stopped looking forward.

It stands to reason that Jiang Fang's heart should not continue to be disturbed by his words.

However, Nan Zhou looked at Jiang Fang for a long time with his beautiful black and white eyes.

Jiang Fang's heart skipped a beat, his lips tightened unconsciously, but he couldn't just turn his eyes away from him lightly, and looked away as if nothing had happened.

There were thousands of words in Jiang Fang's heart, but it was difficult to say a single word when it fell to his lips.

Those words splattered like white phosphorus in his heart, and once burned, it lasted forever, until there was a bottomless hole in his heart.

After a long time, he heard Nan Zhou Qingqing's cold tone: "Yes, Brother Fang. You are right."

No anger or irritation, just the most flat tone.

But Jiang Fang seemed to have a voice in his heart.

In those countless small holes, there are some unspeakable words overflowing, whispers, murmurs, and even shouts like demons, overwhelming sound waves and echoes, almost breaking his heart.

After listening carefully, it was empty again, nothing.

……

They still watched the fireworks.

Just before the opening, Nan Zhou fell asleep with a lollipop in his mouth.

At that time, Nan Zhou's indifferent expression was exactly the same as now.

Just in the cabin just now, he said the exact same words to himself.

——"Brother Fang, you are right."

And just like in the past, Jiang Fang still had a lot to say to him.

It's just that those words were frozen on the tip of his tongue, as if frozen in ice, making it impossible for a patient with emotional expression difficulties like him to say anything.

Those cries that can only be active in the bottom of my heart need something to completely melt them.

Nan Zhou didn't know what Jiang Fang was thinking.

"Want to eat?" he asked.

Jiang Fang's thousands of words turned into the simplest response: "I still have it here."

Nanzhou: "Oh."

He took out an apple from his backpack, fought against the strong hunger, and walked forward.

Right now, whether Jiang Fang knows his NPC status is not the most important thing.

He planned to go to Daze to see the situation first.

What he didn't know was what kind of silent madness was brewing behind Jiang Fang behind him.

He quietly opened the backpack, took out the half-used [Truth Tequila] on the snow mountain, and poured it into his mouth.

When the strong alcohol burned the bitten tongue, the alcohol seemed to be burning like a prairie fire, causing a sharp pain in his mouth.

Jiang Fang was still confident in his drinking capacity.

The degree on the bottle is also marked, it is 42 degrees.

The amount of 100ml is no different from drinking water to Jiang Fang.

Putting away the tequila bottle with about 200ml left, Jiang Fang opened his mouth, feeling that he didn't feel out of control.

Everything is the same as he usually feels after drinking.

uninteresting.

tedious.

All emotions are within the control threshold without any change.

Jiang Fang could not help but smile wryly.

He originally hoped to dispel this excessive sobriety and reason with alcohol.

Unfortunately, I am still naturally insensitive to alcohol.

Thinking of this, he put his hands into his pockets and quietly followed Nan Zhou.