From Bulanni’s words, it seemed she had no idea what her grandfather had actually turned into.
Or perhaps… this was also a cognitive error?
In eerie incidents, many people develop such cognitive errors after experiencing something too terrifying.
Maybe that was the case for Bulanni.
“Can you take me to see your grandfather?”
“Of course.”
The same trusting smile still hung on Bulanni’s face as she said to Duya, “Grandpa’s bedroom is at the end of the hall. He might still be sleeping, so let’s keep it down.”
In just the time it took to talk, Bulanni had already finished cooking the pot of mushroom soup.
But the problem was that less than two minutes had passed since she poured the mushrooms into the pot.
That wasn’t enough time to cook the mushrooms, yet… Duya couldn’t help feeling that the mushrooms looked incredibly appetizing.
Like a starving person suddenly encountering a grand state banquet.
This feeling was deeply wrong.
“Big brother, would you like some?”
Bulanni noticed Duya staring at the pot and couldn’t help but say, “I’ll serve you a bowl, but it’s a little hot.”
With that, she filled a bowl of mushroom soup and handed it to Duya.
Silently, Duya looked at the bowl in her hands, and his body reached out to take it on its own.
In the milky white broth, pieces of mushroom occasionally floated up, then sank back down.
The edges of the mushrooms shimmered with an unnatural blue glow.
The longer he looked, the hungrier Duya felt.
Driven by instinct, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
The moment the savory aroma reached his nose, he saw his character panel’s level jump from 15 to 16…
“Big brother, drink it! It’s delicious! But… don’t tell Grandpa,” Bulanni said mysteriously.
“Or he’ll get mad at me.”
After an unknown amount of inner struggle and hesitation, Duya could no longer control his instincts.
He downed the bowl of mushroom soup in one go.
Even though the soup had just been taken off the stove, Duya felt no burning heat.
The texture of the mushrooms reminded him of the flesh of those unknown creatures he had eaten before.
It felt like a feast.
“Is it good?”
When Duya came back to his senses, he stared at the empty bowl and fell into thought.
Would a normal person directly eat mushrooms that looked so obviously poisonous?
His reason told him that any normal person would definitely stay far away from something like this.
Which meant he was not a normal person.
To put it bluntly… was he even still human right now?
Though Duya wanted to contact Ye Xiao outside and have him check his body, the priority for now was still focusing on Bulanni’s grandfather.
“Not bad,” Duya said with a nod, his face showing little expression.
Then he told Bulanni, “Bring this pot of mushroom soup to your grandfather’s bedroom.”
“Okay!”
Bulanni carried the pot and happily walked ahead.
Her bouncing steps were exactly what you’d expect from an innocent, carefree child.
Bulanni led the way, Duya followed close behind, and the two headed toward the bedroom.
The closer they got, the more Duya felt a hint of fear.
Even though two people were walking, the hallway seemed to echo with only one set of footsteps.
Creak~
Bulanni pushed open the old bedroom door, and a strong smell of humus mixed with some kind of herbal medicine rushed out.
Unlike the empty bedroom he had seen before, an old man now lay on the bed inside.
His age‑spotted hands were folded on a wool blanket.
Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on his hands and giving his waxen yellow skin a warm glow.
If Duya hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have guessed that this old man was the monster that ate people raw.
“A new guest…”
The old man parted his lips.
His voice was very hoarse, as if something were stuck in his throat.
He stiffly turned his head, his murky eyes looking at Duya with no luster at all—like the eyes of a dead person.
But Bulanni showed no fear.
She rushed over, resting her face by the bedside, and said affectionately, “Grandpa, this big brother is my new friend!”
“Heh heh… It’s good to have friends, it’s good to have friends…”
The old man struggled to prop himself up and said to Bulanni, “Did you pick the mushrooms?”
Duya clearly saw that as the old man sat up, a cloud of dust‑like particles rose from him, especially visible in the sunlight.
But were those really just dust?
Duya looked at his experience bar, which was slowly ticking up, and fell into thought.
“Yes,” Bulanni brought the mushroom soup over and said to the old man, “Picked last night, super fresh!”
“Good, good. Bring the soup here.”
The old man didn’t seem to care at all that Bulanni hadn’t come home last night.
His eyes were only on the mushrooms.
Once the pot was placed on the bed, he began spoonful after spoonful, devouring it ravenously.
He ate faster and faster, until finally, looking almost crazed, he threw the spoon aside, lifted the pot, and gulped it down directly.
The pot was larger than a rice cooker and had been full of mushroom soup, but in less than three minutes, the old man had emptied it completely—not a single scrap left.
After eating and drinking his fill, the old man let out a sigh.
His expression was very ordinary.
He raised a hand to Duya and said, “Young man… have a seat.”
When the old man raised his hand, Duya noticed that his skin didn’t look like the yellowish skin of an old person.
Instead, it had a kind of bluish‑gray tinge.
The texture was exactly the same as that of the mushroom monster he had seen that night.
This strongly suggested that this old man was most likely that very monster.
“Judging by your demeanor, you came to see me about something, didn’t you?”
Though the old man’s voice was hoarse, it carried no hostility.
Seeing that the old man was like this, Duya felt it would be inappropriate to attack outright.
Besides, the old man genuinely seemed to have no ill intent.
This was completely different from what Duya had witnessed before.
Was it because it was daytime now?
But the problem was that earlier, also in broad daylight, Bulani had fallen victim to this old man’s cruelty.
Still, since the other party was willing to talk for now, Duya decided to try asking a few questions first.
“Elder, have you ever seen a young girl with white hair and violet eyes?”
Hearing this, the old man’s pale pupils contracted.
After a moment of silence, he slowly said, “I have…”