Chapter 8: Your eyelashes are long

Apartment No. 5 (8)

Without needing any urging from the Degenerate, Jiang Hui’s lips remained straight as she picked up the remote control and pressed the power button.

Her family’s TV only had one channel—Movie Jie Dao.

Luo Chenyi and Xiao Qing sat down on either side of Jiang Hui.

Xiao Qing discreetly glanced at Jiang Hui. She inexplicably felt… Jiang Hui seemed to be in a bad mood?

The Degenerate stood silently at the doorway for half a moment.

Seeing no one paid attention, she stomped her feet and went to turn off the living room light.

“Don’t turn off the light.”

Jiang Hui’s eyes remained fixed on the TV screen.

Xiao Qing quickly turned her head and noticed the Degenerate’s little move.

“Why?” the Degenerate slowly explained, “It affects… the movie’s viewing experience.”

Jiang Hui: “I’m afraid of the dark.”

The Degenerate froze, her hand pressed down on the switch—

“Mom.”

The glow from the Glory Screen cast light onto Jiang Hui’s cold, indifferent face. “You wouldn’t disrespect my wishes, would you?”

The living room lights brightened, and the Glory Screen began playing the movie’s opening.

A clichéd zombie film—the opening scene showed a grotesque zombie biting someone’s neck.

“Hiss—” Xiao Qing’s eyelashes trembled rapidly as she helplessly watched the woman on the Glory Screen, who looked exactly like her, get gutted by the zombie.

“Pollution, it’s pollution again!”

The eerie atmosphere of the movie was mostly weakened by the bright living room lights, at least slightly reducing the fear factor.

Xiao Qing raised her vigilance to the highest level against the movie playing before her.

She tried not to look directly at the screen, so as to avoid anything that might lower her Sanity.

However, with her peripheral vision, she noticed the Degenerate standing expressionless to one side.

For some reason, Xiao Qing read a trace of desolation on her face.

“Pfft…” Xiao Qing couldn’t help but let out a little laugh.

The Degenerate suddenly looked up, eyes burning with resentment as she locked onto Xiao Qing.

She suddenly moved in front of her, her nose almost touching Xiao Qing’s eye.

“Guest, you…”

Xiao Qing shivered violently and leaned back forcefully, curling herself into the sofa. “I…”

“Mom.”

Jiang Hui’s indifferent voice was like a demon’s: “Are you refusing to watch the movie?”

Like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, the Degenerate’s body stiffened for a moment.

Having escaped trouble, Xiao Qing let out a gentle breath.

The Glory Screen flashed with various bloody scenes, and the protagonist’s face was the same as the three of them.

… So she’d become a movie lead for once, Xiao Qing grimly joked to herself.

This was a kind of visual pollution; immersing oneself in the movie meant truly experiencing it firsthand. Those with low Sanity might get lost in it.

But at this moment, Xiao Qing’s consciousness could not be tempted by the film at all.

Her attention unconsciously focused on Jiang Hui—

The light from the movie outlined Jiang Hui’s flowing silhouette.

Her skin-and-bones arm rested on her knee, the shifting shadows reflected on her sharp chin, complementing her cold and indifferent face.

Her gaze was fixed on the screen, her detached expression seemingly unaffected by the abnormal movie—not unlike watching a boring, terrible film.

… Pollution aside, the plot was indeed awful.

On the other side, Luo Chenyi’s eyes were half-lidded, seemingly lost in thought.

After the movie ended, the time was 22:56—half an hour before the scheduled rest period.

Jiang Hui picked up the mop and cleaned the black sticky liquid left by the Degenerate in the kitchen.

The Degenerate stood numb, staring at them.

The movie had not polluted them; she was disappointed but what could she do?

Outside the window, it was pitch dark.

After the movie ended, the room sank into a kind of numb silence.

Luo Chenyi suddenly said, “Tomorrow, I’ll go to the seventh floor.”

Jiang Hui paused her work, resting both hands on the mop, blinking as she looked at him.

She said, “The Mother Bug is on the seventh floor, right?”

Luo Chenyi nodded: “I think so.”

“That guy… is his IQ a little low?” Jiang Hui muttered this.

Xiao Qing: “2.”

Jiang Hui lowered her eyes. “That is to say, the words the Mother Bug uses to lure people are too poor. Either ‘Open the door’ or ‘Come in.’”

“Over and over, just those few lines. Can’t think of any other tricks?”

Jiang Hui’s mood was indeed bad; she was very hungry.

The earlier pollution was like a digestive pill; her stomach was already empty, and now she felt like it was about to digest itself.

Hunger intensified her irritation.

If the “great heresy” words were heard by the Mother Bug’s followers, would it cause them to break down? Xiao Qing widened her eyes and numbly stood beside the Degenerate.

The Degenerate: … didn’t dare to get angry or speak.

Luo Chenyi’s lips barely curved upward: “The Bug probably… hasn’t learned many human phrases.”

“Back to the topic… The bug nest might have developed mature forms.

Time is tight, we need to leave as soon as possible—tomorrow I’ll first check the seventh floor.”

Jiang Hui caught the new information “mature forms.”

She observed Xiao Qing’s expression.

Xiao Qing opened her mouth, hesitated, but did not try to persuade Luo Chenyi to stay: “Okay.”

Jiang Hui seemed slightly pleased. From her observations, Xiao Qing and Luo Chenyi were not very familiar, but Xiao Qing held a high degree of trust in Luo Chenyi.

Luo Chenyi occupied the leadership position, even though the two belonged to different organizations—two possible reasons: Luo Chenyi’s high standing in his group, or Luo Chenyi’s “ability” was very strong.

Jiang Hui shifted her gaze to Luo Chenyi’s clear, cold side profile.

Luo Chenyi happened to slightly tilt his head, his ocean-deep pupils looking at her.

Their eyes suddenly met.

Luo Chenyi was startled. Jiang Hui leaned on the mop, the corners of her slender eyes curling into an arc, “Before thinking about tomorrow’s plan, think about what’s in front of you.”

“For example, where are you sleeping tonight?”

524 was a three-bedroom apartment.

Near the door was Mom’s room, the middle room was firmly closed.

With Mom’s deliberate blocking, Jiang Hui had never tried to open it.

The last room was Jiang Hui’s.

Given the previous experience, the living room was definitely unsafe.

Xiao Qing and Luo Chenyi ultimately squeezed into Jiang Hui’s bedroom.

Jiang Hui’s bedroom wasn’t big.

Xiao Qing blushed and embarrassedly got on Jiang Hui’s bed, while Luo Chenyi had to sleep on the chair or the floor for the night.

Luo Chenyi didn’t mind.

Night had fallen deeply.

The sky, always shrouded in thick white fog, was now pitch black.

The bedroom light was clear and bright. Looking out from the bedroom door crack, the outside was dark.

Mom had turned off the lights.

[House Rule No. 9 — Rest hours are from 23:30 to 6:30. Please be sure to turn off lights before sleep; darkness is good for rest. No noise (including talking, chatting, loud exercise sounds, etc.) is allowed during rest hours to avoid disturbing others.]

Having established the Mother Bug’s aversion to light, “darkness is good for sleep” naturally became the Pollution’s rule.

Luo Chenyi glanced down at the time.

23:34.

The bedroom was brightly lit, yet completely silent.

The three of them tacitly tried not to make any noise.

Even the neighboring dog had a strong concept of time; during rest hours, Jiang Hui never heard its bark.

At exactly 24:00, a sudden knock sounded at the door.

Then it grew more intense.

Xiao Qing’s heart pounded faster and faster.

She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Jiang Hui lying beside her.

Jiang Hui was peacefully closed-eyed, as if already asleep.

Field duty really isn’t easy… Xiao Qing silently curled into a ball.

She tried her best to ignore the fact she was in a bug nest.

Not to look, not to think.

The curtains hung low, faintly outlining the shape of the window.

Xiao Qing’s hands and feet were cold; beneath her tightly shut eyelids, her eyes darted about.

Suddenly, a chilling shiver ran past her ears.

When she abruptly opened her eyes, the person beside her turned over, and slender fingers slid into her palm.

Xiao Qing held her breath and also turned to face Jiang Hui.

Jiang Hui’s listless face showed faint emotion.

Jiang Hui’s fingers slid across Xiao Qing’s palm, writing several words.

“It’s okay.”

“Go to sleep.”

Until Xiao Qing’s breathing steadied, Jiang Hui still hadn’t fallen asleep.

She didn’t feel tired.

Hungry.

The feeling of hunger was like a shadow following her; she had been hungry all day.

Mom’s meals couldn’t satisfy her stomach.

Jiang Hui turned over, facing Luo Chenyi who was sleeping on the floor beneath the bed.

Her gaze shifted downward, focusing on Luo Chenyi’s long eyelashes.

She was curious about Luo Chenyi.

Luo Chenyi had “abilities,” Xiao Qing didn’t. Xiao Qing felt fear in the bug nest, but Luo Chenyi hardly showed any emotional waves.

His abilities were so strong that he feared no “bugs.”

If that was the case, what was her ability?

Compared to Luo Chenyi?

Jiang Hui stared at Luo Chenyi; her eyelashes slowly fluttered.

Her gaze was too intense.

Pretending to be asleep, Luo Chenyi couldn’t help but open his eyes.

The bright light shone on Jiang Hui’s pale cheek, making her eyes look increasingly misty and blurry—her sickly face was as quiet as a withered camellia blooming in the dead of night.

Luo Chenyi’s clear eyes looked at her, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Jiang Hui: Hmm…

She reached out her skin-and-bones arm, her slender pale hand gesturing for him to write in her palm.

Luo Chenyi hesitated; his eyes still struggled to speak without words.

Jiang Hui stared into his gaze, silently urging him.

A small tug-of-war ensued, finally ending in Luo Chenyi’s defeat.

Luo Chenyi propped himself up halfway with his waist, finger touching Jiang Hui’s palm.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Thinking about what?”

Luo Chenyi believed Jiang Hui might be suspicious, but if she really lost her memory and was told her family had turned into Degenerates, even with a high Sanity, she would need deliberate attention.

Jiang Hui, however, used her warm fingertips to trace patterns on his palm.

“Your eyelashes are so long.”