NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72: Homecoming...?
Buzz——!
At the moment Yun You lay down in the coffin, a blinding white light suddenly appeared, painting her vision into a vast expanse of white.
At the same time, a string of game rules echoed in her ears, similar to a broadcast.
[Cyberspace: Remnants of the Past]
[Space Type: Challenge World]
[Game Summary: Continuously escape bizarre pursuits in the corridor and find the core behind the curtain, enter the core world, and shatter the illusions of the past to clear the world.]
[Game Rules]
[1. The corridor world's space is infinitely large, but doors or walls separate paths, and each path hosts a "Pursuer."]
[2. Although doors and walls can be destroyed by violent means, it is not recommended, as doing so will further enhance the Pursuer's strength.]
[3. Under normal circumstances, the Pursuer has no form, but upon touching a living person's body, the Pursuer's form will be activated, regaining a physical body.]
[4. The Pursuer possesses a "dissolving" ability, able to completely dissolve the touched part of a person's body into filthy blood upon contact.]
[5. Once the challenger finds the core behind the curtain, visions of the past will be seen. Indulging in these will cause the Pursuer near the curtain to enter a "rampage" state and begin attacking challengers under the curtain's protection.]
[Only by mercilessly destroying the illusion world, annihilating everything within sight, can the illusion be shattered and this cyberspace be cleared.]
[Rules Introduction Complete]
...
[Yun Zai! Yun Zai!]
[The rules have been delivered, Yun Zai, our guess was halfway correct!]
Master Zero shouted excitedly.
[Remember to destroy the illusions! Quickly destroy everything in front of you, isn't this something you're good at?]
[As long as we smash through the Illusion Realm, we'll clear the game...]
[You must succeed, definitely... definitely don't hesitate!]
After the excitement, Master Zero's voice showed a hint of worry.
It knew Yun You quite well, aware that the little girl wasn't a cold, emotionless machine.
In some situations, Yun You would also hesitate and feel at a loss.
That's why it spoke up to remind her, hoping she wouldn't stray off the path.
However, the words it said and the rules, one after another, didn't fully register in Yun You's mind.
Because as soon as the white light flashed, Yun You's consciousness had already detached from her body, arriving in another world that caught her off guard.
A world called "Remnants of the Past."
"..."
"..."
Silence, stillness.
The voiceless state lasted an unknown amount of time.
Only until the white light slowly began to fade away did new sounds finally appear next to Yun You's ears.
Crackle, crackle, crack~
Somewhat piercing, yet carrying a familiar feeling.
It's the sound of vegetables being stir-fried in oil, accompanied by a faintly pungent smell of cooking smoke drifting by Yun You.
The girl paused, slowly opening her eyes.
What came into her view was a somewhat cramped old apartment living room.
A couch salvaged from the junkyard, three chipped round stools, and a yellow, glossy synthetic wood table were all the furniture the living room held.
Besides, there were only stacks of high-piled cardboard boxes and a few heaps of possibly useful metal parts.
At the moment, Yun You was sitting at the table.
Beside her sat a somewhat hunch-backed man, around 40 years old, dressed in a patch-filled black work uniform, with short light brown hair and well-defined features, which if neatly trimmed, would surely make him a handsome, charming older man.
But due to long-term heavy physical labor, the man was not only littered with small scars, but his spine had long developed issues, forcing him to slightly hunch over.
This diminished his image significantly, transforming him from a charming older man to a dispirited middle-aged uncle.
Yet in Yun You's eyes, this uncle was the most handsome man in her heart.
The man's name was Yun Jiang.
He's Yun You's father.
Why was Yun You seeing her father here?
The little girl didn't understand, nor could she focus her thoughts.
Because at the moment she saw her father, she was already stunned.
Her normally proud rationality instantly evaporated, leaving her in a state of complete daze.
And this was just the beginning.
As the sound of stir-frying gradually faded from the kitchen in the distance, a woman wearing a torn apron, dressed plainly, but with features somewhat resembling Yun You, carried two dishes from the kitchen.
Although the woman's face was somewhat pale, seemingly a bit frail, she maintained an extremely optimistic demeanor, placing the hot dishes in front of Yun You.
Then, she wiped her hands and sat down with a happy smile, joining the father-daughter duo at the table.
"Time to eat~!"
"Yun, Ah You, stop daydreaming and eat while it's hot!"
"Taste this mixed stir-fry, I specially bought fresh ingredients from the vending machine today."
The woman said, using clean chopsticks to fill Yun You's bowl with eggplant drenched in sauce, then gave Yun Jiang a large portion as well.
"Smells fantastic!"
Yun Jiang raised his bowl, inhaling the aroma with satisfaction, his appetite seemingly increasing, and without saying much, he began to eat eagerly.
From his lack of time to even speak, it seemed these homemade dishes were so delicious they made one forget a day's fatigue.
But Yun You, sitting beside, remained motionless, simply staring blankly at the woman, her lips quivering slightly...
"Eh?"
"Why isn't Ah You eating?"
The woman looked puzzled, but quickly nodded as if having an epiphany.
"Oh right, today is Ah You's birthday!"
"Guess what gift Mom prepared for Ah You?"
With a smile, the woman took out a pink, bouncy pastry from a basket, big as a washbowl.
"Ta-da—!"
"It's Ah You's favorite strawberry pudding~ And it's a super deluxe edition! As always, hand-made by Mom and Dad."
"Does Ah You like this gift?"
"..."
For a moment, Yun You remained silent, not responding, but her small hands under the table trembled uncontrollably, reflecting her similarly unsettled mood, unable to remain calm.
Unable to stay calm.
Because this was her mother, the woman who once cared for her most in the world.
In front of this woman, Yun You wasn't the strong girl who could calmly face losing limbs, not the one willing to bear humiliation and endure all costs for revenge, nor the Apprentice Death God with bloody hands.
She was just a little girl, the woman's only child.
The woman's name was Jiu Xiang.
And this house was Yun You's home in Bottom City.
The once incredibly warm home, that gifted the girl numerous warm memories, but now she would never see again.
After going around in circles for so long, she ultimately returned home in her dream.