◎Come back, everyone is waiting for you.◎

Thinking of Long Qingyu, Rong Xiao suddenly fell silent and went to the bathroom holding his pajamas.

The water is warm, the mist before my eyes is very real, even the touch of water droplets hitting my body...

Everything seemed so real. If she hadn't firmly believed that everything before her was fake, she would probably have been trapped in this beautiful and illusory world.

There is no apocalypse, no zombies, no loss and regrets——

It was a beautiful world that Rong Xiao had never seen since he woke up.

After taking a shower, Jia Xi was talking to Long Qingyu. The conversation was interrupted when they heard her open the door.

Jia Xi walked out of the bathroom and took Rong Xiao into the bedroom next door. "Let's sleep together tonight. Your brother Long will sleep on the sofa outside."

"Ah, I can sleep on the sofa. It's very nice..." Rong Xiao gestured and wanted to say something polite, but Jia Xi smiled and led him into the room.

The bed was replaced with a clean, neatly laid, soft quilt, which made Rong Xiao want to lie down as soon as he saw it.

Jia Xi changed into her pajamas, threw back the covers, and lay down on her left side. Seeing Rong Xiao didn't move, she asked again, "What's wrong? Don't you like sleeping with others?"

Rong Xiao shook his head and obediently crawled into the quilt and lay down straight, motionless like a corpse.

"I slept well, don't be too nervous," Jia Xi said, leaning sideways and reaching out from under the quilt to tuck her in. "Qing Yu will take you to see your family tomorrow, don't be afraid."

It turns out that a city that is not at the end of the world can have so much light. A night light is on at the head of the bed. Jia Xi's face is tilted to the side, and her outline is outlined with a gentle shadow by the light.

Rong Xiao wanted to ask her why she was not there several times.

But every time this question came to his lips, it was like a blade stuck in his throat. The obvious answer cruelly cut a wound in Rong Xiao's heart.

"What's wrong? Are you worried about not being able to find your family?" Jia Xi's slender and gentle fingers gently brushed away the strands of hair on Rong Xiao's face, and she smiled mysteriously, "Don't worry, I will definitely find them. I just made a wish."

Sister Jiaxi’s birthday wish is that she can find her family!

I once dreamt that Teacher Mosaic said that many people believe that birthday wishes will come true, and they often wish for things that they look forward to.

For example, promotion, wealth, health and so on.

However, Sister Jiaxi used her wish on her.

Rong Xiao's heart seemed to be tugged at by something, and he carefully pondered her words.

Family members...

Does she have any family?

But she has no memory at all, so even if she meets her family members again in the future, she probably won't recognize them.

Rong Xiao frowned, and a trace of hope that he had never thought of in his heart suddenly emerged like a small tree.

"How do you know their names?" Jia Xi rested her head on her arm, and the two girls faced each other, as if chatting about some light bedtime gossip.

Rong Xiao knew what she meant. After thinking for a moment, he didn't make up any excuses or lies. "This is all an illusion, it's all fake. I know Brother Long and Brother Chuan in real life, and I'm here to save them."

This incredible statement made Jia Xi stunned, but her smile was not meant to mock this seemingly exaggerated statement: "Wow, that's amazing, then what kind of world did you come from?"

"In the end times, a virus appeared that turned people into monsters, howling and eating people." Rong Xiao was afraid that she wouldn't understand, so he raised his hands and made a ferocious gesture, still howling. "Everyone said it was terrible."

"Then... am I in your world?" Jia Xi's smile suddenly faded, and he looked at her with an extremely serious look.

Rong Xiao was silent for a while and before she could speak, Jia Xi raised her hand and covered her lips.

"Actually, I shouldn't ask. You only know Qingyu and Yichuan, but not me. So there's definitely no me, right?" There was no fear in Jiaxi's eyes, nor did she reveal a hint of sarcasm or disdain for these bizarre words. Instead, she lay down very seriously, looking at the snow-white ceiling. "However, I'm very happy that Qingyu and Yichuan can survive in such a world. If that day really comes, I will also work hard to survive with them. If..."

After a pause, Jia Xi smiled and closed her eyes again: "If I can't survive, I hope they can be fine."

Rong Xiao was still lying sideways, and could see the expression on Jia Xi's face clearly with the light of the night light.

Calm, real, peaceful.

Rong Xiao couldn't help but think of Ling Xi.

If Jiaxi was still here, she would be in the team too. Would she have awakened some special ability? Is there someone who makes breakfast with her every morning?

There were a lot of things in her mind, but Rong Xiao didn't feel sleepy at all. It seemed that in this false world, she didn't need to sleep and didn't feel sleepy.

Rong Xiao lay in bed until dawn. Early in the morning, Long Qingyu prepared breakfast and took her to the police station to register for missing persons when he was about to go to work.

Before leaving, Jia Xi stuffed a bag of warm cookies into her hand and said, "I baked them this morning. Save them for when you're hungry."

The biscuits in the bag looked fragrant and crispy. Rong Xiao put them in front of him and sniffed them, but still could not smell any fragrance. A heavy feeling of depression weighed down his heart.

When she walked out of the door, Jia Xi stood by the door and waved at her with a smile. At that moment, Rong Xiao wanted to run back to her, but her stronger reason told her not to.

That... is just an illusion that is too real and beautiful!

The reason she appeared here was Long Qingyu, and time was running out. Half an hour was equivalent to several days in this world.

Now a whole night has passed, Rong Xiao counted on his fingers, but still couldn't figure it out.

In short, it must be done by tomorrow at the latest.

Long Qingyu brought the person to the bureau and asked her to register first, while he was busy looking for possible candidates in the database and recording their contact information.

I made several phone calls but got no results. I was busy until the afternoon. As the sky gradually darkened, an inexplicable noise suddenly broke out on the street outside.

Screaming, roaring, and heart-wrenching shouting.

Rong Xiao also walked towards the door out of curiosity and vaguely heard someone shouting, "Eat people!"

No way, eating people?

Long Qingyu and three others were just about to go out to take a look, but before they reached the gate, three people covered in blood rushed in from the gap under the car's fender.

The footprints on the ground were trailing blood, and the appearance of that group of people... was exactly the same as the zombies that Rong Xiao had seen.

Wait, isn’t everything in a hallucination beautiful?

What's the reason for this sudden change of style!

The bloody man did not slack off with his weapon, but no matter how he warned, it was useless. He just roared and rushed forward.

The overly stimulating and unusual scene made Long Qingyu's colleague stunned for less than two seconds before he was thrown to the ground. The following scene made Long Qingyu's eyes widen.

That group of bloody people... are really eating people!

"Fei Zheng!" Long Qingyu's eyes were red with anger. He was about to rush over to save the man with his bare hands, but suddenly he felt a tightness on the back of his neck and he was pushed back two meters.

A smaller figure walked in the opposite direction from him. Rong Xiao moved swiftly and calmly, dragged the bloody man who was crowded in a group by the collar and threw him away, then kicked him several meters away.

"Don't get close to that place!" Long Qingyu had already raised his gun and quickly pulled back Rong Xiao who was standing near the bloody man.

"ah--"

Screams erupted from behind him.

Long Qingyu protected Rong Xiao as he moved to another position. He saw several bloody people running out of the door he had just come out of.

There are cleaning ladies and colleagues I’ve worked with for many years...

"How could... this happen..." Long Qingyu's palms were sweating as he gripped the gun in his hand, and his eyes were so shocked that they had lost their luster.

The colleague who had just been attacked got up from the ground, but he was covered in blood and could only make hoarse sounds from his mouth.

"Fei Zheng? How are you?" Long Qingyu felt his throat was hoarse and every word he spoke sounded like a saw.

Fei Zheng did not answer his question. His eyes were white and bloodshot, and he rushed towards him stiffly but quickly.

The face that greeted Long Qingyu with a smile was now pale and bloodless, the eyes no longer looked like a living person, blood was constantly gushing out of the mouth, and the whole body was in such a miserable state that it was unbearable to look at.

Long Qingyu held the gun but was unable to pull the trigger.

At the beginning of the apocalypse, too many people did not understand the impact of the virus on people, and the overly strong sensory stimulation interfered with the judgment of everyone in danger.

Even though the colleague in front of him exudes an inhuman aura, it takes more than two or three seconds to prepare mentally to attack that face.

The black muzzle of the gun was trembling slightly.

More and more people were attacked, and soon after being injured, they began to mutate again, joining the zombie ranks and starting to attack living people.

Those bloody faces were all familiar to Long Qingyu.

Everything around me seemed to slow down in an instant, every running figure seemed to be in slow motion, the sounds in my ears became smaller and smaller, leaving only the heart-wrenching screams that were getting louder and louder.

The brain seemed to lose its ability to function in an instant, and in less than five minutes, the entire city and the world were invaded by hell.

“Brother Long…”

“Brother Long!!!”

A sweet voice without any panic suddenly entered my ears.

Long Qingyu's brain seemed to be soaked in a splash of cold water, and he became much clearer.

He turned his head mechanically and saw the girl he picked up and brought home standing next to him.

Rong Xiao raised one hand and waved it before his eyes. His other hand seemed busy dragging... eh? A corpse!

"You..." Long Qingyu quickly tightened his grip on the gun and signaled Rong Xiao to drop the object in his hand. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Shaking his head, Rong Xiao still held up the zombie's collar and showed it to him: "Brother Long, this is a zombie. If you get bitten or scratched by it, you will mutate."

Long Qingyu was speechless. He glanced deeply at the thing in her hand, and then quickly glanced at the office behind him, which he could no longer return to.

"Let's go, let's leave first." For some reason, Long Qingyu suddenly realized that there was someone who needed his protection. His brain quickly calmed down and returned to normal thinking ability.

Fortunately, Rong Xiao didn't look fearful at all, and her calmness seemed to be passed on to him.

only……

Long Qingyu looked at her hand and said helplessly, "Can you put down the body?"

Looking at the trail of blood all the way, Long Qingyu suddenly didn't know who to pity.

"Ah, I forgot," Rong Xiao dropped the zombie in his hand and asked curiously, "Where are we going now?"

"us……"

The cell phone suddenly rang. Long Qingyu glanced at the name on it and his heart began to beat wildly.

"Jia Xi," Long Qingyu quickly answered the phone, a panicked cry coming from the receiver, "What's wrong?"

"Sister Zhang across the street is banging on the door!!" The voice on the phone was so loud that Rong Xiao, who was standing next to her, could clearly hear Jia Xi's voice. "I couldn't get through to the police, so I gave you..."

"Lock the door. I'll be home soon. Don't open it if anyone knocks. No one."

After hanging up the phone, Long Qingyu subconsciously ran towards the bus stop.

But as soon as I walked out onto the street.

The usual bustling scene has become like hell, with mutated zombies everywhere attacking living people. The newly mutated zombies are also extremely fast, and fear has spread to every corner of the city.

There were two bicycles lying on the side of the road. Long Qingyu looked at the bus window that was already sprayed with blood, and straightened the bicycle.

He sat astride and patted his lower body: "Rong Xiao, stand up."

"Okay!" Rong Xiao had never sat... or stood on a bicycle before, so she jumped on it lightly. As soon as she steadied herself, Long Qingyu pedaled hard and rushed towards home.

No matter how he drifted on his bike, Rong Xiao always stood steady and could easily take care of one or two zombies chasing the car from behind.

Arriving at the familiar gate of the community, Long Qingyu shouted "We're here", parked the car at the gate and steady it, and waited for Rong Xiao to jump out, then the two rushed inside.

A lot of bloodstains were seen in the green belt downstairs, and there were constant hoarse sounds in the corridor. The elevator stopped on the first floor, and there were several zombies circling inside.

Long Qingyu picked up the green potted plant at the door and used it as a weapon. The small figure beside him sped up and rushed forward, dodging the zombies' teeth flexibly. He raised his hand to grab the back of the collar and threw the zombies away one by one.

Long Qingyu held the potted plant back to his heart. He felt useless and could only follow Rong Xiao into the elevator and press the 8th floor button.

The elevator just started, and in less than three seconds, it stopped on the second floor.

The door slowly opened, and a howling figure rushed in from outside, followed by two, then three.

Rong Xiao took his time, raised his foot and kicked the one in front out, stretched out his hands horizontally, and used brute force to knock the other two out of the elevator.

Everything was done in an orderly, quick and accurate manner. After getting the zombies out, Rong Xiao retreated steadily into the elevator before the door closed.

Who knew that after the elevator went up one floor, it stopped again.

“Help…”

The door was only half open when a man covered in blood rushed into the elevator.

He looked like he had just been attacked by a zombie, and there were obvious bite marks on his arms with his sleeves rolled up.

Long Qingyu dodged sideways to avoid the man who was rushing towards him, and pulled Rong Xiao up the stairs instead.

The small doors of the fire escape were almost all closed, but from time to time there were tragic sounds coming from them.

Rong Xiao followed closely until he saw the words "8th Floor" posted in the middle of the corridor.

As he suddenly pushed open the heavy door of the fire escape, Long Qingyu's heart tightened.

The door that he was very familiar with was open, and light shone from inside, illuminating the dim street. Frightening sounds continued to be heard.

"Jia Xi!" Long Qingyu rushed to the door of his house.

Before he could see what was happening outside the door at the corner, Rong Xiao was one step faster than him and pushed him to the side, knocking him against the wall.

For some reason, Rong Xiao felt a special feeling in his heart at that moment, making his actions faster than his thoughts.

Her heart had never beaten so fast before. When she thought about Jia Xi, who had been with her last night, turning into a zombie, she felt as if her heart was being cut by a blunt object.

Even she could feel the torture. If Long Qingyu saw such a scene, he would probably collapse in pain.

Rushing to the door quickly, Rong Xiao felt a tightness in his chest due to the scene before him.

Jia Xi was like a madman, pouncing on Tian Yichuang who was struggling desperately on the ground, and constantly making inhuman sounds.

Without any hesitation, Rong Xiao wanted to pull Jia Xi's clothes, but paused, moved his hands to her waist, and with extremely fast and neat movements, he threw Jia Xi into the bedroom next door and slammed the door shut.

Tian Yichuang had not yet recovered from the shock he had just experienced. He stumbled to his feet and ran into Long Qingyu who came into the room.

"Brother Long," Tian Yichuang's eyes were red and filled with tears as he spoke, "Sister Jiaxi..."

He looked at the closed door next to him, and heard slapping and inhuman roaring from inside.

Rong Xiao didn't bother to comfort him. He jumped behind Long Qingyu and pulled the door over to close it.

"Brother Long, don't open the door. Sister Jiaxi has already..." The two people at the door pushed each other. Long Qingyu insisted on going in. Tian Yichuang used a lot of strength to barely stop him.

"Let me go, I want to go in, I must go in!!!" Long Qingyu's eyes were red, and he struggled to let go of Tian Yichuang, and even lost his mind and was about to kick him away.

No matter how many times he was hit, Tian Yichuang still held him tightly and prevented Long Qingyu from opening the door.

"Brother Long!" Rong Xiao squeezed between the two of them, and Long Qingyu's swinging fist suddenly stopped next to her face.

The ink-black eyes looked at him, and his out-of-control appearance was reflected in those pupils. Even Long Qingyu felt strange and painful.

Long Qingyu dropped his clenched fist tremblingly, staring blankly at the door that was constantly being knocked, tears silently sliding down his cheeks.

"Brother Long, Brother Chuan, this world is fake, all of this is an illusion," Rong Xiao grabbed their sleeves and said seriously, "All of this is an illusion, wake up quickly."

Long Qingyu seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw, and said anxiously: "Then... is Jia Xi okay? This is all fake, right?"

Tian Yichuang, who was also infected and shaken, bit his lips tightly, as if waiting for an answer that could comfort him.

Rong Xiao understood what the eyes looking at him were praying for. He was silent for a moment, but still did not say anything to deceive him.

"In reality, Sister Jiaxi isn't here. She should have..." Rong Xiao couldn't think of how to sugarcoat his words to comfort them, so he just said whatever came to his mind. "But, last night, Sister Jiaxi told me that if we really encounter the end of the world, she hopes that you can all live well."

Tian Yichuang squatted on the ground, not even having the strength to pull Long Qingyu. He clenched his fists tightly against his lips and said nothing.

"Brother Long, this illusion is no longer beautiful," Rong Xiao reached out and gently pulled the hem of his clothes, "Come back, everyone is waiting for you."

"Everyone?"

"We are a team, Sister Xi, Brother Chuan, and Brother Shangguan, no one can be missing."

Long Qingyu leaned against the door, his body swaying slightly from the movement inside. His eyes went from dazed to lifeless, and finally gradually lit up like a lamp that was extinguished in the dark night.

"Everyone……"

"Brother Long, you've already gotten through it incredibly well in real life," Rong Xiao said passionately, raising his hand to punch Tian Yichuan's shoulder, "Brother Chuan, you too!!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

There was a sudden knock at the door.

"Come again?" Tian Yichuang wiped the cold tears from his cheeks and stood up.

"It seems like... Jia Xi's voice attracted them here." Long Qingyu gradually regained his composure and began to get into the state.

Tian Yichuan was confused: "What should we do now?"

An answer that he didn't want to face emerged in Long Qingyu's heart, and he looked at the door beside him with sorrow.

Only by making Jia Xi stop making any noise can we prevent other zombies from being attracted over.

The door can only hold for a limited time. Once it collapses, everyone in the house will suffer.

Rong Xiao guessed what Long Qingyu meant and raised his hand to indicate, "Actually, there's no need to attack Sister Jia Xi..."

"Do you have a solution?" Long Qingyu asked in surprise.

Rong Xiao nodded and said confidently: "This is all an illusion. Everything will be over as long as you wake up. Why did you attack Sister Jia Xi?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air suddenly became silent, with only the rumbling sound at the gate continuing.

A few seconds later, Long Qingyu and Tian Yichuang looked at each other, and then burst into self-deprecating laughter.

Amid the sounds of zombies slapping and banging on doors, the continuous laughter changed the tone of the atmosphere, making it sad yet relieved.

Rong Xiao looked at the two people who were almost bent over with laughter in confusion.

Why do you try to express happiness when there are tears in your eyes?

Before she could find the answer, the world in front of her suddenly changed, like a suddenly distorted TV screen, and quickly turned into another scene.

Still in that shabby shack.

The difference is that everyone on Yan Jue's side woke up, while on the other side...

Huh? Brother Shangguan is awake too!

Long Qingyu and Tian Yichuang, who were not far away, also woke up, leaving Ling Xi as the only one still curled up on the ground, motionless.

"Shangguan is awake too?" Tian Yichuan had a headache. Just as he was about to reach out and rub his solar plexus, he discovered his hands and feet were tied. "What's going on?! Can someone explain this?"

"Oh, we were just arrested, it's okay." Rong Xiao explained calmly not far away.

Just... catch it... is it okay?

Tian Yichuan was skeptical. Could Rong Xiao really be nervous and scared? And how could he call it "alright"?!

"Brother Long, Brother Chuan, please stay away from Sister Xi." Rong Xiao walked forward and gently dialed the number. He lowered his voice and quickly glanced at the entrance. "If you run into someone in the hallucination again, you will be pulled into the hallucination again."

Upon hearing this, Long Qingyu and Tian Yichuang silently moved twice in opposite directions.

Realizing something was wrong, Long Qingyu slowly moved back and asked, "Why isn't Lingxi awake?"

"Someone has to go into her dream and make her realize that she is hallucinating." Yan Jue, who had already solved the urgent problem nearby, kindly helped Rong Xiao explain.

All members of their team have woken up, and Ling Xuting has even input new requirements, waiting for Rong Xiao to be ready to counterattack.

That group of people brought them here, it must be bad intentions.

However, the current situation is not suitable for making too much noise. After all, people who enter hallucinations are very likely to encounter danger. If you break off relations with that group of people now, you will easily lose your composure.

No one has been here for a long time since I was locked up in the shed.

There were people talking outside from time to time, but they seemed to be very confident in this group of people. There was no one guarding them at all, let alone checking on them.

Just look at the other group of people crowded together across the street.

It seems difficult for people who are trapped in hallucinations to wake up. Tying their hands and feet is just a way to buy insurance. Even without the ropes, they will not wake up and will just be at the mercy of others.

"Why don't you let me go?" Long Qingyu volunteered. "Xiaoxiao, you should take a rest."

Rong Xiao shook his head without any hesitation: "It's safer for me to go."

"Then I'll go. I can do it too." Tian Yichuang next to him said quickly.

The Shangguan brothers didn't say anything at first, but when they heard that Long Qingyu and Tian Yichuang were competing for the spot, Shangguan Huai also became eager to try.

"Don't make things more complicated," Shangguan Yu pushed him aside, "If it weren't for me, you would still be treating that illusion as reality."

"I never thought you could come out of the illusion on your own," Yan Jue said with a seemingly contemptuous smile, but his words were not meant to be sarcastic towards Shangguan Yu. "I thought Xiaoxiao and I were the only ones who could easily realize it was an illusion."

"Haha, I'm sorry to disappoint you. The illusion world makes people lose their sense of taste," Shangguan Yu sneered back, "If you can't even notice such an obvious weirdness, then you're really stupid."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of murderous intent arose around him.

The people who were "rescued" by Yan Jue and Rong Xiao stared at Shangguan Yu fiercely, as if they wanted to twist his head in half and stomp on it.

Shangguan Yu, who had long been accustomed to this kind of look, was fearless. He shrugged helplessly and stopped arrogantly targeting others.

"Then I'll hurry and wake up Sister Xi," Rong Xiao moved silently and was beside Ling Xi in a flash, "The rest... I'll leave it to you guys."

"Leave the game tasks to me." Long Qingyu promised seriously.

Although Yan Jue had been untied, he still pretended to be obedient by wrapping the rope around his hands to avoid being attacked by the people who were capturing them.

He raised his hands and shook them, with a reassuring smile on his face: "Xiaoxiao, don't worry, I'm here, right?"

"Oh? When we are all dead?" Shangguan Yu seemed to have finally found an opportunity to retort.

Yan Jue remained calm and continued in a sarcastic tone, "Having another reliable guarantee will make Xiaoxiao feel more at ease, right? Xiaoxiao, do you trust me?"

"I believe it." Rong Xiao answered without hesitation.

Shangguan Yu narrowed his eyes and glared at her fiercely. Rong Xiao didn't notice his resentment at all. He raised his hand and placed it on Ling Xi's cold palm, gently holding it.

She has nothing to worry about.

Even though he knew that he had entered the world of illusion, the safety of his body was completely in the hands of others.

Before meeting everyone, Rong Xiao believed in himself more and relied more on his body's intuitive alarms whenever danger came.

But at this moment, she had to let go of everything she was used to and trust her companions.

Without any worries, Rong Xiao relaxed his body and mind and entered Ling Xi's illusion.

Without exception, everyone in the hallucination has a world that is calm and peaceful, different yet similar.

Rong Xiao, who had no recollection of the world before the apocalypse, couldn't help but become curious: were cities before this so interesting, peaceful and beautiful?

No matter how busy and noisy the place she walked in, her body would not sense any warning of danger.

But... this place is so busy, it may take some effort to find Ling Xi.

Not far away there was a huge sign with fat, round, and paint-chipped characters on it: Heyi Market.

It was very lively inside, with vendors setting up stalls everywhere and people coming and going. Rong Xiao had never seen so many living people gathered together, it was really an eye-opener.

Just like before, a strange feeling suddenly arose, as if pulling her into the market.

After Rong Xiao walked through rows of vegetable vendors, he smelled a scent somewhat similar to the end of the world.

It smells of blood and raw meat.

The difference is that there is no rotten smell of zombies.

The sun was high overhead, and Rong Xiao felt an illusory stuffiness. She tugged at her collar, looked around, and carefully examined every customer passing by... But in front of a stall, she saw a familiar heroic figure.

In front of a pork stall in a corner, Ling Xi, wearing an apron and a dark short-sleeved shirt, swung a kitchen knife in her hand and broke the pork bone on the plate into two pieces.

Clear bulging muscle lines can be seen on her tensed arms. Fine beads of sweat hang on Lingxi's forehead, and her hair is sticking to her face in a messy manner. She is too busy to care.

"Auntie Li, two kilograms, look." Ling Xi pointed to the electronic scale next to her.

The middle-aged woman in front of the stall smiled and handed over the money: "Just right."

Ling Xi wiped her hands with a cloth before tying a slipknot in the plastic bag containing the spareribs and handing it over: "Come back next time."

"Okay." The woman smiled and waved her hand. It was obvious that she was a regular customer.

Rong Xiao didn't go up to greet her.

After experiencing the hallucinations of Long Qingyu and Tian Yichuang, Rong Xiao knew very well that it would be difficult to make Lingxi realize that all this was fake in just one or two times.

observe.

She decided to observe first and find the right opportunity!

At a distance, Rong Xiao chose a shady place to squat down, staring eagerly in the direction of the pork stall.

There was not only Ling Xi behind the stall, there was also a man in a wheelchair next to him. He looked very pale and listless, and he dozed off from time to time.

But as soon as someone comes to take care of the business, he will immediately cheer up and chat with those regular customers.

Ling Xi skillfully chopped and cut the things the old customer wanted, packed them in a bag and handed them over, then exchanged a few words with the other party.

"Dad, are you tired?" Ling Xi wiped her hands and took out a thermos from under the stall and handed it to the middle-aged man in the wheelchair. "Drink some water. We'll go back after we sell the last bit."

"I'm fine, don't worry. The sun is so nice today, sit for a while." The middle-aged man moved his skinny body, and his raised fingers were like the roots and branches of a tree.

"Sister, are they sold out yet?" A girl with a backpack jumped in from the aisle, threw the bag away, and reached for the apron next to her. "Let me help."

"Have you finished your homework?" Ling Xi smiled and snatched the apron away and hid it, "Hurry and do your homework."

There was a tattered wooden table next to the two stalls. In the stall next to him, a boy was lying down doing his homework, staring at the homework book with a sad face. He was about the same age as the girl who had just arrived.

The person sitting next to him grabbed the homework book, took a look at it, and said with a smile: "You don't know how to write it? Ask Sister Lingxi to show you. Sister Lingxi is very good at it."

The girl who was picking up her homework puffed out her chest proudly: "Yes, my sister graduated from K University."

"Why do you like asking questions more than I do?" Ling Xi raised her hand to touch the girl's ponytail, and walked forward to help the boy look at the questions.

The middle-aged man in the wheelchair suddenly sighed: "If it weren't for me, you would have a good job now, instead of being here..."

"Dad, what are you talking about?" Ling Xi turned around and interrupted him with a smile, "Don't sigh anymore. Your daughter knows exactly what she wants."

The middle-aged man was speechless. He let out a long breath and could only smile helplessly.

After Ling Xi finished explaining the problem to the boy, she suddenly raised her head and bumped into Rong Xiao who was observing from a distance.

As if he was caught doing something bad, Rong Xiao turned his eyes and pretended to look to the side.

"Hey, you seem to be staring at me," Ling Xi's voice suddenly came from above, standing in front of Rong Xiao who was squatting in the corner, "Do you know me? Or is there something wrong?"

After looking at him carefully with eyes full of suspicion, Ling Xi folded his arms and spoke in a somewhat cold tone, as if he was doubting something.

"Sister Xi..." Rong Xiao spoke subconsciously.

Ling Xi paused, something seemed to flicker in her eyes, and she stared at Rong Xiao blankly.

"Do I... know you?" Ling Xi simply squatted in front of Rong Xiao, carefully staring at his face and studying it over and over again. "But I don't have any impression of you. Are you also from the market?"

Rong Xiao shook his head and whispered tentatively: "Sister Xi, this is an illusion."

"Huh?" Ling Xi asked loudly, perhaps because she didn't hear clearly or because she couldn't believe it. After digesting it carefully for a while, she laughed out loud, "You have quite an imagination, don't you? Or... are you... sick?"

Lingxi asked very tactfully and did not directly say that she was mentally ill.

After all, Rong Xiao doesn't look like a child. Even if he has wild thoughts and wild actions, he is unlikely to say such things seriously.

Rong Xiao seemed to be accustomed to this kind of beginning. He squatted and moved a little. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly thought of something.

Yan Jue said that what she said in the hallucination would have an impact.

Was it because she mentioned zombies last time that the beautiful illusion suddenly turned into a hell like reality?

It was precisely because that false beauty disappeared that Long Qingyu and Tian Yichuang were able to realize in time that they were in an illusion and successfully woke up.

But... the price of waking them up is a bit too cruel.

Rong Xiao suddenly fell silent and stopped talking about the end of the world. His eyes were filled with emotions that Ling Xi couldn't understand. He felt like something was pinching his heart, and he felt very uncomfortable.

But I can’t tell why I feel uncomfortable.

"Dad, I'm going out for a while and will be back soon." Ling Xi stood up and walked back to the stall. She took out a banknote from the small bag under the table and ran quickly towards the market exit.

In less than two minutes, she came back with a can of Coke and handed it to Rong Xiao, who was squatting in the corner looking pitiful.

"Here, drink some water," Ling Xi's smile was still as beautiful as ever, as if she could always easily remove Rong Xiao's guard.

Taking the Coke, Rong Xiao looked at the familiar outer packaging, unscrewed it and took a big sip.

It was cold and slightly sweet, but…there was no hint of soda at all.

Rong Xiao was still squatting on the ground, holding up the soda: "Sister Xi, can you tell me if you can smell the soda?"

For some unknown reason, even though the question was strange, Ling Xi took it, sniffed it, and replied, "It doesn't smell. Is it bad? That shouldn't be the case. Everything Uncle Chen buys is always fresh."

"But it would be strange if it had no taste, right? Soda should have a taste." Rong Xiao stared at her motionlessly and slowly put the bottle cap on his hand.

Lingxi's heart seemed to be hit by something, and a creepy feeling mixed with the flow of blood rushed throughout her body.

She stopped talking and hurried back to the stall to continue her work.

Soon the last piece of pig bone was bought by someone, and there was nothing left on the stall. Lingxi cleaned up quickly, washed her hands, and pushed her father and sister to go home.

Not long after she walked out, she suddenly thought of something and turned around, only to find that the person who had been squatting there just now, Rong Xiao, was gone.

I looked around, but I didn't see the strange girl anymore.

Ling Xi seemed to be lost in thought. When she passed by the convenience store at the door, she asked her sister and father to wait for a while and ran into the store to buy a bottle of orange soda.

Looking at the orange liquid, she unscrewed it and handed it to her sister: "Qiqi, smell it and see what it smells like."

My sister leaned over to the bottle and sniffed it, then replied as a matter of course, "It smells like soda. Hehe, it's my favorite orange-flavored soda. Did you buy it for me, sister?"

Lingxi didn't answer, but put the bottle in front of herself and sniffed it.

Tasteless.

There's really no taste at all.

It was as if what he was holding in his hand was not orange soda, but a glass of boiled water.

He took a sip thoughtfully. It was sweet, and it tasted like orange. Ling Xi was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he suddenly saw something and his heart began to beat wildly.

At the entrance of the market, there was a car carrying a load of flowers for sale, and many people were surrounding the car, picking and choosing.

For some reason, Lingxi felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Obviously, the girl just now was just a weirdo, and what she said was weird and unbelievable, but she had a strong feeling that pushed her to believe her.