Chapter 3

Following the shout, a figure rushed out of the mist like lightning. As David watched in a dream, the figure swung a long stick and hit the spider monster that was leaping in the air.

“Hiss~~”

Focusing on hunting the prey in front of it, it let out a terrible roar at the defenseless spider monsters around it, and its hard carapace covered with bristles was like a courier box hit by a heavy hammer, instantly shattering and flattening.

Almost at the same moment, the figure changed the direction of his force, and his movements were as smooth as flowing water, changing from hitting to picking. The monster that was still wailing was picked up by the long stick, and then this hound-sized monster was easily picked up and dropped far away like a weightless rag doll.

"Bang!"

The spider monster landed heavily on the ground, and after its long legs struggled a few times, it became motionless. David, who was facing it, seemed to see the spider monster's bulging eyes and dirty organs, and then the mist covered the monster's body.

"Guest, are you okay?" The figure turned around, a peaceful smile on his young and handsome face.

David looked at the young Asian man who appeared like a mythical hero and nodded stupidly, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"That's good!" Fang Shao looked at the mop in his hand, the end of which was stained with some monster fluids. He pouted, but he was reluctant to throw away the mop that was no longer clean. It was still brand new and could be used again after washing.

David also saw the true form of the long stick, and his eyes became even more surprised.

"Squeak~"

"Squeak~"

The sound of spider monsters moving in groups could be heard in the distance. Seeing that David looked nervous again, Fang Shao said no more and walked back with the man who seemed to be irritated.

As soon as she saw them, Amanda, who had been standing vigilantly at the door, opened the door with joy and welcomed them in.

"Dad!" Billy struggled out of the old woman's hands and rushed into his father's arms.

They just passed by Fang Shao and didn't know what happened outside. Seeing him return safely with David, their faces were full of relief.

David, who survived the disaster, gave his son a tight hug. His sense of responsibility as a father drove him back to his thinking mode. He looked around and saw that there was obviously no sign of monster invasion. Moreover, this bar was much safer than the supermarket with floor-to-ceiling windows where they stayed before. As long as the doors and windows were closed, plus this brave young man, he had expectations for the future again.

"We have to lock the door." David put the child down and said to Fang Shao.

"No need, it's safe here." Fang Shao smiled and shook his head, throwing the mop into the corner. I have to clean it thoroughly later, Fang Shao thought.

David couldn't understand Fang Shao's indifference. In his opinion, this young man was too confident in his own skills. He was about to convince him when he heard Amanda's incredible whisper.

"Oh my god! How could this happen?!"

David's heart tightened, and he followed Amanda's surprised gaze and looked out the door. The next moment, his pupils dilated uncontrollably and he froze.

Then came the two old men. They walked a few steps closer in confusion, and their wrinkled faces showed the same surprise as the young people. The old woman even took off her glasses, wiped them, and put them back on. But everything in front of her did not change at all.

"Wow~"

"Wow~"

The waves broke on the beach.

The sky is high and the clouds are clear, the sea is blue and the sand is white.

Only the young child was confused. He poked his head out from behind his father and looked at the beautiful beach outside. He didn't understand why the adults suddenly became quiet.

Fang Shao patiently waited for them to calm down, and with a complicated expression, he focused their attention on himself. "Dear guests, welcome to my bar."

Even after sitting down peacefully with everyone else, David still felt lost. He looked at the clean and bright lobby and the busy Asian youth behind the counter, and then turned his head to look at the peaceful and beautiful beach outside, and couldn't help but doubt his current mental state.

In the past few days, David has experienced the most chaotic and terrifying moments in his life. A sudden fog filled the town, and with it came the monsters hidden in the fog. These monsters have structures similar to earth insects, but their sizes are magnified by dozens of times.

For example, the spider monsters that attacked them just now were each the size of a hound. There were also crow-sized fly monsters, eagle-sized winged bird monsters, and the lobster monster that killed Orley was nearly two stories high.

Even more terrifying was the indescribable and unnameable giant beast, which even caused a huge earthquake in the area along its way.

When the fog first came, he took his son Billy and many town residents to hide in a supermarket, but what he didn't expect was that when the panic came, the panicked humans became as terrifying as the monsters.

"Monsters" were also born among humans.

A woman who believed in the cult stood up and began to seduce the crowd. In just two days, her followers became the majority in the supermarket. They feared and worshiped the monster, and took the people chosen by the leader as sacrifices, driving them out of the supermarket to be eaten by the monster outside.

In desperation, David escaped from the supermarket with his son and a few companions who still had some sense and humanity. However, the fog was full of dangers, and in the end only five of them managed to safely board the getaway car.

Without food, supplies, or a destination, they moved forward in the fog at a loss, and the car became their only fragile fortress. But the pointer on the fuel tank was approaching the warning line, and the fog outside was still endless. All they could see were overturned vehicles, houses covered with cobwebs, and mutilated corpses.

He drove the car with an air of calmness but in reality he was numb, but his heart was gradually sinking into despair. The others in the car, except for the young Billy, probably felt the same way.

He even thought about...

But when the gas was almost gone, they saw neon lights flashing in the fog. Oh my god, no matter how many words he used, he couldn't describe his feelings at that time. Holding on to the last bit of desire to live, they abandoned the relatively safe car, rushed into the fog, and ran all the way here.

Although they encountered monsters several times along the way, fortunately they were able to deal with the spider monster, and a young man came to the rescue when they were in the most dangerous moment.

But where is the fog that lingers around them like a deathly shadow?

Even if the fog dissipated, why did the outside become a beach I had never seen before?

Is this a collective hallucination caused by their despair, or is there some hallucinogenic ingredient in the fog that they are not aware of?

Or... everything, including the fog, monsters, and death... was all just a dream?

"Dad~"

Billy carefully pulled his father's hand. The experience of the past few days made the child sensitive.

David came back to his senses after hearing his son's call. He looked at his only remaining relative, took a deep breath, and calmed down again.

Fang Shao came over with a tray and smiled as he served each of them a cup of hot water. "Guests, have you decided what to order?"

The adults finally came back to their senses from their complicated thoughts, but they didn't dare to ask any of the questions in their hearts. Instead, they respectfully apologized to the young bar owner and picked up the menus in front of them that had been ignored for a long time.

Billy had been hungry and thirsty for a long time, but he was sensible and kept silent. While the adults were reading the menu, he took a few gulps of water from the cup. The warm liquid moistened his throat and soothed his heart. His eyes regained some of the child's agility.

He was looking around while holding the water cup, and happened to make eye contact with another young man who was peeking around in the store.

"Dad, there's a kitten~"

He called quietly, but his father didn't hear him. Instead, Orange became curious about him, jumped off the counter, and circled around their table from a distance. Billy's eyes followed Orange's movements, and his eyes were fixed on the kitten.

David didn't notice his son's little movement. There wasn't much on the menu, and some of it was accompanied by pictures. David quickly finished reading it, but he didn't realize that he was reading words he had never recognized. The other people behaved in a similar way.

Although it is a bar, the only drinks listed on the menu are beer and champagne, and a rice wine that David has never heard of, and you can choose whether to heat it. The rest are various snacks and drinks, and the only staple food is pizza - although there are rich flavors for you to choose from.

Looking at the cheese and meat covering the entire pizza in the picture, the hunger that had been suppressed by fear and despair immediately took over and announced its presence with a series of embarrassing "cooing" sounds.

The price is a bit high. A pizza costs 48 yuan, which is far beyond the normal consumption level in the town. But David thought, this is not an ordinary bar after all...

"David..."

David, who was interrupted from his thoughts, raised his head and saw Amanda looking embarrassed. The two old people had the same expression. Although they said nothing, David suddenly realized something and touched his pocket...

Having been away from normal life for a few days, they only cared about survival and had no idea where or when they had lost their wallets.

This is not a question of whether the price is expensive or not.

David approached the counter nervously, hoping that the boss would not chase them out because they were penniless. It would be fine if they struggled in the fog, but now that they had entered such a magical shelter, being chased out again would be too despairing.

Seeing the customer's embarrassment and stammering, Fang Shaohui easily guessed their current predicament based on his experience just now. "It's okay. If you don't have cash, we can accept other payment methods here."

What is wanted here is not life or soul.

A terrible guess suddenly popped up in David's mind, and all the stories of demons tempting travelers in rural legends flashed through his mind. After what happened in the supermarket, he was indeed a little sensitive now. Especially since this place was beyond common sense, it was a bit ridiculous to accept money from mortals.

Fang Shao's next action quickly broke David's horrible thoughts. He picked up the card reader next to the cash register and turned on the scanning function on it.

"The bar supports physical transactions." Fang Shao said with a smile.

Then, he blinked and added, "Anything is fine. As long as it's something you own, you can trade it~"