"You really are a sheep."
In an instant—
The eyes of the two "policemen" popped out, springing forward like grotesque, dangling marbles.
Within mere seconds, their entire bodies mutated, sprouting sickly green fur.
Then—
They lunged at Mu Chenyi's future self.
The result was inevitable.
Future Mu Chenyi—dead.
"Ah!"
Mu Chenyi jolted awake, sitting bolt upright in bed.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his face pale with terror, his body still shaking from the sheer horror of his own death.
Even the people who were supposed to bring him safety—the police—
Had also turned into monsters.
Just how many of these things exist in this world?!
Why are even the police infected?!
A terrifying thought crept into his mind—
What if…
Aside from himself and the other players…
Every single human in this world has already turned into a monster?
The idea sent a cold chill down his spine.
If the entire world was filled with these creatures—
Could he even survive long enough to return to reality?
A Dead End?
His [Eye of Death] was SSS-tier, but right now, it hadn't helped him find a way out.
He had already used up both of his death-rewinding attempts.
And the next time he could use it was still hours away.
But—
To buy fish, he needed at least 30 minutes for a round trip.
If he waited too long, he wouldn't make it back in time.
And if he didn't buy the fish—
His first death vision had already proven that he would die at the hands of "Mother."
Staying inside was a dead end.
Going outside… was an unknown nightmare.
A New Problem: The Breakfast Dilemma
Growl…
A low rumble from his stomach broke the silence.
Hunger.
He absentmindedly placed a hand on his abdomen before his gaze drifted to the dining table.
Sitting there was breakfast—
A glass of warm milk and a loaf of bread.
Prepared just like in real life.
His "mother" had left him breakfast before going to work.
Just like she always did.
But—
Was this food safe to eat?
Mu Chenyi picked up the bread, pressing it between his fingers.
It felt exactly like normal bread.
Then, he poured the milk into a glass—
It looked like milk.
Smelled like milk.
There was nothing visibly wrong with it.
But even then—
He hesitated.
Was This Another Death Condition?
What if—
Eating this breakfast killed him?
Or—
What if not eating the breakfast killed him?
His first death prophecy had shown him that ignoring "Mother's" instructions led to his death.
He hadn't bought the fish, so she killed him.
Would the same rule apply to not eating breakfast?
Mu Chenyi rubbed the corner of his eye, wiping away an unconscious tear.
This whole situation…
Was pure hell.
Every choice felt like a trap.
Every step he took felt like he was walking on thin ice.
One wrong move—
And he was dead.
The Final Decision
In the end, he ate the breakfast.
This was still a game, right?
There had to be some way to survive.
Surely, they wouldn't just starve players to death… right?
After finishing breakfast, Mu Chenyi didn't rush out immediately.
Instead, he stayed put, carefully analyzing what he had seen in his last [Eye of Death] vision.
Deciphering the Death Visions
His first death replay had given him a clear message—
At 11:30 AM, his "mother" would return home.
And because he hadn't bought the fish, she would kill him.
That was a straightforward cause-and-effect death.
His second death replay, however, was different.
It had lasted significantly longer—nearly ten minutes, compared to the two or three minutes of the first vision.
This time, he had been shown everything leading up to his death—
The phone call to the police, the officers arriving, the disguised monsters attacking him.
Why?
A Pattern in the Death Visions?
Was the [Eye of Death] deliberately showing him the cause of his death in a step-by-step format?
First vision: The reason for his death was not buying the fish. Second vision: The reason for his death was calling the police, which exposed his identity as a human.
If the system wanted him to understand why he died, it could have simply shown him the moment of his death.
Instead, it had rewound time to show everything leading up to it.
This meant…
The death replays weren't just random.
They were guiding him—showing him key information he might not otherwise have known.
The Mystery of "Xiao Chen"
His mind replayed the sequence of events.
Two disguised "police officers" had killed him.
But before that—
He had spoken to a female officer named "Xiao Chen."
When he first told her about the monster, she had sounded confused.
Then, she had gone silent.
The next thing he knew, a man named Zhang Qian—who introduced himself as the police chief—had taken over the call.
Zhang Qian had immediately figured out that Mu Chenyi was a human, and then sent two monster officers to kill him.
But what about Xiao Chen?
Why had she gone silent instead of immediately exposing him?
A Possible Ally?
Checking the game panel, Mu Chenyi had already confirmed—
This world had other players.
What if…
Xiao Chen was also a player?
Her initial reaction to hearing about the monsters wasn't that of someone who already knew about them.
Instead, she had sounded genuinely surprised—
As if she had never encountered them before.
That would mean—
She might be human.
And if she was, there was a chance she was hiding her identity, pretending to be a normal police officer to avoid being discovered by the monsters.
Everything had been fine—
Until Mu Chenyi's call.
That was when Zhang Qian took over.
A Critical Choice
Mu Chenyi clenched his fists.
Now, he was faced with a life-or-death decision.
Option 1: Find Xiao Chen Risk: If she turned out to be another monster, he would be walking straight into a trap. Reward: If she was human, she might be his only ally in this nightmare. Option 2: Buy the Fish & Go Home Risk: Even if he avoided immediate death, he would be stuck living with "Mother", pretending to be one of them. High probability of exposure: If he accidentally slipped up, he would still die eventually.
Neither path was safe.
But one thing was certain—
Even if he bought the fish and survived for now—
He couldn't live alongside these creatures forever.
The Final Decision
Mu Chenyi's mind raced, weighing his chances of survival.
If the [Eye of Death] had deliberately shown him Xiao Chen, was it trying to guide him toward her?
Or was it just a coincidence?
Was she truly human?
Or was he walking straight into another death trap?
His next choice would determine everything.