Chapter 53: Nightmare Within a Nightmare

“Wow!” I suddenly woke from my bed with a start. I looked around at the familiar surroundings: the shabby little room, the old bulky TV, and the faded curtains.

I was covered in sweat, sitting on the bed, with yellow skin and thin but sturdy arms. ‘Ah? Was all of that a dream?’

At that moment, my mother hurried over from the other side of the room. “Son? What’s wrong?!” Seeing my mother, who looked a bit old but still beautiful, walk in, I was so overwhelmed that tears filled my eyes. So it really was all a dream?

“Mom?!” I rolled off the bed and hugged her. “Mom! Mom! I missed you so much!” I buried myself in her arms.

“Oh, you silly boy. You’re so grown up, why are you acting like a spoiled brat? Did you have a nightmare? There, there, Mom’s here. Don’t be scared, don’t be scared!” Mom stroked my head and comforted me as always.

‘Ah, this is real! The smell of cooking on her! So everything really was a dream?’

Just then, I heard the door being pushed open, and the slightly drunk voice of a middle-aged man came through.

“Honey! My boy! I’m home!” That was my dad’s voice!

He was an odd one, a heavy drinker who could hold his liquor like a bottomless barrel.

‘No matter how much I drink, the moment I see you two, Mom and me, I’m instantly sober.’ He loved to say that.

“Hey! What are you two doing! Wow! I want a hug too! Come here!” He suddenly wrapped his arms around both of us.

To be honest, I was already taller than both of them, but in my eyes, they would always be grand.

“Oh, huggy! Hey, son! You’ve been cooped up playing on the computer these days, not exercising. Your body isn’t what it used to be!” “Yeah, son, why are you getting so cute? So cute that I can’t help but want to give you a taste of my ‘love’!” Their voices grew deeper, and the scenery around me shifted, turning into that cozy double bed in the demon castle.

Then, right before my eyes, my parents turned into two demons! One was a humanoid demon covered in black with red lightning patterns, and the other turned into a demon with a gaping, bloody maw.

They grew bigger and taller, and I watched in despair. Lightning flashed outside the window, and rain poured down, creating a scene of pure terror.

Suddenly, a strand of silver hair hung down in front of my eyes. In despair, I raised my hand tremblingly, and a pair of delicate, jade-white little hands appeared in my vision.

My body had turned back into a ‘little loli.’

‘This! Could this be the real reality? Were my parents and my rescue just a dream? Am I still a flesh s*ave?’

“No!” I couldn’t accept it. I turned to run.

But six tentacles, covered in stinking, slimy mucus, shot out from behind me and bound my four limbs and neck.

As I choked, I was lifted into the air. With a rip, my flimsy dress was torn to shreds.

“No! Let me go!!” I struggled with all my might, but it was futile. Fear kept surging from the bottom of my heart. ‘No! I don’t want this! Let me die!’

“Heh heh, why are you so fond of resistance today? But that’s fine, I like you this way!” A low, chaotic voice came from the abyssal mouth of the tentacle monster.

Then I was pressed face-down on the bed by the tentacles, and before I knew it, an extremely thick object was shoved into my rear.

“Ugh!” The huge impact on my stomach made me retch. The pain made tears and saliva flow uncontrollably.

That thing kept writhing in and out of me, but in less than three seconds, my body was flipped over again.

The rapid twisting made my whole body convulse. But just as I was staring in terror at the demon in front of me, an even more despairing thing happened: the scenery changed drastically once more! I found myself back in the Black Feather ruins. The exquisite wallpaper and soft bed instantly turned into cold, massive stones with mysterious light patterns.

And on top of me now was not a demon, but that enormous mechanical spider.

‘What the? This?’

I was so startled that my scalp went numb. I subconsciously looked down at my body, only to see the spider actually using one of its chainsaw-like legs to thrust into me…

“Ah?!” What was this? Was I dreaming?

“Wah!!” A heart-wrenching pain shot through my nerves.

Blood sprayed before my eyes. The spider had actually used its chainsaw leg to cut my belly open!

The high-speed spinning chainsaw flung my internal organs and blood in all directions.

“Aaaaah!” I shook my head wildly, completely at a loss as to what was happening!

But suddenly, a pair of pitch-black hands pressed against my cheeks, large hands that felt like bones…

“Moke?”

“That’s right! It’s me!” A hoarse voice came from above my head.

But then, leaning into view from over me, it was Anna’s face, filled with murderous intent, pressed right against mine.

Because the mechanical spider’s chainsaw leg was still cutting, a lot of blood splattered onto Anna’s face.

“Anna?!” I looked at her weakly, a mixture of saliva and blood leaking from my lips.

“You filthy b*tch!” she sneered, then pulled her face away.

After that, I saw the mechanical spider aim all seven cannon muzzles on its head at me, already glowing with light, ready to fire.

“What the hell?!!!” I screamed like a madman.

At the same time, I opened my eyes and saw the pale blue-white, carved ceiling above me.

“Huff… huff…” I breathed weakly.

Then I quickly surveyed my surroundings. This was my room. More precisely, “my room” Version: Night.

It didn’t seem to be a dream, but just to be safe, I still…

My heart still pounding, I pinched my thigh hard.

It hurt! So this was real, right? Please, don’t let it be a dream again, please…

My eyes continued to scan around frantically, and I prayed silently.

Just then, I noticed that the ligature marks on my wrists were gone. I kicked off the thin blanket and saw that the marks on my ankles were also gone.

‘What’s this? Same scenery, but no wounds on my body? Did I load my save file?’

‘Whoa, no way!!!’

My nose stung with despair, and tears welled up in my eyes. In this awful world, was even dying not allowed?

In despair, I glanced outside the window. The tall floor-to-ceiling window cast a silver moonlight.

It looked like there were at least four or five hours until dawn… Sigh. I slowly got up and, still uneasy, pinched my face again.

“Ow, it hurts…” Just then, through the half-closed door, I heard Anna and General Yun Feibai talking.

Their voices were very low, as if they were deliberately trying to keep quiet.

I wanted to eavesdrop, so I got off the bed, pressed myself against the wall, and crept to the door.

A faint crystal light seeped through the crack.

Only then did I realize I was wearing a nightgown embroidered with grass vines. This pattern… I had never worn anything like this before. If that’s the case… so I really hadn’t died after all…

‘If so… who changed my clothes? Ha, whatever. Let me listen to what they’re saying first.’

With that, I pressed closer to the doorframe. I knew Anna could read minds, but I still had to listen!

My ear was getting closer and closer to the door crack. Suddenly, the general’s angry voice came from outside: “So that’s how it is?”

“Mm… roughly. I just… on a whim, I, I said those things offhandedly, and I didn’t expect him to actually…” Anna apologized very weakly.

“Ah!” The general clicked his tongue in irritation. “You… sigh… Do you have any idea what he’s been through?!”

“I’m sorry…”

“Sorry? First of all, I don’t care what Princess Qiaolu thinks. Just from the boy’s perspective, do you know how he survived?!”

“I’m sorry…” Anna kept apologizing, clearly at a loss for words.

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