The Whole Family Are Villains, I’m the Group Pet 184

Chapter 184

Shen Yan had made wild mushroom soup at home.

Xing Nuo, now in high school with evening self-study every day, and being a picky eater, rarely ate a proper dinner.

Whenever Shen Yan had time, he would come home and make soup for him.

But tonight, Shen Yan waited and waited, but Xing Nuo didn’t return.

Shen Baizhou was at a school meeting, Shen Wen was at the castle, and Shen Yan was alone.

Something’s wrong, he thought, turning off the stove and rushing to the school.

The classrooms were empty, but the door to Xing Nuo’s classroom was slightly ajar, as if the last student to leave hadn’t actually left.

Shen Yan’s face darkened, his heart sinking as he thought of the increasing number of monster dungeons appearing in the real world.

He searched through the few monster dungeons in Rongcheng and finally sensed his brother’s presence on a train.

But he had boarded at a different location, not in the same car as Xing Nuo.

By the time he found Xing Nuo’s car, he saw a monster lunging at his little brother, and his vision blurred with rage, his control snapping.

He instinctively killed the monster and pulled Xing Nuo into a protective embrace.

As he ruffled Xing Nuo’s hair, his racing heart calming, he sighed softly.

Xing Nuo smiled, his eyes crinkling.

“It’s okay, Big Brother. That monster wasn’t very strong. And you came just in time.”

Shen Yan’s attack had been swift and silent, unnoticed even by the players.

But Xing Nuo had known it was Shen Yan.

Shen Yan’s heart sank, a suspicion forming in his mind. Does he know something? He was silent for a moment, his throat tight.

The train announcement beeped, and three bewildered ordinary people boarded.

They saw the bloodstains and the uneaten arm, screamed, then fell silent, their faces pale.

The train car was quiet again.

Xing Nuo pulled his brother down to sit beside him, his eyes bright and clear, and asked:

“How did you find me, Big Brother?”

An Zimuo, peeking out from behind a seat, seeing Shen Yan, his excitement bubbling over despite his fear, chattered:

“Xing Nuo’s brother, this train car is so dangerous! But Xing Nuo is amazing! He figured out the monster and killed it! We would all be dead without him!”

Shen Yan, listening to An Zimuo’s rambling, not irritated as usual, a mixture of pride and concern in his eyes, ruffled Xing Nuo’s hair.

Seeing the bloodstains on his face, he knew Xing Nuo had been through a lot.

“It’s okay now. Big Brother is here. No one can hurt you.”

Xing Nuo, trusting his brother implicitly, nodded.

“I know.”

Just then, his stomach rumbled loudly.

He blushed, embarrassed, and covered his tummy, giggling.

Shen Yan smiled.

“The attendant sells food. He should be here soon. What do you want, Xing Nuo?”

As if on cue, the short, plump attendant waddled over with his cart.

“Food and drinks! Apples and dried fish from the ocean!”

He didn’t mention the prices, just slowly made his way through the car.

Xing Nuo, his eyes meeting the attendant’s,

watched as he bypassed the other passengers, ignoring the bloodstains and dismembered limbs, and stopped in front of them.

“Anything you’d like?”

Xing Nuo smiled and asked:

“Do you have bananas?”

The attendant’s face lit up, and he eagerly pulled out his prized item.

“Of course! Fresh from Tulip Manor! One hundred fifty Star Coins! How would you like to pay?”

Xing Nuo took the banana and asked:

“Wasn’t it one hundred before?”

An Zimuo, peeking out, asked:

“Xing Nuo, you’ve had this before? How do you know the price?”

Shen Yan’s eyes narrowed, a memory surfacing: their previous train trip, the same attendant, the same banana.

But the price had increased, and Xing Nuo, who shouldn’t have remembered, did.

He looked at Xing Nuo, whose eyes were bright and trusting, filled with warmth and affection, no trace of fear, and asked:

“Big Brother, you have money, right?”

Shen Yan smiled and, taking out three fifty-Star Coin bills, handed them to the attendant.

Xing Nuo took a bite of the banana, its cool, sweet taste, with a hint of tulip, familiar and comforting.

“Yummy.”

He hadn’t eaten much dinner, and after the fight, he was starving.

He broke off a piece and gave it to An Zimuo, whose eyes filled with gratitude.

Xing Nuo smiled, his hunger slightly appeased, and looked up at Shen Yan, whose gaze was searching and intense.

He knew what Shen Yan wanted to ask, but with so many people around, and the constant threat of monster attacks, it wasn’t a good time.

“Big Brother, do you know…where we’re going next?”

He asked, his voice filled with trust, as if certain Shen Yan would know.

No ordinary person or most players would know such information, but Xing Nuo had asked Shen Yan.

Shen Yan nodded.

“This train…unique to the horror world…travels around the continent…stops at many high-level dungeons.”

Xing Nuo now understood Guild Zero One’s interest in this dungeon.

They weren’t trying to clear it, but to map the continent.

Shen Yan had given Sang Ming a fake map, wasting years of their time.

“Last stop was Snow Night Manor. Next stop, if I’m not mistaken…”

Shen Yan paused, his dark eyes flickering.

“Blood Rose Castle.”

Xing Nuo smiled, thinking he was lucky.

“I’m so lucky!”

The system in his mind cheered, echoing his sentiment:

“Yes! Xing Nuo always lucky!”

Shen Yan, about to say something, saw Xing Nuo turn to An Zimuo and the other players.

“I know how to leave this dungeon.”

An Zimuo, having just finished his banana, almost choked.

“How?”

The team leader, thinking Xing Nuo was planning to get off at the next station, hurried over and, glancing at Shen Yan, frowned and said:

“Don’t get off the train! Those stations are high-level dungeons! Instant death!”

Blood Rose Castle was a 3S-rank dungeon! He wouldn’t dare enter it!

Staying on the train was safer. This dungeon often dropped useful props and escape talismans.

An Zimuo also tried to dissuade him.

“Xing Nuo, let’s just stay here. We might find a prop to escape.”

Xing Nuo shook his head, his smile bright and confident.

“No. I know who the real monster is.”

The team leader gasped, surprised and confused.

“How do you know our mission?!”

He hadn’t told anyone!

Xing Nuo smiled, the 067 system in his mind taking all the credit.

“Doesn’t matter. Escaping is easy. Want to cooperate?”

The team leader, impressed, said:

“You’re not an ordinary person, are you? You’re a player, pretending, right?”

Then, he shook his head, dismissing the thought.

“No, if you were a player, you couldn’t attack the monsters while the train is moving. So, you really are an ordinary person? No abilities?”

Xing Nuo nodded, patting the team leader’s shoulder, his eyes sparkling.

“Doesn’t matter. Cooperation has conditions. You can’t just leave after finding the monster. You have to help An Zimuo kill it.”

Only after the core monster was dead could the ordinary people escape.

The team leader took a deep breath. He had never killed a core monster before.

He didn’t answer immediately, but turned to discuss it with his teammates.

An Zimuo, his dark face beaming with admiration, looked at Xing Nuo, his eyes shining.

“Xing Nuo, how did you know?”

It wasn’t Lu Qi who had told him. He had sensed it the moment he boarded the train.

His intuition was never wrong.

Xing Nuo gestured towards the floor.

“Look at the floor. Most of the blood is dry, but some of the…chunks are gone.”

An Zimuo, hadn’t noticed this before, looked down and gasped.

“You’re right! There’s another monster on this train, eating the…leftovers?”

Xing Nuo just smiled, letting him figure it out.

Just then, the team leader returned, having agreed to cooperate.

“We’ll work together. At least…fewer people will die.”

They were a compassionate team, and compassion, in the horror world, was a weakness.