Free Web NovelChapter 41: Chapter 41: Don’t Call Me ’Sir’, Call Me ’Mom
Ding Ning took the brooch, cradling it in her palm as she studied it carefully.
The gemstone surface was slick, sending a chill through her fingers.
She’d stolen plenty of human things before, and some ornaments were as icy and lifeless as this one.
But the sapphire brooch resting in her hand made her fingertips burn with a searing heat.
The audience watching the stream was stunned, watching as the evil spirit earnestly examined the sapphire brooch in her hand.
[Wait, the Little Evil Spirit took Jiang Che to find the Big Evil Spirit, and I thought Jiang Che was done for? What the hell is this now?]
[If we’d known you could bribe evil spirits with these trinkets, we could’ve traded for special items with them, maybe even our lives!]
[I should’ve thought of that! In mythology, the Dragon Race loves shiny golden jewels. Who’s to say evil spirits aren’t the same?]
[Hasn’t anyone tried this before?]
[Who in their right mind would try? Not everyone’s got a screw loose.]
[Alright, noted. I’ll give it a go next time.]
[Careful, everyone. It might’ve been a pure fluke. Every evil spirit has different hobbies. Maybe it just worked out because she’s a female spirit.]
[Yeah, you know what they say—fools have their own kind of luck.]
...
The viewers in the livestream stared, jealous of Jiang Che, and jealous of that evil spirit treasuring the sapphire brooch as if it were priceless.
"Daddy, Aunt Ya... Let me take you over." Tuantuan wasn’t sure what this grown-up wanted, so she had to shift everyone’s attention.
She knew she was no match for this adult, and maybe the adult was just waiting to get rid of Jiang Che before finishing her off.
Still, she’d already made up her mind. Once Jiang Che left, she’d accept her own end.
Humans were such fragile beings—if something happened to her, who knew just how heartbroken this fragile human would be.
"Ya..." Jiang Che let out a sigh, "I didn’t even get the chance to thank her..."
"If it weren’t for her, I never would’ve found you guys." Jiang Che’s eyes were full of guilt toward Ya.
Ever since Tuantuan told him Ya had taken a bullet for her, Jiang Che had thought of her as a good person.
Ding Ning stayed silent. She’d seen everything through the Crystal Ball. Turning to Tuantuan, the girl only smiled sheepishly.
She didn’t have the heart to tell Jiang Che that she was the one who’d hurt Ya in the first place, nor did she want to explain how she’d survived after those three opened fire on her.
Jiang Che looked at Tuantuan with concern. She’d clearly been frightened earlier; even now her breathing was unsteady.
"Come on, let’s go bury Aunt Ya together." Jiang Che sighed, holding one hand in each of his own.
Tuantuan led Jiang Che toward where Ya lay. When he reached out to take the adult’s hand, Tuantuan considered pulling him back, so he wouldn’t overstep his bounds.
Even carrying that grown-up on her back before had felt impossible.
At the time, she’d just figured it was some kind of prank by the adult.
But now, watching with her own eyes as Jiang Che clasped the adult’s hand—fingers intertwined with no resistance—
Tuantuan snuck peeks at their hands, interlaced like a loving couple.
She rubbed her eyes, afraid she was seeing things.
Ding Ning ignored Tuantuan’s strange glances, immersing herself instead in the waves of joy flowing off Jiang Che.
Just as Tuantuan said—humans really were strange, really fun, and really warm...
Ya’s corpse wasn’t far; after just a few minutes, Jiang Che saw her lying motionless up ahead.
Her face was ashen gray, her severed limb cast aside, stark proof of the killer’s cruelty.
He instinctively covered Tuantuan and Ding Ning’s eyes, not wanting them to see the bloody scene before them.
"You two take a break over there. I’ll bury her myself." Jiang Che sighed. Even he felt stifled by this sight.
He’d thought Ya had just been shot, didn’t expect her death to be so gruesome.
He noticed two bullet wounds in Ya’s body, her shirt blooming with vibrant bloodstains around the entry points.
"Tuantuan’s not afraid! Aunt Ya ended up like this because of me, I’m not scared!" Tuantuan pushed Jiang Che’s hand away, staring earnestly into his eyes.
"I’m not scared, either. She ended up like this to save Tuantuan—I won’t just stand by and watch." Ding Ning shrugged off Jiang Che’s hand.
She hadn’t feared any of this from the start, so it didn’t faze her now.
Jiang Che took a deep breath, gazing at Tuantuan with pride. "Our Tuantuan’s so brave—she’s grown up."
He ruffled Tuantuan’s hair as he spoke.
The viewers watching the stream were left speechless—
[For once, Jiang Che isn’t just dumb—he’s been played so badly.]
[To be fair, this isn’t exactly a scam. When the evil spirit said Ya died because of her, she didn’t lie—she really was the one that killed her.]
[Jiang Che doesn’t know the truth, alright? He’s only crazy because he’s looking for his family. He’s not like the other Survivors—he doesn’t even know how many people entered this dungeon. In other words, he doesn’t even know the two in front of him aren’t human.]
[That’s what makes this so tragic: a guy driven mad by the obsession with finding his family, thinking he’s found them at the end of his life—only for all the evil spirits to reveal it’s fake. Everything’s fake. He never had a family.]
[Holy shit, now that’s a tragedy. That’s the real torment.]
[There still isn’t any exit in sight. Fine, dying’s fine. Better to die with your last wish granted.]
...
The viewers kept jabbering away, watching intently.
At that moment, Jiang Che noticed several shovels nearby. He didn’t wonder why they were suddenly there; instead, he went over, grabbed a shovel, and started digging a grave, puffing and sweating.
The other two tried to help, but Jiang Che held them back.
"I’ve got this. Once the body’s laid in, the rest of you can help fill the dirt." Jiang Che refused their help—this kind of grunt work was something he should do himself.
He was the man of the house, the pillar of the family.
Such small things were his obvious duty.
Everyone watching could only shake their heads in disbelief—
[Do you realize you’re the weakest of all three of you?]
[I’m telling you, that evil spirit just likes to torment him.]
[Still, aside from a bit of suffering, Jiang Che really is living the easiest out of all the Survivors.]
...
As Jiang Che dug, Tuantuan and Ding Ning sat on a nearby rock.
Tuantuan squatted beside her, quietly asking, "Ma’am..."
She still wanted to know what this adult was actually thinking.
"Shh." Ding Ning pressed her finger to her lips with a gesture for silence.
"Don’t call me ma’am—call me Mom."
Tuantuan paused for a second, then glanced over at Jiang Che digging the grave. "Mom... do you like Dad, too?"
