Chapter 99: The Hunting Rifle

“I... was unconscious?”

Ji Linmo rubbed his temples and opened the text messages on his phone.

His last memory was receiving a goodnight message from his “younger sister.”

Then, it was as if he had been forcibly put into hibernation, plunging into darkness.

It seemed that limiting the player’s game time was part of the game rules.

For this quest, the player’s active game time was from 5:30 to 8:00, and then from 8:00 to 10:00 at night.

“Only four and a half hours of exploration time per day?”

“Shortening the player’s time drastically, yet the player hasn’t been harmed... Could it be that when the player is asleep, the NPCs also stop moving?”

Ji Linmo threw back the blanket on his bed, his gaze falling on a pair of neatly placed leather boots by the bedside.

In that instant, his eyes widened.

How did he get into bed?

Like a blackout after drinking, Ji Linmo vaguely recalled seeing a shadowy figure lifting him while he was asleep.

—No, he had misunderstood. After the player is forced into sleep, NPCs can still act normally!

Last night, perhaps because he had not yet revealed any weaknesses, the other party had not killed him.

But luck never strikes twice.

Thinking this, Ji Linmo felt an urgent need for someone to exchange intelligence with.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door of the next room.

“Brother... are you awake?”

The room remained utterly silent, ignoring him.

“Brother?”

Ji Linmo knocked harder, the tapping becoming more urgent.

Could it be... dead?

Did Qin Feng, who also fell unconscious like him last night, get killed by an NPC?

Frowning deeply, Ji Linmo’s mind raced.

“Son, why are you knocking on your brother’s door so early in the morning?”

A clear female voice sounded from the other end of the corridor.

Ji Linmo saw “Mother,” swaying gracefully, approach him with an elegant gait.

“Mother, I just wanted to wake my brother.”

Ji Linmo quickly explained, but this answer seemed unsatisfactory to “Mother.”

She remained silent for a long moment, staring intently at him.

Ji Linmo felt something was wrong, but then “Mother” suddenly narrowed her eyes gently and reached out to stroke her “son’s” cheek.

“Son, were you and your brother fighting last night? Mother really likes how lively you both are.”

Ji Linmo was stunned.

It appeared that “Mother” was responsible for monitoring them, but since the woman still called him “son,” this surveillance likely had limitations—specifically, regarding sound.

The monitoring seemed to have volume restrictions and had not recorded his whispered conversations with Qin Feng.

“Good boy, such a good boy...”

Beneath her fiery red lips, the woman opened her mouth to reveal a crooked, yellowed mouthful of teeth stained with plaque, and burst into laughter.

The stench of decay hit Ji Linmo like a wave; the woman’s rotten teeth, resembling those of a person in their sixties or seventies, starkly contradicted her delicate appearance.

“Son, boys do like to fight, after all. Your father would be pleased to know.”

“Mother” was telling “Father” about this?

Ji Linmo furrowed his brow. In this family, “Father” was the one holding life-and-death power.

If “Father” felt offended by this matter, Ji Linmo might be facing a mortal danger.

“Mom, I was just playing with my brother... we’re close like that.”

Ji Linmo tried to explain immediately, but it was clearly futile. “Mother” didn’t even glance at him and quietly went downstairs alone.

Soon after, the burly “Father” emerged from the bedroom, holding a hunting rifle.

He almost immediately widened his eyes upon seeing Ji Linmo and strode up to him.

Ji Linmo stood still, fingers idly tracing the ring on his hand, mentally preparing a line of defense.

“Son.”

The towering man, wrapped in bandages, raised his palm. Ji Linmo looked up at him, ready.

“Son, your mother and I are going hunting soon. You’re responsible for watching the house today. Don’t go out without permission.”

After speaking, “Father” slapped Ji Linmo’s shoulder firmly and left without another word, heading downstairs.

Only then did Ji Linmo realize from “Father’s” voice that “Mother” had lied—she hadn’t told “Father” about his and Qin Feng’s fight last night.

—She was just using that line to warn him.

But why?

Suddenly, Ji Linmo realized that perhaps “Mother” was not aligned with “Father.”

Or maybe, as a mother, she harbored her own hidden motives.

With this thought, Ji Linmo headed toward the first-floor hall.

In the kitchen, “Mother” was preparing something; Ji Linmo hurried over to offer help.

“Mom, thank you.”

He spoke softly.

The woman continued making sandwiches expressionlessly, not replying.

Thoughtful, Ji Linmo helped by slicing sausages and spreading salad oil on the bread.

The “mother and son” duo worked in tacit harmony, just as silent as each other.

After a moment’s thought, Ji Linmo mentioned that he had a group project for his university online class requiring a short video, and he hoped to use his parents’ room for filming.

Today was already the second day in the game, and Ji Linmo knew the time his “parents” were out was the best chance to search their room.

Unfortunately, the ever-present surveillance would surely catch him, and the bedroom was certainly locked—entering recklessly would be unwise.

However, he noticed that nowhere in the rules did it forbid entering the parents’ room.

So now was the perfect time to test the waters.

“Mom, we have a photography assignment for school that can earn us extra credit.”

“I got the topic about family. When I record, can I film your and Dad’s bedroom? I want to capture all the rooms at home.”

“Mother” glanced at Ji Linmo but remained silent. She wrapped the sandwiches and placed them in her backpack.

“Son, no, you can’t.”

She smiled faintly, then turned around, revealing a small key hanging from her waist.

“I see, Mom. Let me get that for you.”

Ji Linmo responded, moving closer, and silently slipped the key from her waist.

“Mother” smiled gently, stroked Ji Linmo’s forehead, then carrying the box of sandwiches, swayed her hips as she went to “Father.”

“Let’s go, dear, time to hunt.”

Watching “Father” and “Mother” leave through the front door, Ji Linmo did not rush to leave.

Instead, he pulled back a corner of the curtain and quietly observed.

But “Father,” holding his hunting rifle, seemed to sense someone spying on him.

He turned sharply toward the window and raised his gun—then fired.