The only thing not quite clear to Lu Yan was, if he was the sister, then where was the real sister?
On TV, the news was already nearing its end.
"This is a case of a violent home invasion, a rape incident... Suspect Zhang, whose mother worked as a maid for the Li family, learned from his mother that Miss Li was often away on business trips, leaving only the victim at home. Exploiting this, he decided to break in. The victim usually stayed at the school's dormitories but happened to be at home that day due to playing truant."
"The maid, upon discovering this, assisted Zhang in disposing of the body and deleting the surveillance footage, claiming that the victim had run away from home."
After this news segment, the TV emitted a cacophony, turning into static.
They say dreams are manifestations of the subconscious. Lu Yan didn't think this was just some random and mundane news insertion.
He stared at the screen, now devoid of signal, his expression turning peculiar. "…Is it dead?"
Lu Yan investigated for a while, confirming he couldn't unlock the chains around his ankles.
On his watch, his degree of mutation had risen to 337.
Besides his arms, scales had grown on Lu Yan's back. Probably due to dehydration, the scales were raised, causing pain all over his body.
An increase in the degree of mutation wasn't entirely bad in some ways. At least Lu Yan could distinctly feel a slight enhancement in his physical abilities.
His mindset was quite composed; he even plucked off one of the scales to examine it. Judging by the color and shape, once he completed his full mutation, he was likely to become a koi fish.
With a koi fish attached, it explained why his luck had always been quite favorable.
In the afternoon, there was a commotion at the door.
"Sister," Lu Jiahe's voice came from downstairs.
The data on Lu Yan's watch began to spike as Lu Jiahe opened the door.
There was more blood on him now, his black suit damp with it, leaving a trail with every step.
There were some abnormalities on Lu Jiahe's body. Aside from the burns, several bone spurs protruded from the bloodied back of his hands, sharp as knife edges.
"There are many strange people in the city, I feel they all want to harm you. But don't worry, big brother will kill them all," he said with the gentlest expression, speaking the most terrifying words, as if discussing today's fine weather.
Lu Jiahe: "I also went to the slaughterhouse to buy fresh meat and vegetables; I haven't cooked for you in a while. Come downstairs and eat."
At the mention of the slaughterhouse, Lu Yan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Even in the A-level contamination zone in X City, there was a place with the same name. The owner of that slaughterhouse was a butcher with a pig's head.
Lu Yan had seen pictures in the data about the slaughterhouse, a factory clean and tidy, with human bodies hung on hooks like pork, ready for processing along the conveyor belts. Ignoring the intestines and eyeballs in the waste bin, it actually had a modern industrial aesthetic.
Lu Jiahe tied the chains to the corner of the table.
Because the kitchen was semi-open, Lu Yan was compelled to witness the entire cooking process by Lu Jiahe.
Lu Jiahe said, "Today, I bought suckling pig; the meat is excellent."
He didn't even need a knife; with snow-white bone blades, the infant's head fell. The child was around four to five months old, already processed at the slaughterhouse, emptied of its internal organs and eyeballs.
"His handling of the corpse resembled that of an ordinary person preparing a meal. The only difference was the absence of ignition; a wisp of faint red flame emerged from Lu Jiahe's fingertips, imparting a savory aroma as the cooked meat, due to the Maillard reaction, exuded a subtle scent of char. The spilling grease dripped onto the kitchen's central island.
In that moment, Lu Yan distinctly felt the disparity between humans and pollutants. Despite their physical resemblances, to pollutants, humans were nothing but 'flesh pigs.'
Would people have a psychological burden eating pork? Even if the pigs experienced pain, fear, and before their deaths were ritually drained of the last drop of blood, they were initially raised for consumption.
The human flesh, shaped into small lamb chops, was neatly presented, cut into perfect cubes. The Western-style plate was garnished with carrots and broccoli, medium-rare, drizzled with an unknown crimson sauce. Perhaps when sliced, one could still discern the pink muscle fibers.
Lu Jiahe, with eyes akin to an abyss, fixed her gaze on him. 'Brother, care to taste?'
Lu Yan didn't move his chopsticks, speaking for the first time that day. 'Not hungry.'
Lu Jiahe appeared perplexed. 'Is it the taste?'
Extending his hand, he inserted a bone blade into the flesh, skewering a small piece to taste.
'Isn't it delicious?' Lu Jiahe remarked. 'You're not gaining weight. Do you still need to diet? This is your growing phase; don't be picky.'
As she continued, Lu Jiahe's tone turned noticeably stern, hinting at a simmering anger.
Lu Yan held the chopsticks, silent for a prolonged moment. He contemplated a possibility, yet if his conjecture was wrong, he might face the wrath of a pollutant with a contamination value exceeding 9999.
Judging by the current situation, ten Lu Yans wouldn't match one hand of Lu Jiahe's strength.
However..."
Lu Yan lowered his gaze to the plate of human flesh, slamming the chopsticks onto the table. "What's it to you? Can't you leave me alone? I said I won't eat it, I don't want anything you make. Just seeing it makes me sick!"
Lu Jiahe's expression froze, her shoulders drooped, resembling a scolded puppy.
"How about I order something for you...?"
"No, I don't want to eat," Lu Yan turned away, his tone impatient. "I'm not hungry."
Lu Jiahe sounded crestfallen. "...Alright."
Lu Yan stood up, intending to retreat to his room but was hindered by the chain around his ankle.
The chain had shortened by the dining table, allowing him just a step or two away.
Pointing at the iron links, Lu Yan demanded, "I want to go back to my room. Unlock this."
His emotions were usually muted, and the displayed anger had nearly drained his emotional reserves for the next week.
Lu Jiahe shook her head firmly. "No, if I unlock it, you'll just run away again. It's dangerous outside."
Bro, you seriously lack self-awareness.
Everything outside combined isn't as dangerous as you alone.
In the time it took to have a meal, Lu Yan's mutation value had soared to 492.
He wondered what would happen if it surpassed 100 in the dream. But he vaguely sensed that the outcome wouldn't be pleasant.
"After I deal with those dangers, my sister can go back to school..."
"Lu Jiahe," Lu Yan suddenly interjected, "I'm not your sister."
Logically, he shouldn't have been so impulsive. He initially thought his sister was the master of the dream, but she was already dead. That left Lu Jiahe as the only remaining option, and he genuinely had no other way to wake himself up.
If he procrastinated and his mutation exceeded 100, death was inevitable.
That statement seemed to trigger something like flipping a switch.
Outside the window, the once bright sky darkened with these words.
Lu Jiahe raised her head, eyes narrowing slightly.
In her pitch-black gaze, a hint of crimson flashed.
She stood up, advancing toward Lu Yan. The chain kept coiling upward, finally constricting around his neck.
Lu Yan struggled to breathe, the acrid scent of sulfur invading his nostrils, stinging his eyes.
His heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably, not from fear but from the instinct of prey facing a hunter.
Lu Jiahe's hand rested on the back of Lu Yan's neck, fingering it, peeling off a layer of scales. Blood oozed, staining the back of his collar, a painful sensation akin to pulling a tooth without anesthesia.
"Stop saying things in anger," Lu Jiahe lowered her gaze, using her blood-stained hand to wipe away the tears trickling down Lu Yan's face. "Sister."