4: Chapter 4: The Whole Family Are Movie Stars; Nightmare Flees with a Train in the Night
The hallway was deathly silent.
Su Jianguo hugged the wall, his toes barely touching the ground; his movements resembled a clumsy penguin, yet he landed without a sound.
"Steady on, Old Su. You are no longer the legendary Monster Hunter that makes demons tremble in fear; you are just a middle-aged corporate slave who woke up thirsty in the middle of the night and has a bit of a frequent urination problem."
He recited the script in his mind, pausing for three seconds with every step he took, terrified of stirring up even a whisper of wind.
He was getting close.
Three more steps.
Su Jianguo's gaze was like a torch, locked firmly onto the doorknob of Su Yao's room.
All he had to do was turn it, enter, pinch that reckless little bug to death, and then quietly slip back out.
No one would know, not even the ghosts.
Perfect.
His hand had just reached mid-air when—
"Click."
The door opposite him opened.
Su Jianguo's hand, which had been poised to turn the doorknob, froze in mid-air as if struck by a paralysis spell.
The next second, that same hand made an incredibly smooth, sharp turn in the air and landed on top of his head, scratching vigorously.
"Ouch, this shampoo is no good; my scalp is a bit itchy."
He turned around slowly, his face instantly contorting into a dazed, just-woken-up expression.
Su Qing was hugging a one-eyed teddy bear, wearing pink silk pajamas with her hair a mess, rubbing her eyes.
If one ignored the twisting shadow beneath her feet that seemed to be searching for prey, she was indeed just an ordinary middle school student.
Of course, Su Jianguo was so incredibly embarrassed at that moment that he hadn't noticed his daughter's feet at all.
"Dad?"
Su Qing tilted her head, her voice soft and sweet. "It's the middle of the night; are you practicing Tai Chi in front of Sister's door?"
"Ahem!"
Su Jianguo raised the thermos in his hand high. "What are you talking about? Dad is just... looking for water to drink. Yes, looking for water. My throat is so dry it's smoking."
Su Qing expressionlessly reached out and pointed downstairs.
"The kitchen is on the first floor, and the water dispenser is on the first floor too."
"This is the second floor."
"Slap!"
Su Jianguo smacked his forehead, a crisp and loud sound.
"Look at my brain! I must be half-asleep; I thought I was still in that bungalow back home."
He put on his stern father persona and waved his hand.
"Alright, hurry back to bed; don't you have school tomorrow?"
"I don't want to."
Su Qing hugged the teddy bear tighter to her chest, not moving an inch.
"I had a nightmare."
"I dreamed I got a 63 on my math test, and you said you were going to break my legs."
She sniffled, as if she had truly suffered a great grievance.
"It was so scary; I need to find Sister and sleep with her to recover."
With that, she tried to squeeze into Su Yao's room.
"That won't do!"
Su Jianguo slid into position, his massive frame acting like a load-bearing wall, blocking the doorway completely.
"Dad, move aside, I'm really scared."
"Scared my foot! Your sister worked all day and is exhausted; she just fell asleep, so why are you going in there to bother her?"
Su Jianguo was burning with anxiety inside.
My daughter, there's a B-Level Weird Tale in there!
It eats people without spitting out the bones!
You're just a middle school student; aren't you just serving yourself up as a snack?
"I won't bother her, I'll just lie on the side."
Su Qing started acting stubborn, while the shadow beneath her feet was frantically probing, attempting to slip between her father's legs to pry the door open.
That is my prey!
It is a stepping stone on my path to becoming strong!
For Sister's safety, even if the Heavenly King himself came today, I must get in!
But why is this old guy so stubborn?
"Dad, just let me in; I'll just take one look, just one look is fine."
"No means no."
Su Jianguo planted his feet in a horse stance, unmoving as a mountain, secretly releasing a trace of the intimidating aura that belonged to a "legendary Monster Hunter."
"If you're scared, how about Dad keeps you company in the living room and we watch Tom and Jerry?"
"No, that would make me even more scared; I want Sister!"
Su Qing refused to back down, her shadow writhing like a restless nest of snakes, preparing to trip her father and drag him away by force.
"Behave!"
In the narrow hallway, the father and daughter stared each other down.
There were no sparks in the air, but the floor began to tremble faintly, and the lightbulb overhead emitted a sizzling electrical sound.
In the room just a wall away, Su Yun buried his head under the covers, his stomach aching from holding back laughter.
These two drama queens.
To protect the other, they were really giving it their all.
Just at the critical moment when the father and daughter were deadlocked and prepared to escalate from verbal communication to physical persuasion, a voice drifted over.
It was gentle and warm, yet it made both of them break out in goosebumps instantly.
"Oh."
"What are you two doing?"
"Not sleeping in the middle of the night, are you two standing guard for Yao Yao here?"
The low pressure in the hallway vanished instantly.
The spiritual energy that the two had unconsciously raised also dissipated.
Su Jianguo and Su Qing turned their heads at the same time, their movements perfectly synchronized.
The expressions on their faces seamlessly switched from hostility to fatherly love and filial piety within a second.
Lin Wanqing was draped in a knitted shawl, holding a steaming cup of milk, standing at the top of the stairs with a smiling face.
"Ah... Lin Wanqing? Why are you up too?"
Su Jianguo quickly straightened his back, wearing a silly grin.
"Little Qing had a nightmare and was scared, you know how this kid is..."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Su Qing immediately chimed in, pointing at Su Jianguo with an innocent tone.
"Mom, Dad is sleepwalking! He insisted on breaking into Sister's room, so I heroically stopped him!"
Su Jianguo whipped his head around, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
This little daughter wasn't just a leaky cotton jacket; she was made of black-hearted cotton!
I just saved your life and even spoke up for you, and you turn around and frame your own father?
If this got out, what would people think?
Lin Wanqing paid no mind to these two clowns and walked over slowly with the milk.
With every step she took, the heart-stopping sense of oppression radiating from her grew stronger.
Her gaze was slightly cold.
In her perception, that filthy nightmare was feeding on her daughter's life force.
As a Saintess, purifying such things was instinct.
As a mother, this was touching her reverse scale.
But with these two troublemakers blocking her way, she couldn't act directly.
Once the Holy Light spilled out, her ordinary husband and younger daughter would surely be terrified, or even rendered simple-minded by the aftershocks.
"Little Qing."
"Huh?"
"Go back to sleep."
"Mom, I was just..."
"Do I need to say it a second time?"
The smile on Lin Wanqing's lips faded slightly.
"No need!"
Su Qing's scalp tingled.
"Going to sleep now! Sleeping immediately! Goodnight Mom! Goodnight Dad!"
With a "whoosh," Su Qing slipped back into her room like a loach.
From behind the door came her panting of relief.
"Phew..."
"That scared me to death."
"Mom's aura is more terrifying than the dean of students."
One down.
Lin Wanqing turned her head and looked at the wall of flesh in front of her.
"Why haven't you moved aside yet?"
Su Jianguo felt bitter inside.
The old woman was just being doting!
Why deliver milk in the middle of the night?
What if she went in and bumped into that monster?
You're just a fragile housewife; even if you're a bit fierce usually, you'd be serving yourself up as a snack to a Strange Tales!
No.
As the head of the household, protecting my wife and daughter is my bottom line!
Su Jianguo hardened his heart, blocking the door firmly, his tone tragic.
"Old woman, for... for the harmony of this family, I must be the one to deliver this milk!"
"Deliver your ass."
"You're the one delivering your ass!"
"Did you just use bad language?"
"I..."
Su Jianguo was momentarily at a loss for words, but his feet remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.
The two were locked in a stalemate again.
Su Yun covered his forehead in his room.
Outside the door, two great masters were engaged in an extreme tug-of-war over the right to deliver milk.
And inside the room.
The pitch-black nightmare crouching on Su Yao's back was currently shivering, even wanting to cry.
It was going crazy.
What the hell kind of place is this?!
Is this a human household?
Are those three outside really humans?
The Nightmare carefully retracted its tentacles.
"It's too hot!"
"That light—is that something you can just let leak out casually?!"
"I felt like I was going to be roasted and melted before I even got in!"
"This isn't delivering milk; this is clearly sending me off to be reincarnated!"
"Run!"
"Must run!"
"If I don't run, I'll end up as a family bucket!"
Taking advantage of the couple outside still bickering, the window of Su Yao's room slid open silently, leaving a gap.
The Nightmare made a prompt decision and tore itself off Su Yao's back.
"Goodbye, host; although you are delicious, my life is more important."
It transformed into a mass of pitch-black fluid, scrambling away along the base of the wall.
It panicked and fled blindly.
It just wanted to find a dark, low-level place without any terrifying aura to hide.
It sensed it!
That direction!
Next door!
That room next door didn't have any terrifying aura!
There wasn't even a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation!
The Nightmare was overjoyed.
It's an ordinary person!
A weakling!
Heaven has eyes; this trip won't be a total loss where I lose everything!
It crawled along a water pipe on the outer wall, squirming like a puddle of snot, and quickly squeezed into the gap of the half-open window in Su Yun's room.
It landed.
It took shape.
The Nightmare re-condensed into its hideous form, dozens of eyes greedily scanning the room.
The youth on the bed was lying on his side, back to the window, breathing evenly, seemingly fast asleep.
Completely defenseless.
Weak and pathetic.
"Hehehe..."
The Nightmare let out a sinister, low laugh.
"Although I didn't get to eat the big one, eating a small one to make up for it isn't bad either."
"You're their child too, aren't you!"
"I was scared to death just now, so I'll just take it out on you."