In the dead of night, with a child nestled upon her abdomen, Eric was nearly driven to the brink of terror. She clenched her teeth fiercely to suppress a scream, her heart taut with agony.
The child, appearing no older than two or three, rested atop her belly, tilting its head as it gazed upon her. Eric dared not utter a sound; instead, she met the child's stare silently.
The child maintained its head tilt, eyes wide and unblinking. In another setting, such a gesture might be endearingly charming, yet here, it was profoundly unsettling. Swallowing nervously and holding perfectly still, Eric endured this eerie standoff for a prolonged moment before the child finally moved. Grasping Eric's belly, it plunged its head downward—
Before Eric's horrified eyes, it vanished into her abdomen.
Startled, Eric sprang upright!
Dawn had already broken!
Beside her, Christine emitted a piercing scream; turning, Eric saw Christine tumbling from the bed.
"Are you alright?" Eric hurried to assist, noting Christine's hand was slick with cold sweat, and her pallid lips revealed a ghastly complexion.
Helping Christine back onto the bed, Eric found her pacing like a startled fawn, clutching Eric's hand tightly in a reversed grip. "I… I had two strange children staring at me all night, then they crawled into my belly!" Her gaze fixed upon her abdomen as though it harbored demons, although it appeared as flat as ever—still she knew it concealed two monsters.
At the moment Christine fell, Nicole and Samantha, sharing the bed, awoke as well, their complexions equally grim.
As they conversed, Eric discerned that all had suffered similar experiences—save Christine, who uniquely harbored two children within.
"Let's check with the others next door," Samantha suggested.
Eric lifted her shirt to feel her belly—it showed no discernible change.
The four women stepped outside and encountered Jason and his companions.
"Did you experience the same?"
Jason's group had endured similar phenomena. Upon hearing Christine's account of two children, he expressed surprise: "We all prayed and drank the Infant-Blessing Soup together. Why is it different for you?"
Christine grew more flustered. "I… I don't know!"
"Don't worry yet. Let's first check on Ronald. Why has he not stirred?" Samantha proposed.
Sensing unease, Eric followed Samantha, Jason, and the others toward Ronald's room.
The door was closed; repeated knocks went unanswered.
"The window's locked too. Should we break the door down?" Eric asked.
"I'll do it." Kevin ordered others to step back, then lifted his leg and kicked the door with force.
*Bang!*
The door flew open, and Kevin was the first to enter, hastening to the bedside. Upon witnessing the scene, he gasped sharply.
"What's wrong?"
Other players filtered inside.
"Good heavens…"
Eric squeezed through a narrow gap and glimpsed a swollen abdomen—then moved upward to find Ronald's face!
In a single night, Ronald's belly appeared swollen as if full term with child!
How could this be?
Ronald's eyelids fluttered; with great effort, he opened his eyes, lips unable to form words. Jason leaned close to hear him speak.
Soon he rose and told the others, "He says he's too weak from hunger and wants to eat."
"Hungry? I thought he was dying! What is happening? It looks like his belly houses eight or ten children," Timothy muttered while peering at Ronald.
Jason's face darkened. "What did you say?"
Timothy blinked. "What?"
Samantha inhaled sharply. "Right—I thought he was far along in pregnancy… maybe the number of children inside is the cause!" She glanced at Ronald's belly with fearful eyes, stepping backward two paces.
"I just remembered something," Eric swallowed and shifted her gaze from Ronald's belly to Christine's.
Christine, already distressed, snapped, "What are you looking at?"
"Do you recall what you did after drinking the Infant-Blessing Soup last night?"
Christine's face clouded in confusion.
Samantha's eyes brightened with sudden understanding.
"You vomited," Eric surmised. "After drinking, the nausea caused you to throw up part of the soup. So, while we each harbor one child, you carry two; Ronald didn't even drink the soup, so he—"
"Hence, we cannot know how many children he truly carries. The soup's name suggests it delivers infants to the players, but judging by this, it may only provide a limited number. Without consuming enough, errors occur," Kevin interjected.
As he spoke, his gaze met Eric's. She found it peculiar—did he recognize her?
In response, he nodded subtly, prompting Eric to nod back in acknowledgment.
Suddenly, she recalled his name.
What was it again… Ah, Kevin!
Since entering the game, Eric faced two dungeons daily, encountering numerous players in each. Only those who made a lasting impression were remembered; others passed like fleeting shadows, forgotten once the dungeon ended.
Kevin felt vaguely familiar.
Rummaging through her memories, Eric finally recalled the Dinosaur Park dungeon.
Indeed, Kevin was the unfortunate undercover player trapped within for three years!
Eric turned swiftly to him, observing him bent over examining Ronald's condition.
At the time, her body was mutated, and Kevin's hair hung long and disheveled with a scruffy beard. She had no clear recollection of his appearance, nor would he likely recognize her, as she had still been labeled "Novice."
How had Kevin recognized her? Eric wondered in curiosity.
Beside her, Christine was nearly petrified—the anomaly of one player differing from the rest in a paranormal dungeon was exceedingly perilous. Even though Christine carried merely two, her anxiety was palpable.
"Let us seek out the village chief; he surely understands the cause."
"But didn't Ronald reach an agreement with the chief to perform the ritual at the ancestral hall anew tonight? Given Ronald's current condition, the chief owes us an explanation."
A rumbling from Ronald's abdomen interrupted their discourse. Eric turned to behold him emitting the unsettling sound.
"It seems the multitude of children has drained him of vital nutrients," Eric murmured, gently caressing her own belly. Although she possessed a supply of provisions, last night had offered no opportunity to surreptitiously eat, leaving her hungry—but hardly as famished as Ronald, whose stomach grumbled incessantly.
"Someone approaches," Kevin's ears twitched.
They all stepped outside, except Ronald. Sure enough, the woman who had delivered their meals the previous day arrived again. This time, she bore two sizable buckets balanced upon a carrying pole. Silently setting down her burden, she exited without a word.
"Wow! What a lavish spread today!" Nicole exclaimed upon lifting the lids.
Eric leaned in to inspect. Whereas the previous evening's supper had been thin congee and pickled vegetables—leading her to anticipate similar fare—the morning meal profoundly surprised her: a generous bucket of rich Eight Treasure Congee alongside a basket of freshly steamed, fluffy white buns.
Compared to the sparse dinner, today's breakfast was unexpectedly sumptuous.
Quick as a flash, Nicole seized a bun and bit greedily.
"The flavor is exquisite—sweet and fragrant," she sang praises while devouring the fist-sized bun in mere mouthfuls.
Nicole's relish unfailingly made the other players' mouths water, especially since the scant congee from last night had long since digested, leaving them ravenous.
"Come, let us all eat; save a portion for Ronald—I shall bring it to him," Jason urged.
"There's plenty this morning—better bring him extra. He looks on the verge of collapse from hunger," Timothy added casually.
The bowls delivered today were large. Eric filled one to the brim with congee—her usual portion.
"Aren't you eating a bun?" Nicole inquired. "They're truly delicious! Such large buns in the transfer station's eateries are hardly inexpensive!"
Watching Nicole alternate between left and right hands, biting into each bun eagerly, Eric cautioned, "Don't choke. I prefer congee."
Having consumed many steamed buns and dumplings—well stocked in the supermarket's freezer section—she found preparing congee far more tedious and had not savored it for some time.
A sip of sweet Eight Treasure Congee brought warmth to her limbs; she exhaled contentedly.
Delighted by its taste, Eric accelerated her pace, and before she knew it, the bowl lay empty. Others still ate nearby, prompting her envy. Sensing her stomach's capacity still held promise, she rose to ladle another generous bowl.
This, too, vanished swiftly. Lifting her gaze, her eyes fixed intently upon the congee bucket.
She longed for yet another helping—perhaps even two more bowls...
Rising, she reached for the large ladle hanging from the bucket's rim.
But upon touching the cool stainless steel, she abruptly halted, seized by an uneasy chill.
Something was amiss.
Though her appetite might have doubled—carrying an additional "child"—how could she justify another bowl? Her digestive system was unprepared for such indulgence!
Awakening to this realization, Eric acknowledged the disquiet.
Everything was wrong—entirely wrong.
Why provide such copious, nutrient-rich fare today when last night's meal had been meager and poor in quality?
For whom, then, was this lavish breakfast truly intended?
While the players hungrily devoured their food, the jubilant sounds of chewing resonated ominously in Eric's ears like a death knell.
Cold sweat beaded upon her brow as a hand reached for the ladle. Instinctively, she swatted it away!
*Smack!*
Kevin regarded her with surprise. "What is it?"
"Stop eating!" Eric shouted, simultaneously intercepting Samantha's hand closest to her. "Something's amiss! This surpasses our normal appetites—don't overindulge!"
The players glanced at her quizzically. Some resumed eating, while only Jason hesitated, his expression thoughtful before setting down his bowl.
The greedy glint in Kevin's eyes dimmed somewhat. Though hunger lingered, reason prevailed.
"I've already consumed two bowls of congee and four buns—I'm more than full under normal circumstances." He pondered aloud. "Yet I still feel hungry. Is this the children inside disturbing me?"
"Likely so! Wake the others immediately!" Eric, seeing Samantha still gnawing on her bun, snatched it and flung it aside.