Yan Huang looked at the new item in his hand.
Then he looked at the blank computer document.
He couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
He opened the pages of the book and roughly skimmed through the records of the three creatures in the City of Incubation currently documented in Tang Xin’s New Book.
[City of Incubation—Child]
[Strength: 0.8 (Average)]
[Agility: 0.9 (Average)]
[Intelligence: 1.0 (Average)]
[Talent: None]
[Description: Ordinary people of no particular note, yet they possess unbridled souls, even if on the surface they don’t seem all that unbridled?]
…
[City of Incubation—Genius (Hatching)]
[Strength: 1]
[Agility: 0.3]
[Intelligence: 0.3]
[Talent: Devour]
[Description: Unbridled souls are ultimately worn down by reality. The perfect child waits inside the egg for hatching, waiting to absorb nourishment. Peering eyes are constantly, cautiously observing this world at every moment. Perhaps their hearts are still struggling? But there’s no denying it… they look forward to using you as nourishment to usher in a new life.]
…
[City of Incubation—Genius (Complete Form)]
[Strength: 3]
[Agility: 3]
[Intelligence: 0.1]
[Talent: Obedience]
[Description: They have finally become the good children their parents wanted. Aside from their unbridled souls and will, they possess everything the world envies. They are unquestionably geniuses, unquestionably good children. Good children… must obediently listen, you know.]
The Three-Dimensional Attributes were laid out clearly before Yan Huang’s eyes, all at a glance.
Yan Huang stared at the so-called “Genius,” noticing that in the process of evolving from child to complete form, all other values grew higher and higher while intelligence grew lower and lower. He fell into deep thought.
Until… he clearly saw the effects of the two different skills in the two stages of the “Genius.”
[Devour: Turns those in contact into nutrient fluid, devoured as nourishment for breaking out of the shell.]
[Obedience: Obey the parents’ wishes and grow into the outstanding person they expect—a great scientist? Or a world-renowned archaeologist… or perhaps, a hacker capable of building the most perfect network defense systems?]
Yan Huang suddenly understood.
His eyes widened.
It seemed he understood everything now.
From the unbridled soul at the beginning.
To finally obeying parents and becoming an outstanding person.
An outstanding person, or a puppet manipulated at will?
A dramatic, fake life bought at the price of being forced to abandon oneself!
No wonder Xie Fumu had delayed hatching for so long. No wonder everyone hatched at different times.
No wonder every household here appeared harmonious on the surface, yet behind closed doors treated their children like livestock!
The so-called hatching… was not a new birth, but the acceptance of a life predetermined by others!
Then… there should be one more monster.
But now was not the time to deal with that monster.
Because Yan Huang saw the word “hacker” in that [Obedience], which corresponded perfectly with Tang Xin’s inability to send out a distress signal from his own computer.
Why could he send out messages promoting Hatching Town, but not call for help?
Could simply having his computer hacked accomplish that? Even the most elite hacker couldn’t implant a virus with such perfect effects.
The only possibility was that.
When he was looking at the computer.
Behind the computer, there was an eye watching him at the same time.
This computer had been under surveillance all along!
The moment Yan Huang realized this, the computer before him seemed to possess a “human” intelligence—despite being plugged in and charging, the screen went completely black.
And in that instant of blackout.
Electric currents began to appear on the screen, rapidly assembling into a string of characters.
Yan Huang also noticed that the second perspective fed back by the 【Low-Level Omnidirectional Detection】 he had purchased earlier seemed subtly different.
The ultimate darkness.
Even with the Night Vision he had bought, he could only barely make out some outlines.
In the computer, the currents crackled “buzz buzz buzz” as they finally formed two lines of text.
Together with a voice from behind him.
It surfaced chillingly.
“Teacher Yan, curiosity killed the cat.”
“Fertilizer knowing too much… isn’t a good thing.”
Visual and auditory—dual sensory stimulation.
This made Yan Huang spin around quickly, looking at the person who had appeared silently at the doorway.
She stood in the darkness, disheveled long hair scattered behind her, wearing pajamas, holding an eggshell-shaped lantern in her hand. The lamplight illuminated half her face, her gentle smile so kind and amiable.
But the other half of her face, hidden in the shadows, concealed a murderous intent.
Hatching Town had one more monster.
【Parents】.
Yan Huang pushed up his glasses, his gaze fixed on the woman before him.
“You knew the moment I turned on the computer, yet you still waited until I finished reading before coming over. Sister Xie seems quite eager to silence me? Though… it does sound like an interesting prospect.”
Mother Xie smiled amiably: “Teacher Yan overthink things. How could I possibly look forward to something so terrifying? But just as you said… it does sound quite interesting, doesn’t it?”
“After all… someone as clever as Teacher Yan wouldn’t be trapped here forever like that fool. But the cleverer a person is… the more delicious they become—a rare and precious nourishment.”
With that, she licked her lips. The lantern in her hand flickered with an eerie dim light, while her other hand gripped a cleaver… as if preparing to carve up a fine meal.
“At this point, does Teacher Yan have any last words he’d like to say?”
The firelight also danced in Yan Huang’s lenses, lending an air of mystery to his ever-gentlemanly smile.
“Actually, there are two questions I’d like to ask.”
Mother Xie set down her lantern, and barefoot, stepped closer to Yan Huang one step at a time. She reached out and lifted his chin.
Her gaze was infatuated: “Can’t help it—children’s delicious food always gets more say. Whatever you want to ask… Sister Xie will do her best to satisfy you.”
“…”
Yan Huang pondered for a moment.
Then, with deliberate mystique, he asked: “I want to know… have Old Xie and Xie Fumu realized that I already know so much? Why haven’t they come?”
Hearing this, Mother Xie also wore a troubled expression.
“So you’re worried I might hog the meal for myself. Don’t worry… we parents do everything for our children’s sake. You… were originally meant to be my Fumu’s meal, but that silly child Fumu went and ate Tang Xin instead. What a foolish child who can’t be trusted to behave.”
“But it doesn’t matter. Our Hatching Town is united as one—every family’s child is meat… I’ll leave you for the other children. As long as you’re not too fresh, there’s no loss.”
“As for Old Xie? He must have eaten something wrong today—he told me to come handle this alone. No choice… I’ll just have to wrong Teacher Yan by being the only one to kill you.”
“Mm… Teacher Yan has one final question. Would you care to hear it?”
She seemed certain that Yan Huang had no ability to fight back, that he was already in her grasp… quite confident indeed.
Yan Huang naturally wouldn’t disappoint her.
Lowering his head, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
“I’d also like to know…”
“How much weight can a ‘parent’s’ shoulders bear?”
As the words fell, Yan Huang lifted his chin, a flash of silver light appearing in his hand.