Deep in the Living
Chapter 386 - 374 Visitor

Chapter 386: Chapter 374 Visitor

In the Corner Depths, ████.

On the gray steps filled with cracks and rubble, stepping on a pair of rounded purple shoes, above them are black suspenders and a white shirt.

The person’s arm is always extended forward, holding a beautifully packaged gift box.

The sound of his footsteps is kept low to avoid disturbing the other residents here.

Searching for the door number, he finds the corresponding resident’s door,

He seems not to have been here for a long time, a bit nervous.

Take a deep breath,

Thumb flicking the suspenders,

After a round of shoulder joint activity,

Keeping his hands holding the gift unchanged, he takes off his shoes, using his right thumb to gently tap on the door panel.

Knock, knock, knock!

Soon, accompanied by the sound of door hinges creaking, the door opens.

Standing inside the house is not some vicious presence,

nor is it a terrifying Spiritual Body floating in the air,

but a little boy with widely opened eyes and a harelip.

"Uncle Joke! Dad, it’s Uncle Joke, and he’s brought us a gift!"

Following the little boy’s excited shout,

A voice from inside the house comes from the father: "Let him in, it’s just mealtime, we don’t mind an extra pair of chopsticks."

"Uncle Joke, hurry up and come in, remember to change your shoes."

The harelip little boy places a pair of suitable-sized plastic slippers on the ground, asking softly with curious eyes:

"Uncle Joke, what gift did you bring?"

He doesn’t respond, just pats the child’s head, and at the end of the patting, a red balloon also appears.

"Balloon! Balloon! I love balloons the most, Uncle Joke, let’s go eat."

The boy, holding the balloon in one hand and the painted white hand in the other, walks into the house and reaches the dining room.

There’s already two people seated around the long table with a checkered tablecloth,

One is an elderly woman, thin as a twig with gray hair.

Her pupils have completely turned white, seeming not to see things, apparently sensing the visitor’s presence as she waves her arm mechanically.

The other is a woman in a long dress whose former beauty has been taken by time, leaving behind ravines of wrinkles and accumulated flab from long inactivity.

Her gaze only fixates on the dishes on the table, not even glancing at the guest.

It seems there is still someone busy in the kitchen.

Before seeing the owner of the house, "Uncle Joke" dares not easily sit down, always maintaining the posture of holding the gift.

Once the sound of the exhaust fan stops,

A middle-aged man with a mustache wrapped in an apron emerges from the inside, holding freshly heated dishes in hand.

"Joke, sit down. As for the gift, just place it to the side."

Joke sits next to the little boy, skillfully picks up chopsticks, clamps juicy meat among the rice, and devours it large mouthfuls.

Seeing Joke eat the rice clean, the middle-aged man sitting opposite also shows a satisfied smile.

"Speak up, what’s the matter? I don’t want to take on anything too troublesome, it’s rare I’ve gotten a break."

Joke says nothing, instead slides his hand across the table, and when he lifts his palm again, a photograph appears.

A black-and-white photograph.

Clearly showing three people inside the train station.

When the middle-aged man sees one of the people, his expression immediately turns strange.

Almost at the same time, his family, including that harelip boy, also maintain the same strange expression, perfectly in sync.

"Oh? Where did you find this, Joke?"

Uncle Joke still says nothing, instead flips the photo with his fingers, revealing three words on the back, Surface Layer.

"A new person?

If you didn’t succeed, then next time when they enter the Corner, they will head to the human base and receive layers of protection.

Although I’m interested in one of them, this is a bit too troublesome.

Moreover, clearly just two newbies, and this woman hasn’t gotten much stronger, how come you didn’t succeed, Joke?

Your Fear isn’t inferior to mine, right?"

Sitting opposite, Joke always keeps smiling, never responding a word.

"Sorry, the risk exceeds my tolerance, keep the gift..."

Before he finishes speaking,

The gift box originally placed aside somehow appears on the dining table, right between the two, blocking their body and face.

Only by shifting the gift aside or unwrapping it can they see each other again.

The middle-aged man ultimately chooses to unwrap the gift,

Inside are several pieces of special frozen meat.

"Joke, it’s the first time seeing you so generous, this meat is hard to come by. Are you really in such a hurry?

Since these people have come to the Corner, they surely will operate here for a long time in the future, isn’t it better to wait until they are not under close focus and alone to strike?"

Looking at the smiling and silent Joke sitting opposite, the man ultimately chooses to compromise, signaling his wife to store the frozen meat in the refrigerator with a glance.

"Fine, I’ll help you!

However, let’s be clear, once troublesome characters are sent from the human side, I will retreat.

And my target is only the person in the photo, I won’t work too deeply with you."

Upon hearing such a reply, Joke nods satisfactorily, gets up to leave, dons his shoes again, and steps out the door.

Nonetheless, he doesn’t leave directly, but waits at the door.

After about two minutes, the door opens again.

The middle-aged man has already changed into a windbreaker that covers his whole body, wearing leather gloves and stepping out.

His entire stature, physique seems bigger than when dining earlier.

"Let’s go."

As the two leave, the view shifts back inside the house.

The dining table is neatly cleaned up,

The red balloon floats alone in the dining area,

The whole house is devoid of silhouettes.

...

[Crossroad]

The handcuffs are unlocked,

Screech!

The Crow Colt immediately stands on Luo Di’s shoulder, observing the surroundings.

The three find themselves at a Crossroad this time, completely different from last time,

Neither a train station nor four-sided symmetry.

Appears like an eighties residential neighborhood, tall buildings just seven stories high, various old shops are opening for business.

No longer a sunset, but night.

The yellow street lamps provide weak illumination,

Four distinct streets extend towards depths, swallowed by darkness beyond a hundred meters.

Unlike the "no one" at the train station,

Pedestrians are walking to and fro on the streets, although their number is relatively few, they do exist, completely different from before.

However, whether men or women, these pedestrians have long hair, enough to cover their entire faces.

Luo Di asks: "These are ’people’ formed by Fear Entities, right?"

Youzhen nods, "That’s correct, streets with ’pedestrians’ like this exist a lot in the Corner.

Since these people exist, they have their roles. Maybe in their hands lies clues to deeper layers.

This time we arrived in a rather conventional street area, it looks large, but in fact, the four streets are interconnected, searching might be simpler than the train station.

Avoid splitting up, even if there’s no danger, we must stay together.

Anyone who finds balloons, suspicious red substances must say it immediately."

As they are standing at the Crossroad conducting observation and discussion,

A beam of light shines,

A bus drives out of the darkness, heading straight for the three to crush...