Chapter 770 - 666: ...Came Back

Chapter 770: Chapter 666: ...Came Back

The lock cylinder made a faint "click" as it turned in the keyhole, and before the door was even pushed open, Feng Mu could already picture the scene outside—a silhouette of a person standing at the door with their fingers resting on the handle.

The image constructed from "hearing" was purely black and white, lacking color, and it looked... somewhat like a figure walking out of an aged black-and-white memorial photo, mechanically turning the door lock from outside.

It seemed slightly eerie, and Feng Mu felt a bit unsettled for a moment.

Until—

The door made a faint creaking sound as it opened inward.

Then, the black-and-white memorial photo seemed to have instantly been splashed with vibrant and rich colors. Light and shadow became soft and natural, skin gained a healthy hue, and clothes restored to their original colors. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

It was as if someone had walked out of the black-and-white photo and suddenly been injected with life, arriving vividly in front of him.

It was his mother, Wang Xiuli, who had returned.

Almost instinctively, Feng Mu glanced at the old clock on the wall, with the hour and minute hands precisely pointing to a moment—the time when "daylight" brightened the sky.

In an instant, the steel city of Upper City turned on its lights, spreading colorful "brightness" over Lower City, casting through the thin curtains into the room.

The light projected countless tiny dust particles dancing in the air, illuminating the once dark living room with a dim and hazy atmosphere.

Wang Xiuli raised her head, seemingly not expecting her son to be home at this hour. A look of surprise briefly crossed her tired face, and then her lips naturally curved upward into a warm smile:

"Oh, son? Why are you home? Did you come back last night?"

Almost simultaneously, Feng Mu also smiled, and with concern in his voice, asked worriedly:

"Mom, why weren’t you home last night? Did you go somewhere? I came back and didn’t see you, I was a bit worried."

The mother and son almost asked at the same time, and their words were surprisingly similar, genuinely expressing their care for one another.

Both paused for a moment, then looked at each other, displaying identical, similar smiles.

Although Feng Mu’s features resembled his father’s, some of his expressions were inherited from his mother, especially when he wore glasses.

This scene added a touch of warmth to the slightly cold house.

Unlike his fake concern for his father, Feng Ju, Feng Mu’s care for his mother, Wang Xiuli, was genuine and heartfelt.

After all, in this twisted family, from childhood to adulthood, the only person who always treated him sincerely, never changed because of anything, and remained the same from start to finish, was indeed his mother.

Feng Mu habitually adjusted his glasses frame, and replied in a low voice:

"There was a major incident in Zone 9 last night, with severe consequences, and the Patrol Office..."

He briefly explained and then let out a heavy sigh:

"I came over to find my father, but he wasn’t home. Mom, do you know where he went?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuli’s smile faded a bit, and she shook her head, worry furrowing her brows:

"I don’t know exactly where your father went. The last time our family had dinner together, he received a phone call in the middle of it and left hastily with a troubled look on his face, and afterward... he hardly came home."

She paused, lowered her voice with some uncertainty,

"I called him, and he always tells me he’s working on an important case that requires top confidentiality, and he can’t reveal his whereabouts. I don’t understand the rules of the Patrol Office, I’m scared to interfere with his work, so I don’t dare ask much..."

Feng Ju’s true fear of coming home was something Feng Mu understood all too well—it was fear of the monsters disguised as humans living in the house.

Of course, these monsters could only mean him and Yuhuai, definitely not Wang Xiuli.

"It’s certainly convenient for Feng Ju to come up with such a useful excuse, haha—"

Feng Mu sneered inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.

But this was for the best, saving him from having to fabricate lies to deceive his mother, allowing him to continue using his father’s "secret mission" excuse to brush things off in the future.

Feng Mu nodded, showing an understanding expression on his face, and reassured her:

"Hmm, perhaps Dad really is on some special mission, Mom, don’t worry too much, he’s experienced, he’ll be fine."

He skillfully steered the conversation back to the initial question:

"Oh, Mom, you still haven’t told me where you went last night. When I came back, no one was home, I thought something happened to you."

Wang Xiuli bent down to remove a pair of ordinary and somewhat worn low-heeled shoes.

With Feng Mu’s eyes at that moment, there was no need for deliberate observation, the subtle scenes of both the house and the floors above and below were reflected almost simultaneously in his "mind’s eye."

He could clearly "see" that the edges and soles of his mother’s shoes were stained with a bit of soil; the earth was slightly wet and sticky, adhering to a few small withered leaves.

Feng Mu did not suspect anything.

The road engineering in Zone 9 was notoriously subpar, especially around their kind of "old small dilapidated" community, where many non-main roads were still bumpy dirt roads, so going out with mud and dried leaves stuck to you was perfectly normal.

Wang Xiuli put on a pair of old slippers at the entrance, making a soft "pat pat" sound as she stepped on the cold floor.

She didn’t answer immediately but walked over to the table first, poured herself a cup of cool boiled water, took a couple of sips, and then exhaled softly, answering in a gentle voice:

"Last night... Mom had a nightmare."