That Thing Isn't Mom Anymore

Zhang Youji's eyes widened.

"Big sister, are you going to help me...?"

"Didn't you asked for help?" Lu Jingren suddenly said, walking towards them. His sudden approach made Zhang Youji cower.

"Uh...Big brother.. then you're really going to help me? But...but my Mom is really strong... Everyone who came... was eaten by her." Zhang Youji said guiltily as he looked down.

The others had caught on and wanted to know what was going on.

"Hold on." Mizuki Rei said. "Little kid, explain it to everyone. Boss Ren decided to help so it's only normal for everyone to know what we're getting ourselves involved in."

Mu Qianmo nodded and he crouched down so he was at eye level with Zhang Youji. "Little kid, you said it was your Mom..."

Fu Yangzhu shivered, a little disgusted. "It truly is the apocalypse. Even people had turned into cannibals!"

Mizuki Rei threw him an odd look. Was there a need to call them cannibals when they aren't humans anymore but things that had mutated?

It was also too farfetched to call them zombies since the creatures they encountered were not as simple as the 'living' dead. Those things no longer looked human. Some possess large bodies, multiple limbs or multiple eyes, and a jagged row of teeth similar to that of a shark.

Not only do they look ten times more disgusting than a zombie but they were also much stronger than a zombie!

"It isn't a cannibal since it isn't human anymore." Mizuki Rei said.

Zhang Youji felt ashamed as he heard this.

Lilian Mo wanted to comfort him and had raised her hand, wanting to pat his head but at the last minute, she retracted it and inched away discreetly. She was going to guard her memories, no one else must know. She also didn't want this Zhang Youji to know what kind of atrocities he committed during her past life.

It was better if he started anew.

She also wasn't sure what his reaction would be if he found out that she had killed him in her previous life. That would be too much psychological burden for a child so young.

Unbeknownst to her, Zhang Youji's mental power and capacity had improved since the start of the apocalypse when he had awakened his abilities. Furthermore, he had also been peeping at other people's thoughts and memories so he was not as innocent as Lilian Mo thought.

The three months in the apocalypse after seeing so many horrors through the eyes and memories of other people had turned him into a shy and quiet kid. But this also affected his moral compass and since he was young, he was easily influenced.

"Little kid, do your best to explain it to everyone. We'll listen to you." Lilian Mo urged softly.

Zhang Youji relaxed slightly after hearing her soft voice so he did as told and tried his best to describe the situation to everyone. It might have been easy to show his memories to everyone but he also didn't want everyone to know just how bad he had been during the times his Mom ate those innocent people indiscriminately.

Also, he was aware that people might think he was odd or a freak for being able to read other people's thoughts.

Zhang Youji was still old enough to know that what he had done was wrong especially when he saw the countless times his Mom had swallowed a human without hesitation. It was so scary and disgusting. He feared that if he didn't bring anymore humans, his Mom would eat him next.

At first, she would only shout at him or smack his arms but the more time passed by, the more his Mom changed and he doesn't even want to admit it but it seemed as though his Mom was no longer there. The only thing that had been residing in his home was a cannibalistic monster who was greedy for flesh and bones.

Zhang Youji didn't want to be the next dish on the menu. He cried about it every night and he barely slept because of the nightmares in his dreams.

The screams of help, the muffled cries, and the sobs of those people that he lured made him shake and tremble. It didn't help that he had touched some of them and had seen a part of their memories and thoughts.

Some people were nice and some were greedy. He was glad to meet evil people because atleast he didn't need to worry about being guilty but it was particularly hard when he met a lot of good people that were actually willing to help him even when he hadn't bribe them with the crystal core.

For so many days, he wished this would end. He didn't want to do this kind of thing anymore. It was so cruel to lead people to their doom. He didn't want to trick and lie to anyone. It was so exhausting that he sometimes wished that his Mom would just eat him because he really did not want to let people die.

He had entertained running but what would that do? Wouldn't his Mom know? Her sense of smell was so strong that when he had strayed too far one day, she had come after him and brought him back to their home. What awaited him were the shrieks and screams of the monster that resembled his mother.

Zhang Youji wasn't stupid. The Mom that he adored and loved seemed to have long gone.

The woman that had raised him was a kind person that took care of him and made him milk every night. She cooked all of his meals and took him to school every school day. She was always there and she always supported him in the things he wanted to do.

His Mom never raised her voice against him and Zhang Youji had always thought that his Mom's voice was the most beautiful and that her touch was the warmest and comfortable of all. However, the Mom in his home was always so loud and threatening. Her skin was hard and rough. It was so different from his Mom's soft touch that he almost thought he was being caressed by an old man.

'But that thing isn't Mom anymore. My Mom wouldn't hurt people. My Mom isn't that cruel. She'd never tell me to hurt others... My Mom is kind...' Zhang Youji thought as he sobbed.

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