"Creak!"
Consciousness returned. The world spun violently. If Andrew hadn't grabbed hold of the street vendor's cart, he would have fallen to the ground.
This simulation had lasted too long.
Eighteen and a half hours—yet in the real world, only an instant had passed.
"You alright, kid?"
"This is real grilled gluten, I never use expired ingredients or seasonings. Don't go blaming me, alright?"
The vendor looked at him warily. This was just a small business. If Andrew tried to accuse him of something and demanded compensation, even giving away the whole cart wouldn't cover it.
But then the vendor paused.
Wait a minute, Andrew hadn't even eaten the grilled gluten yet. If he fainted, it couldn't have anything to do with the food!
"I'm fine. Just a bit of low blood sugar. How much is it?"
Andrew had no interest in the vendor's mental gymnastics. He just needed a place to sit down and sort through everything.
"Huh? Oh, no need! It's free! Consider it a gift from an old man!"
The vendor was stunned that Andrew wasn't trying to scam him, and quickly decided to give away two skewers to smooth things over. After all, the cost was less than one yuan.
"Thanks."
Andrew took the skewers without saying more and quickly returned to Beef Noodles store to meet up with his sister.
She had ordered two bowls of knife-cut noodles, and they hadn't been served yet.
Andrew took this opportunity to begin organizing his thoughts.
First, that Two Meter Tall Woman was definitely related to their mother, though the exact connection was unclear.
Second, the three people wearing the rabbit, piglet, and puppy headgear were "Dad's friends."
Dad worked on the 18th floor of the Dream Times Building, but what exactly he did remained a mystery. It didn't seem like a normal company.
Then there was the wedding convoy in the neighborhood, it was very likely just a cover. The wedding itself was probably fake.
Electricity had been restored to the neighborhood at 6:30 p.m., meaning the outage lasted two and a half hours.
Lastly, the receipts and IOUs with different names in Mom's jewelry box seemed very important. That was a key clue.
Those were the main points. If Andrew wanted to uncover the truth behind everything, there were two main directions he could pursue.
One path was to investigate those receipts and IOUs to find out who those people were and what had happened. But that would likely require police involvement.
Yet, according to the rules, in this city, aside from his sister, there was no one worth trusting.
If things became truly dangerous, the safest option was to leave this city.
The other path was to understand Dad's job. That could help determine the nature of the people in the animal headgear and why they needed a wedding convoy to cover their tracks.
The challenge with this path was that Dad might not easily reveal his real work.
So, what should he do?
Andrew frowned. Neither path would be easy.
"Bro, if you don't eat now, the noodles will get cold."
His sister's voice snapped him out of it.
"Oh, right. Let's eat."
Pulled back from his thoughts, Andrew replied absently.
"What were you thinking about?"
His sister asked as she watched him eat and talk distractedly.
"Oh, I was thinking, since there's a blackout, maybe we should go play at Dream Times Square later."
Andrew still felt like the best breakthrough would come from the Dad angle.
It was too dangerous to go home now.
And the strategy used in the simulator—constantly calling Mom and making her angry—felt too reckless. Now wasn't the right time for that.
"Dream Times Square?"
"Isn't that where Dad works? Are we going to see Dad?"
Her eyes lit up.
Compared to their mom, she didn't seem to fear their father as much.
This could mean either Dad wasn't as dangerous as Andrew thought… or that he was simply better at hiding it.
"Do you know what Dad does for work?"
Andrew asked casually.
"No idea. But he goes on business trips a lot."
She shook her head.
Business trips?
That meant he disappeared for stretches of time.
So, what exactly was he doing during those times?
Andrew was so deep in thought, he couldn't even tell what the noodles tasted like.
After eating, the two of them took a taxi to Dream Times Square.
In the cab, Andrew pretended to take a nap but quietly activated the Simulator.
{Simulation Start!!!}
{You and your sister arrive at Dream Times Square. You go window shopping at a two-yuan store and a discount clothing shop, and before long, you've changed into a different outfit.}
{Tired from walking, you send your sister to sit at KFC while you quietly sneak into the 18th floor of the Dream Times Building to locate your dad's company.}
{You return to KFC and tell your sister you saw Dad.}
{Your sister joins you to go see him.}
{You both enter his company directly. Your father looks surprised to see you and your sister appear so suddenly. He asks how you found him.}
{Your sister explains: there was a blackout at home, Mom left, and her brother took her out for noodles. Then, while looking for a restroom at Dream Times Square, he ran into Dad, so they came over.}
{Dad calls Mom. She hangs up. He says she's already back home. He hails a cab to send you two back, saying he has to keep working.}
{You say the house still has no power, and you want to stay with him until he finishes work.}
{Dad thinks for a moment, calls Mom again, she hangs up again. He agrees to let you stay, but only in the conference room. You must not wander.}
{You both promise to behave. Dad nods and closes the door, returning to his work.}
{The conference room is well soundproofed—completely silent inside, like you're cut off from the world.}
{From time to time, you peek through the glass at the staff. You spot someone who looks just like the groom from the fake wedding.}
{You keep watching. You spot three more people whose builds match those who wore the rabbit, piglet, and puppy masks. But now, they all have work badges.}
{You can't read the names on the badges from this distance.}
{You keep observing and notice your father seems to work at a recruitment company. Young men and women keep coming in for interviews, and your father appears to be one of the interviewers.}
{At 6:30, the company gets off work. Your dad takes you and your sister home.}
{The employees all say you and your sister were well-behaved and didn't cause any trouble.}
{One of the men who resembles the piglet-mask guy even jokes that your sister is growing prettier and could get married in a few years.}
{Your father laughs and replies, "Yes, yes, you're right!"}
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。