Since there were many injured, medical resources were tight. Tang Xiao didn’t stay long in the hospital before being discharged, and Tang Chen was also granted some time off.
The entire Tang family reunited for the first time in a long while. Upon hearing the news, Father Tang and Mother Tang quickly put aside their work and rushed home, embracing their eldest son, who had been away for years.
“Let me see... you've gotten tanned,” Mother Tang said, touching Tang Chen’s face with concern.
“What do you mean tanned? Doesn’t he look even more manly now?” Father Tang remarked, thinking his son seemed much more rugged after three years.
“You wouldn't say that if he were your daughter,” Mother Tang rolled her eyes, then pulled both Tang Chen and Tang Xiao to the couch. “This whole ordeal nearly scared me to death! Luckily, Xiaoxiao is safe.”
The incident at the university remained a classified matter, with authorities temporarily withholding any explanations and the media unable to confirm details. However, the public attention surrounding the case was undeniable—after all, so many students had disappeared at once. Even those who were rescued couldn’t avoid being hounded by reporters and anxious parents demanding to know what had happened inside.
Fortunately, since Tang Chen had brought Tang Xiao back, he had avoided the media frenzy. Their parents were also unaware of the full extent of what had transpired at the university. They didn’t press Tang Xiao or Tang Chen for details—knowing only that their son had narrowly escaped death was enough for them.
“It’s all thanks to my brother for rescuing me,” Tang Xiao said.
“You scared the life out of me!” Tang Chen immediately complained to their parents. “You have no idea—this kid didn’t stay put and wait for rescue. Instead, he ran off to save other people!”
Mother Tang immediately shot Tang Xiao a disapproving look, while Father Tang, on the other hand, slapped his knee and declared, “That’s my son, all right!”
Mother Tang simultaneously scolded the father-son duo. Tang Xiao chose not to mention that he had awakened supernatural abilities—if he explained the side effects, his mother would only worry more. So, he simply lowered his head and obediently endured the scolding.
Once Mother Tang had finished, Tang Xiao smartly offered her a cup of warm water. “You should take a break, Mom. No need to strain your voice.”
“Then you two should stop doing things that make me worry,” Mother Tang grumbled as she took the cup, sipping on it before turning to Tang Chen. “How long can you stay this time?”
“My superior gave me three weeks off, so I can spend some quality time with you all,” Tang Chen said. “Though, given the current situation, going on a trip isn’t really an option.”
“That’s fine. I can take some time off too, so our whole family can finally spend some time together,” Father Tang added.
That evening, for the first time in three years, the entire family sat down for a reunion dinner. Even though it wasn’t a special occasion, Mother Tang still had the housekeeper prepare a grand feast. The warm atmosphere served not only to welcome Tang Chen back home but also to celebrate Tang Xiao’s safe return.
During the meal, their parents eagerly asked about Tang Chen’s experiences over the past three years. He shared a few amusing stories—like how he slipped and fell six or seven times as soon as he set foot in a mission zone because the ground was too slick, or how a cleanliness-obsessed teammate had to fight in a pigsty, rolling back and forth in pig urine until his germophobia was practically cured.
Everyone at the table fell into a brief silence as they stared at their food.
“…Oh, right,” Tang Chen hurriedly changed the subject. “Xiaoxiao, what about you? What have you been up to these past three years? Anything interesting in the lab?”
“Uh…” Tang Xiao, caught off guard mid-bite, bit his chopsticks and struggled to think of something. But his years in the lab had been stifling, and nothing particularly amusing came to mind. He mumbled vaguely, “Just… research, mostly. It was all pretty dry, nothing fun.”
Tang Chen suddenly remembered that Tang Xiao had spent those years carrying a heavy burden, making it unlikely that he had many enjoyable moments. He immediately regretted asking.
Father Tang sighed and said, “You really scared us when you suddenly had an emotional breakdown before. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. If your research succeeds, that's great, but if it doesn't, it's fine too. You don't have to achieve anything. We can support you for a lifetime.”
Tang Xiao paused for a moment, then looked up with a smile. “No matter what kind of mess I make, you guys will cover for me?”
Hearing this familiar question, Tang Chen's mouth twitched.
Father Tang, completely unsuspecting, said, “Of course. Isn't that what parents are for? As long as you don't do something that brings widespread condemnation, we'll always support you no matter what.”
Mother Tang added, “That's right. You don't have to set such high standards for yourself. If the research doesn't work out, then just stop. The most important thing is that our Xiaoxiao is safe and happy. That's why we named you Tang Xiao, after all.”
Under the warm, orange glow of the dining table light, Mother Tang looked at him with a gentle smile, her peach blossom eyes, so similar to his, slightly curved. “Xiaoxiao, you need to smile more.”
Tang Xiao blinked hard, lowered his head, and silently continued eating. Just then, the doorbell rang. Mother Tang frowned. “Who could it be at this hour?”
“Oh, it's probably for me.” Tang Xiao quickly jumped up from his seat and hurried out of the dining room, using it as an excuse to compose himself.
But he didn't return for two or three minutes. By the time dinner was almost finished, Father Tang got up and went to the living room, only to find dozens of exquisitely wrapped packages piled up there.
“What's going on? Did you order all these?”
“I had someone buy them for me. Since there were a lot of items, they delivered them all at once.”
Father Tang asked in confusion, “Why did you buy so many things?”
“They're gifts for you both—for Father's Day, Mother's Day, and your birthdays,” Tang Xiao said, counting on his fingers. “The previous gifts I gave you were bought with your money, so they don’t count. Now that I’ve earned my own money, I’m making up for all of them at once.”
The money Tang Xiao earned in the real world came from the shares Xiao Bai had given him. Father Tang had also given him a bank card, and by now, his savings were more than enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for a lifetime.
“You silly child, why buy so much?” Though Father Tang was clearly pleased, he kept a stern face. “How can we possibly use all these things?”
“I'm not done yet. You can just open a few each year.”
“What if they go to waste? What if something goes bad?”
“I only bought things that won’t go bad,” Tang Xiao replied. He then turned toward his mother and brother, who had walked out of the dining room. “Mom, big, I got gifts for you too.”
“Alright, it's a family dinner, so let's stop scolding him,” Mother Tang said as she curiously unwrapped one of the pink packages. Seeing that it was the latest model of a certain luxury handbag, her eyes widened. “This... This is the style I was just looking at recently. Xiaoxiao, this is really expensive. Did you buy all these? Do you have enough money?”
“I do. I don't really spend much myself, and the research expenses go through Dad's company anyway.”
“Then thank you, my darling~” Mother Tang kissed him on the cheek. “Mommy loves it. But even more than the gifts, I love having you here with us.”
Tang Xiao blinked. “Aren't I here with you now? And for the next month, brother and I will both be with you.”
He wasn’t lying.
For that entire month, Tang Xiao and Tang Chen didn’t do anything serious. During the day, the whole family would go shopping, watch TV, or go camping, making up for the three years Tang Chen had been away. Tang Xiao didn’t even touch his games.
Everywhere they went, Tang Xiao would buy gifts for his family, and soon, they had accumulated so many that an entire room was filled with them. Even Tang Chen couldn’t help but advise him to stop, saying they could always buy more later.
But Tang Xiao didn’t stop.
It was as if he was trying to make up for all the regrets—past or future—in one go, filling that room to the brim with gift boxes.
Eventually, even the usually slow-to-catch-on Father Tang noticed something off. He stared at Tang Xiao suspiciously. “Did you cause trouble again? Are you afraid we'll get mad and need us to clean up the mess?”
Tang Xiao: “…Do you really think that’s the kind of person I am?”
Thinking back to the past, Father Tang recalled how every time Tang Xiao got into trouble, he would try to win their favor with household chores or gifts. He nodded firmly. “Absolutely.”
Tang Xiao: “…I didn’t cause any trouble. I just wanted to give you these gifts. Is that not allowed?”
“But this is way too much,” Father Tang said, feeling a slight pang even with his wealth.
Tang Xiao suddenly changed the subject. “But actually, there is something I need to discuss with you both.”
Father Tang had an ‘I knew it’ expression and turned to his wife. “See? I told you he messed up again. This is the same pattern as when he told me he wanted to be a gaming streamer.”
Tang Xiao: …
Mother Tang laughed. “Xiaoxiao, when you were a kid, if you got a bad grade or caused trouble at school, you’d do the same thing. The only difference is that back then, you made us handmade greeting cards instead of buying gifts.”
Father Tang snorted. “Now that you have money, you don’t think twice about spending it. Just tell us—how bad is it? Did you break some lab equipment? How much do you have to pay?”
“I really didn’t mess up,” Tang Xiao said helplessly. “Dr. Xiao Bai doesn’t need me to compensate for anything. This is actually something important that I need to discuss with you.”
Father Tang asked, “What is it? Are you suddenly interested in another career? Honestly, if you want to be a gaming streamer, I won’t oppose it anymore.”
Those two breakdowns Tang Xiao had before had scared them too much. After discussing it, they decided it didn’t matter if he left research—he could do whatever he wanted as long as he was happy.
Tang Xiao smiled faintly. “No rush. I’ll tell you later. There’s still time.”
Since he wasn’t willing to say more, Mother and Father Tang had no choice but to set the matter aside for now. In their minds, the worst-case scenario was that Tang Xiao wanted to return to being a streamer again.
Three weeks of happiness flew by in a flash. Finally, one evening, after the family finished dinner and the housekeeper cleaned up the dishes and left early, Tang Xiao stopped his parents just as they were about to leave.
Tang Xiao and Tang Chen sat on one side, while their parents sat across from them. Seeing Tang Xiao’s serious expression, both Mother and Father Tang couldn’t help but grow a little nervous.
“Actually, this time, I wanted to discuss something with you…” Tang Xiao took a deep breath. “If I were to join a project that might require isolation for several years, maybe even over a decade, would you support me?”
As soon as he finished speaking, silence fell over the dining table.
Mother and Father Tang exchanged glances. After a moment, Father Tang tentatively asked, “Over ten years of isolation… does that mean you won’t be able to contact the outside world at all?”
“It’s possible.”
“How long exactly?”
“I'm not sure yet. It could be a few years, or over a decade, or even…” Tang Xiao trailed off.
Father Tang turned to look at Tang Chen. “Is this… a government project?”
Thinking of the invitation from Li Xiaoyi, Tang Chen silently nodded.
The dining table fell into silence once more.
“...Do you have to go?” Mother Tang's voice was choked with emotion.
Tang Xiao lifted his head and saw his mother’s eyes brimming with tears. The sight stung his heart. He averted his gaze and nodded silently.
Father Tang took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, picked one up, then put it down. He repeated the motion several times, as if searching for a lighter. But since he had a habit of not smoking in front of his family, he couldn’t find one. In the end, he silently put the cigarette away.
The heavy silence stretched between them. Father Tang looked up at Tang Xiao, then at Tang Chen, and let out a bitter chuckle. “You two really are brothers.”
Even the way they delivered this kind of news was the same—same location, same expression. They called it a discussion, but it was really just a notice.
“Go ahead,” Father Tang finally said. “You have my approval.”
Mother Tang stood up without saying a word and rushed back to her room. Father Tang followed after her, waving his hand at Tang Xiao as he left. “It’s fine. I’ll convince your mom.”
Tang Xiao sat motionless in his chair, silent. Tang Chen sighed, then grabbed two bottles of beer from the fridge. “Wanna go to the balcony?”
Tang Xiao didn’t say anything, but he let himself be pulled along.
On the balcony, the sun had already set, leaving a fiery glow on the horizon. Stars were beginning to twinkle in the night sky.
“It’s been a long time since we sat down like this to talk.” Tang Chen opened a can of beer and handed it to Tang Xiao, who refused. “I usually don’t drink—it messes with my head.”
“At a time like this, it’s okay to not think clearly for once.” Tang Chen insisted, shoving the beer into Tang Xiao’s hands. “You’re an adult now. It’s fine to get drunk once in a while.”
“Is your project really that strict? You won’t even be able to see us?”
Tang Xiao didn’t answer. He just gazed at the distant city lights, and the countless glowing windows below. “Brother, why did you enlist in the military back then?”
“Hm?” Tang Chen took a swig of beer and said, “Back then, I didn’t think too much. I just did it because I wanted to. But now… I want to protect my family. And other people’s families, too.”
Tang Xiao murmured softly, “I feel the same way.”
Tang Chen glanced at him and noticed he was fiddling with a small vial. “What’s that?”
Now that he thought about it, Tang Xiao had been messing around with something these past few days, even buying some lab equipment.
“Nothing, just a little gadget I made.” Tang Xiao casually stuffed the vial into his pocket and then took a sip of beer.
…So bitter. Bitter and astringent. Tang Xiao grimaced, sticking out his tongue in distaste. “This is awful.”
The only alcohol he’d ever had was champagne, during a research paper celebration. It had been mildly sweet, fruity, a little tart—overflowing with the scent of success.
This was the first time he’d tasted anything other than champagne, and he hadn’t expected it to be this bitter.
Tang Chen laughed. “You’ve got a kid’s palate.”
Under Tang Xiao’s gaze, Tang Chen took another swig with relish. “For adults, the bitterness and the dizzying buzz that follows help us forget our troubles for a while. That’s why so many people drink.”
Tang Xiao stayed quiet for a moment, then slowly took another sip.
The cool liquid entered his mouth, the bubbles popping on his tongue one by one before the bitterness bloomed.
Yeah… still bitter. Not good at all.
Tang Xiao didn’t drink much. Most of the beer ended up in Tang Chen’s stomach. But Tang Chen’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t great, and by the end, he was barely conscious. He vaguely felt Tang Xiao carrying him back to his room before sinking into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Tang Chen woke up with a frown, rubbing his throbbing temples.
Just then, his bedroom door was knocked on. Before he could respond, Mother Tang burst in anxiously. “Xiao Chen, have you seen Xiaoxiao?”
“No, I just woke up. Isn’t he in his room?”
“He’s not there.”
“Maybe he went out to buy breakfast.”
Mother Tang sighed. “That’s probably it. I just got scared when I didn’t see him—I thought he left without saying goodbye. You know how Xiaoxiao hates farewells. When he moved out last time, he fought with your dad in the afternoon, and by night, he was already packed and gone.”
“He wouldn’t do that. I’ll call him.”
“He left his phone in his room.”
Tang Chen scratched his head. If his phone was here, where had he gone? At that moment, he noticed his laptop screen flashing with a new email notification.
Tang Chen climbed out of bed, sat in front of the computer, and clicked on the email. Just then, his phone rang—it was his superior calling. “Mr. Li.”
“Xiao Tang, where's your brother?”
“Uh... I'm not sure. Did something happen?”
“No, nothing serious, it's just…” Li Xiaoyi hesitated. “You remember the invitation I extended last time, right? I gave your brother my email address, telling him to send me a message if he made his decision. Now, I've received an email from him, but it's research data on zombie mushroom.”
“Huh?” Tang Chen was confused. “Didn't he accept your invitation?”
Li Xiaoyi replied, “I never got a direct confirmation from him.”
Tang Chen's mind buzzed. Wait—wasn't the research project that Tang Xiao mentioned last night referring to this?
Then why…
And where was he now?
Tang Chen's gaze instinctively landed on the email. The sender was indeed Tang Xiao. Slowly, he began to read.
The Night Before.
Tang Xiao never waited for the alcohol to take effect. He calmly carried his half-drunken brother to his room before returning to his own. There, he scheduled the email he had prepared earlier, changed his clothes, and tidied up his room.
After posting a message on his account stating that he wouldn't be online for a while, Tang Xiao tossed his phone aside. Without taking any luggage, he left home alone.
The project he was joining was not the one recommended by Li Xiaoyi. He wasn’t going to wait until the worlds merged to passively accept everything that happened. There were too many uncertainties in this process—today, a dense fog zone could appear at a school, and tomorrow, it could emerge in a neighborhood.
Over the past three weeks, Tang Xiao had tried logging into the game, but unsurprisingly, he failed. That made sense—after all, he had already ‘died’ in the game.
If he wanted to minimize the disaster, he needed to figure out the cause of Jun Tesi’s rampage.
So, Tang Xiao decided to go back.
Since logging in through the gaming headset was no longer an option, there was only one remaining path:
The dense fog zone at the university. Those missing students had most likely ended up in that world.
Tang Xiao took a cab to the university's vicinity. Fortunately, just as Tang Chen had said, even after three months, the dense fog had not dispersed. Though the interior had been largely cleared out, some parasitic plants had yet to be fully eradicated. To prevent civilians from accidentally wandering in, the armed police had set up yellow warning lines outside, with personnel patrolling the area 24/7.
Tang Xiao observed from the shadows for about half an hour, roughly identifying the patrol patterns. He then caused a small distraction during a shift change. Though he was discovered midway, he rewound time once and successfully slipped into the dense fog surrounding the university.
Inside the campus gates, the scene had changed somewhat from when he had last been there. The fog was much thinner than before, the roars of the mutant beasts were gone, and even the parasitic plants had been largely removed.
And the mycelium was gone too.
Perhaps they had been cleared out as well.
Would he still be able to find Jun Tesi?
Tang Xiao hesitated for a moment before stepping into the fog and softly saying, “I'm here. I've returned.”
There was no response.
Taking a deep breath, Tang Xiao continued walking forward. With each step he took, the mist seemed to grow denser, and the airflow began surging ahead, as if guiding him.
The surrounding silence was absolute. The only sound was the young man's own footsteps. Tang Xiao had no idea how far he had walked through the fog. It felt like he had long since passed the boundaries of the university, yet he still hadn’t seen any buildings—no lecture halls, no familiar landmarks. At last, the fog began to thin.Stepping out of the dense mist, Tang Xiao found himself not in the modern world with its towering skyscrapers, but in a vast, white expanse—a base entirely covered in white mycelium.
Even though it was spring, this place felt like a land trapped in perpetual winter.
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