After the laundry pole battle, 007's big goose had become much calmer. At least in front of Xiao Hong and Gu Mian, it would lower its head, making itself seem less ostentatious.

During the battle, Xiao Hong had injured the goose's neck. 007 wrapped several layers of gauze around it, finishing it off with a cute butterfly knot. Now, the goose didn't look as detestable as before.

Soon, it was Gu Mian and his team's shift again. Recently, Fatty had fixed up many things in the small shop across the street from the supermarket.

The weather was growing colder, and each morning the chairs in the little shop were freezing. Fatty had put soft cushions on every chair and thoughtfully prepared hand warmers.

Today, the weather was poor. Not long after they arrived at the shop, it began to pour heavily outside. A fierce wind carried the torrential rain, battering the ground. Fortunately, Fatty, with his usual foresight, had already repaired the shop's windows, preventing the rain from flying in and soaking Gu Mian and the others.

Fatty pushed against the windows, trying to close them tighter against the POUNDING of the rain. "This rain is massive. It's probably going to get even colder."

"Yeah, winter is coming," 007 said, watching the dense streaks of water on the window. "Last winter, many people froze to death."

Fatty grew curious. "How did you get through last winter, Miss 007? You didn't know us back then, did you?"

007 began to reminisce. "I wasn't at home then; I was working out of town. The game started in winter. I spent most of last winter rushing home. It was an incredibly tough period. I almost froze to death outside once, but luckily, a kind person took me in. At the time, I was penniless and had nothing to offer. All I could think to do was add her as a friend in my game, hoping to repay her kindness when the chance arose."

Fatty eagerly waited for the rest of the story. "And then what happened?"

007 fell silent for a few seconds. "Then she disappeared from my friend list."

Fatty also fell silent, realizing he had probably brought up a sore subject.

"Later, when I was traveling from my home area towards you all, I passed by where she lived and decided to check on her. Perhaps that winter was too cold; she couldn't endure it and burned everything she could in her house to keep warm. Her home was almost empty, except for half an uneaten steamed bun hidden under her pillow, already completely covered in mold."

The heavy rain LASHED against the windows, and the room fell into a long silence. Even Mr. Green didn't utter a word.

Fatty knew this global game was a disaster for humanity. However, he had always been with Gu Mian. Together, they had smoothly cleared instances and easily secured food and resources. Over the past year, he had almost forgotten it was a disaster. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He rubbed his hands together, unsure what to say to break the sorrowful atmosphere. He clumsily changed the subject, "Miss 007, why didn't you bring Xiao Bai today?"

Xiao Bai was the name 007 had given to the big goose.

Apparently, she had once owned a dog named Xiao Bai, so she gave the goose the same name.

The name Xiao Bai sounded somewhat similar to Xiao Hong; someone uninformed might think they were family.

"Its wound hasn't healed yet, so I left it at home to recover," 007 said, opportunely ending the previous topic.

Just then, Mr. Green, who was beside them, suddenly shouted, "It's him! The one who robbed me is here!"

Gu Mian immediately looked out the window.

The rain blurred the window, distorting the view outside.

Gu Mian barely caught a glimpse of a person in a red raincoat moving near the supermarket entrance. Mr. Green's eyes are incredible to recognize him even like this.

He didn't hesitate and immediately rushed out to grab the person.

The rain was heavy, and the water outside was already ankle-deep, making movement difficult.

The person in the red raincoat, Red Raincoat, was alone, heading towards the supermarket entrance. Suddenly, he saw someone dash out from the dilapidated house opposite, charging aggressively toward him. Before he could react, another figure, Fatty, burst out from the same broken house, flailing his arms and also rushing in his direction.

"Doctor, you don't have an umbrella!" Fatty shouted at Gu Mian ahead, holding an umbrella in one hand and waving the other.

Red Raincoat saw what looked like a long weapon in Fatty's hand, but it was too far away to see clearly.

His scalp tightened, and he turned to flee in terror.

The rain was falling so hard that it streamed down Gu Mian's forehead into his eyes. After running a few steps, his vision became blurred by the rain, and he had to wipe his eyes to see what was ahead.

Catching the person in front is going to take some effort, Gu Mian thought. With this in mind, he immediately pulled out a walkie-talkie and shouted into it, "Mom!"

Red Raincoat, while running, suddenly heard the person chasing him yelling for his mother.

Is the person chasing me a psycho? Running out in the rain calling for his mother in the middle of the street? He couldn't help but look back.

He instantly regretted looking. What he saw next almost made him jump out of his skin. An enormous, vaguely humanoid creature suddenly dropped from the sky, landing right beside Gu Mian.

Then he saw Gu Mian point at him and say, "Mom, catch him for me."

At that moment, the "mother" turned her head towards him.

Only then did Red Raincoat see her face—or rather, her lack of one. Where her face should have been, there was a piece of A4-sized white paper with the character for "Mom" written on it.

Seeing this, Red Raincoat's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed. How can I be seeing a ghost outside of an instance?

Meanwhile, the "mother" was already charging towards him.

He hastily turned back and tried desperately to escape, but the creature behind him moved too quickly, covering nearly two meters in a single stride. Soon, he felt a tight grip on the back of his neck, and then his feet left the ground. He had been caught and lifted up!

007, having just caught up, saw a man in a red raincoat—Red Raincoat—being held aloft by Gu Mian's "mother."

She had seen this "mother," summonable via walkie-talkie, before. Gu Mian sometimes called her out; this "mother" had even helped Fatty replace the window of the small shop.

At this moment, the two-meter-tall woman was speaking to Gu Mian in a reprimanding tone.

"All you do is hang out with those no-good friends of yours outside!

"Even in this downpour, you refuse to come home. Who's going to wash your soaked clothes if not me?

"You just can't go a single day without finding some trouble for me to fix, can you?"

Gu Mian was used to her nagging. After all, her description stated, "After resolving the trouble, Mom will leave in disgust."

Red Raincoat, still held by the "mother," didn't dare move, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at her.

Once Gu Mian took Red Raincoat from his "mother's" grasp, she vanished with a loud POP.

Now Red Raincoat was even more terrified. "Wha-wha-what... what is she?!"

Gu Mian had no time to explain. He pulled Red Raincoat closer and asked, "Did you rob a little green fellow before?"

The description "little green fellow" was apparently so vivid that Red Raincoat froze for a moment, then a guilty expression crossed his face. "No... I've never seen any little fellow in a green hat."

"You're lying!" Mr. Green leaped out from behind Gu Mian. "I'd recognize you even if you were burnt to ashes! Give me back my stuff!"