When Song Mo opened her eyes again, the sky was already bright.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, and the community outside was as bustling as ever.
Checking the time, it was only a little past nine in the morning. All things considered, she had only slept for about four hours, yet her head didn't feel heavy like it used to in her past life after staying up late to rush scripts.
“Is it because I'm dead that the side effects of staying up late have also disappeared?”
Song Mo touched the loose flap of scalp on the back of her head, got up, found a pair of scissors, and simply cut the original owner's long hair into a shoulder-length bob.
Strangely, Cui Lili and Ma Aiyuan hadn't gone to work today, and the sound of chatting drifted in from the living room.
“...Seriously, let me tell you guys, I was actually at the scene that night. You can't even begin to imagine how terrifying it was...”
“I can't say too much on stream, but anyway, you guys should buy some glutinous rice to stock up at home these next couple of days. Don't the elders always say that glutinous rice can ward off certain evils and suppress zombies...”
“‘Host, do you really know that family? Can you tell us more details?’”
“...Well, that's really hard to say. Actually, I usually had a pretty good relationship with the landlord auntie. I'm also devastated that something like this happened...”
It was Cui Lili's voice.
...
...
Song Mo quietly opened the door and peered through the crack. Cui Lili was sitting cross-legged on the living room carpet with a phone stand set up in front of her, the screen scrolling with chat barrage.
“‘Lili-jie, were you really at Hongguang Community at the time? Didn't the officials say it was a gas explosion?’”
Reading the barrage a bit awkwardly, Cui Lili noticed Song Mo and somewhat self-consciously tucked her hair behind her ear:
“Thank you to those who believe me. It's normal if you don't. I can't say too much about the specifics. You know how it is, the platform has rules.”
She paused, intentionally lowering her voice:
“...Why haven't the officials released a formal announcement? Why has there been a curfew on the streets these past two days? And you all know about the locals panic-buying glutinous rice at the supermarkets today, right... People are snatching it up everywhere. Why? Think about it carefully.”
The barrage floated by even faster, and Song Mo quickly scanned it.
【Holy crap, are there really zombies?】
【Using glutinous rice to drive away zombies is an old tradition.】
【No wonder even glutinous rice went up in price today. The supermarkets are packed with people.】
【Can we stop spreading rumors? The officials already debunked it as rabies.】
【They debunk so many things. Which one do you actually believe?】
Song Mo didn't make a sound.
For Cui Lili, this incident had instead become her opportunity.
She was already a livestreamer, but she had always been lukewarm before. With only a few hundred followers, her daily live viewers were in the single digits, and her monthly tips combined weren't enough to buy a pound of glutinous rice.
She had tried singing, chatting, and even makeup reviews, but the results were mediocre.
In the livestreaming industry, she belonged to the very bottom tier of the pyramid, struggling bitterly with seemingly no hope of ever making it big.
Yet Cui Lili did possess a bit of grassroots wisdom.
First of all, she very smartly seized the gimmick of being an “eyewitness.”
Although she wasn't a real eyewitness, her identity as a “tenant” was indisputable.
Song Mo tapped into Cui Lili's livestream and, sure enough, saw all kinds of speculations and “inside info” flying across the screen.
Some said a biochemical experiment had leaked, some said a zombie had escaped from an ancient tomb, and others claimed a cult was performing human sacrifices.
In short, the more absurd the theory, the more people believed it, and the more believers there were, the more bustling Cui Lili's livestream became.
Originally, the officials intended to restrict the spread of such videos, but she was very clever. She avoided banned words during her stream and used ambiguous phrasing, which actually managed to attract a large audience.
The incident had only been fermenting for a few days, but the official countermeasures were clear for all to see.
Military and police patrols, a citywide night curfew, Hongguang Community locked down, and even surrounding residents temporarily evacuated.
They claimed it was a toxic gas leak, but there were too many eyewitnesses that night, and the incident itself naturally carried a mysterious color.
Thus, it was only normal for ordinary people to be interested in it.
Right now, nine out of ten local livestreaming accounts were focusing on this matter. That Cui Lili could seize this opportunity showed she indeed had a sharp mind.
...
...
Ma Aiyuan was attentively pouring tea and water for Cui Lili outside the camera frame.
Noticing the movement from Song Mo's side, she immediately padded over, her eyes sparkling:
“Shh... Song Mo, do you know? Lili is about to blow up! She gained five thousand followers in a single night, and people are even sending her gifts!”
Song Mo nodded in understanding, then turned to ask Ma Aiyuan, “...What's with the glutinous rice she mentioned?”
“Zombies are afraid of glutinous rice! Isn't that what the older generation always says?”
Ma Aiyuan said kindly, “You don't know yet, right? The glutinous rice near our community has been completely sold out. You can't buy it anywhere. Fortunately, I managed to grab a few pounds. Lili already has some. I'll share a bit with you later. You can sprinkle some under your window when you sleep.”
Song Mo: “...”
Wang Dazhi was a living corpse, so he probably wasn't afraid of glutinous rice.
Besides, he had long since become a skeleton; even if he wanted to cause trouble, he couldn't.
Song Mo didn't plan to comment. She wasn't close to Cui Lili and had no interest in exposing her lies.
She watched the barrage for a bit, then turned and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
When she came out, Cui Lili had just ended her stream and was rubbing her shoulders with both hands. Seeing Song Mo emerge, the expression on her face changed subtly, as if she had suddenly remembered something that made her uncomfortable.
“Song Mo, you're awake? Oh, you cut your hair short?” Cui Lili squeezed out a slightly placating smile.
“Yeah, the weather is hot.”
Song Mo dried her hair with a towel, trying her best to avoid touching the loose flap of scalp at the back of her head.
The living room fell silent for a few seconds.
Cui Lili twirled her hair with her fingers, her lips twitching several times as if she wanted to say something but swallowed it back:
“Song Mo, well, we're all girls, and it's not easy making a living out here. You also know my family's situation...”
She stammered, “I want to discuss something with you.”
Song Mo had a rough guess of what it was. “Go ahead.”
Cui Lili pursed her lips, looking a bit embarrassed:
“Well, as you can see, my stream's stats have been pretty good lately. And... the thing with Hongguang Community is super hot online right now, with everyone discussing it. I was one of the earliest to start talking about this, so I have a first-mover advantage.”
“But this hype won't last forever. People will forget about it after a while... and you know, streaming isn't easy.”
Cui Lili finally raised her head, meeting Song Mo's gaze.
“But with this matter... there's an issue. The three of us rented his apartment... and regarding that camera thing, could you please not talk about it to outsiders?”
As if afraid Song Mo would refuse, she quickly added:
“The only reason my stream is taking off is because of my identity as a ‘tenant.’ If others stream it too, it definitely won't have the same effect as mine, don't you agree?”
She paused, her gaze lingering on Song Mo's face.
“I won't be streaming, you can rest assured about that.”
There was no change in expression on Song Mo's face. “As for the camera, if the police find me, I will tell the truth.”
She herself was an anomaly, wishing nothing more than to stay far away from cameras and officials. Cui Lili's worries were completely redundant.
“Really?”
Cui Lili's eyes lit up. “I know this request is a bit much, but I was thinking... how about I give you some money, and in exchange, you don't talk to outsiders about the landlord, and don't use your ‘tenant’ status to start a stream or anything...”
She said it all in one breath, then looked at Song Mo expectantly.
“How much?”
Song Mo thought about the original owner's pitiful bank account balance and said directly, “Five thousand yuan, and I'll go out to find a place and move out this afternoon.”
Cui Lili blanked out for a moment, clearly not expecting Song Mo to agree so readily. This caused the bellyful of arguments she had prepared to be completely stifled:
“Fine, five thousand it is. This money isn't to buy anything out; think of it as compensation or hush money... Anyway, once you take the money, just pretend you know nothing about the camera.”
Song Mo calculated in her mind. She had used the system to clean up Wang Dazhi's blood in the room, so even if the officials investigated, they wouldn't find anything.
She had too many secrets; sharing a rental with others was ultimately inconvenient.
Besides, she wasn't the original owner. She might as well take this opportunity to move out and distance herself from her original social circle.
“Deal.” Song Mo agreed cleanly and decisively, turning around to open a rental app to search for a house that met her criteria.
Cui Lili clearly hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. Beaming with joy, she immediately transferred the money.
Her card didn't have enough money, so she even borrowed a thousand yuan from Ma Aiyuan, as if deeply afraid Song Mo would back out.
...
...
Song Mo moved quickly. She went out to find an agent to look at houses that very day. There were quite a lot of people moving these past two days, so the agent was incredibly busy. Only after confirming she really wanted to rent did the agent find some time to take her to see a place.
Sitting on the back of the agent's electric scooter, the sights along the way further confirmed Song Mo's judgment:
This city seemed to be slowly eroded by an invisible sense of panic.
How could fear have a shape?
It was like mist, silently permeating every street, every building, and the expression of every single person.
When passing by a grain and oil store, text was constantly scrolling on the sign at the entrance:
【Glutinous Rice Purchase Limit: 5 pounds per person, 15 yuan/pound】
Even at this price, there were still many customers scrambling to buy it, quite reminiscent of the recent salt-hoarding craze.
Normally, glutinous rice was only a few yuan per pound.
Song Mo inwardly sighed at this price hike. At the street corner, a group of elderly uncles and aunties were chatting with someone, their voices quite loud:
“...My son works at the sanitation department. He said the trash cleared from Hongguang Community was all packed in separate containers and shipped away. It didn't go to the landfill, but was transported somewhere else. As for where exactly, he doesn't know either. The higher-ups won't let anyone ask.”
“Could it really be some kind of biochemical leak?”
“Biochemical? Old friend, when have you ever seen a biochemical incident that required glutinous rice?”
“Anyway, let me tell you, don't go out at night recently, especially after midnight. This old man has lived for over sixty years and has never seen such a scene.”
“It's too terrifying. It's got me too scared to go out at night.”
“Hongguang Middle School won't even let students do evening self-study at school lately. How big do you think this matter is?”
“My family bought glutinous rice and even mugwort to hang on the door. It's still useful, if only for peace of mind.”
...
...
“Sis, have you heard about the Hongguang Community thing?”
The agent was a young girl. Hearing this, she also got excited and whispered:
“I have a client who bought five hundred pounds of glutinous rice in one go the day before yesterday, stacking it across the entire balcony. Wouldn't you say that's crazy?”
“Five hundred pounds? Is he planning to open a zongzi shop?” Song Mo chimed in.
The agent was amused by her. “No, he's just scared. He said he has a friend in Hongguang Community who saw those things with his own eyes. He's so terrified now that he doesn't even dare to turn off the lights to sleep at night.
He bought the glutinous rice just to sprinkle at his doorway and under his windows, saying it can protect him.”
“Do you think it's true?” Song Mo asked nonchalantly.
The agent hesitated for a moment, turning her head while waiting for a red light:
“To tell you the truth, since I'm an agent, I frequently run around various residential communities... These past few days, the listings in several complexes near Hongguang Community have multiplied several times over.
My parents are at home, and they say they can't even buy glutinous rice. The whole city is buying glutinous rice. Tell me, if it really was just a gas explosion, would it be like this?”
Song Mo nodded but didn't reply.
...
...
The house Song Mo wanted to rent was an old apartment, the top floor of a walk-up building near the suburbs. It came with a rooftop terrace, and diagonally opposite was an undeveloped barren hill, where a few graves and vegetable plots could occasionally be seen.
Perhaps for this reason, the apartment had remained unrented all this time, but Song Mo was quite satisfied with it.
Far from the city center?
It didn't matter. With the Bus Ghost, she could go anywhere very quickly.
A barren hill and wild graves?
Even better. Maybe they could even provide new materials.
Not to mention the monthly rent was only eight hundred yuan. At this price, what more could she ask for?
Thus, practically under the agent's bewildered gaze, Song Mo signed a five-year lease in one go, agreeing to a one-month deposit and three months' rent upfront, and got the keys that very day.
Interestingly, when the agent handed over the keys, she also threw in a one-pound bag of glutinous rice.
“This... isn't everyone talking about a zombie outbreak lately?”
The young girl smiled sheepishly. “The place you're living in is quite remote. Consider this a complimentary perk from us. You have no idea, glutinous rice is really hard to buy right now.”
Song Mo decided she would steam a pot of glutinous rice tonight.
Rate on N.U.
