Nan Yue was not startled by the sudden appearance of her grandmother, so she took a small step back to clear the way.
"Grandmother, please sit."
Grandmother nodded with a smile and shuffled toward the sofa.
"Do you want to watch television?"
Nan Yue’s tone was gentle, as if this really were her grandmother, but that was impossible.
Everyone was raised by the government. They had no relatives, let alone a grandmother.
However, she had studied various social systems, kinship ties, and interpersonal relationships that might appear in the Scavenger Project at school.
Even though she had never experienced them, Nan Yue had excellent grades and remembered all this knowledge clearly.
"I want to watch."
Nan Yue naturally pulled back the white cloth, and the slightly convex television screen reflected her somewhat distorted face.
In the distance, Grandmother sat on the cloth sofa, as motionless as a statue.
Nan Yue’s heart skipped a beat. Through the television screen, she saw that Grandmother was still wearing that same smile, her eyes staring fixedly at Nan Yue’s back.
Nan Yue turned on the TV, and with a crackle, a black and white grid appeared, trembling like countless writhing insects crawling across the screen.
Nan Yue turned the circular knob to adjust the channel, but every channel was the same.
She frowned. This meant the television was either not receiving a signal or was broken.
Searching her memory, she recalled her teachers saying that in such situations, one should either call someone to fix it or use physical force.
So, a second later, Nan Yue raised her hand and tentatively slapped the side of the television, but the pattern did not become any clearer.
"Amin, let's just watch this. It happens to be my favorite."
Grandmother spoke suddenly. Nan Yue turned to look at her, finding that Grandmother’s gaze had shifted to the static on the screen, as if some wonderful program were actually playing there.
After a moment of thought, Nan Yue sat down beside her.
Grandmother’s withered hand gripped Nan Yue’s. Nan Yue’s subconscious urge was to pull away.
It was too cold, as cold as ice, and Nan Yue felt half of her body go numb from the chill.
But she didn't move, allowing Grandmother to hold her hand as they both watched the flickering screen.
"...A lonely soul with no one to lean on, the stars and moon are dim, the wind and dew are cold... hearing the loud sounds of grief in the garden, a solitary lamp quietly shines on the window screen..."
Grandmother’s eyes were wide open, staring unblinkingly at the flickering static on the television.
Before long, she began to sing softly. The melody rose and fell, though the lyrics were hard to distinguish, as if she were following an invisible female role in an opera.
Grandmother’s mouth curled into a wide grin, her eyes staring as her stiff hand beat along to the rhythm.
"...I only hate that the gap between the living and the dead is so hard to cross, so close yet worlds apart..."
Sitting beside Grandmother, even someone as brave and psychologically stable as Nan Yue felt her skin crawl.
The twilight had gradually faded, and night was approaching, blurring the scene before her as the light failed.
An eccentric old woman sat beside her, watching a screen full of static and singing a bizarre tune.
Nan Yue suddenly felt the reality of entering the assessment. She was truly the only living person here.
Nan Yue unconsciously clenched her fists. She didn't even feel the deep-seated fear that had tightly surrounded her since birth.
This was a good thing for her.
Nan Yue turned her head slightly to observe this so-called grandmother.
The woman was very old, her skin dark and sagging, covered in age spots.
Her eyes were cloudy, yet she still had a full set of teeth, partially exposed beyond her lips.
"Amin, what are you looking at?"
The grandmother, who had been humming softly, suddenly turned her head to look at Nan Yue. Her speed was not that of an elderly person at all.
No, Nan Yue thought, she didn't seem like a human at all.
She even instinctively looked at Grandmother’s neck, wondering if she had just turned her head ninety degrees directly, with her neck failing to keep up with the speed.
"Grandmother, are you feeling alright?"
Nan Yue remembered the assessment prompt, which stated that Grandmother was sick, but she didn't understand why her being sick meant Nan Yue needed to escape.
From what she had learned in school, family members should support and help each other. If Grandmother was sick, shouldn't she stay to take care of her?
Furthermore, Nan Yue hadn't discovered any illness yet. Was she just a bit senile? That would explain why she enjoyed watching a television with no program.
"Grandmother is doing very well. Grandmother has never felt better."
Nan Yue frowned imperceptibly. She felt that such words sounded wrong.
"Amin, you must be hungry. Grandmother will make you something to eat."
Nan Yue stood up before she could. "I'll do it, I'll do it. You watch TV, Grandmother. I'll call you when it's ready."
Nan Yue possessed basic life skills, but more importantly, she wanted to see the layout of the house.
Regardless of the reason the prompt told her to escape, she had to plan her exit.
Grandmother did not insist further. As Nan Yue walked toward the dining area, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She was certain Grandmother was smiling and staring fixedly at her.
What a strange old woman.
Nan Yue reached the dining area, which was actually part of the same room as the living room, separated only by the television cabinet. A small wooden table sat against the wall next to a pale green double-door refrigerator.
Nan Yue opened the refrigerator, and a foul stench hit her. She nearly lost her composure and gagged.
The refrigerator was not plugged in and had long since lost its cooling function. Whatever had been inside had rotted and spoiled long ago.
A layer of white and green mold had formed over the spoiled food, which was so decomposed that liquid was seeping out, filling the fridge with a putrid odor.
Nan Yue paused for a few seconds before closing the refrigerator. She walked as naturally as possible to the front door and twisted the handle.
It was locked. The house seemed to be locked from the inside and outside.
Nan Yue was now certain that the objective of this task was to escape this house.
Where was the key? Was it on Grandmother, or hidden in this room?
"Amin, what are you doing?"
Nan Yue’s body stiffened for a moment. Grandmother was right behind her.
How was that possible?
Just a moment ago, Grandmother had been sitting on the sofa watching television. How could an old woman who needed to shuffle her feet move behind her in an instant?
Was this old woman a human or a ghost?
Nan Yue swallowed hard, trying her best to calm herself.
She turned around to find that Grandmother was no longer smiling, which made her look even more eerie.
She seemed somewhat angry, as if she would pounce and tear Nan Yue apart if she didn't provide a reasonable answer.
Nan Yue’s sixth sense warned her that she might have been too reckless just now.
"I wanted to go out and buy some groceries."
Nan Yue pointed to the refrigerator behind Grandmother. "There isn't much food left."
If Grandmother didn't see a problem with the static on the television, she might think the rotting food was fine too.
Nan Yue changed her explanation.
Grandmother said nothing, staring intently at Nan Yue. It was then that Nan Yue noticed a white film covering Grandmother’s pupils.
She looked like a corpse.
Rate on N.U.
