Because I couldn’t see clearly, I couldn’t outrun anyone, so I had to wait until everyone else picked their rooms.

In the end, only the thirtieth floor was left for me.

Since I was practically blind, the live chat went off again:

【She’s so dead. Everyone knows the higher the floor, the stronger the boss.】

【Especially the thirtieth floor—it’s all top-level bosses. They call it the House of Death.】

When I reached the thirtieth floor, I looked around. Honestly, it didn’t seem that different from a normal apartment. The only differences were the stronger smell of blood, the red walls, the cold air, and the dim lights.

Besides, it was a huge apartment, and supposedly, the “family” I’d always dreamed of having was waiting inside.

You have to understand, in real life I’m not only severely nearsighted, but also an orphan and broke on top of that!

I walked straight to the door, raised my hand, banged on it hard, and yelled, “Open up! Baby, I’m home! If you don’t open the door, I’m gonna starve to death out here!”

The live chat exploded.

【Is she trying to die? Every other player either knocks politely or just waits outside until the ghost’s in a good mood.】

【I’m done watching this brainless idiot. Switching to Elaine’s stream.】

【No, keep watching! I wanna see how she dies.】

But they just didn’t get how my brain worked.

If this was a role-playing scenario, and the goal was to live as family, then the key was to act natural.

Who on earth comes home and politely knocks, saying, “Excuse me, is anyone home? Could you please open the door?”

After a moment, the door creaked open. A chill swept over me, and I let out a relaxed sigh.

Wow! Free air-conditioning. Perfect for summer.

When I looked down, I saw a small red figure.

Even with my blurry vision, I could make out two swaying pigtails. It looked like a little girl in a red dress.

She grinned eerily and suddenly lunged at me, her icy hands clamping around my neck.

I instinctively pulled her into my arms. Feeling the damp fabric of her dress, I scolded, “You can’t wear wet clothes, sweetheart! Take it off, I’ll find you something dry.”

Then I caught a whiff of something metallic and frowned.

“Wait… are you bleeding? Where’s the first aid kit? I’ll patch you up.”

The live chat was losing its mind, frustrated beyond belief.

【Lady, open your damn eyes! That’s one of the bosses from the House of Death! That “wet red dress” isn’t wet!! It’s soaked in the blood of her victims!】

【And that smell of blood? It’s not because she’s hurt. It’s because her dress is covered in pieces of the players she’s killed.】

【Just wait till the other one gets home. She’s a goner for sure.】

Unfortunately, I couldn’t see any of that. Still holding the little girl in my arms, I walked into the apartment and gently took off her red dress. From her pretty pink princess room, I found a clean white one and helped her put it on.

The small, icy hands gripping my neck slowly loosened.

Sensing her confusion, I picked up a warm towel, leaned closer, and carefully wiped the blood off her face.

Only then did I see her clearly. A sweet little girl, maybe six or seven, with big eyes and soft cheeks.

Smiling, I pointed at my cheek. “Family’s supposed to help each other out, right? But shouldn’t you give me a kiss to say thanks?”

The little girl fidgeted with the hem of her white dress, hesitated for a moment, then shyly leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on my face with a soft smack before darting back.

Her voice was soft and sweet as she whispered, “Thank you, Mommy.”

Huh? Mommy?

I… became a mom just like that?

Holy crap, this is insane.

You have to understand, in real life, I’ve heard way too many horror stories about women dying during childbirth. I’ve always dreamed of having a family, sure… But giving birth? That’s my biggest fear.

After coaxing the little girl to take a nap, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in my ear:

【Initial players: 30 | Current survivors: 20】

What? Ten people were already dead? Just from choosing rooms?

I grabbed my phone, held it right up to my face, and barely managed to make out the text on the screen. It was the player chat group, where everyone was frantically sharing what they’d learned, mainly how people had died.

Apparently, the hot-tempered blond guy and three others fought over the third floor. The blond guy barely won and moved in. But the moment he knocked on the door, a creature with a human body and a dog’s head stepped out. Its jaws split open, revealing rows of bloody teeth, and it swallowed him whole.

A few seconds later, it chewed noisily and spat out a few white bones still clinging to bits of flesh.

Through the half-open door, the other players saw piles of bones inside. They guessed those must’ve been the remains of past victims.

After witnessing that, everyone’s adrenaline spiked. By now, aside from Elaine and Jethro, every new player’s Fear Value had already hit 50 and it was only the first day.

One middle-aged man died the instant he stepped into the tenth floor; his Fear Value shot straight to 100. Others were dropping in all kinds of ways, scared to death, ripped apart, or just losing it from sheer terror.

Of course, none of that had anything to do with me.

While my little girl slept, I grabbed a mop from the bathroom and got to work. I scrubbed the place from top to bottom. The blood-red floor tiles? I managed to scrub them until they were almost white. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

The dried red stains on the walls wouldn’t come off, so I picked up a scraper and started chipping away at them instead.

By the time I finished, it was already afternoon. My back was killing me, so I collapsed onto the couch beside the little girl and fell into a deep sleep.

When I woke again, a chill had crept through the air.

The room was dark. Standing in front of me was a shadowy figure, its outline barely visible.

Even though I couldn’t see his face clearly, the moment he spoke, that deep, magnetic voice made my heart skip a beat.

He laughed in a low, sexy voice, “Heh, interesting. You actually survived this long in Lily’s hands.”

Then Lily’s cold voice piped up, “You better not touch her. This mommy looks fun. I want to keep her to play with.”

The man didn’t answer. He waved one big hand and sent Lily flying off the sofa. She slammed into the balcony glass with a crash, and there was the sickening sound of bones breaking.

He sneered, “Who gave you permission to speak to me like that? You really think you’re my daughter?”

I couldn’t take it.

I scrambled up off the couch, muttering, “Who let you talk to a kid like that? What kind of father are you?”

I meant to slap him across the face, but my hand slipped and landed on his abs instead. Damn, that felt good! I couldn’t help touching them a couple more times.

Seeing him on the verge of a furious explosion, black energy crawling off him, I quickly tried to make amends…

“Lily’s my little sweetheart, and you’re my big one. We’re one happy family now.”

I gave him my best smile. “Actually, um, honey, you’ve got a great body, but… why do you look kinda short? Don’t worry though. Now that I’m here, I’ll cook for you both every day. Soon, you and our daughter will be tall and strong!”

The live chat went absolutely wild.

【What the hell is she saying? How does she dare talk like that to the Headless Boss?】

【Finally! The infamous Headless Boss. He’s supposed to be the strongest one in the Happy Home scenario. The top player last time died fighting him.】

【Wait… why does the Boss look like he’s blushing? No way, did she just fluster him?】

【You’re down bad, man.】

Everyone in the stream was waiting for him to snap my neck like he’d done to every other player before.

But instead, he calmly lifted the severed head he’d been holding and placed it back onto his neck. Then he leaned in, his cold, dangerous aura fading a little, his voice suddenly carrying a hint of… wounded pride.

“Short? I’m six-foot-one. Why don’t you take a closer look?”

Even ghosts, it seems, care about their height.

“Nina,” he said suddenly, my name rolling off his tongue in a deep, velvety tone that made my heart race.

I grabbed his tie and yanked him down until he was practically on top of me, murmuring dramatically, “Can’t see. Come closer.”

His handsome face came into sharp focus, and I couldn’t help grinning inside.

Thank God this game only tracks Fear Value, not heart rate. Otherwise, I’d be dead already.

When he stayed silent, I panicked, thinking I’d made him mad. My eyes sparkled as I rushed to flatter him.

“Wow! You’re six-one, I’m five-five—that’s the perfect height difference! We’re meant to be!”

The man in the tailored suit turned bright red and was just about to respond when Lily, freshly reassembled, charged in. She kicked him so hard he flew into the ceiling and got stuck there.

Then she turned to me with her big, teary eyes, pressed her face against mine, and whispered softly, “Mommy… Lily hungry. Food.”

Seriously, who could resist that?

I immediately dug through the fridge, squinted, and happily set about cooking for the little girl…and my husband.

I’m not bragging about my cooking, but those two practically licked the bowls clean.

When I went to shower, I heard them in the next room, talking quietly.

“Lily, maybe we should keep her. She cooks pretty well.”

“But Dad, when those two get back tomorrow and find out we won’t eat their food, they’ll freak out.”

“Call that food? If they complain, I’ll kill them.”

“Okay, I’ll keep watch.”

After my shower I took the master bedroom like it was mine. I poked my head out from under the covers and watched the dark shape sitting motionless on the sofa.

I softened my voice and started showing off my homemaking.

“Babe, why don’t you finish showering your body in the bathroom and I’ll wash your hair in the kitchen? It’ll be faster that way.”

Chat exploded: 【What kind of suggestion is that?】

Even crazier, the headless boss actually agreed to my plan.