The Whole Street Wanted Us Dead

Su Lai’s gaze flicked to the clock on the wall. 6:57 PM. Tonight’s “Spring Breeze Live Report” was starting three minutes early.

The host in burial clothes rolled the whites of his eyes, the corners of his mouth splitting all the way to his ears, exposing stiff purple gums. “Next, a heartwarming news bulletin.”

“Recently, Xu Zhimei from Tofu Lane sent a banner to thank the warm-hearted neighbor in our community for helping reunite her with her son.” “It is reported that the warm-hearted neighbor, Wang Xiaosi, made multiple efforts, assisting in searching for relevant clues, and ultimately helped Xu Zhimei reunite with her son. To thank Wang Xiaosi, Xu Zhimei presented him with a banner.”

The scene then shifted. The camera cut to the village committee office. The footage of the staff member presenting the banner to Su Lai appeared on the TV. Wang Chunying and Su Lai accepted the banner expressionlessly, while the staff member smiled reluctantly. The entire scene was filled with a stiff, forced joy. Bizarre yet reasonable.

The whole family faced the TV in silence. Uncle Wang watched Wang Chunying with great interest, while Wang Chunying watched her “son” with equal interest.

Host: “This incident has moved the entire community. The banner is also a symbol of harmony and friendship in Spring Breeze Community. Every resident should learn from Wang Xiaosi. He is a good role model for our community…”

For some reason, Su Lai sensed a gritted-teeth quality in the host’s phrase “good role model.”

The self-built house had poor sound insulation. Before the host’s broadcast even finished, successive bangs and crashes came from next door.

Yelling and the sounds of smashing TVs came through the wall. Everyone at the table was momentarily stunned. Su Lai picked up his bowl again and continued drinking his fish soup as if nothing had happened. “They’re the neighbors I helped ‘move’ today. I charged them a delivery fee. They’re not happy about it.”

Su Lai could easily imagine those neighbors he had paid back in kind, now cursing and yelling at their TV screens. Their anger and inability to argue back must be quite a sight.

Wang Chunying pursed her lips. “Pay for a service rendered. It’s only natural.” “They love taking advantage of others. Being able to make money off them is your skill. Let them be unhappy. You’re still the good role model who got a banner.”

Su Lai seemed to have completely gained Wang Chunying’s trust. This mother would unconditionally protect and support her child.

Su Lai nodded. “At least it’s not our TV they’re smashing.”

Just then, the TV footage returned to the studio. The smile vanished from the host’s face. The “main feature” was about to begin——

“Next, an urgent news report. At 6:40 PM tonight, multiple residents successively reported property theft in their homes, sparking widespread concern. Through investigation and patrols by relevant community personnel, the suspect was finally apprehended just moments ago.” “The suspect has admitted to multiple thefts. The case is currently under further processing. The suspect will be placed in forced detention. We remind everyone to remain vigilant and prevent such incidents from happening again.”

This time, the person appearing in the news was Hu Xiang.

Seeing Hu Xiang, now crazed, laughing and crying wildly on the screen, everyone felt it was both unexpected yet within reason.

“Unexpectedly, in the end…” Bai Ke, who had once extended a helping hand to Hu Xiang, sighed.

Bei Yao said nothing. Her earlier collaboration with Hu Xiang and Director Jia hadn’t been pleasant.

Bai Ke: “I wonder if the list wasn’t complete, or if there was a wrong option in the submitted list.”

Today, several experienced players had jointly investigated. After submitting a list of ten peeping suspects, the answer was still wrong. This surprised and discouraged everyone.

What exactly was the correct answer? Would they be able to find the complete list of peepers within these seven days? The true nature of the task became increasingly puzzling.

But that tonight’s punished person was Hu Xiang was within everyone’s expectations.

Bai Ke frowned. “Cousin, do you think…”

“Drink your soup.” Su Lai and Wang Chunying said in unison.

Bai Ke paused, his gaze shifting between them. The words and expressions of this “mother-son” pair were becoming increasingly similar. He wondered if Wang Chunying was becoming more like a living person, or if Lai-ge was becoming more like an NPC. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of this absurd thought.

The lavish dinner table fell silent. Fortunately, the sounds of TVs being smashed next door served as a side dish.

After dinner, the three helped Wang Chunying clear the table. Uncle Wang, as usual, went to cut his watermelon.

“What were you worrying about just now?” Wang Chunying asked.

Su Lai confessed. “We want to find the peepers in this area. Mom, do you know who usually peeps at others?”

Bai Ke immediately panicked. He elbowed Su Lai and whispered a reminder. “The staff member emphasized secret investigation. Asking an NPC directly isn’t right…”

Su Lai was unfazed. “It’s okay. Mom isn’t an outsider.” Asking “one’s own” wasn’t leaking secrets.

Su Lai’s question made Wang Chunying fall into thought.

After a long moment, she suddenly let out a cold laugh. “It’s hard to say… I can’t really put it into words.” “In this damned urban village, anything with eyes is peeping at others.” Her voice was soft, ethereal. “It’s hard to say. It’s everywhere. Hard to avoid.”

“Including you and me.”

Su Lai’s hand, collecting bowls, paused slightly. His gaze swept towards the trash. The fish’s glazed-over eyes had already been eaten.

Eyes. Eyes everywhere. Peeping everywhere. This was the peeper.

Dinner and post-dinner watermelon weren’t peaceful tonight. After “Spring Breeze Report” ended, sounds of smashing and looting came from the streets. Bai Ke went to the window to look and saw firelight and smoke on the southern street.

Just then, the phone rang. Wang Chunying handed the receiver to Su Lai. “Little Four, it’s for you. That girl from yesterday morning.”

It was Qi Mu. Su Lai answered. “Got a job?”

Qi Mu: “No job. Trouble, yes.” “The village committee staff are useless. Before announcing the answer, they informed the reported people about the reports. Apart from Hu Xiang, who was taken away for detention, all these NPCs have gone berserk.”

So the rule “After 7 PM, you must return to your own home. This community does not welcome the homeless at night” only applied to players. Berserk NPCs weren’t bound by it.

“My cousin and I didn’t report anyone.” Su Lai said.

Qi Mu: “Normally, reported original residents target the reporter. But if a player uses a special item, blurring their attack range, spreading the reported person’s hatred evenly among all players… well, that’s another story.”

Qi Mu was being roundabout, trying to convey one thing: the berserk original residents who were reported would also target them as enemies.

Su Lai nodded. Excluding himself, their household was sharing two portions of hatred.

“Players can’t attack original residents. What will you do?” Qi Mu asked deliberately on the other end of the line. She knew Wang Xiaosi had a special identity.

Su Lai: “Players can’t. But original residents can.” As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Chunying washing dishes and Uncle Wang cutting watermelon in the kitchen.

The knife rack in the kitchen was full of cleavers. Wang Chunying used to run a wonton shop; she needed plenty of knives for chopping meat.

“Having a mother really makes a difference.” Qi Mu said meaningfully. “Just a heads-up: they’ve got numbers on their side and won’t listen to reason. Even having two mothers might not help. Prepare yourself mentally.”

With that warning, Qi Mu hung up.

Five minutes later, Su Lai understood why Qi Mu had told him to prepare mentally.

The berserk NPCs’ hatred was evenly distributed, but their numbers weren’t. The nine reported original residents gathered together at Wang Chunying’s doorstep, all wearing identical ferocious expressions.

Uncle Wang couldn’t even finish his watermelon. He quickly went to lock the doors and windows, still wearing his good-natured face. “Oh dear, this is terrible.”

Wang Chunying looked out the window. Without a word, she went to the kitchen and grabbed her cleaver.

“What’s going on? Why are the berserk original residents targeting only us?” Bai Ke was shocked and uncertain.

“Someone used an item, transferring the hatred. We’ve become the scapegoats.” Watching the berserk original residents in the alley, ready to break in at any moment, Bei Yao quickly searched for a suitable weapon.

But as outsiders, they were bound by rules. They couldn’t leave the house after 7 PM, couldn’t actively attack original residents. Couldn’t run, couldn’t fight. Severely restricted.

Bai Ke: “But why us…”

Bei Yao: “Probably the same principle as water flowing downhill. We have the lowest combat effectiveness among these players. The berserk NPCs have converged on us.” She tried to rationalize this absurd situation, giving herself a reason.

“Lowest combat effectiveness? How is that possible? We have Lai—… I mean, my cousin is here…” In his panic, Bai Ke looked at Su Lai. From Su Lai’s calm expression, he saw hope.

Su Lai: “I’m just a delivery guy. Not good at group brawls.”

Bai Ke: … A bucket of cold water dashed his hopes.

Lai-ge’s bike only had one seat on the back. If he ran, would he take him? Wait, as players, they weren’t allowed out at night. They couldn’t run.

The group of irrational original residents started banging on the doors and windows with their weapons. The previously gossipy neighbors finally fell silent. No doubt they were now pressing their ears to the walls, waiting to watch the excitement next door. Some across the alley had even carried out small stools and were sitting by their windows, ready for the show.

“Wang Chunying, hand over those two outsiders hiding in your house, or we’ll break down your doors and windows!” The berserk NPCs, wielding cleavers and hammers, banged on the door as they shouted.

Two outsiders? Bai Ke and Bei Yao looked at each other. Finally, they both looked at Su Lai. Had this mob missed one person?

At the same time, Wang Chunying and Uncle Wang’s gaze also fell on Bai Ke and Bei Yao. Their murky eyes rolled calmly, sweeping over Bai Ke, giving him goosebumps.

Finally, Wang Chunying turned to Su Lai. “Little Four, should we hand them over?”

Hearing this, Bai Ke and Bei Yao’s hearts trembled. They looked pleadingly at Su Lai.

Su Lai thought for a moment. “Mom, doors and windows are expensive, right?”

Wang Chunying’s expression was blank. “Very expensive.”

Hearing this, Bai Ke’s heart sank.

Uncle Wang’s hand was already on the lock, ready to open the door. Su Lai said: “Uncle, wait.” He turned to Bai Ke and Bei Yao. “If our doors and windows get broken, will you pay for replacements?”

Bei Yao and Bai Ke were stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

“Brand new ones.” Su Lai added.

They nodded even more vigorously, almost shaking their heads off their necks.

Bai Ke: “Buy the most expensive ones for Auntie.”

It was a bit pitiful, but survival was paramount right now.

Su Lai: “Okay. Got it.” “Once you step through my door, you’re family. Give them up? No way!”

Bai Ke was his non-blood-related cousin. Bei Yao was a tenant who had paid a hefty sum to stay in his house. Whether out of sentiment or financial sense, they were partners he couldn’t abandon.

“Good. Mom gets it too.” Wang Chunying completely respected Su Lai’s decision. Since he said not to hand them over, they would fight to the end. “Little Four, you go back to your room first. Mom will hold off these scumbags.”

The banging grew more intense. The entire self-built house shook. Wang Chunying tried to hand her cleaver to Uncle Wang. Uncle Wang shook his head and calmly pulled out his trusty watermelon knife.

“Mom, these people are crazy. Can you and Uncle handle it?” Su Lai had already rolled up his sleeves.

Wang Chunying’s eyes rolled. “Mom will find a way.”

“Haven’t fought in a long time. Let me have a go too.” Su Lai figured, since he couldn’t gain player benefits, doing things players couldn’t do would make it worthwhile.

Like beating the crap out of these arrogant neighbors and calming their restless, agitated bones.

Su Lai indeed wasn’t good at group brawls. He was good at taking on multiple opponents alone.

When he was young and foolish, he’d mixed around in the alleys. He’d fought as many fights as he’d eaten meals. But as an adult, he’d become civilized.

In the adult world, fighting couldn’t truly solve problems. But under special circumstances, fighting could teach the other party a lesson.

The moment the door lock was smashed, with a dull thump, Su Lai grabbed the clothes-drying pole and swept it towards the uninvited guests.

The crisp sound of bamboo striking wrist bones rang out repeatedly. The enraged neighbors fell to the ground. But these berserk neighbors were no longer ordinary people. Like rubber men, they felt no pain or fear. As soon as they fell, they bounced back up and attacked.

Bai Ke and Bei Yao watching from the side were stunned. If they’d known Lai-ge had these skills, why had they bothered chasing Pervert Xu and the gambler brothers? Just fight them directly!

Wait… weren’t players not allowed to actively attack NPCs? Was what Lai-ge was doing okay? Bai Ke was caught up in the heat of the battle and the confusion of cognition, finding it hard to process.

Wang Chunying wasn’t idle either. She used the flat of her cleaver to hit the neighbors’ restless hands and feet. Although she looked fierce, she was holding back. She wasn’t actually trying to cut them with the sharp edge.

Just then, Bai Ke and Bei Yao’s system prompts simultaneously sounded——

[Attention! You and your companions are frantically testing the boundaries of the rules. If you do not stop your violent behavior, a greater crisis may emerge.] [Warning! The berserk neighbors’ anger value is highly contagious. If the current situation is not resolved promptly, more uninvolved residents may join the melee.]

What the hell? Berserk could spread?

But negative emotions do indeed spread most easily in a group. When one person expressed anger towards you, there might already be a group behind them ready to deal with you. Thinking about it, it made sense.

The phone with no signal in Su Lai’s pocket vibrated non-stop. The rubber-man neighbors briefly fell to the ground. Su Lai took the opportunity to glance at the screen. His phone was like a virus had hit it. Countless small pop-ups with exclamation marks jumped out——

[Please stop your violent behavior!] [Please cease your behavior of beating neighbors!] [Please stop swinging that drying pole! Berserk neighbors are not moles!]

So much noisy spam. But the system had given him an idea. He could beat the neighbors like playing whack-a-mole.

Thinking this, Su Lai gave another two whacks to berserk neighbors trying to get up. The feeling was great—crisp thuds. He was almost getting a rhythm going.

『I’m not a player. Why can’t I beat up neighbors?』 『Don’t I have the right to go berserk too?』 He questioned the system via text message, with complete justification.

The system was stunned for half a second by his question, then replied in a business-like manner——

[Important reminder! Regardless of your identity, the neighbors’ anger value is highly contagious. If the current situation is not resolved properly, more uninvolved residents may join the melee.]

The unknown number sent him three messages in a row. The urgency was clear.

Su Lai suspected the system was worried that his special identity combined with unconventional actions might crash the system, so it was trying every way to send him warnings.

Su Lai was good at taking on multiple opponents. But if all the neighbors watching nearby joined the melee, relying only on physical combat without any skill buffs, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Plus, given the neighbors’ tense relationship with Wang Chunying, if it truly escalated into a full-scale brawl, it would be very unfavorable for their family. He had to consider his “mother’s” future life.

After a moment’s thought, Su Lai put the drying pole behind his back. “Let’s stop fighting for now.”

Hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned. The berserk neighbors, just beaten down, lay stiff on the ground, looking at Su Lai and the pole in his hand with half-doubt.

Su Lai remembered the hidden skill he had forcibly activated not long ago: 「Money Makes the Ghost Turn the Mill」

People were fickle. That morning, he’d complained about the skill’s less-than-one-percent success rate, saying he’d rather play scratch-offs. That night, he was thinking about how to activate the skill at minimal cost.

[Skill Note: Under special circumstances, the skill user can spend a significant amount of money to resolve an imminent crisis.] [Initial usage success rate estimate: 0.99% (This value fluctuates greatly, varies from person to person, for reference only).]

The 0.99% initial success rate fluctuated greatly, changing with external conditions. Undoubtedly, the biggest variable in this skill was the amount of money that could be paid to the “ghost.”

As long as the money was right, let alone making the ghost turn the mill, you could make the ghost get milled by the mill.