[Task Triggered: Win First Place in the Parent-Child Activity]
[Task Reward: 100 Eerie Power, 1000 Points]
[Task Failure: No Reward]
Upon arriving at the kindergarten, Li Ran triggered the task.
“There are quite a lot of people.”
Li Ran noticed that many people were standing on the playground.
It felt like returning to the real world.
However, he was very clear that these were all monsters infected by the virus.
“Li Ziyang, this is your dad.”
At this moment, a fat man walked up to the school gate and rudely sized up Li Ran.
Behind the fat man was a tall, muscular man who stood at about 1.9 meters.
Li Ran frowned slightly and glanced over at the fat man and the muscular man.
[Fat Tiger]
[B-Class Mental Infected]
[Eerie Power: 70]
[A school bully in the kindergarten, reckless and enjoys bullying weaker children.]
[Defeating him once would deal a heavy blow to his arrogance.]
…
[Fat Tiger’s Dad]
[B-Class Mental Infected]
[Eerie Power: 330]
[A fitness enthusiast who spends a lot of time in the gym, relying on protein powder to achieve the perfect body shape.]
[However, there’s no need to worry. Your strength will easily handle him.]
Li Ziyang trembled when he saw Fat Tiger and quickly hid behind Li Ran, frightened.
“Li Ziyang, even if your dad came, it’s useless. My dad can knock your dad down with one hand.”
Fat Tiger laughed loudly, showing no respect for Li Ran.
Fat Tiger’s dad glanced at Li Ran disdainfully, not taking him seriously at all.
Seeing this, Su Bingyao was enraged. “This child has no manners at all. He really needs a good lesson.”
“It’s fine. I’ll make sure they won’t be laughing later during the competition,” Li Ran said, his eyes flashing coldly.
After waiting for a while on the playground.
“It’s an honor for all the parents to participate in this parent-child activity at Happy Kindergarten. Next, we will begin the competition with two events. Parents and children, please actively participate. There will be rewards for the first place.”
At this moment, a woman dressed in a shirt and skirt stepped onto the platform in front of the playground. The woman, wearing high heels, made her legs appear even longer and more slender.
The shirt on her upper body was stretched tight, revealing a very well-endowed figure.
Li Ran’s gaze swept over and he was immediately surprised when he saw the hint.
[Kindergarten Teacher Zhang]
[A-Class Mental Infected]
[Eerie Power: 160]
[Su Bingyao’s best friend in the past, but their relationship became distant after marriage.]
[While serving as a teacher, she is erratic in her moods, very strict with the children, and frequently administers corporal punishment.]
[Reminder: That strange baby was a gift from her.]
The hint from the system left Li Ran feeling utterly shocked.
When Su Bingyao saw Teacher Zhang, a complex expression appeared in her beautiful eyes.
Actually, until now, Li Ran had been puzzled.
He didn’t understand why his son’s teacher would give him a strange baby and call it a nutritional supplement.
That strange baby was still placed on his son’s bookshelf.
In Li Ziyang’s drawings, there were also hints about the teacher’s corporal punishment of students.
“On the day I entered the eerie world, my son was punished with corporal punishment after school.”
“Forget the punishment, what’s the deal with giving a strange baby?”
“Didn’t Su Bingyao notice anything strange about that baby? Doesn’t she suspect anything?”
On the stage, Teacher Zhang was introducing the activities for the competition.
Li Ran turned to Su Bingyao and asked, “Has she been sending things to our house?”
“Yes.” Su Bingyao frowned slightly and said.
Li Ran now understood. No wonder Su Bingyao didn’t find the strange baby suspicious.
Because she had gotten used to it. She had become accustomed to the strange things Teacher Zhang kept sending to their home.
“Why is she sending us things?” Li Ran asked.
Su Bingyao opened her lips as if to speak but stopped, eventually shaking her head. “I’m not quite sure. I just feel like she has a lot of hostility towards me now.”
“Hostility?”
Li Ran couldn’t understand why two good friends had become almost like enemies.
Before he could ask more, Teacher Zhang’s voice rang out, “Let’s now start the first event: the Balance Bridge.”
“Each family will form a team, with two members. Draw numbers, cross the balance bridge, and the four families with the best results will enter the final competition.”
“The game starts now!”
Everyone followed Teacher Zhang into the kindergarten.
Soon, they arrived beside a swimming pool.
The pool was about one-third the size of a normal swimming pool. In the center of the pool was a swaying single-log bridge. During the competition, the contestants would stand on opposite ends of the bridge and shake it, trying to knock their opponent into the pool.
It’s worth mentioning that the pool was filled with countless terrifying piranhas, looking starved. Their huge mouths full of sharp teeth floated on all sides.
Seeing this scene, Li Ran felt his scalp go numb.
However, aside from him, not a single person showed any sign of panic. On the contrary, they all looked exhilarated, itching to jump in.
"Each family, please send one representative forward to draw a number," Teacher Zhang shouted. Her assistant stepped up, holding a box.
Everyone came forward to draw their numbers. Li Ran drew number eight.
It was a two-versus-two format. He would be going up against number seven.
The first pair of families stepped onto the balance beam bridge.
At the sound of the starting signal, the two families on the beam instantly transformed into four terrifying monsters, tearing into each other.
The sight completely shattered Li Ran’s previous understanding of what a parent-child game was supposed to be.
“Looks like the fish are going to have a good meal today,” Teacher Zhang’s assistant said excitedly.
At that moment, Family 1 was overwhelmed by Family 2 and fell into the water.
In an instant, the entire pool boiled over. Within moments, the water turned red with blood.
Family 1 lost—so thoroughly that not even a scrap was left behind.
Li Ran couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Soon, it was time for the third group.
Fat Tiger and his father were Group 5.
There was practically no suspense—Fat Tiger’s dad single-handedly smashed the heads of the father and son in Group 6 and won easily.
As Fat Tiger’s dad walked off the stage, he locked eyes with Li Ran with a taunting glare and swiped a hand across his own throat. “Soon, your head will pop like a watermelon too.”
Li Ran naturally ignored the provocations from Fat Tiger and his dad.
“Group Seven, Group Eight—please get ready,” Teacher Zhang shouted.
Li Ran patted his son’s head. “Son, it’s our turn.”
The two of them began walking toward one end of the balance beam.
Just then, Teacher Zhang stepped forward and stopped them.
Li Ran asked in confusion, “Teacher Zhang, what’s this about?”
“All the earlier matches were father-child duos—no couples yet. Don’t you all want to see a husband and wife go head-to-head?” Teacher Zhang called out loudly, locking eyes with Su Bingyao as if it were no big deal.
“Yeah, let’s change it up a bit! Otherwise, it gets boring,” one parent said.
Teacher Zhang’s assistant added, “Groups Seven and Eight are both family trios—why not send all three up together?”
“Whoa, now that sounds fun! The fish will eat well too!”
A cold glint flickered in Teacher Zhang’s eyes as she turned to Li Ran and said, “Ziyang’s dad, you don’t mind, right?”
Ha!
Only now did Li Ran realize the “good intentions” behind Teacher Zhang’s suggestion.
Su Bingyao had said Teacher Zhang had it out for her. He hadn’t quite understood before—after all, they used to be close friends. How much hostility could there really be?
Now he understood just how deep that hostility ran.
She wanted his entire family dead.
Seeing this, Fat Tiger immediately began jeering from the audience. “Li Ziyang’s dad is too scared~”
The kids quickly joined in the heckling.
“Li Ziyang’s a loser, and so is his dad! Their whole family are losers!”
Hearing this, both Li Ziyang and Su Bingyao’s expressions turned icy cold.
Teacher Zhang looked at Li Ran with a half-smile and asked again, “No problem if your whole family joins, right?”
“No problem,” Li Ran replied in an icy tone.
Su Bingyao looked at him worriedly. “Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Li Ran said quietly, “It’s okay.”
Li Ziyang was in a terrible mood—his entire face looked like it was cracking apart.
“Son, do you trust Daddy?” Li Ran asked, placing a hand on his son’s head.
“I trust you!” Li Ziyang said firmly, locking eyes with his father.
With Li Ran’s encouragement, both his wife and son looked noticeably calmer. More importantly, they trusted Li Ran completely to win.
“Will both families please get ready!” Teacher Zhang shouted.
The family in Group Seven was already standing at one end of the balance beam.
Li Ran led the way, with Li Ziyang in the middle and Su Bingyao bringing up the rear.
It wasn’t until they stood on the beam that they realized just how narrow it was—barely the width of a shoe. You had to alternate your feet just to stay balanced.
And below them were countless, tightly packed piranhas.
They pressed together frantically, jaws wide open and full of teeth, waiting for food to fall from the bridge.
Once they were steady, Li Ran turned to his wife. “Honey, protect our son. Leave the rest to me.”
“Okay.”
Li Ran turned his gaze toward the family from Group Seven.
All three of them were Class B psychic infectees.
The parents both had eerie power levels of 180. The child was at 60.
Group Seven’s father glanced at Li Ran with disdain. “I was the champion of the balance beam event last year.”
His son looked up at him with admiration. “Dad, go easy on them later, okay? Li Ziyang’s a weakling, so his dad must be too. It’ll be boring otherwise.”
Li Ran stared at them coldly. “No need to go easy. Just play seriously.”
“He told me not to go easy! Isn’t that hilarious?” Group Seven’s father called out to the crowd. “If I get serious, I bet their family won’t last three seconds.”
“Where does Li Ziyang’s dad get that confidence?”
“Group Seven’s dad is a master on the balance beam! Other than my dad, who’d dare say they could beat him?” Fat Tiger said arrogantly.
“Maybe Li Ziyang’s dad is a hidden expert too, haha!”
The crowd looked on like it was just a show, expressions full of schadenfreude.
Looking at the mocking faces around him, Li Ran finally understood why his son had grown so dark and twisted inside.
Hostile teachers. A school full of corporal punishment and bullying. Even a mentally healthy child would be warped in an environment like this.
“Start already—I can’t wait to see them fall in and get torn apart,” Group Seven’s dad taunted, beckoning to Li Ran with his hand.
Their whole family crouched low, adopting a tense, combat-ready posture like wild beasts about to pounce. Their eyes gleamed with savage light.
They gave Li Ran a provocative glare, intending to show him the gap between their levels and their professionalism.
Li Ran simply sneered in contempt. "Hmph, pretending to be something!"
(End of Chapter)