After Backstabbing The Villain, The System Allowed Me To Enter The Book Again - Chapter 34

“But still, I should thank you.” Shen Huaixin tilted her head, her slender fingers lightly patting Shen Chumo’s face in a mocking way. “If not for you, how else could I monopolize our parents’ love in the future?”

“No, I am—”

“You’re a monster, silly cripple.” Shen Huaixin pinched his swollen cheek until it was deformed. “What, you still want to argue? Do humans recover that fast? Or do humans live without dying?”

“……”

In the dream, Shen Chumo was both an observer in the third person and someone who could clearly feel the pain inflicted upon him. He stared at that face—familiar yet unfamiliar—his doubts growing stronger and shaking the very foundation of his existence. The dream began to crumble; countless streams of black bl00d seeped through cracks at the top of the dreamscape, dripping onto both of them.

Neither of them noticed. Shen Huaixin’s face twisted hideously as bl00d dyed her features: “You came here to fight for the inheritance, didn’t you?”

“I…” Shen Chumo murmured in a daze, “I just wanted to make Mom happy. I came to repay…”

Shen Huaixin impatiently cut him off: “Say it however you like, but in the end, you just wanted to steal what isn’t yours.”

The unseen cracks widened, sticky bl00d tearing into strands as it surged into the narrow basement, flooding it until nothing remained but bone-chilling cold and suffocating despair. The feeling wasn’t physical—it came from deep inside the heart.

When Shen Chumo opened his eyes, he realized he was still alive. Sometimes he couldn’t tell dream from reality—they were too similar. Only when he saw the real Shen Huaixin did the world feel solid again.

…Who was he? Wasn’t he “Shen Chumo”? Wasn’t he… human?

He groped for his phone aimlessly, his mind in a fog—unsure whether he wanted to find a sense of belonging in the vast internet, or just distract himself with something, anything.

Then his gaze froze on the latest message.

Shen Huaixin had asked him: What did you write for the essay?

Bl00d surged in his mind; for a moment, he couldn’t even remember. After a long pause, he typed out two characters.

Shen Chumo: “Anchor Point.”

That night, Shen Huaixin slept unusually deep. Even upon waking, she felt as if she were still inside a dream, her mind sluggish, her body heavy.

Was it lack of rest? Or mental exhaustion?

She lazily rolled around in her princess bed, buried her head in the pillow, and didn’t want to think at all. She even considered faking sick to skip school.

【System: Host, last night the basement’s pollution factor spread slightly. You’ve been lightly contaminated.】

【Shen Huaixin: ! So this is what being contaminated feels like? How fascinating!】

【System: Once you reach severe contamination, you’ll turn into a pollution source and lose control of your body. So please make sure to complete your backstab mission soon after the outbreak.】

【Shen Huaixin: Ah, right right… I’ll sleep a bit first… Zzzz…】

【System: ……】

After finally pushing the lazy Shen Huaixin out the door, Shen Mother yawned, planning to go back to sleep. At that moment, the doorknob clicked with the sound of an automatic unlock.

“Forget something, Xin?” She smiled, untying the apron at her waist.

But when no reply came, she turned—and froze. Standing at the doorway was the child she only acknowledged in name, her other son. Her face immediately cooled. When Shen Chumo walked closer, she stepped back, her voice cold:

“Still not in school this late? Planning to make me lose face by being tardy?”

“…Mom.”

That word only made her colder. Disgust, loathing, revulsion—emotions surged inside her until she almost gagged. But when she saw the fear on Shen Chumo’s face, a perverse satisfaction rose within her.

That was the only reason she still kept this bastard around.

“Chumo,” she sneered, her tone sharp enough to cut, “the basement wiring’s shorted and the power’s out. But you don’t use it anyway. Saves us some electricity.”

“Now, hurry to school. Don’t forget to bring Xin’s dessert.” She pulled a pudding from the fridge and handed it to him, of course without preparing one for him.

She expected to see jealousy or hurt flash across Shen Chumo’s face—but to her disappointment, he only pressed his lips together in silence, distracted, as if his mind was elsewhere. Finally, he whispered:

“Mom… am I… your child?”

His voice trembled, fragile and on the verge of breaking.

“……”

Shen Mother’s face darkened. “What are you implying?”

Relief flickered through Shen Chumo. Maybe he had been overthinking—letting the dreams get to him. His mother treated him so well, how could he have doubted her…

But the next second, her voice lashed out sharp as a blade—

“Bastard. And you still have the face to ask?”

Shen Chumo froze.

—

Shen Huaixin felt wrong all over that morning. Half-asleep through classes, her mind kept drifting, random thoughts flooding in no matter how she tried to focus.

【System: Host, your phone is ringing.】

The ringtone chimed right on cue. Shen Huaixin slipped the phone into her pocket and snuck out of class.

Finding a quiet corner, she called back. “Hello, who’s this?”

“Ah, hello! Is this Miss Shen?” A confident young male voice spoke quickly. “I’m a copyright agent with Source Creative Culture. We saw your singing video—it was stunning! We asked around for your contact info. Coincidentally, I live in your same community. If it’s convenient, I’d like to visit and discuss copyright cooperation.”

“Thanks, not interested.”

She was about to hang up, but he hurriedly added: “Please wait, Miss Shen! Whatever you need, name it—we can work it out!”

“No need. That song isn’t my original, so there’s no copyright to discuss.”

As she spoke, sudden static crackled in her ear. Her brows furrowed at the strange, eerie noises bleeding through—like bones twisting out of joint, fabric tearing—

“My… original…”

“Sir, are you alright?”

“Copyright… all mine… mine…”

The call cut out. Not hung up—just lost signal.

Shen Huaixin froze, still gripping the phone.

The sky dimmed, just like the sinking weight in her chest. The months of campus life, the laughter with friends—light as bubbles, bursting the moment something felt wrong.

The system’s voice came.

【System: Host, it’s time to complete your final mission.】

Already…? So suddenly it was almost unreal.

【System: Do it quickly, before widespread panic begins. Otherwise the roads will be jammed.】

The thought was absurd. Countless lives at stake, and the system calmly analyzed traffic conditions.

But it was right. She immediately called her driver, ordering him to pick her up at once.

Though he tried to dissuade her from skipping class, Shen Huaixin insisted, taking full responsibility. He eventually agreed.

On the way, she called everyone at home—her mother, Shen Chumo, even her father on a business trip—but all numbers were dead. That’s when she remembered: pollution interfered with electromagnetic waves, and could even hijack or disrupt them.

Had Shen Chumo’s outbreak already blacked out the area’s signals?

She sat in the car, checking the time every few seconds. The driver noticed her anxiety in the mirror. “Miss, something urgent?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “Please drive faster.”

The driver chuckled. “Relax. With my twenty years’ experience—”

Before he finished, a loud BANG! rang out ahead. The luxury car braked hard; inertia threw them forward before settling. The driver’s face stung with heat. He coughed awkwardly.

“Looks like a crash ahead. I’ll go check.”

Shen Huaixin knew the danger of contamination. She grabbed his sleeve, refusing to let go. “Don’t. Just drive around.”

“Alright.” He obeyed, steering around. As they passed, he glanced at the wreck—bl00d and flesh smeared across the car hood.

It was so quick a glance he didn’t notice the pulsing, writhing mass of flesh slowly trying to crawl into the cracked chassis. Even if he had, he might’ve thought it a trick of the eye.

“Damn, that’s gruesome. Miss, don’t look—you’ll have nightmares.” His heart pounded as he looked away.

“……”

The mutation was happening too fast. In such a short time, contamination had already become visible to the naked eye. And the closer they got to home, the heavier it grew.

Soon the driver began coughing, his driving unsteady.

Not wanting to endanger him, Shen Huaixin pressed through dizziness. “Let me out here. Your driving’s making me carsick—I’ll walk. And don’t come in sick to work, I’ll give you a day off. Rest at home.”

“Maybe it’s my hypertension acting up. I’m dizzy… need to take my meds.”

He shook his head, trying to stay focused. But the pedestrians on the street doubled in his vision—though only their heads. Frail shoulders now carried two identical heads, heavy and grotesque.

“My bl00d pressure’s so high I’m hallucinating…” he muttered, parking the car. “I really do need to rest.”

Shen Huaixin opened the door. The moment she stepped out, she felt the air pressure shift—breathing grew labored, her thoughts unraveled, emotions churned violently. Tripping over a stone nearly made her explode with rage, and she kicked it hard, sending it flying.

Her chest heaved as she forced herself to calm down, teeth clenched.

“Mom, Chumo—wait for me.”