His words immediately caused a stir. All the staff at the stalls selling braised pork in the cafeteria stuck their heads out at the same time.

The students wearing black masks and holding plates of braised pork also looked at us with complex and malicious eyes.

Under such scrutiny, I could hardly control my trembling.

The middle-aged woman looked at me ominously, "Are you also not eating braised pork because of these rumors, classmate?"

I have never been so panicked.

"No, Auntie, I'm just on a diet."

I tried my best to control my expression.

That boy turned his head towards me, his eyes filled with anger.

"You're all cowards! I don't believe the school will be controlled by these monsters!"

"You choose to live in fear, but I won't! Come on, you disgusting monsters, come and kill me!"

The expressions of those things became even more hideous. I saw the uncle buying braised pork across from me take out a shiny bone-chopping knife from the cutting board.

It was so impulsive... If the monsters in this cafeteria went berserk at the same time, the scene would be unimaginable.

The auntie serving the food had an increasingly ugly expression.

I started sweating in my palms. Zhang Lin and the others had already taken their food and sat down, anxiously looking at me, but no one could come over to help.

At that moment, Yu Shuang stood up.

She walked over with a plate in her hand and swiped her meal card at the stall next to me.

A beep sound.

"Auntie, give me some meat, more please, I have a good appetite."

She had sweat on her forehead too, but she tried to show a sincere smile.

The auntie smiled and took her plate.

"Sure, little girl, I'll give you more, I promise my hand won't shake."

After serving the meat, she took the plate and quickly crossed her other hand over my arm.

"Let's go, let's go eat, everyone's waiting for you."

We took a few steps, and the feeling of being stared at by a group of monsters suddenly disappeared.

Yu Shuang almost leaned her entire body against mine.

Her legs were weak too.

As we sat down, Zhang Lin cursed angrily.

"Damn it, is that guy an idiot?"

I looked at that boy.

He realized belatedly, regretting it, and sat on the ground, trembling in fear.

The auntie from the cafeteria approached him with a plate of braised pork, and I couldn't hear what she said to him.

Then, with a look of shock and fear, the boy picked up a piece of braised pork from the plate, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole.

The auntie nodded in satisfaction.

After two or three minutes, the cafeteria returned to normal.

The boy lay next to the trash can, vomiting incessantly.

I saw several students wearing black masks, their eyes fixed on his back.

We looked at the plate of braised pork in the center of the table.

"What should we do with this meat?"

Yu Shuang made a disgusted expression.

"I wanted to save Yao Yao earlier, we definitely can't eat this meat. Let's get rid of it."

I nodded, "Wait until there aren't many people in the cafeteria before disposing of it. Otherwise, if it's discovered, who knows what might happen."

When lunchtime was almost over, the three of them covered for me from behind while I poured the plate of braised pork into the trash can.

Fortunately, no one noticed the movement.

In the afternoon, we went to the cafeteria to get our food.

One figure wearing a black mask stood out, holding a plate and quietly lining up like everyone else, gazing absentmindedly at the braised pork in the plate.

He turned his head and glanced at me, and that glance almost made my scalp explode.

It was the boy from lunchtime who almost caused the monsters in the cafeteria to go berserk.

He had also been assimilated!

In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through my mind.

Finally, I couldn't help but think about what had happened earlier in the cafeteria. The boy's defiant words, the reaction of the monsters, and the strange behavior of the auntie serving the food. It all seemed connected somehow.

I decided to approach the boy cautiously during lunchtime. As I walked toward him, I could feel the tension and unease in the air. The other students seemed to be aware of his transformation as well, and they kept their distance.

"Hey," I called out, trying to keep my voice steady. "Are you okay?"

The boy turned his head slowly, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and confusion. "I... I don't know," he stammered. "Something is happening to me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "After I ate that braised pork, something changed. I can hear them, their voices in my head. They're telling me things, horrible things."

I felt a chill run down my spine. This was even worse than I had imagined. "Who are they? What are they saying?"

"I... I don't know their names," he replied, his voice barely audible. "But they're the ones behind all of this. They're controlling the cafeteria, the food... everything."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It sounded like something out of a horror movie. "We need to do something about this," I said firmly. "We can't let them continue to control us."

The boy looked at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "But how? We don't even know who they are or how they're doing it."

"We'll figure it out," I said, determination filling my voice. "We'll start by gathering more information, observing their actions, and finding others who may have experienced the same thing. Together, we can uncover the truth and put an end to this."

As we talked, more students started to approach us, cautiously joining the conversation. They had overheard our discussion and shared similar experiences. It became clear that we were not alone in this struggle.

From that day forward, we formed a secret group, dedicated to unraveling the mystery behind the cafeteria and the strange occurrences. We called ourselves "The Resistance." We conducted covert investigations, collected evidence, and shared our findings with each other.

Over time, we discovered that the cafeteria staff had been replaced by shape-shifting creatures who fed on human emotions. They manipulated the food to induce fear and control the students. The braised pork was just one of their methods.

Armed with this knowledge, we devised a plan to expose the truth to the entire school. We gathered undeniable evidence, including witness testimonies, recordings, and even samples of the manipulated food.

On a day when the cafeteria was filled with students, we confronted the monsters, revealing their true forms and their sinister plot. Chaos ensued as students and staff members reacted with disbelief and horror.

But we were prepared. The Resistance members had strategically positioned themselves throughout the cafeteria, ready to distribute leaflets containing the evidence we had gathered. We urged everyone to stay away from the food and to spread the word.

Our actions sparked a wave of realization and resistance among the students. The monsters' influence began to wane as more and more people refused to eat their manipulated food.

In the end, the school administration had no choice but to investigate the matter. The monsters were exposed, and steps were taken to ensure the safety and well-being of the students.

Although it took time, courage, and sacrifice, we had succeeded in freeing our school from the clutches of the monsters. The cafeteria returned to normal, and the rumor of the braised pork gradually faded away.

Our experience taught us the importance of questioning, critical thinking, and standing up against injustice. The bond we formed during that challenging time remained strong, and we continued to support each other in future endeavors.

Years later, we looked back on our time in the cafeteria with a mix of gratitude and reflection. It was a chapter in our lives that had shaped us, reminding us of the power of unity and the strength of the human spirit.