I looked up and was speechless at the scene before me.

Zhaozhao's upper body retained its human form, while its lower body was a massive intertwined snake tail.

And there was not just one, but it seemed like there was another one on the snake tail upon closer inspection.

One of them kept spewing blood, which was the one that had just been cut off by Dad.

The smooth and tender skin had turned into rough and horrifying snake scales at some point.

Zhaozhao roared with an open mouth, its sharp teeth visible on both sides.

He rushed towards Dad on the ground, obviously having lost his sanity.

No wonder everyone who had seen Zhaozhao before had gone mad.

It turns out that through long-term development and my feeding, he had unknowingly evolved into this terrifying appearance.

"Save me, Anan, save me."

Dad's feet were already wet, and he curled up and desperately hid in the corner, looking at me for help.

Seeing this scene, I burst into laughter like a madman.

"Dad, weren't you going to teach my little brother a lesson? I'm just waiting to see it."

"Anan, I'm your dad, this beast is a monster. How can you bear to watch me die?"

Zhaozhao became even more agitated, its thick snake tail sweeping things off the room and making a loud noise, then it locked onto Dad's neck.

As I watched the snake tail slowly tightening, Dad's face had turned purple, unable to make a sound, I shouted, "Zhaozhao, stop!"

My younger brother's action did not stop.

In a desperate situation, I tentatively said, "I'm Anan, stop."

The air seemed to stagnate, and Zhaozhao's movement stopped, then after a moment, the snake tail loosened.

Zhaozhao looked at me again with that familiar gaze.

A surge of air rushed into my brain, and I stood there as if I had crashed.

From a long time ago, I felt familiar with that gaze, as if I had seen it somewhere.

But I could never recall it, or perhaps I couldn't believe it from the depths of my heart.

But just now, the expression of my mother and the countless times Zhaozhao looked at me with those eyes overlapped so much, it was so similar.

"Mom, is that you?"

I watched a tear drop from Zhaozhao's eye.

I cried too, crying with excitement.

She really was my mother.

But she was also Zhaozhao at the same time.

Even though I didn't dare to believe it, it seemed like the truth was just like that.

After being bitten by Zhaozhao many times, he always looked at me with that kind of gaze.

I used to think it was because Zhaozhao and I were close siblings, never thinking much about it.

So it turns out they are one and the same. Mom couldn't control Zhaozhao from hurting me, so she could only watch me in pain.

"So, was it also you that night? The death of Lao Li?"

The snake tail swayed, and she nodded, looking at the man sitting on the ground with resentment.

Dad's chest rose and fell, breathing heavily, with a lot of fear on his face. "You, are you really Qin Qin? Did you kill Lao Li?"

Then he became delighted, "Qin Qin, you've really come back? Look, it's me, we're husband and wife."

Mom looked at him with a complex expression.

Not wanting to look at his hypocritical appearance, I lowered my head and confirmed, "That night, did you allow Lao Li to come to my room?"

With a support, Dad became arrogant and sneered, "What else do you think? A worthless person like you, it's your honor to earn a little money."

"You clearly agreed to it during the day."

"So what? I called Lao Li here, just to accompany him for one night, and he even paid me double the price. I was just curious, why did he disappear that night? It turns out he was killed, just a vagrant. No one knows when hevanished."

I couldn't control the anger in my heart anymore, and I rushed towards Dad, punching him in the face.

"You bastard! You sold your wife to someone else for money and caused her death!"

My fist hit his face, and blood spurted out from Dad's nose.

He held his face in pain, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"You... you dare to hit me? I'm your father!"

"Father? You're not worthy of being called a father!"

I continued to punch him, venting all the grievances and anger that had accumulated over the years.

But suddenly, I felt a strong force pulling me away.

I turned around and saw Zhaozhao, or rather, my mother, looking at me with tears streaming down her face.

"Anan, stop. Don't hurt yourself."

Her voice was hoarse and filled with pain.

Seeing her like this, I stopped my fists. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at her.

"Mom... Why... Why did you become like this?"

She let out a bitter laugh, "It's a long story, Anan. But now, the most important thing is to stop your father. He's dangerous, and he'll only bring you harm."

I nodded, wiping away my tears. "I understand, Mom. I won't let him hurt you anymore."

Together, we made a plan. We would find a way to escape from Dad's clutches and start a new life away from his abuse and manipulation.

With newfound determination, I looked at my mother, who was now part human and part snake, and said, "Mom, no matter what form you're in, you're still my mother. I'll protect you."

She smiled, her eyes filled with gratitude and love. "Thank you, Anan. I'm so glad to have you as my son."

And with that, we took our first step towards freedom, leaving behind the darkness and cruelty of the past.