<!

-- 001 Similar to Chu Xuan's 'Protagonist' -->

001 Similar to Chu Xuan's 'Protagonist'

Previous Chapter Table of Contents

"Who am I?"

"XX!"

Asking such an idiotic question is in itself idiotic. Who doesn't know who they
are? Of course, the question isn't just about the name. At the very least, you
should know who your parents are, where you come from, where you are going, what
meaning your life holds, and what you're expecting from it. Is there any way to
leave this world...

It's hard to imagine these asinine questions constantly swirling in someone's mind,
like a persistent fly you can't swat away, a veritable Tang Sanzang of insects.
This started when Zou Hang was three years old and continues to this day, his 18th
birthday. And he still hasn't solved the puzzle.

Indeed! Zou Hang, now 18, has reached the height of 1.8 meters, which is good.
However, his weight of 50 kilograms can only be described as sickly and fragile for
a boy of that height. What's more, even in the 32°C+ summer heat, his complexion
remains as fair as a woman's – something women envy – and he possesses a
captivating and alluring face. And most damning of all, his hair has been pure
white since birth. Considering all of the above, it's understandable that the
townspeople, young and old, call him a monster or an abomination! ==|||

In reality, even the most incomprehensible problems eventually find resolution.

Besides, these questions have plagued him for so many years, there's no urgent need
to solve them now. However, with his senior year of high school nearing its end,
and the final wish of his late guardian about to be fulfilled, he truly feels lost.
At this moment, he regrets not suggesting that the deceased old man change his
dying wish to his graduation from college. Without a spiritual anchor, without
faith, Zou Hang has no purpose in life. His only thought is escape. But he can
never choose to die, or rather, truly die...

There's no need to resort to cliché phrases about "blue skies and clear weather,"
because the current weather is the prelude to a summer thunderstorm. A
suffocatingly gloomy sky in the early morning is an ominous sign.

On his way to school, the streets are lined with vendors hawking their wares.
Occasionally, women argue with vegetable sellers over a few cents. Outside the
Guangyun Restaurant, several luxury cars are parked, and inside, nouveau riche-
looking old men escort heavily made-up young women. From time to time, a beggar
fawns over these wealthy individuals, and if they are pleased, they toss him a few
coins, which makes him smile from ear to ear. If they give him nothing, he curses
them for being stingy! Perhaps it's his imagination, but Zou Hang feels that the
people outside are suddenly looking at him with malicious intent, even the passing
elementary school students grin at him with bared teeth. The feeling is akin to
reading about "cannibalism" in the history books in Lu Xun's *Diary of a Madman*.
But upon closer inspection, it seems like it was all an illusion! The surroundings
are the same as usual, and no one looks sinister. Still, Zou Hang frowns slightly;
the feeling of danger from before can't be a lie. He trusts himself, even if the
whole world says he's paranoid and mistaken. He only trusts himself.

Apart from the old man who has passed away, he doesn't trust anyone in this world!
Along the main road leading into the school gates are several large trees, and the
surrounding trimmed lawns feature flowerbeds spelling out "Yuying Education."
Several teaching buildings stand side by side like elevators, each with corridors
and balconies on every floor. Rows of ginkgo trees encircle the buildings. In the
middle of the open space in front of the buildings, there is a pavilion, artificial
rocks and an artificial river.

Logically speaking, this town shouldn't have such a luxurious school, and even more
unlikely is that this luxurious school would admit him, the town's publicly
acknowledged "monster," for free! However, when Zou Lao was on his deathbed, he
almost tearfully pleaded with a former student of his who had become wealthy and
funded the construction of the school, who is now the principal of this private
school, to give him this opportunity. But in the principal's eyes, although he
equally detests Zou Hang, as a successful businessman, he is well aware that this
"monster," who never smiles, only sleeps in class, yet always gets perfect scores,
is a bragging right for him.

"Plague! I heard you were eating shit again yesterday. Are you still hungry today?
I just went to the bathroom, didn't flush, kept it all for you!" There's no need to
investigate who said such nonsense. Because everyone here constantly subjects Zou
Hang to malicious attacks.

"Among humans, 25% have a brain development reaching 8% or above. 74.9% have a
brain development of 5%, but 1‰ can reach 12%." Zou Hang still ignores the insults.
He mutters, equally bored, some "nonsense" that changes every day and is
incomprehensible to others!

"That damn beast! He's talking nonsense again! Looking at his white hair, I'm
telling you, his father must have raped a sow to give birth to this beast. Haven't
you seen that pig hair is the same color as his?" Up roars laughter from the crowd,
everyone is accustomed to it, and no one tries to prevent the insults.

"Live like brilliant summer flowers, die like serene autumn leaves. Heaven and
Earth are the transient lodging of all things, and time is but a passing traveler.
Nothing in this world is yours. As Su Dongpo said: I forever lament that this life
is not my own." The murmured words still have no meaning, nor can they conceal the
tide of sarcasm and ridicule...

Everyone gets tired eventually, and students have to attend class. Zou Hang was
about to slump on the desk to sleep, so that he could waste his life as quickly as
possible, when he suddenly heard the pitter-patter of rain. At the same time, the
familiar sense of crisis transmitted from the nerve endings to his brain. His
fleeting gaze caught a glimpse of a scene. The teacher in professional attire on
the podium, and the people in various clothes around her who liked to insult him at
will, all focused on him with piercing eyes, their mouths turned up in a sinister
smile as if they wanted to devour him.

In that instant, Zou Hang saw it clearly, although it returned to normal the next
second. Zou Hang knew that incredible things would happen soon. Although his
current thoughts and feelings might seem like fantasies in this peaceful world, Zou
Hang never had what others considered normal thoughts. He felt the crisis, but he
was instantly relieved. He even hoped that someone could kill him completely and
tell him what it was like to live and what the meaning of life was. What was he
expecting from life? Then he slumped on the desk and fell asleep!

...Could it be that Zou Hang's wish was finally fulfilled? His whole body was weak
and numb. His mind was clear but also dazed. He could feel that he still existed,
but he didn't know if he was still alive. He knew he had never had this experience
before. Even in death, he had never felt this way!
Was he dreaming just now? This question suddenly arose in Zou Hang's mind. "Dream"
was a familiar yet forever foreign word. He had never dreamed before, so he wasn't
sure if the feeling was what others described as a dream! Zou Hang knew everything
about himself, but now there was one more problem to be solved.

Zou Hang opened his eyes. Transformation begins here...

Previous Chapter Table of Contents

<!-- 002 Game Start -->

002 Game Start

Table of Contents

He lazily glanced around, his mind momentarily blurring the classroom environment
in his memory with the present reality. But after a few seconds, he snapped out of
the confusion. The building itself hadn't changed, but time seemed to have frozen.
He couldn't feel the slightest breeze. The rain outside the window was as if it
were captured in a still frame. Most importantly, those annoying people were all
motionless. Seemingly out of nowhere, a person stood beside him, while several men
and women lay scattered haphazardly around his immediate vicinity.

The person standing was facing away from Zou Hang, but the moment Zou Hang opened
his eyes and began to survey his surroundings, the figure whirled around abruptly,
a look of surprise in their eyes.

"You're the first to wake up. I wouldn't have expected such quality from a
newcomer!" A cold voice emanated from the person. Zou Hang didn't respond
immediately. Instead, he began to scrutinize him. Short black hair. Regular
features. A tall, imposing physique. Though not bulging with obvious muscle, the
contours beneath his tight leather jacket suggested agility. The calluses on the
index finger and palm of his right hand indicated an experienced gun user. His eyes
were sharp, and you could vaguely feel an aura like a sharp arrow. Based on these
observations, Zou Hang arrived at the conclusion that this person was strong. In
fact, based purely on instinct, this was the most formidable individual he had ever
encountered. Even though Zou Hang had spent his entire 18 years living in a small
town, this dark-haired man was at least on par with the professional soldiers he
had seen in his mind.

"It's possible that something unimaginable has happened around me without my being
aware of it. But you must know something I don't. Of course, it's fine if you don't
tell me. If something that concerns me is about to happen, and you want to tell me,
I'm listening." With that, Zou Hang slumped back down on his desk. Regardless of
what was happening, it had nothing to do with him, but he wasn't sleeping. He had a
very strange feeling. And somehow, a device resembling a watch, yet not quite a
watch, had appeared on his wrist. It was made of an indescribable material. The
crystal was completely transparent like a crystal, but the middle part looked like
an LCD display, only it was blank!

"You surprise me again. Don't worry, I'll tell you everything right awa..." Just
then, the people who had been lying unconscious on the ground began to stir,
awakening with looks of bewilderment as they scanned their surroundings.

The dark-haired man turned to look at them and said, "You're all awake! Good, I can
tell you all at once, saving myself the trouble of explaining it one by one. Listen
carefully to what I'm about to say. I'm only going to say it once! You are no
longer in your former world. Think of this place as a dimensional space. You are
the chosen ones, transported here when you were questioning the meaning of your
lives, to begin a terrifying challenge. It could be a horror film or disaster movie
you're familiar with. This time, it's a relatively obscure horror film called 'The
Cold People.' Based on our current numbers, four men and two women, this should be
an easy task. You're lucky!" After speaking, he smiled at the dumbfounded group,
signaling that they could ask questions.

"Is it like playing an online game? Killing monsters, doing quests, dying,
respawning at a revival point, and then continuing to play?" The speaker was a
skinny young man who appeared to be quite young. He was probably someone who spent
all his time playing online games and was now eagerly rubbing his hands together,
preparing to go all out in the virtual world.

The dark-haired man flicked his hair with his hand and said, "I don't know if it's
like an online game, but you will feel pain, you will be injured, you will die, and
you're wrong. After you complete this horror film, you'll enter another unknown
one. You may or may not have seen it. Every time, the 'Main God' brings in new
members – all kinds of people – to fill the spots of those who died in the previous
film. Each time, the number ranges from six to twenty. In other words, 'The Cold
People' is a very low-risk film, which is why there are only six of us."

"If someone dies, do they exit the game? Can they come back?" the skinny man asked
again.

The dark-haired man sighed, forcing a wry smile. "I don't know where you go when
you die. But I don't want to die. If you want to know, go back and ask your
ancestors buried in the ground where you'll end up." The dark-haired man spoke
nonchalantly, but the moment he finished, his words frightened everyone, except for
Zou Hang, because he really was an exception. After all, everyone is afraid of
death.

"You're scaring me..." The skinny man didn't finish his sentence before the dark-
haired man kicked him to the ground. Instantly, he drew a silver-white pistol from
his waist. Anyone with a bit of knowledge about weapons or who liked playing
*Counter-Strike* could recognize the menacing gleam of a Desert Eagle. The skinny
man collapsed onto the ground in front of the silver muzzle, his white pants
becoming soaked with a large wet patch.

"Anyone who wants to die can speak up now. I can send you to your deaths for free.
Otherwise, you'll get to experience being torn apart piece by piece and swallowed
whole by zombies or beasts, or being thrown into a meat grinder."

"What are we supposed to do now?" A pleasant female voice came from the side. A
slender girl with shoulder-length hair stood there, but her face was covered by an
incongruous white mask, leaving only her eyes and mouth visible.

Anyone seeing her for the first time might be intrigued by the mystery of her
masked face. However, at the moment, everyone's attention was focused on the
bewilderment brought by the dark-haired man's words.

"You do believe me now? You are the second person I've been impressed with." The
dark-haired man stood up and smoothly holstered his Desert Eagle. "Look at your
wrists. You all have a watch like this. It will tell you what your mission is!"

With that, everyone looked at their wrists. Zou Hang also watched his change. The
watch, which had been blank, emitted a faint white glow. On the screen, the
following was written: Survival Points: 0. Time until the start: 20 minutes. Number
of Cold People: 10. Kill 1 Cold Person: +10 Survival Points. Number of Non-Cold
People: 1020. Kill 1 Non-Cold Person: -100 Survival Points. Number of Personnel: 7.
Kill 1 Person: -1000 Survival Points. Mission Objective: Survive for 24 hours.
Reward: 1000 Survival Points. Area: School.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 003 The Misfit -->

003 The Misfit

Table of Contents

"Can I ask some questions?" the masked girl finally spoke.

"My pleasure, please do!" The black-haired man gestured like a gentleman.

"Based on the watch's information, I can deduce some things, but I'm still unsure
about certain aspects. Let's treat our current situation like a game. The survival
points we earn by killing the 'Cold Ones' or successfully completing the mission
are like HP amplification. If we run out of survival points, we die. Right now, all
of us newcomers start with zero. But we haven't died yet, and killing non-Cold Ones
or mission personnel costs us survival points. So, if our survival points go into
the negative, we die too! That's all I can figure out. But considering the huge
survival point rewards for completing the mission, I suspect there might be other
uses for them as well!" Zou Hang observed the masked girl. While her reasoning
wasn't as complete as his own, it had merit. At least, while the others were
panicking, she was able to think calmly about the situation, which was rare.

The black-haired man nodded at her approvingly. "Not bad at all for a newbie.
Looks like you won't be dragging me down. What you said is pretty much on the
mark. If your survival points are negative when you leave a horror movie scenario,
you're instantly eliminated. Survival points have many uses, but primarily they're
like money that you can use in 'Heaven' to buy things from the Main God. The more
valuable the item, the higher the price. And some even require side quests ranging
from D to S rank."

"Tell us more about these side quests. They sound important," Ji Li interjected.

Jiang Hai continued, "Heaven is another space where we rest, resupply, and
recuperate after completing a horror movie mission. In Heaven, you can exchange
points with the Main God for many things. For example, this Desert Eagle with
unlimited ammo only costs a hundred points. Besides that, there are four core
attributes that determine a person’s overall abilities: mental strength, cell
vitality, neural reaction speed, and muscle tissue density. An average person's
strength in these four areas isn't uniform. Muscle tissue density can be seen as
your basic physical attack and defense. Mental strength determines your non-
physical attack and defense capabilities after learning magic or immortal arts.
Cell vitality is your ability to heal and resist damage. For example, when you're
injured and bleeding, platelets will clot to stop the bleeding and prevent blood
loss, and if your cell vitality, your immunity, is strong enough, you can develop
antibodies to fight off viruses like the common cold, chicken pox or even cancer.
Neural reaction speed is easy to understand, and includes the perception of your
various senses and your reflexes. These attributes are quantified based on your
inherent qualities. For an average person, they're probably only around 0-20 points
each. In other words, if you survive this horror movie, you could make yourself
twice as strong as you are now, but it would be unwise to just throw all your
survival points into improving your attributes. Using survival points to exchange
for attribute points is expensive, and you'll need them for many other things. With
side quests, you can spend a small amount of survival points to exchange for
special equipment and items, like laser swords, quantum cannons, or even vampire or
werewolf bloodlines, which don't exist in the real world. With those, you can get
through most horror movies relatively easily. However, side quests are rare. It's
all up to chance, they're very difficult, and completing a side quest could alter
the main quest, making it much harder. It's easy to drag others down with you and
get everyone killed, so I'm warning you not to change the plot recklessly, or
else..." He punched an empty table, demonstrating his point. The wooden tabletop
and iron frame were smashed and broken in two.

"How can we go back to our old world?" another girl, who had been silent for ages,
suddenly asked, her spirit seemingly revived by the noise, blurting out what
concerned her the most.

"I have good news and bad news for you. Let's start with the good news! 50,000
points will get you back to your original world!" The black-haired man played it
up.

The girl seemed to see the smiling face of victory. The helpless and lost
expression she had was thrown to the wind. Only the masked girl said thoughtfully,
"50,000 survival points to go back. Based on this horror movie, the final reward
is 1,000 points. I don't know what the mission is, but since it's called a horror
movie, it definitely won't be easy to get through unscathed. Even if we survive,
it will come at a great cost. So, 50,000 / 1,000 = 50. I don't think I can survive
that long without a scratch."

"Bingo! You're sharp, indeed. My bad news is that, as far as I know, nobody has
ever made it out! And my partners from the last horror movie all died. I’m the only
one left. I don’t even know how much longer I’ll live. But your worries are
unnecessary. No matter how badly injured you get, as long as you don't die, you can
use survival points to heal yourself completely back in Heaven, restoring you to
your current state. I'll tell you a secret. If you really can get 50,000 survival
points and return to your old world, you won't need to envy Spider-Man or Superman
from the movies. The weapons, items, and abilities you exchanged for will be
retained and brought back with you."

His words may have given everyone a glimmer of hope in an instant, but when they
thought about the 50,000 survival points, their expressions became even more
dejected. It was like having a bucket of hot water poured on them in winter – a
brief moment of comfort, followed by a much faster freeze.

After saying all this, the black-haired man looked at his watch and said, "Not much
time left. The horror movie's about to start. I'll answer more questions when we
have time. Has anyone seen this movie? Knowing the plot would be a huge help in
keeping ourselves safe and completing the mission!"

The black-haired man’s words struck at the heart of the matter. That statement was
more helpful than all the information he gave before. After all, it related
directly to the immediate challenge. If it was a horror film with a known plot, no
matter how difficult, at least there was a chance of survival.

After a minute of silence, the black-haired man started cursing the "Main God."
The few people present, including himself, could only stare blankly. After all, in
a game with completely unknown rules, any step taken unknowingly could lead to
immediate elimination.

"What should we do when things get started?" the masked girl broke the silence.
"Damn! How am I supposed to know?! Who would have thought that the damned Main God
would throw me into a horror movie I've never even heard of! The unknown is the
real terror! If this 'Cold One' thing was like the zombies from Resident Evil, it
would be better. Now we can only take things one step at a time," the black-haired
man complained and then sighed. But his sigh made everyone's hair stand on end.
Resident Evil? Zombies that are only a mass of decayed flesh hungry for more. You
might as well kill yourself if you meet one. However, in the black-haired man's
mind he was thinking: those T-virus infected ones, even though they're strong, at
least he can handle them with his only firearm, the 'Desert Eagle', those zombies
are slow moving and he could run away if he can't win. If he ran into a Sadako or
The Grudge-style inexplicable supernatural horror movie, his life would be over.

The new recruits were about to ask something else, when a synthetic voice without
any emotion echoed: "Cold Ones, start! Main quest: Survive for 24 hours. Area:
School." As the voice faded, the time-frozen world around them returned to normal.
Air flowed, and the students in the classroom who were facing away from everyone
showed signs of life.

"It's started. Newbies, as a veteran of several horror movies, stick close to me

later and be vigilant for any hidden dangers. I'm Jiang Hai! Tell me your names."
The black-haired man straightened his clothes as he spoke, moving towards the
classroom door.

"Ji Li," the masked girl responded first.

"Bai Hong," another girl said her name.

"Wang Jun," the skinny guy spoke.

"Chen Jianzhou," a voice came from the corner. It came from a young man of about
25, built sturdy, who had been sitting quietly on the floor listening to everyone's
conversation since waking up. He stood up as he spoke, revealing that he was nearly
1.9 meters tall. His face was ordinary, but he gave off an aura of strength.

"Zou Hang," said Zou Hang, who had been lying on the desk since he first spoke to
Jiang Hai. If he said nothing, he was indistinguishable from the surrounding
students. Everyone's eyes focused on him. Jiang Hai looked away first and said,
"Let's go! Let's familiarize ourselves with the surroundings."

As soon as he finished speaking, a voice came from the podium: "Director Jiang,
what are you doing here? Huh? Why are you all standing there? Class has started, go
back to your seats!"

Everyone was stunned. Jiang Hai, however, immediately blurted out, "Oh! That's
right. There were some matters at the Academic Affairs Office, so I'm taking these
students there." Then, he whispered to the others behind him, "When you enter a
horror movie, you're given a corresponding role. I must be the school director, and
you guys are students." The others nodded at his explanation. The teacher on the
podium didn't say anything, and clearly accepted it.

"You guys go first! I'll stay here!" The words came from Zou Hang, still lying face
down on the desk, showing no intention of following them.

Jiang Hai frowned. He had given a comprehensive explanation of this world. The Main
God had also notified him that he had received a reward of 100 survival points. As
a veteran of several horror movies, he had seen many people who didn't believe. Of
course, the only ending for these types of people was death. However, Jiang Hai had
a strange feeling about this senior high school student, though he couldn't put his
finger on it.

"Be careful," Jiang Hai said, leaving the classroom first. The others were puzzled
by Zou Hang's actions, but they knew that following Jiang Hai was what they should
do.

## 004 Arrival of the Cold People

**Contents**

Now, only the teacher on the podium was splattering saliva as he lectured. The
thunderstorm outside showed no sign of stopping, only intensifying. A student near
the door, finding it too dark, switched on the lights. The contrast made this
morning seem darker than a normal night. There was no starlight to guide the way.
It felt as if one would be swallowed by darkness upon leaving the classroom.

In truth, Zou Hang wasn't entirely skeptical of Jiang Hai's story. He simply needed
to verify certain aspects. Besides, he never put his fate in another's hands.

Based on the information from Jiang Hai, the scenarios they entered were all from
horror films. But Zou Hang had his own theory. This wasn't a horror film at all! He
knew the faces around him, the ones he disliked, better than anyone. He knew this
place, where he'd spent several years, like the back of his hand. If Jiang Hai
wasn't lying, then there must be something happening that even he, Zou Hang, was
unaware of...

"Zou Hang! Are you daring to sleep in class! Wake up! It's senior year. Even if you
get good grades, you should still pay attention! What if the exact question we're
discussing today shows up on the exam, huh?" The voice was loud, coming from the
podium.

Zou Hang sat up. It was the second time today he'd been the center of attention. He
glanced around, noticing that many people were looking at him, their smiles mocking
but not malicious.

"Inconstancy in superiors is not necessarily evil; instability in advancing and

retreating is not necessarily separation from the group. A gentleman cultivates
virtue and studies diligently, wishing to seize the opportune moment, hence he is
without blame," he muttered a few pointless phrases under his breath. Then, in a
habitual movement, he tilted his head to the left. He stood up from his seat and
said, "Sorry! I was up late doing homework last night. I'm going to wash my face to
wake up."

"Go ahead! But don't overwork yourself. Take care of your health!" As soon as the
teacher finished speaking, people were already whispering amongst themselves. Zou
Hang overheard someone say, "He's already so outstanding, and he's still doing
homework. Looks like we have to work harder!"

Leaving the classroom, Zou Hang walked a few steps to the empty terrace of another
experimental building. He always liked to come to this quiet place alone to think.

He must have entered the role Jiang Hai mentioned. He was no longer his former
self. He should familiarize himself with this "new" environment. "Not to stumble on
a mountain, but to stumble on an anthill, means that one should guard against the
insignificant."

Just as he reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs, he saw a WC. The 24-
hour time limit had 23 hours and 30 minutes remaining.

Ahead, around the corner of the corridor, was a figure. Zou Hang stopped, waiting
for the figure to approach. The gloomy, unlit weather shortened visibility. From
the sound of high heels striking the floor tiles, he could tell the approaching
person was female.

It was Xu Xin, the music teacher who used to teach Zou Hang's class. She was known
throughout the school as an unapproachable beauty, 25 years old. Perhaps it was
because she studied classical instruments, but the high-slit qipao she wore suited
her perfectly. With the slightest movement, the hem of her dress opened completely,
exposing her thighs clad in nude stockings to Zou Hang's gaze. Perhaps it was her
prominent breasts and slender waist that enhanced her mature, womanly charm.

Senior year students no longer had required courses outside of the core subjects.
He hadn't seen this teacher in a while, ever since "that incident." Before today,
she had always treated Zou Hang with disdain. But now, that seemed to have
changed...

When Xu Xin stopped in front of Zou Hang, he could clearly see the spring-like
smile on her face. It was a smile she had never given Zou Hang before. Previously,
her expression had always screamed "disgust".

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?" Naturally, someone who
studied and taught music would have a good voice.

"Oh, Ms. Xu! My stomach wasn't feeling well, so I just used the restroom! Is there
something you need?" Zou Hang's answer was straightforward. The restroom was right
there; his words couldn't have been more fitting.

"Oh, really? The first grade class is having class in their classroom today. I was
just looking for someone to help me move the electronic keyboard. Could you help me
with that?" Her smile remained unchanged. He didn't know where the "ice queen"
title came from. Zou Hang had never really paid attention to anyone in the school,
or even in the entire town. A flash of realization crossed his eyes. Zou Hang said,
"Sure! I don't have anything else to do anyway!"

With an elegant turn, just as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. In that
first glimpse of light, you could see that Xu Xin's face had suddenly become
expressionless, then her lips subtly turned upwards in a cold sneer. It was a very
slight movement, and even if an ordinary person were paying close attention, they
might not notice it. By this time, she had turned her back to Zou Hang.

Zou Hang might have been distracted by the lightning. He looked out the window and
said, "Summer is so unpredictable. It can be sunny one moment, and then a
thunderstorm arrives in an instant." After he finished speaking, Zou Hang began to
mutter to himself, using a voice that only he could hear: "Cold person, huh? First
characteristic: a subtle, cold sneer."

"Mm-hmm!" Xu Xin simply responded with a faint sound.

The music room was at the end of the corridor. Xu Xin opened the door and gestured
for Zou Hang to enter. Zou Hang walked straight to the electronic keyboard, turning
his back to her. He silently began disassembling the fixed keyboard stand. Then, a
faint "click" sounded, the sound a lock usually makes when it's being turned. Zou
Hang muttered again, still using only a voice he could hear: "Second
characteristic: they can lure others."

"Ms. Xu, did you just arrive at school?" Zou Hang asked casually as he continued
disassembling the keyboard stand.

Xu Xin slowly approached Zou Hang, taken aback by his words. She said, "I arrived
early. I've been in the office preparing lessons. I'm very busy today, I have four
periods in the morning! Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it was just a question." Not many people came to the experimental building in
the morning. The hallway was very clean, yet Xu Xin had a lot of mud and water on
her shoes. "Third characteristic: they like to lie."

When the electronic keyboard had been separated, Zou Hang turned around. He saw Xu
Xin slowly putting her shoulder-length hair up into a bun, securing it with a
hairpin. Her exposed white neck was somewhat alluring. She kept walking forward,
and in a moment, she was only a few inches away from Zou Hang.

"Looks like you want to make some memories before graduation!" As she spoke, Xu
Xin's left leg, covered in nude stockings, bent, and her thigh began to rub between
Zou Hang's legs. Her arms stretched out, wrapping around Zou Hang's shoulders in an
embrace. But...

She might have chosen the wrong target. She neglected the fact that, faced with
such provocative temptation, Zou Hang's heart didn't race; in fact, he showed none
of the reactions that a normal man would display at that moment. Instead, he tilted
his neck to the side, catching sight of an old scar on Xu Xin's neck. He could
vaguely make out the marks of teeth on it. "Fourth characteristic: very high
intelligence, many tricks. Fifth characteristic: has scars on the body. Probably a
virus, spread through bites." The muttering stopped. Zou Hang was still constantly
probing. It was as if he were an outsider, without any personal bias.

Xu Xin was still "behaving recklessly" with Zou Hang, holding the student tightly
in her arms. Zou Hang tried to break free, but it seemed to be no use. He struggled
with all his might again. This time it should have been for nothing, but Xu Xin
didn't realize that her slender arms seemed to have immense strength. Perhaps it
was because of Zou Hang's movements that Xu Xin reacted slightly. Zou Hang felt
something dripping onto his shoulder. But looking up, he saw that Xu Xin's mouth
was still open. The saliva inside had already told him what it was.

"Sixth characteristic: immense strength. Very strong." After stopping the

muttering, he looked at the face of the cold person, which exuded an aura of
coldness. They were just human on the outside but put in sharp teeth and become the
devil. As if to prove his theory, he said to Xu Xin, who was annoyed by the
interruption, "Today is July 6, 2007. It should be the one-year and six-day
anniversary of your death. If I can, I'll go sweep your grave this year!" Indeed,
anyone in this school would know that the beautiful music teacher had unfortunately
died in a car accident last year. Zou Hang looked at the ordinary watch on his
wrist. If this horror film taking place around him hadn't modified the plot, then
the appearance of this teacher must have some special meaning.

A trademark cold smile appeared, a smile that chilled the heart. Then, in an
instant, the pupils of her eyes turned blue, and her open mouth lunged towards its
target as if propelled by inertia...

"Seventh characteristic: some of them are already dead people. Eighth

characteristic: when attacking targets, the pupil…

www.cmfu.com

Return to Contents
<!-- 005 The Eruption of Inner Evil -->

005 The Eruption of Inner Evil

Contents

(As the saying goes, roads diverge, and stories unfold in separate threads.)

Jiang Hai led the group out of the classroom, a touch of bewilderment clouding his
features. He'd navigated several horror films, each more treacherous and
challenging than this one promised to be. Yet, this "chilling man" scenario was a
complete enigma. He had no grasp of the enemy's capabilities, when they might
strike, or even where they should go. The plot was a blank slate. Even worse, a
nagging feeling – perhaps sixth sense, perhaps paranoia – told him something was
profoundly off. This didn't feel like the horror films he knew. Fear stemmed from
the unknown, but if even he, a seasoned veteran compared to these rookies, was
beginning to feel dread, a total wipeout was all but guaranteed. Regardless, show
confidence and resolve, whether you can back it up or not. The most infuriating
rule was the 100 survival point penalty for killing a non-"chilling man" character.
Otherwise, he could've used his infinite-ammo Desert Eagle to wipe out the entire
school!

After careful consideration, he reasoned that since their mission was to survive
for 24 hours, the most sensible course of action was to find a safe place to sit
tight and let the clock tick down.

They wandered aimlessly for an hour, covering the entire school grounds.

"How about we find a place to rest? I suggest the school supermarket we passed
earlier. They sell food, so we can grab something to eat, and I noticed there are
only two entrances. We could pull down the metal shutters and make it a defensible
position!" Ji Li proposed. The masked girl concealed her face, but her shapely
figure and sharp intellect had allowed her to quickly connect with the others
during their earlier conversations.

"I'm in! I haven't even had breakfast yet," Bai Hong chimed in, agreeing.

Seeing the others nod in approval, Jiang Hai realized they had a plan. He led the
newcomers toward the supermarket.

The supermarket was small, and since it was class time, only one elderly man,
probably in his fifties, was tending the store.

"Ah, Director Jiang, you're here. Why are so many students here during class?" the
old man greeted, mistaking Jiang Hai for a school administrator, as those in this
horror film tend to do.

"Oh, these students haven't had breakfast yet. I'm just bringing them to grab some
bread or something. You know, gotta fuel up for the revolution!" Jiang Hai said,
then turned to the group behind him. "Grab whatever you want to eat! It's my treat,
so don't hold back." Though small, the supermarket was surprisingly well-stocked.
It had everything from school supplies to snacks, demonstrating the school's
dedication to emptying students' wallets. The presence of sanitary napkins in the
school supplies section could only be blamed on the students' playful nature and
was nothing to do with the school.

The two girls took only bread and milk. But the skinny guy named Wang Jun was a
different story, hearing there was a free meal, he grabbed several huge baskets
full of food. How he'd manage to eat that much was a mystery. Jiang Hai wasn't
bothered by his gluttony. He pulled out a wallet stuffed with cash – not just
Renminbi, but also American dollars and British pounds in large denominations.
After paying, they sat down at a nearby table. Wang Jun's eyes gleamed as he stared
at the pocket where Jiang Hai had put the wallet, drooling as he said, "Big
Brother! You're rich!"

Jiang Hai replied, "I exchanged these using survival points at the Main God's
place. One point can buy you 10 million US dollars, or a solid gold brick that's
99.9% pure. I thought it was too much of a hassle to carry around, so I converted a
few points into cash and threw most of it away." His words left the others
speechless. This was far beyond having enough money to buy two bowls of soybean
milk and dumping one. This was buying two BMWs just to smash one.

Seeing the glazed look in their eyes as they began daydreaming, Jiang Hai could
only shake his head with a wry smile. From his observations, he'd noticed Chen
Jianzhou, always sitting in the corner, carefully scanning his surroundings, and Ji
Li, the masked girl with a mysterious aura, both possessed qualities that he found
encouraging. After all, in a horror film environment, it was survival or death. He
glanced at the others, who seemed oblivious to any danger. There was also Zou Hang,
who Jiang Hai considered the most promising of all, but his eccentric behavior made
Jiang Hai lament. Wandering away from the group reduced his chances of survival,
although staying might lead to attack too, but now he was gone and might be dead
for all they knew. To pass the time, Jiang Hai described the mouth-watering "deals"
he'd made, just as they were deep in their stories and mutual admiration.
Meanwhile, something was happening in the school, with a great many people being
affected.

In an ordinary faculty office, empty seats indicated that the teachers were all in
class. However, a slightly balding man in his thirties was chatting with two female
students.

"Teacher! Why did you call us here? Our homeroom teacher was just explaining the
key points for the upcoming exam. If the college entrance exam includes those
questions, we're doomed!" one of the girls said anxiously. But the man wasn't
bothered at all. He soothed their concerns as he spoke. Unnoticed, he casually
locked the office door. Now, only the three of them remained in the silent office.
As he led the two girls to a desk in the corner, a barely perceptible sinister
smile crept across his face.

Another thunderclap echoed outside the window, drowning out the shrill cries of the
girls.

Inside another classroom, the teacher at the podium was filling the blackboard with
notes. It seemed she wouldn't stop until the entire board was covered. As a result,
she couldn't see the male and female students in the back rows entwined and engaged
in a forbidden act of tongue-kissing. While such behavior wasn't unusual among
developing teenagers in schools, one might notice that as time passed, the couples
kept switching partners. Eventually, half of the classroom was engaged in the same
activity. Until one girl suddenly felt a sharp, piercing pain in her back. Turning
around, she saw that a boy’s pupils were emitting a strange, faint blue light, his
lips drawn into an unsettling smile. There was blood on his teeth. Her scream
alerted students in the front row, including the teacher, who turned back to her
class, angry that they were disrupting her important lesson. She was shocked to
find that the students were attacking those crying and screaming. Several people
had closed the distance between her and them. Suddenly, a boy grabbed her arm.

"XXX, what do you think you're doing? Let go of me!" she struggled, but to no
avail, like an ant trying to lift an elephant.

Similar scenes unfolded in different locations. Screams rose and fell in waves,
drowning out the roars of thunder outside. The victims included teachers, students,
school staff, and even the principal. From this, it seemed that humanity, in some
ways, could rival the power of nature.

Honestly speaking, most people are the exception, with many stopping these events
from happening in the beginning.

In a few classrooms, the screams had barely begun when they were discovered. A boy
had suddenly bitten another student's arm. In a conditioned reflex, the victim
punched him. But the boy was a thin little thing, yet he didn't even flinch. As he
prepared to strike again, he was pinned down by several students. While he was
struggling, someone grabbed a desk and smashed it down on his head. When they saw
he wasn't moving, they were shocked to discover that his brains had splattered
across the floor. Although the scene was bloody and caused several faint-hearted
girls to pass out, it proved one thing: these "chilling men" could be defeated.
"Chilling men" seemed to be two or three times stronger than ordinary people, but
they couldn't withstand a coordinated attack. Bashing their heads with blunt
objects also seemed to work.

With a crash, the windows shattered. Someone with sharp eyes suddenly noticed that
the students in the next classroom were smashing their windows and their eyes were
glowing with the same strange blue light. Frantically, the students rushed to block
the openings with desks and chairs.

Students flooded out of many classrooms, some running and screaming while others –
mostly boys – brandished steel pipes ripped from desks and chairs, striking at
their attackers. The school had descended into chaos. It was unclear if anyone
noticed that, among those fleeing or fighting off the attackers, some wore subtle
smirks while others artfully concealed their wounds with their clothing.

The massive commotion inside the school was impossible for the group inside the
horror film to ignore.

But they, too, seemed to be occupied with their own affairs.

Return to Contents

<!-- 006 Those Who Walk in the Shadows -->

006 Those Who Walk in the Shadows

Table of Contents

"Come on, everyone, have some instant noodles! You were just eating bread, but that
stuff doesn't stick to your ribs," the old man who ran the supermarket said,
approaching the group with several large bowls of steaming noodles.

The conversation halted. Several people thanked him. As soon as the noodles were
placed on the table, the skinny guy was ready to devour them. He'd been wanting
some earlier, but without water, the noodles had to sit untouched.

"I never believe in free lunches falling from the sky. Grandpa, even though you run
this supermarket, I'm guessing you still have to pay the school for anything you
give away, right?" Chen Jianzhou said casually, but a closer listen suggested there
was more to his words than met the ear.

Without anyone noticing, Ji Li's gaze, masked by her face covering, had been fixed
on the old man. Suddenly, she spoke: "There's a huge hole in your story. Did you
ever consider that if none of us ate your instant noodles laced with sleeping
pills, the only result would be exposing your true colors?"

Her words immediately put everyone on alert. The skinny guy dropped his plastic
fork as if it were on fire, breaking into a cold sweat.

"What are you talking about! How could there be sleeping pills in there? I have no
grudges against you, why would I want to harm you?" the old man protested.

"The shelf with the sleeping pills is right next to the instant noodles. There were
15 bottles there earlier when you stopped there. But now there are only nine.
Several of us have been here the whole time, and no one else has come in. Taking
too many sleeping pills can kill you. Actually, if you had just taken one bottle,
it wouldn't have been so obvious. Spreading it out among several bowls would have
made us only sleepy. You overplayed your hand," Ji Li declared. With her
explanation, the old man was out of excuses. Caught in his deception, the old man
gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile, and the color of his pupils abruptly
shifted from black to blue. He lunged at Ji Li. At the same instant, the usually
quiet Chen Jianzhou reacted, delivering a palm strike to the old man's chest. The
old man stumbled back three steps. Chen Jianzhou's hands vibrated, feeling numb.
"What a strong body. To only be pushed back three steps by my palm!"

Although the others weren't sure about the specifics of Chen Jianzhou's martial
arts prowess, they had just gotten a glimpse. His palm strike, filled with power,
was undeniably aggressive. The fact that the frail-looking old man was unharmed was
unexpected.

In the midst of the shock, the old man attacked again, swinging his hands and
leaving a deep dent in the metal table. Quick as lightning, he opened his mouth,
his glowing blue eyes focused on Bai Hong, lunging at her. A gunshot rang out. The
Desert Eagle's power turned his head into a burst of blood and brains. The old
man's brain matter and blood splattered everywhere, landing on everyone. The
headless body, propelled by momentum and still spurting blood, collapsed on Bai
Hong, causing her to faint instantly. The skinny guy, Wang Jun, threw up everything
he had eaten earlier.

Jiang Hai, blowing on the smoking barrel of his gun, said, "Just got a
notification. Killed a Cold, received 10 survival points."

Chen Jianzhou said, "So there are still nine Colds left."

"Not necessarily. Check the displays on your watches," Jiang Hai countered.

Everyone looked at their wristwatch-like displays. The other categories remained

unchanged, but the 'Colds' section now read 131. A collective gasp filled the air.

"This mission looks dangerous. If my palm strike had landed on a normal person, it
would have either killed them or seriously injured them, but he was fine. These
Colds are going to be tough. They might be like the zombies from *Resident Evil*!"
Chen Jianzhou said.

"You're not entirely right! It's possible their strength, like the T-virus, has
enhanced them. Judging by his attempt to bite, it might be transmitted like a
zombie infection. Otherwise, they wouldn't have developed so many so quickly. But
those aren't the key points. Didn't you notice? They're like people. They're
intelligent, they have brains, they use poison, and they try to gain our trust to
get close. And from their speed of action, they're just like normal people. This
combination is a hundred times more dangerous than the zombies in *Resident Evil*!
If his eyes hadn't glowed blue when he attacked, we wouldn't have been able to tell
them apart from normal people!" Ji Li's words once again prompted deep thought.
These formidable creatures were continuing to multiply, and there were only 20
hours left.

Another round of screams echoed from outside. The group, snapping out of their
thoughts, started to clean themselves. Jiang Hai said, "We've caused a commotion
outside, haven't we?"

"Does that mean we're in danger here?" Bai Hong asked nervously.

"Not yet! But once the Colds have turned everyone into one of them, we won't be
able to escape," Jiang Hai replied.

"There are still so many people outside. Shouldn't we try to save them? You have a
gun, the Colds shouldn't be a match for you!" Bai Hong said cautiously. Her words
demonstrated her compassion, thinking about saving others even when her own safety
was threatened. Not everyone possessed such selflessness.

Wang Jun disagreed, "Why save them? They're just minor characters in this movie.
Who cares if they die? Right now, we need to focus on surviving the remaining 20
hours."

"No! I don't think so. The Colds are only a tenth of the total population right
now. If we abandon everyone and let them be assimilated, the enemy we face will be
ten times larger. I don't know what we'll do then!" Her face covered by a pure
white mask, there was still no way of seeing the expression on her face as she
spoke, nor could one discern anything other than the literal meaning of her
emotionless delivery. Was Ji Li inherently kind? No one could say for sure. But her
statement, like her previous ones, offered a reasonable explanation. She was
insightful.

The camera pans away from the thoughtful group in the supermarket, surveying the
"holy academy" transformed into a "bloody graveyard." It wouldn't be an
exaggeration to say the place was mostly empty. After several face-to-face
encounters with murderous intent, most of the students and faculty had gathered in
the school's largest meeting place: the cafeteria.

Cafeterias in schools are typically built with multiple access points. That makes
it easy for ravenous students to replenish their energy. But looking at the current
scene, one couldn't help but think of the cafeteria as a strategic stronghold, easy
to defend and hard to attack.

The surrounding classroom buildings formed a natural barrier on three sides. The
only opening was on the east side, which led to a small exercise field. The only
path in was through the ground floor of the main office building. Whether for
aesthetic reasons or not, there was a screen-like structure on the route between
the office building and the exercise field.

This terrain gave the students and teachers hope. But with this arrangement, a fire
would result in very few survivors. It must be said that the "NPCs" in horror
movies have much better mental fortitude and a better attitude. If the scenes of
bloodshed had occurred in the real world, it would have been utter chaos. But the
"people" with malevolent faces and glowing blue eyes near the entrance to the
cafeteria were being worn down by continuous waves of attack. Whenever they
approached the entrance to the cafeteria, they were met by a mob of 10 or 20 strong
students and teachers, enthusiastically wielding metal rods taken from the tables
and chairs. Those who were exhausted retreated to rest and were immediately
replaced. After several rounds of attacks and defense, the Colds near the cafeteria
were almost completely wiped out. Those heroic students, without any direct
admissions incentives, managed to achieve victory with only a small number of
casualties. Those who were bitten were unceremoniously thrown into the warehouse,
separated from the cafeteria by an iron door, to await their inevitable fate.

Based on what they had observed about the Colds so far, one Cold could easily take
on three or four people. Their strength was greater than the zombies in *Resident
Evil*, and their speed was much higher. Most importantly, they were intelligent.
That last point alone made this Cold horror movie twice as difficult as *Resident
Evil*. According to Jiang Hai's description, the storyline with only seven people
shouldn't be so hard. Otherwise, Jiang Hai would be the only one surviving, holding
out in one place, relying on the unlimited ammo in his Desert Eagle. Maybe they had
missed something important.

"The reason humans were able to overcome those enormous creatures and become the
dominant species on Earth is because of the dexterity of their hands, their ability
to use tools, and their intelligence and unity!" Zou Hang, standing alone on the
upper floors of the office building, silently observed the bloody battle below,
muttering to himself. After watching for a while, he turned and walked away
expressionlessly, his steps casual and relaxed as if he were just taking a stroll
in the quiet night. He showed no hint of emotion about the ongoing carnage.

"It seems the Colds aren't very efficient. Maybe their intelligence is limited by
the original rules of the students' minds. They use mops and table legs, but they
can only injure people. If they started a fire, things would be different. It also
seems like they're not united, they don't have a collective consciousness, they're
just driven by instinct. If it continues like this, they won't be able to take
everyone. That would mean that this horror movie isn't that difficult from this
perspective. Unless..." As he spoke, Zou Hang seemed to remember something. Before
he reached the end of the hallway, he glanced back at the people still using sticks
to block the Colds. He vaguely saw several students with subtle smirks playing on
their lips.

## 007: The Rashomon of Lies

**007: The Rashomon of Lies**

**Table of Contents**

The school's towering buildings were interconnected, forming a sprawling network.

Zou Hang wandered aimlessly through them. He encountered other survivors scattered
in hallways and classrooms, each bearing visible wounds. Classrooms, usually
bustling with students at this time, were sparsely populated, with only a handful
of people silently enduring. Some were mangled corpses, their skulls crushed by
blunt force. Others appeared strangely unaffected, but only the "Cold Ones" could
maintain such icy composure in the face of such horror. Before launching their
bloody attacks, they seemed even more docile and tranquil than normal people. As
Zou Hang quietly passed a figure with a chunk of flesh missing from their cheek,
the wound seemingly already healed, the person offered a faint smile and a polite,
"Hello!"

"Hello," Zou Hang replied evenly, not breaking his stride. For a fleeting second,
the black pupils of his eyes flickered with a blue light, then reverted to their
usual darkness. Zou Hang's right hand instinctively went to the left rear side of
his neck, touching the wound there. The crimson flow had slowed to a trickle,
though the bloodstains on his white shirt would likely grow.

He paused outside a classroom. The interior was dim, the murky scene impenetrable
through the grimy glass. But as he peered into the reflection, Zou Hang thought he
caught a glimpse of faint, blue fluorescence deep within his own pupils, only to
have it vanish upon closer inspection. A subtle twitch animated his face, a ghost
of a smile playing on his lips.

(Are these Cold Ones what I am now? Have I become one of them?)

A muffled "thump" broke the silence. The sound was quiet, but Zou Hang's acutely
honed senses and lightning-fast reflexes registered it immediately. He flipped up
his collar to conceal his neck wound and stepped into the classroom. Switching on
the fluorescent lights, he took in the familiar, sterile layout. No one was
visible. The heavy, dull thud, however, suggested something impacting the metal
casing of a TV cabinet.

The rectangular cabinet, nearly two meters tall, was divided into two equal square
sections. A hinged door covered the front of a 37-inch television. Beneath it, two
sliding doors concealed a lower compartment. As Zou Hang approached, he could feel
a wave of excess heat emanating from within, mixed with the "symphony" of rapid
breaths and a pounding heartbeat.

"Squeak..." came a noise. "Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!" a woman's
voice shrieked.

Raven hair, dampened by rain, was nonetheless neatly arranged, cascading down her
shoulders with a touch of artful disarray. Her eyes, once filled with despair, now
reflected a mixture of anguish and desperate hope. Her previously braced teeth were
nowhere to be found revealing a perfectly aligned and lovely set of teeth. A gust
of warm, humid air rushed out from the confined space, carrying with it the scent
of fear. He could see her trembling, her slender, unprotected legs crossed and
drawn up beneath her short skirt, making her appear vulnerable.

"The dark clouds gather, threatening to crush the city. I wonder how many others
are still wandering the edge of this city," he murmured under his breath, barely
audible.

"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!" the woman screamed again. Zou Hang,
a faint smile on his face, said softly, "Quiet down. I'm not one of those monsters.
I'll get you out of here!..."

(A lie! An absolute lie. The third characteristic: a penchant for lying.)

The smile on Zou Hang's face was perhaps the first genuine smile he'd worn in
eighteen years. But it was far from sincere. Whether driven by desperation or
something else, Zou Hang's words seemed to ignite a spark of hope in the girl's
terrified eyes. She reached out a hand, grasping his as if it were a lifeline. As
the pair moved toward the door, Zou Hang abruptly stopped. He switched off the
lights, turned, and faced the girl.

Tears still glistened on her face, her eyes a mix of confusion and fear.

"Surrounded by Cold Ones, opening the lights, opening the TV cabinet... and a girl
just walks out! A setup!" The moment Zou Hang spoke, the world seemed to freeze.
Close your eyes, recreate the scene in your mind. You and a girl stand in a
familiar classroom doorway, the sky outside a monochrome gray, faintly white on the
brighter side, and a solid black on the other. And all around, the Cold Ones are
gathering, their pupils glowing with an eerie blue light.

Two figures are in front of each other. One picked up an hollow iron chair leg
fallen on the ground by someone. One is like a demon with ferocious face revealing
glowing blue eyes in the face of hunger and thirst.

...

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the air filled with the splatter of
blood. The blue light faded from the eyes of the Cold Ones gathering outside,
returning them to their normal blackness. As if nothing had happened, they
dispersed, drifting away as they normally would.

"Li Shuanghong, you were killed by my own hand," Zou Hang said, staring at the
corpse sprawled on the floor, its head crushed by the metal chair leg.

"It should be said that this place is not the school it appears to be, at this
moment in time.

Two years ago, a spoiled, beautiful young woman spread rumors that she had been
assaulted by a notorious 'monster' and 'beast' from this town and attending this
school. A few days later, she was gang-raped and murdered by thugs from the same
town.

Of course, that's just the rumor. No one knows the truth of that event better than
I do.

For some reason, that girl decided to play a prank on the 'monster,' claiming she
wanted to be his girlfriend. But he paid her no attention. She retaliated by
slandering him and hiring thugs to beat him up. Then, she was actually assaulted.
But those who fulfilled her planned assault cleaned the scene, ensuring that the
collected semen samples of those thugs remained on the scene. Li Shuanghong, you
were killed by my own hand! You Cold One!" Zou Hang, expressionless, narrated the
gruesome tale to the disfigured corpse. He absently touched the left rear side of
his neck. The skin was now smooth, as if a new layer of flesh had grown over it,
leaving no trace of the injury normally left after being wounded by the Cold Ones.

(Deception and being deceived.)

However, a new wound, torn and bloodied, had appeared on Zou Hang's left hand,
bearing the marks of teeth. Yet, even this was slowly healing.

"A bite from a Cold One introduces a virus that boosts cellular activity, but also
triggers an instinct to attack non-Cold Ones, perhaps with deceptive maneuvers, or
perhaps through direct assault!" Zou Hang muttered to himself, as he turned to
leave...

"Have you noticed?" Ji Li said, looking at the watch-like device on his wrist. "The
number of Cold Ones isn't increasing; it's actually decreasing. There are only 84
left now."

"Indeed," Chen Jianzhou replied, glancing up from his own device. "It seems the
remaining 700 people in the school are holding their own. Our presence might make
things even safer. In 17 hours and 16 minutes, we'll complete our mission!"

The rain had stopped. The rain clouds that were piled high over the area in the
morning have dissipated. The sky was clearer. Perhaps a sign that the tide was
turning in the team's favor.
**Return to Table of Contents**

<!-- 008 Existence Has Meaning -->

008 Existence Has Meaning

Table of Contents

After eating a little more and resting for a good while, everyone's strength had
returned. Their physical and mental states were somewhat restored. Facing the Cold
Ones, the most potent weapon was, of course, held by the veteran, Jiang Hai. Not
only was his physical prowess superior, but his Desert Eagle with unlimited
ammunition was the only working firearm in the entire school. Even if the school
was overrun with Cold Ones, he was confident he could eliminate them all in a
drawn-out battle. The others weren't quite so formidable. However, Chen Jianzhou,
seemingly having martial arts experience, unscrewed the handle from a mop he found
in the supermarket. Wielding it, he could likely hold off one or two Cold Ones
without much trouble. The group, led by Jiang Hai and guarded from behind by Chen
Jianzhou, with Ji Li, Bai Hong, and Wang Jun in the middle, moved forward in a
single-file formation, resembling a long snake.

Along the way, several Cold Ones, their eyes glowing blue, charged at them as soon
as they were spotted. But even from 100 meters away, Jiang Hai's Desert Eagle
instantly blew their heads apart, harvesting their lives. With him around, it would
be impossible for them to get close without dozens of Cold Ones attacking at once.

Maintaining vigilance slowed their progress. They hadn't gone far in ten minutes
when they heard a rustling sound coming from a small garden beside the road. Jiang
Hai was about to fire when a voice cried out, "Don't shoot! I'm not one of those
monsters. I haven't been bitten!" A petite girl cautiously emerged from behind the
bushes, her appearance somewhat endearing. Her face was etched with panic, stirring
feelings of sympathy.

Jiang Hai didn't lower his weapon. The girl's words weren't enough to completely
dispel their doubts. They knew from the old man at the supermarket that the Cold
Ones were remarkably similar to humans, even identical. Unless they attacked, it
was impossible to distinguish them from ordinary people.

However, mistakenly killing someone was easy, just a bullet. But losing too many
survival points could lead to their annihilation even after returning to Paradise.

They were at a loss. The others in the group were racking their brains. Bai Hong
thought for a moment and said, "I don't think this girl is a Cold One. Besides,
it's dangerous for her to be out here alone. Why not let her join us? We're looking
for other survivors anyway."

Chen Jianzhou countered, "Our safety comes first. Their lives aren't our concern.
If she really is a Cold One, letting her join us would be disastrous! I strongly
object."

"What do you all think? Let's hear your opinions," Jiang Hai asked.

For some reason, despite being a veteran of several horror films, Jiang Hai, after
explaining the nature of the Main God and horror films to the new recruits, always
seemed to defer to their opinions. It wasn't that democracy was bad, but the others
already saw him as their team leader. A leader couldn't lack decisive decision-
making ability.
"Let her follow behind our group," Ji Li suggested. "With us clearing the path and
watching over her, she won't be in much danger. As long as she keeps her distance,
we'll be safe too."

Finally, Wang Jun, perhaps because he didn't have a girlfriend, and seemingly quite
taken with the girl's looks, couldn't take his eyes off her. In the end, Jiang Hai
agreed with Ji Li's suggestion. Chen Jianzhou also nodded in agreement.

The school was luxuriously built, larger than typical schools. The faculty likely
enjoyed generous benefits, as evidenced by the small parking lot near the school
gates. Although there were only one or two Mercedes-Benz, there were also a dozen
mid- to low-range cars. According to Zou Hang's memories, the school seemed
different, perhaps the horror film had slightly altered reality. Otherwise, a small
town with low tuition fees couldn't support such extravagance. Why the discrepancy?
What was this place originally?

Every existence should have a purpose.

Zou Hang had essentially explored every part of the school and began to ponder the
nature of this place. Noticing a perfectly undamaged car, he approached the school
gate with a sense of experimentation. He went to open one of the fan-shaped iron
gates, but was met with a mechanical, synthesized voice: "Leaving the school is
prohibited. Violation will result in immediate elimination."

His left foot, still suspended in mid-air, was withdrawn. He turned back.

(If leaving the school is forbidden, what is the purpose of these cars? Are they
meant as shelters or merely for aesthetic purposes?)

He walked to a water faucet by the playground and turned it on. The playground was
damp from the recent rain, but the water had little effect on the rubberized track
and luxurious buildings, all of which were surrounded by plastic surfaces. Only a
chilling wind rustled, creating a stark and desolate atmosphere.

The water flowing from the faucet was scalding hot, steaming. Zou Hang was almost
burned. He turned on the cold water tap beside it and rinsed the blood and brain
matter splattered on his shirt, but it didn't help much.

Bloodstains weren't easily removed. He looked at the scars on his arm, which had
healed seamlessly, as if they had never been there. The new skin matched his
original complexion, fair and radiant. The spots of blood splattered on his pure
white clothes and snow-white hair resembled red plum blossoms, giving Zou Hang an
almost bewitching beauty.

When conscious, Zou Hang's mind never stopped working. Continuous operation had
become an unalterable habit. He might have been constantly recording or
calculating. At that moment, it was as if something clicked. Combining what he had
seen, anticipating the unpredictable factors, he formulated a plan to achieve his
desired outcome. A slight smile played on his lips, but it lacked the coldness of
the Cold Ones.

"We're probably getting close. I can hear a lot of noise over there." Although the
horror film had slightly enlarged Zou Hang's former school, it wasn't a world-
renowned university, so it couldn't be so exaggerated that students needed to take
buses to go from the classroom to the restroom. Jiang Hai, the experienced veteran,
had keener hearing than the others. Even though he had only exchanged a small
number of survival points, he was still beyond the capabilities of an ordinary
person. At that moment, the team he was leading was approaching the office
building.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 009 Pay Attention to Everything Around You -->

009 Pay Attention to Everything Around You

Contents

"The one at the back is a Cold Person!" The voice came from nearby, unremarkable in
tone and not particularly loud, yet carried a weight in this campus teeming with
hidden dangers. The team remained vigilant, knowing that danger lurked right behind
them. The tension was enough to paralyze someone with fear.

Several pairs of eyes turned simultaneously towards the source of the voice. At the
same instant, Jiang Hai's Desert Eagle locked onto the target. Surviving a
harrowing horror movie had given him more than just enhanced abilities and survival
points; he had gained an extraordinary calm and an unyielding will to live – a
burning courage to survive.

Zou Hang, ignoring the others' surprised and curious glances, kept his eyes fixed
on the girl trailing behind the group.

"You're still alive! I thought you'd long..." Bai Hong's words were filled with
astonishment. In her mind, this loner had long been "sentenced to death." She
wasn't alone in this assessment. Even Jiang Hai hadn't held high hopes for Zou
Hang. Having survived too many near-death experiences, he firmly believed in the
limitations of individual strength, especially for a newcomer. Experience had
taught him that survival lay in teamwork and relying on others. In the previous
horror film, newcomers who had refused to believe or accept the reality of their
situation died without ever knowing what hit them. In that nearly-total wipeout,
only he and a few seasoned players had managed to escape alive through their
combined efforts. He deeply understood the value of a strong, cohesive team.
Although this "Cold Person" film wasn't terribly difficult, and his Desert Eagle
with unlimited ammo and enhanced physical abilities gave him a good chance of
surviving alone, he had kept the promising newcomers close, protecting them, hoping
to recruit them as permanent allies.

Zou Hang had made the best first impression on him. His sudden appearance now
brought a flicker of joy mixed with a touch of suspicion.

The skinny Wang Jun was perhaps the happiest when the girl joined them. She was
exactly his type, and her alluring appearance stirred a protective instinct within
him. He had completely disregarded the initial safe distance and spent the entire
time by her side, showering her with attention and chatting her up. Hearing Zou
Hang's words, however, sparked resentment and defensiveness. "What do you know?" he
snapped. "Who knows where you've been hiding and crying this whole time! Do you
even know anything? Cold People have blue eyes! Besides, we killed a bunch earlier!
Don't spout nonsense if you don't know what you're talking about."

Zou Hang didn't argue. The others seemed to agree.

"Have you all forgotten the old man guarding the supermarket?" Ji Li said quietly.
Recalling the old man's initial friendliness, the unprovoked attack, and the
eventual discovery of his true nature sent shivers down their spines. Apart from
the blue glow in their eyes when attacking, Cold People were indistinguishable from
ordinary humans. Perhaps they had grown accustomed to being attacked by Cold People
with blue eyes. The mention of the old man triggered a fresh wave of fear.

Everyone refocused their attention on the girl, preparing to attack. Only Wang Jun
remained by her side. Hearing herself being discussed, the girl clutched Wang Jun's
arm in fear of being attacked. Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded, not
daring to cry out loud, "I'm not one of those monsters, please don't kill me!
Brother, please save me, don't let them hurt me... please!"

Sometimes, a woman's tears are more effective than a drawn gun. If there had been
any hesitation before, Wang Jun was now determined to be her knight in shining
armor.

Her words were either contradictory or born of an innocent heart. Ji Li, watching
the girl's helpless expression, seemed to soften. "Maybe she really isn't one," she
said. "Even though Cold People can deceive, there's no proof that she's one of
them."

Jiang Hai considered the deception aspect. If the girl was a Cold Person, she could
pose a significant threat, attacking when they were off guard or distracted by a
horde of others. To survive and protect the newcomers, he considered whether he
should spend the 100 survival points to kill her. After all, the initial rule
explanation came with 100 points, and he'd already earned 80 from killing Cold
People. He then looked at Zou Hang, wondering how he had identified the girl as a
Cold Person. He had been alone for the past few hours – how had he survived? What
if he was lying? Should he kill him outright? But there was no evidence he had
turned into a Cold Person, and killing a teammate cost 1000 points.

As Jiang Hai wrestled with his decision, Zou Hang noticed a subtle, almost
imperceptible smirk. The girl's head was slowly, almost ghostlike, moving behind
Wang Jun. Wang Jun, however, was still flushed and glaring fiercely at the others.
He was oblivious to the fact that his ridiculous trust and sympathy were about to
betray him. He hadn't fully grasped what a horror movie meant. Death was so close.

"Agh!" With a bloodcurdling scream, Wang Jun desperately tried to break free, but
his right arm was firmly clasped in the girl's grip, like an unshakeable handcuff.
He stumbled and fell. His face was contorted with pain and disbelief. He stared
into the girl's mesmerizing blue eyes and blood-red mouth, the corner of which was
smeared with a chunk of flesh and blood. The excruciating pain in his right
shoulder blade told him where that chunk had come from.

Wang Jun frantically tried to escape, but the seemingly delicate, porcelain hands
had the strength of vises, rendering his struggles futile. Terror twisted his face
as tears and snot mingled together in a pathetic display of raw fear. The primal
instinct to survive drove him to scream and beg for help.

They had missed the earlier carnage between students and teachers in the school
because they had been holed up in the supermarket. The old man's attack had
frightened them, but they had recovered, and no one was hurt. But this sudden turn
of events left the two girls stunned. Death wasn't just something that happened to
characters in the film; it could happen to them.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out. Gun smoke dissipated as the girl's head exploded. The
Cold Person was dead. Jiang Hai's momentary distraction had cost Wang Jun a bite
and lost them the opportunity for an early shot.

"And the one on the ground!" Zou Hang had already rejoined the group. As Bai Hong
moved to check Wang Jun's wound, Zou Hang raised an arm to stop her.
Chen Jianzhou watched the scene unfold, his face impassive. He had warned Wang Jun
not to touch the girl earlier; he brought this on himself! While he felt a twinge
of sympathy, he knew that anyone bitten by a Cold Person was infected. Wang Jun
would soon turn into an enemy. Death was his only escape. This wasn't Resident Evil
where they could find a T-virus antidote. One less threat meant a slightly better
chance of survival.

Wang Jun lay helplessly on the ground, paralyzed by the nearness of death. Just as
he was about to celebrate his near-miraculous escape, Chen Jianzhou's wooden staff
plunged into his chest, piercing his heart and sending blood spurting. He was dead!

Chen Jianzhou's single blow had ended his suffering quickly, demonstrating his
proficiency. Zou Hang noticed that the staff had seemed to rotate as it pierced
Wang Jun's chest.

The sudden violence shocked the others. A life had been extinguished so abruptly.
Bai Hong began to sob. The others remained calmer. Ji Li comforted Bai Hong, her
voice lacking deep sorrow, merely a sigh with few words. But unseen behind her
mask, her brow was furrowed, her lips seemed to have been bitten raw, as if she was
struggling to endure something, and she was sweating profusely, gripped by intense
fear.

"How did you know that girl was a Cold Person?" Jiang Hai turned to Zou Hang. He
felt sorry for Wang Jun's death, but in the endless cycle of horror films, death
was as commonplace as eating. He was more intrigued by Zou Hang's actions and felt
wary of him.

They clearly didn't understand the Cold People, or they would have noticed that
subtle smile.

Zou Hang walked over to the girl's headless corpse and yanked up her skirt,
revealing her pale thighs and pink panties. The others gasped. Bai Hong's face
flushed red. "What do you think you're doing, you pervert?" she demanded.

Ignoring her, Zou Hang flipped the corpse over and pointed to a small scar on the
inside of her thigh. "Besides the blue eyes that appear during an attack, every
Cold Person has a scar. I suspect the 10 Cold People indicated on our watches are
the ones who were already Cold People. The ones who became Cold People later have
scars from the bites. I saw this scar on her thigh just now. If you don't believe
me, you can check the others to see if they have the same scar. And if you think I
might be a Cold Person, I'll strip naked and let you search me!" Zou Hang glanced
at Jiang Hai, whose Desert Eagle was still at the ready, pointed at him with only a
slight movement.

Hearing this, Jiang Hai lowered his gun. "No need to strip. I believe you, but it's
for everyone's safety. After all, someone just died, and you know these Cold People
can lie."

With Jiang Hai's explanation, Zou Hang rejoined the group. Shaken by Wang Jun's
death, the others were unnerved, imagining their own potential fates.

Back to Contents

<!-- 010 Ambush of the Scapegoat -->

010 Ambush of the Scapegoat

Table of Contents

Jiang Hai had mentioned before the horror movie even began that some of them might
die at any moment. However, it wasn't until Chen Jianzhou's baton pierced Wang
Jun's heart that they truly understood the meaning of death! It was more than just
a word. To survive, they had to fight constantly. Facing ever-present danger and
enemies several times their strength was terrifying. Vulnerability and helplessness
foreshadowed how difficult it would be to stay alive.

As if sensing their thoughts, Jiang Hai said, "We're all in the same boat now. We
need to work together. To better coordinate, tell us about yourselves. I only know
your names so far!"

Seeing that no one spoke, Bai Hong wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes,
composed herself, and said, "Bai Hong. Two colors. Twenty years old. I work as a
secretary in a foreign trade company. I don't have any special skills, just some
English, and I can sort files, pour water, and make tea."

"Oh..." Jiang Hai sighed dramatically. "Sounds like your profession isn't exactly a
good fit for this horror movie world." He smiled at Bai Hong, and she gave him an
awkward smile in return.

Zou Hang didn't say much, perhaps because he never wanted others to know him. He
simply said, "Zou Hang. Eighteen. I don't want to talk about myself!"

Although his words were cold, after what had just happened, no one would
underestimate Zou Hang. Otherwise, they wouldn't even know when they were being
attacked by the "Cold Person." Everyone had their secrets, and it was
understandable if he didn't want to share.

"Cold! Really cold, almost as cold as the 'Cold Person'! Zou Hang, Ji Li, Chen
Jianzhou, you three are a bit much. You barely say a word. To survive in a horror
movie long-term, you need to be more outgoing, otherwise you can't release the
pressure and you'll have a mental breakdown!" Jiang Hai laughed heartily.

Chen Jianzhou, who was standing nearby, smiled wryly with a hint of awkwardness
after hearing Jiang Hai's words. Then he said, "I'll tell you something!
Actually... I... I'm just really nervous. When I first came in, I was a little
excited after hearing Jiang Hai's words. I'm currently unemployed, but I often get
into fights with the boss's crew on the streets. I'm not a bad guy, just not very
cultured. I don't talk much because I don't know what to say. Actually, I'm quite
talkative."

When it was finally Ji Li's turn, she didn't speak. Bai Hong seemed to remind her,
patting her gently. Ji Li cried out, "Ah! Don't come near me!" When everyone looked
at her with puzzled expressions, she said, "I'm sorry! I was startled. I'm only
seventeen this year, probably the youngest one here. Actually, I'm also very timid.
I was trying not to show it because I didn't want to cause trouble for everyone.
I'm so sorry. I'm really scared of those things. I don't seem to have any other
special talents."

"I think your reasoning is good. You're quite smart!" Bai Hong said, her tone
carrying a hint of praise and encouragement. When she heard Ji Li say she was
timid, she realized that all her composure and calmness had been a forced act to
suppress her fear. She couldn't help but look at this seventeen-year-old girl with
new respect!

"Actually, I'm not that great. I just did a simple analysis. If you want to talk
about being impressive, I admire Brother Zou Hang. We were all struggling to figure
out the 'Cold Person,' but he could find the mark of the wound. He's the one who's
amazing!" She finished, looking at Zou Hang with admiration, though his expression
beneath the mask was hidden.

Zou Hang didn't like being the center of attention. He always positioned himself in
the blind spot of others' vision. But Ji Li's words turned him into the focal point
again. He instantly became the hot topic of the team, receiving attention from
everyone.

"By the way, Ji Li, why have you been wearing a mask all this time?" Bai Hong
asked.

"Oh! I was originally preparing to attend the masquerade ball our class was
planning! But I ended up here and ran into those things, and I completely forgot!"
As she spoke, she took off the mask from her face. She was a graceful figure with a
height of 1.65 meters, long starlit brows, pupils like black pearls that were
slightly closed as if carrying dewdrops, shoulder-length hair falling down her
neck, tender cheeks blushed like pink peaches from shyness, and ruby lips
constantly breathing in and out, exhaling an aroma that was intoxicating!

"Little sister, you're so pretty! You're beautiful! I thought you were ugly with
that mask on. I didn't expect you to be so beautiful, hehe!" Bai Hong exclaimed in
admiration. Chen Jianzhou was also staring in amazement!

"There's a bit of blood on her lips. But it should be from her biting them herself.
She should have been in your group all along. Now we should leave. It's not safe to
stay here." Zou Hang glanced at Ji Li and said indifferently. Zou Hang didn't care
who lived or died. He didn't care about others; he only acted according to his own
thoughts. At the moment, he was just trying to complete his internal plan as soon
as possible, clearing away any obstacles in his path.

When Ji Li's mask came off her face, there were small beads of blood on her lips.
In fact, everyone had noticed them, though they didn't think much of it at the
time. But Zou Hang's words dispelled any doubts that might have arisen later. He
nipped a potential problem in the bud. His words put everyone at ease. And Ji Li,
looking at Zou Hang, had a hint of gratitude on her face.

True fear often comes from the mind. If there are too many noises, it's a scare,
not horror, because these noises could be created by many people. That can't be
called true fear. The most terrifying thing in the world is being alone in an
absolutely quiet room for a long time. The story doesn't need to take place
entirely in the dark. If it's night, the most direct way to dispel fear is to turn
on the lights. But what about during the day, when it's already bright? That's when
you get that feeling of having nowhere to escape. Speaking of the horror movie
"Cold Person," it is not really that scary. Moreover, after a few people exchanged
conversation, the original stuffy atmosphere and the shadows in their hearts
disappeared. But it is often at moments when people relax that crisis appears to be
fatal. Now there are still 12 hours left to complete the mission. So what else is
going to happen?

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 011 Slaughter's Prelude -->

011 Slaughter's Prelude

Table of Contents
As several completely unrelated individuals found themselves in this strange world,
most of them banded together for survival, becoming close comrades-in-arms to live
another day. As they continued onward, nearing the office building, they could
still make out three "Cold Ones" heading toward the cafeteria on the other side.
The blue, fluorescent glow in their eyes resembled nothing so much as the red dot
in the bullseye of a target. Several gunshots rang out. As the "Cold Ones" turned
their heads, preparing to change course, their skulls exploded, showering the area
with gore and fragments in a macabre, floral pattern. Jiang Hai had accomplished
these three shots in a single second, each a devastating headshot, showcasing a
formidable strength that no one could deny. The number of "Cold Ones" had dwindled
to a mere 51. Having already witnessed such brutal scenes, the two girls were
growing somewhat accustomed to the carnage, only slightly frowning at the sight of
shattered flesh and flying blood.

The sound of gunfire startled the ordinary students who were preparing to defend
against the next "Cold One" attack. At first, they could dismiss the faint noises
as mere nerves, but hearing it so close again, they couldn't ignore it any longer.
They realized that if creatures already several times stronger than them also
possessed firearms, their demise was only a matter of time.

Just as the group passed through the ground-floor patio of the office building
toward the small playground entrance, they were confronted by thirty robust
students and teachers armed with iron rods and similar weapons, waiting with grim
determination. However, most of them were visibly shaken, breaking out in cold
sweats at the sight of the gleaming silver Desert Eagle in Jiang Hai's hand. Still,
none of them retreated, likely having come to terms with the situation and prepared
to fight a desperate, last-ditch battle!

Jiang Hai lowered his gun. Stepping forward, he announced loudly, "We are all
normal people who haven't been bitten, everyone can rest assured. Look at our eyes;
they're normal. We killed the 'Cold Ones' at the entrance just now, too."

While Jiang Hai's words sowed some seeds of doubt, the people before them hadn't
realized how deceptively intelligent the "Cold Ones" were. The students did not
realize that they had no evidence that this group were "Cold Ones." But in front of
people with such naive thoughts, why did the lying "Cold Ones" only do surface
attacks? What were they waiting for? Zou Hang began to ponder.

Jiang Hai was still the director; the others, students. The person organizing the
defense at the entrance was a physically fit physical education teacher. According
to him, the principal and other school leaders were already dead. Naturally, Jiang
Hai had become the leader, especially since he was wielding a gun.

After quietly observing for a moment, Zou Hang closed his eyes, further refining
the steps of his plan. "First, fifth, and tenth from the left!" The individuals
singled out tensed up, and as the crowd puzzled over Zou Hang's words, the three
"Cold Ones" with glowing blue eyes made their move. Their cunning made them want to
drag people down even if they were discovered. However, in front of Jiang Hai,
their actions were futile. Several quick gunshots rang out, and the heads of the
few that were mixed in with the crowd exploded in an instant. Jiang Hai had
witnessed Zou Hang's ability to identify the "Cold One" girl earlier, so he raised
his Desert Eagle without hesitation as soon as Zou Hang finished speaking. His
superhuman reactions made his speed and accuracy astonishing.

The duo instantly eliminated three "Cold Ones" who had been lurking undetected. The
physical education teacher and a dozen students were shaken. The three who were
closest to the "Cold Ones" had been the target of an attack and would be dead if
Jiang Hai had not opened fire in time.
In an instant, the two men had established their authority. And Zou Hang's plan's
first step was meant to achieve exactly this.

(Step One)

The physical education teacher instructed a few people around him to guard the
entrance carefully and to keep guarding it. He then led a few others toward the
cafeteria.

In the spacious cafeteria, students sat in small groups of acquaintances at

scattered tables. Originally capable of accommodating 1,500 people, the surviving
students kept their distance due to the fact that the room was only half full. Ji
Li praised the physical education teacher's arrangement, recognizing it as more
rational and safe than having everyone huddled together. Even if there were "Cold
Ones" among them, an attack would be immediately met by a united front, preventing
widespread chaos. The physical education teacher was flattered. He never would have
come up with it, given that they had only just discovered the "Cold Ones'"
deceptive tactics. In reality, the students were simply wary and scared of
unfamiliar people.

"There may still be 'Cold Ones' mixed in here," Zou Hang said, surveying the area.
"If we don't clean them out, a chaotic outbreak is possible, leading to mass
infection." From what he saw, several people had strange smiles. Who would be able
to smile in such a dangerous and terrifying environment, except for "Cold Ones"?

Jiang Hai nodded in agreement. "Yes, if these hundreds of people all turn into
'Cold Ones' and attack together, we're doomed!"

Upon hearing the two men's words, the physical education teacher was startled.
Recalling the "Cold Ones'" actions earlier, he realized there could very well be
more of the monsters inside. He immediately asked what should be done.

Zou Hang was silent for a moment before sharing his idea. He instructed the
physical education teacher to explain the situation to the students, while he and
Jiang Hai would identify and eliminate the "Cold Ones" hiding among them. Finally,
they would gather the normal people together and move some of the cafeteria tables
and chairs to the entrance of the small playground, creating a barrier to the
outside. They should move as much as possible and find cooking oil in the cafeteria
to pour over the tables and chairs. If they couldn't hold the enemy back, they
would set it on fire. That way, even if the entrance defense was breached, so many
people can defend the area.

(Step Two)

Under Zou Hang's meticulous planning, such a comprehensive plan could successfully
survive the remaining 11 hours and 25 minutes. It would also help these students.
No one objected. The physical education teacher stood in front of the students and
announced Zou Hang's plan in a loud voice: "Everyone, listen to me! For our own
survival, pay attention to what I say. There may still be a few of those monsters
inside the cafeteria. Don't panic; Director Jiang and Student Zou Hang know how to
find them. Everyone stay calm, pay attention to the people around you, and if
someone suddenly attacks, the people nearby should eliminate them immediately.
Everyone else, don't move to prevent those monsters from causing chaos!" His words
still caused some unrest, but they all remembered the physical education teacher's
words and stayed in their seats!

Return to Contents
<!-- 012 Couplet of Massacre -->

012 Couplet of Massacre

Table of Contents

Zou Hang took the lead, Jiang Hai at his side, constantly scanning for potential
ambushes. The others followed close behind, providing backup.

While outlining the plan, Zou Hang had noticed a cold smirk among the faces in the
crowd, his keen perception missing nothing. He pressed forward without hesitation.

A faint *click* caught Jiang Hai's attention. A girl, trembling with fear, was
picking up a pink phone that had fallen to the floor. Her eyes darted to Jiang
Hai's Desert Eagle, filled with terror. She desperately fought back tears, afraid
that any sound might provoke him. Her voice trembled as she pleaded, "Please don't
kill me. I'm not a monster."

Another boy seemed lost in the nightmare of the past few hours, his emotions raw
and his face etched with fear. Perhaps he was simply faint of heart, but he was
still whimpering, his well of tears seemingly run dry. He looked utterly pitiable,
all thunder and no rain.

But when Zou Hang stopped beside him and pointed a finger at his head, the boy
instantly ceased crying. A chilling smirk twisted his lips, and a bizarre, almost
mesmerizing blue light flickered in his eyes. His face contorted grotesquely,
revealing jagged teeth as he lunged at Zou Hang, saliva flying. Jiang Hai, still
focused on the girl and the telltale sign of the infected – a wound – was facing
away from Zou Hang.

The sudden attack caught everyone completely off guard. By the time Jiang Hai
whirled around, the infected was already upon Zou Hang.

Never reveal your hand. Zou Hang wasn't afraid of the infected's attack, but he was
unwilling to reveal his true abilities. To conceal his strength, he grabbed a
nearby girl, whose mouth was agape with shock, and thrust her in front of him. The
infected's teeth sank into her flesh, the sound of tearing tissue sickeningly
audible. Jiang Hai swiftly ended them both, sending them to their graves.

"Hey, that girl's death is on you, not me!" Jiang Hai quipped, blowing smoke from
the barrel of his gun.

Zou Hang simply muttered, "Move on!" He was indifferent, uncaring. He lived by
whim, unconstrained. No ambition, no disappointment, no complaint – only
calculation. The girl's death was a fleeting thought, prompting him to whisper,
"The male hare kicks and thumps, the female hare blinks her eyes; when two hares
run side by side, how can you tell the male from the female?" Nearby, the girls
were silently sobbing, hands clamped over their mouths, while the boys frowned,
their expressions grim.

Behind Zou Hang, Ji Li bit her lip, thinking: *That girl wasn't infected. She did
nothing wrong. Why did she have to die? Whose fault is this? Is it my fault? It's
my fault…*

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

An orphan.
Abandoned at the orphanage. Although everyone there was an orphan, there was still
a pecking order, the younger ones always being bullied.

The girl was a frequent target.

As she grew older and started elementary school, she met another girl. This girl
had parents and would often bring snacks and toys for her. She was the first person
who had ever shown her genuine kindness.

They remained inseparable throughout elementary and middle school. But as they
grew, the orphan girl blossomed into a beauty, while the other girl remained plain,
often suffering in comparison. Yet, the other girl never resented her, always
staying by her side.

Being beautiful, the orphan girl naturally attracted a lot of unwanted attention.
But she knew they only cared about her looks, while the other girl was the only one
who truly cared about her well-being. So, the other girl took it upon herself to
tirelessly fend off the annoying "flies."

Until one day.

The orphan girl received another love letter, asking her to meet at a certain
location for a date. The other girl volunteered to go in her place to reject the
suitor.

But the other girl was humiliated and took her own life.

It wasn't her fault.

All of that was supposed to be on the orphan girl. From then on, she wore a mask.

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

Zou Hang suddenly turned, his expression blank, his eyes locking with Ji Li's.

"Seems... okay, right?" Zou Hang blurted out.

"Oh... yes... okay!" Ji Li stammered, her voice barely a whisper. She suddenly
realized that, aside from the other girl, this white-haired boy was the second
person who had shown her genuine concern without expecting anything in return.

But sometimes even the best horses stumble, and the best intentions are
misunderstood.

Zou Hang's expression changed as if he had noticed something. He turned to Jiang

Hai and said, "Jiang Hai, lend me your gun for a moment."

Jiang Hai paused, surprised. He couldn't understand what Zou Hang was up to.
However, based on his previous actions, Zou Hang didn't seem to be infected.
Lending him the gun shouldn't pose any real danger, since killing a member would
result in a hefty 1000 survival point deduction.

Zou Hang took the gun, walked a few steps forward, and approached a boy who was
watching them intently. Without a word, he pointed the gun at the boy's head and
roared, "Infected monster, die!" The boy seemed paralyzed with fear. A shot rang
out, and he fell dead. Zou Hang, unused to the Desert Eagle's recoil, staggered
backward, his hand numb. His physical strength was far from impressive, even on the
weaker side. He lacked the strength to directly confront the infected. [His earlier
strength in killing the two infected was due to a temporary boost from the virus,
which diminished as the wounds healed.]

As Zou Hang returned the gun to Jiang Hai, the others assumed that Zou Hang,
enraged by the attack, had killed the infected himself to vent his anger.

"Bro! A man's got to have anger. That's what makes a man," Jiang Hai said, patting
the still-stunned Zou Hang on the shoulder in encouragement.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 013 The Finale of the Slaughter -->

013 The Finale of the Slaughter

Table of Contents

Zou Hang had 100 points deducted. He had just received the main god's notification,
but it didn't surprise him. Indeed, the Desert Eagle he had used had just killed a
student who was *not* a Cold Person. To prove his theory, he had borrowed Jiang
Hai's gun to experiment.

(No need for hesitation anymore. The plan can be moved up.)

Two hours later, Zou Hang had perfectly guided Jiang Hai to kill 12 Cold Persons.
After all, with 700 people, filtering them out was still slow. The Cold Persons'
habit of sneering was indeed a reference point. However, that shallow smile wasn't
always plastered on their faces, and with so many people, there wasn't time to
confirm each one individually. Perhaps there was a simpler method: have everyone
strip naked and check each other, but that would likely backfire, and no one would
agree. Only when Zou Hang declared, "All the Cold Persons here are dead," did the
crowd finally relax. They were all exhausted from working for so long, mainly
because they hadn't dared to relax their vigilance, and their nerves were tightly
wound. Now they could finally rest. The two girls were already slumped on the
table, the events of the day having been too much to process all at once. Chen
Jianzhou, after revealing his situation, felt a lot less burdened and wasn't as
tense as before. Instead, he watched Jiang Hai. This man in his thirties was still
full of energy. Having experienced too many life-and-death situations, he was
naturally used to it. Combined with his extraordinary physical and mental strength,
he showed not a trace of fatigue. Remember the girl who picked up the phone from
the ground? A faint sneer lingered at the corner of her lips, and she was only one
of many...

"You guys rest! I'm going to the restroom," Zou Hang said.

"Alright! Don't be too long, or I'll have to come looking for you. You're our
team's precious commodity now. I won't let a cooked duck fly away," Jiang Hai said,
taking out a cigarette and offering one to Zou Hang.

Zou Hang picked up Jiang Hai's Zippo lighter from the table and lit his cigarette.
He then added, "Can I have this lighter?"

(Step Three)

Jiang Hai smiled and nodded. "Take it if you like it. It's a collector's edition,
but it's only worth a few tens of thousands of yuan. For us, as long as we survive
a horror movie, we can't spend the money in several lifetimes."
"I need to go to the restroom too. Wait for me," Ji Li said, getting up from her
stool.

Zou Hang gave a perfunctory nod. Turning around, he walked away.

Of everyone present, no one knew the layout of the school better than he did. Zou
Hang passed the restroom, but Ji Li didn't stop at all.

"We're here! Why are you still following me?" Zou Hang asked, his back to her.

"Where are you going?" Ji Li asked.

"None of your business. Don't follow me," Zou Hang said quickly, heading straight
for his destination: the boiler room on the left side of the cafeteria. It was the
place that supplied hot water to the entire school. Probably due to the sudden Cold
Person attack, the school had stopped normal operations, and this dangerous thing
was still sputtering steam. Zou Hang casually closed the boiler's pressure valve
and safety valve, rapidly increasing the pressure, and stuffed a rag into the
outlet. At this rate, it would definitely explode in less than 15 minutes.

After finishing this series of actions, he went out and headed toward the entrance
to leave the small playground.

"Zou Hang, why did you call us here? What's your new plan?" Jiang Hai's voice rang
out again. Judging from his questioning tone, Zou Hang turned to look at Ji Li. He
simply said, "Follow me. If Jiang Hai encounters anyone, kill them directly. I
guarantee you'll survive this horror movie safely, and there will be unexpected
rewards." After saying that, he made up a reason and had the people guarding the
gate move the tables and chairs blocking the way. They resealed the entrance after
the group left. Because he had already established authority among them, it didn't
take much persuasion. Back and forth, this was no small task, and stacking over 100
tables and chairs together directly exhausted more than a dozen strong young
students.

"Run forward!" As soon as Zou Hang spoke, he started running. He lit the Zippo in
his hand and threw it onto the tables and chairs covered in cooking oil, which
burst into flames. The others quickly followed Zou Hang, running away. When the
group was more than 100 meters away from the office building, a loud explosion
erupted, followed by a terrifying heat wave that nearly knocked everyone over.
Behind them, the screams of hundreds of people falling into the sea of fire rose
and fell, an infernal Shura hell filled with wailing. The blistering burns that
erupted would soon turn each living being into blackened charcoal. The temperature
might not be high enough to turn the bones to ashes, but the remaining organs and
skin could only become black ash. Countless fire people could only flee, but the
only exit had cut off their hope. Nearly a hundred tables and chairs were stacked
at the exit. Although the high heat of the flames could burn away the plastic hard
rubber surfaces on top, the hard iron legs, though burned red hot, still stood
firm. It was an absolutely tragic sight...

Zou Hang's original plan was to use the cafeteria's terrain to create opportunities
for the Cold Persons, turning everyone in the cafeteria into Cold Persons in a
short amount of time before setting fire to kill them all. However, he
unintentionally realized something. During the Cold Person attack, he had pulled up
a girl to shield himself. But the girl had already been infected. Jiang Hai killed
her, and no points were deducted. But when he killed someone who *wasn't* a Cold
Person, he had 100 survival points deducted. So it was a matter of directly killing
versus indirectly killing. Indirect killing would be judged as innocent by the main
god. So Zou Hang had only created the conditions for the fire and explosion. The
fire Zou Hang had set had burned so many people to death, but the -80 survival
points displayed on his watch hadn't changed, proving his theory.

At this moment, fear hovered over the group. Even Jiang Hai, who had seen countless
deaths, showed a spasming expression, looking strange and unable to calm down for a
long time.

Jiang Hai calmed himself down, then looked at Zou Hang with an extremely cold
expression. He said, "Although I said the lives of the people here are irrelevant
to us, and I would mercilessly kill them if they threatened our survival, we have
already found and killed the Cold Persons among them. Why did you still resort to
this kind of massacre?"

<!-- 014 Side Quest?! -->

014 Side Quest?!

Table of Contents

“You'll find out eventually. But right now, there are only 14 Cold Ones left. What
we should be thinking about is how to eliminate them all!” Zou Hang's expression
remained largely unchanged. Life and death seemed to him merely different words. He
had no absolute principles; his every thought and action was driven by whim and
desire.

This statement seemed to enrage Jiang Hai. In a flash, Jiang Hai, who had been
several feet away, was standing right in front of Zou Hang, his left hand gripping
Zou Hang's collar. The Desert Eagle in his right hand was pressed against Zou
Hang's chin. He roared, "They may be different from us, but they're still people!
If you can't give me a reason I can believe, I won't hesitate to kill you right
now. I don't need a cold-blooded demon who indiscriminately slaughters innocents in
my team. What you did was more savage than the Cold Ones!"

Ji Li stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Hai's right hand, saying, "Jiang Hai, calm
down! You'll lose 1000 survival points if you kill him. I'm sure Zou Hang has his
reasons."

Ji Li’s expression was like a delicate flower bathed in rain, yet Zou Hang felt
anything but peaceful. *What is this woman up to? I never asked her to gather those
people, nor have I ever given her any benefits. Why is she helping me? What kind of
scheme is at play here?*

Was this humanity, or was it truly the "scheme" Zou Hang spoke of?

Although Jiang Hai was furious, he barely managed to restrain himself, throwing Zou
Hang to the ground and turning away. The others followed him, their eyes revealing
their fear of Zou Hang. They looked at Zou Hang as if he were a murderous fiend.

Ji Li walked toward Zou Hang, extending a slender hand to help him up. But she
struggled with all her might. After all, a girl's strength was limited.

"Why?" Zou Hang uttered the word out of his mouth.

"Why what? I just think you can't judge things based on appearances. I believe you
must have your reasons for doing what you did. I trust you," Ji Li replied.

"Why trust me? I just killed hundreds of people!" Zou Hang continued to probe.
"I don't know! Maybe it's just a feeling! I feel like you're a good person...very
approachable!" A good person? Zou Hang had never defined himself that way. And
where did "approachable" come from? He couldn’t comprehend. But in Ji Li's eyes,
during that moment of uncertainty and helplessness, Zou Hang's words of comfort had
created an illusion, connecting him with her only companion. A sense of security
based on reliance and faith had blossomed. If only she knew that Zou Hang had only
been talking to himself in that moment. What would she think?

Ji Li smiled at Zou Hang and hurried to catch up with the group. Noticing that Zou
Hang was still standing there, she called out, "Hurry up and come on!"

Looking at that smile, a flicker of surprise crossed Zou Hang's mind. Over the
years, besides the Cold Ones, who had ever given him a smile? He turned and walked
in the opposite direction from the others, muttering, "I guess I'm being abandoned
by everyone. Well, I don't need anyone's help anyway." Ji Li had wanted to persuade
him, but she too was bothered by the earlier slaughter. The same could be said for
the others. With a melancholy gaze, Ji Li could only say from afar, "You have to
keep living!" These words, as if spoken to her deceased sister, interwove a sense
of reluctant parting, sincere blessing, and endless regret.

For Zou Hang, he had never chased after anything, and it would not be a big deal to
die now. Living simply held no meaning for him. Since childhood, he had barely
gotten sick, not even catching a cold. And even more astonishing was his body. The
people in the town were almost all hostile towards him. However, whether beaten or
kicked, or caught in chaotic brawls with bricks and sticks, he didn’t need to go to
the hospital. Before long, he would recover on his own. Once, a thug had stabbed
him deeply in the stomach. After a brief treatment, it completely healed within a
week, without even leaving a scar. Perhaps it was this recovery and immunity that
allowed Zou Hang to remain unaffected even after being bitten by a Cold One. Zou
Hang was an orphan, and he had asked Zou Lao, the man who took him in, about his
origins. But Zou Lao had no idea. So, his bizarre body and mysterious past were
perhaps the only things that could pique Zou Hang's interest. Yet, the clues were
so faint that this question had haunted him for 18 years without resolution.

Zou Hang did not see things in black and white. He had come to this world of horror
movie re-enactments. He had been constantly observing, calculating, and verifying
his own hypothesis. He had a bizarre idea. If this idea was wrong, then the people
who had died in the fire would have died in vain for the sake of his academic
research. However, if his idea was correct, then the deaths of those people would
have value.

At this moment, Zou Hang began to mutter, a string of words of unknown meaning
escaping his lips: "The successful benefit the world, while the unsuccessful
cultivate themselves. A true king does not forbid others from releasing life, but
neither does he kill without reason, for life is precious. Live like a summer
flower in full bloom, die like an autumn leaf in quiet beauty."

The 14 Cold Ones were no longer a significant threat. Even if they attacked Jiang
Hai together, given a certain distance, they would undoubtedly be killed without
Jiang Hai sustaining a scratch. But it also posed a different problem. The school
was large, and the remaining Cold Ones were few but scattered throughout the
corners, making it difficult to find them all and almost guaranteed a few would
slip through the net.

Jiang Hai and the others had already searched the school thoroughly more than three
times. They even checked the cafeteria after the fire was extinguished, but only
Jiang Hai could bear the sight of corpses strewn everywhere. The others had all
thrown up what they had eaten the day before yesterday. Over three hours, the
number of Cold Ones had dwindled to just one. But this one was nowhere to be found,
as if it had turned invisible.

With only two hours left until it was safe to return to paradise, Jiang Hai and his
team intensified their search. In truth, just one Cold One should no longer pose a
threat. However, just as Jiang Hai killed the second-to-last Cold One, he suddenly
received a notification from the Main God. This notification could be seen on the
monitors in the hands of the panicked survivors. **Activate side quest: Kill the
last Cold One.** The first to kill the last Cold One will receive a reward of 2000
survival points and a C-level story. Other normal team members will receive 2000
survival points and a D-level story. Time limit: 2 hours. Failure to complete
within the specified time will result in a deduction of 5000 survival points for
all team members.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 015 The Vanishing Cold-Blooded Killer -->

015 The Vanishing Cold-Blooded Killer

Table of Contents

Jiang Hai had always maintained that side quests were a desirable but ultimately
uncontrollable element. Yet, the current side quest had him cursing the Main God
again with every fiber of his being.

While the task – eliminating a single "Cold-Blooded Killer" – was, in terms of

difficulty, practically non-existent for Jiang Hai, the reward of a substantial
number of survival points and a precious side quest was incredibly tempting for
everyone. The problem was, they couldn't find the damn Cold-Blooded Killer. The
penalty of 5000 survival points, on the other hand, threatened to wipe out the
entire team.

Yes, the reward for completing this side quest was a dramatic, instant boost in
ability, multiplying each newbie's capabilities several-fold. But what good was
power if they were all dead?

The group, having run for hours, were utterly exhausted. Yet, none dared to rest.
Finally, at Ji Li's suggestion, the four of them split up to search. Ji Li and Bai
Hong focused on the more open areas, their strategy being to run and alert the
others upon sighting the Cold-Blooded Killer. Meanwhile, the physically stronger
Chen Jianzhou and Jiang Hai were tearing around like maniacs, the unspoken message
being clear: if that Cold-Blooded Killer dared to show his face, he'd be looking
down the barrel of a gun or staring at the business end of a club before he even
knew what hit him.

As everyone else was frantically turning the school inside out to find their
target, Zou Hang stood alone near the parking lot by the school gates. He gazed at
the dozen or so vehicles, noting their coverage. "I'm almost certain my theory is
correct," he muttered to himself.

Bai Hong was already gasping for air. She wasn't exactly an athlete and had little
stamina to begin with, but now she was stopping every few steps, struggling for
breath. Just as she reached the sports field, she glimpsed a figure in the
distance, near the parking lot. Though she couldn't make out any details, an
inexplicable surge of adrenaline coursed through her, and she sprinted to inform
the others with the speed of the wind. When the entire group had reassembled at the
parking lot, Jiang Hai recognized Zou Hang and cursed under his breath. Infuriated,
he barked at the others, "Make damn sure before you shout! There's only an hour
left. If we don't find that Cold-Blooded Killer, the Main God will erase us all
from existence!"

Bai Hong's face flushed crimson, even her ears turned red. Though she felt unjustly
accused, she couldn't argue with his logic.

But Ji Li, hearing Jiang Hai's clear implication of blame towards Bai Hong, grew
indignant at Bai Hong's visible distress. Everyone had been running on fumes for
hours, pushing through exhaustion. Defending Bai Hong, she retorted, "Jiang Hai,
it's not Bai Hong's fault. We've all done our best. We've searched every corner of
this school thoroughly. If we truly can't finish it, you can't blame anyone!"

Just as an argument was about to erupt, Zou Hang spoke, cutting through the
tension, "I know where the Cold-Blooded Killer is."

A bombshell declaration, leaving everyone speechless.

No one had expected it. After their exhaustive, fruitless search, Zou Hang claimed
to know the Cold-Blooded Killer's location.

"Where is he?" Jiang Hai pressed urgently.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 016 The Cold One is Among Us -->

016 The Cold One is Among Us

Table of Contents

"He's among us! Right here, with us!" Zou Hang's words were understated, yet they
stirred up a hornet's nest. "If you've searched the entire school, then everyone
among us is a suspect. I've said it before, what makes the Cold One even more
terrifying than zombies is his intelligence. And he can lie!" Zou Hang added.

Everyone was a suspect, anyone could be the Cold One. Immediately, they all
scattered, warily eyeing each other. They had all witnessed the Cold One's ability
to lie. If the Cold One didn't attack, and no obvious wounds were found, it was
very possible to overlook him.

Hearing Zou Hang's words, Ji Li suddenly understood, looking at the watch-like

display on her wrist. The task prompt indicated that normal team members would
receive rewards. That word "normal" seemed to validate Zou Hang's deduction.
Furthermore, they had searched the entire school. Indeed, there was no one else
besides them. Then, the Cold One was most likely hidden among them. After a
moment's thought, she said, "The display on our wrists also shows the word
'normal', so it's very possible that Zou Hang is right, the Cold One is among us.
But this is also very dangerous. If we make a mistake, we could give the Cold One
an opportunity, and killing a teammate will cost us 1000 survival points. And since
we just searched separately, no one can vouch for anyone else's alibi."

The others looked thoughtful, each suspecting the others. "Then we should all take
off our clothes and check each other for that scar Zou Hang mentioned," Chen
Jianzhou suggested, remembering Zou Hang's words. However, as soon as he made the
suggestion, the two women blushed.
"Actually, that's not necessary! A thorough inspection would require getting very
close, otherwise, some small wounds might be missed. But that would give the Cold
One an opportunity to attack," Zou Hang countered.

"Then what do you suggest? As far as I can see, you're the biggest suspect. You
separated from us from the very beginning. How did you escape from so many Cold
Ones alone? And Cold Ones are bloodthirsty, yet that fire of yours consumed
hundreds of lives," Jiang Hai stated. Bai Hong and Chen Jianzhou seemed to agree
with Jiang Hai. If Zou Hang's probability of being the Cold One was 50% before, it
was now 90%! Jiang Hai even pointed his gun at Zou Hang's forehead. If Zou Hang
even made the slightest move, such as scratching his head, he might find himself
without a head.

"It's not possible that it's him..." Ji Li blurted out, stepping in front of Zou
Hang. In that instant, Ji Li seemed to see the sisters who had died because of her.
Zou Hang's casual remark had caused Ji Li to develop a deep infatuation with him...

"How do you know he's not?" Jiang Hai was taken aback for a moment. Moreover, he
didn't have solid evidence that Zou Hang was the Cold One. If he killed the wrong
person, he would lose 1000 survival points and be wiped out by the main god at the
end of this "Cold One" horror movie.

Of course, no one was more confused by Ji Li's actions than Zou Hang himself. Zou
Hang hated when people discussed him and spewed nonsense without intelligence. If a
lie could be told reasonably and perfectly, then the lie would become the perceived
reality instead of the initially correct nonsense.

He reached out, pulled Ji Li out of the way, stepped forward, and said, "Until
there's proof of innocence, everyone is a suspect, myself included. Has anyone
played a game called 'Mafia' before? Since we have some time left, let's each
defend ourselves, and anyone can ask questions of the others."

...

This game was fundamentally meaningless. At least, that's what Zou Hang, the
initiator of the game, thought. He was just trying to buy himself some time. He
didn't understand, he didn't understand the meaning behind that person's actions,
were they trying to exonerate themselves?

The meaningless Q&A continued. Zou Hang only answered casually and didn't ask any
questions. Now, he began to ask, "I'm going to ask everyone a question. After I'm
done, just answer according to what you truly feel. After you've all answered, I'll
tell you who the Cold One is!"

With only 30 minutes left, everyone was becoming increasingly anxious. If they
couldn't find the Cold One, they were all doomed! But Zou Hang's words stirred up
another wave of anxiety.

"You die, or I die?" Zou Hang asked, and everyone fell silent. They didn't
understand what Zou Hang's question meant, or how they should answer. If they
answered incorrectly, would others think they were the Cold One?

Without hesitation, Jiang Hai said firmly, "If that's the question, then my answer
is you die. You haven't given me a reason to want to die for you."

"Next," Zou Hang said, ignoring Jiang Hai's answer.

"You die," Chen Jianzhou also answered. Although everyone wants to hear flattering
words, their lives were on the line. With Jiang Hai having spoken first, he didn't
fear offending Zou Hang.

"I don't really understand your question, but I don't want to die, so..." Bai Hong
said hesitantly.

Zou Hang stared at Ji Li and asked again, "You die, or I die!"

"If only one of us can live, I hope it's you," Ji Li said with an emotional
expression, tears streaming down her face.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 017 You Die or I Die? -->

017 You Die or I Die?

Table of Contents

Zou Hang paused, pointed at Ji Li, and turned to Jiang Hai, saying, "She's the Cold
Person! Shoot! You have five minutes left!"

"What? How could it be her? Explain yourself!" Several people stared at Zou Hang in
disbelief.

"It can't be her. She was just trying to save you. You must be mistaken!" Bai Hong
said, looking incredulously at Ji Li, who was weeping beside her.

Jiang Hai held his Desert Eagle in his hand. He was wrestling with his conscience.
Zou Hang was saying Ji Li was the Cold Person, but Ji Li had said she was willing
to die for him. What was happening? If he killed the wrong person, everyone else
would die too. Could it be that Zou Hang himself was the real Cold Person? He was
caught in agonizing indecision, but time was running out...

A gunshot rang out. It bloomed in a shower of blood. The belated system

notification from the Main God echoed, devoid of emotion: "Side Quest Complete:
Direct elimination of the final Cold Person grants a reward of 2000 Survival Points
and a C-Rank Story Point. Other normal team members receive 2000 Survival Points
and a D-Rank Story Point. Main Plot Complete. The horror movie 'The Cold Person' is
over. Each member receives 1000 Survival Points."

As the notification ended, everything went gray before their eyes, as if they had
fainted.

Underneath them was a floor made of an unknown ore. It was uniformly silvery-white,
but covered with a dense network of bizarre patterns and symbols. Four massive
pillars stood in the distance. At the very center of the square formed by these
pillars, a beam of light flickered intermittently, emanating from a glowing
spherical object above and striking the floor. Each time the beam touched the
ground, it seemed to activate the strange symbols, some turning like machine gears,
others like electrical circuits with countless tiny lines of light coursing through
them.

Looking further away, one could see a solitary, Chinese-style villa standing on the
floor. Surrounding the house, a few meters apart, were solitary doors, only one to
each location. Behind each door was nothing but emptiness.
The four of them stood in four separate beams of light emanating from the glowing
orb. As the light gradually faded, they regained consciousness.

"Damn! The Main God is so messed up! I surrender. I give up." Jiang Hai complained
again, looking utterly exhausted. He seemed to have never had such a headache
before. After venting for more than ten minutes, he recovered and said to the
others, "This is what I previously described as Paradise. But that's just what I
call it. The previous people called this the Main God Space. You can call it
whatever you want. See that house over there? That's my place. Go to one of those
doors beside it. Grasp the handle and imagine it, and a house will appear. You can
shape it into whatever you like. The interior design is entirely up to you. That
orb in the middle is the Main God. If you want to buy something, stand there and
communicate with it using your mind. But not today. I suggest we exchange tomorrow,
I can give you some ideas. I am going crazy today. I'm going to sleep. We'll talk
about everything tomorrow." Jiang Hai shook his head, and staggered towards his
villa.

The others looked equally battered. Zou Hang walked directly to an unoccupied area
nearby. Gripping the door handle, a seven-story building, not fully decorated,
appeared before him. However, when he opened the door, he found himself in a
sparsely furnished two-bedroom apartment.

There wasn't much furniture, making the 50-square-meter apartment seem larger than
it actually was. The most prominent decorations were various pieces of calligraphy
and paintings, seemingly done by two different artists based on the brushwork and
style. The few appliances included an old small refrigerator, a black-and-white
television, and a laptop computer, the latter added by Zou Hang when he created the
house.

Zou Hang picked up the "notebook" and went to the balcony. He discovered that he
could connect to the internet. After browsing the information he wanted to confirm
and looking at the familiar scenery, Zou Hang felt a pang of melancholy.

Outside the balcony, the night was dark and heavy. The houses were intertwined,
with no lights in sight. Zou Hang had the illusion that the entire world belonged
to him. In truth, he was alone in his world.

Zou Lao had adopted an abandoned child, naming him Zou Hang. Zou Hang's appearance
seemed to be the town's only pastime and target of ridicule. It was all because of
Zou Hang's white hair. Did the devil look like this? Although Zou Lao ignored the
nonsense, he was ostracized by the entire town because of Zou Hang. Even when he
was seriously ill and hospitalized, he was treated coldly by the hospital staff.
Zou Lao was Zou Hang's only close person, but after he died, Zou Hang had finished
high school according to Zou Lao's wishes. But now Zou Hang had no reason to
continue living.

"You must live on," Ji Li's words suddenly echoed in his mind. Zou Hang smiled
bitterly.

(Live on? Why live on? To save those ugly people? Or for her words? If only one of
us can live, I hope it's you.)

Even after being infected by the Cold Person, Zou Hang retained his own thoughts.
The Cold Person didn't completely control the person, but rather added another
personality to them. When not under attack, what he said and did still came from
the depths of the original person's heart.

When Zou Hang woke up, there was a knock on the door. He faintly heard Jiang Hai
calling his name.
Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 018 Her Value? -->

018 Her Value?

Table of Contents

He stepped outside. The remaining survivors were already waiting by the door. Jiang
Hai led them towards the central orb of light and then asked, "How did you know Ji
Li was a 'Cold Person'?"

The others clearly shared the same confusion. Zou Hang explained, "Remember
yesterday, when I killed the girl tailing your group, I mentioned something? I said
Ji Li's mouth was bleeding, but when we saw her later, that wound was completely
gone. Normally, the human immune system would leave a scar. But because the 'Cold
People' have enhanced regeneration, they recover quickly after being injured. There
will still be traces, but only with infectious sources or severe trauma."

Hearing Zou Hang's explanation, everyone racked their brains, and realized it was
indeed the case. They couldn't help but admire Zou Hang's keen observation.

"Since you already knew, why ask those questions?" Jiang Hai inquired.

"Just confirming a few things! Never mind that. I want to ask you something!" Zou
Hang didn't want to dwell on the topic, and changed the subject.

"What is it?"

"In the horror movies you've been in before, were there any that featured creatures
like these 'Cold People,' ones you've never heard of?" Zou Hang asked.

"Doesn't ring a bell. But I did hear from some survivors that they had encountered
something similar. Why do you ask?" Jiang Hai said, eyeing Zou Hang.

"This question is simply to confirm a hypothesis of mine, about the existence of

this space and the meaning behind this game," Zou Hang said casually. He then
opened his laptop and pushed it towards the group.

On the screen was a news website featuring a special report: "An explosion occurred
at a school in XX region, and all students and faculty have mysteriously vanished
without a trace." There was also a series of follow-up reports and images.

His discovery began with that parking lot Zou Hang saw earlier. Before coming here,
he vaguely remembered that some leaders were visiting his school on that day and
they were driven there. After entering this horror movie, Zou Hang took a closer
look at the license plates of the cars and noticed that they were indeed the same
vehicles that were used. If this was a horror movie, how could it be so realistic?
It wouldn't be possible for something that had just happened to be filmed into a
horror movie. Moreover, the information he found online also proved that these
events had actually occurred.

"Are you saying that what we're experiencing isn't a horror movie, but something
that actually happened in reality? That we're saving the world?" Jiang Hai's eyes
widened, astonished by his own words.
"Probably something like that! And the horror movies you experienced before may
have been trials arranged by the 'Main God' to enhance your abilities to complete
these 'missions' intertwined within them!" Zou Hang said. Jiang Hai began to ponder
this.

"So, we're the legendary 'Savior' then? Hahaha!" Chen Jianzhou's face glowed with
pride, as if he had become the greatest person in the world. But he didn't know
that only a few of them knew about the title of saviors and others didn't know it
existed.

"Then all those people you killed... were real people?" Bai Hong, hearing this,
suddenly thought of the corpses turned to ash and the heart-wrenching cries.

Zou Hang remained expressionless, unfazed by praise or criticism. He retorted,

"I'll only explain this once. If anyone still disapproves of my actions in the
future, I can step aside. As for that fire, there are three reasons. First, by my
estimates, there were at least 40 'Cold People' in the cafeteria! I put a lot of
effort into finding only 12. If we did nothing, there would be even more enemies.
Second, do you know where the extra rewards and side quests you're getting come
from? Third, if we don't do this mission and successfully escape, where will the
'Cold People' go? And what effect will these 'Cold People' have on the real world
outside that was just mentioned?"

Bai Hong felt that Zou Hang's reasons were sound, considering the bigger picture.

But was Zou Hang truly acting out of a sense of national or human righteousness? He
was good at manipulation, leading others into logical traps. He was determined,
stubborn, and ruthless. He spoke of his thoughts in language that others didn't
understand. If a lie could be told reasonably and perfectly, then the lie actually
becomes a fact recognized by most people instead of telling useless truth.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 019 A New Definition of Reincarnation -->

019 A New Definition of Reincarnation

Table of Contents

[Important Notice for Android Readers: A growing number of free reading sites are
shutting down. Android apps are becoming increasingly unreliable and difficult to
trust. It's crucial to find a safe and stable reading app. The site administrator
strongly recommends using a source-switching app for listening to audiobooks,
changing sources, and finding books!]

After hearing Zou Hang's explanation, Jiang Hai burst into laughter. He then said,
"Zou Hang, I owe you a sincere apology. I doubted you before, judging a gentleman
by my own petty standards. My vision was too limited. But I'm so glad! We're
incredibly lucky to have someone like you on our team. Saving the world, wow! I
never thought I'd have such an awesome day. This is far more meaningful than simply
becoming stronger myself. Okay, fellow saviors! From now on, we're a team. We need
to help each other out. And Zou Hang, let me also say this: if you have any plans
in the future, please tell us in advance, so we don't get left in the dark and
misunderstand you."

"Okay," Zou Hang replied curtly. Ignorance was a fatal weakness. If it hadn't been
for Ji Li, these people would already be nothing but ashes. Among them, Ji Li was
probably the only one who noticed his actions at the time. But why hadn't she told
them directly?

What was about to happen was the main event. They had received so many rewards and
strengthened their abilities. Their chances of surviving in horror movies were now
much higher.

"A person's average stats include four aspects: mental strength, cell vitality,
nerve reaction speed, and muscle strength. For an average person, these four stats
are all different. Muscle strength can be roughly understood as your physical
attack and defense power for ordinary attacks. Mental strength determines your non-
physical attack and defense, which you can gain after learning legendary magic or
immortal techniques. Cell vitality is a measure of your healing and resistance
abilities. For example, when you're injured and bleeding, platelets will form a
scab to stop the bleeding. Also, if your cell vitality and immunity are strong
enough, you can develop antibodies against viruses like the common cold or diseases
like smallpox or cancer. Nerve reaction speed is easy to understand – it covers
your senses, observation, memory, mental processing, and reflexes. Muscle strength
and nerve reaction speed have the most obvious effects.

Higher muscle strength means you can throw someone bigger than you on the ground
with your bare hands, and it's crucial for stamina. Otherwise, you'll be gasping
for breath after running just a few steps if you're in a hurry. Nerve reaction
speed not only makes your mind clearer but also allows you to detect danger more
quickly. Combining it with muscle strength can double the effect.

The most crucial thing is cell vitality. This stat is directly related to your
survival. If this stat is high, you have a better chance of surviving. But it's
unwise to spend a lot of survival points on it early on. Even if you do, you'll
just be a 'blood cow' that gets abused!

These stats are quantified based on your inherent qualities. For an average person,
a single stat might only be around 0-20 points, but there are exceptions. 100
survival points can be exchanged for 1 stat point. But I suggest you all check your
stats and then exit. We'll discuss and plan based on each person's strengths and
stats before exchanging," Jiang Hai explained to the others. They began checking
their stats.

Zou Hang closed his eyes and communicated with the Main God in his mind. "Main God,
I want to check my basic stats." After a few seconds, a large screen appeared in
Zou Hang's mind, like a 3D interface. On the left side of the screen was his own
body, which he could observe from any angle at will. On the right side were his
stats: Mental Strength 40, Cell Vitality 60, Muscle Strength 5, Nerve Reaction
Speed 150. Looking at his stats, Zou Hang recalled how quickly his injuries healed
in the real world and in the horror movies he had been in. He must have been
infected by the virus from Leng Ren. His strong cell vitality probably prevented it
from having any effect. But if he encountered the highly infectious T-virus in
Resident Evil, he might not be so lucky. Nerve reaction speed was probably the
thing Zou Hang was most pleased about when it came to his intelligence. It also
explains why he was the only one who noticed Leng Ren's smile. His muscle strength
was about what he expected. If it weren't for the virus from Leng Ren, he might not
have been a match for an ordinary person in a head-on fight.

When Zou Hang exited his communication with the Main God, he found that the others
were already discussing their stats together.

"Okay, everyone's here. Let's all share our stats," Jiang Hai said.

"I checked. My highest is muscle strength, with 20 points. Then nerve reaction
speed with 18. Cell vitality and mental strength are low, only 10," Chen Jianzhou
chuckled, clearly feeling good about himself. According to Jiang Hai's standards
for an average person, he was at the limit of two stats.

"Mine aren't very high. Mental strength 12, nerve reaction 13, muscle strength 7,
and cell vitality only 5. No wonder I'm always getting sick!" Bai Hong said
embarrassedly.

Zou Hang compared his own stats and was secretly shocked. He didn't reveal his own
stats. Instead, he asked Jiang Hai, "What are your stats?"

Jiang Hai wasn't as secretive as Zou Hang. As a veteran who had experienced several
horror movies, this should be his strongest point. He said, "Chen Jianzhou's stats
are pretty good. Bai Hong is an ordinary girl, so her weaknesses are
understandable. I spent a lot of survival points on my stats before. Now my muscle
strength is 50, nerve reaction is 50, cell vitality is 30, and I haven't really
increased mental strength, so it's only 25."

Compared to Chen Jianzhou, Jiang Hai's stats were almost three times higher.
Compared to Bai Hong, they were more than four times higher. But he was still 100
points behind Zou Hang. Zou Hang accepted this fact calmly. Even if Jiang Hai
didn't use a gun, he could kill him with his bare hands. Moreover, Jiang Hai was
skilled with firearms, capable of hitting the heads of several people from a
hundred meters away. So Zou Hang simply said, "My stats are relatively low. Only my
nerve reaction is a bit higher."

Of course, none of them suspected Zou Hang's cunning.

[Important Notice for Android Readers: A growing number of free reading sites are
shutting down. Android apps are becoming increasingly unreliable and difficult to
trust. It's crucial to find a safe and stable reading app. The site administrator
strongly recommends using a source-switching app for listening to audiobooks,
changing sources, and finding books!]

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 020 Half a Cigarette = To Be Continued -->

020 Half a Cigarette = To Be Continued

Table of Contents

"Oh, right! Chen Jianzhou, I saw you using a staff in "Leng Ren" and spinning it
while killing the Cold People. What kind of move was that?" Zou Hang asked.

Zou Hang's words made Chen Jianzhou rather pleased. He said, "This is the Nian Ci
Staff Technique. I used to run off to the Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts, but
they wouldn't accept me. So, I found a martial arts school at the foot of the
mountain and learned a couple of moves. It's not really *that* OP, but if you can
use it skillfully, it's definitely more effective than just randomly swinging a
stick."

Jiang Hai found this interesting and reminded him to practice more, saying it might
be useful in the future.

"The most crucial thing for you guys right now is to use some of your reward points
to strengthen your muscle strength. Also, take a look at the other weapons you can
exchange for. You all have D-level side stories. If there are any handy weapons,
you can exchange for them, but I don't recommend the ones with unlimited ammo.
They're not cost-effective. As for Chen Jianzhou, your stats are pretty good. You
should mainly look for a powerful staff, preferably one that's super high-tech,"
Jiang Hai suggested.

Zou Hang didn't immediately exchange anything. He was carefully browsing through
the various categories. He only glanced at the high-tech weapons and magical
equipment. To put it bluntly, even if a young child had a handgun, it wouldn't give
them any real ability to survive.

Your own attributes are the most important thing.

Then Zou Hang came across a directory for attribute enhancements. With a thought,
he started examining it closely.

**Cultivation Reincarnation Stage Primordial Spirit:** Rating 100. Invincible in

any horror movie. All stats increased by 5000 points. Controls swords, flies across
the universe, refines heaven-and-earth immortal artifacts and magical treasures.
Overcomes all restrictions. Requires an S-level side story and 100,000 survival
points. Includes a divine immortal sword.

**Kryptonian Gene:** Rating 99. Surpasses anything in any horror movie. No

weaknesses except for moon crystals. Unrivaled in the solar system. All stats
increased by 4000 points. Adapts to all environments and possesses immense strength
and wind-speed agility, and highly efficient perception. Requires an S-level side
story and 90,000 survival points.

**Third Generation Vampire Emperor:** Rating 99. Stronger than anything in any
horror movie. No weaknesses except for divine judgment. All stats increased by 4000
points. Possesses power comparable to gods. Adapts to all environments and
possesses special lethality against living things. Extremely high mobility and
recovery ability. Feeds on blood to enhance power. All abilities come from blood.
Requires an S-level side story and 90,000 survival points. Requires Vampire Duke
Enhancement.

**Norse War God:** Rating 98. Dauntless in any horror movie. Can't be killed except
by Zeus's Lightning Spear. Muscle strength increased by 4500; all other stats
increased by 3000 points. Adapts to all environments. Possesses powerful attack.
Special skill: Thunder Strike. Requires an S-level side story and 80,000 survival
points. Includes Zeus's Lightning Spear.

...

Zou Hang was getting annoyed with this section. He didn't care for these items that
simply showed immense raw power. Strength isn't eternal; any strength can be
overcome by intelligence. He disdained the word "invincible." Whether in the real
world or this bizarre world, invincibility was a joke.

To save time, Zou Hang silently contacted the Main God, requesting a selection of
attribute enhancements within the range of a D-level side story and 2000 survival
points. After a few seconds of waiting, the visible attributes changed.

**Yi Jin Jing Fragment:** Rating 80. Suitable for melee combat or used in
conjunction with martial arts. Increases inner strength through training. Improves
physical fitness. Requires a D-level side story and 2000 survival points.

**Werewolf Mutation Gene:** Rating 70. Suitable for melee combat. Provides strong
muscle strength and attack power. Abilities increased by 30% on moonlit nights.
Requires a D-level side story and 2000 survival points.

**Vampire Baron Gene:** Rating 80. Suitable for guerrilla warfare. Provides fast
reaction speed and agility. Strong cell viability. Afraid of hot weapons and fire
damage. Special skills: bloodsucking and rapid teleportation. Using blood clan
skills requires consuming blood in the body. Requires a D-level side story and 1500
survival points.

**Nuclear Radiation Mutation...**

In the previous horror movie, completing a side story earned them 2000 survival
points and a D-level side story. Completing the main storyline survival mission
yielded 1000 survival points. After observing many attribute enhancements, Zou Hang
ultimately chose the Vampire Baron gene, leaving him with 1500 survival points. He
chose the vampire lineage partly because it played to his existing strengths. Also,
he noted in the top-tier enhancements that beyond the Vampire Emperor, all the
others required finding specific weapons, and even worse, those weapons could also
be his specific weaknesses. If someone caught him sleeping and stabbed him, he
might be done for.

As soon as he confirmed his decision to the Main God, the blood in his whole body
began to flow rapidly, as if he had suddenly become a dried corpse. After gritting
his teeth and persevering for more than ten minutes, his body felt as hot as if it
was about to explode. Suddenly, he felt liquid being fed into his body from his
mouth. A pressing desire surged so intensely. Zou Hang experienced this kind of
overwhelming craving for the first time. Blood. The thick, bloody smell was so
lovely at this moment. It was constantly attracting Zou Hang. When the last trace
of liquid entered his mouth, he could feel the blood in his body had stopped
flowing. However, he could control its movement with his will. That kind of
satisfaction was so wonderful.

This was probably what they called the "First Embrace." From then on, the taste of
blood was etched into his psyche.

After Zou Hang worked hard to adapt to everything, he checked his attributes once
again and shockingly discovered that all the data had changed slightly. Body
strength reached 10 points. Mentality, cell vitality, and nerve reaction speed
increased by 10 points each, reaching 50, 70, and 160, respectively.

When Zou Hang exited the connection state with the Main God, the others rushed over
to ask what had happened. Just now, when Zou Hang strengthened his vampire
bloodline, a beam of light had shot out from the Main God and surrounded him, and
the color of the light had even turned red.

Zou Hang simply brushed it off, saying that he had strengthened an attribute, and
reminded them, "I just used a D-level side story to strengthen an attribute. I
won't go into details, but the increase to stats alone amounts to 35 points. If you
figure that 1 point costs 100 survival points to exchange directly, I directly
saved 2500 points!"

This news caused another burst of joy. However, Bai Hong said somewhat helplessly
that he had just used 1500 points to enhance his muscle strength and had lost out
big.

At this time, Zou Hang noticed that Chen Jianzhou had a pair of white gloves on his
hands. When he asked where they came from, he learned that they were a high-tech
item Chen Jianzhou had exchanged for. The Ionic Staff. It cost him 2000 survival
points and a D-level side story, and he still had to spend energy cells. Each one
cost 200 points. As a result, he had no choice but to exchange for two. However,
judging from the expression on his face, he didn't regret it. He simply put his
palms together, which triggered several bolts of lightning, slowly merging together
to form a thick, blue-and-white light. But Chen Jianzhou was holding it in both
hands and was continuously flipping it, which was also a dazzling display. He said
that he could only grasp the light with gloves on. Moreover, it could be long or
short, and arbitrarily falling on other objects would cut open objects like a
laser. The problem was that it consumed too much energy. Two batteries could only
last for 10 hours under normal circumstances. As for a weapon with unlimited
energy, it required a B-level side story and 5000 survival points.

But judging from this, the performance-price ratio and power should be
extraordinary. At this moment, the cigarette that Jiang Hai was holding in his hand
had already burned halfway down. He stood silently to one side...

(Up to this point, the chapters that I wrote to entertain myself a few days ago
while waiting for Infinite's updates have all been uploaded. I opened this new book
at dawn on the 19th and uploaded everything in the afternoon. I know my own
limitations very well. My novels that I wrote in the past all vanished without a
trace. So, I didn't have any thoughts for this one; I simply wanted to provide a
diversion for readers who like Z's "Infinite Terror". Perhaps, just perhaps,
someone will like it, and I will make time to write, of course, it definitely won't
be updated quickly. I've been playing at home for more than a year, and I
originally thought about joining the literary world, haha! However, it looks like
I'm not the right material. So, I'm preparing to find a job. If I find a job, of
course, I'll have even less time to write.

Here, I pay my respects to Z and look forward to more explosions in "Infinite

Terror".

Thank you for watching "Someone Else's Infinite Terror". Next, please switch to Z's
"Infinite Terror" on Qidian and continue waiting for loading...

This book is only dedicated to Z, who is unfortunately struck by lightning and

seriously injured in Chongqing, resulting in slow updates.)

Return to Contents

Okay, here's a fluent, idiomatic English translation of the provided text, aiming
to capture the nuances and full meaning:

**<!-- 021 Individual Combat Power -->**

**021 Individual Combat Power**

**Contents**

When Chen Jianzhou asked Jiang Hai what he had redeemed, Jiang Hai reached into his
pocket and pulled out three wallet-like pouches. “Actually, I owe Zou Hang a huge
debt of gratitude for being able to get so many rewards this time. I ended up
getting the most. I redeemed three space pouches, each costing 1000 survival points
and a D-level storyline. They can each hold one cubic meter of stuff. Consider
these my humble gifts to you all as a welcome gesture.” He said, smiling at Zou
Hang.

There was no denying that Zou Hang deserved the lion's share of the credit for
obtaining this side quest reward. However… “Space pouches? Holds one cubic meter?”
Zou Hang looked thoughtfully at the wallet-like item in Jiang Hai’s hand. After a
moment's contemplation, he slowly said, "They're definitely useful. But to waste
precious storylines and survival points on these... I'm beginning to question your
judgment. One pouch is more than enough for all of us to store supplies, at least
for now. The remaining points should have been used to enhance our attributes or
buy weapons, which could prove crucial in the next horror film. Or rather, let me
put it this way, what exactly do you plan to put in these pouches? Fast-acting
heart pills or super-strength spray? How many survival points would it take just to
fill these with ordinary grenades? Even if you saved all the rewards from previous
horror films, how many survival points do you even have left now?"

This was turning into an extremely awkward scene. Jiang Hai had offered the gifts
with the best intentions, and Bai Hong and Chen Jianzhou were visibly excited about
the space pouches. But Jiang Hai's warmth was met with a cold shoulder by Zou Hang.
Bai Hong, trying to defuse the situation, quickly interjected, "Zou Hang, Jiang Hai
is just being generous, you…"

"Bai Hong, there's no need to say more!" said Jiang Hai. "I really only have three
digits' worth of survival points left. Looks like I really didn't think things
through enough. No need to say anymore. I'm sorry to everyone. Every bit of
increased strength we have increases our team's chances of survival." This man in
his thirties was truly something. Although he lacked Zou Hang's insight and
foresight, his ability to yield and adapt was the mark of a true man. On the other
hand, Chen Jianzhou and Bai Hong were getting annoyed with Zou Hang, probably
because they received the gift, which may have affected their ability to speak
freely.

“Here, you take this one," Jiang Hai said, handing the remaining space pouch to Zou
Hang.

Without lingering over it, Zou Hang casually slipped it into his pocket, offering a
curt "Thanks."

It was just a small incident. Jiang Hai admired Zou Hang’s insights, while the
other two were somewhat displeased. But that was none of Zou Hang's concern. You
could even say that this was the first time Zou Hang had spoken to them without an
ulterior motive. He simply loathed foolish actions, nothing more.

From the current situation, there are only 4 people on the team, or 3 and a half if
you want to be precise. Although Bai Hong has been enhanced to some extent, her
starting point was too low, so she is stronger than an average person in physical
strength at best. Even though she spent 1000 points to gain a 10 point increase in
muscle enhancement, she still can't match Chen Jianzhou. Furthermore, she has never
fought before.

Chen Jianzhou, on the other hand, has drastically improved his capabilities, having
obtained the ion stick. In terms of close combat, even Jiang Hai might not be a
match for him. This clearly demonstrates how much a good weapon can boost one's
strength.

Conversely, Jiang Hai seems to only have an infinite-ammo Desert Eagle. This is
somewhat concerning. If Jiang Hai had a better weapon to complement his already
considerable strength, if we were in the previous *Cold People* horror film and
even if all the students turned into Cold People, in an open area like the
schoolyard, he could kill as many of them as came.

As for Zou Hang, even with the 5 points of muscle enhancement from his bloodline,
he only has 10 points of strength. Still, to reiterate the comparison, he's still
weaker than Bai Hong. One could argue that he's the weakest in the team in terms of
raw physical strength, but the strongest in other aspects.
Based on the above analysis, Zou Hang offered some advice. “Bai Hong is probably
the weakest among us. However, she seems to be the wealthiest right now, with a D-
level storyline and 1500 survival points. I suggest she redeem an energy field,
using up all her capital. This device can independently resist the intrusion of
unknown energy into the body. It’s basically a personal protective device that can
be used 10 times, but it will be destroyed if the energy is too strong. However, it
should be able to protect her from death in the next horror film! Although Chen
Jianzhou has the ion stick, it requires batteries and should be avoided when not
necessary. Jiang Hai's Desert Eagle has unlimited bullets, but is slightly lacking
against attacks from larger groups and close combat. For these reasons, it’s best
to have some heavy weapons to protect yourself. The M134 Minigun 7.62mm machine
gun, I think, is a good choice. It has 6 barrels and can fire in a rotating manner.
The receiver is an integral casting, housing a rotor, and the inner surface of the
receiver has a cam groove for the gun's bolt rollers to move in. The front end of
the rotary body is equipped with 6 barrels, and there are 6 bolts corresponding to
the barrels, respectively. It has fierce firepower and can provide continuous fire
suppression, which is very useful when there are many enemies. It only costs 150
points. However, the disadvantages are the high recoil and rapid consumption of
bullets, but I don’t think that should be a problem. As for Chen Jianzhou, the AK-
47 is also a good choice. Given his muscle strength, if he trained a bit, he should
be able to handle it, and the AK-47 also has good firepower and doesn’t require
aiming when firing in medium-range bursts. It only costs 50 points.”

After listening to Zou Hang's analysis, everyone agreed and redeemed some items and
ammunition. Because of the space pouches, everyone could keep their hands free. As
for Zou Hang, to be honest, gun control is very strict in China, unlike the United
States, where you can easily get a gun license, but I have browsed some military
information and redeemed a Beretta 92F pistol. The main reason is that it has high
shooting accuracy. The opening and closing action of the gun is completed by the
locking block swinging up and down, which avoids the influence on the projectile
caused by the barrel swinging up and down. Although its power is not as strong as
the Desert Eagle, Zou Hang should be very suitable for it in terms of recoil and
accuracy.

“To be honest, I didn't expect you to be more proficient in the use of weapons than
I am. Later, we'll go to my house. I've set up a practice range inside. Each time
we experience a horror film, we have 10 days of rest, so there should be time for
you to get started! But now, let's go get something to eat! Let's all have a good
time, and start training tomorrow." Jiang Hai said, leading everyone towards his
home.

**Return to Contents**

<!-- 022 Jiang Hai's Extravagance -->

022 Jiang Hai's Extravagance

Table of Contents

A thought suddenly struck Zou Hang. After idly browsing the legendary magic
weapons, he had a premonition: the hot weapons he possessed might one day become
utterly useless. However, these legendary magic weapons weren't as cheap as
ordinary guns and ammunition. Most required side quests just to buy single-use
items.

Perhaps due to the Main God's (or maybe the author's) perversion, the next horror
movie might feature enemies immune to physical attacks.

Jiang Hai's home was the same villa they'd seen from the start. The opulent, gilded
decor wasn't particularly tasteful, but it was a woman lounging on the living room
sofa that shocked them. And what was worse...if you could even call it clothing,
was a tight, transparent, nylon-like bodysuit that left absolutely nothing to the
imagination, seemingly designed solely to arouse desire. But that wasn’t all. Even
more astonishing was the view of her lower body. The clear view of her dark bush
and pale, smooth thighs was incredibly tempting. Her devilish figure was unusually
perfect. And her face was strikingly beautiful, yet familiar.

Bai Hong yelped and covered her eyes. Chen Jianzhou, on the other hand, was
completely mesmerized. His tongue hung lower and lower, and the "tent" in his pants
grew higher and higher.

Marilyn Monroe! How was that possible? A question flashed through Zou Hang's mind.

(Don't think I'm being perverse here; I'm not writing some kind of erotic novel.
I'm mainly expressing an inner longing. I just wish I'd been born earlier. I've
always dreamed of Marilyn lying on a sofa dressed like that, with me standing
before her. ...Don't call me perverted. I'm just appreciating the art of it. I’m
tolerant enough, why don’t you look at that scene in Titanic, where Jack is
painting Rose who is only wearing “The Heart of the Ocean”.)

"Little Mengmeng, quickly go inside and change your clothes!" Jiang Hai's face
flushed as if *he* was the one who'd been exposed. He hurriedly shouted. The woman,
also just snapping out of her daze, let out a cry and rushed into the room.

"Sorry, sorry! That's my wife; I forgot to tell you all!" Jiang Hai said awkwardly.

"How come there's someone else here? Aren't there supposed to be only us? And...was
that Marilyn Monroe?" Zou Hang asked calmly, unlike Chen Jianzhou who was still
lost in the memory of the scene he'd just witnessed.

Jiang Hai led them to sit on the sofa. Whether it was intentional or coincidental,
Chen Jianzhou plopped down right where the woman had been lying, stroking the sofa
as if fantasizing about something. Bai Hong shot him a disgusted look at his
lecherous behavior.

"Zou Hang, you're half right. She is Marilyn Monroe, but you could also say she
isn't. The real Marilyn Monroe wouldn't be in this world. And she died long ago. I
was just too out of it yesterday and forgot to tell you. Every newbie in Heaven can
ask the Main God to create a person. Heh, she's the one I asked the Main God to
create. They can create anyone you want; their memories, figures, and appearances
can all be shaped according to your desires." Jiang Hai had barely finished
speaking when the woman, Jiang Hai's "Little Mengmeng," emerged, her face still
flushed. She complained to Jiang Hai, "You're so annoying! Making me wear that sexy
lingerie and not even telling me you were having friends over!" Jiang Hai
immediately apologized profusely.

"How come she speaks Chinese!" Bai Hong asked, surprised. Marilyn Monroe was an
American sex symbol; how could she speak Chinese so fluently?

Jiang Hai, while coaxing his "Little Mengmeng," explained, "Didn't I just say? I
created her. I also speak good English, and since she's made in China, what else
would she speak but Chinese, haha!"

Zou Hang secretly looked down on this 'counterfeit', but purely in terms of
appearance, this 'Little Mengmeng' was indeed very beautiful.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jianzhou bolted out of the room, undoubtedly to create a
woman for himself. It would be depressing if that idiot made a Marilyn copycat as
well. Thankfully, when he returned a while later, he had created a very popular,
sexy, domestic star that relieved their worries.

"Zou Hang, why don't you create one?" Chen Jianzhou asked, both shameless and lewd.

"Not interested!" Perhaps having someone to share the burden would be better for
long-term survival in this environment. However, Zou Hang felt that created people
wouldn't feel real, or perhaps he simply didn't have anyone in mind. Nevertheless,
his words earned him strange looks, and everyone edged away from him.

Zou Hang gave a soft cough, ignoring them. Seeing that Zou Hang wasn't answering,
the two, feeling bored, shifted their attention to Bai Hong, trying to entice her
to create a hunk. Bai Hong said that she already had a boyfriend. After chatting
for a while longer, the two women went to prepare dinner. Jiang Hai took out
several bottles of wine from a nearby cabinet and said, "This 1787 Château Lafite
Rothschild sold for $160,000." He then pointed to the two bottles next to them and
continued, "Produced in 1945, which is widely regarded as the best vintage of the
20th century, and the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions of France were also at their
peak. One of these bottles of wine king alone costs 500,000 francs." As he spoke,
he continued to take out wines for more than ten minutes. The wide round table was
filled with all sorts of wines, not only red wine but also top-quality Chinese
spirits, some a hundred years old. And in another cabinet were all kinds of good
cigarettes.

Although these things were much cheaper to exchange in Heaven than in the original
world, it still made people wonder if Jiang Hai was wasting 60% of his survival
points on them. Dinner also proved to be extravagantly luxurious. Even the Manchu
Han Imperial Feast was nothing compared to this. Things that flew in the sky, swam
in the water, ran in the mountains – things they'd heard of but never seen, things
they'd seen but never smelled. All sorts of ingredients were available. Bai Hong,
on the other hand, quickly retreated from the kitchen. She was truly at a loss,
while the counterfeit "Little Mengmeng" single-handedly prepared an authentic
Chinese feast!

Everyone ate with gusto, showing their special skills and devoured their meals as
though they were scared they might eat their tongues.

## 023 Gearing Up

023 Gearing Up

[Table of Contents]

Zou Hang didn't touch his chopsticks. He'd never eaten at someone else's home
before. Maybe it was safe. Everyone was eating the same food, and no one had any
reason to poison him. Still, he felt a sudden aversion to Jiang Hai. Jiang Hai's
extravagance was perfectly understandable, justifiable, and even supportable. He
was spending what he'd earned from surviving those horror movies, so he had every
right to do so.

But Zou Hang didn't care about any of that. The way the others were eating without
a second thought was simply distasteful to him.

*Maybe* Zou Hang was just too self-centered.

After eating so much, it would take a while to digest. Jiang Hai passed out
cigarettes to Chen Jianzhou and Zou Hang. Even the packaging made it clear that
these were purely luxury items.

Zou Hang took one but didn't light it. He had smoked before, but he didn't think he
was the type to smoke such expensive cigarettes. The price of a cigarette
represented something simple: your personal worth. It was a tragedy when someone
earning only 1,000 yuan a month smoked a 100-yuan pack. But he also knew that
cigarettes and alcohol exchanged at the Main God’s space cost only one survival
point.

Jiang Hai took another drag, blew a smoke ring, and said, "Actually, it's pretty
good here. To be honest, in the original world, I wasn't living well at all. Here,
I have everything. I dare say that even the richest man, Bill Gates, isn't as
carefree as I am. As long as we all work together and help each other, as long as
we survive, we can have anything we want!"

Chen Jianzhou replied, "Yeah! I suggest we start training later to prepare for the
next horror movie!"

"Not for the next horror movie, but to survive! That's what the people who lived
before always said. I've always taken it as my motto. Everyone, remember that
phrase. We'll start training later," Jiang Hai said.

"Not for the next horror movie, but to survive!" Bai Hong and Chen Jianzhou
repeated loudly, memorizing the slogan.

Damn it! For some reason, hearing that phrase gave Zou Hang a sudden urge to kill.
An inexplicable aversion to the words welled up from the depths of his heart. Even
he was surprised by his reaction. He just hated it for no apparent reason.

(*Just for those words, you all deserve to die!*)

The training ground Jiang Hai mentioned was in the basement of his house. Though,
it shouldn’t really be considered a basement, since he built it himself. He could
turn the toilet into this training ground in an instant if he wanted to.

The training ground was divided into two sections. One side was for firearms
practice, and the other was laid out like a gym.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw that the firearms range was filled with all
sorts of weapons. (I won’t repeat Jiang Hai's explanations. Some of the rules have
already been completely laid out. If I write too much, people will say I'm padding
the word count or plagiarizing Z's work. Anyway, you guys know what's going on.
Those who don't can read Z's "Infinite Terror." I won't list any identical settings
from there on, only the differences).

Jiang Hai had Bai Hong practice with some low-powered handguns, mainly for self-
defense. Once he was proficient, he could exchange for better ones in the Main
God’s space. Chen Jianzhou focused on practicing his staff skills, gaining more
practical and close-quarters combat experience. Jiang Hai acted as his sparring
partner, and Chen spent a little time on firearms practice too.

That was the main focus, about six hours of practice. The rest of the time was
spent on physical training.

When Jiang Hai wanted to assign a task to Zou Hang, Zou Hang declined and turned to
leave with a flourish.
After the events of "Cold Men," Jiang Hai knew that Zou Hang, although a loner,
wasn't unintelligent. He couldn't see through some of Zou Hang’s ideas, so he
didn't bother saying anything. Besides, his arrangements might not be suitable for
Zou Hang.

Time flew by like an arrow, the days sped past, and time was a flying knife, each
strike aging you quickly, who cares about the length of time… ==|||

In the blink of an eye, it was the last day. The others were quite busy during this
time, but Zou Hang didn't see the other three very often. He didn't know what he
was doing in his room.

Jiang Hai and the others finally finished their training and took a good rest.
Although the two newbies couldn't make any qualitative leaps, they had made some
progress. Bai Hong, a typical office worker, had improved his stamina and long-
distance running ability. His hands, which had never held a gun before, no longer
trembled, and he could barely pleasure….no! self-defense himself! Jiang Hai, who
was much better at martial arts than Chen Jianzhou, sparred with him constantly,
and Chen Jianzhou could barely keep up and was occasionally able to fight him to a
draw. If he had his ion staff, he should be pretty powerful.

One day, Zou Hang suddenly felt like changing the view. What he saw felt too
unnatural. He then went to the computer and browsed some different photos and chose
a nice new landscape image as his desktop background. So he asked Jiang Hai, but
was told that it was originally possible to change the scenery. It turned out that
the original scenery was a mysterious feeling he created on purpose. As a result,
he was severely despised by several people. By unanimous agreement, it was changed
to a beautiful seaside. Only the energy tower in the middle and the light sphere in
the sky remained unchanged.

"A Su Xiao Cardiac Pill, mainly to prevent discomfort from illnesses or the
environment. A bottle of hemostatic spray, a bottle of antidote for non-plot-
specific poisons. Then, everyone should exchange for some large-denomination
banknotes and ten gold bars. Make sure your weapons are well-stocked with
ammunition and accessories. That should be about it," Zou Hang listed the support
items after reviewing them. It cost almost 200 survival points in total. Except for
Bai Hong and himself, who had some points left, the other two were broke. Finally,
Zou Hang looked at the Malicious Amulet in the support item bar. The amulet's
effect was to burn a warning in advance when attacked by evil spirits. Before the
amulet burned out, the evil spirit could not harm the holder. Although the
continuous duration was only 20 minutes, it cost 200 survival points per piece.
After thinking about it for a long time, he still exchanged for three. After all,
if you encounter those ghosts and spirits, the weapons in your hands are really
useless now. However, he did not take out these four. He had no obligation and no
reason to sponsor these people.

But with the exchange of these amulets, Zou Hang only had 200 points left. He had
once envisioned keeping 1,000 points to reserve a spot where he could kill his
teammates. Although he didn't have that ability now, he could still kill people,
but it wasn't as convenient. He had experimented with this method in the horror
movie "Cold Men."

Jiang Hai and Chen Jianzhou began to bid farewell to their 'artificial beauties.'
Bai Hong, having no partner, silently looked out at the distant horizon beyond the
seaside.

Zou Hang merely muttered, "Resident Evil, Alien, Ju-On, The Mummy, Final
Destination… which one will it be?" In fact, except for the first day when Zou Hang
spent a whole day improving his marksmanship, coupled with his keen insight and
precise calculations, he already had some experience. The rest of the time, he
basically didn't rest. He kept watching various horror movies, specifically setting
up six televisions in his room to browse at fast-forward speed. Watching six horror
movies at the same time was already his limit. He couldn't remember any more than
that. But if the others knew that, they would be depressed. On the last day, he
took a short rest. A lot of clips quickly flashed through his mind.

No matter how difficult the next horror movie is, knowing the plot will greatly
increase his chances of survival. That was the motivation behind watching so many
horror movies.

As the Main God's "light sphere" shot rays of light around, everyone knew it was
time to leave.

With the help of space bags, everyone was lightly equipped. It could be said that
there was no burden, but the mental burden and shadow could not be put down.

Zou Hang was still guessing, what horror movie will it be?

(Let’s guess what the next horror movie will be? I suddenly thought of something
that made me unhappy. Have you noticed that Z writes about foreign horror movies!
They don’t support domestic films. Although I admit that those big budget films are
really good. However, we can’t give up some of China’s classics! Everyone can help
me find some classic domestic films. It seems that there are few types of national
anti-feudal superstition, but there should be some in Hong Kong. Actually, everyone
must have seen that the first "Cold Men" is not a horror movie, it is a story I
made up. But in the past, I had some fantasies about what it would be like when the
people around me became like that. I saw a vampire in the second part of "My Date
with a Vampire" in Hong Kong. When people are afraid of powerful alien monsters,
they will be afraid and then slaughter them. However, if most people in the world
become vampires, people will think that they are the justice. The specific words
are similar to these words, but I forgot. The same is true for "Leng Ren", but due
to the needs of the plot, too much of the cold people's bloodiness is shown. In
fact, I originally wanted to write about their intellectual cold-bloodedness and
cruelty. In fact, most people in real society like to be indifferent and protect
themselves wisely. Now the plot is almost at the next horror movie. Everyone also
knows that I originally planned to continue writing it. Now there is no way. In
order to accurately write the next horror movie, I am still thinking about it, and
I also need to download some movies to watch. There are too few resources in the
meantime. The download speed is too slow. There may not be many words updated
today. I can only try to code more after I finish watching the movie! But there are
almost 7,000 words, so everyone can just take a look for now! I was going to update
at 8 o'clock this morning when I was about to go to sleep. But at that time, there
were only 60 or so posts. I just got up and saw that there were enough 100. Today's
chapter is just about rest and preparation. The next chapter will enter the horror
movie. But I really haven't thought about what to write. It’s so hard!)

## 024: Scapegoat 1

024: Scapegoat 1

Table of Contents

(I already said it in the book review section! I didn't initially plan on

continuing the story because I had no concept for the next horror film. Now, with
everyone's encouragement, I'm starting to write again. But you have to give me time
to watch movies and find material! Please don't rush me, or the quality will
suffer.

Today I re-watched the first "Final Destination" movie and thought the order of
deaths in the first episode was a great idea. I've decided to write a horror film
based on it. Please support me and give me votes, and also help promote *織傷*
[presumably a web novel or similar]. I'm working hard on the writing! There will be
another chapter available after 6 pm!)

The group stirred and stood in the light. The same voice echoed in all four of
their minds: "Target locked: Final Destination 1. Commencing teleportation…"

At the same moment, Jiang Hai and Zou Hang exchanged a glance. Fear filled Jiang
Hai’s eyes, while Zou Hang offered a peculiar smile. The prospect of death didn't
seem to scare him; he simply wanted to face the challenge and see his calculations
play out perfectly.

The sensation was both real and unreal, like falling into a dream. A sense of
warmth enveloped their bodies, their senses acutely aware of their surroundings,
yet their minds struggled to make sense of it all. It felt as if their radars were
being jammed by a specific frequency.

Whether it was a mere instant or a long stretch of time, the team members couldn't
tell.

As soon as Zou Hang regained clarity, he swiftly scanned the surroundings. The room
was bright and approximately 20 square meters in size. It was filled with cargo and
luggage, suggesting they were in the cargo hold of an airplane.

Bai Hong and Chen Jianzhou excitedly took in the scene, while Jiang Hai furrowed
his brow, looking troubled. Scattered across the floor were several men and women –
presumably the new arrivals. Counting them, there were seven lying horizontally and
eight vertically, a jumbled mess of sixteen people in total. Adding the four
members of their team, there were twenty people, reaching the upper limit of the
number Jiang Hai had said a horror film would have.

This horror film was truly going to be a graveyard for them all. Bai Hong, noticing
Jiang Hai's gloomy expression, asked him what was wrong. Jiang Hai sighed and said,
"We're in serious trouble this time. With twenty people, it's unlikely any of us
will survive."

Jiang Hai's words startled Bai Hong, but she questioned, "I've seen 'Final
Destination 1'! It wasn't that scary! There aren't any zombies or monsters!"

Jiang Hai gave a bitter laugh, retorting, "Bullshit! Do you know what's truly
terrifying? It's these inexplicable deaths. If there are monsters, at least we know
where the enemy is, no matter how many there are, and our weapons might be able to
eliminate them. But in 'Final Destination,' we can only wait for death!"

Chen Jianzhou, who was still brimming with excitement, having not yet had a chance
to use his newly acquired ion rod in a real fight (it was too dangerous in
Paradise, so he could only spar with Jiang Hai using wooden sticks), sensed the
shift in tone and asked, "What's going on? Is this movie that difficult? I haven't
seen it; I don't really watch movies. Someone fill me in."

Bai Hong looked at Jiang Hai, but he was still frowning. She then looked at Zou
Hang, who nodded, signaling her to explain. Bai Hong began, "I'm not that familiar
with it either. 'Final Destination 1' came out in 2000, after all. I was still in
school at the time and only watched it on a rented video at a friend's house, so I
missed a lot. The plot is roughly about a high school student named Alex Browning
and his French class boarding a flight to Paris. All the passengers are seated and
buckled up, ready for takeoff. Suddenly, Alex has a powerful premonition, a vision
of the plane exploding in mid-air, turning into a ball of fire. Terrified, Alex
causes a commotion, demanding everyone leave the plane, which leads to chaos in the
cabin. In the end, seven passengers, including Alex, are forced off the plane. Back
at the airport, Alex is surrounded by the other six: his friend Billy and Tod, a
young woman named Claire, Carter and his girlfriend Terry (who had a fight with
Alex), and Ms. Lewton, a teacher who volunteered to stay with the students. As they
grumble about their cancelled trip to Paris, Alex's terrifying premonition
tragically comes true. The plane explodes in mid-air, killing everyone on board.
Shocked and confused, the survivors are desperate to know how Alex foresaw the
disaster. Some are fascinated by his psychic abilities, while most are simply
terrified. FBI agents arrive to question Alex, who feels guilty and bewildered. He
just wants to forget the tragedy and return to a normal life. However, Alex begins
to see death approaching, and the survivors start dying one by one in bizarre
accidents. Alex realizes that Death cannot be cheated, and he and his friends must
band together to try and change their fate!"

Bai Hong had only given a rough overview, omitting many details, such as the causes
and circumstances of each death. Although Zou Hang had made a point of studying
"Final Destination 1" carefully a few days prior, he didn't bother to add any
clarifications.

"Did you really finish watching it? What was the ending?" Jiang Hai asked Bai Hong
with a questioning tone.

Bai Hong thought for a moment and then said, "I didn't actually finish it. I
watched most of it that day, but I had to rush off to class. But I think I heard
from a friend that three people survived in the end!"

Another careless person!

"Do you know that the last three all died? Nobody can escape the deaths that Death
has planned for them!" Jiang Hai said coldly.

"How much do you know about this movie, Jiang Hai?" Zou Hang finally spoke.

"Do you know about 'Final Destination 2'? That movie wiped out my entire team of 15
people, and I was the only one who escaped. I didn't expect to be thrown into this
series again. I guess it's fate; there's no escaping Death's plan!"

"If your entire team was wiped out, how did you escape?" Hearing Jiang Hai's words,
Zou Hang suddenly felt something was amiss. Jiang Hai's background was too vague.
In Paradise, Zou Hang had tried to get more information out of him, but he always
brushed it off with a laugh, claiming he didn't remember.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 025 Discarded Pawn 2 -->

025 Discarded Pawn 2

Table of Contents

"I honestly don't remember. Last time, all the other team members died, and just as
I was about to die, everything went black. I thought I was finished, but when I
regained consciousness, I found myself in the Main God space. It was a true escape
from death, so in my eyes, the Main God space was paradise! That's why I call it
paradise!" Jiang Hai's explanation still failed to convince Zou Hang.

"What was your mission back then?" Zou Hang pressed him.

"It seemed like escaping... or maybe... I really don't remember the specifics. Why
are you asking about this?" Jiang Hai sounded impatient.

"Just curious. Since you've been through this series, I thought you might have some
clues!" Zou Hang quelled Jiang Hai's suspicions, but he had already placed Jiang
Hai in a position of distrust. Why was Jiang Hai the only one who entered "Cold
People"? And why did he only have a Desert Eagle with unlimited ammo? Yes, perhaps,
as he said, he was the only one who escaped. And maybe he dropped his other weapons
and could only afford a Desert Eagle. But Zou Hang wouldn't believe him based on
this explanation, which had at best a 50% chance of being true. Even with just a 1%
chance of suspicion, Zou Hang considered the other person a 'dead man,' to be added
to his kill list.

"A mission is here!" The Main God's emotionless voice announced. Bai Hong, looking
at the display on her wrist, suddenly said. Hearing her words, everyone hurriedly
checked their own displays. They showed: "Survive until return." Reward: 3000
points and one B-grade horror movie side quest for each team member.

Unlike previous missions, there was no set survival time, no indication of the
number of enemies, and the mission description was just a few terse words: "Survive
until return." Behind the tempting reward lay a deadly trap.

Understanding Jiang Hai's identity wasn't the primary goal right now. He knew the
plot of *Final Destination 1* well enough, but this mission was extremely
difficult, with 16 new recruits arriving at once. The known plot was bound to
change, because a key element in the movie was the order of deaths Alex Browning
gleaned after the plane explosion. Having entered the horror movie, Death's hit
list wouldn't only include the movie characters; it would also add members of the
team. So, they first had to figure out the new order. Furthermore, in the movie,
the order of deaths could be altered by external forces, jumping to the next person
in line. That made the difficulty significantly greater.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so people on the ground were beginning to wake up. This
space pulled all sorts of people from the real world, seemingly at random, without
any pattern. It could be anyone, even you reading this on your computer. However,
most people wouldn't believe it, and waking up in an unfamiliar environment
surrounded by strangers would naturally be frightening.

But perhaps because society was becoming more harmonious, people these days were
more mentally resilient.

"Damn it! How did I get here? Xiao Gu, call General Jin and tell him to hold that
batch of goods for me. The 5 million will be in his account tomorrow!" A balding,
middle-aged man in a baggy suit barked, issuing orders to his female secretary as
soon as he woke.

That one sentence acted like the starting gun, and all hell broke loose.

"What in tarnation is this place?"

"I'm just as confused as you are."

"Mommy, I'm scared!" A little girl tugged at her mother's skirt and cried. The
woman picked her up, comforted her for a few moments, then asked the people around
her, "Where is this? My child needs to go to school. She's going to be late."

"Ah~~ Have I been kidnapped? I don't have any money. I'm just a poor student. I
admit I stole XX's instant noodles yesterday, but I had no choice." A high school
student said.

"Did Second Brother send you? Lynx, how long have we been here?"

"Chicken, how the hell should I know?"

...

Three black lines slid down the foreheads of the team members.

Jiang Hai, already feeling a headache coming on due to the difficulty of the
current horror movie, signaled Bai Hong to explain things to the newcomers. Bai
Hong didn't refuse and repeated Jiang Hai's previous explanation: "You're no longer
in your old world. You can think of this place as a dimensional space. You've been
chosen. When you were questioning the meaning of your lives, you were transported
here. Now, you will begin a terrifying challenge. It could be a horror movie or a
disaster movie you're familiar with. This time, it's a very familiar horror movie
called *Final Destination 1*. And this horror movie could kill all of us here. We
can only survive by helping each other..." Bai Hong didn't even believe the last
sentence herself, especially after hearing Jiang Hai say that this horror movie was
a guaranteed death mission. But she still clung to a sliver of hope. Maybe they
wouldn't all die. Or maybe only the characters in the movie would die.

After hearing Bai Hong's words, the middle aged man who had been speaking earlier
sighed and said: "Poor child, seems like she is seriously ill!" He was perhaps
well-intentioned, but clearly didn't believe a word of it.

"Is this a TV show? Where are the cameras?" Someone suddenly asked.

Jiang Hai pulled out his gun and pointed it at the crowd. The gesture had a
deterrent effect on some, but not everyone. A man with tattoos on his arm sneered.
Before he could even say "fake," a bullet slammed into his hand, instantly severing
two of his fingers, and blood gushed out. The man screamed in agony, and others
gasped.

"Is everyone done talking? Then listen to me." Jiang Hai scanned the crowd. Seeing
no objections, he continued, "Has anyone seen *Final Destination*? Raise your hand
if you have." About seven or eight people raised their right hands.

"Right now, we are on the plane from that movie. After the mission begins, the
plane could take off at any moment. I don't think I need to say more after that.
Those who don't believe us should stay here, don't speak, and don't move. I won't
kill you. Those who believe me, please state your specialties and abilities. It
will greatly help everyone survive..."

Return to Table of Contents

Okay, here's a translation of the Chinese text, aiming for fluency, naturalness,
and capturing the original nuances:

**026 Sacrificial Pawn 3**

026 Sacrificial Pawn 3

Contents

(It’s 6 AM, and I wanted to sleep ages ago. But I gritted my teeth and updated
before hitting the hay. I have some good news for everyone: after a night of
racking my brains, I’ve finally hammered out the general direction of the story. I
believe this arc will satisfy everyone. But that'll have to wait until after I wake
up. Please continue to support me! Shamelessly asking for Power Stones. To all my
dear readers—uncles, aunts, grandpas, grandmas, brothers, sisters, please tell all
your family members and relatives to read this book!)

While Jiang Hai was being forced by the teacher to lecture a group of students who
didn't believe a word he said, Zou Hang had already left. He was walking down the
passage towards the cargo hold.

"What are you doing here?" A blonde flight attendant in uniform asked Zou Hang,
puzzled.

"I wanted to check on my luggage. I have some very valuable things in there," Zou
Hang explained in fluent English.

"Passengers aren't allowed to access the cargo hold without authorization. Please
return to your seat! The plane is about to take off!" Zou Hang acknowledged her
words and followed her back towards the passenger cabin.

Zou Hang had no intention of playing God alongside Jiang Hai.

When he reached the cabin, he saw Alex sitting in seat 25. He looked a bit tense,
probably already sensing something was amiss.

"Zou Hang, what are you doing standing there? Come and sit down." Alex's teacher,
Wei Ni, turned around and saw him, hands on her hips.

Zou Hang pointed at himself. Wei Ni nodded and said, "Do I have to teach you how to
sit?" Zou Hang quickly remembered the role the Main God had assigned him. He looked
around and noticed that several seats were empty. Sure enough, those people were
already on Death's list.

"Alex, would you mind switching seats with us? Then we can sit together. I asked
Tuode, but he said he had some kind of dreadful illness!" Tuode's dream girl was
delivering her lines, while Tuode was frantically gesturing to Alex. Everything was
unfolding according to the script. However, Zou Hang suddenly wanted to stop Alex
from giving up his seat. That way he wouldn't discover the broken tray table on the
back of his chair, and they would all die on the plane directly.

"Everything is going according to the script. Is there something I missed?" Zou

Hang murmured to himself. Suddenly, something clicked, and he rushed towards the
cargo hold. He flung open the door and shouted, "Alright folks, deplaning time is
now!" With that, Zou Hang ran back, dashed off the plane, and told the flight
attendant that he had forgotten an important appointment.

Jiang Hai was still trying to convince the students. Hearing Zou Hang's words, he
realized he'd wasted too much time trying to get the newbies to believe him. If the
plane took off, they would all die.

"Almost forgot the time! That was close!" Jiang Hai was still feeling apprehensive,
immediately stowed his gun away and brought Chen Jianzhou, Bai Hong, and three of
the newbies who believed him down the plane.
Shortly afterward, Alex was dragged off the plane by the police.

"You stay here and make sure they don't get back on the plane. That's an order!"

"Wait, you can't do this! Please, I have 40 students flying to Paris! I apologize
for Alex on his behalf!"

"Alex, what did you see?"

"I saw the plane taking off on the runway, and I saw the left engine explode from
the window, and then the whole plane blew up! It's real, it's all real."

Zou Hang sat on a bench not far away in the airport, quietly enjoying the spectacle
he had already seen.

This is the consequence of speaking the truth.

At that moment, the plane began to ascend. With a "bang," the cargo door was
smashed open, and a number of people rushed out, running towards the front. The air
marshals immediately stopped them and asked what was wrong. They all started
talking at once.

"Help! We've been kidnapped!"

"He kept saying that we were in "Final Destination 1", that the plane was going to
explode, and we were all going to die..."

The air marshals and surrounding passengers looked at these people, who were
rambling in unintelligible language. They were puzzled. The group of students from
earlier seemed to recognize them and asked in English, "XX, what's wrong?"

"What's going on?"

These newbies realized that everyone around them was a blond-haired, blue-eyed
foreigner. A chill ran down their spines as they looked around frantically. Then,
the plane started shaking, which made the passengers uneasy, but this was merely a
prelude to the attack. Violent shaking ensued, the lights flickered, and the
luggage began to fall from the overhead compartments. Oxygen masks popped out. Just
as people were putting on their masks, sparks started to fly.

With an earth-shattering "boom," the metal fuselage on the left side was torn open.
The seats closest to the rupture were ejected by the tremendous pressure…

In Zou Hang's eyes, the explosion in the sky was nothing more than a stone dropped
into a lake, causing ripples that symbolized the beginning of a horror film. But
for those who had narrowly escaped death, it was the root of enduring fear. Alex
and his six companions were completely stunned. The members of the team who were
seated nearby had seen all of this before on the screen, but now that it was
happening to them in real life. Everything was so much closer to them. They had
been in the belly of that 'steel bird' just like them.

Perhaps the newly recruited members had had their doubts, but at that moment they
were convinced!

Yes, Zou Hang had saved them?! But Zou Hang wasn't being benevolent. They were
still on Death's list. All he had done was buy himself more time. Until he was
completely safe, these people were just pawns, expendable commodities to help him
uncover Death's true face.

Wei Ni was rubbing her eyes. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Then, she
saw the group of people, ran over to them, and exclaimed, "Thank God, what are you
doing here!"

Zou Hang was just about to come up with an excuse when he saw a man who looked like
a policeman asking Wei Ni, "Are these also your students?"

"They are exchange students and teachers from China who go to our school!" Wei Ni
said.

"Oh. Then you all come with me for a moment!" The police officer said and started
walking away.

## 027: Disposable Pawn, Part 4

**027 Disposable Pawn 4**

**Table of Contents**

The group was ushered into a room, where they sat in silence, awaiting
interrogation. The script continued to unfold. Alex's dreaded premonition had come
true; outside of the Reincarnation Squad and Claire, Alex was now considered an
unwelcome presence. It was as if he was the root cause of everything.

In truth, the story of *Final Destination 1*, while simple, was gripping. Death was
portrayed as a refined gentleman, subtly orchestrating elaborate, ingenious traps.
The first death, in particular, was both mystifying and plausible. The technicality
of Death's methods highlighted the bravery and intelligence of the boy who
confronted it. Moreover, the film served as a stark warning about the potential
dangers lurking within our everyday habits: using water, electricity, driving,
crossing the street, boiling water, the way you pour a drink, even the way you
leave a rag… Rather than simply declaring a fatalistic "when your time comes,
there's no escape," the film seemed to be cautioning that "escaping death" doesn't
necessarily guarantee good fortune, because any oversight in the smallest detail
could prove fatal. However, that is not the case that can be explained carelessly.
The real terror is just beginning.

Zou Hang knew that the two FBI agents in the upcoming scenes would be conducting
individual interviews. To avoid arousing suspicion, Zou Hang told them to make up
some plausible excuses to get through the questioning.

After what seemed like forever, the students' parents began to arrive to pick up
their children. It was time to leave.

According to the storyline, Death's next attacks would occur after the students'
funeral, in the order Tod – Terry – Deke – Wei Ni – Claire…and so on. Zou Hang
suddenly realized something. Carter was originally supposed to die *before* Deke.
And Claire was saved by Alex and remained safe, at least until the three of them
went to Paris. This was a major plot hole. In the film's climax, a billboard
collapses, and both Carter and Alex are caught beneath it. That was the end of the
first movie. In the second film, Li Ke Laier has become the heroine until she dies
in the end. If we extrapolate, bypassing Death's threat, when Claire is rescued by
Alex, they then go to Paris and die, then the movie will end and Claire will
survive. Adding the plane crash deaths, Carter, Alex, and Claire skipped Death's
machinations once more. Finally, Carter and Alex both die, and the movie ends. So,
they just need to escape a maximum of three deaths, or twice to reach the death
after the last character Claire, then they may be able to survive and return to
paradise after the horror movie ends.

Although this was merely a hypothesis, Zou Hang found it encouraging, especially
since he had been completely clueless about the mission. The only instruction was
to survive, with no time limit. The original death order in the film might have
been altered by the Reincarnation Squad's presence. The important thing now was to
discern the pattern of death. And he believed that he had plenty of time,
considering there were seven team members in addition to the six characters from
the story.

"Let's go too! It should be safe until tomorrow during the day!" Zou Hang said
calmly to the team members before heading toward the exit. The others followed.

*Huff*. He took a deep breath. Perhaps it was simply leaving that oppressive place.
Outside, the sky was pitch black. Although the airport area of this unfamiliar
American city was still bustling with traffic, the near-death experience had left
everyone somewhat subdued. Of the sixteen newcomers, only three remained, due to
their stupidity within the last few hours.

Just as Zou Hang was about to size up the three newcomers, a gust of wind suddenly
swept through. Everyone instinctively rubbed their hands. Back in the real world,
it was still a sweltering summer, and they were all dressed lightly. But the cold
wind in the late autumn night felt chilling. Everyone's expression did not change.
But Zou Hang was a bit alarmed, and a keen sense of crisis told him that danger was
approaching. "A premonition of Death...a harbinger?!" he murmured. Anyone who had
paid close attention to *Final Destination 1* would have noticed a common thread:
before Death's attacks, a cold wind, strong enough to extinguish a candle, always
appeared. Even when closing the windows in Wei Ni's house, a hellish wind would
waft through, as if Death was delivering a grim notice…

"Jiang Hai, calm down. What you need to do now isn't simply be afraid. But to
analyze our current situation and find a way to solve it!" Zou Hang reminded Jiang
Hai, seeing the constant frown from the start.

"Yes! I seem to be too nervous. After all, I'm the only one who has experienced the
inexplicable horror of *Final Destination* deaths. It seems I'm already a burden!"
Jiang Hai said with a wry smile.

"A burden? No! You're not the only one who is a burden!" Zou Hang seemed to be
characteristically blunt. Although the veterans knew that Zou Hang was the most
important person here and had saved them just now, Zou Hang's words still sounded
so harsh.

Zou Hang hailed two taxis. Zou Hang, Chen Jianzhou, and one newcomer sat in the
first car, while newcomers Bai Hong and Jiang Hai sat in the second. He told Bai
Hong to follow behind them. He then instructed the driver to just keep driving
around this small town.

After confirming the location of the school from his memory of the film as well as
Alex and Claire's main residence, two hours had passed. The driver was starting to
complain, but when Zou Hang flashed a stack of large-denomination American bills,
his complaints vanished instantly, as if they had never existed. In fact, he became
a tour guide, explaining the nearby terrain and traffic conditions in great detail.

Finally, based on the driver's recommendation, they checked into a small motel
nearby. The motel wasn't fancy, and given that they had money but no passports or
other identification, they couldn't stay in a high-end hotel anyway. The motel had
plenty of rooms; after all, it wasn't a tourist destination.

Motivated by money, the owner wisely didn't ask for identification or registration.
Moreover, following Zou Hang's instructions, everything inside the rooms – except
for the comforters and blankets – was thrown out onto the street. The gas and water
were shut off to prevent potential fires and floods. What if the owner objected?
They'd just shut him up with more money! Heh heh...

Once all the rooms were emptied, everyone gathered together.

"I've surveyed the motel's surroundings. There are no hazardous facilities. It's
also not on a flight path, so there shouldn't be a 9/11 incident." Zou Hang said,
looking at everyone. They seemed satisfied with the arrangement. Basically, all the
small tricks that Death could play had been nipped in the bud. Everyone breathed a
sigh of relief.

**Return to Table of Contents**

## 028: The Mistake of Turning Around

**Table of Contents**

To outsiders, these protective measures might seem comprehensive. But Zou Hang knew
better – they were merely parlor tricks. Just like in the movies, Death couldn't be
fooled. While they might evade its clutches once, they wouldn’t escape Death’s game
board. In fact, the next attempt on their lives would likely be even more
relentless.

The preparations were now on hold as Jiang Hai began introducing the veteran team
members to the three newcomers: "After witnessing what you just did, I'm sure you
no longer doubt what I said earlier. You might feel fortunate to have entered this
strange and unbelievable world. But I believe it is nothing short of your
misfortune. This horror movie, with a difficulty level of 20 people, is our tomb.
It's highly likely that we'll all die here. Just hours ago, 13 newcomers were wiped
out. Of course, most of that was self-inflicted."

"To facilitate teamwork and ensure everyone can quickly coordinate, I’ll give a
brief overview of our team. My name is Jiang Hai. I'm a veteran, having survived
several horror movies. I am the strongest among us. However, in this particular
movie, *Final Destination 1*, I'm just like you all – at best, I can only run a
little faster."

"Next to me is Bai Hong. Like the other two veterans, she survived the last movie.
She doesn't have any outstanding abilities, but she did use some of her survival
points to boost her basic attributes."

"This is Chen Jianzhou. He has a decent physique and is proficient in close combat.
He exchanged his survival points for a high-tech melee weapon. However, like me, he
won't be of much help in this movie."

"And this gentleman here is our strategist, the mastermind of our team. Thanks to
him, we completed the last mission flawlessly. He's the smartest person I've ever
met. While he's not physically strong, having him around greatly increases our
chances of survival. He can be blunt and somewhat aloof, but he is a trustworthy
companion." Jiang Hai quickly introduced the veteran members, inadvertently shining
a spotlight on Zou Hang.
The three newcomers scrutinized the pale, frail, almost sickly-looking beautiful
man with white hair, making Zou Hang uneasy.

Jiang Hai retrieved a pack of cigarettes from the Main God's space, distributing
them among the group. "Now, each of you should introduce yourselves. It'll help us
with the arrangements later."

The three newcomers exchanged glances. A man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a

black suit with an unbuttoned collar revealing a silver cross pendant, spoke first.
His hair was styled upwards, each strand meticulously arranged. "Liang Jun,
enforcer of the Yi Hall under the Green Gang. Skilled in combat, firearms, and
poisons. Honestly, if it weren't for the plane explosion, I'd think you were from a
rival gang who'd kidnapped me!" Liang Jun's gaze carried a sharp edge. Unlike
common street thugs, groups like the Green Gang, Hongmen, and the Gelaohui –
established during the tumultuous late Qing dynasty – were organizations with
considerable influence, upholding principles of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence,
righteousness, and propriety. Anyone with even a cursory understanding knew that
Liang Jun's title of "enforcer" meant he was responsible for punishing members who
violated the gang's code of conduct. Combat, firearms, and poisons were their tools
of the trade.

Jiang Hai nodded, acknowledging that Liang Jun would be a valuable asset in other
horror movies. He turned to the next person, gesturing for them to continue.

Beside Liang Jun was a woman with delicate features and short, shoulder-length
hair. She wore frameless glasses perched on her nose. Adjusting them habitually,
she subtly drew attention to herself by running her fingers through her hair.
Dressed in a black skirt and white blouse, she exuded an air of scholarly
sophistication. Smiling, she said, "My name is An Ran. I'm a master's student in
archeology at the China Grand Chinese Academy, currently a research assistant to
Dr. XX. I'm 25 years old. I look forward to working with all of you!" She gave each
team member a sincere look. Perhaps she had the body of a 25-year-old but the mind
of a 15-year-old. The vivacity in her voice stood in stark contrast to her mature
and alluring appearance.

An Ran's introduction evoked a sense of warmth in the group, and they returned her
smile. Zou Hang, however, remained aloof, leaning against the wall and observing
the newcomers from a distance. He didn't acknowledge An Ran's friendly greeting.
But when his gaze fell upon the third newcomer, Zou Hang felt a noticeable shift in
his demeanor.

"Wang Zhiming! Colonel Staff Officer in the Strategic Command Department of the
Chengdu Military Region. 22 years old. Specializations: strategic calculation,
simulated war games, computer programming, Ph.D. in stereoscopic mechanical
engineering." Wang Zhiming's curt and concise introduction landed like a bombshell.
It wasn't that anyone doubted him; it was simply unbelievable. A 22-year-old
colonel, a staff officer, and a Ph.D. in multiple challenging fields. The sight of
the close-cropped, upright, and righteous-looking colonel demanded respect.

Jiang Hai swallowed hard. On the plane's cargo hold, he felt eyes fixed on him.
Initially, he thought it was Liang Jun, but after Wang Zhiming's introduction, he
realized it was the colonel. Despite the shock, he was excited to have another
talented individual on the team. A military mind might be crucial against hordes of
zombies, but in this inexplicable horror movie, such a person could be instrumental
in solving the mysteries.

Jiang Hai turned to Zou Hang and asked, "So, what should we do now?"
Zou Hang glanced at Wang Zhiming, a faint smile appearing on his face as he looked
at the seemingly ordinary yet brilliant colonel. "Why don't we ask Wang Zhiming for
his plan?"

Zou Hang's unusual behavior went unnoticed, everyone being too focused on the
newcomer's unique perspective.

Wang Zhiming pondered for a moment before smiling and saying, "Although *Final
Destination 1* is an old movie, I have seen it. According to Jiang Hai, the
definition and goal of this cycle is to save the world. Therefore, these horror
movies are just trial missions. The Main God wouldn't kill us without a reason.
There must be a way to complete the mission. Like the characters in the movie, we
can avoid Death's pursuit if we work together. Now, we just need to wait for Alex
to figure out Death's killing pattern, and perhaps we can find a way to complete
the mission."

Hearing there was still hope for survival, the others were encouraged. Jiang Hai
looked at Zou Hang, who turned and walked towards his room, saying indifferently,
"Not bad! A good method. I'm going to sleep!"

Zou Hang was smiling, perhaps mockingly. There was definitely a way to complete the
mission, but it wouldn't be so easily found. Relying on Alex to figure out Death's
killing pattern? It was an idea everyone who'd seen the movie would have. But the
reality was that it was a grave mistake to think that was enough. This so-called
genius colonel was simply too naive. The *Final Destination* movies all had a
common origin: the protagonist foreseeing an impending disaster and altering the
course of events. In the first movie, it was because Alex saved those five people
that the pattern was discovered...

Ah! Zou Hang suddenly realized something significant. This discovery could overturn
all previous theories. If the pattern was only discovered because Alex saved those
five people, then the pattern would only include the names of those he saved. It
wouldn't include anyone from the cycle team. More importantly, the previous
assumptions of surviving at most three deaths or reaching Claire, the last
character in the movie, perhaps enough to survive and return to paradise, were now
invalid.

So, where did the team members fit into all this? "The common origin is the
protagonist foreseeing an impending disaster and altering the course of events."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the disembarkation time has arrived." The image suddenly
flashed in Zou Hang's mind. It was all because he rescued the team members on the
plane. It was all because of him. Then, in the *Final Destination 1* storyline, Zou
Hang was the protagonist for the cycle team.

With that thought, Zou Hang cast a sidelong glance at the others behind him, only
to find Wang Zhiming staring intently at him…

(Some readers have asked for changes. This counts as a change, right? Zou Hang
isn't capable of controlling everything. Also, the names of the three newcomers in
this chapter were provided by readers. If you want to make a cameo appearance,
leave your name in the 'Extra's' thread. There will be another update around 6
o'clock!)

[Back to Table of Contents]

## 029: Death Arrives 1

**029: Death Arrives 1**

**Contents**

The bright moon hung high outside the window, seemingly no different from the moon
back home. The moonlight gleamed off the marble floor, one of the reasons Zou Hang
had chosen this place. After all, marble was far superior to wood, and less likely
to catch fire. Zou Hang leaned back against a rolled-up blanket, quietly watching
the candle flickering in the corner of the room. The subtle warning whispers of
impending death were like the heavy footsteps of an elephant. Extinguishing the
candle would maximize the warning of approaching danger. Alex and Claire used the
same tactic.

Two hours had passed since the briefing. Perhaps everyone else was asleep, but
while the first death in the movie didn't occur until the night after the funeral,
the presence of the Reincarnation Team might have altered the plot.

Zou Hang's expression was impassive. No one knew what he was thinking. Was he
waiting for Death, or was he vexed by his earlier, flawed deductions?

*An independent storyline?! Then what is our connection to the characters in the
film?* In Paradise, Jiang Hai had mentioned that their previous missions had
generally involved interacting with characters from the source material,
establishing a connection of some sort. Did their only involvement in "Final
Destination 1" consist of that brief scene at the airport? Zou Hang questioned
himself, yet he was certain of one thing: the survival of the Reincarnation Team
was intrinsically linked to the characters in the film; otherwise, they wouldn't
have been assigned the identities of students at the same school. But where did
this connection lie? Perhaps the key to completing the mission rested on this
crucial detail.

After a long silence, a spark of excitement flickered in Zou Hang's eyes. He

murmured to himself, "Things are starting to get interesting."

It seemed he wasn't frustrated at all; on the contrary, the situation had

invigorated him. It had been a long time since he'd encountered something that
fully engaged his mind and body. However, a brief eye contact with Wang Zhiming
before leaving the briefing suggested to him that this man was not so simple.

A faint "click...click" of footsteps approached, stopping at the door to Zou Hang's

room. Zou Hang continued to stare at the candle, which merely flickered slightly as
the visitor knocked and entered.

"Still awake? I didn't expect you'd have a candle lit too!" The visitor's voice
wasn't loud, but it was deep and resonant, carrying clearly across the room.

Zou Hang sat up, still staring at the candle. "Wang Zhiming! What brings you here?"

The visitor was indeed Wang Zhiming, the talented colonel whom everyone saw as the
most promising newcomer. However, a late-night visit like this surely had a
purpose.

"I think you realize that everything I said at the beginning might as well have
been nonsense. Anyone who's seen this movie knows that. Frankly, I'm not good at
analyzing horror films based on non-scientific phenomena."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I suspect our situation is similar to the film, but we're not following the order
Alex predicted... Would you agree with that hypothesis?" What Wang Zhiming said was
almost exactly what Zou Hang had already figured out, except he omitted Zou Hang's
most recent realization. But had Wang Zhiming also considered that angle?

Though Zou Hang was self-centered, he wasn't arrogant enough to dismiss others out
of hand. He preferred to overestimate his opponents rather than make rash
judgments. Zou Hang was lost in thought. He wasn't considering what Wang Zhiming
said, but rather the reason behind his words. If Wang Zhiming had already realized
this much, why come and tell him? Was it just to confirm his suspicions?

*(No, that's impossible!)*

"I suppose that's right. Is there anything else? I want to rest!" Zou Hang was
impassive. It wasn't that he had mastered emotional control; he was simply
incapable of expressing his feelings outwardly. It was impossible to read his
thoughts.

"Then, rest well. I'll come and discuss things with you later if I think of
anything else. Two heads are better than one, it might help everyone!" Wang Zhiming
said with a smile, politely turning and pulling the door shut as he left. But as
soon as he stepped out of the doorway, his smile vanished, replaced by a look of
intense anger.

At that moment, Zou Hang was already holding his Beretta 92F pistol. He knew that
while the Beretta's bullets weren't as powerful as those of a Desert Eagle, they
could easily penetrate the wooden door. Moreover, with his keen observational
skills, he could accurately pinpoint Wang Zhiming's head behind the door. One shot
would surely eliminate that irritatingly clever man from the world.

But as the footsteps faded into the distance, Zou Hang never pulled the trigger. It
wasn't that he didn't want to, but he understood that in the "Final Destination"
series, the lives and deaths of those on Death's list were not in their control.
Their deaths were predetermined. In "Final Destination 2," the black man fired
multiple shots into his own temple but still couldn't die. Zou Hang wasn't sure if
his shot would kill Wang Zhiming, and if it didn't, it would only alert the enemy.

Zou Hang now concluded that this newcomer, Wang Zhiming, was indeed extraordinary.
It seemed he might have deduced the key point Zou Hang had realized. Their earlier
conversation was a test, and perhaps Wang Zhiming had formed an opinion of him and
was preparing to strip away Zou Hang's facade and reveal his true nature to the
rest of the Reincarnation Team.

Zou Hang had left the briefing earlier, but he hadn't actually gone to sleep. He
had overheard the conversations of several people...

Back in his own room, Wang Zhiming looked at the identical layout and the candle
flame flickering in the corner, just like Zou Hang's. His face was grim. His test
had not been successful. Zou Hang was the first person he couldn't decipher.

During the earlier briefing, Wang Zhiming had been very interested in Jiang Hai and
the other two old members' comments about Zou Hang. He had asked many questions
about Zou Hang's actions in the previous movie, "Cold Man." The more he heard, the
more grating it became, especially when he learned it had all happened in the real
world. Hearing that Zou Hang had started a fire that killed hundreds of innocent
people almost enraged Wang Zhiming. In his eyes, human life was paramount, but Zou
Hang had treated them like ants, engaging in indiscriminate slaughter to prove his
point, more heinous than even Hitler, the instigator of World War II.
Although he hadn't gained any useful information from their conversation, based on
what he had learned from Jiang Hai and Zou Hang's behavior in this horror movie, he
was certain that Zou Hang had also realized the key point. Knowing Zou Hang, he was
sure that he would treat the team members' lives as experimental subjects again.

The thought nearly drove Wang Zhiming to expose and bring Zou Hang to justice! In
his plan, Zou Hang was intelligent, but he lacked humanity, a critical flaw in his
otherwise brilliant mind.

**Return to Contents**

## 030: Death Arrives 2

030: Death Arrives 2

Contents

Of course, even with all his cunning, Zou Hang couldn't possibly know what Wang
Zhiming was thinking. However, Wang Zhiming's initial actions *did* allow him to
extrapolate the general direction things were heading. Though unable to eliminate
Wang Zhiming immediately was frustrating, he wasn't afraid and would await the
challenge.

Gazing at the Beretta 92F in his hand, Zou Hang's eyes took on a distant, almost
ethereal quality. In the "Final Destination" movies, those on Death's list can't
simply choose when they die. But the arrival of the Reincarnation Squad, the
butterfly effect causing shifts in the plot... could these things change that rule?

As if seeking confirmation – or perhaps lost in thought – Zou Hang stood up,

switched off the Beretta 92F's safety, and pointed it at himself…

The room was quiet, windows and doors tightly sealed. Yet, from some unknown
source, a gust of frigid wind rushed in, instantly extinguishing the candle on the
floor. The candle rolled across the smooth marble surface, propelled by the force.
And then, something extraordinary happened. Just as the gun barrel was aligned with
Zou Hang's forehead, the silenced Beretta 92F flashed, and a 9mm Parabellum bullet
shot out.

Had the gun misfired?

Was that even possible? The safety was definitely on, and Zou Hang's finger wasn't
even near the trigger guard. How could it have fired? Everything happened in a
blur. The Beretta 92F in Zou Hang's hand was no more than 20 centimeters from his
forehead, and the bullet was already flying, an instant of blazing speed. At such
close range, and with the Beretta 92F's renowned accuracy, there was virtually no
room for error.

Zou Hang reacted instantly. His heightened nerve reaction attribute had already
registered the event, but with only 10 points in Muscle Enhancement, he was nowhere
near fast enough to keep up. Was Zou Hang truly going to die by his own hand? Was
he going to be so easily toyed with by Death?

No! Zou Hang's brain had already issued the command the moment the muzzle flash
appeared: Rapid Displacement! Death probably hadn't anticipated Zou Hang possessing
such a trick. Instantly, the blood in Zou Hang's body flowed at near-light speed.
He felt a surge of heat through his body, but also a feeling of immense power. He
could clearly see the movement of the air, his pupils felt like they could
distinguish individual molecules. The bullet's trajectory and angle of attack were
burned into his mind.

Perhaps it was all over in a fraction of a second, but to Zou Hang, it felt like
the entire world had slowed to a crawl. Not just the bullet's speed, but also his
own movement. The resistance of the air and Zou Hang's efforts pushed against each
other. Zou Hang strained to lean backward, but it felt agonizingly slow. He put
every ounce of strength he had into moving just a little further. That tiny
increment was just enough to avoid the bullet by a mere tenth of a millimeter.
However, the heat generated by the bullet's friction against the air seared his
eye. It was a fortunate escape amidst immense misfortune.

The "Final Destination" series overturned assumptions people had come to accept!

It might be better to say that it reminds us that "a near-death experience" does
not necessarily mean "good fortune will follow," because overlooking even the
slightest detail in daily life can be fatal. And after surviving a near-death
experience like that, someone would want to take a breath. And this is not
preventable with caution. The real terror now begins. At a moment when strength and
spirit are depleted, when one's guard is down, Death's attack continues
relentlessly.

Truthfully, Zou Hang hadn't used a single skill to enhance his vampire bloodline
during his time in Paradise. All his time had been spent researching various horror
films.

Activating vampire skills consumed internal blood. After using the skill, Zou Hang
became dizzy. It was as if the blood in his body had disappeared for no reason, or
perhaps a large portion had been burned away. Blood is the source of life, and that
statement proved accurate. Losing so much blood at once left Zou Hang barely able
to stand. He staggered, nearly falling. A loss of over one-third of his blood would
lead to unconsciousness, and over one-half to shock.

Perhaps falling would be better. But inexplicably, his foot slid, and the candle
knocked over by the wind was 'coincidentally' stepped on by Zou Hang. Losing his
balance, Zou Hang was pulled down towards the wall by gravity.

In the moonlight, a sharp-eyed observer might have noticed a faint silver glint on
the white wall. A replica of a famous painting had once hung there. But after Zou
Hang cleaned it off, it was already stable on the road. If Zou Hang were still
conscious, he would also be confused, the nail that had been hanging that painting
had long been pulled out by him. But why was there still a wall exposed of 3CM
lenght waiting quietly. If there were no mistakes, Zou Hang would fall diagonally
and would leave a cut on the main trachea.

Indeed, that was exactly what happened. As Zou Hang fell, the sharp nail pierced
his skin and plunged into his trachea. Acting on instinct, Zou Hang frantically
pushed against the wall with both hands, trying to move away. Though his neck was
pulled from the nail, it had already opened a 5cm long gash. Air leaked from Zou
Hang's trachea, and his desperate gasps provided no relief. He tried to press his
right hand against the wound, but his body had reached its limit. He collapsed to
the ground, his fate uncertain…

No one would come to his rescue. It was like being trapped at the bottom of an old
well in the wilderness. Unless you can climb out yourself, no one will save you.
Unless a miracle occurs, but will a miracle occur? (Don't even think about your
phone – no signal outside the service area.)

It was indeed a sleepless night. Zou Hang, barely conscious, could be counted as
one. Wang Zhiming was another. And then there was An Ran.

This 25-year-old woman with delicate features now resembled a 15 or 16-year-old

girl, alone in her room, hugging a blanket, alternating between giggling and fits
of rage. Her face was a kaleidoscope of emotions. Truly, a woman's heart is as deep
as the ocean – impossible to fathom. Few people could laugh after entering "Final
Destination 1." An Ran was the only one.

She clenched her fists, propped up her flushed cheeks with her hands, and whispered
ecstatically, "So beautiful… truly beautiful! How can someone be so beautiful?… I'm
in love! I've finally found someone I love! I'm so happy! I'll marry him, or no
one!"

It seemed An Ran was a staunch advocate for aesthetic perfection, with a fervent
passion for beautiful beings. Simply put, she was a fangirl! Zou Hang was
definitely, absolutely not going to say he would marry her or no one. But, as Zou
Hang said, existence has meaning. Death's pursuit was close to perfect; perhaps
Death didn't know that Zou Hang could escape the shot, but Zou Hang was still
silenced in Death's plan.

Suddenly, as if having made a decision, An Ran clenched her right fist and said,
"It's decided! I'm going to confess to him tonight!"

The night truly felt endless. In a few short hours, so much had happened, leaving
people weary…

Return to Contents

## 031 The Color of Blood

**Table of Contents**

Zou Hang had never dreamt. Yet, a hazy memory suggested that perhaps he had.

Most people's dreams are in color. But Zou Hang's sole dream was in black and
white. A black and white world filled with black and white people. It resembled
footage shot with an old camera from the 1920s or 30s, complete with static and
blemishes. It was as if his brain was an antiquated projector.

This dream was ancient, lost in the depths of his mind. The only vivid detail he
could recall was a peculiar characteristic shared by all the figures in that
monochrome world: irises that emitted a faint, ethereal blue glow, chillingly
similar to that of the "Cold Ones."

In the dream's world, Zou Hang's remnants were everywhere along the roadside...

"He's awake! He's awake! Thank goodness..." An Ran, her eyes brimming with tears,
gazed at Zou Hang. Seeing him awake, she immediately threw herself into his arms.

"Get off!" Zou Hang, scanning his surroundings and slowly regaining his senses,
felt a surge of discomfort at An Ran's actions. He barked out the command.

An Ran, startled, quickly straightened up and stood silently to the side. Liang
Jun, witnessing this, grumbled with thinly veiled disdain, "Completely ungrateful.
If An Ran hadn't found you collapsed on the ground, teetering on the brink of
death, and alerted us to get you to the hospital, you wouldn't be able to speak,
let alone breathe. You'd be face-to-face with the Grim Reaper."
"It's good he's awake. Let's not complain," Wang Zhiming said, a faint smile
playing on his lips, as he patted Liang Jun's shoulder.

The moment Zou Hang regained consciousness, his gaze was fixed coldly on Wang
Zhiming. While the others might be genuinely concerned for him, or perhaps annoyed
by his abrasive dismissal, there was no reason for Wang Zhiming to be smiling. Zou
Hang knew it wasn't an expression of relief at his near-death experience; it was a
display of his true feelings. This might just be his paranoia, and there was no
hard evidence to support his suspicions. But Zou Hang trusted his gut.

In truth, Wang Zhiming was doing exactly what Zou Hang suspected. His smile was an
unconscious mask, something he wasn't even actively trying to do. If Zou Hang had
died, he would have been overjoyed. Unfortunately, the other members of the
Reincarnation Squad were present, leaving him helpless. Chen Jianzhou and Jiang
Hai, already swayed by Zou Hang, would never let him get away with anything. He was
beginning to get annoyed, wondering how he could find a loophole that would allow
him to execute his plan to eliminate Zou Hang, the scum.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"About two hours," Jiang Hai replied, glancing at his watch.

Zou Hang still felt weak. He touched his injured neck, feeling the fine stitches
that remained after the surgery. Two hours had passed, yet he still hadn't
recovered. As he pondered this, a wave of dizziness washed over him, and his
strength deserted him. He turned to the others and said, "I need you to leave for a
while."

"But we can't! What if something happens to you later?" An Ran said, her voice
filled with concern.

Zou Hang's eyes snapped to An Ran's face. In that instant, An Ran felt a chill
crawl down her spine. The others could sense the sharpness in Zou Hang's eyes, a
look that conveyed only one message: Obedience!

Zou Hang enunciated each word carefully, "Remember, I only say things once. No
repeats." His weakened state made his voice quiet, but every person in the room
could hear him clearly. Liang Jun, pointing a finger at Zou Hang, snarled, "We
saved your life, and you dare threaten us! You ungrateful wretch! Don't think I'm
afraid of you!" Liang Jun wasn't the leader of the Green Gang, but as an enforcer,
even the leader gave him some leeway. Now, he had played the role of the kind
farmer, taking a frozen viper to his chest. The viper awoke and bit his hand! No
one had ever dared to threaten him. Liang Jun was about to advance and beat Zou
Hang into a pulp, but Jiang Hai grabbed his arm. Although he was furious, Jiang
Hai's power, far surpassing that of any newcomer, kept him rooted in place. He
harrumphed and spun around, leaving the room.

Liang Jun wasn't the only one who couldn't stand Zou Hang. Chen Jianzhou and Bai
Hong, who had never held a good opinion of Zou Hang, turned and stalked out of the
room.

Jiang Hai looked coldly at Zou Hang. He couldn't figure out what it was about this
young man that he couldn't understand! He was incredibly intelligent, but his
actions and behavior were hardly flattering. Though his decisions were always the
right ones, they always felt somewhat bizarre! Regardless, they had saved his life,
yet he couldn't make his words even slightly less grating. Zou Hang's uniqueness
gave Jiang Hai a sense of dread; his presence was like a time bomb waiting to
explode. Jiang Hai began to wonder whether Zou Hang truly belonged in the team.
Jiang Hai said nothing more and turned gracefully to leave the room.

"I..." An Ran was about to say something, but Zou Hang's gaze seemed even more
oppressive, leaving her breathless. She could only sob quietly, stifling the tears
that threatened to spill over, as she prepared to leave. Wang Zhiming, ever the
gentleman, held the door open for her. An Ran said a quick "thank you" and hurried
out. As she left, the smile on Wang Zhiming's face widened, his eyes meeting Zou
Hang's in a challenging glance. He had been struggling to find an opening, but Zou
Hang's ingratitude had just opened the door wide for him.

Once only Zou Hang's breathing could be heard in the room, everything was quiet.

"Alone?" Zou Hang murmured to himself. From the moment he was born, he had been an
enemy to all. He didn't need anyone's concern. He didn't care who he offended. As
he recalled the events of the past few minutes, he felt as though he had seen it
all before in his mind. Several icy figures. One lone adversary. And a genuinely
sincere person.

An Ran's presence was unexpected. He didn't understand why a woman named An Ran
would suddenly care about him. Zou Hang wasn't oblivious. He could discern how
people felt about him. And his intuition was almost always correct...

Zou Hang still felt weak. Despite having undergone a tracheotomy, he still felt as
though he was leaking air when he breathed.

The doctor who operated on Zou Hang had noticed that he was severely low on blood,
which was negatively affecting his body. Although the specific cause of the blood
loss couldn't be determined, he still had a professional duty to give Zou Hang a
blood transfusion. Unfortunately, the rate of replenishment seemed far too slow.

Zou Hang had already noticed the bag of red liquid hanging beside him. He felt an
inexplicable urge towards the fluid, as if he wanted to gulp it down greedily. As
soon as the thought crossed his mind, something strange happened. The connection
between the blood bag and the IV tubing snapped. As if under immense pressure, the
blood inside formed a crimson jet, a slender line that streaked through the air,
flying toward Zou Hang's mouth. As soon as it entered his mouth, it miraculously
dispersed and was absorbed by his oral mucosa.

This was not a scene witnessed by Zou Hang alone. Outside the door, someone had
seen this shocking sight through the corner of the window. A normal person would
have screamed and cried that they had seen a ghost. But the figure outside
instantly recovered from their shock and replaced it with a smile…

<!-- 032 Human Doll -->

032 Human Doll

Contents

Zou Hang wasn't struggling to control his impulse; he simply didn't *want* to. For
the first time in his life, he felt a genuine craving. Although it was his first
time drinking blood, the stuff from the freezer didn't quite appeal to Zou Hang's
palate. But this didn't diminish his urge in the slightest. Once the 500cc blood
bag was an empty, transparent husk, he finally felt the dizziness subside. While it
was a far cry from replenishing all the blood he'd lost, his strength had returned
somewhat, enough for him to walk steadily.
The members of the Reincarnation Squad watched Zou Hang emerge, saying nothing, and
silently headed out of the hospital. Not a word was spoken. It was clear a deep
rift had formed between Zou Hang and the others, a gap that likely wouldn't be
bridged anytime soon. Not that Zou Hang had any intention of trying to.

Zou Hang was supposed to be at the rear of the group, but someone deliberately
lingered behind him. As they rounded a corner, Zou Hang abruptly stopped, planting
a hand on the wall and staring at the person inches from his face! It was An Ran.

"Why?" Zou Hang asked, his expression devoid of emotion, his gaze fixed coldly on
An Ran.

Caught off guard by Zou Hang's sudden move, An Ran was flustered, unsure what to
do, and could only stare blankly into Zou Hang's eyes. But Zou Hang's gaze was like
a sharp bayonet, intimidating her. She didn't understand Zou Hang's vague question
and didn't know how to respond: "What... why? I don't understand!" As she spoke,
two tears welled up and clung to the corners of her eyes.

"What are you really trying to say?" Zou Hang's tone became harsher, interrogating
An Ran.

An Ran still didn't understand Zou Hang's words. Perhaps she thought herself too
stupid. Without thinking, she blurted out, "I... I love you! I fell in love with
you the moment I saw you!" An Ran's voice was loud, filled with a burst of energy
no one knew she possessed, clear enough to be heard by the others dozens of meters
away.

Bai Hong, seeing An Ran on the verge of tears and Zou Hang's aggressive demeanor,
felt a sudden urge to rush over and stop Zou Hang from further tormenting An Ran!

But Jiang Hai blocked Bai Hong's path. Jiang Hai felt a sense of cautious hope. Zou
Hang was too cold, too unconventional. He rarely spoke more than a word or two in
daily interactions, and remained unnaturally calm in the face of blood and terror.
This 18-year-old youth, both his appearance and his inner self inspired a sense of
unease. An Ran's loud confession had been clearly audible to Jiang Hai. Zou Hang's
background might be filled with too many incomprehensible events, leading to a
distortion of his personality. Jiang Hai suddenly thought that perhaps An Ran's
appearance could change the white-haired young man!

An Ran's words surprised everyone, but none more so than Zou Hang himself. It was
the first time he'd been in such close proximity to someone. Their faces were
probably only 10 centimeters apart. He could feel An Ran's hot breath on his face,
and even the frantic thumping of her heart.

Zou Hang began to scrutinize the woman. An Ran, at this moment, was looking down,
her bangs slightly damp with tears. Her fair cheeks were flushed and rosy, like
fragile, delicate petals. Her shoulder-length short hair and the white blouse over
her black slit skirt obscured her figure somewhat, but her perfect curves were
impossible to hide.

Zou Hang was no stranger to the word "love." After all, he came from a world
saturated with information, where people casually threw the word around. Though no
one had ever generously bestowed the word "love" upon Zou Hang...

Even so, Zou Hang never imagined the word "love" would one day be directed at him.
Of course, Zou Hang felt he didn't need love! Looking at An Ran, this beautiful 25-
year-old woman with the youthful innocence of a fifteen-year-old, neither her
physical appearance nor her emotional state stirred even a ripple within Zou Hang.
Just as he was about to utter the words "I don't need it," Zou Hang was struck by
inspiration. A wicked smile crept onto his lips. He said insincerely, "Alright! I
accept your love! But I want you to remember one rule. You're my woman now. You
must obey every one of my commands without question!"

An Ran felt like she was dreaming. Happiness had arrived too quickly, overwhelming
her. She could only stare blankly into Zou Hang's dark, profound eyes, hoping the
"dream" would last.

Seeing that An Ran didn't answer, Zou Hang asked, slightly annoyed, "Unwilling?"
His tone was harsh!

"No! I... I'm just too happy! I'm so happy." An Ran quickly grasped at the hem of
the departing dream, holding on tightly, terrified that her happiness would slip
through her fingers due to a moment of carelessness!

This foolish, pitiful woman! Little did she know, her fate had been sealed as a
tragedy by her foolishness. Happiness?! Hmph! It would likely be misfortune.

"One more thing, remember this: I will only say things once! I don't repeat
myself!" Zou Hang had already turned and headed towards the doorway, his voice
lingering in the air.

An Ran was dazed for a moment. She pinched herself hard. Her peripheral nerves
rapidly transmitted the sensation of pain to An Ran at near light speed. This
wasn't a dream. Then, An Ran nodded emphatically and uttered an "Okay" in response.
She caught up with Zou Hang and wrapped her arm around his, holding him tightly.
Everything around her felt so wonderful.

Zou Hang was annoyed by this gesture he found repulsive, and wanted to pull away,
but he stopped himself. He only murmured in a voice he could barely hear himself,
"The concept of reward and effort... a detestable equivalent exchange!"

Outside the hospital, in the early morning of a late autumn season. In this foreign
town, the passersby and vehicles were still sparse. The fallen leaves of the plane
trees lining the road looked somewhat desolate and serenely beautiful. Although
there was no snow in late autumn, it was colder than early winter. A gust of cold
wind swept through the fallen leaves and across the street. A sense of foreboding
descended. Both Zou Hang and Wang Zhiming sensed a strong feeling of impending
danger. Death seemed to be saying: The death game! It's only just beginning!

(Asking for recommendations. Xiao Shang Shang I noticed that there is still a 4000
vote difference between me and the fifteenth place on the new book list. Although
it still seems like a lot ==||| But now it's already 22nd place. As long as
everyone helps a lot, I believe the power of the masses is strong, and it won't be
long before I can achieve my dream of being on the new book list!)

Return to Contents

<!-- 033 Death's Code -->

033 Death's Code

Table of Contents

"Maybe we should attend the funeral at the school later! Check out those key
characters. They might hold some clues!" Wang Zhiming, stepping into Zou Hang's
strategic role, suggested while eating the hotel owner's fried meat and eggs
breakfast, advising the team.

"You're going like *that*?" This was Zou Hang's first remark to the others after
leaving the hospital, delivered with his usual sarcastic edge that grated on their
nerves.

Predictably, the hot-tempered Liang Jun slammed his hand on the table and stood up,
demanding angrily, "What's that supposed to mean? Don't push your luck!" Wang
Zhiming pulled Liang Jun back down, setting aside his fork. Demonstrating a
soldier's discipline, he quickly finished his breakfast. He then said, "Zou Hang
has a point. Proper attire is important for a funeral. We need to buy some suitable
clothes first." While Wang Zhiming agreed with Zou Hang's sentiment, he wasn't
necessarily defending him. He smiled, observing everyone's expressions, a flicker
of displeasure crossing his face only when his gaze rested on An Ran. He was
pleased with how things were developing. Given the right opportunity, Zou Hang
could be disposed of easily, without soiling his own hands.

"Since the passing of our 39 beloved family members and teachers...

As each day passes...

The cause of this tragedy remains unknown.

We ask ourselves, why?

People do not know the day of their death.

When the fish are caught in the net, and birds are snared, the time is come. So are
our children taken.

Before our grief subsides, let us mourn together at this memorial. Amen!"

The silver-white 'veil' was removed from the cast-iron eagle memorial. Hundreds of
students, parents, and teachers wore somber expressions. Alex, however, felt
immense guilt and bewilderment. Unlike the perpetually weeping female protagonist
in "Final Destination 3," this young man seemed more level-headed.

"Alex, don't think that just because my name isn't on that memorial, I don't resent
you. Those people could have lived for decades longer!" Carter said angrily.

"Carter, aren't you alright, right here?"

"Don't tell me what to do! I don't need you. I won't die again." Carter stormed
off.

Dick approached somewhat awkwardly and asked, "Alex, tell me, am I safe now? You
know we've been friends for so many years…"

"Yes, Dick, you'll live to be a hundred, safe and sound your whole life," Alex said
with a sigh.

Teacher Wei Ni placed a white rose at the foot of the memorial, clutching her chest
and still sobbing uncontrollably. Alex stepped forward and said to Wei Ni, "I'm
sorry…"

"Don't talk to me. I can't believe I ever taught a student like you!"
Wei Ni, clearly disgusted by Alex, only spoke those few words before walking away.
The Reincarnation Squad, also survivors of the plane crash, took their turn laying
flowers at the memorial. Zou Hang, watching Alex's predicament from a distance,
sneered. The world was full of stupid, ungrateful people, saving them only to be
met with insults and treated like a jinx. All of this could have been avoided. Alex
was a fool. If it had been Zou Hang, he could have made a graceful exit, finding
some excuse to get off the plane. It was a decision with absolutely no conflict of
interest. Alex's do-goodery was entirely unnecessary.

Alex stood there, utterly dejected, and turned to leave. Just then, Claire came
forward to comfort him...

Zou Hang, watching this familiar scene, was taken aback. He sensed something was
missing, quickly reviewing the movie scenes in his mind. He suddenly realized that
Todd's conversation with Alex was missing. His eyes darted across the crowd and the
seated mourners, frantically searching for Todd, but he couldn't find him. He did,
however, spot Todd's parents sitting in a row, tearfully consoling each other,
holding roses in their hands.

How could this be? But all the seats around Todd's parents were taken; there wasn't
a single empty space. Where had Todd gone? Wang Zhiming, standing behind Zou Hang,
was equally surprised, his face etched with confusion.

Back at the hotel, Wang Zhiming "borrowed" the hotel owner's laptop, connected to
the internet, and quickly logged into the town's police department's records
database. Unlike the highly secured Pentagon system, the town's police database,
while not using weak passwords, quickly yielded to Wang Zhiming's keyboard skills,
granting him shell access. Todd had died in an accident at 2:15 AM that morning in
his bathroom, strangled by a clothesline... After reviewing the related documents,
including the medical examiner's report, the findings were consistent with the
details in his memory. However, the timing was significantly off. 2:15 AM.

"2:15 AM!" Wang Zhiming muttered the time... for a long time. With the final
character entered, the enter key pressed, a program completed its verification and
compilation. A complex program of opposing exchange combinations began to run, with
over a dozen names flashing across the screen. Only two names remained in the upper
right corner. The computer continued to adjust the combination patterns, maximizing
CPU usage. But after half an hour, nothing had changed. This might indicate a fatal
loop, but Wang Zhiming knew that the supplemental conditions were insufficient.
Only two more brushes with death would be needed to unlock the sequence. However,
it was necessary to prevent bloodshed when Death came calling. After all, he only
wanted Death's targets, not his teammates' corpses!

Zou Hang, having returned to the hotel with the others, also began to act. However,
his actions were limited to browsing the day's newspapers at the front desk. 2:15
AM...

Looking at the time, Zou Hang thought about what had happened a few minutes before
2:15 AM that day. The connection was instant. Zou Hang pondered hard, but after
more than ten minutes, he still didn't have a clue. Possibly, the known conditions
were insufficient; he couldn't deduce the order of those points on the timeline.
But one thing was certain: this direction was correct. The order of names on
Death's list would become clear with a few more deaths.

"Justice" and "Evil" were competing for speed. Gaining knowledge of Death's "code"
first would allow one to set a deadly trap and remove someone they loathed from
this place.
This horror film seemed to be just a battle between two people. The others were
just observers or pawns in the game.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 034 Death's Accomplice 1 -->

034 Death's Accomplice 1

Table of Contents

The members of the Samsara Squad sat around a large dining table in the inn, with
only a few cups of coffee on the table. Everyone was at a loss, except for Zou Hang
and Wang Zhiming. Perhaps because they had forgotten how the plot unfolded, they
hadn't discovered the slightest clue.

"What are we supposed to do now? We can't just sit around waiting for Death!" Chen
Jianzhou said, frustrated. He was eager to show off with his ion rod in a horror
movie, but none of them expected to enter "Final Destination." There weren't any
monsters, or even ghosts. Faced with accidents that could happen at any moment, he
truly didn't know what to do.

Wang Zhiming took a sip of his coffee and said, "What we need to do now is be
extremely careful about any unusual things that might happen around us. I noticed
at the funeral that Tuode, a character in the plot, is already dead. He died around
2:15 AM. Does that time ring any bells for anyone?"

2:15 AM. Everyone was pondering what Wang Zhiming was getting at. Just then, Jiang
Hai suddenly said, "Isn't that when we found Zou Hang in trouble? Could there be a
connection?"

"Exactly! Although the plots are different in every horror movie, there's always an
intersection between us and the characters in the story. Death's targets were
originally just a few of the plot characters. But when we entered this horror
movie, we also became targets of Death. And after Zou Hang was saved, Tuode died in
an accident!" Wang Zhiming paused, looking at everyone. Then he continued, "You
should remember what happens when someone who was supposed to die escapes Death's
pursuit, right? That's right, the tragedy of death jumps to the next person.
Starting with Zou Hang, followed by Tuode, our fates will become intertwined with
the characters in the story. Now that Tuode is dead, it will be one of us next. I
can't calculate the order of Death's attacks yet, so I don't know who will die
next. But Zou Hang is an exception. He's temporarily safe!" Wang Zhiming said,
looking at Zou Hang, his face still full of smiles. But everyone except An Ran
disliked Zou Hang.

Wang Zhiming was acting exactly as Zou Hang predicted, but Zou Hang was in no mood
to care about Wang Zhiming's provocations. He had a headache.

His first hypothesis was that Carter and Alex would die, and then "Final
Destination 1" would end. So, they only needed to survive at most 3 deaths, or
perhaps make it to Claire, the last plot character, to survive and exit this horror
movie, returning to Paradise. Because Claire successfully survived until "Final
Destination 2" before finally dying.

But he had rejected this hypothesis. The patterns they discovered through Alex
saving those five people, only included the names of the people he saved. It
wouldn't involve anyone from the Samsara Squad. More seriously, the earlier idea of
escaping a maximum of three deaths, or making it to the final plot character
Claire, was shattered. Zou Hang had become the protagonist of the Samsara Squad.

The crucial "code" of Death's killings had been separated.

Now his second hypothesis was also being denied by the recent events. Because Zou
Hang in the Samsara Squad survived, but at this time, Tuode, a character in the
plot, died. This didn't match the original movie's plot. He could only believe that
the death 'code' included both the plot characters and the members of the Samsara
Squad.

What was going on? Should he ignore the idea of himself as the protagonist of the
Samsara Squad and return to the first hypothesis, that surviving 2 or 3 deaths and
making it to Claire would allow him to leave this troublesome "Final Destination"?

Zou Hang's head hurt more and more. He wanted to understand this situation clearly,
but he found his mind in chaos. Zou Hang fiercely tugged at his snow-white hair,
biting his lip until it broke. Crimson droplets of blood ran down the corners of
his mouth, standing out against his pale skin. The smell of blood made Zou Hang
even more irritable. He had never been so agitated.

Damn "Final Destination 1," damn "Final Destination 2," damn "Final Destination 3."
If he hadn't entered Paradise, hadn't entered this "Final Destination" movie,
hadn't been on that Flight 180, how would he have gotten tangled up with that old
fox, 'Death'...

An Ran saw blood seeping from the corners of Zou Hang's mouth and quickly stepped
forward, taking out a tissue to wipe it off. She asked anxiously, "Hang, what's
wrong?"

Zou Hang grabbed An Ran's hand as if he had suddenly grasped a spark of

inspiration. A new hypothesis emerged in his mind: 180. How could I not have
thought of that? If he relied on Claire's deductions from "Final Destination 2",
then there should also be a connection with "Final Destination 3". If all of this
held true, then the condition for completing the survival task was...

Coming back to his senses, Zou Hang quickly formulated a perfect plan based on that
assumption. The excitement he felt was unprecedented and even showed on his face.
His smile seemed to mock the tragic fates of the others. Coincidentally, the others
all saw his expression and glared at him. Wang Zhiming, on the other hand, was
somewhat apprehensive, wondering what Zou Hang had figured out!

Zou Hang suddenly realized he was holding An Ran's hand. He was a bit surprised but
immediately let go, not caring about An Ran's feelings.

What's wrong with him? What did he figure out? He wouldn't abandon me, would he? As
long as he lets me stay by his side, I'll listen to everything he says! Women are
sensitive. Zou Hang's action triggered a long string of associations in this
woman's mind. At this moment, An Ran just wanted to confess her feelings to Zou
Hang, but seeing Zou Hang staring at the others with a cold expression, she
hesitated, afraid of accidentally provoking him.

"Do you want to know how to complete the task and leave 'Final Destination'?" Zou
Hang said indifferently.

This sentence deeply shocked everyone. Who wouldn't want to live? But in "Final
Destination," you could die at any moment.
"What did you figure out? Tell us quickly!" Everyone asked in unison, as if
grasping at a lifeline. At this moment, their resentment towards Zou Hang had
completely disappeared. They were acting shamelessly, just like babies going for
the milk.

But who would have thought that Zou Hang was just preparing to push them into the
grave? His plan was about to begin. However, Zou Hang's mindset was different from
before. The series of mistakes had made him doubt the correctness of his reasoning
for the first time. And he knew very well that before the final result appeared,
all deductions couldn't be verified for their correctness. If this inference was
still wrong, then the price to pay wasn't a lot in Zou Hang's eyes. But compared to
sitting around waiting for death in front of Death, this 1% chance was enough for
him to decide to implement the plan. After all, he wasn't losing anything, it was
these people's lives that were at stake.

(So, let's start with the first step.)

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 035 Henchman of Death, Part 2 -->

035 Henchman of Death, Part 2

Table of Contents

"According to the plot, Death's next attacks, after the students' funeral, will
occur in the sequence of Tuode, Tai Li, Di Ke, Wei Ni, and Claire...

However, Carter was supposed to die *before* Dick, and Claire was fine after Alex
saved her. She didn't die until they went to Paris.

There's a major bug here. At the end of the first movie, both Carter and Alex are
under the falling billboard. That's where the first film ends.

But in the second movie, Claire is the lead actress, and she survives until the
very end. So, let's theorize: if we skip Death's interference, and Claire dies with
Alex in Paris after he saves her, the film ends with Claire alive. Counting the
plane crash, Carter, Alex, and Claire have already dodged Death's machinations
once. In the end, Carter and Alex both die, and the movie concludes.

Therefore, all we need to do is escape a maximum of three deaths, or reach Claire –

the last character in the sequence – twice, and we can survive this horror movie
and return to paradise." Zou Hang stated his theory with unwavering conviction,
completely discarding any uncertainty. He spoke so vividly and persuasively that it
was difficult not to believe him, even though he himself had already dismissed the
idea.

Wang Zhiming listened to Zou Hang's explanation with skepticism, but after
carefully comparing it with the information he had gathered and combining it with
his previous conjectures, he found a remarkable and uncanny resemblance.

In Wang Zhiming's eyes, Zou Hang was an utterly cold-blooded creature, concerned
only with his own self-interest and willing to secure it through murderous means.
Naturally, Wang Zhiming assumed that Zou Hang's words were laced with deception.

However, Zou Hang's words did provide Wang Zhiming with *some* direction. After
all, he had only just glimpsed a fragment of Death's "code". He was still far from
escaping Death's control and returning to the "paradise" that Jiang Hai spoke of.
Therefore, even though Wang Zhiming couldn't verify the accuracy of Zou Hang's
theory, it was the only avenue worth exploring at the moment.

Such were Wang Zhiming's thoughts, but the others' eyes lit up. Their attitude
toward Zou Hang visibly softened, and they started chatting with him idly. This
situation irritated Wang Zhiming. In his mind, he ridiculed these fools for being
brainless and failing to think critically.

*He* was adept at guiding others, trapping them in logical pitfalls. If a lie is
told convincingly and flawlessly, it can be accepted as truth by the majority! It’s
much more effective than simply reciting factual but useless information. Zou Hang
was pleased with the group's reaction, having largely achieved his desired effect.

At this moment, Jiang Hai suggested finding Claire immediately to prevent the plot
from changing and to protect her from dying before the end of the movie. However,
Wang Jianming stopped him, reasoning, "The order of deaths is still following the
plot. Death is still far from Claire. But the next to die is still among us. We
should prepare for that!"

Following Zou Hang's suggestion – since he had regained their trust – everyone
agreed to stay in their own rooms. If anything happened, they could shout for help
without endangering the others and causing a total wipeout.

The reason was actually rather weak. Being alone made one more vulnerable to
Death's attacks and hindered quick assistance from companions. Like what happened
to Zou Hang before – if An Ran hadn't appeared by chance, Zou Hang might already be
dead.

Liang Jun was, in fact, very resistant to Zou Hang's words. Like Wang Zhiming, this
antipathy had begun after the gathering. Liang Jun's personality was a factor, but
Zou Hang's actions also violated the principles of loyalty, filial piety,
benevolence, righteousness, and respect that the Green Gang traditionally upheld.
Liang Jun was disgusted by Zou Hang's inhumane and unrighteous behavior, and he
desired nothing more than to kill him.

Perhaps it was because of this very thought that he died.

The hotel where the reincarnation team was staying was not at the crossroads, but
about 1000 meters down the road from it.

During the afternoon, the road in front of the hotel usually had a lot of traffic.
But for some reason, it was desolate today. Only an occasional car passed by.

With fewer cars, there was less worry about rear-end collisions, so driving at 110
or 120 km/h was safe.

Li Chenfeng, an American of Chinese descent, had been driving for over twenty
years. His driving experience was the same as his son, Li Xuantian’s age, who was
sitting in the passenger seat. Li Chenfeng's transportation business was quite
profitable, so he always brought his son along, as if hoping he would follow in his
footsteps. Li Xuantian, however, seemed indifferent.

Li Xuantian had a hobby. Born in America, he loved HipHop. He was listening to

music in the car and drumming out a beat with two plastic bottles. (I'm sorry,
brothers, you've become extras. Mainly because I couldn't find anyone with the same
surname after searching for a long time. So, you're making a grand appearance. I'll
fulfill your wish to live a little 'longer' and die gloriously.)
The atmosphere was cheerful until a pregnant woman pushing a stroller suddenly
appeared in front of them, crossing the road. Both men in the car panicked
instantly. Li Xuantian dropped the bottles and immediately waved his hand, shouting
for the woman to get out of the way. But the car was going so fast that there
wasn't enough time to brake. Li Chenfeng quickly swerved, narrowly avoiding her.

But now they were heading towards the hotel. He slammed on the brakes, but they
seemed to be stuck on something and wouldn't engage. They crashed straight into the
side of the hotel.

It wasn't really the pregnant woman's fault for pushing the stroller. She had
clearly checked that there were no cars on either side. But the plastic bottle that
Li Xuantian dropped had rolled under the brake pedal.

But it was too late. With a scream, Liang Jun's foot was crushed under the tire,
and his head was bleeding from falling bricks. The two men in the car were stunned.
Everything had happened too fast. Hearing the loud crash, the other members of the
reincarnation team quickly arrived on the scene. Li Chenfeng realized there was
someone under the wheel and hurriedly tried to start the car to back up. The sound
of "kacha" wasn't the engine starting, but the ignition of the gas tank, resulting
in a massive explosion.

At such close range, it was unlikely that anyone could escape!

<!-- 036 Henchman of Death 3 -->

036 Henchman of Death 3

Table of Contents

This 'firework' was a magnificent baptism. Everyone except the ever-expressionless

Zou Hang was left with a lingering sense of dread. Bai Hong simply fainted. At the
moment of the explosion, Zou Hang had pushed Bai Hong ahead of him. And then
something extraordinary happened. The fiery blast, the heat, and the intense
temperature were all blocked by a field of blue energy just 10 centimeters away
from Bai Hong. This was the energy field he had purchased in Heaven, costing him a
D-level plot point and 1500 exchange points.

...

Carter spotted Alex and Claire having tea in front of Wei Ni’s building. He slammed
on the brakes, the car screeching to a halt. Wei Ni happened to be coming
downstairs at that moment. Carter immediately asked, "Looks like the gang's all
here. Wei Ni, when are you moving?"

"Probably next week," Wei Ni replied.

"What a shame, you were my favorite teacher," Carter said with a smile.

"Everyone, I have something important to tell you," Alex interjected.

"His leaving is all because of you!"

"You don't know anything!"

Alex and Carter began to argue. Carter's girlfriend, Tai Li, shouted, "Enough!
They're dead. Let it go! I don't want that accident to be the most important thing
in my life!" Tai Li, visibly upset, slapped Carter a few times. Turning, she
started walking away, saying, "Carter, I'm leaving. If you're going to punch Alex
every time you see him, you're going to end up dead!"

Tai Li had already reached the street as she spoke. A gruesome scene unfolded. A
large bus, traveling at at least 200 kilometers per hour, ran right over Tai Li.
Blood splattered everywhere, covering everyone nearby. Not a single limb remained
intact. Tai Li had been reduced to a pulpy mess, as if she had been run over by a
steamroller, not a bus.

It seemed as if no one had even seen the bus pass by. And afterwards, no one knew
where it had gone. It vanished in an instant.

This happened the day after Liang Jun's death. But Liang Jun’s passing didn't allow
them much time for grief. The dead are gone, but the living have to survive.

Zou Hang stared at the newspaper, once again forcing himself to calculate Death's
'code'. But despite having two more names on the list, he had to give up after 30
minutes. It wasn't a numerical code. There was no pattern, and everyone was
different. It was simply impossible to decipher.

However, in front of a familiar laptop, Wang Zhiming once again exited the police
database. He inputted a few characters and a name into the program he had created.
The computer immediately started running at high speed.

This time, it only took a little over ten minutes. The display screen presented a
string of names. An E-Artificial Intelligence guided by a Chaos Algorithm. The
Chaos Algorithm was essentially a concept of vagueness, building a bridge between
two completely unrelated things by arbitrarily assigning them a connection. E-
Artificial Intelligence, on the other hand, was akin to a filtering concept. After
five authentications, it could calculate the most probable answer from the
irregular combinations generated by the Chaos Algorithm.

The reason Wang Zhiming was able to become a Colonel Staff Officer at such a young
age was entirely due to the simulated warfare testing software he created using
these two theories. He was exceptionally recognized and promoted by the central
leadership.

Wang Zhiming looked at the name below Tai Li’s on the list. He started preparing
his plan to eliminate Zou Hang.

But, at this moment, was Wang Zhiming heading down the wrong path? True perfection
isn't a complicated plan; it's simplifying complexity. His plan was simple and
practical. It should be perfect.

But this plan had to be built on the death of someone on the team soon. Wang
Zhiming felt conflicted. If he did everything he could to save them, the person
might be rescued.

However, he was convinced that as long as Zou Hang, who treated life as if it were
worthless, remained on the team, the others would still be in danger. Zou Hang's
actions before the car explosion, pushing Bai Hong forward to 'die,' perfectly
illustrated his character. If he did it once, he'd do it again. Luckily, Bai Hong
had the energy field to protect herself.

Therefore, as a 'righteous champion,' he had to step up and eliminate Zou Hang, the
potential threat. But what he didn't know was that without Zou Hang's action,
everyone present, except Bai Hong, would likely have died.
Although Zou Hang hadn't considered any of that when he did it.

This was already the third night inside 'Final Destination 1'. Excessive fatigue
would impair one's reactions and abilities in every way. This was very dangerous
when facing Death's attacks. But of course, they couldn’t not sleep. After
discussion, it was decided that someone had to stand guard at night to protect
everyone's safety. If any special situation arose, they had to notify the others,
trying to avoid death as much as possible.

As if by coincidence, Wang Zhiming was the one on watch tonight.

The night was as cool as water. Everyone was wrapped in thick blankets. The
previous hotel was a mangled mess, like the three corpses. Perhaps all of this
could have been avoided, if the reincarnation team members hadn't stayed there in
the first place. The hotel owner felt extremely unlucky ever since those people
checked in. But after Jiang Hai gave him a large amount of 'compensation', the
owner suddenly felt lucky to have those people staying at his hotel.

But now it was unihabitable. They found another place nearby that seemed 'slightly'
safer. It might have been easier to take care of each other if everyone stayed
together, but Liang Jun's death made the reincarnation team realize what 'mutual
destruction' meant.

After midnight, the bright moon hung in the sky. Wang Zhiming had been quietly
watching the situation behind a door. It was as if other places didn’t have to be
checked.

He already had Death's 'kill list'. Wang Zhiming simply said, "Your death will have
value, Chen Jianzhou."

(織傷 shamelessly begs everyone for votes here. This book is not far from 15th place
in the new book category. As long as everyone gives me a little push, I can fulfill
my ideal of making the list. Some book friends have already started discussing the
next film of this book. However, 織傷 has no idea what movie to write. So everyone
who likes this book, if you have good suggestions, please tell me in the group.

The next part shouldn't be such a scene without fights.

The next part should give the players time to play.

The next part should save a few potential supporting roles for long-term
cooperation.

The next part should be the turning point.

But in the next part, Zou Hang will be placed within the blind spot of the team. He
will only play some key roles at the final moment, so that other supporting roles
can fully exert their residual heat.

While we eagerly look forward to the next part. I'm still struggling with how to
arrange the plot after this part. Why is my life so miserable? I was happy in the
days when I was reading books~~!)

Return to contents

<!-- 037 Death's Accomplice 4 -->

037 Death's Accomplice 4

Table of Contents

Perhaps a necessary sacrifice is justifiable for the greater good. That's what Wang
Zhiming told himself.

Death's list was now in his hands. He believed that by eliminating Zou Hang, he
could help the Samsara Squad evade Death's attacks two or three times, buying them
enough time to reach Claire. But it was only a belief; even if they managed to
survive, they would have to devise another plan if they couldn't return to
Paradise.

Wang Zhiming quietly and meticulously checked on the others. Overly focused, their
minds were exhausted, and everyone was sound asleep.

Waiting can be a painful experience. Even when you've calculated the possible
outcomes, the next second is always an unknown. After all, this hadn't been tested
before. Although Wang Zhiming was confident in his chaos algorithms and E AI, this
was a world within a horror movie. Supernatural phenomena couldn't be easily
explained away by science.

Although waiting felt like an eternity, he had to endure. His biggest fear was that
complications would arise as time dragged on, jeopardizing his plan.

In this horror movie scenario, the veterans had divided some of their exchanged US
dollars among the three newcomers for emergencies. Wang Zhiming now held a small,
modified vacuum pump. He had increased the pressure by 50% and significantly
reduced its noise, making it almost undetectable.

Out of nowhere, it felt as if the surrounding temperature had dropped a few

degrees. Wang Zhiming sighed softly, his gaze fixed on Chen Jianzhou, who was still
sound asleep. Suddenly, water began to flow from under the bathroom sink in the
suite, not rapidly, nor in large amounts. Yet, it was as if someone were guiding
the water to flow towards the bedroom. Incredibly, this tiny stream defied gravity,
effortlessly ignoring the fact that the bathroom was nearly 10 centimeters lower
than the bedroom. As it passed the corner of the hallway, a keen eye would have
noticed a section of exposed wire near the wall trim. The moment the water touched
the wire, it emitted a faint sizzling sound. In this manner, the trickle of water,
releasing wisps of steam, crept towards Chen Jianzhou, who lay on the floor.

Wang Zhiming, who had been carefully observing from a short distance away, gasped
when he saw this. Instinctively, he reached for the light switch on the hallway
wall and flipped it several times, but as he suspected, the light didn't turn on.

Before moving into the hotel, the squad members had thrown all the furniture
outside, whether it was genuine Italian leather sofas or plasma televisions, as a
precaution. The water and electricity had also been shut off at the main breakers.

Death's pursuit was truly inescapable.

In the blink of an eye, the moment the water made contact with Chen Jianzhou, the
high-voltage transformer by the road outside the hotel vibrated. Instantly, a surge
of high-voltage electricity coursed through Chen Jianzhou. His eyes had barely
opened before he was convulsing violently from the electrical shock. He didn't even
have time to scream before his eyes rolled back.

This entire incident lasted no more than 30 seconds. A cloud of white mist
dissipated from Chen Jianzhou's body, and the water miraculously flowed back into
the bathroom drain, as if nothing had happened. Chen Jianzhou was dead. The high
voltage hadn't even burned his skin; at most, it had made the hair on his buzz-cut
head stand up a bit straighter.

Wang Zhiming approached the corpse and cautiously touched it. He didn't detect a
trace of residual electricity. Without pausing to marvel, he directly inserted a
large needle into Chen Jianzhou's neck. The other end was connected to a rubber
tube leading to the drain. A person weighing 50 kilograms would have roughly 4000
milliliters of blood. The more robust Chen Jianzhou likely had no more than 4500
milliliters. In just over ten minutes, Chen Jianzhou's body was completely drained
of blood.

He roughly cleaned up the scene and discarded the vacuum pump.

The next morning...

"Ah! Chen Jianzhou is dead!" An Ran's scream pierced the morning air. She had
discovered the body when she went to wake Chen Jianzhou for breakfast. An Ran was
different from Zou Hang; cheerful and polite, she often volunteered to do the small
chores. Of course, anything related to Zou Hang was always her top priority.

Chen Jianzhou's death was strange because his body was completely devoid of blood.

"Damn Death! I'm not done with you!" Jiang Hai's eyes were filled with rage.
Although they hadn't known each other long, Chen Jianzhou wasn't like Zou Hang.
Chen Jianzhou wasn't a man of many words, but Jiang Hai had spent a week with him
in Paradise. Their combat practice had earned Jiang Hai's respect for Chen
Jianzhou's hard work. To be honest, *Final Destination* was truly cruel in some
ways. Sometimes, you could only watch as people around you died, people you might
not know, people you'd just met, or even your friends.

Everyone fell silent. Jiang Hai suppressed his grief and abruptly grabbed Wang
Zhiming by the collar, loudly accusing him: "You were on watch last night! His
death is your fault!"

These words were clearly biased. The others were also grieving, but they knew that
Death's attacks were unexpected and elusive. Blaming Wang Zhiming was unreasonable.
They immediately tried to calm Jiang Hai down.

Wang Zhiming, however, sighed and said, "I'm also to blame! But who would have
thought that Death would be like a vampire, silently draining him of every drop of
blood?"

Upon hearing this, Zou Hang suddenly stiffened, staring blankly at Wang Zhiming.
This remark was clearly directed at him. But it was also strange. He had never told
anyone about his Vampire Baron bloodline. How did Wang Zhiming know?

As Zou Hang pondered, he inexplicably felt a wave of dizziness. His body felt
unwell. "What's happening? That feeling again!" He had experienced this sensation a
few hours ago, but he hadn't paid much attention to it. Now, the intervals were
getting shorter, and the dizziness was becoming more frequent. What was going on?

Perhaps Zou Hang didn't realize it. A vampire's strength came from blood, but so
did his life. Even the powerful regenerative abilities of his cells relied on
blood. Even without using his abilities, blood would gradually drain from his body,
albeit in tiny amounts. But Zou Hang had exhausted a significant amount of blood to
dodge the deadly bullet and had only replenished 500cc at the hospital. These
factors had directly resulted in Zou Hang becoming an 'anemic' vampire.
Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 038 Death's Accomplice 5 -->

038 Death's Accomplice 5

Table of Contents

(Just popping in to say a few words, folks! This chapter was a blast to write, so
let me know what you think. Also, 織傷 would like to thank you all for your support.
I was thrilled to see the book reach number 15 on the New Release chart when I
checked on Saturday night. A dream come true after all these years! Feels like “ten
years of silent study, one day of fame under the sun”… maybe I'm getting carried
away. Haha. Tomorrow's Monday, so get those votes ready and fire them my way after
midnight! Hoping we can stay on the charts next week. Also, this horror film arc is
done. Time to think about the next one. I'll be tweaking the rules and the Main God
a bit, aiming for more thrills and spills!)

Wang Zhiming's seemingly innocent remark didn't seem to register with most people,
but Jiang Hai suddenly froze, as if struck by a sudden realization.

Zou Hang hadn't told anyone about trading for the Vampire bloodline. But he didn't
want to hide it any longer. Playing coy would only make him look guiltier if he had
to use his vampire skills to survive.

Jiang Hai glared at Zou Hang and demanded, "In the Main God's space, what bloodline
did you enhance and trade for?!"

The tone was far from friendly. In plain language: Zou Hang, are you a vampire?

"That's right!" Zou Hang replied blankly. The blood loss made him increasingly
dizzy. If his skin wasn't already so pale, he'd probably look completely drained.

"Vampire Baron bloodline, with skills like Blood Drain and Rapid Shift! Using those
skills drains a lot of blood! Where were you last night?" Jiang Hai had noticed
that bloodline before. Bringing it up now was a clear sign he suspected Zou Hang.
Without an alibi, who knew what Jiang Hai might do?

Meanwhile, Zou Hang's ears were ringing, barely able to make out Jiang Hai's
question. He was standing, seemingly steady, but only by focusing every ounce of
strength to maintain a semblance of composure.

Zou Hang's silence ratcheted up the tension in the room. Jiang Hai reached into his
dimensional pocket. If Death had a body, Jiang Hai would hunt it down to avenge
Chen Jianzhou, no matter how powerful it was. And if Zou Hang was responsible for
Chen Jianzhou's death, Jiang Hai wouldn't hesitate, even if it cost him 1000
survival points. As a leader, he wouldn't tolerate anyone killing a team member
without a good reason.

An Ran, with her childlike innocence, wasn't stupid. Getting into a prestigious
graduate program required intelligence, if not emotional maturity. Often, she knew
more than she let on, choosing to remain silent.

"Zou Hang was in my room all last night. I can vouch for him!" An Ran said, her
voice anxious.

Jiang Hai's icy gaze snapped towards An Ran. "What were you doing in the room for
so long?!" he demanded.

An Ran's face flushed crimson. She lowered her head and mumbled, "Do I… have to
say?"

"You must," Jiang Hai commanded.

"We were sleeping together!" The others gasped, shocked. Jiang Hai stared at An Ran
intently. After a long pause, he dropped his hand and said harshly, "If I find out
you lied to me… Hmph!" Jiang Hai turned and stormed out of the room, Bai Hong
following close behind. Wang Zhiming's plan had backfired, overlooking An Ran's
potential to provide an alibi.

Zou Hang suddenly lurched forward, burying his face in An Ran's shoulder, his voice
weak, "Help me back to my room." This scared An Ran greatly. Once Zou Hang was
lying on the rug, An Ran's usual cheerful demeanor vanished, replaced by a solemn
expression.

Watching Zou Hang unconscious, An Ran turned and walked into the bathroom. The
sound of breaking glass echoed as An Ran slashed her wrist, crimson blood welling
from her veins. She held her wrist to Zou Hang's lips.

Zou Hang's nostrils flared, catching the scent of blood in the air. He craved the
red liquid, feeling a desperate need for it. The use of his Blood Drain skill sent
a jolt through his brain. The taste seemed to carry a faint fragrance. Little did
he know, it was the scent of virgin blood. For any vampire, it's the most coveted
taste, driving them to madness in their desire for it.

Zou Hang opened his eyes, staring at An Ran in surprise. Her innocence was gone,
replaced by a smile of unwavering resolve and satisfaction. But the heavy blood
loss caused her to sway. Zou Hang paused the crimson stream flowing into his mouth.

"I won't tell…" An Ran barely managed to say, on the verge of collapse. Seeing Zou
Hang awake, she began to speak, but Zou Hang grabbed her neck, his eyes burning
with fury. "I didn't drink Chen Jianzhou's blood. I didn't kill him!" he hissed. An
Ran was already weak, and now found it hard to breathe, yet she showed no sign of
fear. With trembling lips, she whispered, "I believe you!" Zou Hang threw her off
him, letting her fall to the ground.

Zou Hang pulled out a hemostatic spray and emergency bandages from his dimensional
pocket, tossing them beside her. At that moment, Zou Hang realized that his vampire
bloodline was inextricably linked to blood.

Reaching the door, Zou Hang, still devoid of emotion, said, "Eat something to
replenish your blood. I'll need it again!" He closed the door and left, leaving An
Ran as nothing more than a mobile blood bank in his eyes.

An Ran's wrist wounds had stopped bleeding, yet she felt strangely content. Perhaps
in her eyes, having her blood flowing in Zou Hang's veins made her happy.

Wang Zhiming. The name sparked a surge of unimaginable rage in Zou Hang. He
remembered the girl who falsely accused him of harassment. Sometimes, death at the
hands of the Grim Reaper felt like a release.

Zou Hang's name, likewise, ignited fury in Wang Zhiming's heart. And now, his list
of enemies included An Ran.

"Jiang Hai, you were too rash. I don't like Zou Hang either, but he wouldn't do
something like that! Besides, you know that in the 'Final Destination' movies,
we're all marked for death by Death itself. We can't kill ourselves, and we can't
kill others on Death's list!" Bai Hong complained to Jiang Hai.

Jiang Hai felt a pang of regret upon hearing this. Chen Jianzhou's death had made
him lose his cool.

Zou Hang walked past them without expression. Jiang Hai suddenly stopped Zou Hang
to say to him, "I'm sorry. I was impulsive just now!"

"It's nothing! No need to say it!" Zou Hang replied, not stopping in his tracks,
with a mere sentence before departing.

(No need for me to explain. You are all going to die!)

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 039 Kill Bill 1 -->

039 Kill Bill 1

Table of Contents

(I, in my magnificent way, pop out to say a few words. I wrote this chapter with a
bit of self-indulgence. I encourage you all to share your thoughts after reading
it. Also, 織傷 wants to thank everyone for their support. Checking on Saturday
night, I discovered that the book had already reached 15th place on the New Book
Chart! A dream nurtured for so many years has finally come true. "Ten years of
toil ignored, one morning of fame, the world knows!"... MS, I'm getting carried
away. Heh. Tomorrow's Monday. Get your votes ready! After midnight, please cast
them all for me! I hope to stay on the chart next week. This horror film is now
complete. It's time to consider the next one. I'll make some changes to the rules
and the Main God. Hopefully, it will become more and more interesting!)

Wang Zhiming kept his eyes on Zou Hang until he left. Only then did he suddenly
look at Bai Hong. Bai Hong's words earlier had sparked something in his mind.

At lunchtime, An Ran sat at the table, eating with a weary expression. She had
specifically asked the cook to prepare some blood-nourishing dishes. Bai Hong,
noticing her discomfort, asked with concern. An Ran casually said she had caught a
slight cold and it wasn't serious.

Wang Zhiming didn't appear until after lunch. When Jiang Hai asked where he had
gone, no one knew. As Zou Hang returned to his room, he suddenly noticed Wang
Zhiming's laptop, which he always carried with him, lying silently on the floor.

Zou Hang browsed through the files on the computer's various drives. Soon, he
discovered a text document titled "Code of Death."

...

Vienne, one of the survivors of Flight 180, had moved. It was a small house. Those
who had seen the movie probably knew the location. Although there was no specific
street number, it could be found by taking a stroll around the small town. This
afternoon, someone had already arrived. It wasn't Vienne who came. As for what that
person did inside, no one knew. However, when Vienne arrived at her new house,
still immersed in the grief of the plane crash, she was killed by an exchange
student from China. To her dying breath, Vienne didn't know what she had done to
offend this person.

In Zou Hang's recollection of the movie, Vienne was killed by Death at night. But
her time of death could also have been altered. However, judging from the causes of
death of the previous two characters, the process of dying was still the same.

According to the list obtained from Wang Zhiming's computer, Vienne was the next to
die. The deaths of the characters in the story were occurring in order. This was
all clear, but next to Vienne's name was a time of death: 7:00 PM.

At dinner, only three people were eating together: Jiang Hai, Bai Hong, and An Ran.
Zou Hang had disappeared at some point.

Zou Hang went to Vienne's house, but when he arrived, she was already dead. Not at
7 o'clock. What was strange was that Vienne died simply, yet brutally. She had
multiple stab wounds all over her body and was covered in blood. The blood was
still flowing out. The time of death should have been an hour or two earlier. It
was now 6 o'clock. So Vienne must have died between 4 and 5 o'clock.

The red blood flowing on the floor was perhaps a bit of a waste...

Wang Zhiming saw Zou Hang's expression while drinking blood again! But this time,
he saw it through a wireless pinhole camera.

Sometimes, intelligent people don't necessarily have bodies as weak as Zou Hang's.
The term "soldier" represents strength from another perspective. Wang Zhiming was
certainly quite capable. Although not as good as Jiang Hai, he was considered one
of the best among ordinary people.

Back at the hotel where the reincarnation team was staying, Zou Hang had no
obligation to tell the others where he had been or what he had done. Wang Zhiming
hadn't returned yet. But his phone call reached the hotel.

"The phone is for you, it's a man named Wang Zhiming!" the hotel owner said to the
group, holding the phone.

Jiang Hai took the phone and asked, "Where have you gone? Why haven't you come
back?"

"That's not important. Everyone, come to Claire's house now! I'll be waiting for
you there!" After saying this, the call was disconnected.

Jiang Hai hung up the phone, feeling a little annoyed, and said, "That kid doesn't
know what he's up to. He's at Claire's and wants us all to go there."

Claire's house wasn't far from the hotel. A little over ten minutes later, the
group arrived at the door. Wang Zhiming opened the door. Everyone sat in the living
room, but Claire was nowhere to be seen.

Wang Zhiming turned on the TV and inserted a DVD into the player. The video was
only a few minutes long. On the ground was Vienne, and Vienne's blood flowed in a
straight line like an arrow into Zou Hang's mouth. It was the scene of Zou Hang
drinking blood.

"Vienne is dead!" Wang Zhiming said with a smile.

"No shit! I saw it!" Jiang Hai said, his murderous gaze fixed on Zou Hang. Bai Hong
covered her mouth, looking at Zou Hang with a face full of fear.
"Nicely shot!" Zou Hang seemed to understand that the "Code of Death" was
deliberately left behind.

Wang Zhiming smiled and said, "I filmed it with a pinhole camera. Alright! I admit
I killed Vienne!"

"You can put it all on me!" Zou Hang said calmly.

In an instant, everyone's gaze was on Wang Zhiming again.

With the changes in the story, the fates of the characters could also be changed.
At least they could avoid dying at the hands of Death. At this moment, Zou Hang
suddenly felt that decisively shooting Wang Zhiming at that time could have avoided
a lot of trouble. Perhaps Jiang Hai's glare at him now would have been friendlier.
But Zou Hang never regretted it. Regret was always a waste of time.

So was explanation. As the saying goes, if a lie can be told plausibly and
perfectly, then the lie is actually a fact accepted by most people! Rather than
saying useless things that are actually the truth.

"Isn't today's play already being acted out again? I admit I drank Chen Jianzhou's
blood. But when I went there, he was already dead. I don't know who killed him?"
Using the same method against him. Chinese people have always liked internal
strife. It seemed that from the very beginning, Death wasn't the primary enemy in
front of Wang Zhiming and Zou Hang.

Unknowingly, the reincarnation team had been divided into three camps. Zou Hang and
An Ran, Jiang Hai and Bai Hong, and Wang Zhiming. In Bai Hong's eyes, Zou Hang was
an Asura, and Wang Zhiming was a Rakshasa. Both were frightening. For Jiang Hai, he
could no longer tell who killed Chen Jianzhou. Death? Zou Hang? Wang Zhiming? But
it didn't matter anymore. Both of them were chilling and hateful characters.

"Wait! Zou Hang, you really are a difficult character. Maybe I really can't win
against you. But I still have a way to take you down with me!" Wang Zhiming's
expression suddenly changed from a smile to murderous rage. He abruptly pushed open
a door beside him and pulled out a woman who was tied up. Chestnut hair. Fair skin.
Everyone recognized her: Claire.

<!-- 040 Kill Bill 2 -->

040 Kill Bill 2

Table of Contents

(I'm not qualified to judge the difference between good and evil! Plato said that
human nature is inherently evil. Xunzi also said that man's nature is evil at
birth. Human instincts are animalistic. If you were born into an era where "leaving
the house, you see nothing but plains covered in white bones," where your parents
and everyone around you were eating human flesh and telling you it was food, and
you believed it was right, would you be considered evil? Some wealthy and powerful
people can eat rice while hoarding all the grain for themselves, and then call
those others barbarians.

Social environment shapes a person.

My head is spinning. The protagonist's background is already far removed from an

ordinary person's circumstances. And the author said that Zou Hang's greatest
accomplishment would be to completely deceive everyone. If Zou Hang does that, he
would truly become a demon. Everything he's doing now is shaped by the environment
he grew up in. In that small town, did he need to deceive and say flattering
things? So it's not that I don't want to completely portray Zou Hang as a two-faced
person; it's that I'm respecting the previous setup for Zou Hang. This is Zou
Hang's unique personality! MS, I've said too much again. Everyone, please continue
reading!)

As Jiang Hai suddenly pointed Desert Eagle at Wang Zhiming's head, Wang Zhiming
held a sharp knife to Claire's throat. "Maybe you can blow my brains out
instantly," he said, "but I'm confident I can cut her throat before that happens.
And my knife skills are from a Vietnam War veteran. He killed Americans in the
triple digits."

On the television, the scene of Zou Hang sucking blood kept replaying. Winnie's
fatal wounds proved that Wang Zhiming's words were not an exaggeration.

Jiang Hai was like a raging lion. Wang Zhiming’s single stroke could wipe out the
remaining members of the Reincarnation Squad in this 'Final Destination 1'
scenario.

"Jiang Hai, kill Zou Hang! Then I'll release Claire," Wang Zhiming said.

Perhaps Wang Zhiming was even more hateful than Zou Hang now. But he held the
team's only hope of returning to paradise. Jiang Hai looked at Bai Hong. In this
game, perhaps Bai Hong was the most innocent. Thinking of this, Jiang Hai turned
his gun towards Zou Hang.

A cool breeze swept through.

"It's coming!" Zou Hang and Wang Zhiming both thought to themselves. And the smile
on Wang Zhiming's face became excited. Birds of a feather flock together, they all
deserve to die. Even if I don't survive, I must see someone lying at my feet.

At that moment, the Death's Code suddenly flashed in Zou Hang's mind.

(Too many surprises. But this can still be considered the second step. Wang
Zhiming, you're dead.)

Earlier that day, Claire had gone out to buy some food and was knocked out and
kidnapped by Wang Zhiming when she returned. The things she bought were in a paper
bag by the door. As the wind blew, it seemed to catch the paper bag, knocking it
over. A can rolled out of it, sliding to one side.

On the other side was a canister of pure oxygen, which Claire used for oxyacetylene
welding at work. She hadn't had time to move it to the workshop yet. The can bumped
into the valve.

The liquefied oxygen violently erupted, creating a powerful blast that knocked over
the tool rack on one side of the living room. Saws, iron hooks, and welding tools
all flew towards An Ran. If nothing unexpected happens, An Ran would definitely be
riddled with holes.

Wang Zhiming was ecstatic. If it weren't for An Ran's comment, Jiang Hai might have
killed Zou Hang long ago. Now, she's getting what she deserves.

At that critical moment, rapid displacement! Zou Hang's blood circulated at high
speed again. His circulating blood was almost boiling, burning. Under this
explosive force, everything around Zou Hang slowed down, or it could be said that
Zou Hang was moving faster than humanly possible. Even a small action required him
to withstand immense pressure. The air severely hampered Zou Hang's speed. This
speed was extremely slow in Zou Hang's eyes, but to others, Zou Hang was still
standing still. This speed had already exceeded the speed of the human eye,
creating an afterimage effect. A series of clanging sounds rang out. An Ran was
unharmed, because Zou Hang had embraced her and instantly moved to the other side.

This was the vampire's skill. Consuming a large amount of blood, Zou Hang's body
was overwhelmed, and he gasped for breath.

Wang Zhiming could hardly believe his eyes, because the speed was too fast. Jiang
Hai and Bai Hong were also stunned.

"You'll all die with me!" Wang Zhiming shouted. As his sharp knife was about to
pierce Claire's neck, a hacksaw that had fallen from the shelf was pressed down by
a hammer, causing its curved elasticity to spring straight and strike Wang Zhiming
squarely in the head. The saw blade was completely embedded halfway in.

(It really feels like I'm writing "Se7en" now. It's so hard to come up with unique
ways for each person to die! I wonder how many brain cells I've killed.)

There were 6 story characters and 7 Reincarnation Squad members on the death list.
Because the numbers are not even, the Reincarnation Squad has to undergo another
death after they all die once. An Ran skipped over death, so the next name recorded
in Death's Code was Wang Zhiming. Perhaps he had figured out Death's killing order
and used the list to lure Zou Hang to Winnie's and expose Zou Hang's blood-sucking
secret. But he died because of this same list. Perhaps he calculated that Zou Hang
lacked humanity and would not risk his life to save An Ran. And even if he wanted
to save her, he would not have had the ability to.

But he failed to calculate Zou Hang's rapid displacement skill, nor did he
calculate that Zou Hang would save An Ran to kill him.

But at this moment, An Ran's soul had no idea where it went. In her eyes, the world
was pink. In her world, there was only Zou Hang. "He saved me, he saved me, I'm so
happy!"

To hate someone, one could hate them so much that one would want to drink his blood
and eat his flesh. Zou Hang didn't want to eat his flesh, but he couldn't waste his
blood. After all, that dizziness had returned to his mind. He had to replenish it
as soon as possible.

After cleaning up the corpse, he woke up Claire, who was still unconscious!
Everyone just said that they were passing by and saw her faint.

It must be said that Zou Hang's first step was very successful. Perhaps Wang
Zhiming was truly intelligent to decipher the Death's Code that Zou Hang had
already given up on. If Zou Hang hadn’t denied that conclusion, Claire would have
been a very good card in his hand. Too bad, a single mistake led to total failure.
In the world of reincarnation, a slight misstep is always fatal.

Perhaps Wang Zhiming never realized this even in death. Not to mention others.

The Reincarnation Squad now has only 4 members left. There are also only 4 story
characters left.

(The third step doesn't have much suspense. Just wait quietly for Death to come, or
help Death with some things.)
Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 041 Murder -->

041 Murder

Table of Contents

Carter: "I control my own destiny."

Dick: "Carter, are you crazy? Stop the car!"

The speeding car, carrying the four remaining characters, careened onto the train
tracks. In the distance, a train was fast approaching.

Claire: "Open the door! Damn it! Open the door!"

"Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!" They all screamed, but Carter
remained motionless, a picture of unsettling calm in the driver's seat.

Dick forced the door open, and everyone scrambled out of the car. Carter, however,
remained unresponsive.

Alex: "Listen to me, Carter, you can't do this. Get out now!"

Carter simply smiled at Alex, who was visibly agitated. Alex's pleas fell on deaf
ears as the train thundered closer. They had no choice but to abandon him on the
tracks.

"This isn't the end for me!" Carter exclaimed and started the engine, trying to
drive off. But inexplicably, the car wouldn't start. Frantically, he tried to open
the door, only to find it locked. The seatbelt had also become an unyielding knot.

"I can't get out! I can't get out!" Carter screamed in terror.

Alex rushed back, grabbing and yanking at Carter’s body repeatedly, until, at the
very last second, he managed to undo the seatbelt. As the two of them tumbled clear
of the tracks, the train slammed into the car, obliterating it in a fiery
explosion.

Dick: "Carter, they're right. I should stay away from you. You're a walking death
sentence!"

Carter: "Shut up, Dick!"

Claire: "Let him speak."

Dick: "Get away from him. Or we're all going to die!"

Carter: "But I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Dick, his voice rising in hysteria, yelled, "You're dead! You're dead! You're
dead!"

In the explosion, a piece of jagged metal debris had landed on the tracks. The
oncoming train struck it, sending it hurtling through the air at incredible speed.
In a gruesome instant, the shard struck Dick's head, leaving a gaping, bowl-sized
wound.

Death had bypassed Carter and claimed Dick instead. It seemed death skipped him.
Perhaps it was part of the pre-scripted narrative. Regardless, Dick was dead. The
next victim would, in all likelihood, be a member of the reincarnation squad.

The atmosphere within the reincarnation squad was fraught with tension. Wang
Zhiming's death had further divided the group into two factions: Zou Hang and An
Ran, Jiang Hai and Bai Hong. But death continued its inexorable march. An Ran and
Zou Hang had both narrowly escaped their fates. Would Jiang Hai or Bai Hong be
next? Only Zou Hang, with his knowledge of the death list, knew the answer. And he
was already plotting how to hasten their demise and prevent them from evading
death's grasp.

"Completing this horror movie has nothing to do with Claire, does it?" An Ran
suddenly said, sitting beside Zou Hang.

Zou Hang turned his head, his gaze chillingly fixed on An Ran. She was no longer
playing the submissive woman; her expression was serious, thoughtful.

"How did you figure that out?" Zou Hang asked. His tone was devoid of emotion,
simple and direct, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts.

An Ran slowly explained, "Today, at Claire's house, when Wang Zhiming was about to
kill Claire, you didn't seem tense at all. I could tell. It wasn't feigned
composure. And you were the one who proposed that theory in the first place. So I
figured you might have been deceiving them." An Ran finished, her face breaking
into a playful smile, as if expecting praise.

Jiang Hai, Bai Hong, and Wang Zhiming had all accepted the theory without question,
yet An Ran had seen through the deception. It was more than just woman's intuition.

Zou Hang was suddenly aware that he had been underestimating her. He responded
coldly, "I don't like smart people! Wang Zhiming is a prime example!"

An Ran looked deflated. Meeting Zou Hang's frigid gaze, she looked like a child
caught doing something wrong, and confessed, "I'm sorry. Did I make you angry? I
apologize! I’ll be stupid from now on. Wang Zhiming deserved to die. If you need
anything, An Ran will do anything to help you." She spoke of Wang Zhiming with
vengeful spite and punctuated her final promise with an enthusiastic fist pump. It
was enough to bring a smile to even the most stoic faces. Yet, her previous
statement had set off alarm bells in Zou Hang’s mind. He had to be careful. He
couldn’t completely trust anyone, including An Ran.

It was a sleepless night. A long night of endless tossing and turning. Jiang Hai
was dead. Zou Hang had known it all along. Despite Jiang Hai’s superior stats
compared to the rest of the team, aside from Zou Hang, he hadn’t been able to
escape the Grim Reaper's scythe. Jiang Hai was dead. It could be said that, of the
survivors, there wasn’t a single soul that could take down Zou Hang. Bai Hong was
continually crying. Because Jiang Hai had simply collapsed right in front of her.

Life was so fragile. Everyone's heard someone say, "I want to live!" But death is
inevitable. Strength and wisdom are not equal. That was how Zou Hang looked at
things.

Death doesn't play by the rules. Everyone knew that. Jiang Hai entered the
bathroom, and a sudden gust of wind slammed the door shut. No matter how hard Jiang
Hai tried to twist the lock, it wouldn't budge. With Jiang Hai's muscle
enhancements of 50 points, he could kick open the door with one kick. However, just
as Jiang Hai made that move, he slipped on water that had suddenly materialized.
The back of his head smacked against the stainless steel water pipe. At that
moment, the mirror above the sink shattered, sending large shards of glass. Those
shards of glass, powered by gravity and a tiny amount of momentum, easily sliced
through his windpipe.

Undeniably, if Jiang Hai had strengthened himself to the point that not even a
sword could pierce his skin, the Grim Reaper's little trick would have been a joke
against his overwhelming power. But he hadn't reached that level, so it ended
without suspense.

Seeing the scene unfold, Bai Hong could only cry. The next to die would be Bai
Hong. The only knowledge that could save her would be the deaths written in the
Death List.

Zou Hang extended his hand, offering Bai Hong a glimmer of hope.

"Don't worry. Trust me. I can guide you through this mission and get us out of this
movie alive!" Zou Hang said, knowing that everything he said was untrue.

In a woman's moment of weakness, preying upon them is simple. No need for chivalry.
In Zou Hang's eyes, a gentleman is an idiot.

Return to Contents

<!-- 042 Return -->

042 Return

Table of Contents

Bai Hong Bai Hong grasped Zou Hang Zou Hang's hand, a hand brimming with hope. It
seemed she had no other choice. Truly, if there were one inviolable rule in this
world of reincarnation, it would be this: never trust anyone named Zou Hang Zou
Hang who happens to be around.

"Claire Claire is crucial to completing this mission. Jiang Hai Jiang Hai is dead
now. That means the plot characters are next in line to die. According to the
special plot in the movie, the protagonist, Alex Alex, will evade Death's pursuit,
making Claire Claire the next target. Even though she escaped Death in the movie
with Alex Alex's help, I can't guarantee that will happen here. Bai Hong Bai Hong,
you're still safe for now. Give me the energy field generator. I'll give it to
Claire Claire, and I'll get it back after she's safe!" Zou Hang Zou Hang delivered
this explanation, perfectly logical and legitimate on the surface.

Though it was a complete fabrication, Bai Hong Bai Hong trusted him implicitly. And
that blind faith sealed her doom.

The moment the energy field generator was in Zou Hang Zou Hang's possession, he was
ready to turn on her. 陈建州 Chen Jianzhou and Jiang Hai Jiang Hai's space pouches had
fallen into Zou Hang Zou Hang's hands upon their deaths. All he needed now was a
single bullet, and Bai Hong Bai Hong could escape this treacherous place. But Zou
Hang Zou Hang didn't act on it yet. He merely needed to leave for a while, return,
and claim he'd already given the energy field generator pendant to Claire Claire.
Less than a day later, Bai Hong Bai Hong was claimed by Death. Had the energy field
generator remained in her hands, even a pebble kicked up by a car tire outside the
window wouldn't have been able to kill her.
Once Bai Hong Bai Hong was gone, the remaining plot characters were systematically
eliminated. This was Zou Hang Zou Hang's masterpiece. Frankly, his method was
simple: he tracked down each of the three remaining characters with a suppressed
Beretta 92F. He gave each of them one bullet as a 'parting gift'. Perhaps, in their
final moments, they never understood why Zou Hang Zou Hang, their 'classmate,'
wanted them dead. Was this also orchestrated by Death?

The fallen leaves lay scattered across the streets in mournful beauty. Sometimes,
people would feel longing for this country. While this young city lacked the long
history of the old nation, it still possessed its own unique charm. Of course, a
gust of cold wind would make them realize the youthful nation won't make them feel
safe. Even the Champs-Élysées won't make any difference.

"Am I wrong again?" Zou Hang Zou Hang asked himself.

All seven plot characters were now dead. And the reincarnation team was reduced to
just Zou Hang Zou Hang and An Ran An Ran. Perhaps it didn’t matter whether he was
right or wrong. The people had died, there was no coming back from that. Maybe it
was time to lay out Zou Hang Zou Hang's plan. Flight 180, Highway 180, the 180-
themed amusement park: all common features of the "Final Destination" trilogy. If
you consider 180 as '18', you'll notice that in all three movies, the number of
people on Death's list in each installment is always six, totaling eighteen across
the trilogy. And each time, one or two survivors manage to make it to the next
installment. Zou Hang Zou Hang had initially hoped that the twenty-member
reincarnation team, after subtracting the special number eighteen, might allow two
people to survive and return to paradise. But now, with only the two of them left,
nothing had changed. Did that mean that only one spot was available in this "Final
Destination 1"? After all, only Claire Claire survived to appear in the second
film.

"航 Hang, why haven't we completed the mission yet?" An Ran An Ran asked as she and
Zou Hang Zou Hang strolled along a moonlit street. She suddenly moved ahead of him,
turning her back to him as she spoke.

(*There can only be one survivor, right?*) Zou Hang Zou Hang silently drew the
Beretta 92F from his pocket. Killing An Ran An Ran would be easy. She was unarmed,
while Zou Hang Zou Hang possessed his own abilities and the energy field generator
he'd taken from Bai Hong Bai Hong. An Ran An Ran's actions seemed almost to
facilitate Zou Hang Zou Hang's plan.

"Do you think only one person can leave here alive?" An Ran An Ran suddenly
stopped, still not turning around, as if speaking to herself. Her words echoed Zou
Hang Zou Hang's own thoughts, although seemingly in jest. But when An Ran An Ran
turned back, her eyes were filled with tears, yet she still wore that innocent
smile. "If only one of us can live, I hope it's you," she said.

The words felt familiar, like something he'd heard before. Zou Hang Zou Hang was
momentarily taken aback, seeming to forget the gun in his hand. He stood there,
motionless. The plot characters were all dead. According to Death's list, Zou Hang
Zou Hang was the next target…

At that moment, footsteps approached, seemingly materializing from thin air.

*Jiang Hai Jiang Hai? How is that possible?!*

"You should be dead!" Zou Hang Zou Hang stared in disbelief as Jiang Hai Jiang Hai
materialized between An Ran An Ran and himself, ghostlike. But Jiang Hai Jiang Hai
felt different now. Empty, without any vital signs, like a lifeless shell.
The mechanical voice of the Main God sounded, emanating from Jiang Hai Jiang Hai's
lips. "Jiang Hai Jiang Hai is dead. He completed his task as a guide, teaching the
newcomer survival techniques. You are now the captain of Team 001 in the
Reincarnation Space. You will lead your teammates in continuing the cycle of
reincarnation. Special skills will be awarded based on your characteristics…"

Jiang Hai Jiang Hai's body slowly dissolved into tiny particles, disappearing into
the air. Before his consciousness faded completely, Zou Hang Zou Hang heard,
"'Final Destination 1' survival objective achieved, two survivors. Reward: 3000
survival points plus a B-grade horror movie side plot. Mission completed."

When Zou Hang Zou Hang became captain, a flood of information filled his mind.
Regarding Jiang Hai Jiang Hai's role as a guide, for example: The Main God created
this position to guide new players and lead them adapt to the environment of horror
movies after a whole team wiped out. In fact, the identity of the guide randomly
selects a member from the last time’s dead team. However, truly becoming the
captain recognized by the Main God required very difficult conditions. 没人 in Jiang
Hai Jiang Hai's old team had ever achieved them.

To obtain the captain's privileges, one must complete both a rescue mission in the
real world and a horror movie mission with team wipe potential. Don't assume these
conditions are simple. The world-saving mission is hidden within the horror movie
assignment, giving only a main plot. To truly save the world, one must complete the
hidden side plots. And the horror movies with team wipe possibilities are not so
easy to finish.

For example, with ‘Cold People’, the mission is considered unfulfilled if a Cold
Person is allowed to escape. Waiting for the time limit to expire will definitely
not work. And a movie like ‘Final Destination 1’ which only allows two survivors
encourages teammates to kill each other for those spots. Or the teammates who
killed are killed by death in the end. And naturally, you can't happily return if
the characters in the movie can survive.

It's possible that only Zou Hang Zou Hang has fulfilled both conditions in one
mission and obtained the captain's position. The title of captain is not just a
title, it also suggests unforeseen difficulties. Captain of Team 001 in the
Reincarnation Space?! From the '001' we can imagine three-digit numbers, at most
999 reincarnation teams. What does so many teams mean? Is it mutual slaughter to
improve ability, or facing world-destroying salvation actions?

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 043 Thinking it Over -->

043 Thinking it Over

Table of Contents

A truly evil person should never let themselves know they are evil, just like a
hacker. Often, the most skilled hackers, no matter how famous online, never reveal
their true identities. It's the newbies who just learned how to grab "zombie"
computers who go around bragging, wanting the whole world to know.

Zou Hang! Seen in this light, he's cold, yet very genuine. If he doesn't like
something, he says it directly, even if his words are hurtful. He's an intelligent
man! Does he not know how to hide his true feelings? I think he just doesn't want
to. Zou Hang could be cunning and manipulative if he wanted to, but that Zou Hang
might not be the Zou Hang we know.

Zou Hang doesn't kill people randomly for no reason, although life, in his eyes,
isn't the most important thing, whether it's his or others'.

Maybe he doesn't need friends. Yes! He doesn't. At least, that's what he thinks.
Even if something unexpected happens, he'll just need some "tools," like An Ran. An
Ran, as she is now, can still be abandoned in Zou Hang's eyes, but at least her
position is slightly more important than others.

Recognition? Zou Hang remembers someone he recognized, likely the only person. But
he's dead. Maybe later, there will be someone else Zou Hang acknowledges, but
absolutely no one can take that place easily. Like with An Ran, Zou Hang sees
absolute obedience in her eyes. That's the most basic requirement. But the
requirements go far beyond that.

...

Zou Hang walked out of the pillar of light, and withered yellow leaves swirled
towards him. Zou Hang pinched his fingers and muttered to himself, "Autumn is
already gone! Tomorrow will it be autumn or spring?"

Heaven is what Jiang Hai calls the Main God Space. Its form can be changed at will,
but it's definitely not just a simple illusion. You could say it can transport a
portion of reality here.

Those who adorn themselves outwardly have nothing within, while those who work
diligently within have no outward desires. Zou Hang doesn't care about the outside
world's opinions and never reveals his thoughts to outsiders. But this time, he's
already done a lot in front of An Ran. Even more surprisingly, An Ran could
anticipate his thoughts before they even fully formed. Only at the very end did Zou
Hang suddenly realize that the seemingly innocent An Ran was actually a character
with intelligence not inferior to Wang Zhiming.

To nip danger in the bud is the safest course of action.

Even if someone is by his side, ready to give their life for Zou Hang, it still
won't make him completely at ease.

Since ancient times, prevention is better than cure, and suppressing those with
treacherous intentions is the path to victory.

Zou Hang understands all this. But the feeling An Ran gives him allows him to sense
complete sincerity. And in the end, when Zou Hang picked up the gun, it was as if
everything in her heart could be given to Zou Hang. Is this love? Of course, Zou
Hang only knows the superficial meaning of the word "love" but has never
experienced love in its deepest sense.

Love. The deepest meaning is selfless, unconditional devotion.

Zou Hang is a little annoyed right now. Too many trivial things are bothering him.
Also, there are too many changes in "Final Destination 1," making him want to think
quietly. If the other team members hadn't interfered, Zou Hang would probably have
figured out a way to complete the mission sooner. The situation is too unfavorable,
and some adjustments should be made; he can't keep insisting on his original
approach.

He is very lost. His belief is himself. His persistence is the only force that can
restrain him. If he loses his persistence, he will be lost. And the loss of his
heart is what he fears most.

Zou Hang quietly walked towards his residence, ignoring An Ran, who was still
aimlessly surveying this space.

Zou Hang thought about a lot that night. Thinking about all the events that had
happened, he tried to examine each one with answers that could convince himself.

He woke up the next day. When Zou Hang walked out of his house, he saw An Ran
sleeping on the ground in front of the door. Only then did Zou Hang remember that
An Ran didn't even know how to create a residence. Moreover, without Zou Hang's
permission, An Ran couldn't enter his house.

Zou Hang had thought clearly about many things overnight. "Final Destination 1" is
not scary, Zou Hang and An Ran were completely unharmed in the end. But from
another perspective, it's extremely terrifying. Only 2 out of 20 people can
survive; it's a truly harsh mission. He had also underestimated the Death God's
methods. Escaping death is not easy; if it weren't for those people's help, Zou
Hang would probably be dead now.

In "Cold People," Zou Hang could be said to have been taking a risk. Although the
threat of Cold People wasn't great to him thanks to his cell activity, how many
more horror movies like that are there?

Intelligence is important, but if you don't even have some life-saving abilities,
then it's all a joke. For example, when Zou Hang is surrounded by a group of
zombies, his intelligence may not be as useful as a pistol.

Perhaps having figured this out, Zou Hang feels that he should find some like-
minded people. To put it more clearly, he's looking for some "tools." Of course,
these tools must be useful to him but cannot be double-edged swords.

(Regarding the character Zou Hang, many readers have suggested that he change. What
I want to say is that Zou Hang is the thread that runs throughout the book. If his
personality is changed arbitrarily, then this character will no longer be pure.
Perhaps making him change can be glossed over by writing a small incident. But now
Zou Hang is not being controlled by me, but I have to follow him. The current Zou
Hang is like a compiled program. From the moment the program starts running, it has
broken away from the author's hand and is "living" according to its own
consciousness.

Maybe, he may change in the future, but definitely not now. At least, there is no
reason now that can make him change. Nor is there a reason for me to change my
mind.

Also, I want to tell everyone something very important and serious. Today I applied
for a contract and it was approved. This has always been my dream. I've even
dreamed of having this day many times. Mainly, the previous things I wrote couldn't
get into the eyes of Qidian, which made me give up. I didn't have any hope when
writing this book. Before yesterday, I even wanted to end it after finishing the
second part. Haha ^-^ I almost had a lifelong regret. The things I wrote before
were basically dropped due to disappointment. But now, 織傷 can decide and guarantee
to everyone that this book will definitely be completed. Even if it doesn't make
money and no one reads it, I will finish writing it. A gentleman stands between
heaven and earth with sincerity as his foundation! I was looking at the clauses of
the contract just now, and this chapter's text has less nonsense and more content.
I'm embarrassed. There will be two more chapters at 6 o'clock.
Thank you again for the support of all the readers. Without everyone, I wouldn't
survive tomorrow! -!)

Return to Table of Contents

## 044: Strengthening Our Power - Part 1

**Contents**

Perhaps you've helped someone in the past, maybe you've even forgotten who. Often,
we dismiss these acts of kindness as insignificant and quickly put them out of our
minds. But the person who received the help remembers it for a lifetime and might
even return the favor when you're in need. However, if you give without expecting
anything in return, the chance of receiving help in your own time of need is
incredibly slim.

"Treating others the way you want to be treated" is a recipe for disaster. Only
give when you expect something back. You must always maintain a bottom line. "The
masses can be led, but not informed." This is Zou Hang's strategy for acquiring
both tools and manpower.

Of course, that's getting ahead of ourselves. Right now, Zou Hang still has one
chess piece: An Ran! She will be his tool for survival. Regardless, Zou Hang is
still too weak. Even with a tool to rely on, lacking personal strength leaves him
vulnerable. The future is always uncertain, and he needs a way to control the new
recruits, at the very least.

Zou Hang silently walked beneath the pillar of light and connected with the Main
God's consciousness, checking his stats. A flood of data filled his mind. His
attributes remained unchanged from before. The only additions were a B-level side
quest and a reward of 3000 survival points. Adding that to the 200 points he had
left from the last movie only gave him 3200. These rewards are hardly sufficient to
exchange for a truly powerful ability.

If he were to enter a magic-themed horror movie, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Realizing this, he regretted the hasty exchange for those four talismans in his
inventory. If he'd held onto them, he would have had an extra 800 points.

Zou Hang briefly browsed the magical weapons. He had enough survival points and a
side quest to exchange for one, but he had a nagging feeling that it wasn’t worth
it; it would be a waste.

He didn’t have much capital to work with, and the available magical equipment
seemed mostly mediocre. There were, perhaps, a few exceptions.

One example was a dagger called "God's Punishment," costing two C-level side quests
and 1500 survival points. This would consume almost all of Zou Hang's rewards.

However, it was a cost-effective item. According to the description, it could not

only burn away human souls, but also instantly kill wraiths and other spectral
beings. Zou Hang usually preferred ranged attacks, but this dagger was effective
against both humans and ghosts, a rare attribute for a magical weapon.

With this dagger, he could also exert some control over the 'tool' he had in his
possession.

Hi-tech weapons, while seemingly powerful based on their descriptions, were

comparatively cheaper than magical equipment. They still weren’t Zou Hang’s target,
though. There were too many options, and he had too few survival points.

Zou Hang wasn't stupid. He needed more tools at his disposal to continue his
"journey." But he didn't need corpses; a useful tool had to be able to create
value. Otherwise, it was just a waste. Unfortunately, the new recruits were
woefully underpowered in the face of the horrors they would face. Without a weapon
to protect themselves, they were as good as dead. Even the cheapest hi-tech weapons
couldn't be acquired in sufficient quantities. The only viable option was weapons
that already existed in the real world. These were relatively cheap.

Even so, Zou Hang still didn't exchange anything. He had too few survival points,
and he needed to save 1000 points as a "killing fund" for emergencies.

"Ah..." An Ran stretched languidly, awakening. Zou Hang broke his connection with
the Main God. He suddenly realized he could obtain twice the rewards if he had An
Ran purchase the item.

"You're awake!" Zou Hang said.

"Mm," An Ran replied, looking at Zou Hang. Her innocent smile was back in his view,
and she didn't seem to harbor any resentment for being left alone.

Zou Hang explained the rules of the Main God space simply. Jiang Hai had vaguely
mentioned some of this during their downtime in the previous movie, but it wasn't
very clear.

Without waiting for An Ran to fully digest the information, Zou Hang immediately
ordered her to exchange for "God's Punishment," speaking in a commanding tone. An
Ran readily complied. When the blood-red dagger was in Zou Hang’s hand, he nodded
in satisfaction. According to the description, God's Punishment was originally just
a normal dagger, but its origin was legendary.

This ordinary dagger was the one with which God cursed Cain after he murdered his
brother, marking Cain’s body. The dagger was stained with the blood that sprayed
out of Cain. The blood wasn’t the main factor. The divine curse condemned Cain to
eternal, deathless reincarnation across the continent, despised by all. But no
living being could harm Cain, lest they be cast into hell. Cain’s blood carried the
same curse. Anyone wounded by this dagger would face the punishment of hell. If
they were human, they would be tormented by hellfire. If they were ghosts or
spirits, they would be annihilated.

But it only had a little bit of Cain's blood, after all. The power of the curse was
therefore diminished. Against powerful opponents, it might be useless. Zou Hang
understood; nothing was perfect. He was already satisfied with the current
situation.

After exchanging for "God's Punishment," An Ran had only one C-level side quest and
1500 survival points left. An Ran was Zou Hang’s only ‘tool’ at the moment, and
while Zou Hang didn't fully trust her, he understood her well. She would need to
have the same capabilities if she were to be of any use.

Zou Hang put away "God's Punishment" and asked An Ran, "Tell me your current
stats."

An Ran examined herself again before replying, "It seems like my abilities are
really low. Mental Strength is 21, Neural Reaction is 40, Muscle Strength is 12,
and Cellular Vitality is only 3!"
Zou Hang was slightly surprised. The stat limits for an ordinary newcomer usually
capped out at 20. But An Ran had exceeded that limit in two attributes. Her Neural
Reaction, in particular, was twice the limit. While it was still far below his own
150, it couldn't be ignored.

With such speed, if he were to strengthen her Muscle Strength, she would be a
capable individual, though not on par with Jiang Hai.

<!-- 045 Strengthening Power 2 -->

045 Strengthening Power 2

Table of Contents

Following this line of thought, Zou Hang reconnected with the Main God. He began
searching for enhanced attributes that cost less than 1500 survival points and
could be exchanged with a C-level side quest storyline.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few options, over a dozen. However, only two
aligned with Zou Hang's ideas. The first was named: "Rating 70 Raider," requiring
one C-level side quest storyline and 1500 survival points. It granted superior
physical fitness and observational skills, along with proficiency in short-range
firearms. It included the additional skill: "Dual-Gun Rapid Fire," which allowed
for highly accurate shooting with rapid, consecutive firing of two guns, negating
recoil.

The second was: "Jumper," rating 65, requiring one C-level side quest storyline and
1500 survival points. This enhanced the body's muscle tissue, improving balance and
providing a boost to stamina in activities like jumping, climbing, and long-
distance running. It also increased overall coordination. The skill was: "Limit
Break," which could temporarily increase physical strength and various physical
skills by 50%.

Zou Hang had several considerations in choosing these two enhancements. First, An
Ran's muscle strength wasn't particularly high, and this was a basic requirement.
Low muscle strength would significantly impact her ability to escape or evade. Even
with just a handgun, she might only be able to fire a few shots before her wrist
ached too much to lift. The second enhancement, "Jumper," was significantly less
useful than "Raider" in the current situation. This wasn’t the Olympics. However,
after Chen Jianzhou and the two elderly men died, their spatial rings ended up in
Zou Hang's possession. Chen Jianzhou had never even formally used his ion staff,
and its batteries were fully charged. This weapon was, essentially, the best thing
they had at the moment. If An Ran chose "Jumper," Zou Hang believed her improved
balance and coordination would allow her to master the staff quickly, even if she
lacked Chen Jianzhou's original fighting style.

But after carefully reconsidering, he felt it wasn't suitable for An Ran. She was,
after all, a woman, and close-quarters combat, both psychologically and physically,
wasn't ideal for her. Zou Hang also considered that the ion staff was quite
powerful. Even though he still had Bai Hong's energy field, which could be used
nine more times, it couldn't withstand attacks for too long. It was safer against
ordinary bullet attacks.

Therefore, he unhesitatingly had An Ran choose the "Raider" enhancement. After a

flash of white light, An Ran reported her new stats, which pleased Zou Hang. Mental
Strength 21, Neural Reaction 45, Muscle Strength 40, and Cell Vitality only 5! Her
Mental Strength remained unchanged, Neural Reaction increased by 5, Muscle Strength
surprisingly increased by 28 points, and Cell Vitality increased by 2 points. Most
of the stat increase went into Muscle Strength, and combined with An Ran's already
fast Neural Reaction, she also gained the "Dual-Gun Rapid Fire" skill. Although the
total stat points gained were similar to what Zou Hang received from his earlier D-
level Vampire System storyline exchange, these increases felt more practical and
tangible. The increase in Muscle Strength was particularly significant.

With a bit of training, An Ran could conceivably become Zou Hang's bodyguard.

Thinking of this, Zou Hang remembered that his own Vampire lineage was only Baron.
He checked the Viscount lineage: "Vampire Viscount Gene," rating 80. "Suitable for
guerilla warfare. High-speed reaction and agility. Regenerative cell activity.
Vulnerability to fire. Special skills: Blood Enhancement and Flash." Using
bloodline skills consumed internal blood. It required a C-level side quest
storyline and 1500 survival points.

Unlike other enhancement attributes, the Vampire lineage only increased the
required storyline level without raising the survival point cost. While the rating
was higher, it was likely a rare lineage that could be evolved further. However,
the Vampire's weaknesses were plentiful: vulnerability to fire and the constant
need for fresh blood.

Zou Hang gazed at the lineage and silently exchanged it.

Perhaps it was meant for him all along. Mental Strength 60, Neural Reaction 170,
Muscle Strength 20, Cell Vitality 70. The stat increases perfectly accentuated Zou
Hang's strengths. The stat points gained were also 5 more compared to when he was a
Baron. These could almost be disregarded.

What truly caught Zou Hang's attention were the two skills: Blood Enhancement and
Flash. As a Baron, Zou Hang could only suck blood at close range and at a slow
pace. Now, Blood Enhancement extended the range to 5 meters and greatly increased
the speed of blood absorption, which would help Zou Hang maintain his physical
condition. But the crucial skill was Flash. It represented the Vampire's speed.
This skill required very little blood and allowed him to move almost
instantaneously within a few meters. While the radius remained around 5 meters, Zou
Hang was incredibly excited. Low Muscle Strength had always been Zou Hang's
critical weakness. It limited his ability to engage in close combat and prevented
him from using heavier weapons.

With Flash, Zou Hang could easily appear behind an enemy at close range and unleash
the full potential of "God's Punishment" unexpectedly.

In *Final Destination 1*, Zou Hang used "Rapid Displacement" twice, but it felt
somewhat inefficient and useless.

That wasn't the case; he simply hadn't fully exploited its advantages. Rapid
Displacement was actually a life-saving skill for Vampires.

When activated, it could instantly move him thousands of meters away in a short
time. And that was a conservative estimate. When using Rapid Displacement,
increased Muscle Strength would result in even faster speeds. Besides escaping, it
also pushed his inherent Muscle Strength to its absolute limit. Coupled with Zou
Hang's incredibly high Neural Reaction, even if the enemy could react to Zou Hang
using "Flash" to approach them, activating "Rapid Displacement" would render his
speed insurmountable. This extreme speed practically negated his defenses, because
Zou Hang could slash an enemy a dozen times before they even touched his clothes.

Zou Hang lacked great strength, but combined with his intelligence, his speed
became his strength.

However, his previous experiences with Rapid Displacement also made the skill
somewhat awkward to use. Unless it was a life-or-death situation, using it would
leave him with barely enough strength to walk.

(Sorry, I updated late by half an hour today. Hehe. I was writing peacefully
tonight, when suddenly a heated discussion started in the group. Then I downloaded
some XX movies to watch as they suggested. I couldn't stop watching once I started.
It made me feel all flustered and just want to go to the bathroom...)

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 046 Strengthening Power 3 -->

046 Strengthening Power 3

Table of Contents

With this latest round of stat enhancements, Zou Hang could now easily handle the
Desert Eagle that Jiang Hai had left behind. As a close-range self-defense weapon,
the Desert Eagle was indeed the best option available.

He spent 200 points equipping An Ran with two of them as well, leaving Zou Hang
with only 1500 survival points. He also had two C-level side stories to consider.
Aside from the 1000 survival points Zou Hang wanted to reserve as his "killing
fund," he only had 500 points to spend. This had to cover not only essential
supplies like food, water, and medicine, but also some basic weapons for any
newcomers they might encounter.

Fortunately, realistic, technologically-based weapons weren't too expensive,

provided they didn't have unlimited ammo. A Desert Eagle with *limited* ammo cost
only 10 points, whereas the unlimited bullet version was 100. An M16 with a
grenade launcher was just 20 points. He bought five of each. Besides the
relatively expensive antidotes and quick-acting heart medicine, Zou Hang noticed
with interest that there were even "spirit bullets" available. These would allow
ordinary weapons to affect even ghosts and spirits, which was a great comfort to
Zou Hang.

After all, apart from Divine Punishment, he didn't have any weapons effective
against supernatural entities. This gave him a bargaining chip for the inevitable
foray into worlds of magic, legends, demons, and monsters. However, these bullets
were much more expensive than ordinary ammunition. One survival point could buy 100
magazines of regular bullets, but only 10 magazines of spirit bullets – a tenfold
difference. Just in case, Zou Hang gritted his teeth and bought some anyway.
Finally, he exchanged the remaining 500 survival points for U.S. dollars, leaving
him with absolutely nothing.

U.S. dollars were the most widely accepted currency. The money he'd exchanged last
time had been mostly spent on the two innkeepers. Fortunately, the spatial pouches
still contained plenty of 24-karat gold bricks.

Zou Hang emptied one spatial pouch and gave it to An Ran, filling it with various
supplies and ammunition. To increase her firepower, he decided to have her practice
a little with the M16 as well.

With all preparations complete, Zou Hang, like Jiang Hai before him, created a
basement in the house for training purposes. Zou Hang needed only an hour of
practice to fully master the Desert Eagle. His enhanced reaction time made every
shot nearly a bullseye. An Ran, on the other hand, calmly familiarized herself with
the firearms. While her initial accuracy was wildly off, after getting used to the
weapons, she seemed like a completely different person. This was due to her
gradually adapting to her enhanced muscle strength. At one point, An Ran suddenly
held two guns in her hands, firing so rapidly and seemingly without aiming that her
finger movements were imperceptible. Muzzles flashed, and the target was blown to
smithereens. It seemed she had acquired a dual-wielding rapid-fire skill. But this
skill was a bit unbelievable - the rate of fire with both guns exceeded the power
of the 919 feet per second Ge Lamu submachine gun.

Since becoming the team leader, Zou Hang had learned a great deal more about the
workings of the Main God space. During his shopping trip, he noticed that the
supplementary items included not only various raw materials but also blueprints.
The raw materials were cheap, and manufacturing them himself would be much cheaper
than directly exchanging survival points for finished products from the Main God.
The idea of manufacturing his own equipment immediately appealed to him. Many
industrialized nations had rapidly accumulated capital by importing raw materials
at rock-bottom prices, processing them, and then exporting the finished products
back to less developed countries at inflated prices, reaping huge profits.
Historically, Zou Hang's homeland had suffered through such a period.

However, although Zou Hang was intelligent, he had no prior experience in

manufacturing. If he had Wang Zhiming, the mechanical engineering Ph.D., it would
be a cinch. Besides, Zou Hang didn't want to spend any more survival points right
now.

An Ran was already practicing in the training area. Zou Hang, wanting to conserve
his stamina, began to test his new "flash" skill on the flat ground within the Main
God space.

Zou Hang stood silently for a moment, then, with a thought, he appeared like a
ghost in another corner. Within a few seconds, a dozen or more afterimages of Zou
Hang flickered across a five-meter radius, as vivid as the real thing. The key to
the flash skill was nerve reaction speed. Zou Hang, fortunate to have extremely
high stats in that area, could issue three or four teleportation commands in just
0.2 seconds, creating the effect of a lingering afterimage.

Of course, with each flash, Zou Hang instinctively swung Divine Punishment.
However, his body movements often failed to keep pace with the speed of the
teleportation command issued by his brain. Every time he flashed, his sword-
wielding right hand could only swing halfway before his body appeared elsewhere. To
synchronize his physical movements, Zou Hang had to gradually reduce his issuing
commands from 3-4 times in 0.2 seconds to once every 0.3 seconds, allowing him to
complete the sword swing. He was not happy with this pace. But in the eyes of
others, it was already quite unbelievable.

Just as he was about to try and improve further, a creaking door interrupted him.
Zou Hang stopped and turned to see An Ran standing in the doorway, a smile on her
face.

"Are you hungry? I've made dinner." An Ran, having broken a sweat during training,
had changed clothes. The white floral dress, seemingly an old-fashioned style,
looked as though it was from the 1930s or 40s. However, when worn by An Ran, it
did not look old-fashioned but rather quite feminine and beautiful. In everyone's
home. As long as you want, the clothes you want will appear in the closet. But An
Ran hasn't built her own house yet. To facilitate her training, she was given
permission to change the room, but Zou Hang only positioned her on the weapons and
equipment on the training ground. He hadn't thought about anything else.

Zou Hang didn't want to change a single thing in that room. Everything remained
exactly as it had been the day Zou Lao had passed away.

Looking at the dress on An Ran, Zou Hang was suddenly filled with rage. A
bewildered An Ran looked at Zou Hang, worried that she had done something to anger
him. Just as she was about to apologize, a sharp smack echoed, leaving five deep
red finger marks on her cheek.

Changed? Something that Zou Hang had been holding deep inside had changed. He truly
felt that Zou Lao was gone forever. He shouldn't leave anything behind. The only
person he ever trusted. Now gone forever. Never to be again.

Zou Hang gripped the door handle, and with a thought, the house instantly
transformed into a small villa. If Jiang Hai were alive, he would have shouted,
"Plagiarism!"

Indeed, the house, inside and out, was now identical to Jiang Hai's old home. Zou
Hang had no other models to draw upon. He'd never paid attention to other house
structures. He could only copy this one without thinking. Anyway, whatever it
looked like, it belonged to someone else. Zou Hang had nothing. The whole world
belonged to others. And those others would experience the true meaning of Infinite
Terror.

An Ran was stunned by the slap. She stood there, dazed, her hand pressed against
the burning mark on her cheek. An Ran had done nothing wrong. It was all Zou Hang's
blind rage.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 047 Cruelty -->

047 Cruelty

Contents

"Let's go. Let's eat." Zou Hang had already reached the door, murmuring the words
softly near An Ran's ear. Gone was his usual coldness, replaced by a hint of
melancholy.

Zou Hang was, after all, human. Even the most hardened steel, forged in the fires
of adversity, still possesses the fundamental nature of its material. It was his
destiny, in a way. No matter what Zou Hang did, regardless of how many people he
disgusted, he remained a man. From the day he was born into this world, it was
inevitable.

Just when he had resolved to never acknowledge anyone again, he found himself
wavering between decisions, so uncertain, so lost. Perhaps this was the most
vulnerable moment of his life.

A slap followed by a sweet? While Zou Hang's tone had softened somewhat, it was
merely a reflection of his mental disarray. An Ran, with her seemingly impenetrable
resilience, might genuinely possess the fortitude to endure anything. But this
time, she remained silent…

The environment within the room had shifted, but the food remained on the table. It
wasn't a lavish feast, but a simple, homely meal of two dishes and a soup. Yet, to
Zou Hang, it felt like a lifetime ago. Both ate in silence, not a word exchanged.
The atmosphere, which should have been unbearably awkward, somehow felt…
harmonious. Everything was understood without being spoken.

Behind every person lies a hidden story buried deep within their heart. And
sometimes, without a word, a glimmer of understanding can still emerge.

After the meal, Zou Hang walked alone onto the balcony. While the interior mirrored
the Jiang Hai residence, the view outside was still the familiar cityscape
surrounding Zou Hang's original home.

There Zou Hang stood, gazing into the distance. An Ran quietly approached and
gently took his hand. Surprisingly, Zou Hang didn't pull away. He didn't turn to
see the serene smile on An Ran's face, but he must have felt it.

Night fell. Zou Hang lay silently in bed, his gaze drawn to the bathroom as the
sound of running water ceased. An Ran emerged, a single towel wrapped around her
shapely body, failing to fully conceal her beautiful curves.

Suddenly, something seemed to stir within Zou Hang. He abruptly pulled An Ran
towards him, pinning her down on the bed.

Perhaps the moment he resolved to never acknowledge another human being, to

completely discard the influence of Zou Lao from his heart, he had become unhinged.
His heart was suddenly empty, devoid of anything to fill the void. Utterly vacant.

It must be said, that night… he came…! (This might seem humorous. Some readers have
criticized me for including such details in an otherwise serious narrative. But I
can't help but write these three words. Perhaps there are no other words to
substitute it. This isn't just for comedy's sake. It serves as foreshadowing. This
will have a critical impact on the storyline.)

But the next day, the coldness on Zou Hang's face was even more frigid. He didn't
know what had come over him the previous night, yet the memories were vividly
etched in his mind. An Ran was merely a tool. He fiercely reminded himself,
engaging in self-hypnosis.

Zou Hang sensed danger, a crisis unlike anything he'd ever experienced. A voice
inside his head screamed, 'Kill An Ran! Kill her now…' He had always trusted his
instincts, and this feeling was stronger, clearer than ever before. It was as if he
could see the future. His world contained only one person—himself—and that world
was being invaded. He would lose his world.

Zou Hang categorized everything into two groups: 'mine' and 'others'. What belonged
to 'others' could be discarded without hesitation, while what was 'mine' must be
defended at all costs. And now, Zou Hang felt that 'others' were trying to steal
what was 'mine'. Once the first instance occurred, many more would follow. A single
ant can bring down a thousand-mile dike.

He had to maintain control of everything!

However, Zou Hang didn't outwardly express these thoughts. Instead, he became even
more amiable towards An Ran, sharing meals and sleeping together. They even trained
together. He would occasionally engage in light conversation.

But Zou Hang had changed. He was no longer as pure as he once was. He had begun to
wear a mask, fortifying his heart into an impenetrable fortress while presenting a
smiling face to the world…
He had even started planning. Planning how to push An Ran off the 'cliff'. The evil
within him turned his fear of An Ran into cruelty, to the point where he didn't
want to kill her with a single shot. If Zou Hang was previously defined as a
mentally twisted madman, what deeper, more profound label could be used to describe
him now?

(And this is only the first step.)

An Ran was innocent.

The rest period in the Main God space was ten days. Besides training, another
recurring event was the vampire's intense craving for blood. Zou Hang continued to
practice the Blink skill, seeking to maximize the effectiveness of Divine
Punishment. But vampire skills are built on a foundation of blood.

As mentioned before, Zou Hang was unwilling to spend those 1000 survival points.
Now, he was even less inclined. He had a feeling that those 1000 points might be
needed for An Ran.

Even though Blink consumed very little blood, the constant usage was more than his
body could handle. Without the Main God's healing, the natural source of blood came
from An Ran.

An Ran was as docile as ever. Despite Zou Hang's terrifying expression, she
continued to offer selfless tolerance and support. She failed to notice that there
were many times when Zou Hang wanted to drain every drop of blood from her body,
turning her into a dried-up corpse. But Zou Hang always managed to restrain that
impulse. He needed An Ran alive now, to slowly torment her.

A death by a thousand cuts of cruelty!

。。。。。。。。Like。Zou。Hang。A。cold。blooded。dividing。line。。。。。。。。。。。。。

As mentioned before, you can see a person's front and side, but you can never
clearly see their back. That back is where each person's deepest, hidden story
lies.

Using smiles to disguise falling tears. Everyone has different experiences, but
what differs even more is how each person deals with those experiences.

This society has long since become dirty and depraved. Hypocritical lies spout
grand principles, all claiming to guide people toward goodness. But often, these
are the same people who commit wickedness after you've done good.

An Ran was 25 years old. Ten years ago, when she was 15…

Return to Table of Contents

## 048 An Ran's Heart

**Table of Contents**

My residence was in a suburb, as land prices in the city were exorbitant, prompting
several schools to relocate to the outskirts. This allowed them to build schools
several times larger than what selling the city land could have afforded.
An Ran's home wasn't far from these high schools.

To ensure student safety, the schools were primarily managed as closed campuses.
However, inevitably, some students would sneak out by climbing the walls, taking a
half-hour walk to internet cafes outside the agricultural area. Where there is
oppression, there is resistance, after all.

Life in a closed-campus school was incredibly stifling, so much so that it was

suffocating. And the students within always sought a way to truly let off steam.

At that time, An Ran was just in her third year of junior high, attending a middle
school in the suburbs. She was naive and lively, with a charming appearance. Boys
experiencing the first stirrings of love couldn't help but express their affection
for her. One of them, whom we'll call A for now, was particularly sincere and
ardent. Although An Ran hadn't considered such things, she was somewhat touched by
A's sincerity.

Evening self-study usually ended at 9:30 PM. However, on that particular day, An
Ran was held up by some minor matters and didn't leave school until 10 PM. The
night was already deep. Her usual companions were gone. An Ran had to walk home
alone. Not far behind her was A. Perhaps, if he couldn't win her heart, just
watching over her would be enough.

But that day truly felt like the end of the world.

A group of three college students, eager to return to campus before curfew, hastily
left an internet cafe. Students who are stifled often go online to watch movies as
an outlet for their frustration.

Perhaps driven by a sudden impulse after seeing An Ran alone, they were overcome by
wicked thoughts. And the suburbs were mostly rural and secluded.

Her heartbreaking cries did little to help; they only made the perpetrators more
fearful and guilt-ridden.

Only when the three men had left did A, who had been frozen in place, snap out of
his shock.

However, seeing that familiar figure at her most vulnerable, with her clothes
disheveled, was the deepest blow to An Ran's heart. A profound slap followed, and
An Ran passively endured...

After the incident, A transferred schools. The college students' faces were quickly
forgotten. And, because of a girl's sense of shame, the story was buried.

Perhaps it was selective amnesia, a desire to avoid thinking about it.

Or perhaps it was to gain a sense of security. Whenever An Ran was in a

relationship, she silently endured any treatment, only wanting to find someone who
could protect her. She wanted a sense of security, and she was willing to give
everything for that person...

(It seems like there really was a case of a college student doing something like
that. I think I read about it somewhere. But later, those college students were
sentenced.)

。。。。。。。。Like。Zou。Hang。's。cold。blooded。dividing。line。。。。。。。。。。。。。

Perhaps finding Zou Hang was the biggest mistake An Ran ever made.
It seems Zou Hang has saved An Ran twice now! The first time was during the car
explosion when Liang Jun died, where Zou Hang used Bai Hong as a shield. The second
time was in order to kill Wang Zhiming. Of course, neither of those instances can
truly be said that Zou Hang was trying to save An Ran! And yet, Zou Hang has
already killed An Ran once, if the Main God's prompts in 'Final Destination 1'
hadn't intervened. Now, Zou Hang is planning to kill An Ran for a second time.

What the hell kind of world is this? A dirty society filled with ugly people.
Complaining is useless; these things happen far too often. A small number of people
are disillusioned with the world, while the majority stand by and watch with
indifference.

Alas, when I observe humanity, those who can fulfill their true nature and not act
like beasts are few and far between. Are they those few who are cynical and
detached?

Zou Hang and An Ran share a similarity. Both were innocent and yet abandoned by
society. However, their actions are vastly different. If we were to use flowers as
a metaphor, Zou Hang would be a thorny rose; anyone who gets close will be pricked.
And An Ran is a white lily, pure, helpless, and easily bullied.

But saying all this is pointless now. No one knows what Zou Hang wants to do, nor
can they predict the outcome.

The ten days passed quickly without any major setbacks. However, An Ran's
complexion didn't look good. And there were several more scars on her wrists. But
her face displayed a sense of happiness that was genuine and heartfelt.

Some things were more important to Zou Hang than staying alive.

He conducted one last check of their belongings. When the Main God's emotionless
voice rang out, the two were already standing within the pillar of light.

"Enter the light pillar within thirty seconds. Transfer target locked. 'Fish' is
beginning transmission."

(Alright. Now it's time to officially enter the horror movie. I should go find
extras in the forums. This time, not all the extras will die. A few will become
long-term collaborators, or 'tools,' haha.

I'd also like to thank all the readers. Let me clarify something. This book is not
a work of a great god, and there are a limited number of people reading it right
now. So I read all the book reviews every day. I will explain and absorb any
questions or suggestions.

The protagonist of this book is Zou Hang, but I won't just write about him all the
time. Even if everyone wanted me to, I wouldn't write it that way. Otherwise, I
would just change it to the first person. Regarding everyone's comment that the
protagonist is too bloody and uses everyone but himself as cannon fodder, that's
just temporary. After all, it's *Someone Else's Infinite Horror*. Of course, that
'someone else' will experience infinite horror.

Chu Xuan is basically the protagonist's prototype, but the protagonist and he are
two different people. To those saying that Zou Hang isn't as strong as Chu Xuan, if
I wanted him to be strong, I could directly turn Zou Hang into an awesome person.
Everything is written by me. I can let him fill the holes I've dug. But that way,
Zou Hang really wouldn't be human. Then he could really live alone. I am seriously
shaping this character. I believe everyone can see that.
The protagonist will change, he will change to be more accepted by everyone, but
it's definitely not time yet. Today's three chapters were a headache to write.
Don't be angry at Zou Hang; blame me. 'Bad things' must precede 'good things'. Only
when he reaches the extreme will there be a turning point. Believe that everyone
will see it when this is over. Also, I can't compare to the update speed of the
great gods, but 6000+ words a day is passable. Alright. I admit I was too verbose
today. I'll just post more tomorrow. I post as I write. There's no such thing as a
backlog. I don't even have time to read now..)

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 049 Entry -->

049 Entry

Table of Contents

No one has the right to steal another person's dreams. Not even if you are a god.

But pity the pitiful, for they are often pitiful because of their own choices.

—Orijin [Note: This is a made-up quote and character name. The character name is a
possible transliteration of the Japanese word for "scar," 織傷.]

The hazy illusion consumed all senses, making thought impossible. Only waiting
remained. One moment they were in the Main God space, and the next, upon opening
their eyes, they were hundreds of miles away. Yet, the sensation in their memories
felt like a century-long slumber.

Wooden wall posts, straw-yellow tatami mats. Sliding doors stretching horizontally.
Hanging scroll paintings of landscapes, birds, and beasts, accompanied by
calligraphy. A distinct Japanese-style building.

Zou Hang silently counted the people lying on the floor; there were a staggering
nineteen. He then lightly slapped An Ran across the face, just hard enough to wake
her.

Upon regaining consciousness, An Ran unreservedly threw herself into Zou Hang's
arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, a blissful smile gracing her face. Zou
Hang tilted his head to the right, a hint of impatience in his expression. An Ran
released his neck and instead tightly clung to his arm, her ample breasts pressing
firmly against his bicep.

Strangely, Zou Hang acquiesced. This uncharacteristic behavior, even more so than
his icy demeanor, sent shivers down one's spine.

"Ah! Eighteen rookies! The difficulty this time is terrifying!" An Ran exclaimed,
finally noticing the new arrivals sprawled haphazardly on the floor.

"Scared?" Zou Hang scoffed, two words escaping his nostrils.

"Never! No matter how dangerous it is, as long as you're here, I'm not afraid of
anything!" An Ran said with a pout, her innocent smile suggesting a touch of
stubbornness.

"'Fish' is what?" Zou Hang's words remained economical. Dwelling on the terrifying
difficulty presented by twenty people was a waste of time. His primary concern was
that he had never heard of this horror film. He urgently needed detailed
information.

"I don't know either!" An Ran's voice diminished as she saw Zou Hang frown, as if
not knowing about "Fish" was her fault.

At this time, the new arrivals on the ground were gradually regaining
consciousness. But suddenly, a gust of cool wind swept through. Zou Hang acutely
detected a sharp, menacing presence. Long Bao, caught off guard, was confident in
his ability to take down the two people standing before him. However, just as he
was about to pounce, the seemingly frail young man with pure white hair didn't even
glance at him. An inexplicable silver gun flashed, reflecting the summer sun. The
cold, mirror-like muzzle pointed directly at his head. In that instant, the frigid
air suppressed Long Bao, preventing him from taking a single step.

Zou Hang tilted his head, glancing at Long Bao. As he turned, however, his gaze
created an apparent blind spot on the left. An object flew directly towards Zou
Hang – a capped pen, aimed at his eye.

Just as the high-speed, kinetic pen was about to strike, a miraculous moment
occurred. With a *snap*, the pen became lodged in the wall behind him, penetrating
deep into the wood. The strength required for such a feat was considerable.
However, this attack exposed the assailant. An Ran's eyes locked onto the target
with furious intent. With both guns in hand, she could eliminate the person with a
simple twitch of her finger.

However, the person seemed utterly unfazed, standing calmly with eyes slightly
closed.

The rapid back-and-forth movement created a tense atmosphere. Unease danced across
the faces of several individuals.

"Now, I'm going to ask you all a question. If you don't know the answer, don't
speak. Has anyone heard of a horror film or legend called 'Fish'? If your answer
satisfies me, I'll grant you a chance to live." Zou Hang ignored the two would-be
attackers. Now was the time to gather information. In this situation, friendly
negotiations were out of the question. A proper threat was needed to elicit a
response.

After a brief period of anxious murmuring, a young man, slightly younger than Zou
Hang, spoke up, appearing somewhat nervous: "I… think I know. It might be a manga."

"Manga?" Zou Hang's head tilted slightly as he stared at the person. The boy was
only seventeen, likely still a high school student. Many students these days loved
manga. Back in the real world, Zou Hang had never read them, but his classmates had
been fond of them.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure," the boy added, sounding increasingly anxious as he thought
that Zou Hang disbelieved him. "It's a horror manga by the Japanese manga artist,
Ito Junji. I love reading novels, mangas, and watching films. To the best of my
knowledge, the only work called 'Fish' is this manga. I haven't heard of anything
else."

"Horror manga! Then tell me what the story is about. I want you to explain every
detail, including your personal understanding of the manga." Horror manga. Although
Zou Hang never read manga, it was possible they had truly arrived here. Since no
one else was speaking, he let the young man explain the plot. He could verify it
later to glean some leads.
"Ito Junji is a famous Japanese horror manga artist. His works are characterized
not only by bloodshed and violence, but even more so by the heavy psychological
shadows they cast. Horror permeates from the inside out. *Unbearable Love*, *Tomie:
Rebirth*, and *Fish* are his representative works, and these three cannot be
described simply with words like 'tragic and horrific.' They possess a poignant,
twisted, and breathtaking beauty of black despair. Ito Junji is the best of
psychological anatomists," said the boy, who now seemed calmer and even a little
wistful.

Seeing Zou Hang's gaze, the boy immediately snapped out of his reverie and
continued, "If the 'Fish' you're talking about is that manga, then I remember all
the details.

The story begins with a couple, A Zhongmo and Hua Zhi, on vacation. The setting, of
course, is Japan, the author Ito Junji's country. The two are spending time at a
seaside villa in Okinawa Prefecture. While diving, the male protagonist, A Zhongmo,
notices a strange object speeding past him, but when sharks appear nearby, he has
to escape to the yacht. The female protagonist, Hua Zhi, is naturally allergic to
strong odors. So the two return to the villa. And that's where the horror begins… "

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 050 New Tool 1 -->

050 New Tool 1

Table of Contents

While Hua Zhi and A Zhong were passing by the fish market, the scattered dead fish
emitted a pungent, fishy stench. Hua Zhi found it disgusting, but this could be
seen as foreshadowing by Ito Junji. After Hua Zhi and A Zhong returned home, they
had an argument, and Hua Zhi ran out. As A Zhong chased after her, he also noticed
a strange object similar to what they'd seen in the ocean. Although it didn't
immediately register, Hua Zhi, with her sensitive sense of smell, detected a foul
odor resembling rotting food from the kitchen.

When they returned inside, not only did Hua Zhi still notice the smell, but A Zhong
also became faintly aware of it. At Hua Zhi's insistence, A Zhong reluctantly went
out to buy deodorizer. Meanwhile, as Hua Zhi was taking a bath, the odor
intensified. She heard a rustling sound from the corner of the bathtub and, seeing
the creature's true form, fainted in terror. When A Zhong returned, the acrid smell
was even stronger, so intense that it stung his nasal passages and made him
slightly dizzy.

Just then, they heard a hissing sound coming from inside the house, accompanied by
scraping noises as metal scraped against the floor. A Zhong went to investigate,
but the creature was fast. By chance, A Zhong managed to trap it under a cabinet.

Upon closer inspection, A Zhong was shocked to discover that it was a small sea
fish, still struggling for breath. However, what was truly bewildering was that the
fish had four sharp, iron-like spikes acting as 'legs.'

A Zhong finally realized that the foul odor was emanating from it. However, he
naively thought he had simply discovered a new species. To prevent the offensive
odor from spreading, A Zhong sealed it in a clear plastic bag, then struck it
repeatedly with a rock until it stopped moving.
Hua Zhi vehemently demanded that A Zhong dispose of the monstrous thing far away to
prevent the stench from lingering. However, when A Zhong went to check the trash
can, the creature was gone. Back inside, Hua Zhi screamed – the monster had somehow
inflated the plastic bag and was floating in the air!

The iron-like 'legs' pierced the bag, releasing the stench. Using what seemed like
jet propulsion, it attacked Hua Zhi. In the ensuing struggle, A Zhong was stabbed
by the spikes, but he finally managed to drive the thing out of the house.

A Zhong pursued it to the beach, where he was horrified to find more and more
monstrous fish crawling out of the sea.

As if overnight, various species of marine life had sprouted four iron-like legs
and were swarming onto the land. Before long, the small coastal town was virtually
overrun by these monstrous fish, including large, ferocious sharks.

The two barely escaped the jaws of the sharks and returned to Tokyo. The news was
already reporting that coastal towns everywhere were being plagued by walking,
monstrous fish.

Hua Zhi, clearly traumatized by the walking fish, huddled at home, unable to calm
down.

A Zhong visited his uncle, a scientist and inventor, and mentioned the strange
events during their conversation. After returning home, Hua Zhi suddenly exclaimed,
with a look of horror, that she smelled the stench of the walking fish again. A
Zhong dismissed it as a hallucination brought on by her fear and heightened senses.
To prove she was right, Hua Zhi tracked the scent to the street.

There, they saw it: the very same monstrous fish, supposedly dead and sealed in a
plastic bag, wafting towards them on the wind.

They were hundreds of miles from the coast – how was this possible? Hua Zhi claimed
it was tracking them. But A Zhong, ever rational, attributed it to mere
coincidence. Could there really be such an absurd coincidence?

The plastic bag tore, revealing the monstrous fish inside, now clearly decomposed.
However, its spiked legs were still twitching. "That's all I know," the boy
coughed, obviously parched. "Why are you making me tell you this story? Why don't
you just buy the manga yourself? My mouth is dry. Can I at least have some water?"

"Oh?" Zou Hang asked, a hint of disdain on his face. He pressed the barrel of his
Desert Eagle against the boy's forehead. "Either you go get a drink right now, and
then I kill you, or you truthfully tell me everything you know, and I *might* spare
your life."

Hearing this, most of the dozen or so others grew even more anxious. They had no
idea why they'd been kidnapped, and instead of demanding ransom, they were being
asked to recount a story. A few quick-witted individuals began to concoct stories
in their minds.

The boy's heart leaped into his throat. He could only continue. "The two re-sealed
the fish and took it to A Zhong's uncle, Dr. Xiao Liu's house. Upon smelling the
odor, Dr. Xiao Liu immediately identified it as the stench of a corpse. But if the
fish was dead, how was it still moving?"

"After the two left, Dr. Xiao Liu dissected the monstrous fish. To his surprise, he
found that the fish was no different from any other, except for the mechanical,
lower-body structure attached to it. The device consisted of four spiked struts,
four slightly protruding soft tubes in front and back, a base, and two rows of
slightly curved iron spikes. At that moment, his right hand accidentally brushed
against the device, and the two rows of curved iron spikes forcefully pierced his
arm. The soft tubes also punctured his skin."

"The next day, countless monstrous fish swarmed ashore in port cities across Japan,
threatening to engulf the entire country. Dr. Liu called A Zhong and asked him to
come to his house. At the door, Hua Zhi again detected the corpse-like odor."

"Dr. Liu confirmed that the smell was indeed the stench of death and told them
about his father's past. His father had instructed him to cremate his body as soon
as possible after he died, as if he was particularly worried about emitting the
odor of a corpse. Dr. Liu's father had told him that he used to be an army officer
during the Pacific War and had been assigned to a secret bacteriological experiment
on a deserted island in Okinawa. During one experiment, they discovered a mutated
bacterium extracted from a fish species in the nearby sea. When animals were
infected with this bacterium, it caused changes within their bodies, emitting a gas
similar to the stench of a human corpse. When researchers plugged the animal's anus
and mouth, its body would violently inflate."

"Some of the researchers began experiencing adverse symptoms, so the military

decided to use the bacteria in warfare. They first experimented on cats and dogs,
with significant results. However, there was a critical flaw: after being infected
with the bacteria, the animals would soon lose their motor skills and become
incapable of moving. So, the military sought out Dr. Liu's father. Under his
direction, they created a pressure walker, similar to the device on the fish, which
propelled itself using gas emitted from within its body."

"Supposedly, the device worked incredibly well. But ultimately, the transport ship
carrying them to the battlefield was sunk. Hearing this, Hua Zhi went to the
restroom and inexplicably noticed small green pimples appearing on her face."

"In reality, Hua Zhi had already been infected with the bacterium by the monstrous
fish. At that moment, that monster suddenly appeared, and it was Dr. Liu's left
arm. Dr. Liu explained that if they didn't cut it off immediately, the virus could
infect her entire body."

"The arm had already begun to swell, filled with decaying gases produced by the
bacteria, emitting a constant stench. Large, pus-filled green pustules clung to it,
inspiring dread and nausea."

"What was truly perplexing was that the walking machine was simple in structure,
yet once it had attached to something, it could move freely like a living thing, as
if it possessed consciousness."

"At that moment, the severed arm had replaced the fish, simply acting as an
accessory to provide power. Only then did A Zhong understand that it wasn't just
fish; humans could be infected too..."

"Hua Zhi had already transformed. Tokyo was being overrun by walking, monstrous
fish. A Zhong, after being attacked, fell into a canal. He woke up in a hospital a
month later, only to find that the world had become a bizarre, monstrous place.
Almost everyone had become a substitute for the fish. The odor of the corpse gas
seemed to be controlled by vengeful spirits, and even at the end of the book, it
all remains unresolved; their objective remains unknown..." At this point, Zou Hang
understood the general plot of *Gyo* from the boy's story.

From a broad perspective, *Gyo* seemed to combine disaster and supernatural horror,
making it no wonder it was a difficulty level 20 trial. Several points needed to be
focused on.

First, and most importantly, many people had been infected with the virus, yet the
protagonist, A Zhong, was completely unharmed. As in *Resident Evil* or *Left 4
Dead*, this was possibly due to the activity of the cells within his body. But the
threshold was unknown. It was clear that this bacterium was possibly even more
potent than the T-virus.

Second, the vengeful spirits mentioned at the end. If, as the boy said, the
construction of the walker was very simple, yet it acted as though it had
consciousness, that was indeed extremely strange. After experiencing *Final
Destination 1*, Zou Hang, once a staunch materialist, was starting to become more
open to the idea of idealism in this world.

Third, how many walking fish were there? How many of the machines were there? How
many were infected? What was their objective?

Zou Hang no longer doubted that he was in Ito Junji's *Gyo*. Just now, glimpsing a
welcome poster outside the window had confirmed that everyone was in Okinawa. It
was quite possible that they were near the two main characters' villa.

(Shoot! I've only written this much. I'm a little short, sorry! Special
announcement: my company informed me that I have a job interview tomorrow, so I'll
be very busy, and I need to rest well tonight. So, I probably won't be able to
update. I'll have to wait until I get back. I'll also take the chance to rest for a
day and think about the story development and character arrangement.)

Return to Table of Contents

## 051: A New Tool, Part 2

**051: A New Tool, Part 2**

**Table of Contents**

Did **Zou Hang** think there were too many people? Looking at the fear in some eyes
and the panic in others, it was clear most of them were dead weight. Regardless, he
needed to earn the 100 survival points reward first. Although he knew that almost
no one would believe him. If it weren’t for that reward, **Zou Hang** would never
have uttered such useless, idiotic words.

“I’m going to tell you why you're here. Listen carefully, I’m only saying this
once. Whether you believe it or not, keep it off your faces. I don’t want to waste
my breath arguing with your doubts.

“This isn’t the place you knew. This is a place with no history and an uncertain
future. You can think of it as a bizarre dimension. Inside this dimension is a
glowing orb. Our predecessors called it the "Main God." It enforces the laws of
this space and provides you with everything you need—but not for free. It requires
equivalent exchange. It throws us, people from the outside, into terrifying
scenarios to complete tasks it assigns. Unless you die or complete the mission,
you’ll never escape those horrific places. These terrible places come from the
depths of human imagination, or perhaps a premonition. Some people dream of
incredible things, and they might be turned into movies, comics, or novels.

“I’m telling you, we’re currently inside the world of ‘*The Enigma of Amigara
Fault*’ as that guy mentioned. Of course, completing missions will earn you
rewards, which you can exchange for anything you desire at the Main God's shop. The
higher the value, the more rewards you'll need. Right now, you don't have the right
to choose; you can only complete missions. Don't talk about unfairness. The laws of
this world, including the one you came from, are unfair.

“When you accumulate 50,000 survival points, you can leave this place and return to
your original lives. You can also take your previously exchanged rewards with you.
You can go back with superhuman strength, wealth beyond the imagination, or even
ultra-tech weapons capable of destroying the universe.

"I'll say it one more time: Don't let me see any sneers on your faces, or drool
dripping while you fantasize!" **Zou Hang** noticed the Main God's notification
that the 100 survival points reward had been received. Still, he saw a few people
with those loathsome expressions on their faces.

‘The *Enigma of Amigara Fault* begins!’

The Main God's prompt echoed in his mind once again. Danger was coming. **Zou
Hang** and **An Ran** looked at their watches simultaneously. The mission objective
was: "Eliminate the 'Faults.'" Reward: B-level side story, 5000 survival points. No
time limit.

‘Another wipeout mission.’ **Zou Hang** sneered inwardly. The reward was 2000
survival points more than 'Final Destination 1'. There was no death limit; this
mission would continue until the end of days. According to that boy's description,
there were tens of millions of 'Faults'. And about two hundred million Japanese
people were potentially targets.

**Zou Hang** didn't believe that the 'Faults' on their watches only referred to the
rocks.

“I don’t need dead weight. If you still think I’m just a kidnapper, I’ll give you
three choices. Those who don't believe me can leave, before I decide to kill you.
Or you can choose to die at my hands. I assure you it will be far more comfortable,
and less painful than the horrific deaths you'll experience later. Or, you can
believe what I say and stay.” As **Zou Hang** finished, he lowered the Desert Eagle
in his hand. The mission had begun, and they were free to leave now.

An odd atmosphere of silence hung in the air for several minutes. More than ten
people stood still, without taking any action. Some were surely still afraid—afraid
that if they stepped outside, **Zou Hang** would shoot them.

**Zou Hang** was losing patience. Wasting time here was worse than searching for
more clues. His expression darkened, and he shouted sternly: "If you don't leave,
I'll change my mind immediately!"

As soon as he spoke, a rather portly, balding middle-aged man, puffed up with

indignation, stood up and walked towards **Zou Hang**. He muttered: "Damn! What
kind of program is this? Such an awful attitude. I actually wanted to continue
playing. Just because I am silent, you think I am a sick cat! I'm a dignified
police chief; I'm not afraid of you. Put down that prop in your hand. Do you think
everyone is scared of a gun?" He berated **Zou Hang** with a barrage of insults and
then headed toward the door, clearly intending to find the so-called program
director.

**Zou Hang** stood with his back to him, walking towards the boy from before. Then,
a shot rang out. He hadn't bothered to aim, but after the gunshot, a massive,
bloody hole appeared in the middle-aged man's thigh. Blood spurted everywhere,
accompanied by an agonizing scream. **Zou Hang** ignored him, handing the Desert
Eagle to the boy. "Kill him! Then you can leave!"

The boy's hand sank under the weight, and he almost dropped the gun on the floor.
But with a *bang*, the shot rang out. Everyone in the room gasped. The middle-aged
man's eyes widened in disbelief.

The gunpowder smoke drifted through the air. All they saw was the boy being pushed
back a step by the Desert Eagle’s recoil, stopping after a large step. No one would
think the gun was just a prop now.

As **An Ran** was about to raise her arms, **Zou Hang** lifted his hand to stop
her.

With a *click*, the bullet that had been stopped by the blue forcefield on **Zou
Hang’s** forehead fell to the floor.

"Your life belongs to me now," **Zou Hang’s** voice sounded like a demon signing a
contract with a human.

Another *bang* rang out, a muffled sound this time. The middle-aged man on the
ground had stopped struggling. Crimson blood soaked the floor. The boy staggered
back another step, but a cruel smile spread across his face as he stared at the
blood. He looked excited, as if he had waited a long time for this.

The boy handed the gun back to **Zou Hang**. “You can kill me now. If you don’t, my
life is yours. I’ll follow you from now on. I will accomplish everything you want.
Just let me experience this kind of thrilling pleasure."

A man who loved blood. The boy's destiny could finally be realized. His first shot
was to prove what **Zou Hang** said, and it was also an extremely dangerous
provocation. In the real world, he felt his life fading away. His soul rotting. He
was immersed in horror movies and comics. He had always yearned to freely
experience intense sensations, and he knew **Zou Hang** could provide that for him.

Eight times. The energy shield had eight uses remaining. **Zou Hang** could have
dodged the bullet. He could have used his blink skill, or even flashed out and back
like he had with the pen.

**Return to Table of Contents**

Okay, here's a fluent, idiomatic English translation of the text, keeping the
nuances and full meaning intact:

<!-- 052 New Tools 3 -->

052 New Tools 3

Contents

The principle of equivalent exchange: for every act of giving, a return of equal
value is guaranteed. Though this young man didn't possess any remarkable physical
gifts in Zou Hang’s eyes, and seemed like any ordinary person, Zou Hang saw a
morbid darkness within him at a glance. This was precisely what Zou Hang needed –
not someone who merely loathed killing, but someone who *yearned* for it.

Now he would become Zou Hang's instrument of death. Zou Hang was not foolish enough
to soil his own hands.

"This is the first time, and the last," Zou Hang said slowly, meeting the young
man's gaze.

"Understood! Guide me further in this game. I want to keep playing!" the young man
replied eagerly.

Zou Hang returned to An Ran and reiterated, "Let me repeat: I don't want to see any
more disdain on your faces. I don't need dead weight. If you still think of me as
just a kidnapper, you still have those three choices. Those who don't believe me
can leave now, before I decide to kill you. Or, you can choose to die by my hand. I
assure you, it will be far more comfortable, with less pain, than the horrible
deaths that await you otherwise. Or, believe what I say and choose to stay."

As soon as the words left his lips, several panicked individuals bolted from the
group, barely recovered from the previous bloody scene. They ran straight for the
exit. Zou Hang raised his gun horizontally, stopping them in their tracks. Some,
however, still believed Zou Hang had changed his mind and continued to sprint
towards freedom. Zou Hang fired a shot, hitting one in the thigh and crippling him.
He tossed the gun to the young man. The same scene unfolded. The young man's wrist
already ached, but he reveled in the exhilarating sensation.

Afterwards, he returned the gun to Zou Hang, who gave him a faint, satisfied smile.

"There are too many fools in this world. Too many who refuse to listen. If that man
had stopped like the rest of you, he wouldn't be dead. I merely want to tell you:
walk out slowly. And don't start screaming once you're outside! Understand?" Zou
Hang said, watching several heads bob in frantic agreement. He then holstered his
weapon.

When the room finally fell silent, a surprising six people remained.

Among them was the young man, and two others who had previously attacked Zou Hang.
Considering the circumstances, Zou Hang felt a certain sense of gratification. He
also admired the courage of those two. Zou Hang had every reason to kill them, but
he also appreciated their quick thinking and composure.

As Jiang Hai might say, these new recruits had real potential. Truthfully, Zou
Hang's speech hadn't truly convinced them. That was why Zou Hang didn't want to say
that, but he did it reluctantly for the 100 point reward. It was the young man's
gunshot that truly rattled everyone's nerves. After all, who could possibly stop a
bullet in the real world? This was the deterrent Zou Hang had achieved by expending
one energy point to form a force field.

Scanning the remaining group, Zou Hang began, "In this world, death is commonplace.
And I can tell you that a considerable number have died by my hand. Your choice to
stay doesn't guarantee your safety. At best, you've delayed your death by a few
days compared to those who just ran out. Following me might allow you to escape
this nightmare, and complete your mission. Perhaps it might even offer protection
for longer.

"But my assistance comes with a price, a price of equal value to what I offer. It
may simply be your obedience to my commands, or perhaps your skills, or even your
life. Now, tell me your names, professions, what you excel at, and what you desire
most in this life, what you want to achieve more than anything."

Silence descended once more. It was the young man who spoke first. "My name is
Huang Jian. I'm a student. I don't seem to excel at anything, but I want to keep
killing with you. I want to experience things I've never experienced before. I want
to become powerful."

Zou Hang nodded with a smile. "Your life now belongs to me. I can grant your
desires, but you must obey my every word. It's possible you'll die before you
realize your ambitions. I want to consider our words a contract. No betrayals!
Remember what you said today. Next!"

"Did the deaths of the two previous people indicate that you can't kill anyone?" a
voice interjected. In a flash, Zou Hang's Desert Eagle was leveled at the speaker.
The man was dressed entirely in white. His expression was emotionless, almost cold.
His lifeless eyes radiated a sharp, murderous intent as Zou Hang pointed the gun.
They locked gazes.

"Don't test my limits with your stubbornness. If you do, you will die a horrible
death!" Zou Hang said simply. With just those words, the man in white sensed
something.

"Perhaps I'm mistaken. My name is Bai Yu. I'm an assassin. I specialize in

firearms, melee weapons, and killing techniques. I can also consider our words a
contract and adhere to the principles of equivalent exchange. However, I will
retain control of my own life. I want to establish a partnership with you! As for
what I want, I'll get it on my own; I don't need to depend on you. However much I
gain from you, I will give you equal value!" The man in white radiated a chilling
aura, but he had not agreed to Zou Hang's terms. One could call him a fool. His
life was in Zou Hang's hands. He could easily deceive Zou Hang.

But he knew that deceiving the white-haired youth before him might have far more
severe consequences.

"Oh, a partnership! I must say, you're honest. I hate it, but if you had chosen to
deceive me, you would already be dead. You're smart. I can partner with you, but
you also need to remember that for every amount I give, you must give an equal
amount in return. Next!" Zou Hang said, turning his gaze aside. Bai Yu was not
completely under his control, but he could be used.

It was the man who had initially tried to attack Zou Hang upon entering 'Fish'. He
was as strong as an ox, his exposed shoulders bulging with hard muscle. He wore a
black tank top, camouflage pants, and what appeared to be iron-soled combat boots.
One could almost feel the presence of killing intent. But the killing intent on his
body was very fierce, which was very different from Bai Yu's breath. It may be a
cold killing intent and a hot blood.

The man said, "Long Bao! A heavy weapons specialist in the elite national combat
team. Specialized in heavy firepower suppression." At this point, Long Bao's
expression suddenly dimmed. His tone also lost its former intensity, replaced by a
hint of sadness. Long Bao asked, "As a soldier, I've never feared death. If you can
fulfill my wish, I swear to God, my life is yours. I'll do anything you ask without
a second thought!"

Zou Hang keenly sensed the fluctuation in Long Bao's emotions. He stared intently
for a long time, feeling the man's deep longing.

Return to Contents

<!-- 053 New Tools Part 4 -->

053 New Tools Part 4

Table of Contents

As a wise man, he understood that deception, while a useful tactic, possessed a

fatal flaw. One lie invariably required more lies to support it, and a single
misstep could expose the entire fabrication. If one truly sought to acquire a tool,
it was better not to rely on brute force, but on the lure of self-interest,
offering rewards and, more importantly, controlling what others coveted most. This
approach tended to create a more reliable bond.

Take, for example, the power of love, so crucial to some. Long Bao was no
exception.

"If this world is truly as you say, and the Main God is as miraculous as you claim,
then is it possible to resurrect the dead?" Long Bao's voice trembled. A flicker of
hope ignited within him. She had been gone for so many years, yet Long Bao had
never abandoned the memory of her. In the real world, he knew his desire was
impossible. He had feared the task was too difficult and too unlikely. And now, he
feared the white-haired youth before him would be unable to fulfill it either.

"Resurrection? At least for now, I can say with certainty that your wish is
impossible. However..." Zou Hang's words trailed off. Long Bao's face fell, but the
"however" hinted at a glimmer of hope.

"Do you have a way?" Long Bao asked, his voice filled with anxiety.

"If you can return to the Main God space, it can create the person you wish to
resurrect. The Main God can create her precisely according to the template of your
memories. Her appearance, personality, even her memories, will be identical to the
person you remember." The moment Zou Hang became team leader, all the
functionalities of the Main God space flooded his memory. Moreover, Jiang Hai had
already created 'Ma Li'. Observing the joy blossoming on Long Bao's face, Zou Hang
knew he had just acquired another powerful tool.

"Follow me. I will lead you out of here. Of course, the chances of returning are
currently only 50%. You could also die here. So, are you willing to entrust
everything to me? You must obey me unconditionally, like Huang Jian."

"No problem! As long as she can appear by my side again, everything I have is
yours. I will obey you without question!" Long Bao responded instantly, afraid that
Zou Hang might change his mind if he hesitated.

"Next," Zou Hang said, his eyes landing on another person. He was an ordinary man,
unremarkable in appearance, figure, and temperament, still clad in his high school
uniform. Now, he stared blankly, his face drenched in sweat.

"I... I'm Zhang Haoyu. A student. I don't have any special skills. I just want to
live. I'll do anything to survive. Laundry, cooking, carrying luggage... I can do
anything. Please, take me with you. I've read the 'Fish' manga. I don't want to
become like them. Please!" Tears streamed down Zhang Haoyu's face as he spoke
incoherently.

"Next!" Zou Hang felt this person was utterly useless. But even as the words left
his mouth, Zhang Haoyu collapsed on the ground, sobbing loudly. The sound irritated
Zou Hang, and he aimed his gun at him. Zhang Haoyu immediately stifled his tears.

"I can let you follow me. Your life will also belong to me. Follow me, and I can
only guarantee you'll live a little longer than those who just left." After Zou
Hang finished speaking, Zhang Haoyu nodded vigorously.

Next up was the man beside Zhang Haoyu. He was sharply dressed in a suit, looking
like an office worker. "Li Tao, retired soldier. I used to serve in the special
forces as a sniper. But I've been out of practice for years," he said. "Based on
what you've said, I choose to cooperate with you. Like Bai Yu, I don't want my fate
to be controlled by others." He exchanged a glance with Bai Yu.

"Then your terms are the same as Bai Yu's. You will give as much as you receive
from me. Your lives don't belong to me either, so rights and obligations are equal.
In some situations, I won't prioritize you."

"My name is Chu Hu. I have no demands. I just want to follow you. I can do anything
for you. You can even have my life." The last person, a woman in a long dress, was
also tearful, but also seemed agitated. She rushed to speak as soon as Zou Hang
finished.

No demands. Zou Hang said nothing, but he keenly sensed that this woman named Chu
Hu, though pretty, was strange. He didn't believe anyone would willingly hand over
their life to another without a reason. This woman inspired even less trust than
Bai Yu and Li Tao.

Of course, he didn't trust anyone here. It was all a matter of degree. Zou Hang had
prompted them to voice their desires in order to better understand them. Huang
Jian, a man who wanted to kill, desired power. But his power would always be under
Zou Hang's control. By deducting 2,000 survival points from them, Zou Hang could
also seize a portion of Huang Jian's future rewards. Long Bao? A fool. If he was
willing to obey Zou Hang for the sake of resurrecting his woman, then he could
threaten him with her later. Zhang Haoyu simply wanted to survive, so his life was
also within Zou Hang's grasp.

Bai Yu and Li Tao were relatively skilled for newcomers. Their cooperation was fine
for the moment, but relatively speaking, they were not tools, but potential
enemies. Perhaps they should be sacrificed at some point, or maybe tricked.

Zou Hang held Chu Hu in even lower regard. Those who remained in the room likely
believed what he said and were less prone to blind faith. But this woman made Zou
Hang uneasy, perhaps because of the way she looked at him. Zou Hang glared at her
harshly, but Chu Hu continued to gaze at him adoringly.

"This person is also as good as dead," Zou Hang murmured to himself.

Forty minutes had passed since the start time.

Perhaps Zou Lao was not merely Zou Hang's trust, but also his guiding principle.
When this principle was no longer constrained and broken, he would become utterly
ruthless. Someone once said that humans are beasts who will use any means to
achieve their goals. They are more terrifying than any monster when they are
enraged. And as he left the Main God space, Zou Hang could say that he was only
viewing people as tools in his hand. He had kept a smile on his face, using the
desires in people's hearts to deceive them into placing their lives in his hands.

He was playing with their hearts, blinding them with hope. By the time they reached
the brink of death, their regret would be useless.

If only one person could survive this time and complete the mission, he would not
hesitate to throw the others into their graves. Don't call him cruel. If only one
person can live, would you be willing to let someone take your place?
However, completing this mission would be difficult. The total annihilation of the
"fish"? He couldn't possibly achieve that alone. Sometimes, if "tools" are fully
controlled, they can greatly improve efficiency.

<!-- 054 Interlude 1 -->

054 Interlude 1

Contents

Zou Hang and An Ran briefly exchanged names, a simple introduction. But whatever
the situation, the newcomers needed to arm themselves to the teeth. However, the
'Fish' plague hadn't yet descended, and Japan, being a society governed by law,
didn't exactly allow for excessive displays of force. Even calling in the Self-
Defense Forces would be an overreaction. The weapons purchased in the Main God
space were generally configured for a five-person team. Luckily, they had the
Desert Eagle and a weapon left behind by Jiang Hai. Everyone except for Chu Hu and
Zhang Haoyu, the two considered less promising, had a weapon.

Bai Yulongbao and Li Tao were clearly veterans with firearms. They swiftly checked
their weapons and concealed them, becoming undetectable to the casual observer.
Huang Jian, on the other hand, was overly enthusiastic, aiming his gun at everyone
as if practicing, and was promptly reprimanded.

Their immediate task was to gather information and assess the situation, preparing
for the impending 'Fish' onslaught.

Zou Hang, formerly someone who acted on a whim in 'Cold People,' had completely
transformed, driven by a purpose. This represented a shift in his character;
beneath his superficial smile, his heart had turned from indifferent to ice-cold.

He opened the room door to find someone standing by.

"Yuan Zui. Thirty years old. Biochemical researcher. I've never used a gun, nor do
I know martial arts. But I believe I can be of use here!" The man spoke proactively
as the door opened.

"I believe you've heard the situation. Now, choose one or two?" Zou Hang asked.

"To hold my fate in my own hands. It feels more secure that way." Yuan Zui smiled.

"Were you outside the whole time?" Zou Hang suddenly inquired.

"I went out briefly. It seems we really are in Japan, so I came back."

"I don't like people who are too clever. And I said, once a choice is made, it must
be followed. Leaving was your choice, regardless of your reasons. You already made
your selection," Zou Hang stated, raising his gun. But Huang Jian fired first. The
man who called himself Yuan Zui died with an incredulous expression. He might be
the first to die here, a victim of his own cleverness, or rather, Zou Hang's
decision.

It was also a warning, a demonstration that choices must be adhered to.

In this dog-eat-dog world, you either eat or be eaten. Now Zou Hang was a truly
cold-blooded individual.
Huang Jian's reaction didn't surprise Zou Hang. His face was alight with the thrill
of killing. And his expression conveyed he wasn’t satisfied yet.

The assassins were numb to killing; Bai Yu, similarly. An Ran was utterly devoted
to Zou Hang, willing to do even more. Huang Jian, of course, needed no explanation.
Long Bao, hardened by the battlefield, had probably killed more. All he cared about
was returning to the Main God space. Li Tao was perhaps also used to it, but
clearly sensed the threat. He feared that he could be next in line. Previously he
thought about reconfirming his choice. Zhang Haoyu was frightened to tears again.
Chu Hu, however, kept his gaze fixed on Zou Hang.

In some respects, this group was cohesive in their willingness to kill, without the
interference of self-righteous individuals.

"Okinawa is located in the subtropics, with an average annual temperature of 20-24

degrees Celsius. Summers are hot and rainy, while winters are warm and dry. The
annual rainfall exceeds 2,000 millimeters. Thanks to its warm climate, Okinawa
mainly cultivates sugarcane, tropical, and subtropical fruits. Okinawa boasts
oceans shimmering with sapphire light, white sandy beaches, beautiful coral reefs,
various subtropical plants, and scenery, as well as ancient cultural traditions and
heritage. It's a great tourist destination. Although I've never been there, it’s
considered a vacation paradise in Japan. Many manga are also set here," Zou Hang
wasn't familiar with the area. But Huang Jian, the self-proclaimed manga
enthusiast, kept up on it online and was even acting as a temporary tour guide.

They walked along the road, and the scenery was indeed picturesque. The southern
sun felt quite comfortable. However, Huang Jian's words drew the ire of Li Tao.

"Who says this is Japanese territory? Even if it's not independent, this place has
historically been a dependency of China. It's people like you, brainwashed by
Japanese manga, who say such things," Li Tao said. Huang Jian was much younger than
Zou Hang, perhaps his lack of concern for worldly affairs was the reason. Even Zou
Hang didn't know.

Looking at the passersby, few wore Japanese kimonos. Instead, Chinese-style

clothing was more common. Many people spoke Chinese. Although the task display on
their wrists could automatically translate languages, it was clear that, judging by
the environment alone, one might doubt that this was Japanese territory.

"The people here have been invaded, after all. Most of the local residents have
anti-Japanese sentiments. Compared to the Japanese, our people are more welcome
here. However, in the last century, Japanese militarist right-wing forces have been
enforcing oppressive policies, and there are also many arrogant right-wing
gangsters here..." Bai Yu chimed in.

"Judging by your tone, have you been here before?" Zou Hang asked indifferently.

"I came here to kill a Japanese person." Bai Yu finished his sentence, without
giving details. Zou Hang had no intention of pressing the matter. But suddenly,
remembering something, he said, "Soon this place will be submerged by 'Fish'. We
still need to go inland. Since you've been here before, getting some passports
shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Money solves all problems!" Bai Yu retorted, his concise tone similar to Zou
Hang's. Zou Hang pulled out a stack of cash, all high-denomination US dollars.

Okinawa wasn't large, but it was still much bigger than the small town in 'Final
Destination 1.' Moreover, there were many tourists. The house where they were
transported wasn't far from the beach. The beach was crowded with people. They
looked around, seeing nothing unusual. The beach was the most dangerous area, but
Zou Hang felt it was also the easiest place to find clues.

There were many high-end hotels there. They spent some money to hire a local to
handle the hotel check-in procedures and booked the presidential suite without
hesitation. They bought a tourist guide. It was also close to the airport. Just in
case the 'Fish' landed in full force, they could quickly get away. With a base of
operations secured, Bai Yu left alone to handle the passports for everyone.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 055 Interlude 2 -->

055 Interlude 2

Table of Contents

Zhang Haoyu had clearly cried himself out. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit
the pillow. The girl, Chu Hu, after staring intently at Zou Hang for a good while,
had been lost in thought in the suite. According to the tourist guidebook, there
were villas along the nearby beach, mostly owned by people who rented them out to
tourists. This gave Zou Hang a clearer direction to pursue. This would naturally be
the focal point of interaction between the plot characters and the Reincarnation
Squad.

Huang Jian had studied the manga's setup. At least after wandering around three
times, he finally found the villa. The area was relatively open, with two two-story
houses with terraces. When the group arrived, Hua Zhi and A Zhong, the two plot
characters, had just gotten there. Zou Hang's keen hearing picked up that the two
would be taking a yacht trip out to sea in two days. This could only be described
as bizarre. The manga never had much logic to begin with. Two days, considered
"safe days".

Without that sense of urgency, they had a little fun, being at the beach. Zou Hang
lay on the sand, but he wasn't relaxed in the least. The night before a storm is
always the calmest.

Zou Hang had already started recalling the plot details Huang Jian had told him.
'Gyo' was definitely a mission with the potential for a total wipeout. And the
ending hadn't been written. So there was no way to know the crucial methods. The
protagonist, A Zhong, wasn't infected with the bacteria. Zou Hang wasn't sure of
the bacteria's infection rate. Even though his cell activity was currently at 70
points, he still didn't understand this bacteria at all. Perhaps sending the
protagonist, A Zhong, for a biopsy would get them accurate data.

Regarding the origin of the 'fish', Huang Jian had said that it was developed in a
secret research facility on an island by Dr. Xiao Liu's father. Perhaps there would
be more information there, but it couldn't be completely verified. And then there
were the visible ghosts. That was another point. The simple structure of the
walking machines made intelligent decision-making impossible. The only possibility
was the unique nature of the bacteria. But so many 'fish' gathering together, and
then people replacing fish, with more and more infected, the ghosts grew larger.

Let's make an assumption. When the walking fish appeared, A Zhong hadn't seen the
ghosts. And the fish landed on a large scale, followed by people replacing the fish
appearing ghosts, were all linked. So ultimately, it was the appearance of the
ghosts, and the ghosts kept expanding. The fish were just a transition. After being
out of the water for a few weeks, they would naturally all die. And people could
last longer, but they would still die. So it was necessary to reduce the number of
people as much as possible? If the ghosts possessed ghost-like attacks, their
strength could be greatly reduced, or perhaps the mission to eliminate the 'fish'
was to completely kill those ghosts.

Thinking of this, Zou Hang felt somewhat relieved. At least he had a general
direction to follow. But he couldn't guarantee it himself. After experiencing
'Final Destination 1', he wasn't as confident in his deductions. After all, until
truly confirmed, anything was possible.

Right now, the most important thing was to avoid too much contact with the fish, or
rather, with those strange walking machines. According to Huang Jian, most of the
infected in the manga were infected by the spikes of the walking machines breaking
the skin and reaching the bone. Could it be that the walking machines were the
source of the infection? Perhaps the spiky legs of the walking machines had a
deeper meaning.

It seemed that before the fish launched a full-scale attack, they needed to find a
safe place to take refuge...

Just as Zou Hang was deep in thought, An Ran, wearing a newly bought three-point
bikini, walked over to him. She held a cup of fruit ice cream and looked happy.
Sometimes women are really easily satisfied.

An Ran smiled at Zou Hang, scooped up a layer of white ice cream with a small
spoon, and offered it to Zou Hang.

Zou Hang said somewhat unwillingly, "I hate sweets!"

"Oh! I didn't know. Sorry!" An Ran stuck out her tongue and lowered her head
apologetically.

Her cute appearance was fully visible to Zou Hang, but Zou Hang muttered, "Walking
fish bacteria? Maybe it's really creative." In his mind, he recalled images he
hadn't even seen yet. A whole body swelling within, created by bacteria, a large
amount of cadaverous, rotten gas. A constant stench. Covered with large patches of
green clumps dripping with yellow pus. Or, powered by the walking machines, like
livestock.

Just then, a commotion came from not far away. Zou Hang could vaguely hear someone
swearing in their native language, interspersed with a few curses in Mandarin. Long
Bao and Huang Jian had also gathered to watch the spectacle.

Through the crowd, they saw a group of people smashing an ice cream stall. A
Japanese man with a buzz cut, wearing a neat suit, pointed at a young man and
cursed, "Chinese pigs. I told you this isn't a place for animals like you. I said
I'd smash your place every time I saw you. I didn't think you'd dare open up shop
here again."

Hearing this, the young man immediately retorted, even including specific terms in
Japanese: "Fuck your mother. You little Japanese devil, I'm not leaving. Yamamoto,
don't think everyone's afraid of your family. I'm not afraid. What's it to you!"

It was unknown if he was hot or not. In 30-degree weather, he was still wearing
such thick clothes. Perhaps the one called Yamamoto understood Chinese, and angrily
said, "He Chu! Don't be too arrogant. Our Great Japanese Imperial Army will kill
all of you inferior animals sooner or later." Hearing this, the young man called He
Chu rushed up and started fighting with Yamamoto. But he was clearly no match for
Yamamoto. Many bystanders around were also Chinese. Hearing Yamamoto's arrogant
remarks, some also went up to help, but they were beaten by Yamamoto's
subordinates.

Zou Hang suddenly asked Huang Jian, "Is there this scene in the book?"

Huang Jian paused, then nodded firmly and replied, "Absolutely not!"

Long Bao had also witnessed this scene, and every person who tried to help was
beaten to the ground by Yamamoto's group. The patrol officers had already arrived,
but when they saw Yamamoto, they greeted him and completely ignored everything that
was happening in front of them. One could even subtly see disdain in the patrol
officers' eyes. When Long Bao, enraged, wanted to go forward, Zou Hang stopped him.
Long Bao's blood was boiling, and when he saw Zou Hang stopping him, his hot temper
flared up, and he wanted to start cursing. But Zou Hang just coldly said, "Don't
you want to return to the Main God Space?" For Zou Hang, there was no difference
between people. He also didn't have much feeling for his country. Now, he would
only plan for his own goals.

This threat could be said to be absolutely effective. But Long Bao was gnashing his
teeth at Zou Hang. (Author's note: I am absolutely patriotic. That Zou Hang kid has
nothing to do with me! Don't hit me with your votes... Help! T-T)

"Yamamoto Ryu, the second son of Yamamoto Kazuo, the most powerful gangster in the
local area. Like his father, he is an extremely ardent militarist and right-winger,
with connections in politics and the army. It's good you didn't go up there.
Otherwise, offending him or killing him would make things very difficult for us in
Japan. At least for these two days." Bai Yu, it was unknown when, had returned. She
held a black plastic bag package in her hand. It should be the fake passports she
had obtained.

"You know him well?" Zou Hang suddenly asked.

Bai Yu handed the package in her hand to Zou Hang and said, "I heard about it when
I was getting the passports. He's the most arrogant person in Okinawa. I also know
that he goes to right-wing rallies every night."

Long Bao was still simmering with anger at this time. He said indignantly, "What's
the point of you guys saying all this? Our compatriots have been beaten like this."

"If you lead me into danger for personal anger, I don't mind killing you. Or
rather, you are welcome to die in the hands of the Japanese, but your life is now
mine," Zou Hang said coldly. But when Zou Hang's eyes fell on Yamamoto's arrogant
face, he said again, "That person is annoying. Maybe we can go see that rally
tonight."

(I don't know what's going on today. I just couldn't write. It took me six hours to
squeeze out 4000 words. It's really killing me. Maybe it's because I read too many
comments criticizing Zou Hang. It made me feel a little annoyed!)

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 056 Interlude 3 -->

056 Interlude 3

Table of Contents
In the real world, vast swathes of land have been claimed as private property.
Consider the sheer number of ‘research stations’ in Antarctica. Stripped bare, it's
a blatant land grab of unclaimed territory. Some are even selling plots on the
moon, though any sensible person knows such claims have no legal weight.

Later that evening, after a lavish, no-expenses-spared dinner, the combat-capable

members of the team, led by Bai Yu, arrived in the area's most prestigious,
‘exclusive’ district. A villa here would be beyond the reach of the average person,
even if they saved every penny for two lifetimes. Behind expansive walls stood a
series of single-story, conjoined structures, built almost entirely of wood.

In Japan, a brand-new marble mansion wouldn’t necessarily break the bank. But
constructing a traditional Japanese-style house using native timber is another
matter entirely. This private club was a prime example. Japan is a resource-poor
country, and timber is one of its only readily available assets. But large-scale
development has decimated those resources, a problem the Japanese government seems
to have finally noticed, having imposed strict logging bans. Hence, scarcity drives
up the price.

The arrival of the Reincarnation Squad stood out like a sore thumb. The clientele
was almost exclusively middle-aged, with only a few younger faces – the well-known
scions of local families.

As soon as they reached the entrance hall, a strikingly attractive woman in a

kimono hurried forward with tiny, delicate steps. She bowed politely and said, "I
apologize, but this is a private club, and access is restricted to members only."
She was used to seeing familiar, influential faces. The group’s mismatched attire
and ages were a clear giveaway. Many tourists in Okinawa were ignorant of the
rules, and she had to repeat this polite refusal countless times each day, despite
finding it unpleasant.

“We heard the kaiseki cuisine here is prepared by a chef from Kyoto. We’d like to
try it," Zou Hang said casually. It wasn’t a complete fabrication; the cuisine had
been recommended in a tourist guide.

Zou Hang seemed to be the leader, possibly the son of a wealthy family. Japanese
and Chinese people are both of Asian descent, and at first glance, not easy to tell
apart. Thanks to the "watch's" translation function, the woman heard his words in
perfect Japanese.

"I am truly sorry. We only serve members. You can enjoy kaiseki cuisine at the
'Food Mansion' in the city center," the woman replied, bowing again. Her tone
remained polite.

Zou Hang, not wanting to waste words, was determined to get inside that night. This
woman was just a greeter and couldn't make the decision anyway. He whipped out a
thick wad of American dollars.

The woman hesitated. Anyone throwing around that kind of money was clearly not
ordinary. However, she was bound by the club’s rules. “I’m sorry…” she began.

Zou Hang pulled out another stack of bills. This time, his anger was visible. "Get
your manager over here!" he barked.

Clearly, this group was not to be trifled with. Offending them could have serious
consequences for her. She bowed again, saying, "Please wait!"

Soon, a man with a weaselly appearance hurried out. He'd heard the gist of the
situation from the woman and knew that these visitors must have some pull;
otherwise, no one would dare cause trouble here. He bowed and scraped, saying, "My
apologies! But these are the club's rules. How about I treat you to dinner at the
'Food Mansion' instead? All expenses are on me!"

Zou Hang didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a 24K gold bar, 99.99% pure, and
slammed it onto the ground. The thud echoed through the room. He said coldly, "Do
you think I'm short of money?"

The manager knew quality when he saw it. He had been in the business long enough to
understand. The young man before him had powerful connections. That gold bar alone
was worth a fortune. He imagined offending the son of a Yakuza boss. His life might
be in danger.

He apologized profusely, but this time he was more cautious, asking, "May I inquire
as to the young master’s name?" He was probing, trying to get a handle on the
situation. Just knowing their family name would help him identify their background.
He found the young man unsettling, as if a single glance could send chills down his
spine. Furthermore, despite his plain clothes, the muscular man and the cold-
looking one behind him radiated immense power.

Zou Hang had never paid attention to Japan. He generally ignored everything around
him. Moreover, since reading about them in the books at the Great Sea Pavilion, he
had taken a dislike to the Japanese. Huang Jian, the Japanophile, was the more
knowledgeable one. He snapped, “Our young master's surname is Minamoto. His given
name is none of your concern!"

The manager broke out in a cold sweat. The Minamoto clan had been bestowed upon
them by the Emperor in ancient times. And of the four great surnames, the Minamoto
clan was one of the most influential. Currently, Minamoto families held key
positions in several political factions. They also had numerous branches, with
powerful families and Yakuza groups scattered throughout the country.

He didn't dare to block them any further. The Japanese-style layout featured
sliding wooden doors along the hallways. On the other side, four men in suits stood
guard, and nearby rooms had been cleared. When Zou Hang suggested sitting closer,
the manager seemed hesitant, but Zou Hang quickly retracted the request. He was
just testing the waters.

As the food was being served, Zou Hang told the manager not to disturb them. Apart
from Huang Jian, no one else had much of an appetite. While Zou Hang had only
spotted four guards carrying katana in the hallway, they still needed to prepare
for the unexpected. He distributed M16 rifles to the others. After quickly
surveying the layout, it was arranged that while a few seats were vacant, subtle
movements allowed a couple of team members to inconspicuously shift to positions
adjacent to their target. With painstaking care, a tiny hole was poked in the
wallpaper in a corner to provide a clear field of view into the adjacent room.

By chance, Zou Hang immediately spotted Yamamoto Ryuji. He looked bored. He stood
because he was the only person who was. Seated before him was an elderly man with a
stern face and a neatly trimmed beard. Most of the others were also past their
prime. Without trying, a peek through the hole revealed that the entire room was
plastered with Japanese flags.

With his keen hearing, Zou Hang could remain motionless and listen to their
conversation. They spoke mostly of Japanese political parties, the country's
development, and its history of aggression. They seemed unable to stop venting
their frustrations with so-called conservatives.
After a while, a certain topic piqued Zou Hang's interest. It was more than just
idle chatter, it had implications for the Reincarnation Squad and prompted Zou Hang
to start thinking!

(Let me clarify something again, in response to readers. I am not writing a story

about conquering America and exterminating Japan. I am not deliberately writing
random things. Because this is based on "Fish" comics, there are many logical
differences. To make it easier for everyone to understand and to add ups and downs
to the plot, I have added this part. This is a very deep foreshadowing. This book
also has its own style, and everyone should not continue to complain in the book
review area, which affects my mood very much. I accept everyone's opinions, and I
also work hard every day for the development of this book. I hope everyone can also
understand, including the brothers who scolded me and said that they wanted to take
it off the shelves, what you do is your own business. Anyway, I just want to write
the book well. Also, about Zou Hang's change, I have already said that as long as
you finish reading this Fish, you will naturally understand. I don’t want to
explain anymore. There will be 2 more updates at 6 o'clock!)

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 057 Interlude 4 -->

057 Interlude 4

Table of Contents

"We can't afford to stagnate. We must continue to expand. The biggest obstacle in
our path is the rapidly rising China."

"Exactly! Those *Zhina* pigs don't deserve so much land. They're an inferior race!"

"What you say has merit. But, speaking frankly, China isn't the chaotic nation it
once was. Even back then, we couldn't defeat them without internal divisions. And
now, the difficulty has increased exponentially. To be blunt, we're chasing a pipe
dream!"

"Tayamasan, what are you saying? Aren't you undermining our own spirit and
bolstering the enemy's morale?"

"No! I think Tayamasan's words are reasonable and objective, unlike your
shortsightedness. However, I have a plan in this regard that, if successful, will
allow us to conquer not just China, but the entire world!" It was Yamamoto Ryu Er's
father, Yamamoto Kazuo, who spoke.

Zou Hang felt an inexplicable premonition. Could this be related to the 'Fish'
mission?

Perhaps this information was too sensitive, and the fewer people who knew, the
better. He lowered his voice, so much so that Zou Hang had to move a few steps
closer to hear. Just then, a wave of killing intent surged from behind him. Zou
Hang spun around, Desert Eagle pointed at the source, only to find Bai Yu standing
there. Her expression was still cold, but a chilling aura emanated from her eyes.
Her lips barely moved as she whispered, "All Japanese deserve to die!"

The voice was so soft that only Zou Hang's keen senses detected it. Otherwise, it
was as if nothing had occurred. However, Bai Yu's actions surprised Zou Hang.
Firstly, her silent arrival. She had concealed herself deeply until she released
her killing intent upon hearing Yamamoto Kazuo's words. He hadn't picked up the
slightest signal with his enhanced senses. Secondly, concerning her identity as an
assassin, top-tier killers were supposed to be devoid of emotion, indifferent to
love and hate alike. Yet, twice now, Bai Yu had revealed her hatred for the
Japanese.

Actually, when he sensed Bai Yu, Zou Hang instinctively felt a hint of danger. But
he couldn't think of any reason why Bai Yu would kill him, and he felt confident
behind his energy field defense. So while listening to Yamamoto Kazuo, he
concentrated his attention on Bai Yu.

Yamamoto Kazuo said quietly, "This matter concerns the very survival of our Yamato
race. Before I speak, I require each of you to swear, as soldiers and in the spirit
of Bushido, to keep this secret." His words caused the others to sense his unusual
demeanor. Yamamoto Kazuo almost never fought a battle he wasn’t sure of winning,
and he certainly never made outlandish claims.

The men gathered here were almost all retired members of the Japanese army. The
fact that they had to swear an oath as soldiers in the spirit of Bushido
underscored the gravity of the situation. After the oath was taken, Yamamoto
revealed the secret: "Very few people know about this. During the Pacific War, my
father, Lieutenant General Yamamoto Taro, was in charge of researching a new type
of biological weapon on an island code-named WXH. This was a top-secret project of
the army, unknown even to the Emperor and members of the cabinet. Once developed,
the effectiveness of this bacteria was terrifying. If the transport ship hadn't
been sunk by the Americans during the Pacific War, we would never have lost that
war. But the plan was also dangerous. Many researchers were infected and died. And
because of the defeat, my father stopped the research project. To keep this secret
from being revealed, and to maintain this powerful force, my father secretly
assassinated almost everyone who had been on the island. I have a key that my
father said was critical to opening the base. However, WXH Island is far from any
shipping lanes, and isn’t very large. Most of the island is made up of underground
architecture. You won't find it with a satellite."

"Yamamoto-san, that's just empty talk! You're making my blood boil for nothing!"

Yamamoto smiled. He had known this secret for a long time, but had been hiding it
because he couldn’t locate the mysterious WXH Island. The fact that he was
revealing the information today suggested that he had a lead. "Fujiwara-san, don't
be impatient. Surely you know my character by now? I would never bring something up
if I wasn’t sure I could deliver.” Yamamoto Kazuo paused and continued, "Ever since
my father told me about this secret and charged me with using this weapon to save
the Yamato race, I've been using every connection and resource at my disposal to
find it. A technician mysteriously disappeared from WXH Island. Apart from that
person, almost everyone else there has been officially declared dead. And while I
assumed that person was dead, I recently received word that someone had seen him
after the 'cleansing,' and that he supposedly had a map of WXH Island. Although my
men captured him and tried every method to extract the information, they couldn't
get anything out of him, and ultimately had to kill him. But he has a son. I
believe that the map is in his hands!"

Hearing Yamamoto's confident words, the crowd became excited, including Zou Hang.

Based on Huang Jian’s information, he knew that Doctor Xiao Liu had told A Zhongmo
a story. Maybe in other people’s eyes it's just a story. But in Zou Hang's eyes, he
keenly noticed the detail. Plus, with Yamamoto’s confirmation, Zou Hang sensed that
something was hidden on that mysterious WXH Island. It could be a side quest or
even the key to completing the mission.
Having endured two terrifying missions, Zou Hang could always sense the points
where he intersected with characters in the storyline. And no matter how difficult
the missions seemed, there was always a breakthrough. Once you found that
breakthrough, the System wasn’t exactly a 'murderer.'

Now wasn't the time to dwell on it. The 'Fish' would launch their attack in two
days, and he had to find a way to get his hands on the 'key' and the map.

When the two returned to their cubicles, they found that the table had been
cleared. Long Bao, Li Tao, and An Ran had barely touched their food, while Huang
Jian patted his protruding belly and belched. "Finally got to eat this stuff. Used
to read in manga how awesome *kaiseki* cuisine was. Nothing special..." *Burp*!

*Nothing special*? How else would you explain cleaning the table? This was food for
six!

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 058 Interlude 5 -->

058 Interlude 5

Table of Contents

As soon as she saw them return, An Ran rushed into Zou Hang's arms, anxiously
saying, "I was so worried sick when you didn't come back for so long."

Zou Hang shook his head, feeling a strange sense of disdain for An Ran. Having
undergone significant enhancements compared to ordinary people, Zou Hang, even with
relatively low muscle reinforcement and the support of his energy field, was hardly
likely to be harmed. Thus, An Ran's well-meaning words were misinterpreted by Zou
Hang.

Having extricated himself from An Ran's clinging embrace, he began enacting his
plan. Huang Jian, and others, watched with some frustration as Zou Hang ignored An
Ran's affections. They couldn’t help thinking, "If only such a beautiful woman
would like me!" The saying, "When one is full, one thinks of lust," is truly
accurate.

(Step One: Obtain the key and coordinate map.)

"Regarding this mission, I have a general direction in mind. Later, we'll need to
intercept those Japanese guys. Long Bao and Li Tao, hold the entrance to prevent
anyone from escaping. I checked outside earlier, and there's only that one exit
here. Don't be stingy with bullets on anyone trying to leave. The area nearby is
quite open; private land and relatively empty, so it won't attract the police. The
rest of you, follow me to check out those so-called militaristic fascist elements."
A chilling smile crept across Zou Hang's face. As the gunshots from Long Bao and Li
Tao suddenly erupted, the others were already in the hallway heading toward the
section of private rooms.

The rapid gunfire threw the club into chaos. Seeing Zou Hang and his group
approaching, four bodyguards shouted something and drew their katana swords,
charging towards them. An Ran fired several shots in quick succession, practically
completing them in a second.

"What is this, the Dark Ages?!" he questioned. "Do the Japanese still love using
swords? They're just asking to die!"

When Zou Hang yanked open a sliding door, a flurry of blades came straight at him.
But before the attacker could even make a move, a Desert Eagle was already aimed at
his forehead. Some of the others managed to draw their guns, but An Ran instantly
blew bloody holes in their hands.

"Who are you people?" Yamamoto Kazuo asked, trying to project an aura of authority,
despite facing death.

"Chinese," Zou Hang replied without thinking, surprising even himself. The word had
escaped his lips instinctively. He quickly added, "The people who are here to kill
you!"

Perhaps Yamamoto Kazuo had never feared death before, but now he hesitated. Whoever
had sent these people, he was likely to die here. And if it were the Chinese gangs,
they would certainly not let him go. But he couldn't die yet. He still had a wish
to fulfill. If he could just find the coordinate map, he could begin his conquest
and the revival of the Yamato race.

"What do you want? As long as you let me go, I can give you my entire fortune.
That's billions of yen! All it takes is a word from you, and the money is yours."
Yamamoto Kazuo was beyond dignity now. Already kneeling on the ground, he lowered
his head and kowtowed, completely disregarding any sense of honor. For him, as long
as he could save his life, he could reclaim everything a thousand times over in the
future. So, he was willing to give up anything now.

"Money?" Zou Hang magically produced gold bars from his dimensional pocket,
dropping them on the floor with a metallic clang that resonated nicely.

Actually, only after entering this private room did Zou Hang realize that there was
a blind spot in his previous observation. In the corner to Yamamoto Kazuo’s right
and slightly behind him, someone, seemingly with excellent training, remained
undetected.

The person was a remarkably beautiful woman. Even compared to An Ran, there was
still a huge disparity.

Zou Hang was simply caught off guard, but Yamamoto Kazuo interpreted Zou Hang's
gaze as one of lust. This slightly relieved him. The woman was called Yamamoto
Mirai. She was well-behaved from a young age, excelling in tea ceremony, flower
arrangement, calligraphy, painting, and music. Especially that almost perfect face.
If it was a man it was hard not to be touched by it. Yamamoto Kazuo had carefully
nurtured her since childhood. He had even turned down a marriage proposal from the
current prime minister's son because he felt it wasn't worthwhile.

Yamamoto Kazuo, finally felt that he didn’t regret rejecting the prime minister’s
son’s proposal because now it could save his life. Yamamoto Kazuo kowtowed again,
grabbed the slightly panicked Yamamoto Mirai, and said to Zou Hang, "As long as you
show mercy, I will offer you my daughter Yamamoto Mirai and all my property."

Japanese people are willing to abandon all dignity for their own interests. If the
benefits are great enough, they would even sell their souls without hesitation.

"Father! How can you offer my sister..." Yamamoto Ryuji, the typical spoiled
second-generation heir who bullies the weak and fears the strong, was extremely
fond of his younger sister since childhood.

His words were interrupted by Yamamoto Kazuo, who slapped him hard across the face
and roared, "Shut up! You have no right to speak here!"

Watching this dramatic scene, the crowd felt as if they were in a movie theater,
watching a poorly written script.

"If you give me one thing, I can let you live," Zou Hang said, staring at the man
who was willing to give up everything. He was thinking about how to pry his mouth
open and find the 'key.'

One thing? Was it money or his daughter? For a moment, Yamamoto Kazuo suddenly felt
afraid. A thought suddenly came to mind.

"The key!" Zou Hang said, closing his eyes slightly. He could almost predict what
Yamamoto Kazuo was going to say next.

Sure enough, everything went as Zou Hang had expected. Yamamoto Kazuo began to play
dumb. He looked puzzled and said, "What key? I don't know what you're talking
about!" In reality, his heart was pounding. This was the same as taking his life.
Without the key, his grand and ambitious goals would never be achieved. Because of
this intense contrast, even the cunning and sly Yamamoto Kazuo's pupils dilated,
cold sweat poured down his face, and his whole body trembled. These lying reflexes
would never have appeared on him normally, but everything came together today.

Zou Hang could feel it, even with his eyes closed.

(Whew! I had already written this a long time ago. But I forgot to upload it
because I was reading a book... lol.)

<!-- 059 Not Human 1 -->

059 Not Human 1

Table of Contents

(This book is brutal. This volume is no exception. Today's chapter is even more
shameless. Those who are faint of heart or suffer from heart conditions, please do
not read. Those who consider themselves righteous, please refrain from commenting.)

"I am persistent, I am stubborn, and I am ruthless. And I don't like to repeat

myself," Zou Hang said, opening his eyes. Yamamoto Kazuo felt as if he had been
plunged into the depths of Hell. The young man before him was like a white-haired
god of death. His mind was a jumble, filled with countless guesses, including many
of the inhumane tortures he often used against his mortal enemies. However, he felt
that even those acts, which he thought were enough to drive people insane, could
not compare to the pain Zou Hang was about to inflict upon him.

It was infinite terror. On the edge of being completely paralyzed by fear, his
rationality overwhelmed, he actually wanted to give in, to hand over the key. But
in that instant, he shouted a silent "No!" to himself. He was, after all, a
ruthless man. He knew that even if he gave the key to this young man, he would
still die. Moreover, handing over the key would mean the end of his long-awaited
dream: the revival of the Great Japanese Empire.

In an instant, Yamamoto Kazuo felt relieved. His eyes were even more determined. He
had never told anyone where the key was, not even his son. So he still had value.
The young man before him would definitely not let him die before finding the key.
So there was still hope. No matter what torture the young man used to force a
confession, he would never speak.

Zou Hang whispered a few words to An Ran beside him. An Ran was a little confused
as to what Zou Hang wanted to do, but she followed his instructions and left the
cubicle.

"I don't know where you found out about it. But what I want to say is..." Yamamoto
Kazuo stood up, exuding an aura of ferocity. Although escape was now utterly
impossible, he had made up his mind. With a 'whoosh', he tore off his shirt,
revealing a dark green Kirin tattoo. "Come on! No matter how cruel you are, only I
know where the key is. Let me see how you make me talk!"

Don't even mention hypnosis. Even if Zou Hang knew how, it would be completely
useless against someone with a strong will and high concentration. Physical pain
was the same. Perhaps only by using even more aggressive means to break his spirit
would anything be accomplished.

He could be isolated in a confined space, deprived of sleep, or subjected to 24-

hour mental bombardment with spotlights. But Zou Hang didn't have that much time to
waste here.

Everyone has a fatal weakness. Like the BT missions given by the Main God, finding
that breakthrough would solve everything.

Now the gunfire outside had stopped. Long Bao and Li Tao had returned. They had
checked every cubicle and believed that there were no other living people besides
those in here.

An Ran carried a basin of clear water, with several cooking knives on the tray
above it. Was he going to perform surgery? Zou Hang had never studied medicine. The
most he had done was dissect a frog in elementary school. Could it be...?

Zou Hang grabbed Yamamoto Mirai's small hand. This sixteen-year-old beauty was now
terrified.

"What are you going to do? Let her go!" Yamamoto Ryuuji roared, rushing forward to
stop Zou Hang. But Yamamoto Kazuo stopped him, swiftly delivering a palm strike to
Yamamoto Ryuuji's neck.

With a 'thud', Yamamoto Ryuuji fell to his knees. Yamamoto Kazuo carried the
unconscious Ryuuji to the corner of the cubicle. He turned to Zou Hang, furiously
yelling, "Let her go! Come at me if you have a problem!"

"Are you crazy, or am I?" Zou Hang retorted indifferently. Looking at Yamamoto
Kazuo's expression, Zou Hang muttered to himself, still only audible to himself,
"Such different treatment for daughters and sons. The world really isn't fair! But
you're still a dead man walking."

Perhaps Yamamoto Mirai was rational and had seen the situation clearly. Or perhaps
she was simply petrified with fear. Zou Hang took off Yamamoto Mirai's kimono and
laid her on the table. Women wearing kimonos don't wear underwear. Zou Hang didn't
encounter any resistance at all as he removed her clothing. Yamamoto Mirai seemed
to have resigned herself to her fate, or perhaps she had expected this day to come.

Yamamoto Mirai's beauty could be described as captivating and devastating. Zou Hang
held her fair, jade-like arms down, and her slightly protruding breasts rose and
fell with her heavy breathing. The T-back underwear that was essential for wearing
a kimono seemed too petite.
The hearts of everyone present raced. Not only the members of the Reincarnation
Squad, but also those half-century-old militarists, as well as Yamamoto Kazuo
himself, were stunned by her heavenly beauty. It had reached a point where words
could not describe her loveliness. (Regarding Yamamoto Mirai's appearance, since
everyone has different aesthetic views, when you read this, imagine her as the most
beautiful woman you have ever seen.) An Ran's face was flushed with embarrassment,
yet she felt something different. She could see the tears welling up in Yamamoto
Mirai's eyes. She could see the powerlessness and unwillingness to resist.

Using the kimono sash, Zou Hang tied Yamamoto Mirai's limbs to the four corners of
the table, forming a large 'X' shape. Because Zou Hang tightened the restraints
forcefully, Yamamoto Mirai groaned in pain, which only made her more enchanting.

All the men in the room now understood what was happening. While they fantasized
about Yamamoto Mirai's naked body, Zou Hang alone remained calm. He knew that what
he was about to do was merely the prelude, a process, not the final result.

Beast! In the hearts of all the men, regardless of who they were, they cursed him
silently. (Beast! 织傷偶也 cursed him!)

But An Ran's hands were trembling. Memories flashed through her mind like a
revolving lantern. Back then, she had been just as afraid, just as helpless, just
as desperate to die as Yamamoto Mirai was today. But in her eyes, death was such a
difficult and powerless fantasy.

Life is like rape: if you can't resist, you just have to enjoy it. This statement
is absurd. Some things people cannot give up. Just like Yamamoto Kazuo.

(If you want to know what happens next, please wait for the next chapter. The next
chapter will be a small climax. Also, a reminder to the brothers who haven't voted
yet, please vote for me quickly. The book has fallen to 20th place on the new book
list. You have to buy tickets to see a movie! Everyone, give me some motivation! I
want to write two chapters at 6 o'clock. If you want to read them, vote!)

<a href=www.cmfu.com>www.cmfu.com</a>

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 060 Not Human 2 -->

060 Not Human 2

Table of Contents

(This book is brutal. This chapter is equally so. Today's installment is even more
shameless. Readers with weak constitutions or heart conditions, please refrain.
Self-proclaimed paragons of virtue, abandon all hope.)

Take what you hold most dear. You shall face wrath and terror.

In an instant, Zou Hang felt utterly out of sync with his surroundings. It was as
if time had frozen for the entire world, leaving him as the only one capable of
movement. "Perhaps this approach will be ineffective?" Zou Hang murmured to
himself.

Ultimately, Zou Hang abandoned the idea of a rampage filled with wild abandon.
Yamamoto Mirai's potential reaction to having something "taken" might be akin to a
death of the heart, but Yamamoto Kazuo's anxious expression was merely a scene in a
play. What then was the point of proceeding?

Zou Hang left Yamamoto Mirai's body and walked towards An Ran. Her lips were
already bitten raw. Yet, Zou Hang's approach elicited no reaction from her; she was
likely still immersed in her own private hell of unending terror.

Seven knives lay ready – for filleting, carving, slicing meat, severing tendons,
trepanation, flaying, and dismemberment. Enough to butcher an entire cow. And here,
in this upscale establishment, the kitchen was equipped with everything necessary
to ensure the freshness of the food. Especially in Japan, with its proclivity for
sashimi and raw food. Zou Hang hadn't initially anticipated such a comprehensive
array of tools. Had he known, Yamamoto Mirai might have departed this world sooner.

What were the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty? Zou Hang had spent many years
passing the time, often reading. However, due to various constraints, his internet
usage was limited. Still, his knowledge far surpassed the infamous Qing Dynasty
tortures.

Flaying, waist chop, dismemberment by five carts, slow slicing, strangulation,

boiling, castration, amputation of the feet, needle insertion, live burial,
poisoning, caning, sawing, spinal fracture, and lead pouring.

Evidently, this sort of creativity had a long and distinguished history,

originating as far back as the reign of King Zhou of Shang. Sawing, spinal
fracture, lead pouring, live burial, dismemberment by five carts, waist chop—these
seemed too brief to Zou Hang. Death and liberation were intertwined. Perhaps
flaying, slow slicing, and boiling combined might be more suitable for Yamamoto
Mirai.

Perhaps caning would also be a good fit. Specifically, impalement. The caning
mentioned here isn't simply striking someone with a stick. Instead, it involves
inserting a pole directly into the victim's mouth or anus, driving it through their
stomach and intestines, causing an agonizing death. However, this punishment
carried a high risk of inflicting extreme damage and was difficult to control,
potentially leading to the victim's immediate demise.

"Please open your eyes and shut your mouths. I do not wish to hear any unnecessary
noise." Zou Hang had taken the tray holding the seven knives and placed it on the
table.

Zou Hang had no experience in this area. Well, he admitted that he had dissected
frogs in middle school. But until today, these methods of torture had only existed
within the pages of books.

Yamamoto Mirai's last vestige of modesty was removed. With a flat flaying knife,
Zou Hang made an incision from her forehead down to her pubic area. At that moment,
Zou Hang was single-minded, focused, and composed, pushing his senses to their
absolute limits. His movements were delicate, merely breaking the skin without
damaging a single nerve or capillary.

Flaying!

Soon, her entire body was covered in straight, thin lines. Everyone present was
initially horrified, but Zou Hang's movements were so skillful that even Yamamoto
Mirai, the victim, felt no real pain. Quickly, Zou Hang set down the knife. Using
his hands, he peeled back the skin along those fine lines. Yamamoto Mirai's front
layer of skin was easily lifted. A large, semi-transparent sheet, like frosted
glass, allowed light to shine through. This human-shaped piece of skin, resembling
thick rice paper, still retained oils. Subcutaneous tissue secretion would likely
become difficult from now on.

Human skin doesn't just protect; sweat gland secretion is also essential for
survival. If your sweat glands can't secrete sweat, your body temperature might
remain above 30 degrees Celsius.

Flaying usually starts with an incision down the spine, splitting the back skin
into two halves, then slowly separating the skin from the muscles, tearing it open
like butterfly wings. However, Zou Hang was executing this with such exquisite
skill that he was reaching the pinnacle of the art. The victim didn't feel even a
hint of pain. But if you were to watch someone peel the skin from your body without
you feeling a thing, would you still consider them human? Besides terror, what else
would you feel?

It's hardest on obese people because there's a layer of fat between the skin and
muscle, making it difficult to separate. Of course, there's another, perhaps less
credible, flaying method. It involves burying the person in the ground, leaving
only their head exposed. A cross-shaped incision is made on the scalp, and then
mercury is poured underneath. Because mercury is so dense, it separates the muscles
from the skin. The person buried in the ground not only experiences immense pain,
but also unbearable itching, as if being devoured by ants. They thrash and writhe
uncontrollably but cannot escape. Finally, their body will leap "slick and clean"
from the hole, leaving only the skin behind in the earth...

This is purely psychological pressure.

"This skin is perfect. I haven't even damaged the tissues. If we were to perform a
skin graft now, it should be perfectly fine! But I know you won't hand over the
key. So, I'll continue. Next comes slow slicing. Once we begin, there's no turning
back." Zou Hang seemed to be talking to himself, but remained utterly detached.

He had only opened the book and read the introduction. The true cruelty was about
to begin.

<!-- 061 Not Human Part 3 -->

061 Not Human Part 3

Table of Contents

(This book is cruel. This chapter is no exception. Today's installment is

especially shameless. The faint of heart and those with heart conditions should not
read it. Those who consider themselves paragons of justice should avert their
eyes.)

"Aghhh!" Yamamoto Mirai felt a piercing pain shoot up from the soles of her feet,
causing her to scream uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face as the horrific
scene unfolded before her.

Lingchi! (Slow slicing)

In its earliest form, the victim was killed and then chopped into mincemeat, a
punishment called "Hai." Zilu and Bo Yi Kao, the eldest son of King Wen of Zhou,
are known to have suffered this fate.

Later, the practice became more refined, with the goal of inflicting maximum
suffering. The victim was not only alive during the procedure, but also had to
endure a specified number of cuts before finally dying.

It is said that, at its peak, Lingchi required two executioners. They would start
from the feet and inflict a thousand cuts in total, meaning a thousand slices of
flesh had to be removed before the victim was allowed to die. It was said that if
the victim died before the thousand cuts were completed, the executioners would be
punished. The most famous recipient of this punishment was the Grand Eunuch Liu
Jin, who reportedly endured the torture for three days before succumbing to death.

Even more tragically, the Ming dynasty general Yuan Chonghuan, wrongly accused of
treason due to Emperor Chongzhen falling victim to enemy trickery, was sentenced to
Lingchi. Before the execution, he was covered with a fishing net (to make the
muscles protrude for easier cutting), paraded through the streets, and then
subjected to the horrifying spectacle of the ignorant Beijing populace rushing
forward to tear off his flesh piece by piece. The psychological pain must have far
exceeded the physical agony.

Through continuous "improvement," Lingchi became one of the official punishments

during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Is Zou Hang cruel? Perhaps he is. But what does it matter? The method was
invented, refined by successive practitioners, and approved by rulers. Many have
tried it. Zou Hang is not the first, and he certainly won't be the last.

Cannibalism is considered a barbaric custom by "civilized" people. However, the

shadows of civilization conceal its own forms of cannibalism. The difference is
that it is hidden and buried. When you are driven to the point of starvation,
civilization, order, and morality are nothing more than a joke. In years of floods,
people exchange children to eat. After three years of drought, human broth becomes
widespread. During a decade-long siege, all flesh and blood within the walls is
consumed.

"I'd rather die than eat human flesh!" Fine, then go die. Others will live by
consuming you.

That's how this society works. It's either you eat others, or others eat you.
Have you eaten someone today?

This is a metaphor, but it is also reality, not just a story. At least, I agree
with Zou Hang's actions. Do you want to die? No? Then let others die! Don't want
infinite terror to embrace you? Then watch as infinite terror embraces others.

The key is important, at least for now. Likewise, if this idea is wrong, then the
person about to die will have died in vain for his academic research. If his idea
is correct, then those people's deaths will have value.

The soles of the feet are the most densely populated with acupoints, and are also
the most sensitive. From the moment Zou Hang made his first cut, the victim's
ghostly wails never ceased. And Zou Hang's hands never stopped moving. His
forehead was slick with sweat. To minimize damage and prevent death from coming too
quickly, Zou Hang had to concentrate fully, unable to relax for a moment. After 175
cuts, the flesh of Yamamoto Mirai's left leg had been sliced into 175 pieces and
placed aside. Zou Hang did not continue the assault on that area, preserving the
leg's arteries, circulatory system, and tendons. Nevertheless, some blood seeped
from the tiny capillaries, staining Zou Hang's hands crimson.

The blood of some animals often retains a distinct scent; if exposed to the air, it
can alert others of its kind, potentially triggering revenge. However, just as
Yamamoto Ryuji was regaining consciousness, he witnessed this hellish scene and was
promptly subdued by Yamamoto Kazuo once again. Zou Hang's hands paused for a
moment, then resumed their work.

Don't think that construction workers carrying sandbags are necessarily more tired
than online writers. That's only one aspect – the physical aspect. Writers often
suffer far greater mental strain, experiencing psychological and emotional fatigue
that far exceeds that of physical labor.

For nearly two and a half hours, Zou Hang appeared calm and composed, making no
exaggerated movements. But his hands were already trembling slightly. Excessive
mental fatigue blurred his vision, and his senses grew dull.

A slip of his hand drew blood. Zou Hang sprayed it with a hemostatic agent.
Fortunately, Zou Hang's skill was remarkable; he had managed to prevent excessive
bleeding in Yamamoto Mirai for almost two and a half hours, and this was only the
second such incident.

Yamamoto Mirai fainted again. Zou Hang stood up and poured a bucket of cold water
over her. When she awoke, she tried to scream, her voice already hoarse. No matter
how hard she tried, she couldn't make a sound. Besides, her struggles were long
past futile.

He inflicted another 175 cuts on the other leg, no more, no less. At that moment,
Zou Hang felt like he was about to collapse. His eyes were barely open. And now he
had reached the torso – a mistake here, and Yamamoto Mirai could die too easily.

At that very instant, Zou Hang suddenly heard a "Ding!" in his ear: "Mental
Strength has exceeded its limit, awarding 40 Mental Strength points!" Was it a
hallucination? Zou Hang seemed to hear the mechanical voice of the Main God. And
suddenly, Zou Hang felt his fatigue vanish. Although his right hand was still
trembling and his muscles were still sore, his mind and senses had cleared
considerably.

Mental Strength? Zou Hang suddenly remembered this attribute. As a team leader, he
knew the importance of Mental Strength. Mental Strength is the embodiment of the
power of magic and skills; the higher the Mental Strength, the greater the power.
Likewise, Mental Strength is also a form of expendable energy. It is also a measure
of one's mental endurance.

Since exchanging for the vampire bloodline and absorbing blood, Mental Strength
seemed to be able to subtly improve. However, it was very insignificant, perhaps
because he had not deliberately tried to increase it, only absorbing blood when
needed for replenishment. After so long, it had only increased by a mere 1 point.
This was also due to a special characteristic of the vampire bloodline. Now, with
the bonus, his Mental Strength had reached 101 points. As expected, the power of
his skills would also be enhanced.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Zou Hang resumed the Lingchi. From the
bottom up, Zou Hang had opened Yamamoto Mirai's pelvic cavity. He cut away the
muscles and removed her genitalia. Then he moved upwards, to the abdominal cavity.
A wrinkled intestine was pulled out of her body by Zou Hang. After cutting away the
excess fat and muscle on the chest cavity and opening it, he severed the ribs. The
exposed internal organs were now laid bare.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 062 Not Human, Part 4 -->

062 Not Human, Part 4

Table of Contents

(This book is brutal. This chapter is no different. Today's installment is

particularly shameless. Readers with weak constitutions or heart conditions should
abstain. Those with an overdeveloped sense of justice should refrain from reading.)

The bleeding was once again staunched with hemostatic spray.

Three hours later, Yamamoto Mirai was barely recognizable as a human being. Her
face was a grotesque mess, identifiable only by the basic features of the human
anatomy. Her skull had been cracked open, exposing her writhing brain. The muscles
had been flayed from her face, and her ears had been severed. Her heart was still
beating, but only vestiges of her lungs, kidneys, and other organs remained.

Yet, Yamamoto Mirai was still alive. Had she possessed the strength, she could
likely still engage in conversation.

A hot plate and a large stockpot now appeared in the room. Chunks of flesh and
several internal organs were tossed into the pot. Before long, the air filled with
the aroma of cooking meat.

Zou Hang, squatting beside the pot, wearily asked, "Still not going to hand it
over?" Everyone else had vomited until they were on the verge of collapse. No one
spoke, no one could think straight. Except for Zou Hang. All were consumed by
boundless terror.

Zou Hang lifted up 'Yamamoto Mirai' – if she could still be called a person. She
was a shattered, fragmented collection of flesh and fluids. Pancreatic juices,
fats, saliva, blood, and a slurry of fluids leaking from ruptured cell walls coated
the remaining spine, entrails, and tendons. Apart from the spinal column, 'Yamamoto
Mirai' was now nothing more than a pulpy mass of organs. The contents of her
intestines were scattered across the floor. Eventually, even the skull was
carefully peeled away by Zou Hang, without damaging the brain or the soft tissue
inside.

No one spoke. Zou Hang scooped up the pile of 'rotten meat' and threw it into the
pot.

Boiling.

The punishment of boiling is just as the name sounds, coming from the famous story
of "Inviting the Lord into the Jar." During the Tang Dynasty, when Empress Wu
Zetian ruled, there was a cruel official named Lai Junchen who believed in severe
laws and punishments. He often used cruel methods to deal with prisoners who
refused to confess. The method was to find a large jar, stuff the person inside,
and then heat the jar from below with firewood. As the temperature rose, the person
being punished would become unbearable, and if they didn't confess, they would
often be burned to death in the jar... Later, Wu Zetian heard about this and
summoned Lai Junchen, asking him what to do if prisoners refused to confess. Lai
Junchen proudly explained this method. Wu Zetian then calmly said, "Then let's
invite the Lord into the Jar," and burned Lai Junchen to death...

"No!" 'Yamamoto Mirai' was still able to moan. Her vocal cords remained intact,
though now she could only emit faint groans. Naturally, the moan was weak, but the
'Yamamoto Mirai' dropped into the boiling water still twitched, though only a few
organs momentarily pulsed. The 'no' came from Yamamoto Kazuo. He had broken down.
What kept him alive was only that one belief. Yamamoto Kazuo might be ruthless
outside the family, though not as much as Zou Hang. However, inside he doted on his
children even more. Although in his heart his son's status was always higher, he
still gave Yamamoto Mirai a lot of care at a time when various clans looked down on
women. Although there was some utility in it, a parent's heart is always genuine.

Perhaps Yamamoto Mirai was unwilling to give Zou Hang what she valued most, even
though Zou Hang wouldn't deign to receive it. But if she had known her fate,
perhaps she would have abandoned everything. Even now, if Yamamoto Kazuo had known
this would happen to Yamamoto Mirai, he probably still wouldn't let go of what he
was guarding. Of course, Zou Hang knew this too.

Perhaps Zou Hang wasn't a professional executioner. Or perhaps this wasn't even
considered Lingchi, death by a thousand cuts.

But Zou Hang had certainly surpassed professional executioners, or rather, this was
the ultimate version of what Lingchi could achieve. 1644 cuts. If he had the time,
Zou Hang could absolutely have divided this extremely tiring task into several
days. He had subjected Yamamoto Mirai to the fate of the most famous person to
undergo this torture, the great eunuch Liu Jin.

Zou Hang felt no horror at all. Because he was the one inflicting infinite terror
on others.

Yamamoto Mirai's death was not important. What mattered was the process, the
terrifying process she and Zou Hang had created together. This process was deeply
etched into the memories of everyone present. Only death would erase it.

In that case, the goal had been achieved.

"If it were your son, Yamamoto Ryuji, perhaps we could also add the experience of
castration," Zou Hang's words, as if spoken by a demon from the abyss, shattered
everyone's petrified silence.

"I'll hand it over. But please, let me take my son Ryuji's place. I beg you!"
Yamamoto Ryuji also had an older brother named Yamamoto Ryuichi, but he had died a
long time ago. So Yamamoto Ryuji could be said to have become one of the most
important things to Yamamoto Kazuo, the seed that would preserve the Yamamoto
lineage. Death was probably inevitable. The young man before him was 'not human'!

"I agree. But his life will be exchanged for the 'key'! Now, please hand over the
key!" Zou Hang nodded.

Yamamoto Kazuo sighed in despair. Perhaps a few hours ago, this 50-year-old man was
still full of vigor, but now he seemed as if he had lived alone for centuries...

Too tired! It felt like a long time since he had been so exhausted. The so-called
key was actually a Yamamoto Taro pass, like a magnetic card, along with the
magnetic card's password. The card might be genuine, but Zou Hang doubted the
password. When he returned to the previous private clubhouse alone with Yamamoto
Kazuo from a villa, Zou Hang symbolically cut off a few pieces of meat from
Yamamoto Ryuji's body. Yamamoto Kazuo then revealed another password.

Actually, Lingchi was too tiring. Zou Hang had never thought of letting anyone here
go, or rather, he wanted to test the authenticity of the password even more. Zou
Hang had beaten Yamamoto Ryuji into a state of complete paralysis, but kept his
mind clear, and then cooked him with Yamamoto Mirai. Yamamoto Kazuo's rage could
only be quenched by a bullet.
Moreover, the blood of several people was drained completely. Perhaps it was
because the skill almost doubled his mental strength. Once the blood-sucking skill
was activated, little blood flowed from the wounds of these people. Rather, it
burst directly through their skin and flesh and gathered in Zou Hang's mouth. And
it only lasted for about ten seconds.

"Let's go!" As soon as it was all over, when Zou Hang got close to An Ran, An Ran
trembled violently, as if frightened by something terrifying. When all the team
members came to their senses, they had barely moved for several hours. They had
just been paralyzed.

"Why?" Bai Yu didn't know when a blade had appeared in her hand, the same one Zou
Hang had used for the execution. She pointed it straight at Zou Hang, radiating
murderous intent.

"You wanted to kill them too, didn't you?" Zou Hang asked, avoiding the question.

"That's my business! I just want to know why you would resort to such vicious
measures for the sake of some 'key'!" Bai Yu was an assassin, or rather, an
assassin could bring more relief, just for a moment. But now, Bai Yu wanted to know
what Zou Hang was trying to do. Because Bai Yu was afraid. Because the process from
life to death might be very short for an assassin, so over the years, maybe many
things had frightened Bai Yu. However, the one who made her feel endless terror for
the first time was this mysterious young man.

Dying was simple. But if she were to die in Zou Hang's hands, die under that kind
of torment... she dared not imagine.

"If one of us has to die, would you prefer it to be me or you?" Zou Hang had turned
his face towards Bai Yu. Although Bai Yu was full of murderous aura at the moment,
there was fear in her eyes.

Although she didn't know what Zou Hang meant, she knew that Zou Hang did have the
power to kill her. She coldly replied, "You die!"

Zou Hang nodded with a smile, shocking Bai Yu. All she heard him say was: "Good!
You're being honest at least. None of you know why I'm doing this, or rather, you
have deep prejudices against what I'm doing. It's only natural that you want to
kill me. If I'm not mistaken, the 'key' is one of the key clues to solving this
terrifying world, completing the mission, and returning to the Main God space. So
if we don't get it, we'll die here. So if you want us to go back..." Zou Hang
paused here, his soul-stirring gaze sweeping over everyone, and said: "If you want
to live, you'd better get used to my ways. Otherwise, if you get in my way, I will
not hesitate to let you experience infinite terror!"

Suddenly, Bai Yu's eyes blurred. Zou Hang had already used the Flash skill to come
behind her: "Bai Yu! Because of your actions just now, our cooperation has come to
an end. What I can tell you is that this mission is very difficult, or rather, the
ruthlessness I just showed can be said to be kind compared to everything we are
about to face. Or I can give you another choice. Give me your life to hold!"

If a lie can be told reasonably and perfectly, then in fact, the lie is a fact
recognized by most people! Rather than talking about those originally factual
nonsense. What's more, what Zou Hang is saying now is a lie mixed with facts. In a
few days, they will indeed face even crazier events. And if Bai Yu refuses, he will
also die in Zou Hang's hands.

Bai Yu was truly confused. He also had a premonition of something. Or rather, he

had long believed that this world was terrifying. What's more, Zou Hang's strength
could indeed directly kill him.

"Maybe you're right! Fine! I agree. I hope you're worthy of me giving my life to
you!" Bai Yu dropped the knife aside.

Return to Contents

Okay, here's a translation of the Chinese text, aimed at conveying the original
meaning in fluent English:

**<!-- 063 The Walking Fish of the Beach Landing 1 -->**

063 The Walking Fish of the Beach Landing 1

Contents

(Regarding the complaints from readers about me not highlighting comments, it's
likely a misunderstanding. I generally open a "highlighting thread" every week. If
you want your comment highlighted, just post there. However, because I'm just one
person with limited energy and resources, I can only really support one thread for
highlights.)

As they say, ignorance is bliss. Yamamoto Mirai's suffering was, unfortunately,

collateral damage caused by Zou Hang. From the moment Zou Hang approached the
clubhouse, everyone there, aside from his team members, was doomed. If you're that
eager to get wanted by the Japanese underworld while the fish is landing, then go
ahead. But Yamamoto Mirai was merely put on display.

Within the 轮回小队 (Reincarnation Squad), some still couldn't grasp Zou Hang's reasons
for slowly torturing Yamamoto Mirai, even after everything was over. That just
shows their naivety. Yamamoto Mirai's death is inconsequential. It's the process
that matters, the horrifying experience she shared with Zou Hang. That experience
is etched into the memories of everyone present, so deeply that they'll never
forget it, short of death. All of this did was plant a seed of mortal fear in
Yamamoto Kazuo's heart.

A man can be a ruthless killer outside, yet a loving son and father at home.
Yamamoto Kazuo obviously dotes on his son, Yamamoto Ryuji. We can deduce a few key
points from the fact that Zou Hang didn't use his "experiment" on Ryuji.

First, if something you cherish is suddenly destroyed, you can never fully restore
it to its original state. Yamamoto Ryuji was already close to death. Even if
Yamamoto Kazuo had wanted to save him, he couldn't. Who could guarantee that he
wouldn't give up entirely?

Second, I believe that before this, Zou Hang's knowledge of such tortures was
purely theoretical. There probably wasn't anyone that could have known how truly
cruel this could be. Ignorance breeds recklessness. Therefore, Zou Hang unleashed
that unimaginable horror before everyone. Only by making Yamamoto Kazuo truly
understand would he see the light.

Night fell. Zou Hang howled at the dark sky. That's how the world is. Humans are
hypocritical. They'll preach about saving others when there's no conflict of
interest, but turn on you the moment their own interests are threatened!

It's either you die, or I die!

If Zou Hang hadn't obtained the key, they all would have died. Yet now, they're
resisting him, despite the fact that he saved their lives.

Recall the scene when they returned to the hotel today. There's no need to go into
detail. Zou Hang is once again alienated by everyone. Even An Ran's gaze betrayed
her utter fear of him.

It seems that if he keeps these people around, future plans might be indefinitely
delayed.

"Don't like my methods?" Zou Hang asked wearily, lying on the sofa. His energy was
severely depleted today. Fortunately, the presidential suite was spacious enough,
and the unsettled group had congregated so Zou Hang's voice, though soft, reached
everyone.

More silence.

Zou Hang shook his head. Maybe it was too simple, just a simple comment that no one
would find convincing. There was no point in saying more. The pawns have become
self-aware, and are less controllable. Isn't there a saying for that?

When morale is low, it's hard to lead the troops.

Zou Hang could kill everyone there. That's the truth. But he now has constraints.
Although he *can* kill them, there's a reason he wants to keep a few obedient ones
around. The reason will be revealed later.

"Think I'm cruel? Fine! From now on, I'm giving you the authority. I'll just follow
behind, and you can accomplish the task of leaving here using methods you don't
consider cruel." Let them figure it out. Let them see what *should* be done and
what *shouldn't*.

"I..." An Ran was conflicted. She was horrified by Zou Hang's actions, but also
felt guilty for betraying him.

"Don't say anything!" Zou Hang cut her off.

"I don't believe we're doomed without you!" said Li Tao. He's currently the only
team member still maintaining cooperation with Zou Hang. But is also one of the
people Zou Hang wants to kill.

Zou Hang fell into a deep sleep. He slept until night, recovering his strength. He
awoke to find everyone still discussing their next steps. The arguments he
overheard struck him as ridiculous and short-sighted. They hadn't even considered
how to ultimately escape.

Bai Yu looked at Zou Hang meaningfully as he walked past him. Perhaps Zou Hang
really did seem cruel to him. But that's the way of survival. As a natural born
killer, he had the sixth sense to know what was happening around him. He knew it
was dangerous being near Zou Hang. But he also knew that he had to rely on the
young man if he wanted to leave. Moreover, he knew his own abilities, and was
confident in them. At least while he still had value, staying with Zou Hang was the
right move.

The stars twinkled in the sky. Not a cloud in sight. Tomorrow should be a sunny
day. But this is the beginning for the fish.

The group ran and squatted outside A Zhongmo's villa early in the morning. It
looked as if the place was too remote, basically in the wilderness. It was
surrounded by dry grass and trees. Although it was supposed to be a villa district,
A Zhongmo's villa was very unique compared to everything else there.

With so many of them, six or seven people sat under a tree, watching. They only
left after the lovers came out, meaning that they had already planned to go to sea.
And that strange fish will arrive by evening today.

Zou Hang now doesn't care what they do. He just follows behind like he's carefree,
giving him a sense of ease. As long as he has the overall plan under control,
nothing really matters.

Zou Hang handed over the group's weapons and ammunition to An Ran. It was the right
thing to do now, since there had not been any conflicts or casualties yet. The
alternative would be to not show off the arsenal, which was far too small, and
forget about distributing it to everyone.

He sighed softly. Zou Hang suddenly felt weary. A nap had eliminated his physical
exhaustion, but he suddenly felt that living in this alternate space was really
tiring.

Return to Contents

<!-- 064 Walking Fish Invade the Beach 2 -->

064 Walking Fish Invade the Beach 2

Table of Contents

(This week, due to previous events, my emotions have been unstable and I've been in
a bad mood. I can sit in front of the computer all day and barely write a few
words. Updates have been chaotic. Apologies to everyone. August 12th. This book is
featured on the category front page, which is an opportunity for 織傷. I personally
cherish it a lot, so I can guarantee that I will speed up updates during the
featured period. I hope everyone will give me lots of votes of support.)

"What do you want?" Almost the first 'fish' of the night was about to appear. After
watching the two plot characters happily leave their residence, the members of the
reincarnation team were also preparing to return to the hotel to make final
preparations. Zou Hang, however, planned to observe coldly. He was bringing up the
rear when he saw that Huang Jian had slowed down and walked beside him.

"Big Brother, to be honest, I really admire you! Although I really threw up the
previous day's meal yesterday, I'll get used to throwing up. Seriously, that was
the most unique method I've ever seen, so perfect. I still want to follow you!"
Huang Jian said with a sincere expression.

This guy is a pervert. That's what Zou Hang thought. But he was the only one who
genuinely approved of his methods, even if his focus was only on the bloodshed. He
would be a good 'tool'.

Huang Jian's thoughts were simple, only wanting to kill people. Nothing else,
pursuing greater strength to continue killing people. That was his interest. So,
Zou Hang and Huang Jian left the group for a while. Huang Jian found two Japanese
women who were quite pretty.

Even Zou Hang didn't expect that Huang Jian would be so excited after raping,
murdering, and dismembering them.

Perhaps an ordinary person who gains power is more terrifying than a bad person who
already possesses great power. It's like a pendulum swinging to the opposite
extreme. A bad person has already done everything they could. But an ordinary
person who has always been constrained wants to try everything they were previously
afraid to do.

Huang Jian was a pervert. Bai Yu could be cold-blooded. Long Bao could disregard
everything for one woman. Li Tao was still stubbornly clinging to his moral bottom
line. Did morality have any use in a world of terror? As for An Ran, she was
destined to die, and even at this moment, she was drifting away from Zou Hang,
seeming to be somewhat resistant to him.

The fish began to invade. Parrotfish, cuttlefish, filefish, butterflyfish, black

rockfish, eels, squid, tuna... all kinds of fish began to 'grow' four spiky legs
and quickly crawl upward along the continental shelf.

They poured out like ants swarming from a nest, even more overwhelming than a
massive army. The reincarnation team happened to be standing on the balcony of the
thirty-something story building, undoubtedly the prime location to watch this grand
spectacle.

Zou Hang brushed aside the many surprises and shocks. He used a calm mind to
carefully observe everything and analyze it coolly.

First, although the fish were numerous, upon closer inspection, it could be seen
that the fish that breathed with gills were basically in a near-death, oxygen-
deprived state. Moreover, their actions at this time were very chaotic. Forcibly
landing and leaving the water world they relied on for survival was not their
original intention.

Second, no matter how chaotic the fish swarm was, judging from a macro perspective,
it could be seen that the fish swarm had a goal, generally heading toward the
inland.

Third, completely disregarding the panicked crowds in their path, those people were
pierced through by 'iron thorns.' The vast majority of fish did not actively attack
humans. They could be described as passing by. As long as you didn't stay in their
path, there should be no danger. However, some attackers were mostly established
'killers,' like sharks and other carnivorous species.

Combining the above three points with what Huang Jian had said about the plot, some
information could be obtained. The fish were acting involuntarily, and a strange
power, possibly vengeful spirits, was drawing the massive fish swarm. Moreover, in
a state of hunger, carnivorous fish would still attack humans. This showed that, at
least before the fish died, they still had the ability to control themselves.

Zou Hang was not perfect. His intelligence certainly surpassed everyone else in
some aspects. However, he was even somewhat foolish in certain areas. It was as if
he had always challenged the terrifying world by himself. He ignored other people's
abilities, he ignored others. This was an unwise choice.

Everyone had irreplaceable strengths.

The room fell into silence, a deathly stillness. Outside, the fish swarm, like a
tidal wave, had come over the sky and covered the earth. At this moment, this
starless seaside hotel was like an isolated island.
"We're doomed, we're doomed," Zhang Haoyu, cowardly and afraid of death, kept
muttering these words. The mood of everyone was already bad. Long Bao slapped him
and shouted: "Shut up! If you want to die, I'll throw you off the building right
now to feed the fish. I will definitely leave here alive!"

"Okay! What should we do now? The fish outside seem to be endless. If we don't go
out, we'll probably starve to death here," Li Tao said with a worried expression.

"Hang, what should we do now?" An Ran sat next to Zou Hang and carefully tugged at
his clothes, asking.

"Oh! You guys make the decision. Why ask me?" Zou Hang leaned back on the sofa,
looking as if it was none of his business.

"Damn!" Li Tao cursed in frustration. Zou Hang's indifferent attitude at this point
infuriated him. He suddenly sat up. "Get the guns, I don't believe it. A few damn
fish can't turn the world upside down!"

An Ran reached into her space bag, but Zou Hang grabbed her hand. He stared coldly
at Li Tao and said, "Cooperation terminated. I will not fund you with any weapons
or supplies. If you want weapons, you can go downstairs to the kitchen and get two
kitchen knives!"

Li Tao glared angrily and shouted: "I'm asking her, what's it to you!" He said,
pointing at An Ran.

"Is that so? An Ran." Zou Hang looked at An Ran and released her hand. She was at a
loss. After a long time, she slowly said to Li Tao, "I'm sorry!"

"You! Fine..." Li Tao was already infuriated and turned to leave in anger, but
suddenly turned back and lunged at Zou Hang. In any case, Li Tao was also a retired
soldier, his body was very strong. Plus, the distance was so close. In truth, he
had completely forgotten Zou Hang's strength. With a flash, Zou Hang was already
behind Li Tao.

Li Tao hurriedly wanted to turn around and attack again. Zou Hang made a gesture
behind him, where that kid Huang Jian was smiling and showing off the gun in his
hand.

"Come on! Have the guts to kill me!" Li Tao was now enraged. However, Zou Hang
stopped the eager Huang Jian. "Bang bang bang bang," after four gunshots, blood
holes burst out in Li Tao's limbs. After the intense pain, Li Tao didn't shout, but
gritted his teeth tightly, staring fiercely at Zou Hang, squeezing out a few words
from between his teeth, "Kill me!"

"Don't worry. Just wait a moment, but it won't be me who kills you." After Zou Hang
finished speaking, he returned to his seat and said to everyone: "Continue
discussing! There isn't much time left, there are more than ten million fish in the
sea, so it's better to leave here as soon as possible. However, I said that now
it's a democracy. If you want to stay here, I don't care!"

There was another period of silence.

"Everyone here, including me, has already entrusted their lives to you. I also
believe in you. You say what to do!" Bai Yu finally spoke after thinking for a long
time. Although Zou Hang's actions were really bloody and inhumane, his impenetrable
methods might have reasons that ordinary people didn't understand. She had full
confidence in Zou Hang's strength, and he was now the only lifeline that could lead
them away.
Without any objections, they were barely united under Zou Hang's leadership.

"The current goal is to go to the two plot characters' villa, and then go to Tokyo.
Those who want to live should not ask why. You have already entrusted your lives to
me. Anyone who acts on their own will have the same ending. As long as you do as I
say, the probability of casualties can be minimized. Then let's go!" After Zou Hang
finished speaking, he had An Ran distribute weapons.

Return to Table of Contents

## The Walking Fish of Okinawa: Part 3

**065. Beachhead Landing: The Walking Fish, Part 3**

**Contents**

From a high-rise building of over thirty stories, the line of sight stretches far
on a clear day, and Zou Hang's vision is far superior to the average person. While
the [Desire/Lust - 欲] had begun to spread to the land, it was only a sparse,
scattered vanguard arriving. Many beaches in Okinawa were still untouched.

Sun-kissed beaches, the ocean breeze, and beautiful women. The shores of Okinawa
never lacked these.

Many men and women were still frolicking in the water, unaware. The arrival of the
fish was sudden and unexpected.

"Ah! What's that!" A white dorsal fin, moving at an incredible speed, was hurtling
towards the shore. Someone with keen eyesight had spotted the shadow.

"Crap! It's a shark! Everyone get out of the water! Shark attack!" The person
shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Ah!"

"Sharks! Run!"

Many scrambled clumsily onto the beach, gasping for breath and shaken. They were
thankful they'd made it out quickly.

"That was close! Any slower and we would have been done for!"

"Yeah!"

However, the fin slicing through the water wasn't slowing down. Instead, it
continued straight towards the people on the beach, baffling them.

Closer. A colossal great white shark, approximately 21 feet long and weighing two
tons, emerged from the water. Thick, powerful tubes were connected to its gills.
Four massive, rigid iron barbs were flailing rapidly. Its jaws opened wide,
presenting the survivors of the near-miss with the scythe of death once more.

The shark had left the ocean, indicating that land would be dangerous as well, at
least in the short term.

The streets of Okinawa were usually bustling with pedestrians, but now, hundreds of
walking fish, moving at astonishing speed, seemed to have appeared from nowhere.
Many pedestrians were injured by the slender, sturdy iron barbs of the walking
fish. And the number of fish was increasing at an alarming rate.

Inside a speeding taxi, the driver had been replaced by a White Fish. Long Bao, An
Ran, and Huang Jian, heedless of the danger, leaned out of the windows, M16s
blazing, unleashing a hail of bullets at the walking fish on the road.

*Bang!* The car swerved wildly and came to a screeching halt.

"Damn it! Not another flat tire!" Long Bao asked, firing at the approaching fish.

Bai Yu, looking at the walking fish's leg deeply embedded in the tire, responded,
"There's nothing I can do! There are just too many of them."

"It's not far. Run! If you don't want to die, keep an eye on those fish. Infection
means certain death!" Zou Hang declared, grabbing the groaning Li Tao from the car
and tossing him into the thickest concentration of fish.

"Good-bye!" He said sarcastically, and then turned and flashed away, leaving behind
a land of fear. He quickly took off faster than the others. Zou Hang did not panic
but rather briskly walked, moving several meters at a time.

Zou Hang wouldn't waste 1000 survival points on Li Tao. The walking fish would make
excellent accomplices. The swarming fish paid no attention to Li Tao's plight.
Steel spikes left a thousand holes on Li Tao’s body. He wanted to swear, but a
spike had pierced his throat. The fish was already dragging his tongue away from
his open mouth. Splashes of blood filled the scene, and his eyeballs were damaged.
Brain matter was smeared on the legs of the fish.

His death was horrific, but the one small mercy was that it was quick.

Having only run a few dozen meters, the group had already become strung out. Bai Yu
and Long Bao could barely keep up with An Ran, while Huang Jian and Chu Hu lagged
far behind. An Ran suddenly noticed someone was missing.

"Ugh...!" Zhang Haoyu, weak and nauseated, was still slumped against the flat tire,
trying to throw up. Perhaps it wasn't just him; everyone else looked pale.

The stench of corpses! It was a pervasive, inescapable smell that clung to the
entire horror scenario. Initially, the number of fish in the immediate area was
small, and the open air provided some ventilation, making it barely tolerable.
However, with the massive influx of fish, the stench became overwhelming,
dominating the air. It wasn't a fishy smell; it was the unmistakable odor of
rotting human corpses!

This gas was constantly produced within the fish's bodies, powering the walking
mechanism for high-speed movement. But as the fish were torn apart by bullets, the
escaping gas formed a clinging, inescapable cloud around the group.

Just a bad smell, right? How bad could it be? The reincarnation team had heard
about the stench from Huang Jian's explanations of the scenario, but experiencing
it firsthand was something else entirely.

In the real world, farmers sometimes accidentally fall into septic tanks while
walking at night. While they might not drown immediately, the overwhelming, acrid
smell often causes them to lose consciousness. That's because it's not just an
odor; it's a toxic swamp gas created by chemical reactions.
The bacteria-infected walking fish was far worse.

Zhang Haoyu was on the verge of collapse, his body weak, his mind foggy. The number
of fish was increasing at an alarming rate, spreading within hundreds of meters. An
Ran's eyes suddenly went distant, and the Desert Eagles with infinite bullets
relentlessly spat out a fiery barrage. Any fish that dared approach Zhang Haoyu
were mercilessly shredded to pieces. This was the power of dual-wielding and rapid-
fire; the average bullet speed far exceeded that of the M16.

The viscous fluids from the fish's bodies seemed corrosive. Fortunately, they
hadn't fully decayed yet, so the infection was still relatively fresh.
Instinctively sensing danger, some of the fish began to veer away, momentarily
keeping Zhang Haoyu safe.

However, with the advance of the main "army," Zhang Haoyu would inevitably be
overwhelmed.

[Return to Table of Contents]

<!-- 066 Walking Fish Beach Landing 4 -->

066 Walking Fish Beach Landing 4

Table of Contents

"Help... cough... Help me! Save me!" Zhang Haoyu was barely audible, his desperate
will to survive driving him to force open the car door and wave weakly outside,
trying to attract attention.

Meanwhile, Long Bao continued to unleash a torrent of bullets, emptying another

magazine and expertly slamming in a fresh one.

The walking fish were moving too fast. The targets were practically gone by the
time the bullets left the barrel. Fortunately, their sheer numbers meant that even
without aiming, he was bound to hit something. But there were just *so* many of
them. He caught sight of Zhang Haoyu's helpless hands. Without pausing his firing,
he shouted, "Cover me! I'm going to get him!" The members of the team who were
closer heard him and started to coordinate.

Even the usually timid Chu Hu was firing her Desert Eagle at the fish, her hands
almost recoiling upwards with each shot due to the powerful kickback, nearly
knocking her over. She could barely manage one shot every six or seven seconds, and
nine out of ten went wildly off course. But the fact that this girl hadn't
succumbed to terror and collapsed on the ground in the face of the endless
onslaught of fish, and was instead bravely resisting, was truly admirable.

On one hand, they were diverting a section of the flood of fish to create a kind of
'land bridge,' while on the other, they had to endure the increasingly suffocating
stench of rotting corpses.

Ammunition was being expended at an alarming rate. This kind of resistance couldn't
possibly last much longer.

With his teammates' help, Long Bao was nearing the car with the flat tire. Back to
the car door, he fired relentlessly at the approaching fish.

"Get up! We can't hold out for long!"

As he spoke, Long Bao frantically mowed down wave after wave of fish blocking his
path. Suddenly, Zhang Haoyu's hand clamped tightly onto Long Bao's right arm,
refusing to let go. This caused Long Bao's M16 to be pulled upwards to a 45-degree
angle, firing harmlessly into the sky. The fish, facing less resistance now,
swarmed in to fill the gap he had just cleared.

"Let go of my hand!" Long Bao yelled furiously at Zhang Haoyu. Without suppressing
fire, the fish would engulf the car in a matter of seconds.

Zhang Haoyu seemed to have lost his mind, remnants of the expensive abalone and
shark fin soup he'd eaten at the hotel yesterday clinging to his mouth. Snot and
tears mingled on his face as he shrieked, "Save me, save me... I don't want to
die!" His hands remained clamped to Long Bao's right arm, but he simply remained
slumped in his seat, screaming.

Wasn't it said that the best way to rescue someone drowning was to knock them
unconscious first? Drowning victims were often mentally unstable in that moment,
and would grab onto any 'lifeline' and refuse to let go, potentially dragging the
rescuer down with them. If it were Zou Hang, he wouldn't even get in the water;
he'd just watch coldly, maybe even kick a man while he's down. This time...

Long Bao was now bordering on insane. He'd meant to save Zhang Haoyu, but now he
was likely going to be killed by him. In a rage, he used his left hand to try and
pry Zhang Haoyu's hands loose. But Zhang Haoyu's grip was like a pair of steel
handcuffs, unyielding. Under normal circumstances, this would have been impossible.

A gunshot rang out. A bullet, fired at an incredibly precise angle, severed Zhang
Haoyu's hands. Although his palms remained fused to Long Bao's right arm, they were
now completely detached. Zhang Haoyu, weakened by the sudden loss of strength and
the pain, passed out.

Long Bao stared in astonishment at Zou Hang, who had suddenly appeared beside him.
The silver gun in the white-haired, bloodthirsty, and cruel leader's hand was still
emitting faint wisps of smoke.

In that instant, Long Bao suddenly understood Zou Hang's actions. Perhaps excessive
compassion and kindness were the most fatal flaws in this terrifying world. Just as
he was about to say "Thanks," Zou Hang snapped, "Run!"

Long Bao didn't even have time to process the sudden order. His body moved without
conscious thought, sprinting forward with everything he had.

In the distance, the others were frantically providing suppressing fire against the
relentless fish. Long Bao realized Zou Hang had disappeared. Looking back, he saw
the car he had just vacated was now completely submerged by the fish, and he could
hear Zhang Haoyu's agonizing screams. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw a
two-to-three-meter-long silver needlefish pierce the open car door, exactly where
Long Bao had been standing moments before. The long, bony spike had impaled Zou
Hang's body.

Long Bao froze. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The autocratic, self-
reliant, cruel, and bloodthirsty white-haired youth was dead, just like that.
Normally, Long Bao would have been happy. Honestly, he had only been following Zou
Hang so that Zou Hang could take him back to the place he spoke of, to revive the
person he loved.

But in this moment, he was filled with rage. All of a sudden, Zou Hang seemed like
a comrade who had fought alongside him for years, who had sacrificed himself for
him. Long Bao turned back, determined to rescue Zou Hang. Because his life now
belonged to Zou Hang.

"Stop!" A cold, authoritative voice suddenly rang in his ears. Long Bao was about
to ignore it, but the voice was so familiar, it sounded like… Zou Hang!

"M16 grenade, fire forward, then run to the villa, quickly!" The voice continued,
and it was definitely Zou Hang. Zou Hang looked completely unharmed. Long Bao felt
a surge of emotion, and without thinking any further, he acted.

His face flushed with adrenaline, he clicked the grenade launcher into place. With
a "thump," the grenade impacted the car, triggering a massive explosion. Two more
earth-shattering roars followed. The other cars on the highway, already damaged by
the walking fish's spiky legs, also detonated. If fish could scream, the cacophony
would have been horrific.

The flames created a temporary barrier. The fish, naturally repelled by fire,
hesitated and detoured. But some, their bodies engulfed in flames, continued to
advance.

These fish were already dead. They were driven by something beyond their own
will...

The villa was not far away.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 067 Beach Landing Walking Fish 5 -->

067 Beach Landing Walking Fish 5

Table of Contents

(To be honest, I realized my mistake without anyone pointing it out. This chapter
is incomprehensible not only to readers but even to myself. I won't use Japanese
manga as source material again. But there's no choice but to grit my teeth and
finish it. Please pay attention to An Ran! I'll keep her fate a secret for now! She
will shine brilliantly. She's the key to the shift in the protagonist's personality
that I've been talking about. Also, this chapter serves as a prelude to the team
battle. And to those who are cursing, what else are you supposed to do in a world
of horror if you don't kill? Don't tell me you'd remain normal after entering. How
many people can actually remain normal? I've made the protagonist's construction
very reasonable. Take it or leave it. If you don't like it, get lost.)

Whether it's because this isn't the real world, the people here are like those
courageous students in *Gantz*, who don't flinch in the face of danger. At the
sudden arrival of those monsters from *Gantz*, they immediately organized a
defense, and they can even fight against those inhuman creatures.

The situation is the same with these fish. There are still pedestrians on the
streets, but they strangely avoid the sea creatures and watch from the sidelines.
Some daring ones even admire them while bragging about it to their friends on the
phone. Even the police are tapping the ground with their batons at these strange
fish. Pedestrians don't seem to mind being stung by the small fish; perhaps because
they stick to the sides of the road and only get stung by the occasional passing
fish if they avoid blocking the fish's path. Only when a large shark comes head-on
do they experience fear. But after being infected, they are unaware of the terror
that awaits.

Hua Zhi, still shaken from yesterday's fright, is in bed with a fever. A Zhongmo is
taking care of her.

"The fever is down!" A Zhongmo said, touching Hua Zhi's forehead. He leaned down to
give her a kiss, but Hua Zhi startled awake and sat up, shouting, "It smells! It's
awful!"

A Zhongmo sighed in frustration, saying, "I just brushed my teeth. How can there
still be a smell?"

Hua Zhi is allergic to irritating odors and detests bad smells. And right now, she
definitely smells that odor, pointing outside the window and saying, "That stench
is coming from outside! Go and take a look!"

A Zhongmo is bewildered. He thinks it's impossible. He knows the smell Hua Zhi is
talking about is the one emitted by the walking fish. But those things have
disappeared without a trace.

But the instant A Zhongmo turns around, his body stiffens and goes numb. Cold sweat
breaks out on his back.

A great white shark! Not only is it huge, but like yesterday's fish, it can walk.
Its skin is pale in the sunlight. Its eyes are chalky white. The underside of its
body is riddled with tubes, which hiss incessantly. It's 'strolling' in the
courtyard!

A Zhongmo spins around and leaps out the window to avoid being seen by the shark.

"A Zhongmo, what is that thing?" Hua Zhi asks.

A Zhongmo, dripping with cold sweat, whispers, "A sh-shark, a walking shark, is
right outside!"

"How is that possible?" Hua Zhi shouts in disbelief.

"Keep your voice down. Don't be afraid. I think it might go away in a little
while," A Zhongmo says, trying to reassure her.

The pungent odor is unbearable for Hua Zhi. But her shouts alert the shark. Using
its strong body and momentum, the walking great white shark easily crashes through
the villa. A Zhongmo frantically tries to help Hua Zhi climb out the window, only
to see the various walking fish scattered all around outside.

He turns and races upstairs, which is like climbing from the water to the shore.
The walking shark can follow just as easily. The spacious hallway and wooden
construction are a huge disadvantage.

Truly driven into a corner, A Zhongmo prepares for a last-ditch effort, but
unexpectedly, the walking shark's rapid charge causes it to fall out the window on
its own. The two, who were already rejoicing, haven't even had time to cheer when
the shark's roar comes from downstairs. The three-story villa is too low. It barely
affects the walking great white shark's strong body, and instead incites its
ferocity.

Now the walking great white shark's attacks are suddenly frantic, even more violent
than before. Is this the end? Will the young A Zhongmo and Hua Zhi die here?
Of course not! With a barrage of gunfire – "Bang, bang, bang..." – blood spurts
from holes appearing all over the walking shark's body. The great white shark
becomes a great red shark.

Just as the walking shark breathes its last, Zou Hang is suddenly notified that
he's received a 10 survival point reward. It seems these aggressive creatures are
really more worthwhile than the small fish. He wonders what the reward would be for
killing those who are infected.

Zou Hang isn't one to meddle in other people's affairs. If he has no connection, he
wouldn't care even if someone died in front of him. Saving A Zhongmo and Hua Zhi
serves two main purposes. First, it's to get closer to Doctor Xiao Liu to obtain
the specific coordinates of WXH Island. After all, he knows nothing about Doctor
Xiao Liu. With A Zhongmo as a guide, it will be relatively easier. Second, he wants
to find time to examine A Zhongmo's cell activity, take samples, and observe
whether there are any antibodies against this bacterium.

Saving these two people is done with a purpose. Of course, it was the same when he
saved Long Bao before. You can see it in Long Bao's eyes now. Unless he rapes the
woman she wants resurrected back in the main God space, even if he sleeps with Long
Bao now, she probably wouldn't resist.

付出就要有回报 (One good turn deserves another). Now Long Bao is truly willing, and she'll
do anything Zou Hang says without hesitation. As for a tool, this is undoubtedly a
good tactic. That's exactly why Zou Hang didn't stop Long Bao from saving Zhang
Haoyu back then.

With the grace of a life saved and the protection of powerful weapons, the
reincarnation squad quickly becomes acquainted with the two plot characters. But
the number of fish is increasing, and luckily, there's a Mitsubishi SUV in A
Zhongmo's garage. They drive away, dodging the white fish. Eventually the car
breaks down only after reaching the airport.

The airport is incredibly crowded. It's absolutely packed, with people shoulder-to-
shoulder. At this moment, the people are like a school of fish, constantly
gathering here from all directions, hoping to fly away from this place.

"What would happen if we returned to our country?" Bai Yu asked suddenly, looking
at the constantly flashing boarding pass.

"The scope is Japan. Leaving means immediate annihilation!" Zou Hang said casually.
But suddenly a question occurred to him. According to the setting in the Fish
manga, although the main environment and background take place in Japan from
beginning to end, Huang Jian told him that the main content recorded that fish had
been discovered not only in Japan but also in other countries and regions of the
world.

Then why is the scope limited here? And if the task is to completely exterminate
"the fish," then do the fish in other places also have to be eliminated before they
can return? For a moment, Zou Hang's mind is racing again.

<!-- 068 Beach Landing Walking Fish 6 -->

068 Beach Landing Walking Fish 6

Table of Contents
Everyone on the plane looked exhausted and was mostly asleep. Looking back at what
happened earlier, it was almost comical. The chaos meant countless people cut in
line to buy tickets, to the point where those cutting in outnumbered those actually
waiting. Naturally, there was no real line at all. Long Bao, leveraging his size
advantage over the smaller Japanese people, plowed a path forward. Reaching the
ticket counter, they discovered that the counter had stopped selling tickets due to
the overwhelming chaos, but airport staff were still trying to maintain order.
These people truly weren’t afraid to die. They didn't even have the common sense to
use their position to escape first. It seems the logic within this terror-filled
world is far from consistent.

"I'm sorry! All flights have departed," the Japanese woman at the counter politely
replied.

"I'm sorry! The airport has stopped selling tickets."

"I'm sorry! There are no seats available."

"I... okay! Please proceed through the VIP 通道 (VIP Channel)!" The changing tone
fully demonstrated a core principle: the magic of money is irresistible. As a
famous philosopher, who’s name I can’t recall, once said: “A woman only won't sleep
with you because you don't have enough money, not because you're ugly or she
doesn't like you." Truthfully, the amount Zou Hang had tossed around would have
bought an entire plane.

Zou Hang closed his eyes to rest, but wasn't sleeping. There were too many unknown
factors at play. The plan needed to be meticulously thought out. An Ran, sitting
next to him, felt somewhat uneasy. Perhaps it was a woman's intuition, or simply
her own sensitivity, but she suddenly found Zou Hang frightening. It wasn't just
because of Yamamoto's death. The smile on Zou Hang's face, and the depth in his
eyes, when he spoke to her, made her uncomfortable, as did the sight of his closed
eyes beside her.

An Ran wasn't foolish. In fact, she could even be considered wise, but around Zou
Hang, his brilliance overshadowed her.

"Get me a glass of water," Zou Hang said faintly, without opening his eyes.

"Oh... okay!" Zou Hang's words broke her train of thought. From the moment she
first saw Zou Hang, she believed he was her one and only, and stopped considering
any other paths in her life. She felt a sudden pang of guilt as she looked at Zou
Hang. In her mind, Zou Hang was everything to her, and she felt remorseful even for
briefly doubting him. She immediately banished the thought from her mind and got up
to walk towards the flight attendant.

But at that moment, Zou Hang's eyes snapped open, staring intently at An Ran's
retreating back. Just now, when Zou Hang was contemplating his plans for An Ran, he
suddenly felt a sense of danger, as if his thoughts were being read. He had always
stubbornly trusted his instincts. Consequently, his face turned grim as he
muttered, "Perhaps I should eliminate her sooner rather than later!"

Perhaps nobody could ever change a decision Zou Hang had made. Especially a
decision as resolute as this one.

Tokyo

"Our top story is the news of the long-legged fish swarm alarming Okinawa
Prefecture. A large number of long-legged creatures have landed on Okinawa Island.
They have since begun landing on other islands. Disaster reports are coming in from
all over. The large, carnivorous species, especially the giant sharks, pose a
significant threat to public safety.

The Okinawa coast is the area with the highest concentration of landed fish. Due to
their sheer numbers, many local residents and tourists have tragically died from
the 'iron kicks' of these creatures. The Prime Minister has ordered a deployment of
'Self-Defense' forces. Furthermore, the walking fish emit a foul stench. National
research institutions are analyzing the true nature of these walking fish.
Additionally, the corpse of the largest walking great white shark to date was
discovered at a villa in Okinawa..."

Watching the news on TV, A Zhongmo felt uneasy. After returning to Tokyo, Zou Hang
rented the apartment next door to A Zhongmo's to quickly gain access to Dr. Xiao
Liu. Because he once saved their lives, Zou Hang and A Zhongmo quickly became
friends.

"I smell it again!" Hua Zhi suddenly cried out to A Zhongmo.

"Smell what?" A Zhongmo asked, confused.

"I smell that strange fish smell!"

"That's your imagination. How come I can't smell anything? This is Tokyo. Okinawa
is far away. How could those strange fish possibly be here? You're just overly
frightened and can't forget the smell."

"The smell is getting stronger and stronger. It's coming! It's coming..." Hua Zhi
said, rushing out of the apartment.

The others, who had been preparing for this moment, heard the door and, on Zou
Hang's orders, stopped in the hallway. Seeing A Zhongmo chasing after her, they
'coincidentally' heard him explain the situation and followed. As A Zhongmo held
the paralyzed Hua Zhi, he saw her pointing towards the sky, shouting, "It's in that
direction!"

The sky was a hazy white, with nothing out of the ordinary. However, Zou Hang, with
his exceptional eyesight, saw a small black dot, growing larger as it approached.
It was heading directly towards their location.

Closer! It was a dusty, inflated plastic bag, with a dark shape visible inside. And
there was that familiar, overpowering stench of rotting flesh. A Zhongmo and Hua
Zhi certainly remembered the contents of the bag vividly. Hua Zhi covered her head
and ran away, while the plastic bag continued to relentlessly pursue them.

A Zhongmo had stubbornly tried to convince himself that this was a coincidence. But
with a 'pop', the plastic bag exploded. The decomposing fish inside confirmed that
this was all too real.

"Uncle, this is the walking monster fish I told you about!" A Zhongmo said, handing
the carefully wrapped 'fish' to Dr. Xiao Liu.

"And these people are?" Dr. Xiao Liu asked.

"These are friends I met in Okinawa. Hua Zhi and I might have died there without
their help," A Zhongmo introduced.
Knowing how the plot would play out, Zou Hang successfully followed A Zhongmo to
Dr. Xiao Liu's laboratory. He turned his head to the side, and without any
circumlocution, went straight to the point. "You must be Dr. Xiao Liu! Then the WXH
Island coordinate map must be in your possession."

Dr. Xiao Liu's body trembled slightly. His eyes fixed on Zou Hang, filled with
resentment. He said sternly, "Are you from the military?"

"No!" Zou Hang replied.

"I don't care if you are or aren't. And I don't care how you found out. My father
told me that the things on WXH Island are so terrifying they could destroy all of
humanity! I won't let that coordinate map fall into anyone's hands, even if it
costs me my life," Dr. Xiao Liu said resolutely.

"You're mistaken! Look at what you're holding. These walking monsters have already
begun to land. This is the horror from WXH Island. My goal is precisely to save
humanity!" Zou Hang said, gazing deeply at Dr. Xiao Liu.

"Leave! No matter what you say, I won't give it to you," Dr. Xiao Liu said,
ordering them to leave. Zou Hang knew that there was nothing to be gained by
talking further. Xiao Liu's attitude was very firm. He feared that not even torture
would yield any progress.

"Then you should take good care of that coordinate map! I don't think the place
you're keeping it is very secure," Zou Hang said, leading the others out. These
words weren’t just a threat.

(Please give us recommendation votes and add to your collection. Don't forget!

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 069 Walking Fish's Beach Landing 7 -->

069 Walking Fish's Beach Landing 7

Contents

Profound! Xiao Liu was indeed more composed than even Zou Hang had imagined. Bai Yu
and Zou Hang had stayed behind. Xiao Liu's lab and living quarters were connected,
with a large warehouse behind the rooms. They'd already been there for seven or
eight hours, from noon until late at night. Another thing that caught Zou Hang's
attention was Bai Yu's almost supernatural stealth. He watched as Bai Yu stepped
into the shadows and completely vanished, his presence disappearing as if he had
simply dissolved into the air.

This was for the best, though. At least Bai Yu could monitor Xiao Liu inside the
room without being detected. So Zou Hang went alone into the warehouse to search.
He moved with a speed that created afterimages, but even with that speed, he
searched for a long time without finding anything suspicious.

Then a piercing scream shattered the silence. Bai Yu appeared beside Zou Hang.

"What's wrong?" Zou Hang asked.

Bai Yu gave a wry smile. "The plot has thickened. Xiao Liu was dissecting the
walking fish and accidentally got his left hand caught in some kind of machinery."

"Oh," Zou Hang responded blandly. He'd known this would happen. But where was the
coordinate map? Was he really going to have to resort to torture? That was a last
resort; failure would mean ruin.

The screaming gradually subsided. They were still standing in the shadows outside
the warehouse, facing Xiao Liu's room. One in the open, one in the dark. Given the
play of light and shadow, Xiao Liu would never detect them. At that moment, Xiao
Liu's assistant finished bandaging his severed arm. Xiao Liu said a few words to
the assistant, who then closed the door and left. Even from a distance, Zou Hang
could keenly discern the expression on his face.

The look of pain was fleeting, quickly replaced by contemplation. He was probably
pondering the words Zou Hang had spoken when he left. In fact, his mind had been
wavering ever since Zou Hang's departure. He had been distracted, which led to the
accident with the walking fish machinery.

'You need to take good care of that coordinate map! I don't think you've hidden it
very well.' Zou Hang's words were intentionally ambiguous. Xiao Liu likely realized
this was a test, designed to provoke him into revealing the location. That was why
he hadn't checked on the hiding place all afternoon. But… that's human nature.
Though his mind was convinced it was a trap, his subconscious feared losing it,
only amplifying his anxiety.

This was a form of hypnotic suggestion, even though Zou Hang hadn't studied
hypnosis and didn't know how to do it. Yet, it had achieved the intended effect.

Hypnosis is ineffective against those with strong wills. That's why every master
hypnotist seeks a point of entry, a way to tap into the subject's subconscious to
plant a suggestion. Xiao Liu had been certain Zou Hang was bluffing, but the loss
of his hand had left him physically weakened, leading to mental vulnerability.

Xiao Liu was now feeling confused and disoriented. Supporting his severed arm, he
stumbled to a corner of the room and laboriously moved a floor-standing instrument.
Behind it, a black safe was revealed in the wall. Anyone else would have
immediately rushed forward. But Zou Hang and Bai Yu remained still. They knew
leaving before securing the coordinate map could ruin everything.

It was a godsend. Xiao Liu didn't try to open the safe. Instead, he pried up a
stone brick next to it with a pair of iron tongs. Then, with a sharp tap, the brick
shattered, and in his hand was what looked like an extremely sturdy, transparent
tube. Inside, a yellowed piece of paper was curled up.

That had to be it. At that moment, the two men revealed themselves.

Suddenly, a chill ran down Xiao Liu's back. He turned to see Zou Hang and Bai Yu.
He exclaimed in surprise, "How did you get in here?"

"We're tired! We've been waiting for you for seven or eight hours!" Bai Yu said
with a yawn.

Before Xiao Liu could react, Zou Hang flashed behind him, snatched the tube, and
instantly reappeared where he had been, as if he'd never moved. Only now, the tube
was in Zou Hang's hand.

Unfurled, it was indeed a precisely marked coordinate map. They could now see that
WXH Island was also called Mist Island. It was shrouded in fog year-round, and the
surrounding waters were full of whirlpools and reefs. Without accurate coordinates,
finding it would be impossible.

"Accurate. Kill!" Zou Hang said. Xiao Liu lunged at him in fury, but before he
could reach him, Zou Hang was leaning against a table covered in laboratory
equipment several meters away.

Zou Hang suddenly felt a faint prick of pain. Looking down at his right hand, he
saw a one-finger-length black dart lying beside his palm, a single drop of fresh
blood clinging to its tip…

Xiao Liu was never much of a fighter, especially now that he was missing an arm.
Bai Yu didn't even need a gun; a quick wave of his hands over Xiao Liu's head,
followed by a cracking sound, and Xiao Liu collapsed.

"Alright! You go back first. I have something to confirm," Zou Hang said. Bai Yu
swiftly left the lab without a moment's hesitation, true to his nature as an
assassin.

Zou Hang slowly placed the coordinate map back in the tube and stored it in his
spatial storage. He picked up the dart. At that moment, a foul stench wafted in
from the other side of the door. Opening it, he saw the severed arm, bloated and
emitting the putrid odor of decomposition, a result of bacterial activity. It was
covered with large patches of green, puss-filled matter resembling a mixture of
vomit and other indescribably nasty things.

And now, it was moving in a stumbling, disoriented manner, clearly struggling to

maintain balance. It must have been difficult to walk on three leg-like appendages.
Zou Hang stared at the dart in his hand, a feeling of confusion washing over him…

(P.S.: Since this story is based on the "Fish" manga, there are some logical
inconsistencies. I'm not bashing Japanese manga, but writing this book has made me
realize that using manga as a source material is too much of a headache. Besides,
this book has its own style, so please stop complaining in the comments section. It
really affects my mood. If you don't want to read it, or you think it's bad, you
don't have to read it. And if you do read it, don't post comments that make me sad.
I value everyone's feedback, and I'm working hard to improve this book every day.
Please be understanding, including the guys who are cursing and saying it should be
taken down. What you do is your business. I just want to write a good book. And
about Zou Hang's transformation, I've already said that you'll understand once
you've read the entire "Fish" story. I don't want to explain it anymore. As for
whether An Ran is dead or alive, I'm still agonizing over that… There will be
another update at 6 pm! By the way, the new book is ranked 23rd, which makes me
want to cry. Please have pity on me and give me some votes!)

Return to Contents

## 070 Walking Fish Invade the Beaches, Part 8

070 Walking Fish Invade the Beaches, Part 8

Table of Contents

The bacteria codenamed "Fish." It was during the Pacific War. The Japanese army was
conducting secret bacteriological experiments on an uninhabited island off Okinawa.
They discovered a mutated strain of bacteria extracted from fish in the coastal
waters. This bacterium, upon infecting an animal, would trigger internal changes.
The infected creature would emanate a gas resembling the stench of a human corpse,
an odor so repulsive it was unbearable. If the researchers plugged its orifices,
the animal's body would violently swell. Soon after being infected, the animal's
motor neurons would be destroyed, rendering it immobile. Consequently, the military
sought out Dr. Xiao Liu's father. Under his direction, they created a pressure-
powered walking device that mimicked the fish's lower body, using the gas expelled
from within as propulsion.

Reportedly, the machine's performance after it was built was astonishing. The
simple pressure-driven walker seemed to possess a life of its own, as if controlled
by an unseen, strange energy. The infected subjects lived a life worse than death,
ultimately exploding when their bodies could no longer withstand the internal
pressure. This outcome exceeded all expectations, a true devilish creation. The
documents stated that infection with the bacteria was invariably fatal, and no
antidote was ever found, except for those with a specific constitution – like A
Zhong's.

"We interrupt this program with a breaking news report. Since early this morning, a
large number of walking fish monsters have been frantically landing all over Japan.
Kyushu, Honshu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido are all experiencing massive influxes of
these walking fish. Please take a look at the footage coming in from various
locations!"

The screen split into nine sections, periodically switching to different news
clips. The television showed shorelines teeming with countless varieties of rapidly
moving fish. Not only the beaches but also the coastal waters were bubbling with
activity. Various fish of all sizes were intermingling and piling on top of each
other, transforming what was once the sea into a mass of fish. A camera vehicle was
rammed by a shark, and then, in the distance, a colossal creature rose from the
sea. Even a sperm whale, with its massive body, was struggling to move toward the
land, its walking apparatus collapsing under its immense weight.

The sheer number was unprecedented. The countless walkers, in various sizes and
designs, were impossible for humanity to mass-produce. Where did this nightmarish
phenomenon originate? Was it, as in Ni Kuang's novels, an inexplicable event
explained away with the simple phrase: "The aliens did it"? Japan was clearly in
chaos. What about other places? Only the powers that be would know.

The images on the television screen dissolved into static. The fearless reporters
and camera vehicles were being swallowed by the overwhelming swarm of fish. The
government had issued a red alert for disaster.

Meanwhile, walking fish had already appeared on the streets of Tokyo.

A Zhong turned off the television and headed towards his room. As he approached the
door, he suddenly detected that familiar and sickening smell, emanating from within
the room.

"Hua Zhi, I'm coming in!" A Zhong said, knocking on the door.

From inside, Hua Zhi protested with a scream: "Don't come in! Don't come in!"

"Hua Zhi, what's wrong?" A Zhong asked, opening the door and entering.

"Don't! Get out, get out!" Hua Zhi screamed, huddled in the bed.

Upon entering, A Zhong realized that the stench in the room was several times
stronger and even more unbearable than the odor emitted by the walking fish he had
seen earlier.
At that moment, a sharp screeching sound accompanied a wave of nauseating fumes.

"Hua Zhi, the monster fish are here! They're in the room! We need to get out of
here!" A Zhong exclaimed in shock and pulled back Hua Zhi's covers to try to drag
her out.

I dare say, the timid would be scared to death, the brave would faint, and even the
extremely twisted would be disgusted to death!

The suffocating stench of decay was coming from Hua Zhi herself. The skin on Hua
Zhi's body was already beginning to rot, and large blisters were appearing, which,
when disturbed, would spray out a large amount of thick, yellow or green pus. Mold
and green hair had grown over her eyes. After a gurgling sound, she let out a sharp
shriek from her mouth, followed by a spray of that disgusting gas that ordinary
people could not bear. Likewise, her lower body, which was still covered, released
a similar blast after a noise, and the quilt was lifted up by the corpse-smelling
gas.

"Why am I so ugly! My face feels strange, and I can't control my body. Give me a
mirror so I can see myself!" Hua Zhi said.

"No… don't look!" A Zhong said, his voice trembling, as he grabbed the mirror from
the bedside table. However, he stumbled, falling to the ground, and the round
mirror rolled to the edge of the bed.

Hua Zhi picked up the mirror and screamed when she saw her reflection: "Monster!
I'm a monster! Get out, get out!"

Hua Zhi was now nearly insane, desperately trying to force A Zhong out of the room.

There was some noise on the balcony. A Zhong went to investigate and saw that Hua
Zhi had climbed onto the railing, ready to jump. A Zhong quickly pulled her down.

"Hua Zhi, what are you trying to do!" A Zhong shouted in anger.

Hua Zhi sobbed on the ground, muttering to herself, "I've turned into a monster, my
whole body is covered in boils, and I can't control my body anymore." Then, Hua Zhi
cried out shrilly to A Zhong, "I'm so ugly, you've already started to hate me.
You're going to abandon me and find a pretty girl. I'm right, aren't I! Dr. Xiao
Liu's assistant Fang Shan is beautiful. You're interested in her, aren't you…"

"Enough! Have you said enough?" A Zhong interrupted Hua Zhi's words in anger.

Hua Zhi paused, and then crawled on the ground, hugging A Zhong's legs and
pleading, "A Zhong, don't abandon me! I can't live without you!"

A Zhong, disregarding the fact that Hua Zhi was no longer human, embraced her in
his arms, tears streaming down his face, and said in a trembling voice, "No! No
matter what you become, I will always love you and be with you!"

...

Zou Hang didn't sleep all night. He felt increasingly weak, and it seemed like many
cells in his body were in turmoil. Unfortunately, he had indeed been infected with
the "Fish" bacteria.

Return to Table of Contents

## 071 Sin and Punishment

071 Sin and Punishment

Table of Contents

He arrived at A Zhong's door and knocked gently. As he entered, his eyes

immediately fell on Hua Zhi, sprawled on the sofa. Zou Hang murmured to himself,
"Will I end up like that?" In an instant, Zou Hang had drawn his silver Desert
Eagle and aimed it at Hua Zhi's forehead. He loathed the smell.

"No! She's Hua Zhi, not a monster!" A Zhong quickly stepped in front of Zou Hang,
shielding her.

"In my eyes, she *is* a monster. But don't worry, you're both going to die!" As he
finished speaking, a gunshot rang out, and Hua Zhi's body was blown to pieces. The
fluids and rotten flesh practically coated the entire house. Thankfully, Zou Hang
possessed the skill to pass through a field of flowers without a petal touching
him, remaining completely unaffected.

But before A Zhong could even register what had happened, he was shocked to
discover that Zou Hang's eyes had turned bloodshot, and two rows of fangs had
sprouted in his mouth. The blood in A Zhong's body was violently erupting from him,
creating holes of varying sizes, all flowing towards Zou Hang's mouth. Within
seconds, he was nothing more than a mummified corpse.

The Reincarnation Team's operation came to a standstill. Zou Hang moved into the
house next door, the one that should have belonged to A Zhong and Hua Zhi. The
disappearance of the two story characters was likely something all the team members
were well aware of.

The next day, Zou Hang's body slowly weakened to the point where he could barely
stand; he could only crawl on the ground, which was now covered in red bumps. This
extreme weakness made Zou Hang realize that soon, he would likely lose his self-
awareness. An Ran, with her keen perception, sensed something amiss with Zou Hang's
behaviour. Ignoring his objections, she insisted on staying to take care of him.

On the third day, the "Fish" bacteria, unlike the T-Virus, wasn't something you
could simply catch and use. Hua Zhi had been infected by the walking fish, and it
was around the third day that the mutation had begun in earnest. It was the same
for Zou Hang.

When An Ran walked into the room and saw the unrecognizable state of Zou Hang, she
initially frowned, but then her expression relaxed. She pushed aside the
overwhelmingly disgusting smell of decaying flesh, ensuring there was no hint of
aversion on her face, only a smile. She rested Zou Hang's head on her lap, not
wanting him to be too distressed. She interacted with him as she always had,
without any hesitation, even though she felt a slight aversion in her heart toward
Zou Hang's nearly decomposed body. She strongly compelled herself to accept it, to
accept everything about the man she loved. She wanted to tell Zou Hang that no
matter what he became, her love would never diminish. She would continue to
encourage him, and she would definitely find a way to help him recover. Of course,
Zou Hang knew none of this, and probably wouldn't have cared even if he did,
because from the beginning, he had only ever viewed An Ran as a tool, nothing more.

Perhaps even that wasn't enough. Zou Hang had long decided that he wanted An Ran to
suffer a torturous death.
But right now, An Ran felt a pang of disappointment because Zou Hang hadn't said a
word to her in two days.

There was no way to recover. None! Zou Hang knew very well that this wasn't
*Resident Evil*. This was a team-wipe level mission. Once infected with the "Fish,"
you could only wait for death. Unless you possessed strong resistance or powerful
cell activity. But he was on the Reincarnation Team, and his cell activity, though
many times greater than an ordinary person's, was still insufficient to resist. He
had drained every drop of blood from A Zhong's body, but it had done nothing. There
was no external help available. You could say he was as good as dead.

Actually dying... to be honest, Zou Hang had never been afraid of death. It was
only the fact that his plans hadn't yet been put into action that made him feel
some regret. And now, in this state, he would likely lose consciousness before
long, but wouldn't actually die. Instead, he would turn into a walking pile of
rotting flesh, to be dragged onto a walking machine and used as consumable
material, his mouth and anus plugged with protruding tubes that spewed out a foul,
decaying gas.

For those truly infected, the unusual stimulation and discomfort in the body
weren't the most terrifying aspects. The real horror lay in the mental torment.
Compared to that, death was a longed-for release.

The "Fish" bacteria didn't only spread by entering the body through a foot
puncture. That was simply the easiest and most convenient method for the vast
swarms of fish. After all, no one would willingly open their mouth to eat something
that was already rotting and emitting the stench of death.

Internal transmission, bacterial infection. Others' infinite terror.

This was exactly what Zou Hang wanted to do.

"An Ran, I need you to do something for me!" Zou Hang's voice wasn't loud, but An
Ran heard him clearly.

Hearing Zou Hang's voice, An Ran felt a surge of joy, as he had finally spoken. So,
An Ran excitedly replied, "Tell me! Whatever it is! I'll do it for you!"

"Make love with me!" (I originally wrote this in Chinese, but it would have been
too blunt, especially since the English explanation is multifaceted.)

An Ran bit her lower lip tightly. She knew that if they really did that, the "Fish"
bacteria could easily infect her through bodily fluids. But! This was Zou Hang's
request. And perhaps, it was also his last wish. To love someone, to love them for
a lifetime, you should love all of them, love everything about them. Tears streamed
down An Ran's face. If Zou Hang died, she didn't want to live either. What was
there to be afraid of? Being able to be with him even in death should be a
blessing.

A sweet smile graced her lips, still retaining that pure side. Her vision blurred
with tears, but the tears seemed to be filled with happiness, sweetness.

Smiling through tears, those tears were the most precious.

Unfortunately, she loved the wrong person. And Zou Hang was "not human."

Removing her clothes, letting go of everything, An Ran walked towards the bed,
ignoring the grotesque and swollen body. She leaned over...
##Mo##sa##ic## - ##Not## Suit##able## for ##Child##ren##

(It's worth noting that Zou Hang was already too weak, so An Ran was doing most of
the work ^-^)

Return to Table of Contents

## Chapter 72: The Absence of Zou Hang's Struggle

**Contents**

Japan had completely fallen. There was no resistance, no turning the tide. While
not everyone was dead, the situation was dire. The streets were littered with the
decaying remains of "fish" and abandoned walking machines. And people? There were
still some. The "fish" hadn't penetrated everywhere; the upper floors of high-rise
buildings remained untouched. However, those hiding inside desperately needed food.
Driven by survival, they risked venturing out, only to find the scattered walking
machines transformed into deadly traps.

Explosions echoed sporadically, as the pressure of putrid gases caused numerous

"corpses" to burst into grotesque, liquefied messes. The remnants of the government
had deployed all their "Self-Defense" Forces. Even tanks and other heavy weaponry
were now roaming the streets, their targets not the "fish," but the "people" –
those bloated figures wandering the streets, spewing foul-smelling gas and covered
in festering pus.

Most of these so-called "people" had lost all sense of self, yet they continued to
shamble, seemingly drawn towards the walking machines abandoned by the "fish."

A lone woman cautiously descended the stairs. Her short dress was filthy and torn,
and her stockings were riddled with snags. The scraps of fabric covering her upper
body barely provided adequate concealment. She cautiously scanned the street. In
the distance, a "Self-Defense" Force soldier was firing at one of the "people," but
each shot only seemed to splatter more rancid pus. It took a considerable effort
for the soldier to finally bring it down.

Those infected with the "fish" bacteria for more than three days lost all
consciousness and became like walking corpses. They could only be destroyed by
completely shattering their bodies.

The sky was a uniformly bleak gray, obscuring any trace of sun, moon, or stars. The
air was thick with a deathly miasma, effectively cutting them off from the rest of
the world. Seeing that the Self-Defense Force soldier hadn't turned around, the
woman realized she had an opportunity. She dashed towards a shop with a shattered
roller shutter door. Although the supermarket's food supply had been almost
entirely looted long ago, perhaps some scraps remained. She was desperately hungry.
Since the bizarre, walking fish had landed, Japan had become a living hell.

She ran as quickly as she dared, her eyes fixed on the Self-Defense Force soldier.
The government had issued a strict order: high-ranking officials had retreated to
bunkers and military bases. To eliminate the infected, anyone suspected of
infection would be killed, regardless of their actual condition. Better to kill a
thousand innocent people than let one infected slip through.

"Ah!" The woman suddenly stepped on a small, calf-sized walking machine. The
machine immediately clamped down, trapping her foot. Her shriek alerted several
Self-Defense Force soldiers in the distance.
For over a month, the walking fish had decomposed and died out. Now, humans had
taken their place as the enemy. The Self-Defense Force was now essentially killing
people. Two soldiers ran towards her, raising their rifles and taking aim.

"Don't kill me! I'm not a monster!" the woman pleaded.

The soldier holding the rifle hesitated. Despite her disheveled appearance, the
woman looked like a normal human being. The young soldier's face was hidden behind
a gas mask, but the way he lowered his gun revealed his reluctance. However,
another soldier showed no hesitation. He opened fire immediately, spraying bullets
from his 9mm submachine gun. In an instant, the woman was riddled with holes.

"Kinoshita! This is not the time for hesitation! Our Yamato race is facing a life-
or-death moment. We can't afford to be soft-hearted," the other soldier said, his
voice low and gravelly, indicating he was a veteran.

"But she's a person! She's not a monster!" the soldier called Kinoshita protested.

"Look at her foot. She's already been infected. It won't be long before she turns
into a monster," the veteran scolded, clearly annoyed.

"Right! I understand," Kinoshita nodded, trembling. He felt sick at the sight of

the corpse on the ground.

As the veteran turned to leave, he saw a towering figure looming before him: a
massive walking machine that had once been ridden by a shark, now carrying hundreds
of people who had been turned into "fertilizer." Their mouths and anuses were
connected to thick pipes, and the stench of decaying flesh filled the air,
accompanied by a piercing whine. A several-meter-long iron leg impaled the
veteran's body. As Kinoshita finally snapped out of his shock, he frantically
pulled the trigger of his gun, managing to rupture one of the main pipes connecting
the walking machine.

A piercing shriek tore through the air. Kinoshita could not believe his eyes. A
burst of gas erupted from the ruptured pipe, and a swirling cloud of milky-white
and black mist filled the air before him, seemingly filled with countless writhing
human forms, moaning in agony. Then, the form of the veteran appeared within the
mist, reaching out a hand to him. As the hand grasped him, countless tendrils of
black gas emerged from his body and drifted towards the swirling mist.

With a muffled thud, Kinoshita's corpse fell to the ground. Beneath his gas mask,
Kinoshita had been reduced to a pile of mush. His soul had departed his body.

Had the power of those tormented souls broken some ancient taboo? Or was this just
the tip of the iceberg?

...

Remember the apartment building where A Zhong used to live? A faint, flickering
light could still be seen emanating from the gap under one of the doors.

Inside, five people remained. In the living room, the flickering light of a candle,
now reduced to a mere two finger-lengths, cast deep shadows under the eyes of the
occupants. Their faces were gaunt and haggard, their nerves frayed, and they were
on the brink of collapse.

Chu Hu searched through a pile of empty wrappers and finally found a can of
luncheon meat. He sighed, "This is all that's left. I never thought it would get
this bad. This is the only food we have."

"Give it to me!" Huang Jian's eyes lit up, reaching for the can with a slobbering
mouth.

Bai Yu swiftly aimed her Desert Eagle at him. She said coldly, "You're the only one
who knows the plot. Unless you tell us how to get out of here, you won't get a
bite."

"Damn it!" Huang Jian reached for the space pocket he'd found on Zou Hang's corpse,
but Bai Yu pointed the gun at his head, stopping him. "You think I don't want to?
The damn comic book doesn't say anything about how to solve this! And the mission
is to kill all the 'fish'. The walking fish are basically all dead, but so many
people have been infected! How can we possibly kill them all? We're just going to
die here! Hahahaha!"

Huang Jian laughed maniacally, filling everyone with a mixture of anger and
despair. Long Bao punched Huang Jian, snatching the can away. "I won't die. I have
to go to the Main God Space. I have to resurrect her, even if it means dying."

"Give it to Chu Hu. She hasn't eaten anything all day!" Bai Yu said.

Long Bao looked at the can in his hand, hesitating. Not only Chu Hu, but everyone
had been eating very little for the past few days. The food they had looted from
the supermarket before the chaos had been plentiful, but it wouldn't last forever.
He hadn't eaten all day either. Eating a little would give him strength and stave
off starvation. His head was spinning. Even so, he was still a man. Long Bao tossed
the can to Chu Hu.

"No! We're a team. My abilities are the weakest, and I'm a burden. You should eat
it! That way, you might be able to keep fighting!" Chu Hu pushed the can back.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Huang Jian said, "Team this, team
that! Our lives were entrusted to Zou Hang. Now that the old man who's survived so
many horror movies, the guy with all the strength, is dead, what can we do? He's
dead, and this team is meaningless. Without him, we can't get out! Who here has a
way to kill all those monsters?"

Silence fell over the group. Huang Jian's words were harsh, but they were also
true. No one knew how to complete the mission. Perhaps only Zou Hang had known, but
the old man was dead. Bai Yu pulled the coordinate map and the "key" Zou Hang had
taken from Yamamoto Kazuo from her space pouch. She didn't know what to do with
them, but Zou Hang had been desperately searching for these two items, even going
so far as to brutally torture Yamamoto Mirai. They must be the key to completing
the mission.

Now, all their hope rested on these objects.

"It seems like our only hope lies here," Bai Yu said.

The outside world was filled with danger, including armed Self-Defense Force
soldiers. Going outside meant there was almost no turning back, and they couldn't
be sure that reaching the coordinates would lead to the completion of the mission.
But now that their food supplies were depleted, they had no choice.

Strange, unsettling noises, like "soo...soo...ah...woo," echoed in the air,

accompanied by the now-familiar, numbing stench of decaying corpses.

"What about her?" Long Bao asked.

"Her," in Long Bao's question, was An Ran. Since Zou Hang's death, An Ran had
locked herself in her room. She had been infected with the "fish" bacteria. Now,
though she was still a walking corpse, they had all lived together for a while, and
An Ran had a good personality. She had good relationships with everyone, and they
couldn't bring themselves to kill her.

"Let's just keep her locked in the room! Otherwise, if she's drawn to a walking
machine, she'll be trapped in a living hell," Bai Yu said. Bai Yu was an assassin,
but in some ways, he was a flawed one. He couldn't be as decisive and ruthless as
Zou Hang. If Zou Hang were still alive, he would have killed any infected person,
regardless of who they were. But if it was An Ran, there would be some "special
treatment" for her.

Return to Contents

<!-- 073 Edge of Death -->

073 Edge of Death

Contents

The pervasive stench of decay hung heavy, swirling like a thick fog, severely
limiting visibility. Even a few yards away, it was nearly impossible to see one's
teammates.

Before the chaos erupted, the entrance and exits of the apartment building where
the Reincarnation Squad was stationed had been barricaded with large pieces of
furniture. Huang Jian had then killed all the unrelated residents of the building.
It had to be said that Huang Jian's character did have similarities to Zou Hang.
Leaving survivors alive presented too many unpredictable variables. Rather than
risk those variables materializing, it was better to nip them in the bud.

The group readied their weapons. Ammunition was running low, but there was a cache
of unused bullets in their dimensional pocket. They weren't using them because the
bullets seemed strange. The casings were light and smooth, almost weightless,
making the seasoned gun users question whether they contained any gunpowder. Still,
since Zou Hang had put them there, they might prove useful.

Led by Bai Yu and with Long Bao bringing up the rear, they formed a single file and
moved towards the exit. They cleared away the barricading furniture, cautiously
descending the stairs. The beams from their flashlights were of little use. The sky
was overcast, and the noxious fumes had transformed the area into a dull, grey
world. Even the midday sun struggled to penetrate.

The ground was pitch black. The power supply had likely been cut off by the Fish
upon landing, or perhaps by government officials ordering the shutdown of civilian
electricity.

"Watch your step!" Bai Yu shouted, kicking a small Walker out of the way with his
M16. The first-floor lobby was scattered with "traps." One wrong move and they
might find themselves joining the infected ranks.

Bai Yu shut his eyes tight, focusing all his attention on his hearing. He listened
intently to the surrounding sounds, the crisp whistle of spent casings being
ejected. There were probably only a few Walkers around.
To avoid getting separated, a thin rope was tied to the left hands of each member,
allowing them to carefully feel their way forward.

Reaching WXH Island off the coast of Okinawa from Tokyo would have been simple in
the past, but now that trains and planes were grounded, traveling on foot was
impossible. Their goal was to reach the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF)
strongholds established throughout Tokyo. Bai Yu claimed to have experience
piloting a JSDF AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter, the circumstances of which were left
unsaid.

However, they would not only have to contend with the Walkers (those infected
individuals who had lost their ability to walk and had been turned into walking
machines), but also with the JSDF. It was a challenging situation. It was ironic
and tragic that even when humanity faced extinction, infighting still occurred.

*Ding, ding, ding... Swish!* A series of clear metallic sounds echoed as something
scraped against the concrete floor. The four members formed a back-to-back square,
each watching a different direction. Chu Hu's hand trembled, but she saw a dark
shape rapidly approaching from directly in front. Blindly firing her weapon, she
wasted bullets with short bursts, fortunate only that she was wielding a Desert
Eagle with unlimited ammunition. Long Bao, standing to her right, quickly spun
around, his M16 spitting a stream of fire, spent casings hitting the ground.

"Swish, swish, swish... Whoosh!" The Corpse on the Walker was riddled with holes,
and its putrid fumes billowed out in all directions. The Walker's movement slowed.

"What are you waiting for? Move!" The sounds of *Ding, ding, ding* seemed to be
growing louder in the distance. A bad feeling rose in Long Bao's chest. He shouted
at Chu Hu, who was still in a daze.

During the Vietnam War, an American soldier once caught a poisonous snake in the
jungle, killed it in the camp, and its blood spread in the air. Days later, a swarm
of snakes migrated and gathered in the camp, and no one survived. Could the Fish's
bacteria have a similar effect? Or was there an invisible force drawing the Walkers
to this location?

The surviving members of the Reincarnation Squad didn't have time to think. They
quickly ran in the opposite direction.

Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but the decaying fumes floating in the
air seemed to be mixed with a faint milky white color and traces of black, flowing
in the same direction they were headed. As the noxious air moved, the surroundings
gradually became clearer, revealing the rows of lifeless skyscrapers and the
debris-filled streets. In just one month, Tokyo, a bustling financial metropolis,
had become a desolate ghost town.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed, like the boom of artillery fire, reverberating
between the high-rise buildings. As they ran, the improved visibility allowed them
to see the swollen corpses spewing foul odors towards the idle Walkers, either from
the side or head-on. Each time they made contact, the rows of fishbone-like spikes
would tightly secure them, and long tubes would extend from the underside of the
Walker to plug the mouths and anuses, and then they began to move. This scene had
played out repeatedly over the past month.

They turned a corner at an intersection, and the booming sound seemed to get
closer. It was nearby.

The members of the Reincarnation Squad had just arrived when they saw a naked man,
covered in red blotches and with a rapidly swelling body, crawling toward them. He
had probably only been infected for two days and still retained some awareness.

"Help me! Please, help me!" The man flailed desperately, crawling forward despite
the group's wary attitude.

"The foot is coming... it's coming, the foot is coming!" Before he could finish, a
hail of bullets tore him apart.

"What did he say? What 'foot'?" Long Bao lowered his gun, quickly reloading, and
asked the group.

Long Bao was bringing up the rear, and the three people in front blocked his view.
Huang Jian swallowed hard, his tongue faltering. He replied, "That... that must be
the 'foot' he was talking about!"

A spider-like entity slowly emerged from the gloomy mist, each movement accompanied
by a *clang... clang* sound. When it was fully visible, it sent shivers down their
spines.

It was an enormous Walker, each side supported by four thick, spindly iron spike
legs. It resembled a whale-like Walker, with hundreds of Corpses piled on top of it
like a small mountain. Countless pipes coiled and intertwined. And a few people,
like the man they had just killed, who had not yet completely lost consciousness,
cried and screamed as they tried to crawl out.

But it seemed to be in vain.

Return to Contents

## 074 The Return of the Supposedly Dead

074 The Return of the Supposedly Dead

Table of Contents

A thick, milky-white fog, seemingly alive, began to emanate from the pile of Shiren
corpses. Suddenly, several thick tendrils of gas shot out, transforming into hand-
like shapes that wrapped around the infected individuals. The fog writhed and
pulsed, spawning more and more of these white, arm-like appendages, creating a
powerful, irresistible suction. The infected were instantly pulled into the heap of
corpses, their screams immediately silenced by thick, fleshy tubes that clamped
over their mouths.

More chaotic sounds erupted. Long Bao, horrified, realized that wave after wave of
shambling walkers were appearing around them. Then, another earth-shattering
“BOOM…!” echoed from ahead.

The source of the booming noise was finally revealed. Several tanks emerged from
behind the massive walking machine. Their once-camouflage green hulls now seemed
black under the oppressive atmosphere. Two searchlights illuminated the walking
machine. Self-Defense Force soldiers in the tanks strafed the smaller walkers with
assault rifles, while the 90-type main gun of the tanks elevated, taking aim.

"Take cover! The SDF's artillery and those walkers are equally deadly!" Long Bao
shouted, but the idea, while sound, was utterly impractical. They were trapped:
either overwhelmed by walkers or blasted to pieces by artillery fire.
Just then, with lightning speed, hundreds of corpses on the gigantic walking
machine simultaneously expanded to twice their size, then abruptly contracted as if
instantly becoming skin and bone. A piercing, whistling sound erupted as a powerful
blast of air shot out from two exhaust ports at the rear of the walking machine.
The sheer force propelled the behemoth dozens of meters forward, while the multi-
ton Type 90 tanks were buffeted and skewed sideways.

Everyone stared, wide-eyed. It was that gas. The gas spewing from the walking
machine was a mixture of black and white, and it was eerily familiar. The entire
street was enveloped, creating the feeling of being trapped in a dream. The gas
seemed to solidify, feeling elastic and yielding when touched. Threads of black gas
flowed rapidly, forming countless distorted figures. From these figures, endless
arms reached out, attempting to drag everyone down to hell.

The Self-Defense Force soldiers, gripping their machine guns, could only offer
fear. Their frantic, futile gunfire felt like shooting at air – a desperate act of
self-gratification that changed nothing. Instead, the unseen arms, seemingly
reaching up from the underworld, gripped their bodies, draining their life and soul
until only a pile of rotting flesh remained.

The few surviving members of the Reincarnation Team were also entangled…

Was this it? Was this the end, a total wipeout?

A wet “噗``” sound cut through the air, followed by a rain of blood. The all-
enveloping fog and the tormented spirits instantly evaporated upon contact with the
crimson mist, those that lingered were seared as if burnt alive. A figure
materialized, shocking the few survivors who could barely believe their eyes. Half
of a pair of white trousers was obscured by a large white shirt. The snow-white
clothes seemed darker than black. Most shockingly his eyes...

One eye was a cruel, blood red, the other a deep, sorrowful green.

The blood-smeared youth was none other than, Zou Hang!

Was this some kind of zombie resurrection? Zou Hang had died! How could this be
happening?

(Reader: "I want a refund! I'm not watching this if the character is dead and
suddenly comes back to life! Are you messing with me?"

Author: "Hold on! Hold on! Don't panic, folks! If the main character dies, what am
I supposed to write about? Keep reading to find out why!")

As the Dagger of Divine Punishment pierced Zou Hang's heart, a crimson light
exploded outwards. The tormented spirits shrieked in agony, enveloped by the red
light, evaporating, vanishing, burning away without any chance of survival. Zou
Hang felt every drop of blood in his body begin to boil, rushing to and circulating
around his heart at breakneck speed. It was as if he had been thrown into a
furnace, refined by hellish flames.

When it was over, Zou Hang lost consciousness. The Dagger of Divine Punishment, now
completely black, fell from his grasp, turning into ash as it hit the ground.

All the blood coursing through his veins was burning, flowing through every cell of
his body. The Dagger of Divine Punishment was destroyed. It had always been a very
ordinary dagger; its essence was simply a small amount of Cain's blood. When Zou
Hang's vampire instincts were unleashed, that energy, sharing a common origin,
began to assimilate and fuse. Although Cain's blood was present in only minute
amounts, it was incredibly potent, carrying the weight of God's curse.

A vampire's power comes from blood, and Zou Hang's blood had been fundamentally
altered.

Furthermore, the fish's bacteria were not merely bacteria, they were a vector for
the tormented spirits. But these spirits, that infested Zou Hang's body, were
utterly helpless against the power of the curse and were annihilated. Because of
God's curse, any human, living being, or tormented spirit would have their soul
seared or be utterly annihilated, body and spirit. However, the amount of Cain's
blood was too small, and the resultant power was substantially reduced.

By absorbing Cain's blood, Zou Hang's cell activity directly increased by 130,
reaching 200. He became completely immune to the fish's virus. His mental strength
also increased by 30, reaching 131. He acquired the skill 'Blood Oath,' which
allowed him to spray his own blood (fused with Cain's curse) with a similar effect
to the Divine Punishment, though the dispersed power meant that the impact was
greatly diminished.

Through a series of improbable coincidences, Zou Hang had virtually advanced a

special level above his vampire bloodline. Although his lineage was still that of a
Viscount, it had been mutated. As to whether the Dagger of Divine Punishment,
obtained through a Dual-C side quest and 1500 survival points, would still possess
any other effects, it was unknown. However, was the possibility of this kind of
mutation was incredibly remote? If it weren't for the 'fish' bacteria mitigating
half the damage, his high level of cell activity and neural reaction for
adjustment, and the Viscount Vampire system, impaling himself with the Divine
Punishment would have been a certain suicide. Even if all the conditions were the
same, the chance of successfully completing this mutation would be less than 1%.

Enduring the fusion of powers caused Zou Hang to fall unconscious for a month.
During this time, his body slowly healed due to the power of his cell regeneration.
If the surviving members of the Reincarnation Team had returned to that room, they
would surely have witnessed this bizarre scene. However, apart from one visit to
take Zou Hang's spatial bag, no one came back. After all, in this terrifying world,
everyone was struggling to survive, who would care about a dead man?

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 075 Her -->

075 Her

Table of Contents

Zou Hang opened his eyes in surprise, finding himself in a pitch-black room. The
faint glow of various rays permeated the air, and he noticed that the world
appeared red through one eye and green through the other.

"Am I dead? Where is this? Hell? Heaven?" Zou Hang whispered, his voice barely
audible. As someone who had exchanged for a vampire lineage with blood as its power
source, he suddenly felt a surge of energy within him that was completely
unfamiliar. It was as if his own blood had become alien. Yet, there was also a
strange familiarity – this power felt like the fluctuations he experienced when
holding Divine Punishment.
He moved his stiff limbs, surprised to find that he was no longer trapped in that
bloated, repulsive body. Trusting his instincts, he knew he wasn't dead; he had
miraculously survived and escaped the clutches of the 'fish.'

Though the reason remained unclear, he felt a sense of relief. The lingering stench
of corpses made it clear that he was still in the 'fish' world.

Straightening up, Zou Hang felt a familiar dizziness. Having survived the "Final
Destination 1" trial, he knew he was once again a blood-deficient vampire.

At the same time that Zou Hang regained consciousness, several rookies from the
reincarnation team, with a ‘The wind howls, the Yi River chills; once the brave are
gone, they never return’ spirit, were cautiously descending the stairs.

The surroundings were still familiar. He pushed open the door and stepped out of
the room. The door to the reincarnation team's previous room was still open. The
electric lights were useless, decorations only in the absence of power. What should
have been complete darkness was surprisingly clear to Zou Hang, as if viewed
through infrared and night-vision goggles simultaneously.

A trace of lingering heat hung in the air. In the center of the room, a partially
burned candle sent up wisps of pale smoke, indicating the others had left only
recently.

Zou Hang was about to track them down to see how many of his subordinates had
survived and to find some sustenance to replenish his blood. But just as he turned,
a whistling sound came from the closed room inside.

Fish? Human? He wasn't sure. However, his previous concern regarding the bacteria
was gone, as he no longer feared them. He seemed completely resistant.

Zou Hang moved the pile of furniture blocking the door, unlocked it, and went
inside. The room was bare, even the windows were boarded up, leaving only small
cracks. The most striking object in the room was a bloated corpse lying face down
on the floor. The body continued to contract and expand, emitting gusts of foul gas
from its anus, which was raised towards the door, and mouth.

Casually, Zou Hang walked around it, looking at its face.

In the yellowish pus that almost completely filled the pupils, he saw a reflection
of himself. Suddenly, the infected person twitched, struggling to lift itself
slightly with its short, bloated limbs.

"Zou... Hang... Hang..." Surprisingly, the infected creature, which should have
completely lost its consciousness, managed to utter these two words through its
sausage-like lips.

But those infected by the 'fish' bacteria shouldn't retain any self-awareness. The
infected person's reaction must be purely instinct, a very powerful one.

Initially surprised by her words, Zou Hang smiled wryly. He had encountered an
acquaintance. An Ran was still alive. But looking at her current hideous and
disgusting state, crawling on the ground, even with her brain and spirit dead,
while her body continued to suffer, was undeniably pathetic.

(It's not over yet. It's only just begun.)

Almost as soon as he entered the 'fish' world, after Huang Jian recounted the
horror of the 'fish,' Zou Hang had decided to let An Ran fully experience this
pain. Although circumstances had changed unexpectedly, it was not too late.

Grabbing her bloated ankle, he dragged the unrecognizable An Ran out of the room
and slowly pulled her down the stairs. Completely lost in herself, An Ran shrieked
constantly, spewing out corpse gas.

As Zou Hang stood on the debris-filled street, facing a walker, he let go.
Inexplicably, an unnatural mist appeared in front of the walker, condensing into a
milky white hand that surrounded An Ran's corpse. Seemingly, the now-brainless An
Ran suddenly understood and desperately resisted this power, but to no avail. She
was forcefully dragged onto the walker.

"Boom!" A loud explosion came from not far away. But Zou Hang saw through the
thick, encompassing fog, noticing a commotion at the far end of the street.

Zou Hang turned and strode towards it. Behind him, An Ran, now on the walker, let
out what sounded like a desperate scream of agony, as the two rows of spikes fixed
her in place. From both ends of the walker, several hard plastic tubes extended,
forcefully inserted into An Ran's anus and mouth. The long-dormant walker had found
another source of energy, and its four iron-spike supports began to tremble.

...

Picking up where the last chapter left off, as Zou Hang saw the surviving rookies
from the reincarnation team surrounded by vengeful spirits, his dizziness worsened.
If he didn't replenish his blood soon, he might pass out.

Perhaps it was because of this, that as Zou Hang was infected, and had faced
wraiths surrounded him, they were nothing compared to what lay before him. He
barely had time to be surprised by the wraith's transformation. After witnessing
several team members turn into mush, it was unlikely that those rookies would have
a drop of blood left.

The meager blood remaining in his body seemed to sense Zou Hang's thoughts and beat
wildly against his veins, as if trying to burst out. Without a second thought, Zou
Hang threw up violently in that direction. As his blood touched the omnipresent
black and milky-white mist, it exploded forward with a 'shh' sound. Wherever the
blood landed, clarity ensued.

The vengeful spirits were torn open. Although the gap wasn't large and would soon
close again, the wailing wraiths were terrified, turning back like the walkers
carrying hundreds of corpses, fleeing rapidly.

Seeing his chance, time was of the essence. Bai Yu and the others ran towards Zou
Hang, and Long Bao scooped up the staggering Zou Hang and carried him towards the
90 tank. Laying Zou Hang on the tank's armor plating, and seeing Zou Hang’s
heterochromatic eyes and extreme weakness filled them with excitement. Disregarding
their current peril, they began to ask questions.

"Zou Hang, you're not dead!" Long Bao shook Zou Hang's arms excitedly.

"Then we still have a chance to leave here!" Chu Hu said joyfully.

Bai Yu, seeing the almost unconscious Zou Hang, shouted, "Don't move him! He's very
weak right now!"

"What do we do?" Huang Jian asked anxiously, staring at the barely conscious Zou
Hang.
"Blood...!" Zou Hang said weakly, barely managing to croak the word.

Just now, Zou Hang had unintentionally used the Blood Pact skill he acquired after
absorbing Cain's blood during his exceptional evolution. This vampire skill, like
Rapid Movement, requires a large consumption of blood. Its power is great, but the
price is also high, like a double-edged sword that injures the user first.
Furthermore, Zou Hang was already anemic from his recent recovery.

<!-- 076 An Ran -->

076 An Ran

Table of Contents

It could even be considered a stroke of luck. If Zou Hang had unleashed that attack
while brimming with blood, it wouldn't just have cleared away the vengeful spirits;
even the souls of those standing in that direction earlier would likely have been
scorched to death.

"What did you say?" Long Bao, not having caught Zou Hang's words, hurriedly asked.

Blood? Where to find blood? There were scarcely any living people left around. That
meant only...? Huang Jian had clearly remembered the single word Zou Hang uttered,
and the thought sent him glancing around at his remaining companions. With a swift
movement, he raised his hand.

A sharp 'bang' rang out. Chu Hu abruptly had a bloody hole appear in her body.
Stunned, she touched the wound where blood flowed, looking at Huang Jian with utter
disbelief before collapsing.

"Killing a teammate incurs a penalty of 1000 survival points," the Main God's
notification echoed in Huang Jian's ears once more. To this point, Huang Jian had
already killed five people. If he managed to complete the mission and return to the
Main God's space, at best, he could only get a B-level side story, and absolutely
zero survival points.

However, Huang Jian remained oblivious. He didn’t even know what survival points
were. Had he understood the implications, he likely wouldn't have acted this way!

The gunshot immediately drew the attention of Long Bao and Bai Yu. Vampire-like,
naturally drawn to blood, the scent permeated the air, twitching Zou Hang's
nostrils.

"Suck blood!" Zou Hang opened his mouth, and instantly, Chu Hu's blood gushed from
her wound, transforming into countless droplets that shot into Zou Hang's mouth
with incredible speed. Not a single drop was wasted.

Slightly recovered, Zou Hang opened his eyes, taking in the peculiar gazes of Bai
Yu and Long Bao fixed on Huang Jian. He gave a bitter laugh. "One step too late,
and all of your blood would probably already be flowing through my veins. Your
lives still belong to me. Learn to let others experience infinite terror. People
must learn to reserve air for themselves to breathe!"

The world is perhaps like this. Not just a world of terror, but the real world.
Abide by the rules. Only the fittest survive, don't concern yourself with morality
and justice. Those things will only get you killed.
Perhaps it was at this very moment that the three rookies had a complete epiphany,
a realization that would allow them to live far longer than many others.

If you carefully examine Zou Hang's actions, the vast majority of his decisions
demonstrate that he truly understands the concept of 'sacrifice.' In fact, he's
maximizing his success to the greatest extent possible, relentlessly striving to
complete the mission. Aside from An Ran, all those he killed served that singular
purpose.

"Who knows how to drive a Type-90 tank?" Zou Hang suddenly inquired.

"I do," Long Bao instinctively replied.

"Get it moving. That thing is coming." Zou Hang's deep gaze locked onto the
colossal form. At that moment, the walking machine, burdened with hundreds of
corpses, had joined with countless others surrounding them. The countless vengeful
spirits floating above were merging and guiding them, rushing towards the
Reincarnation Squad.

Long Bao nimbly climbed into the driver's seat, bringing the 'big hunk of iron' to
life. Bai Yu and Huang Jian hurriedly jumped onto the tank's armor plating, loading
their M16s.

The swarm of vengeful spirits seemed to fear Zou Hang, hesitant to approach, but as
shrill cries echoed, all the surrounding walking machines compressed a corpse-like
gas from their bodies. Not only did this cause the vengeful spirits to grow larger,
but the resulting force propelled them towards the Reincarnation Squad with
tremendous momentum.

Long Bao had started the Type-90 tank, but tanks weren't Formula 1 racing cars;
their speed was a snail's pace compared to the walking machines.

'Clang clang clang, ding ding ding' sounds rang out as many walkers rapidly pursued
them.

The smog-like fog lingered, greatly limiting visibility, forcing Long Bao to drive
forward by instinct alone. But everything was clear in Zou Hang's eyes. A walker
was closing in. As he raised his M16 to aim, he noticed something familiar.

An Ran?

Zou Hang double-checked. The walker closest to him was indeed An Ran without a
doubt.

"Zou... Zou..." The dull sounds were very mechanical. But Zou Hang did not
understand. Did not understand why An Ran could still say his name. Instinct,
indeed An Ran no longer had her own thoughts. But he had treated her like this and
she still...

The swarm of countless walkers approached. And An Ran urged the walking machine to
turn and charge into the swarm. For a time, causing a commotion. For some reason,
An Ran's appearance, even though it was of the same kind, caused the crowd to react
even more violently than the Reincarnation Squad. In an instant she was besieged.

An Ran's actions played out in slow motion in Zou Hang's eyes.

What was she doing? Didn't she lack independent thought? Why? Instinct?
Instantly, the memories in his mind flashed like a carousel. Instinct? In 'Cold
People,' also infected, Ji Li's instinct made her say, "If only one person can
live, I hope it's you." And in 'Final Destination,' when Zou Hang and An Ran were
the only ones left, An Ran said the same thing.

Zou Hang had always placed An Ran as a 'tool.' After that, he classified her as a
'dead person.' Regardless of the time, Zou Hang had never taken to heart An Ran's
concern for him, on the contrary, he was full of hostility towards her. Was this
right or wrong?

"Am I wrong?" Zou Hang murmured to himself.

In deciding to make use of An Ran, he had tricked her into accepting love. Zou Hang
never planned on giving his own love, and he himself really did not know what love
was.

Perhaps Zou Hang understood An Ran's actions, everything she did was because of her
love for him.

"Do I love her?" Zou Hang asked himself again. Thinking back on the first time they
met, everything that happened in between. When Zou Hang subconsciously wanted to
lower his head, he shook his head hard and said, "No!"

He told himself he had no love. Looking around, at the present. Zou Hang watched An
Ran, already surrounded...

"Let's go. Hurry up!" Bai Yu shouted anxiously, seeing Zou Hang still rooted to the
spot.

That shout was like the starting pistol going off. Bai Yu was surprised to find Zou
Hang's figure disappeared from the spot, and instantly appeared repeatedly at
different points, leaping into the swarm of walkers.

Blood Oath!

A heavy blood mist, seemingly obscuring the world more than the corpse gas, shone
more brightly. As if piercing through the void, it fell like a thunderclap, washing
a clear area in the dense cluster of walkers. In an instant, a few seconds later,
on the Type-90 tank, Zou Hang lay collapsed, a trace of blood still on the corner
of his mouth, but his right hand firmly grasped an iron spike-like support.

Huang Jian and Bai Yu were shocked, just as they were about to raise their guns to
shoot, Bai Yu suddenly shouted, "An Ran!"

It was An Ran.

<!-- 077 With Ulterior Motives 1 -->

077 With Ulterior Motives 1

Contents

When the bloody mist in the air dissipated, all that remained was an empty scene.
The GPS on the Type 90 tank allowed Long Bao to easily locate the nearest JSDF
(Japan Self-Defense Forces) stronghold: the National Diet Building in Tokyo. Faced
with countless crazed walkers, they needed to rely on some kind of force. At the
very least, Zou Hang, who was once again slipping into near unconsciousness,
desperately needed a large amount of blood.

Along the way, the number of walkers seemed to be decreasing, but the National Diet
Building in the distance had become a makeshift war command center, bathed in the
glaring, almost blinding light of spotlights. It was like a new moon slicing
through the fog in the dead of night. Barbed wire fences surrounded the area, with
the faint crackle of electricity dancing through them. Clearly, they weren't
worried about the electricity bill that month. Dozens of heavy machine guns were
set up at the entrances, and the parking lot in front of the Diet Building had
become a tank depot.

Troop carriers and helicopters were busily coming and going, but there was no
panic, and everything was handled with impressive efficiency.

"Stop!" Bai Yu shouted, knocking on the tank's hull to get Long Bao's attention in
the cockpit.

The tank pulled over onto the sidewalk on the side of the street, positioning
itself in a blind spot. The lingering stench of decaying corpses still permeated
the air. Visibility was so poor that even a vehicle passing by just a few meters
away wouldn't notice them. The JSDF inside the Diet Building couldn't see them
here, but the members of the Samsara Squad could observe their every move. Of
course, this was unless the JSDF used high-tech equipment like radar and thermal
detectors.

Hearing Bai Yu's shout, Long Bao immediately stopped, asking in confusion, "What's
wrong?"

"If we just drive straight up there, we'll get blasted with an anti-tank rocket,
guaranteed!" Bai Yu said, nodding her head towards An Ran.

Long Bao had already climbed onto the armored plating. Bai Yu's meaning was clear:
no matter what, if they drove straight in, those guys would definitely open fire on
An Ran as she looks now, without hesitation. Besides, in the past month, almost 50%
of the survivors appearing on the roads had been infected and turned into monsters.
45% were shot dead indiscriminately. The remaining 5% included them. With only a
few days of food left, three men had gone out to find some supplies, only to run
into the JSDF and barely escape. It was easy to imagine that even if An Ran wasn't
in her current state, their chances of getting in would be slim.

"Then what do we do? We can't just stay here forever!" Huang Jian said, as if
hearing some familiar ‘ding-dong’ sounds again. It probably wouldn't be long before
the walkers found them again.

For a moment, the three men looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.
Suddenly, Zou Hang sat up abruptly, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Blood
loss had left him somewhat dizzy. He pressed hard on his temples to clear his head.
Then, he turned and jumped off the tank, walking towards the National Diet
Building. He saw the place was laid bare before him.

"You guys stay here!" Zou Hang said, staggering as he walked, as if he might fall
at any moment.

Long Bao was about to call him back. After all, they were now facing the well-
equipped JSDF. If those Japanese started shooting without warning, it could be even
more dangerous than facing hundreds of corpse-laden walkers.

Bai Yu stopped Long Bao, exchanged a glance with him, and gestured for him to be
quiet. Then, she shouted to Zou Hang, "What about An Ran?" The tank's armored
plating wasn't very big. An Ran and Zou Hang were at the rear section, while Huang
Jian and Bai Yu were in the command and firing positions at the front. They weren't
far apart.

Zou Hang stopped, paused for a few seconds, and then continued forward, muttering
to himself, "I don't even know why I brought her along. You guys be careful!"

"Why didn't you let me stop him?" Long Bao asked, puzzled.

Bai Yu casually removed a magazine from an M16, began ejecting the bullets,
seemingly unconcerned. She said calmly, "Facing the Yellow River ahead and Cao’s
army pursuing from behind, what other choice do you have?" (idiomatic expression
meaning "Between a rock and a hard place") The bullets were ejected in an instant,
and Bai Yu skillfully reloaded the magazine. She continued, "Zou Hang is very
powerful. While it's absolutely impossible for him to take on the JSDF alone, he
has, at least here," she pointed to her forehead, "absolute intelligence. Do you
think he hasn't considered that? Although we haven't known him for long, I'm sure
he'll survive even if we all die. Instead of worrying about him, you should worry
about yourselves!"

"That's right!" Long Bao nodded. He also began to reload his weapon repeatedly.
Suddenly, he looked at An Ran and asked, "There's one thing I don't understand. Why
did Zou Hang pull An Ran back? According to his usual way of doing things...
also... Although An Ran didn't say it, she contracted the infection after seeing
Zou Hang that time. What's the meaning of all this?"

Bai Yu frowned, but couldn't figure it out. Huang Jian, on the other hand, laughed
and said, "That's what I admire about him. It seems Zou Hang still wants to play
SM."

After Huang Jian finished speaking, Long Bao and Bai Yu suddenly gave him a
chilling look, making Huang Jian's hair stand on end. He also pulled out his M16
and, as if to change the subject, asked, "What are you guys doing, unloading and
reloading the bullets?"

Hearing this, the two of them suddenly smiled. In this endless, terrifying horror
movie, the very survival of this smile, shone a glimmer of light upon the heartache
that lay beneath. A strange camaraderie emerged between the three men. It was as if
this feeling was defined as male friendship, something that Zou Hang seemed to
lack.

Two flowers bloom, each representing a branch. While the rear was now a suitable
place for a short break, Zou Hang knew that a direct confrontation with the JSDF
was unavoidable in this attempt to establish his authority. The most important
thing was how to achieve the desired effect while he could still stand on his feet.

In fact, the energy field, a piece of ultra-technology, although already wasted

three times, still had plenty of energy left. Even if it was focused on by multiple
heavy firepower points, it could last for at least fifteen minutes. As long as he
could grasp this balance, he could gain a bargaining chip by intimidating them.

After his recent encounter with the vengeful spirits, he had understood a very
crucial method. So, Zou Hang now needed the 'help' of these JSDF members.

<!-- 078 Harboring Ulterior Motives 2 -->

078 Harboring Ulterior Motives 2

Table of Contents

The National Assembly building was a hive of activity. It wasn't that the Self-
Defense Force members, believing labor to be the noblest pursuit, were unwilling to
rest. Ever since Japan had fallen, they had been forced to maintain a tight grip,
on standby 24/7. Their greatest wish was to get a good night's sleep, but that was
simply impossible. And every patrol could be a one-way trip.

"Oshima and his crew have been out for half a day. Why aren't they back yet? Could
it be..." At that moment, near a Type 90 tank in the National Assembly's parking
lot, a worried soldier muttered.

His words seemed to infuriate a soldier nearby. The man erupted in anger, shouting,
"Even if you die, Oshima won't!"

A conflict seemed imminent, but a soldier half-emerged from the driver's hatch and
stepped between them, preventing a fight. He slapped the first soldier and
reprimanded, "Matsushita, you know Oshima and Takenaka have been brothers for over
twenty years. Stop being such a jinx!"

The soldier named Matsushita was also agitated. For the past month, all of Japan
had been overrun by walkers, and each mission risked losing more brothers. His
worry wasn't without reason, and he was genuinely concerned. He retorted angrily,
"Da, what are you saying? I'm Oshima's younger brother! Would I curse my own
brother?"

It looked like the argument was about to escalate further, but just then, the tank
emitted a 'beep-beep' sound. Da perked up and said happily, "Oshima's coming back!
Looks like my sensor wasn't a waste after all. It directly averted an impending
'bloodbath'!"

Hearing this, both men visibly relaxed. They exchanged awkward smiles. Da stood on
the tank, peering into the distance, but his vision was obscured by the stench of
rotting corpses hanging in the air.

More than ten minutes passed. Still, no tank appeared. Da grew increasingly
puzzled. The sensor was designed to trigger within a 1000-meter radius, yet after
all this time, there was no sign of the tank. Then, he vaguely spotted a faint
figure approaching.

"Halt!" Outside the camp, at the only entrance, a squad of twelve soldiers blocked
Zou Hang's path. They eyed him suspiciously. His appearance and attire made it
clear that he couldn't possibly be one of them. Furthermore, Zou Hang's mismatched
red and green pupils and snow-white hair sent a shiver down their spines, creating
a sense of unease. The government had issued a strict ban on civilians venturing
out, with orders to kill any found on the streets. Over the past month, many
desperate people had sought refuge here, only to be killed to prevent the spread of
the terrible infection. Now, almost no one dared to approach.

"Who are you?" An officer demanded, aiming his gun.

"I need to see your commanding officer. I have a way to eliminate all the monsters
here!" Zou Hang said calmly, dropping a bombshell.

His words only momentarily stunned them; they certainly didn't believe him. They
assumed it was a trick to gain entry. The officer sternly snapped, "Leave this
place immediately, or we'll be forced to take action!"
*Foolish, ignorant humans,* Zou Hang thought with a wry smile. *Am I not human
myself?* A wave of dizziness washed over him; he was on the verge of collapse. Zou
Hang pointed at the officer and said, "I won't kill you. Go and relay my message!"

"Open fire!" The officer, exasperated, had seen people beg, but never someone dare
to threaten him. At his command, over a dozen submachine guns erupted, forming a
wall of bullets tearing through Zou Hang's afterimage.

In a split second, Zou Hang had vanished. The light in his red and green eyes
intensified, activating the "Thin Blood" skill. The blood of eleven Self-Defense
Force soldiers burst through their veins, flesh, and skin. Nearly a hundred liters
of blood was forcefully ejected, like a raging geyser. While the officer was still
paralyzed with terror, the eleven soldiers had been reduced to mummified corpses.

Recovering from the horror, the officer frantically ran towards the entrance's
transfer room. One of the soldiers who had witnessed the gruesome scene pressed the
red alert button. Instantly, the entire base was thrown into chaos, everyone
rushing to their stations. Soldiers at the front line were reinforced with covering
fire. Every functional weapon was aimed at Zou Hang.

Although most didn't understand what was happening, the sight of Zou Hang,
seemingly invulnerable, ignoring the threat of hundreds of machine guns and
emerging unscathed from the explosion of three rockets, filled them with dread. The
"fish" effect perhaps magnified this fear; the constant pressure had driven them to
the brink of a nervous breakdown. Their morale was shattered. Had there been an
escape route, they would have already deserted.

Perhaps his psychological fortitude was unusually strong, or maybe he was impressed
by Zou Hang's abilities, but the officer who had fled earlier, seeing Zou Hang
casually strolling through the hail of bullets, had an epiphany. Without
overthinking it, he picked up a communicator...

Perhaps Zou Hang was pushing himself too hard. After all, the energy field was just
a cheap "C-level storyline" item. It was struggling to withstand the full force of
the army's attack. Fortunately, the thick smoke created a smokescreen effect.
Taking advantage of the lingering haze, he flashed out of range, leaving most of
the firepower behind him.

Zou Hang had reached the vicinity of the tank parking lot. Tanks were useful
against fortifications and armored vehicles, but against Zou Hang, even if they
could hit a mosquito with a cannon, they couldn't possibly hit him.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 079 Harboring a Secret Agenda Part 3 -->

079 Harboring a Secret Agenda Part 3

Table of Contents

The cumbersome machines sat like piles of scrap metal. When Zou Hang employed his
blood-sucking skill, the infantry slayers atop the tanks all became desiccated
corpses. Moreover, the tanks themselves provided a barrier, forcing the circling
attack helicopters to pull back and resort to heavy machine gun fire.

Gazing at the energy field shield, as thin as a cicada's wing, Zou Hang inhaled
sharply. The National Diet Building was now only a thousand meters away. Reaching
its confines should provide a level of wartime security, preventing him from being
quite so vulnerable. Having absorbed the blood of nearly a hundred people, Zou Hang
felt a power surge unlike anything he had previously experienced. Yet, something
felt amiss.

As a vampire, he possessed the ability to quantify his internal blood level. If his
maximum capacity was, say, 100, then absorbing the blood of nine people would have
typically filled him. However, when he forcibly absorbed more blood, a shudder
would bring the level down to 10. Now, after absorbing the blood of a hundred, Zou
Hang felt he only had around 70 within him.

Unbeknownst to Zou Hang, this was a unique aspect of vampires. Blood was the
wellspring of his power. Had he been in the Main God Space, he would have been
astonished to discover that his mental strength had reached 139.

He had no time to dwell on it. The surrounding tanks were scattering. Instantly,
Zou Hang spat a mouthful of blood mist into the sky. This time, he attempted to
control it.

Using the Blood Oath skill, he managed to control about thirty percent of his
blood. The power was considerably reduced compared to when he used it against the
wronged souls, but a potent force still erupted outward. A hovering attack
helicopter was caught directly within the blast. Although the agonizing screams of
the Self-Defense Force members inside were drowned out by the explosion, their
bodies remained intact, yet they felt as if their souls had been cast into the
depths of hell. The same fate befell the surrounding dozens of tanks, but it seemed
the Blood Oath was selective, targeting living beings and having no effect on the
metal behemoths.

At the building's entrance and rooftop, several more fortified positions remained.
The road ahead was completely blanketed by fire. His energy shield was down to its
final charge, and so depleted that even a small rock could shatter it. Using Flash
Step now would almost certainly turn him into Swiss cheese before he even got
close.

However, panic and disarray had never been part of Zou Hang's nature. Sharp eyes,
acute neural reflexes – Zou Hang rose and began to warm up, preparing for a
lightning-fast dash. He could no longer afford to be cautious. The 1000-meter
distance wasn't far for the skill. If he could dodge the bullets and reach the
building, the eight Self-Defense Force soldiers guarding it would provide him with
more than enough sustenance to replenish his reserves.

At that moment, Zou Hang's vision blurred. The world around him seemed to freeze,
as if time and space had slowed down by a factor of 24. Yet, Zou Hang was somewhat
different. He felt surprised. The Rapid Movement he used now felt slower than it
did in "Final Destination 1."

This perception wasn’t a misjudgment on Zou Hang's part. In "Final Destination 1,"
his mental strength had been barely half of what it was now. And mental strength
directly influenced the skill's power.

Nevertheless, Zou Hang's movement wasn't fast now. Even with his strained run, it
was full of resistance. The friction of the air strongly opposed his body's
progress. If his muscular structure were more highly enhanced, he would have found
it easier. However, this had always been his weak point. Thankfully, his keen
neural reflexes quickly formed a picture of the bullets' trajectories in his mind,
and he calculated the optimal path forward.

When Zou Hang felt his body was almost completely drained of blood, he finally
broke through the hail of fire and appeared behind the eight Self-Defense Force
soldiers. They were still frantically firing at Zou Hang's previous location.

Just then, a group of anxious people emerged from the lobby of the National Diet
Building. A squad of soldiers formed an outer ring, protecting the politicians in
the middle, men with fleshy faces and bulging bellies. However, among them was a
silver-haired middle-aged man with a determined yet slightly sinister expression.

As they faced the main entrance of the lobby, a terrifying scene unfolded. They saw
a wraith-like young man, his sickly thin body constantly sucking blood from the
necks of the Self-Defense Force soldiers. As it ended, he seemed to have noticed
them. He gave a backward glance, a wisp of crimson at the corner of his lips, and
the nearly demonic pupils in his eyes paralyzed everyone present with an oppressive
aura that made it hard to breathe.

Zou Hang had recovered his strength. His eyes scanned the group, focusing on the
silver-haired man, who looked like a high-ranking official. As he turned, he saw a
burly army general covered in medals standing beside him. He staggered. The general
forcibly suppressed the fear that had just paralyzed him. His face contorted with
anger, he grabbed a submachine gun and sprayed bullets at Zou Hang.

Zou Hang's Flash Step could easily have evaded his attack, but the originally
spacious corridor had been narrowed by sandbags and other obstructions. As he
appeared in front of the man, several bullets embedded themselves in Zou Hang's
skin. However, the bullet holes that broke the skin, exposing flesh and blood,
weren't much of a problem. Cells and skin visibly regenerated at an accelerating
rate, pushing the bullets out of his body, which fell onto the marble floor with a
'ding-ding' sound. The bullet wounds completely healed, leaving no scars behind.
Everyone present stared in disbelief, as if they were looking at an alien.

Zou Hang knew that his heightened cellular activity was due to the changes in his
bloodline, but the others didn't understand, and gazed at him with eyes that were
both surprised and fearful.

Zou Hang had no reason to show mercy to those who hurt him. In front of everyone,
the army general, who had been as strong as an ox, was now as helpless as a
chicken. Or rather, he was not helpless, but the only thing he felt, after seeing
all the blood in his body leave him in seconds, was only his departure from this
world.

"I want to see your supreme commander. I have a way to eliminate all the monsters
here!" Zou Hang said again, his voice devoid of emotion.

In their eyes, Zou Hang himself seemed to be on the same side as the monsters, but
the power he displayed amid the walkers that had already overrun Japan represented
a glimmer of hope.

"I am Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro. I am the supreme commander." It

was the silver-haired middle-aged man who spoke. As a politician, he was clearly
angry and afraid of Zou Hang, but he quickly put on a smiling face and replied. In
his eyes, however, a fleeting intention to kill was still there. It was even more
evident as he came outside the National Diet Building and saw the deadly silence
there.

Return to Table of Contents

## 080 With Malice Aforethought, Part 4

**Table of Contents**

Despite the dire circumstances, it was somewhat remarkable that Xiao Quan (小犬) had
remained in dangerous Tokyo, not yet abandoning ship. As Zou Hang (Zou Hang) and
Xiao Quan (小犬) and other officials exited the building on foot, sharp-eyed
individuals recognized the butcher who had single-handedly slaughtered hundreds of
zombies. Instinctively, they aimed their black gun barrels at Zou Hang (Zou Hang).
Had they not feared hitting Xiao Quan (小犬) and his entourage, they would have
thrown caution to the wind and swarmed him.

Initially, when the artillery fire erupted, Xiao Quan (小犬) assumed the zombies were
launching a full-scale assault. However, a report from an officer left him
bewildered. Now, gazing upon the carnage before him, he was stunned. Zhao Zilong (赵
子龙) charging alone into Cao Cao's (曹操) camp and making "seven entries and seven
exits" was only possible because Cao Cao's (曹操) archers were few in number. Modern
warfare, however, relies entirely on hot weaponry. Nobody had ever seen anything
like Zou Hang (Zou Hang) entering the lion's den and slaying three thousand. Even
Rambo couldn't pull that off.

Perhaps realizing the gravity of the situation, or perhaps harboring a flicker of

hope for Zou Hang's (Zou Hang) claim that "I have a way to eliminate all the
monsters here," Xiao Quan (小犬) raised his hand, suppressing the impulse to attack.
"Lower your weapons! Clean up the battlefield and return to your positions to await
orders!" he barked.

The Self-Defense Force members, their eyes bloodshot from killing, were momentarily
confused. Many of the dead were their comrades. Although they heard Xiao Quan's (小
犬) command, they hesitated. Sensing the stalemate, a middle-aged man in a sharp
suit with a medal pinned to his chest stepped forward. In a stern voice, he roared,
"Disobeying orders in wartime means immediate execution by firing squad, no
military tribunal!"

This threat made the soldiers waver. One by one, they lowered their weapons and
began clearing away the dried-up corpses. The power of example proved irresistible,
and even though they burned with hatred, they had no choice but to comply.

Staring at the nearly one hundred dried corpses with their twisted, terrified
expressions, Xiao Quan (小犬) suppressed his fury. Putting on a smiling face, he
asked Zou Hang (Zou Hang), "I am curious, what method did you have in mind?"

"Wait here, I have some people outside." With that, Zou Hang (Zou Hang) flashed
away, unleashing another surge of intimidation. Xiao Quan (小犬) and the others stood
obediently at the entrance, staring at the gray mist barricaded by the stench of
decaying flesh, unwilling to cross the boundary.

Fortunately, Bai Yu (Bai Yu) and the others were close to the Diet Building. They
simply couldn't see it. Zou Hang (Zou Hang) walked, while An Ran (An Ran), who
should have been controlled by the Walking Machines, followed him as calmly as
ever.

When An Ran (An Ran) came into view, it triggered another wave of alarm. Zou Hang
(Zou Hang) instantly appeared at their side, speaking in a low, forceful voice.
"Don't ask questions. My goal is the same as yours: to eliminate the monsters. Do
you want to provoke another massacre?"

There was no point in explaining. Explanations were useless. With the Walking
Machine strapped to An Ran (An Ran) right beside them, any explanation would be a
coverup. No one would believe the truth. Trying to disprove a widely accepted
belief is futile, even if you're right. Copernicus, who proposed the heliocentric
theory in the Middle Ages and was burned at the stake by the Church, serves as a
potent example.

Only the fear of overwhelming power could quickly force them to accept, even if it
was only superficial. Zou Hang's (Zou Hang) words were a blatant threat. The energy
field was gone. Even at his best, Zou Hang (Zou Hang) couldn't take on so many
armed people again. He wanted them to remain ignorant, to fuel their respect and
fear.

"I need an armed helicopter to reach the monsters' nest. You will also send some
men to follow me," Zou Hang (Zou Hang) said casually, his tone commanding and
allowing no argument.

Xiao Quan (小犬) felt conflicted. He glanced at the unsightly An Ran (An Ran) and
considered Zou Hang's (Zou Hang) words. From the initial appearance of the Walking
Fish to the later development of Walking Machines powered by humans, the military
and research institutions had yielded nothing. If the young man before him was
truthful and could find the monsters' nest, destroying them in one fell swoop would
be worth the gamble. Even if they lost the bet, the only loss would be a few dozen
soldiers.

"Have you made up your mind? Give me an answer!"

"Alright!"

No sooner had Zou Hang (Zou Hang) finished speaking than Xiao Quan (小犬) agreed. He
then whispered a few words to someone beside him, and that person departed. A
moment later, three enormous helicopters landed on the open ground in front of the
entrance, the force of the wind nearly knocking everyone off their feet.

"CH-47J transport helicopters. This model features a tandem rotor configuration,

capable of carrying 60 soldiers or 12 tons of cargo. The CH-47J is an improvement
over the CH-47D, with increased fuel capacity for longer range, a GPS satellite
navigation system for more accurate positioning, and low-light night vision and
thermal imaging for nighttime reconnaissance, making it perfect for this
situation," Bai Yu (Bai Yu) explained from the side.

Three teams of soldiers boarded the three transport helicopters, a total of ninety
fully armed men. It seemed Xiao Quan (小犬) was taking this seriously.

However, to be honest, Zou Hang (Zou Hang) wasn't confident. He estimated a 50%
chance of success, but no guarantee of significant gains. But to eliminate the
Walking Fish and complete this 'BT' (beyond terrible/challenging) mission, he had
to try. Judging from the previous horror movie missions, Zou Hang (Zou Hang)
concluded that the main god's tasks, regardless of their difficulty, had certain
patterns. Finding the key was the path to completion.

However, almost all the Walking Fish in Japan had already completely decayed. But
the replacements were not so easy to deal with. After all, humans don't breathe
with gills. Moreover, the human population was huge, with nearly half of the two
hundred million citizens falling victim. Furthermore, infected individuals could
survive for about two months without food, based on the rate of decomposition.

Waiting it out was certainly an option, but the crucial factor was the wronged
souls. Zou Hang (Zou Hang) felt the power of the wronged souls growing stronger,
and he feared that it would reach its limit after everyone died. Rather than sit
and wait for death, he preferred to take a gamble. However, as a secret
experimental site, WXH Island probably wouldn't be an easy place to reach. Zou Hang
(Zou Hang) didn't have high hopes for the combat effectiveness of the soldiers
assigned by Xiao Quan (小犬). His plan was to use them as mobile blood banks when his
blood energy ran low.

As they walked behind him, Zou Hang (Zou Hang) turned to Xiao Quan (小犬) before
boarding the helicopter and said, "I want absolute command over these soldiers!"

Xiao Quan (小犬) smiled. "Rest assured, I have ordered them to obey your commands
without question!"

**Table of Contents**

<!-- 081 A Sinister Plot, Part 5 -->

081 A Sinister Plot, Part 5

Table of Contents

"Good. And one more thing..." Zou Hang rested his right hand against his brow,
pondering for a long moment before saying, "I have a subordinate. I need you to
look after her well while I'm gone, find a room for her, keep her isolated."

"That's no problem at all; I'll personally see to it! I guarantee she won't suffer
a scratch. I wish you a triumphant return!" With that, the four members of the
Reincarnation squad boarded the central aircraft. Xiao Quan waved them off.

Once the planes had cleared the Diet Building and were flying through the corpse-
reeking air, Zou Hang handed the coordinate map to Bai Yu, who had already replaced
the original pilot. This was to avoid unnecessary complications. With their plane
leading the way, the other two aircraft formed a triangular formation and headed
towards WXH Island.

Since his near-fatal transformation, the color of Zou Hang's pupils had become
abnormal. His green eye, in particular, acted like a starlight scope, piercing
through the obscuring haze, allowing him to see all around Tokyo. He could still
detect the familiar, hazy, milky-white fog and the masses of vengeful spirits woven
together with black threads. It seemed to be growing larger, with groups of
hundreds of Walkers clustered around the larger ones, constantly spewing out that
corpse-like gas. It was as if that gas was the source of those colored vengeful
spirits.

Suddenly, Zou Hang felt a sharp, inexplicable pain in his heart. Though the
sensation was fleeting, easily dismissed as an illusion by ordinary people, Zou
Hang sensed acutely that it had indeed occurred.

"Prime Minister, do you really believe what that man said? What if he's one of
those monsters?" Xiao Quan hadn't moved even after the planes had disappeared from
sight. One of his aides asked this question.

Xiao Quan, his back still turned, replied, "Do we have any other choice right now?
You've all seen his power. He single-handedly stormed through the headquarters
unharmed, cutting down nearly a hundred soldiers. Perhaps he really can eliminate
those monsters."

Xiao Quan turned around, revealing his familiar face to his entourage. But now, his
face was filled with sinister bloodlust as he said, "But I don't believe he can
withstand the full might of our Self-Defense Forces. If he truly solves the problem
and returns, I'll show him the power of our Great Japanese 'Imperial' Army."

The surrounding men chuckled at this. Backstabbing was their favorite pastime. One
of them suddenly noticed the Walker standing motionless in the distance on the four
metal support beams, her body covered in festering sores and a mixture of
yellowish-green fluids. "Prime Minister, what should we do with that monster?" he
asked.

Another jeered, "You idiot, of course we'll get rid of her. You want to sleep with
her or something?!"

"But what if that kid comes back? He'll come looking for us!"

"Baka!" Hearing the man's words, Xiao Quan slapped him hard across the face. "You
think we're afraid of him? Men! Turn that monster into mincemeat!" he barked.

Gunfire erupted. The soldiers, their hearts filled with rage at seeing their
comrades fall and unable to avenge them, needed an outlet for their fury. An Ran
became their target. Nearly a hundred men unleashed a torrent of bullets from their
rifles. The sound of shells hitting the ground was deafening. It continued until
only a small patch of charred, rotting flesh remained on the concrete, with a wisp
of smoke and the stench of burnt flesh.

"Let's go! Let's see the images being transmitted back. I want to see what that kid
is up to! He'll never escape the palm of my hand!" With that, he let out a burst of
lecherous laughter.

Zou Hang, though meticulous and exceptionally talented, was not omniscient. He had
no way of knowing what had just transpired outside the Diet Building. He was
contemptuous of Xiao Quan and his ilk. He was already well aware of their ill
intentions. The reason he didn't bring An Ran was that, frankly, she no longer had
any value to him. She was just a burden. Zou Hang himself was unsure why he had
saved her from the Walkers in the first place. According to his usual mindset, An
Ran should already have been discarded. It was just… well… anyway, Zou Hang
intended to abandon her.

They had already passed Okinawa. Almost everywhere they flew was a ruined city.
Along the coast of Okinawa, there were piles of rotting, stranded Walker Fish
corpses.

"Fog is rolling in!" Zou Hang said suddenly.

Fog? To Long Bao and Huang Jian, there had been no changes in the weather in the
past month; the corpse-reeking gas had blocked their vision.

"You're right! Fog is rolling in!" Bai Yu, wearing his light-enhancing and infrared
detectors, was able to see clearly through the corpse-reeking gas that was
previously impairing his vision. Ahead, on the route to their designated
coordinates, thick fog suddenly appeared, obscuring his vision. This should have
been cause for joy. Yamamoto Kazuo had said that WXH Island was perpetually
shrouded in fog, which coincided with their current situation.

Bai Yu notified the other two planes to close in and use the coordinates and GPS to
navigate.

However, as they approached the fog, everyone was shocked. Countless arms formed
from the fog reached out. The previously white fog rapidly transformed into
countless black tendrils, forming shrieking vengeful spirits. Their combined voices
caused a constant ringing in their ears, causing unbearable headaches despite their
attempts to block it out. The ever-present, disgusting stench of corpses was even
more nauseating here. Even those who had grown accustomed to it felt the urge to
vomit with every breath.

The deadly hands reached into the transport plane on the far right, passing through
the metal of the fuselage as if it were nothing. The soldiers who were seized by
the hands struggled in vain, their bodies suddenly exuding wisps of black gas,
rapidly weakening. Panic ensued. Many people succumbed to madness and opened fire
with their machine guns, even though they were still inside the plane. There was a
deafening explosion, and without a doubt, none survived.

However, these vengeful spirits had no pity. The hundreds of 'tentacles' turned
their attention to the transport plane carrying the four members of the
Reincarnation squad.

If someone could have observed from a space station, they would have seen countless
thin lines of gas streaking across the earth's surface, converging into various
clusters. In Japan, the gas spewed out by countless Walkers and the accumulated
vengeful spirits were heading towards WXH Island.

<!-- 082 The Legendary WXH Island -->

082 The Legendary WXH Island

Table of Contents

The two surviving transport planes, having narrowly broken through the
encirclement, touched down on WXH Island. For some unknown reason, the vengeful
spirits didn't press their advantage. Could they have their own specific task?

Based on Zou Hang's observations, despite the obstruction from the spirits, he
managed to get a rough idea of the island. WXH Island was a small, irregularly
triangular landmass of approximately 1500-2000 square meters. Most of the island
was covered in trees, and a couple of two- or three-story cement buildings were
visible not far from the planes. Furthermore, the location wasn't on any flight
path, and the outer perimeter was guarded by those spirits, while the sea was
protected by whirlpools. It was even more mysterious than the Bermuda Triangle. The
only question was how the Japanese army had managed to find this place.

The self-defense force soldiers had all disembarked the aircraft. Bai Yulongbao and
Huang Jian also managed to locate and equip themselves with a set of low-light
vision devices.

"Reporting, Commander! The satellite communications, radio transceivers, and all

other communication devices on the helicopters are experiencing severe interference
and cannot connect to headquarters!" A self-defense force soldier, acting as a
communications liaison, urgently reported to a powerfully built soldier standing
nearby.

The man initially appeared panicked but quickly composed himself. He slapped the
communications soldier on his helmet and glanced cautiously toward Zou Hang. Then,
he whispered, "Damn it. The Prime Minister ordered us to outwardly obey the
monster's commands for now and not reveal my identity." The communications soldier
immediately nodded. However, the commander seemed even more anxious. Losing contact
meant he couldn't receive further instructions, leaving him to play it by ear. He
glanced at Zou Hang again, who was still facing away from him. He hoped Zou Hang
was too far away to hear the conversation. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Everyone, move out! Target the small buildings directly ahead. Surround them and
secure the perimeter," Long Bao shouted, his voice booming, at Zou Hang's signal.
He had never imagined that he, a mere soldier, would have so many subordinates, and
that these subordinates would be so obedient, like well-trained dogs.

Long Bao and several others racked the M16s. Zou Hang instinctively reached for his
pocket and frowned. "Where's my dimensional pouch?" he asked.

Several men hastily removed their dimensional pouches and handed them to Zou Hang.
Bai Yu explained, "We thought you were dead at the time." Zou Hang took them
without a word, understanding their actions. He had done the same thing in 'Final
Destination.'

After checking the contents, he found that most items were still there, except for
a significant portion of the regular bullets that were missing. Zou Hang divided
the untouched spirit-infused bullets into three portions and distributed the
limited supply of hemostatic spray and other medications among them. Truth be told,
Zou Hang had never used the spirit-infused bullets before, but based on the
description, they should be effective, although their exact effects remained
unknown.

Zou Hang replaced the M16's magazine with spirit-infused bullets. He fired several
shots into the air, emptying the entire magazine in one go. In an instant, he
observed several bursts of light erupting from the bodies of the misty, vengeful
spirits. The power was admittedly quite weak, but it should be better than regular
bullets.

"Everyone, switch to these bullets. There are also medications in the pouches!" Zou
Hang said, handing them the pouches. His actions seemed puzzling to the others.
Although they had low-light vision devices, their reaction speed was poor. The
power of the volley fired that far away was so small, they wouldn't notice it
without careful observation.

Zou Hang wasn't too worried about switching to spirit-infused bullets, as they were
also lethal to the self-defense force soldiers, but the cost would increase
tenfold.

"Gurgle..." A drawn-out sound rose beside him, similar to the sound of foul-
smelling gas churning in the body. Zou Hang asked Huang Jian, "What's that noise?"

"Gurgle..." The sound rang out again, but this time, perhaps influenced by Huang
Jian, it resonated, and Long Bao and Bai Yu's stomachs also rumbled. Huang Jian
said embarrassedly, "My stomach's been growling like crazy. It's been three days
since we've eaten anything!"

The lack of food was a serious problem. Among those who hadn't been infected, some
had already starved to death. Long Bao and Bai Yu were in relatively good spirits.
They were accustomed to going without food for a few days due to their wilderness
survival training. However, it had been three days since they'd eaten. Huang Jian
had already become somewhat weak.

At that moment, something occurred to Zou Hang. He pulled out two small medicine
bottles from the pouch and handed out a white capsule and a blue capsule to the
three men. Initially, the others had also considered the two bottles, but they
didn't look like food at all; they looked more like medicine. Every medicine has
its side effects, and if Zou Hang had given them poison, that would be even worse.
Taking the capsules, the three of them examined them cautiously. Almost
immediately, their stomachs felt much more comfortable, as if they had just eaten a
large meal, and their lips were no longer cracked.

From this perspective, Zou Hang had some questions. Logically speaking, he had been
unconscious for a month and hadn't taken in any nutrients from the outside.
Furthermore, even after waking up, he didn't feel particularly hungry without food.
As long as he replenished his blood before it got too low, he didn't have any other
needs.

Putting these trivial matters aside, the sixty-plus self-defense force soldiers had
surrounded the three small buildings. Without Zou Hang's order, they didn't dare to
act rashly.

The three cement buildings in front of them were arranged in a square formation,
with only one side open for entry. Zou Hang ordered the men to search every room.
Based on Zou Hang's observation of the dust-covered condition, it had been
abandoned for a long time, at least twenty or thirty years. Moreover, aside from
the trees on the island, they hadn't seen a single bird or small animal along the
way.

After searching for nearly an hour, the self-defense force reported that they
hadn't found anything. Every building was covered in dust and seemed quite
ordinary, resembling a dormitory. However, this didn't prove anything. It could
also be a wilderness survival training camp. Zou Hang had also gone inside to
check, but he didn't find any documents or evidence to indicate that it was a
research facility.

There was only one possibility: the army's research facility was underground, and
the entrance was hidden. Otherwise, such a secret place, with the gathering and
protection of vengeful spirits, would be in vain. A coordinate map was what gave
Yamamoto that passion. If there was nothing to be found, it would definitely be
disappointing.

(I slept for 14 hours. It was so refreshing... haha. I didn't even realize it was
time to update. I'll upload a chapter first. I feel great today and plan to finish
this horror movie in one go. After writing this movie, I will also post a chapter
explaining some questions related to the work. Give everyone an explanation about
the events that happened in this part. Please continue to pay attention and
shamelessly ask for some votes!)

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 083 731 Secret Room -->

083 731 Secret Room

Table of Contents

Led by Zou Hang, the members of the Samsara Squad meticulously searched room after
room in a carpet-bombing fashion. Their objective was confined to the first floor,
but combing through all three buildings still took an hour and a half. At this
point, the sheer number of people was no longer an advantage, and Zou Hang ordered
the self-defense force members to assemble in the central plaza and await further
instructions.
The rooms were almost identical in layout. The repetitive nature of the task was
numbing everyone except Zou Hang. The anticipated entrance, however, remained
elusive. There were twenty-six rooms on each floor, making a total of seventy-eight
rooms across the first floors of the three buildings. With each room cleared, Zou
Hang silently kept count in his head. After thoroughly searching every room, the
others seemed dejected, but Zou Hang’s lips curved into a faint smile.

"Seventy-seven rooms," Zou Hang stated.

Bai Yu, who had also been keeping track, said to Zou Hang, "There should be
seventy-eight rooms in total!" Seeing Zou Hang's smile, sudden comprehension
dawned. He excitedly exclaimed, "Could there be a room we haven't been to yet?"

Huang Jian was puzzled. "We went into every room. How could we have missed one?"

Long Bao also grasped the implication but offered his own perspective: "Could there
be a room without a door? But how could we get in without a door?"

Silently, Zou Hang walked towards a corner of one of the buildings. Facing a wall,
he shouted, "Grenade!"

Hearing Zou Hang's instruction, Long Bao grabbed his M16, loaded a grenade, and
fired it at the wall with a deafening roar. Zou Hang was already standing beside
Long Bao. Where the wall had been, there now stood a copper and iron barrier, a
veritable steel wall. Although the exact thickness of the steel remained unknown,
the grenade attack had only created a slight indentation over a small area. It
seemed that expending their entire supply of grenades would be futile.

Having found the point of entry, the group returned to the wall adjoining the empty
room. They cleared away all the items along that wall, revealing a blank, white
plaster surface. There was nothing peculiar about it.

Long Bao raised his gun, preparing for another blast, but Zou Hang stopped him.
There had to be another way. Otherwise, the Imperial Japanese Army back then would
have blasted their way in with artillery shells, filled the hole, and then blasted
again every time. That's the act of a madman or a fool.

Bai Yu keenly tapped the wall surface with his Desert Eagle, searching for possible
echoes. Huang Jian and Long Bao followed suit. Zou Hang observed them for a moment
before heading directly to a power outlet in the corner. He removed the dust cover
to reveal a three-prong and a two-prong socket. Examining the outlet, Zou Hang
carefully unplugged it. In its place, a diode-like red light began to blink,
revealing a card slot the size of a business card in the center.

"Everyone, stand back! Security!" Zou Hang inserted the card he had obtained from
Yamamoto Kazuo's spatial pocket. The red light blinked twice and then turned green.
With a click, the wall receded a step and slid downwards, revealing a room entirely
encased in steel. Judging by the lowered wall, the steel plating was at least 50
centimeters thick.

Across the room, in plain sight, hung a massive banner emblazoned with the words:
"Great Imperial Japanese Army 731 Unit."

This sight was enough to chill the blood. The germ warfare conducted by Unit 731
was indeed a monstrous evil. However, in reality, Unit 731 was established in
mainland China, and the bacteria they researched shouldn't have that much power.
Could the 'Fish' really be a product of Unit 731's research? There were reasons to
be skeptical.
The center of the room was open, revealing a spiraling staircase leading downwards.

"Bai Yu! Have all the self-defense force members follow us in!" As the steel gate
swung open, Zou Hang felt an acute sense of danger. From the seemingly bottomless
passageway rose an aura of lingering vengeful spirits.

Zou Hang stepped into the room. The mechanical voice of the Main God echoed in his
mind.

"Side quest initiated: Eliminate the Fish. Reward: 'Reverse Time Restoration'. Time
limit: one hour."

Zou Hang paused. Looking back, he saw Long Bao and Huang Jian had already stepped
ahead of him. He asked, "Did you hear the prompt?"

Huang Jian and Long Bao turned around simultaneously.

"What prompt?"

"What did you say?"

Zou Hang looked at the wristwatch on his hand. It already indicated that the side
quest had been activated. But when he grabbed their hands, there were no
notifications.

(Could it be that only the first person to enter can receive the quest? But it's
still the quest to eliminate the Fish. Still, it's different from the main
storyline. This time, the 'Fish' isn't in quotation marks. So, is it an actual
fish? And what does the 'Reverse Time Restoration' reward mean?)

The countdown had begun. Bai Yu and the self-defense force members followed close
behind.

At that moment, the spirits floating in the air above Japan, guiding the
pedestrians, seemed to be injected with adrenaline. They emitted deafening roars
and frantically converged towards WXH Island, filled with terror and rage, as if
their sanctuary had been invaded and their existence threatened.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but everyone in this place felt that the sickening
stench of decaying corpses grew more intense with each step deeper.

On both sides of the staircase, numerous laboratories were partitioned off by large
glass panels. Water supply, drainage, ventilation, exhaust purification, sewage
treatment, noise reduction, odor control, and visual environment were all well-
maintained. The lab equipment, including fume hoods, central experiment tables,
side tables, medicine cabinets, glassware cabinets, gas cylinder cabinets, etc.,
were all impeccably clean.

As the group descended, the lights on both sides of the staircase and within the
laboratories activated on each floor, along with the ventilation systems and other
equipment.

During experimental operations, various harmful gases, odors, humidity, and

flammable, explosive, or corrosive substances were produced. To protect the safety
of users and prevent pollutants from spreading throughout the laboratory, fume
hoods were used near the source of pollution. In the past, the number of fume hoods
used was limited, and they were only used in particularly harmful and dangerous
gases and experiments that generated a large amount of heat.
Now, one could faintly see rotting, mud-like corpses scattered under white lab
coats in many laboratories. No one had survived here. They had likely all been
infected by the 'Fish'.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 084 The Ultimate Showdown 1 -->

084 The Ultimate Showdown 1

Table of Contents

On WXH Island, the location of the two helicopters was now completely enveloped by
countless wronged souls. Their destination: the hidden underground laboratory.

Descending through countless levels, the large laboratories were replaced by

individual rooms, resembling smaller labs, offices, and living quarters. More than
ten minutes had passed, leaving only forty-nine minutes of their one-hour time
limit.

"Split up! Find any records about the fish," Zou Hang ordered.

The group immediately began searching the surrounding rooms. The place was
enormous, with the spiral staircase extending downwards endlessly. Zou Hang had no
idea how many more levels there were. Instead of blindly running around, they
decided to look for clues that might help.

After passing several rooms with no luck, Zou Hang and Long Bao descended another
level and continued their search. They couldn't spend too much time in each room,
and they couldn't rely on the auxiliary troops (自慰队). Many probably didn't even
know what they were looking for.

They entered another room containing a billiards table. Next to it, on a sofa, was
a decayed corpse. It was identifiable as a corpse mainly due to the white coat
lying on the sofa beside it. There weren't even any bones left. Just as Zou Hang
was about to leave, he noticed a brown leather notebook lying on the sofa near the
coat.

He picked it up and saw that it was almost entirely written in a foreign language,
with only a few Chinese characters. Luckily, Bai Yu understood Japanese and began
to translate it quickly.

The diary belonged to a man named Fujita. He seemed to be quite old even before he
died. The diary began with entries from a long time ago. Bai Yu skipped over the
trivial matters and flipped through it, suddenly becoming visibly excited.

Zou Hang asked, "Did you find something?"

"We really hit the jackpot!" Bai Yu exclaimed excitedly.

Fujita was originally a researcher at the University of Tokyo (东大). During the
Second Sino-Japanese War (侵华战争), he was assigned to Unit 731. Fujita was obsessed
with biology. Once, he discovered an unprecedented fish on the beach. It looked
very strange; if it wasn't a new species, it should at least belong to a deep-sea
species. When he found it, the fish was very weak, but its vitality was extremely
strong. A pronged fork was stuck in its body, yet it hadn't died. What excited him
the most was that the fish had legs—or rather, four leg-like supports made of
metal.

At the time, Fujita was assigned to Unit 731 in northeastern China. Unit 731 began
researching various bacterial strains and experimenting on humans and animals.
However, life was fragile. Almost every bacterium caused life to end quickly. Only
bacteria like those causing the plague had significant transmission capabilities.

Fujita then thought that this fish was very tenacious. He added the blood or bodily
fluids from the dead animals and humans, which may have contained residual
bacteria, into the fish's tank...

"It seems like a page is torn here," Bai Yu said, and was about to continue when
the door was kicked open. Several men entered, led by the middle-aged commander.

"Excellent! This is our army's ultimate trump card. I didn't expect to find it
here! Finally, we've found it. With this, our great Japanese Empire will conquer
the world!" Several auxiliary soldiers had lined up, aiming their submachine guns
at the group.

"Oh! What's your purpose in following us?" Zou Hang's lack of surprise caught the
men off guard. However, with guns in their hands, they were emboldened. Had they
forgotten that Zou Hang had single-handedly slaughtered his way through their
barracks?

"The Prime Minister instructed me to monitor your every move and act according to
his orders. However, communication was cut off, and I couldn't contact him. But I
truly didn't expect that the 'Imperial Blade' rumored within the army was here.
Telling you this won't matter since you're all going to die. Then our great
Japanese Empire will be the ruler of the world, and your country, these Chinese (支那
人), will be the first to fall!" The man laughed heartily.

"Don't you understand? It's this very bacterium that's causing your Japan to
collapse! This bacterium won't allow you to conquer the world; it will only destroy
it!" Bai Yu said angrily.

"Oh!" The man was taken aback but quickly regained his arrogant expression, saying,
"If we can't become the rulers of the world, then being the destroyers of the world
is not bad either. The great Japanese Empire will always be the strongest!"

Just then, horrifying and piercing screams echoed from above, accompanied by
chaotic gunfire.

The ghostly gas, composed of countless dead souls, had invaded and was wantonly
annihilating the scattered auxiliary troops. The vengeful spirits were now reaching
the door.

"Ah... ah!" Those ignorant Japanese soldiers were already dead. But they weren't
left to the ghosts; their deaths were already within Zou Hang's control.

Blood Oath!

Zou Hang manipulated the blood within his body, diverting only one-tenth of it to
spray at the entrance. Instantly, a bloody mist spread out, obliterating the
vengeful spirits near the door, leaving behind a vacuum. However, it wouldn't last
long. The vengeful spirit was a gathering of countless dead souls. Its immensity
already completely obscured the sky over Japan. From outside Earth, the vengeful
spirits above WXH Island looked like a massive, milky-white and black-lined cloud.
Even if Zou Hang sprayed all of the blood from his body, it probably wouldn't even
equal one ten-thousandth of its mass.
"Bai Yu!" Zou Hang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and uttered those
two words. The vengeful spirits were now beyond their ability to resist. Zou Hang
could feel the intense danger.

Bai Yu seemed to understand Zou Hang's meaning. He quickly flipped through the
diary.

"Found it! There's a huge aquarium at the bottom of the laboratory. That's where
the original fish used to extract bacteria is located. But..." Bai Yu's words were
interrupted by Zou Hang.

"You guys, shoot at it!" Another Blood Oath, consuming one percent of Zou Hang's
blood, was used to eliminate the vengeful spirits that were gathering at the door
again. Rapid Shift was activated. Zou Hang's eyes were blank. By using three
percent of his blood to use the Rapid Shift skill, he dashed outwards. Although the
blood consumed was less, reducing the power, the air resistance also allowed Zou
Hang to be faster. Breaking through the corridor, he found that the entire level
was already completely engulfed by vengeful spirits.

Only fifteen minutes remained. Zou Hang frowned and closed his eyes tightly. He
charged forward! Zou Hang leaped downwards. Without obstruction, combined with the
force of momentum, Zou Hang plummeted from mid-air...

<!-- 085 Showdown of the Fittest, Part 2 -->

085 Showdown of the Fittest, Part 2

Table of Contents

Bai Yu watched as Zou Hang vanished from the room in an instant. She had wanted to
warn him that Fujita’s diary mentioned a protective mechanism around the "fish,"
triggering flames if tampered with without proper deactivation. Perhaps she had
some faith in Zou Hang’s abilities, assuming the flames wouldn't pose a significant
threat to him.

However, Bai Yu was unaware of a vampire's weakness: their vulnerability to fire.

In barely a minute, the blood spilled during the blood oath, remnants that lingered
in the air, had been completely consumed by the relentless vengeful spirits. The
three were now trapped, their survival merely a matter of time.

Perhaps it was Zou Hang’s confident words, a deep-seated trust in him, that fueled
them. They knew firearms and conventional ammunition were largely ineffective
against these vengeful spirits. But with death looming, they had to try something.

Long Bao had no intention of dying. A single belief had sustained him since he
entered this terrifying world, a near-hypnotic self-suggestion: He *must* return to
the main God space alive, to resurrect those he loved.

His M16 spat fire, the bullets piercing through the vengeful spirits, causing minor
explosions. Individually, each bullet's power was minimal, but the concentrated
barrage was enough to slow the spirits' relentless advance. The narrow doorway also
hampered the spirits, preventing them from fully unleashing their merciless power.

Perhaps angered by Long Bao's resistance, the spirits intensified their assault.
Seeing his weapon's effectiveness, Huang Jian and Bai Yu joined the fray. A
stalemate ensued, like a siege. Those outside couldn't get in, and those inside
couldn't get out.

Bai Yu was somewhat surprised. Her weapon was actually holding the vengeful spirits
at bay. It must be those strange bullets Zou Hang had insisted they load, finally
taking effect.

However, the ammunition was dwindling rapidly. Even with the three of them sharing
the burden of fire, their supplies wouldn't last long.

In truth, Bai Yu’s concerns were probably irrelevant. Zou Hang's side quest had
less than ten minutes remaining. If he failed to complete it, even if the three
members of the Reincarnation Team managed to hold out longer, they would all meet
their end.

Zou Hang knew that eliminating *all* the "fish" was an impossible task. It wasn’t
simply about the fish themselves, but also the humans infected and transformed into
fish-like creatures, and more significantly, it hinted at the vengeful spirit.

The walking fish, once out of the water, despite their large numbers and relentless
attacks, had almost entirely disappeared within a month. The fish-like walkers they
created only lived for about a month before their corpses decomposed, unable to
withstand the pressure of the gases they released, which also resulted in
explosions. The key was the vengeful spirit. Without its guidance and aggression,
everything would be a matter of time.

But it was impossible to confront that vengeful spirit head-on. Their only hope lay
in the "fish" of the side quest. Perhaps eliminating the source of evil would
clarify everything. However, with only ten minutes remaining, he had to locate the
fish and destroy it, all while being pursued by vengeful spirits. This task was
difficult... exceedingly difficult!

As he thought this, Zou Hang leapt into the air, plunging into the depths of the
underground laboratory. Taking the stairs would eat up too much time. The shortest
distance between two points is a straight line, even if that straight line could
prove fatal.

The high-speed descent was underway. Zou Hang’s physique was merely that of an
ordinary person. Falling from such a height, he had a 99% chance of instant death,
and a 1% chance of surviving, only to be immediately hospitalized with severe
paralysis.

The whistling wind rushed past his ears. Above him, the vengeful spirit
relentlessly pursued him. Instinctively, Zou Hang flailed his hands, trying to grab
something, but the walls of the passageway were six or seven meters away, at their
closest. Could he really grasp the wind and the air?

Zou Hang didn't panic or feel helpless at that moment. Wasting time on fear only
diminished his chances of success. He looked around, but there was nothing to grab
onto. Only air, only the wind was close enough. In an instant, Zou Hang seemed to
understand something.

Rapid Shift!

He remembered how he had barely dodged a bullet flying just centimeters from his
face in *Final Destination*. Now, he tried to control the blood reduction, focusing
the kinetic energy of Rapid Shift on his hands.

In that instant, he spread his fingers wide, his fingertips trembling, as if trying
to grip the immense resistance of the air. His hands vibrated rapidly, interacting
with the air. His descent slowed abruptly, and within seconds, he seemed to be
gliding, while the blood within him slowly decreased.

"Created skill: 'Sound Barrier!' When the frequency of fingertip movement exceeds
the speed of sound, causing intense friction with the air, achieving the purpose of
gliding. Consumes a small amount of blood for support," the Main God prompted,
relieving some of Zou Hang’s anxiety.

However, as his speed decreased, the vengeful spirit above him rapidly closed the
gap. Zou Hang had already descended many levels. The bright lights revealed
everything around him. Even without the lights, Zou Hang could already see the
bottom. In the distance was a massive glass tank.

Stopping the use of Sound Barrier, Zou Hang landed steadily on the ground and ran
toward the aquarium.

Upon reaching the aquarium, he saw a rather large fish inside. "Swimming" was an
exaggeration; it was more like walking. It looked grotesque, its entire body
covered in microorganisms and festering, pus-filled flesh. It approached the side
where Zou Hang stood.

The water in the tank was very strange. It wasn't exactly water, but a viscous
mixture. Zou Hang didn’t know, but the tank contained bodily fluids and blood left
over from experiments on animals and humans by Unit 731, containing a mixture of
all the bacteria used in the experiments.

The transparent aquarium was completely sealed off. The glass was extremely hard,
likely a durable diamond-like composite material. Zou Hang saw the somewhat blurry
fish spitting out bubbles in the water. Instantly, a suffocating stench, capable of
causing near-unconsciousness, seemed to permeate the aquarium's isolation and
directly assault him. Inside the closed aquarium, the viscous liquid resembled the
floating vengeful spirits in the air, rippling and transforming into abstract human
forms and the terrified shapes of various creatures.

(The Indian summer is too brutal. I'm sweating like a waterfall every day. I really
can't code in the room. I'm going to the living room to turn on the air
conditioner…)

<!-- 086 Showdown, the Finale, Part 3 -->

086 Showdown, the Finale, Part 3

Table of Contents

Even as Zou Hang reeled in surprise, several metal nozzles emerged from the floor
around him. A hiss of air escaped, followed by a sudden eruption of roaring flames.

In an instant, Zou Hang found himself enveloped in an inferno, the heat far
exceeding anything an Indian summer could produce. His vampire blood felt not only
physical pain, but also a mental assault.

Fighting down the terror instilled by his vampiric heritage, Zou Hang teleported
out of the intensely hot zone. Though only two or three seconds had elapsed, the
extreme heat had vaporized his clothes, leaving his skin scorched. The
instantaneous temperature spike was also burning his blood. Fortunately, his escape
was swift enough.
The vengeful spirits pursued him relentlessly. Physical torment left Zou Hang no
time to assess his injuries. More minutes ticked by. If he couldn't eliminate that
fish, the entire mission would be a failure. The side quest, while lacking a
specified failure penalty, was, Zou Hang knew, the key to escaping this place. Even
if he managed to evade the immediate danger, time was running out; a team wipe was
merely a delayed execution.

The flame trap continued to burn, undeterred by Zou Hang's withdrawal. It seemed
once activated, it would simply burn until its fuel was exhausted. Now, there was
no escape; he had to charge through.

The fiberglass tank proved too resilient. Bullets "tacked-tack-tacked" across the
surface, ricocheting harmlessly. Even a grenade explosion left the tank unscathed.

The vengeful spirits were mere meters away from Zou Hang, ready to engulf him.
Without time for excessive deliberation, Zou Hang reached into his dimensional
pouch and grabbed a pair of gloves.

A surge of hope coursed through him as he quickly put them on. Clasping his hands
together, an ion staff materialized. It was the ultra-tech weapon Chen Jianzhou
hadn't yet had a chance to field-test.

"Break!"

As Zou Hang's will focused, the gloves glowed with a blue light, rapidly draining
the energy cell. The ion staff silently extended and pierced the fiberglass tank as
if it were soft tofu. With an upward flick, the tank loudly cracked and burst into
two halves. The murky liquid, upon contact with the air, swiftly transformed into a
brownish-black mist, enveloping the strange fish.

The moment of truth.

Zou Hang teleported back into the flames, directly in front of the dark miasma. His
blood reserves were down to approximately forty percent. There was no time to
experiment with how much power was needed to destroy the creature; he had to gamble
everything. Zou Hang rallied his spirit and unleashed all the blood within him!

"Blood Oath!"

Instantly, the surrounding environment warped. A blood-red mist formed a barrier.

The brownish-black vengeful spirits and the fish were completely enveloped in the
bloody haze. Newly arriving vengeful spirits were only centimeters away from the
crimson orb, unable to penetrate further. Countless spirits seemed to cry out,
scream, and wail piteously. The sounds echoed not only within the laboratory, not
only on WXH Island, but from numerous corners of the Earth...

Weakened by blood loss, Zou Hang barely managed to keep his feet from giving way.
In a daze, figures began to appear before him. In the lurid, bloody light, the
spirits, on the verge of annihilation, coalesced into a white-haired, wrinkled old
man with a kind face. The old man looked terrified and kept muttering: "Help me!
Zou Hang! No! Don't! Save me!"

"Heh... heh... hahahaha!" Zou Hang suddenly burst into laughter. Blood trickled
from his lips. He was surrounded by a bloody aura, his skin burned. His eyes shone
with an unnatural, captivating beauty. He was like a demon risen from hell. Then,
he collapsed.

########### I ### am ### the ### BT ### Dividing ### Line ###################
He saw Zou Lao lying on a hospital bed, breathing heavily. He took Zou Hang's hand
and silently told him a story. The story of a middle-aged man who, when he was
young, robbed another man, acquiring a sum of money. The robbed man, on the other
hand, had scraped and borrowed, kneeling to countless people to get the desperately
needed money for his child. Because he didn't have the money, he wasn't able to get
doctors to do the surgery to save his loved one. So his loved one died.

And the middle-aged man used that money to save his newborn child in the hospital.
How many people know that there is a condition where a person is born without an
immune system, so any bacteria can be deadly? Even an embrace can bring deadly
bacteria, even a kiss can kill him.

“Immunodeficiency” is a genetic disease. The only treatment is bone marrow

transplant. The robber's wife died in childbirth. And when all was ready, the man
he robbed called the police and arrested him.

The police just eat, get paid, and catch thieves. It's not likely anyone knows
about "immunodeficiency." They brushed him off as a liar.

But the man he robbed heard it. And quietly stole the child. He didn't believe in
any such thing as "immunodeficiency." His plan was to kill the baby. To have the
robber taste the pain of losing their only love. Because of the robber, the robbed
man's loved one died. And the robber only had to go to prison. He was very
disturbed.

The child should have died. He had trouble breathing, and the baby was getting
infected by every single bacteria in the air, and his heart was barely beating. The
man he robbed, unsure of what else to do, left the child in the forest. But a day
later, he felt guilty.

The next day, he went back. And the baby was still alive. And healthy. But his
black hair had turned white. And his body was thin. And his skin was transparent...

After hearing this story, Zou Hang laughed loudly. “Heh… heh… hahahaha!” He was so
smart.

Zou Hang flipped the oxygen switch.

########### I ### am ### the ### BT ### Dividing ### Line ###################

A long time has passed. Zou Lao has been the only family Zou Hang knows. He doesn't
know if he's forgotten the past.

But now the vengeful spirit looked like Zou Lao, which was funny.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 087 The Truthful Eye of Vengeful Sin, Part 1 -->

087 The Truthful Eye of Vengeful Sin, Part 1

Table of Contents

The cursed blood clashed violently with the vengeful spirits, reacting intensely
upon contact and mutually annihilating each other. Finally, in the final moment,
both perished. As the dark brown gas completely dissipated, the seemingly ageless
fish collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

"Side quest complete. 'Reverse Time Restoration' reward will be activated upon
mission completion."

The Main God's notification echoed in Zou Hang's ears. Zou Hang instinctively
pursed his lips, swallowing the last trace of blood lingering there. With a thud,
Zou Hang fell to the ground, his fate uncertain. His final attack had released
every drop of blood in his body, leaving nothing behind. A vampire's power comes
from blood, and life itself is sustained by it. Without blood, even a vampire will
die.

Long Bao, Huang Jian, and Bai Yu had given up when the last spirit-killing bullet
was fired. They awaited the approaching vengeful spirits, accepting their imminent
demise. But then, they suddenly realized that the spirits blocking the doorway were
dissipating with ear-splitting wails, vanishing without a trace. The repulsive,
corpse-like stench had also become undetectable.

"Did we succeed?" Huang Jian slumped to the ground, utterly drained.

"Maybe!" Long Bao still gripped the hot barrel of his M16, cautiously observing
their surroundings.

Bai Yu was the first to rush out of the room, surveying the area. She discovered
that the vengeful spirits had completely vanished, and the once-dark underground
laboratory was now bathed in bright, white light. Along the corridors, she spotted
piles of debris – the undigested, lifeless remnants of guns and clothing. The Self-
Defense Force members had long since dissolved into piles of rotten flesh, but
thankfully, the nauseating stench had faded.

Looking ahead, Bai Yu spotted a human figure. She quickly gathered the other two,
and they hurried downward. After descending several levels, they encountered a
Self-Defense Force soldier still screaming, "Don't kill me!" Bai Yu, without
hesitation, tossed him into the dark abyss beside the walkway. A drawn-out scream
echoed, followed by the dull thud of impact.

When the three reached the lowest level, the Self-Defense Force soldier's brains
were splattered everywhere. Not far away, Zou Hang's body lay motionless. The
external burns had almost completely torn off large sections of his muscle tissue.
His hair was entirely burned away. Bai Yu loaded the few remaining normal bullets
and riddled the soldier's corpse, dumping it on top of Zou Hang's body.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, they sat there in silence...

That day, Ko-inu Chon-ichi-Ro was overjoyed. For some inexplicable reason, the
dense fog that had blanketed Japan for a month had finally lifted, and the
overwhelming stench of corpses had disappeared. Perhaps it was due to the sunshine;
he felt that their Amaterasu Omikami had shown mercy and rescued them. What excited
him most was that the "Walkers" scattered throughout Japan seemed like kites with
severed strings. Each one only knew to blindly charge forward, even if it meant
running into concrete walls. Furthermore, these Walkers possessed almost no
offensive capabilities. Slaughtering defenseless creatures had always been a forte
of the Yamato people.

So Ko-inu ordered all of Japan's Self-Defense Forces to deploy and conduct a

massive sweep. He also lifted the restrictions on the remaining civilians,
encouraging them to join the effort.

After a busy half-day of arranging everything, he finally had time to rest.

"You can all leave. There's nothing for you to do here now." Ko-inu dismissed the
soldiers holding two iron boxes behind him. Just yesterday, due to the large-scale
Walker attacks and reports of ghost-like entities killing people, the cabinet had
decided to use nuclear weapons to "cleanse" the most heavily infested major cities
in Japan. This was truly a last resort. The two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki had poisoned generations of the Yamato people.

But now, things would be alright. Soon, the crisis would be over!

In truth, all this was originally going to pass anyway. But now, it won't!

Bai Yu piloted the CH-47J Chinook helicopter slowly upwards, carrying the surviving
members of the Samsara Team towards Tokyo. This "Fish" mission had already claimed
the lives of over a dozen people, and countless more had perished in the terror
world. If this were the real world, the shock would be unimaginable.

Having experienced so many life-and-death situations, everyone had changed,

especially in their mindset. Looking at the sunlight in the sky, they felt a
strange sense of serenity. Surviving a disaster always makes people cherish their
lives and want to live longer. But this was a terror world. Could they really last?
According to Zou Hang, if they didn't want to live in terror, they should make
others experience it!

The helicopter flew over Okinawa, where they had first appeared. The population
here had never been large, and being the first target of the Fish's attack, there
were few survivors left still "fighting" the slow-witted Walkers.

But Tokyo, the capital of Japan, was much more lively. The streets were filled with
Self-Defense Force soldiers hunting Walkers, and many civilians poured out of
buildings, wielding poles and rocks, united in the fight.

At this rate, the mission should be completed soon. But these things could be left
to others. The Samsara Team's current target was the National Diet Building – to
pick up a "teammate." Except that An Ran had already been infected and turned into
a Walker. To return to the Main God's space, they would have to kill her. This was
another difficult choice.

But they did not know that An Ran had already left this world!

The helicopter slowly descended into the parking lot in front of the National Diet
Building. The Type 90 tanks that had been stationed here had already rolled out to
"suppress the bandits." The Self-Defense Forces who had been guarding the area were
nowhere to be seen, only a few security personnel remained. However, the CH-47J
Chinook did not attract their attention.

Bai Yu, Huang Jian, and Long Bao were the first to disembark. The last was Zou
Hang, his body almost entirely wrapped in emergency bandages, revealing only two
captivating eyes. He slowly stepped out of the helicopter.

<!-- 088 Revenge: The True Eye of Sin, Part 2 -->

088 Revenge: The True Eye of Sin, Part 2

Table of Contents

<!-- 088 复仇真实的罪恶之眼 2 -->

<!-- 088 Revenge 真实的罪恶之眼 2 -->

His entire body was ravaged by severe burns and massive blood loss. An ordinary
person would have been dead long ago. However, Zou Hang's almost abnormal 200
points of cell vitality was slowly restoring his body, though the process wasn't
exactly fast. In fact, Zou Hang's final "Blood Oath" skill had already consumed all
the blood in his body. That last trace of blood he licked might not have seemed
like much to others, but his vampire bloodline allowed him to hold on just long
enough to absorb some blood from the corpse of the "comfort" corps member, giving
him the boost he needed to recover.

"Who are you?" A middle-aged man stepped forward, but within seconds, he had turned
into a dried-out husk and collapsed at their feet. Everywhere they went, Zou Hang
drained the life out of everything, leaving a trail of barren land in their wake.

"Prime Minister Koizumi is in the lounge! Ah...don't kill me!" They grabbed someone
to ask for directions, resulting in yet another withered corpse.

"Bang!" Without knocking, they burst into the room.

Little Koizumi Puppy was napping. For a month, he had kept everyone on edge, and
this was the first chance he'd had to truly rest. Being disturbed now made him
furious. He angrily barked, "Get out! What kind of manners do you have? I said no
one is to enter when I'm resting!"

"Really?" A cold voice echoed from behind.

Koizumi was about to unleash a torrent of abuse but, as he turned, he saw Zou Hang,
wrapped head to toe like a mummy. He was so shocked he almost fell to the ground.
When he clearly recognized the figure, and especially when he met Zou Hang's soul-
piercing gaze, he felt a chill creep up his spine and his heart tremble with fear!

"Where are my teammates?" Zou Hang's voice cut through the air once more.

Koizumi was indignant. He had ordered those accompanying them to find an

opportunity to eliminate them. Yet, here they were, and no one had reported back. A
bad feeling started to creep in. Could it be that all sixty-plus of his men were
dead? Koizumi initially wanted to come up with an excuse, but he had already
ordered An Ran's assassination. But then, he remembered this was *his* territory.
How could a Prime Minister of Japan be intimidated by these few individuals!

"That monster of yours has already been killed by me!" No sooner had the words left
his mouth than Zou Hang flashed forward and stood right in front of him.

"What do you think you're doing? If I lose even a hair on my head, none of you will
leave this room." After a moment's thought, he added, feeling the threat wasn't
strong enough, "I can utter one sentence that will wipe out your entire families.
China pigs!"

He would have been better off saying nothing! Those words ignited Long Bao, Bai Yu,
and Huang Jian's fury. It didn't matter that he was just an NPC from a horror
comic; even if this were reality, so what? They were about to step forward, but Bai
Yu stopped them with a wave of her hand. Zou Hang was in the lead, and they would
follow his every command.

Zou Hang, however, had frozen. Koizumi, seeing that Zou Hang wasn't moving, thought
his threat had worked. The young man was clearly the leader of this group, and if
he could intimidate him, everything would be resolved. Once he was out of here, he
could even mobilize the army to tear them all to pieces. He prepared to press his
advantage: "I can..."

He never finished his sentence. Zou Hang suddenly grabbed him. No one knew where
Zou Hang got so much strength; with only 20 points in muscle enhancement, he
somehow managed to lift the nearly 200-pound fat man with one hand.

"Die!" The word burst from between Zou Hang's clenched teeth.

In Zou Hang's eyes, the blood-red pupils began to spin rapidly, as if tearing at
Koizumi's soul. In that instant, Koizumi seemed to see everything he had done
through Zou Hang's eyes: the people he had murdered, the fires he had set. His sins
were overwhelming. As he watched, tears of repentance streamed down his face. Zou
Hang had pried open the door to his soul, finding the chink in his armor, making
him remarkably easy to control…

Footsteps approached from nearby. Two soldiers carrying iron cases hurried in.
Seeing the scene in the room, they immediately drew their pistols, pointed them at
Zou Hang's head, and shouted, "Release Prime Minister Koizumi!" (PS: Release Little
Puppy Prime Minister ^-^

<!-- 返回目录 -->

Return to Table of Contents

## Chapter 89: Burying Them All

**Table of Contents**

Suddenly, two soldiers sprang to their feet, enraged. "What did you say?" they
demanded.

"Don't believe me? Ask your prime minister!" Zou Hang retorted. The two soldiers
anxiously pressed, "Prime Minister, what he's saying isn't true, is it?"

"No! Everything he said is true!" A sinister smile played on Little Dog's lips as
he delivered the confirmation.

It was too late. Perhaps the two soldiers knew something, but they, too, succumbed,
transforming into dried husks as their life essence was drained. Refortified by the
absorbed blood, Zou Hang, his strength renewed, summoned the three bystanders who
were staring in disbelief, and strode towards the parking lot. Little Dog meekly
followed behind. Under Little Dog's command, a CH-47J helicopter was filled with
fuel, and loaded with spare gasoline. The helicopter ascended.

Circling nearly a thousand meters in the air, Little Dog stood at the helicopter's
open exit, without any safety gear or parachute.

Zou Hang snapped his fingers. Prime Minister Little Dog, jolted by a sudden
awakening, realized his precarious position. He opened his mouth to scream, but the
air currents ripped him from the aircraft. His screams echoed through the sky.

"An Ran! I offer this as a sacrifice in your memory!" Zou Hang murmured sadly into
the void, a somber greeting.

'The Eye of True Sin' – this was the skill Zou Hang received as a reward from the
Main God at the conclusion of 'Final Destination'.
'The Eye of True Sin' forces the subject to confront their inner demons, using
their own wickedness as the catalyst and their desire for atonement as the fuel. It
seals their soul, hypnotizes their body, and subjects them to the controller's
will. Once initiated, it cannot be stopped. It can only be used once per horror
film. Those without inner darkness are unaffected.

When Zou Hang learned of An Ran's murder, his mind had momentarily turned into a
malfunctioning, static-filled black and white television. He was lost in a fog of
despair. This quickly morphed into a boundless rage. In that instant, he finally
understood. An Ran! A girl as pure and innocent as a white lily, who had
consistently cared for him and loved him, the only person without ulterior motives,
utterly devoid of deceit.

Zou Hang, on the other hand, was a rose armored with thorns, attacking anyone who
dared to approach. Never before had anyone unconditionally given so much to him.
Zou Lao? That was a joke. Everything he did was only to atone for his own sins, a
punishment he deserved! When the dark, brownish wraith bearing Zou Lao's form
materialized, Zou Hang's suppressed memories were dredged up.

He had constantly told himself he was just using her, treating An Ran as merely a
tool. But he was wrong! He was deceiving his own heart's truest emotions. He had
been indifferent, failing to recognize An Ran's importance. By leaving her at
Little Dog's camp, Zou Hang had likely foreseen An Ran's potential fate. After all,
even if she wasn't killed, he would still have to eliminate her to wipe out all the
'Fish'. But only when he truly learned that Little Dog had murdered An Ran did he
understand, realize, and recognize just how much she meant.

He shouldn't have waited until An Ran was hurt to say sorry. He shouldn't have
waited until she closed her eyes to remember her good qualities and start to
cherish her.

In Zou Hang's world, the most despised and wasteful thing was regret, yearning for
a return to the past. But now, Zou Hang was consumed by regret…

Eight nuclear warheads detonating simultaneously in one location was a truly

spectacular sight. Even from the edge of the Sea of Japan, hundreds of miles away,
one could still feel the force of the explosion. It was as if heaven and earth had
instantly changed color, a spectacle born of human power.

Almost the entire Japanese archipelago sat on a seismic zone, at the junction of
tectonic plates. It was a place inherently prone to geological activity. Mount
Fuji, once a dormant volcano, was spurred back to life by human intervention, and
the tectonic plates were jolted into violent movement. Volcanoes throughout Japan
erupted, spewing fiery, superheated magma, scorching all life on the land.

The unprecedented intensity of the earthquake shook everything. Shoddily built

structures and reinforced concrete buildings alike crumbled and collapsed.
Mountains seemed to sink into the ground.

The dramatic shift in tectonic plates triggered violent changes in ocean currents
on the seabed. Massive waves relentlessly crashed onto the Japanese coastline.
Within hours, Japan had become a barren wasteland, no longer existing as it once
had. It was buried deep beneath the sea. All this stemmed from a single action by
Little Dog – by killing An Ran, he had condemned all of Japan to pay the ultimate
price.

"'Fish' mission completed. Reward: B-level main storyline and 5000 Survival Points!
Reverse Time Restoration activated!" Huang Jian, who had slaughtered five rookies,
didn't receive a single Survival Point. However, he wouldn't be shortchanged on the
B-level side storyline!

To be honest, Zou Hang didn't have a clue about 'Reverse Time Restoration'. But
since it was a reward, it shouldn't be harmful.

As the Main God's voice echoed in everyone's minds, the helicopter circling above
the sea was empty. It drifted aimlessly, and then, like the submerged Japanese
mainland, sank into the depths!

And this mission was over! But there were still others remaining, not just people
from the horror world, but also from the Main God space in the cycle of
reincarnation.

In the White House in the United States, several foreigners were discussing how to
eliminate the monsters with President Bush when they suddenly heard the Main God's
notification in their ears.

"****! Was it those guys from 001 space again? How can there be people stronger
than us? First, they dealt with that monster, then they quickly annihilated those
'crawlers'. I was just talking to the president about using nuclear weapons!" A
muscular, blond-haired man, with a physique comparable to Schwarzenegger,
complained indignantly.

"Forget it! There's no reward for this mission. It's a shame that two old guys
died. What bad luck!" A red-haired maiden looked gloomy.

"I haven't seen those Easterners in 'the arena' for a long time. I thought those
rookies couldn't even find a team leader!" said a middle-aged man with auburn hair,
blue eyes, a black cloak, and snow-white skin.

But before he could finish speaking, he vanished into thin air. President Bush
stared wide-eyed and shouted into the inner room: "Honey, come out and see God!"

In contrast, in India, a few dark-skinned men and women were excited.

"We finally made it through! That scared me to death!" A pretty girl with bronze
skin and scant clothing laughed.

"Yeah! That was close. I thought we were doomed. Fortunately, we encountered a

global world mission. But a team completed it in only a month and a half. They're
really strong!" a boy said, still feeling lingering fear.

"That's right! I remember the last world mission; I was the only one who survived.
That time lasted almost a year!" a skinny old man with a white beard said.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, a group of short, somewhat wretched-looking Japanese men

gathered together, complaining indignantly: "This is so depressing. Why were we
assigned here? We're familiar with the story of the Fish, but we're sent here
instead."

"It seems the Main God is afraid we'll cheat!"

"It's not so bad being here. I wanted to slaughter all these Chinese!"

"Can you keep your voice down? Haven't you been beaten enough? I'm still sore all
over!" he said, touching the bruises on his body.

"I was wondering, after being assigned here, we exchanged our bloodlines and
weapons in the Main God space to bully beggars, but we ended up getting beaten up
and stripped naked. I'm so depressed!"

"You only experienced one horror film, so your strength is of course weak! But that
beggar's Dragon Subduing Palms are really powerful! And that Taoist priest's Tai
Chi sword skills are really awesome. My Yagyu Jubei's skill of disarming an
opponent is useless. My hand was chopped off! If they hadn't been arrested for
carrying controlled knives and illegally injuring people, we wouldn't have been
able to escape! Fortunately, they are not united and fought amongst themselves...
sigh..."

(I know this is a bit unrealistic. Just treat it as entertainment! I really wanted

to write it, and I don't want to delete it. Please don't mind, everyone ^-^! )

**Return to Table of Contents**

<!-- 090 A Conjecture -->

090 A Conjecture

Table of Contents

(I apologize for the lack of updates these past couple of days. I was dealing with
some issues that haven't been entirely resolved yet! But Rome wasn't built in a
day. I’ll just have to take it slowly. Updates will resume starting today, but I’m
feeling really drained!)

Five towering pillars of light shot down from that detestable sphere of the Main
God, connecting to the Earth's surface. After the burst of light, several familiar
figures materialized within the Main God space. There wasn't much of a visual
shock. It was still the same beachside setting, not nearly as science fiction-
oriented as Jiang Hai's previous setup.

The Main God space. A place that caused worry for the veterans and wonder for the
newcomers. Of course, the person who most desperately wanted to be here was Long
Bao. He was now eager to do something, anything. As everyone knew, it was all for a
woman. At the very beginning of the "Fish" mission, Zou Hang probably saw him as
hopelessly naive. Was a woman really worth all this? But now, Zou Hang understood.
If a single figure persistently haunted your mind, it was incredibly difficult to
let go!

Wait? Why were there five beams of light? Zou Hang's eyes registered a bizarre
scene. An Ran! An Ran was alive! But at the moment, she was lying there in a
paralyzed, bloated, and unsightly state. And the beam hadn't vanished, but
manifested as a green light, repairing her body. Zou Hang realized that the Main
God was healing her internal organs and limbs, which had been infected and damaged
by the fish.

Bai Yu and the others were equally astonished. They were sure An Ran was dead! Zou
Hang turned and walked directly towards the solitary villa. Long Bao suddenly
remembered his goal and grabbed Zou Hang's arm. He said excitedly, "Zou Hang! Tell
me quickly. How can you bring someone back to life after they’ve died!" In his
eyes, An Ran, who was supposed to be dead, had reappeared in the Main God space. He
directly made the connection to reviving the woman he loved.
But Zou Hang was somewhat annoyed by his behavior. He had things to do. He said
coldly, "Let go! Don’t try to interfere with my plans, or else…" Zou Hang didn't
finish, leaving Long Bao plenty of room to imagine the consequences of that 'or
else.' So, Long Bao immediately released his hands, letting Zou Hang go. He had
already waited so many years, what was a little longer?

Zou Hang's current actions served two purposes. First, he was somewhat connecting
it with that so-called 'Reverse Time Restoration'. An Ran had actually returned to
the Main God space, which could indicate something. He needed to investigate the
idea in his mind. Second, it was still because of An Ran. Perhaps if An Ran hadn’t
returned here and had truly died, he wouldn’t have felt so uneasy. Now, Zou Hang
suddenly didn't know how to face the woman who always smiled, followed all his
instructions, and never resisted!

Back in the villa, Zou Hang immediately pulled out his laptop and began to
meticulously search for what had happened in the real world, the one he had long
since lost contact with.

Countless web pages, news outlets, and government websites all mentioned the word
"fish." In the search engine, the single term "fish" no longer displayed those
marine creatures recorded in textbooks. Instead, it displayed a new species.

Regardless of whether you entered "walking fish" or "fish with legs," you could
find hundreds of millions of web links. Zou Hang carefully sifted through them.
From various major websites, Zou Hang learned that countless walking fish had
landed on the same day in various locations around the world. But this strange
situation didn’t develop any further.

No one was infected by the fish's bacteria and turned into those disgusting
walkers. Nor was there any mention of vengeful spirits. And those strange fish
suddenly disappeared one day! They left no trace of their existence. Many
biologists and government agencies captured many walking fish for research. They
disappeared without a trace as well. It was truly puzzling. This kind of
supernatural phenomenon was inexplicable by science. There was no tangible
evidence, and those who claimed to have filmed the fish discovered nothing when
they played back the footage.

Almost everyone in the world had seen those things. Finally, the Pope in the
Vatican offered an explanation that stunned everyone. Zou Hang carefully considered
that sentence on the computer: "We all had the same dream. Perhaps it was a divine
revelation from God to his people, telling us to protect fish!" Therefore, many
people collectively defined those few days with a new term: "Dream Day." Afterward,
many countries, still shaken by the experience, vigorously cracked down on illegal
fishing, but that’s another matter!

Zou Hang sat in the computer chair, rocking back and forth. He began to carefully
combine the information he obtained online to make a deduction. He naturally
dismissed the ridiculous claims! But there were still some areas worth exploring.
The walking fish had truly appeared.

This should have been a mission to save the real world. Leng Ren had also proposed
this view. That made the theory more believable. But the fish's bacteria had
disappeared. At least, there had been no reports of people with those strange
symptoms in the real world.

Zou Hang had also specifically visited well-known medical forums at home and
abroad. And after experiencing the entire mission process, Zou Hang knew that the
fish's bacteria actually came from the power of that vengeful spirit. And after the
source was terminated, the group of walkers who had been 'captured' became useless.
The connection between these things was deep. What Zou Hang found most strange was
An Ran's return.

If her rebirth was due to the power of 'Reverse Time Restoration,' then why hadn't
those dozen or so dead newbies been resurrected? And walking fish had appeared?
Carefully sorting out his thoughts, Zou Hang only came up with one possible answer.
After all, the evidence was too scarce and the information was incomplete.

Hypothesis! The side mission Zou Hang received was to kill the fish. And that fish
was the source of the vengeful spirit. And the vengeful spirit was the main body of
the bacteria. So, after Zou Hang killed the fish, the vengeful spirit disappeared,
so naturally no one would be infected by the bacteria. And the reward of Reverse
Time Restoration was then obtained. Its effect was to reverse time to the beginning
of the mission. As for why An Ran was alive but those newbies had died, it was
probably because only An Ran contracted those bacteria, which triggered a chain
reaction. The deaths of the others were mostly at the hands of Huang Jian, and a
few died under the trampling hooves of the swarming walking fish.

Actually, even thinking to this point, Zou Hang had only barely convinced himself,
giving the most reasonable explanation. But Zou Hang understood that this theory
was also full of loopholes. The appearance of the walking fish was also because
they were infected by the bacteria and drawn by the vengeful spirit. And several of
the newbies died because of the appearance of walking fish. This was a BUG.

Thinking of this, Zou Hang had to give up. This mission was like a strange loop;
the more you thought about it, the more you would get trapped. Perhaps this really
wasn't a problem that could be easily solved.

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 091 Warning 1 -->

091 Warning 1

Contents

What bothered him was that, according to information he'd found online, Japan was
still floating happily on the sea and hadn't sunk. This "reverse time restoration"
thing definitely had its annoying aspects.

Zou Hang wasn't planning on sharing these deductions with the others. After all,
the theory was a bit of a stretch. Besides, he couldn't think of a single reason
*why* he should tell them!

Zou Hang strolled leisurely out of the villa. In the distance, An Ran was still
wheezing, but some of the swelling on her body had gone down. It looked like it
would take a while for her to fully recover. Zou Hang couldn't help but breathe a
sigh of relief. He didn't really know why he felt so relieved, either. Remembering
the three new recruits, he looked around but didn't see them. Instead, within the
residential area, three buildings stood tall, each distinct in style. All three
front doors stood open. As Zou Hang hesitated, the three spotted him and rushed
out.

"How did you figure it out?" Zou Hang asked casually.

"Oh! This!" Long Bao said with a grin. "Huang Jian discovered it by accident. He
was bored, saw a few lonely-looking doors over here, then, remembering something he
saw on TV, thought 'villa!' It actually worked!"

Zou Hang glanced at Huang Jian, who wore a smug look of pride, and scoffed
inwardly, "Playing with petty cleverness, wearing his emotions on his sleeve; he'll
never amount to anything." It might have been early for Zou Hang to pass judgment,
but anyone who saw Huang Jian's punchable face at that moment would probably feel
the same way.

Bai Yu stood quietly to the side. This Main God space was indeed magical, but
nothing was important at the moment. Since he wasn't familiar with the place,
observing silently was the best approach.

Long Bao, however, didn't see it that way. He was anxious and about to ask about
*that* matter, but a sharp glare from Zou Hang shut him up before he could get the
words out.

"Follow me!" Zou Hang ordered. "Don't forget your promises! I'll give you some
advice: only those with capital to invest will receive the return they deserve! Now
I'll take you to do what needs to be done." With that, Zou Hang took the lead,
heading towards the Main God's location. He explained how to communicate with the
Main God and ordered them to report their stats to him after they checked them.

Zou Hang started timing them in his head. How many times in his dull childhood had
he passed the time this way, comparing the clock's time against his own? Zero error
in twenty-four hours!

This was Zou Hang! And I don’t mean the error rate, but his childhood!

"Five seconds!" Zou Hang muttered.

In just five seconds – or, more accurately, 4.98 seconds – Bai Yu had already
exited and was reporting to Zou Hang: "Mental strength: eighteen, nerve reaction:
sixty, muscle strength: forty-nine, cell vitality: thirty."

Bai Yu's answer was succinct and without unnecessary details, totaling 157 points.
In fact, Bai Yu had concealed some of his stats, unsure what they truly meant. He'd
hidden twenty points from his nerve reaction. His true nerve reaction was eighty,
and his total stats were closer to 177.

Zou Hang responded casually, not showing any surprise, but he was actually quite
impressed. With a score of 157, he was the only one with lower stats than him. The
hardships of becoming a professional killer were beyond the capabilities of
ordinary people.

Some of the world’s most renowned training camps employed the most brutal selection
processes to create elite assassins: survival of the fittest. From a pool of nearly
one hundred orphans, they would train them from a young age. But before they
reached adulthood, they would be subjected to a bloody culling. Only one would
survive – the one who killed all the others they had grown up with. Only the last
one standing could leave!

The final survivor would invariably be a truly formidable assassin. But that person
would also be profoundly damaged. Killing the companions with whom they shared
their lives, killing their best friends… he had experienced the cruelty of that
world. That's why he would never forget it.

Zou Hang didn’t do things without reason! He timed the three rookies again as a
test.
Bai Yu's stats surprised him. Zou Hang wasn't worried that he was trying to inflate
his stats to increase his value. Zou Hang suspected Bai Yu of underreporting some
of his stats, just like he himself had done in front of Jiang Hai. Concealing some
strength, allowing others to underestimate you, was often a fatal advantage in a
key moment. Zou Hang knew this principle, and of course, others might know it too.
And assassins should know it especially well.

4.89 seconds! How incredibly short! Zou Hang had explained the method of
communicating with the Main God very clearly; only an idiot wouldn't understand.
But Zou Hang had given them no time limit! Bai Yu's actions, demonstrating his
utmost obedience, betrayed him nonetheless. Who would exit communication with the
Main God so quickly? At least when Zou Hang first connected with the Main God, he
explored other information.

4.98 seconds! Zou Hang smiled bitterly to himself. A nerve reaction speed of sixty
could achieve that. Of course, a higher nerve reaction could also do it.

Based on his understanding of Bai Yu, he would never inflate his stat cap to show
off. Bai Yu wasn't Huang Jian! So sixty was just a baseline – he was testing,
holding back. Often, people who lie expose themselves when trying to cover it up!

If Bai Yu had the chance to say it again, it would be better. But once he realized
what a nerve reaction speed of sixty implied, he would realize he’d made a mistake.
His mistake wasn’t saying sixty, but that Bai Yu wasn’t Zhuge Liang, and Zou Hang
*was* Zhou Yu. (This part has some double meaning. It's really hard to express.
Everyone needs to savor it carefully. Hopefully, I can convey what it was meant to
mean!)

At this point, Zou Hang had achieved his goal in timing Bai Yu. And his mental
stopwatch continued running, waiting for the next participant.

"Five minutes and thirty-six seconds!" Zou Hang murmured aloud.

Long Bao emerged, looking somewhat dejected, and reported his stats: "Mental
strength: four, nerve reaction: thirty-two, muscle strength: fifty-three, cell
vitality: twenty-four!"

Long Bao's total stats were 113. Another talented individual. A soldier’s physique
was stronger than that of the average person, and Long Bao’s numbers matched his
muscular physique well. The Mini gun M134 7.62mm was a good fit for him. Five
minutes, and he was still thinking about finding a way? Too undisciplined. Too much
emotion often interferes with one's ability to make rational judgements. The self-
discipline that a soldier should have was obviously lacking, making Zou Hang
annoyed. However, five and a half minutes wasn’t too bad – at least he was able to
come to his senses.

Return to Contents

<!-- 093 Warning 3 -->

093 Warning 3

Table of Contents

The scene within the Main God space mirrored the passage of time at the real-world
beach. Zou Hang sat on the sand, quietly observing the night. An Ran emerged from a
vanishing pillar of light, calmly surveying the familiar surroundings. She walked
alone towards a residential area, built a house, and silently entered.

Zou Hang's gaze, directed at the starlit sky, held a profound depth. His mismatched
green and red pupils were invisible in the darkness.

Long Bao, in a fit of madness, smashed every piece of furniture in the house. Huang
Jian, driven by manic desire, vented his lust on the actress. Bai Yu remained
motionless beneath the Main God.

The night stretched on, seemingly endless.

As dawn broke, a girl appeared beside Bai Yu. She was plain-looking but bore a
resemblance to him, wore a camouflage vest, and had a bronze complexion. Bai Yu led
her into the room, then turned back to Zou Hang, saying, "Neural reaction, eighty
points!"

Perhaps everyone harbors a hidden secret. In the training camp on that isolated
Japanese island, Bai Yu had been the last survivor. This girl had also been there,
Bai Yu's final opponent. To survive for so long implied an unparalleled will to
live and honed combat skills. Perhaps Bai Yu had lived, but his sister had died.
Two orphans, reliant only on each other, had been forced to fight to the death. The
first thing Bai Yu did upon leaving was to slaughter every instructor in that
training camp.

Huang Jian, exhausted from the night's exertions, emerged from the house without
resting. Seeing Zou Hang, he silently sat down beside him.

Soon after, Long Bao also appeared next to Zou Hang. Eventually, everyone was
assembled.

Zou Hang told Long Bao how to create a personal assistant. A moment later, a well-
proportioned woman appeared at Long Bao's side.

"Don't ask me why! I only remember that you have entrusted your lives to me, and I
will fulfill my promises. Now, let's continue with what I believe needs to be done!
Bai Yu, exchange for 'Shadow Skill C' – usable only during the daytime. You can
freely traverse through areas where shadows intersect, costing one B-level side
story and two thousand survival points. The weakness is that it cannot be used in
the open night, or you'll become lost in the shadows. Also, there is a one-second
delay when emerging from the shadows, during which you cannot move or attack. The
future advancement path is 'Shadow Skill B, A, S,' allowing you to eliminate the
delay, walk in the night, and attack from the shadows. It's an extremely powerful
skill." After describing the skill, Zou Hang looked back at Bai Yu.

"You should be proficient in close-quarters combat and assassination, right?" Zou

Hang asked. Bai Yu nodded in response. During the "Fish" mission, Bai Yu had
managed to appear silently beside Zou Hang, evading even his almost-paranoid neural
reactions and extrasensory perception. Zou Hang deduced that he must be skilled in
these arts. Combining that expertise with the Shadow Skill would maximize its
effectiveness in actual combat, yielding significant benefits. However, he still
needed a suitable weapon. Bai Yu had already used up his side stories, and only had
survival points, so he was unable to exchange for a powerful weapon. It was ironic
that Huang Jian had side stories to spare but no survival points.

Zou Hang looked at Huang Jian's leering face, and at that moment, Huang Jian
suddenly seemed almost endearing. However, to others, Huang Jian was simply
perverse. Huang Jian had placed a dog collar around the neck of the actress from
the previous night, leading her like a bitch. The actress's revealing clothes
barely concealed her intimate parts, yet she was crawling on all fours, a look of
wild excitement on her face.

While others might see Huang Jian's humanity as warped, Zou Hang recognized one of
his strengths: a desire for power, a continued thirst for killing. This was the
yearning Zou Hang had inquired about during the Fish mission. When Zou Hang
tentatively withheld power from him, Huang Jian had managed to find a solution
under intense pressure. To survive for the long term in endless cycles of terror,
adaptation was key. And Huang Jian had adapted. Bai Yu and Long Bao had adapted as
well. In a sense, Zou Hang had achieved another goal. He remembered how, during the
Fish mission, his vivisection of Yamamoto Mirai to obtain the key had pushed
everyone, without exception, beyond their psychological breaking points. But at
that moment, every member of Team 001 exuded a different aura. They had
internalized a certain ruthlessness, learning from Zou Hang's example to project
terror onto others. An Ran was also among them, having undergone her own
transformation into a silent, obedient follower. Ironically, just as Zou Hang had
resolved to accept An Ran, events had overtaken him. "The trees want to be still,
but the wind won't let them."

Furthermore, they accepted Zou Hang's arrangements. They accepted the arrangements
Zou Hang gave them. In Zou Hang's view, this was only temporary, yet also what he
wished for. After all, laughable trust was forever laughable in Zou Hang's eyes.

Zou Hang walked up to Huang Jian, but the actress suddenly snarled at Zou Hang like
a wolf, her throat rumbling with hostility. "Dog, shut up!" Huang Jian kicked her
in the ass. The actress cowered away like a startled puppy. Zou Hang stared
intently at Huang Jian. In that moment of eye contact, he wondered what secrets
Huang Jian harbored. Huang Jian, in turn, met Zou Hang's bizarre, mismatched gaze
without flinching.

"Want to kill? I'll grant your wish! 'Human Weapon': inherits special bloodline
that allows the body to transform into a weapon. In weapon mode, it possesses
immense offensive or defensive power. Exchange one C-level side story and one
thousand survival points for the bloodline, and another C-level side story and one
thousand survival points for either 'Dagger Transformation,' which completely
ignores physical defense and inflicts damage equivalent to a particle vibration
dagger—unbreakable defense, too; or 'Shield Transformation,' which completely
ignores physical attack power, the equivalent of the legendary magic weapon "****"
(but only defends against physical attacks). Another B-level side story and two
thousand survival points can be exchanged for either 'Red Sword Transformation,'
which completely ignores spiritual defense and attacks with spiritual energy—also
unbreakable defense, too; or 'Dimensional Shield,' which ignores all spiritual
attack power and defends with spiritual energy. The weakness is that the user
cannot control their body after transforming unless the transformation is reversed,
but it can be controlled by other team members. You can still indulge in your
bloodlust, and in some ways, you'll be invincible. But in another respect, you can
still be killed in weapon mode." This enhancement was incredibly powerful in
certain respects. It could complement Bai Yu's abilities perfectly. The combination
of the two could create the ultimate killing machine, possibly even capable of
taking Zou Hang's own life. However, there would likely be many unpredictable
factors between theory and reality.

Return to Table of Contents

## 094 Exhaustion

094 Exhaustion
Table of Contents

(Apologies for not updating yesterday! To be honest, I was busy all day yesterday,
and today I've been busy since I got up at 3 PM. It's now 6:07 AM on the 31st, and
I'm finally finished. Frankly, I'm so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open. Web
novelists usually work hard for eighteen hours, and only sleep for six. Self-
deprecatingly, I guess that's a lot. I really wish I could learn Da Vinci's sleep
method and only sleep two hours a day. Sadly, I don't have the strength of a "great
god." I'll grit my teeth and squeeze out a chapter before sleeping! As for the
remaining chapter, I'll write it after I wake up!)

A spear and a shield represent two mutually exclusive states for a single person at
a given time, but if two people with directly opposing skills were to fight, the
only result would be destruction, a mutual annihilation...

To help Huang Jian exchange for a skill, Zou Hang and Long Bao each contributed a
C-level side story and one thousand survival points. Since they couldn't contribute
any more, Zou Hang had to ask An Ran to chip in as well. Although An Ran and Zou
Hang's relationship was now practically nonexistent, she didn't object.

With the arrangements mostly finalized, Zou Hang began communicating with the Main
God. As usual, he turned to strengthening his Vampire bloodline. Although Zou Hang
spent a C-level side story and a thousand survival points on Huang Jian, thanks to
the reserves from the previous 'Final Destination' movie, Zou Hang still possessed
a B-level side story and a C-level side story, plus exactly five thousand survival
points. He was the wealthiest member of the team. Right now, upgrading to a Vampire
Count required a B-level side story and three thousand survival points, so Zou Hang
exchanged it directly. Having chosen a path, there was no turning back, even if it
was fraught with thorns.

Vampire Count Bloodline. Rating: 85. Suitable for guerrilla combat. Offers super-
high reaction speed and agility, regenerative cell activity, fearlessness, and the
special skill, Blood Veil. Using Blood Clan skills consumes blood from the body.

Zou Hang was relatively satisfied with this upgrade. His stats had increased
significantly again: 150 Spirit, 200 Nerve Reaction, 30 Muscle Strength, and 200
Cell Vitality. Zou Hang now had a total of 580 stat points. The improvements to
these particular attributes greatly emphasized Zou Hang's strengths. But the most
important gains were the new Vampire special skill and fearlessness. In the "Fish"
world, facing the fiery barrier that the fish created, the visceral experience was
beyond description. Being burned by the flames was already incredibly painful, but
the fear of fire inherent in his Viscount bloodline not only shook Zou Hang's
mental state but also amplified the damage the flames inflicted.

As for Blood Veil, the existence of this skill further soothed the unpleasantness
in his heart. It was precisely what he needed most right now. Blood Veil: When
facing a fatal attack, the stored blood within the body will automatically surge
outwards. The body will be immune to all attacks until the blood is completely
depleted. In that case, the original assassination team of Bai Yu and Huang Jian
could silently and invisibly eliminate opponents. But with this skill, it seemed
that Zou Hang had a powerful trump card – he wouldn't use it lightly, but when he
did, it would be his ace in the hole to save his life. However, every advantage has
a disadvantage. All of a vampire's power comes from the blood within their body.
Once the blood they rely on is strongly suppressed and imprisoned, Zou Hang would
have no power to retaliate.

After exchanging for the Count bloodline and checking some other information, Zou
Hang severed the connection with the Main God. By this time, Long Bao, Huang Jian,
and the others had already left. In the empty Main God's plaza, only An Ran was
quietly waiting on the side, as if expecting something. Zou Hang walked over.
Without the slightest hint of guilt or sentimentality, he asked with his trademark
coldness, "What are your stats?" Because An Ran had been infected with the fish's
bacteria before, even though the Main God had healed her, her stats must have
changed.

Hearing Zou Hang's question, An Ran seemed to have anticipated it and mechanically
answered, "101 Spirit, 50 Nerve Reaction, 40 Muscle Strength, 5 Cell Vitality." Zou
Hang was momentarily surprised by An Ran's changes. He had thought An Ran would
focus on Cell Vitality like he did, but unexpectedly, her Spirit and Nerve Reaction
had increased. The increase in Nerve Reaction was understandable considering her
persistence in the previous movie, and the stats of those new recruits had also
grown after experiencing life and death situations. However, he had never imagined
that An Ran's Spirit would reach 101 after the last mission, a direct increase of
eighty points.

There's a saying that willpower is power. Zou Hang would probably never understand
how sad An Ran's heart was at that moment! No! He would never understand. Because
all of this was imposed on An Ran by Zou Hang. Ask yourselves honestly, would you
rather watch someone else experience Infinite Horror, or would you take their place
and experience it yourself?

Zou Hang abandoned his initial plan for An Ran's growth. Without lingering, he
searched for a while and then spoke to An Ran, "Based on your special Spirit stat,
I specifically looked into the Legendary Magic skill category. Since you've already
used your B-level side story, your choices are much fewer. I think spells related
to support are more suitable for you. For example, 'Serenity' can eliminate various
anxieties and minor negative emotions from teammates. And 'Fearless' can inspire
courage. These two should be very effective for newbies. Although this one is in
the Legendary Magic category, it doesn't have any practical effects and only
requires a C-level side story and a thousand survival points to exchange!"

As soon as Zou Hang finished speaking, An Ran had already walked to the base of the
Main God. She left after only a brief pause, returning to her own room alone. An
Ran became exceptionally silent after returning to the Main God's space, as if she
had turned mute and wouldn't say another word! Perhaps this was better for her to
stop the pain and heal her wounds!

After nightfall, Zou Hang suddenly realized that this was the most people he had
ever had in the Main God's space. Including the three women he had created, there
were already eight people. He just wondered if the next time they came back, it
would be like returning after 'Final Destination.'

A hundred stable boys are no match for ten elite soldiers. Training is necessary,
and their proficiency is directly related to their survival rate in horror movies.
He wondered if anyone in the previous team had set up a practice area on the Main
God's platform outside their rooms. Huang Jian and Bai Yu were divided into a group
to fully coordinate, while Long Bao was just firing blanks into the air in place.
His target was the light orb above. Zou Hang didn't bother with training. He could
almost always fully master all of his powers with only a single attempt, like the
first time he came to this platform when he plunged straight into his room. Several
TVs simultaneously played different kinds of horror movies. The only difference was
that he now held a horror novel in his hand, and there were scattered comics and
magazine serializations around him.

At this time, he felt a little tired! Exhausted at heart! (Talking about me, I
can't keep my eyelids open. I'm going to turn off the computer and go to sleep!)
Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 095 Beginning of Nightmare Abyss -->

095 Beginning of Nightmare Abyss

Table of Contents

The training these past few days was brief, to say the least. In reality, soldiers
like these wouldn't be allowed anywhere near a battlefield. But it was clear the
members of the reincarnation squad were already elites among elites. Zou Hang
hadn't been seen outside the training. In fact, he hadn’t even left his room in
days. It was as if everyone was meant to forget about him. An Ran kept to herself
in much the same way.

On the final evening, the ninth day, Zou Hang's door was knocked. He had just
switched off all the TVs at that moment. He had spent the last few days, without
sleep, watching horror movies and reading horror novels, one after another. This
was something few could endure. But just as Zou Hang was preparing to alleviate his
exhaustion with sleep, someone came to disturb him, which genuinely irritated him.
Zou Hang only saw others as tools within the horror movies themselves. However,
within the Main God's dimension, these tools were useless. He wouldn't force anyone
to do anything, but he also didn't want them entering his world. His heart was
eternally silent, a place only he occupied. Perhaps An Ran had once knocked on the
door of his heart, but that was only in the past, and An Ran never truly moved in.

The door opened! Perhaps it was Zou Hang's unique constitution, or perhaps it was
due to his cellular activity, but his skin remained pale, and he didn't have dark
circles under his eyes. His icy demeanor showed no difference from his usual self.

It was Long Bao who stood there. For some unknown reason, the weakness that Zou
Hang had suppressed in Long Bao had reverted to his original, passionate and heroic
self. Long Bao said with a smile, "We're going into that damned horror world again
tomorrow. I'm throwing a party at my place tonight. Everyone else is coming. I'd
like to invite you too! Do me a favor and have a drink! Honestly, I'm not that fond
of you, but I have to admit, I would've met my ancestors long ago without you. And
I wouldn't have been able to get Xin Qiao back! I really want to thank you!"

Long Bao seemed a bit shy as he spoke. It was probably because Xin Qiao, the woman
he loved, had returned to his side. Long Bao was originally a passionate man, a
soldier who didn't tolerate any nonsense, and would always stand up for what was
right. But for his woman, he had risked everything in 'Fish'. Now, from his eyes,
it could be seen that he was still thinking of his woman. However, Zou Hang and his
relationship had changed. Originally, Zou Hang's promise to him was that he had to
pay the price for what he wanted. And now, Long Bao would likely obey Zou Hang
because he had given Xin Qiao a second chance at life.

But Zou Hang didn't see it that way. Long Bao wanted to continue living. Now that
his woman had returned, his desire to survive was even stronger. And while this
strong desire could push his combat abilities to the extreme, from another
perspective, he could no longer abandon his life. Perhaps people's thoughts were
complex and difficult to understand, full of contradictions.

Long Bao's home wasn't large, only about eighty square meters with two bedrooms and
a living room. The decor wasn't grand, but it was meticulous. It belonged to an
ordinary family. Perhaps only a few photos of him in military uniform and a neatly
folded quilt indicated Long Bao's identity as a soldier. After everyone's repeated
insistence, Huang Jian reluctantly let the AV actress put on normal clothes.

Xin Qiao wasn't beautiful. Her hands were somewhat dry. For some reason, her
complexion was sallow. She looked sickly and overworked, but her spirits were good,
and since she was created by the Main God, any illnesses could be ignored. In
reality, many women weren't perfect, but here, anything was possible. This showed
how deep Long Bao's feelings for Xin Qiao were, that he never asked the Main God to
remove the birthmark on her face.

The atmosphere was originally quite harmonious. The few people were chatting and
telling jokes. It almost felt like a gathering of friends in the real world. But
when Zou Hang came in, the noise stopped abruptly. The harmonious atmosphere
vanished. Zou Hang wasn't some monster, but for some reason, in everyone's eyes, he
seemed to be the embodiment of the horror world. He instantly pulled them from
their illusion back to the Main God's dimension. Even though they all knew that
only Zou Hang could lead them through this endless game, it seemed his image had
transformed into a guide to hell.

Almost everyone had the same thought: Zou Hang was different from them!

The last day.

Huang Jian had a B-level side story. Zou Hang had a C-level side story and two
thousand survival points. Long Bao had a C-level side story and two thousand
survival points. Bai Yu had three thousand survival points. An Ran had two thousand
survival points. Zou Hang only allowed Bai Yu to spend one thousand survival points
to replenish ammunition, medicine, and compressed capsules. Basically, unless it
was a disastrous or war-like horror world like 'Fish', that was enough.

"Survive! Survive! We must survive!" Long Bao shouted slogans on the square, like
the guide Jiang Hai had done the first time. In contrast to his enthusiasm, no one
paid any attention to him. Zou Hang sucked on a bag of red blood, savoring it. He
had reached the point where he was spending money to buy blood to drink. Although
in the Main God's dimension, 500CC of virgin blood only cost one survival point,
Zou Hang felt that it was a waste. He licked the blood droplets remaining on his
lips. For some reason, the taste was more astringent than before, with less warmth.

The Main God's mechanical voice echoed through the sky at an inopportune moment.
But to everyone, it seemed cruel and heartless. "Enter the teleportation zone
within thirty seconds, or be directly obliterated. This mission will include the
artificial humans." Almost everyone was shocked. Zou Hang frowned and headed toward
the pillar of light. When he became the captain, he had learned that some missions
required the artificial humans to accompany the team members. But he didn't expect
to encounter it now.

(What kind of mission will this be?)

As Zou Hang walked, he casually said, "I can spend one C-level side story and one
thousand survival points to keep my artificial human from participating in the
mission!" As soon as the words fell, only Long Bao ran quickly toward the Main
God's light sphere. Time was tight, and he was the only one with the reward to
exempt his wife from entering the horror world.

The pillar of light was large, easily accommodating three or four people. Zou Hang
hadn't paid attention to this detail before, but now he naturally understood its
significance. Bai Yu looked at her sister Bai Tian beside her. Their reality was
still terrifying. And that terror had made both of them skilled in combat and
killing techniques. Although Bai Tian wasn't eligible for enhancements, she was at
least top-notch compared to the newbies.
As for the AV actress, she had no name, and Huang Jian's code name for her was
simply "Bitch". Her only talent was probably satisfying Huang Jian's desires.

At that moment, both of them led their women into the pillar of light. After
completing the procedures, Long Bao quickly returned to the pillar of light. As for
his wife Xin Qiao, she silently waved goodbye to him from in front. This scene was
very familiar to the two. Long Bao was a soldier and only had a few days each year
to return home to visit. Zou Hang indifferently watched Xin Qiao's tearful eyes,
without any emotion. He was puzzled. If someone like Xin Qiao, with no combat
ability, entered the horror world, it would be suicide. But why did the Main God's
mission require the team members to bring their artificial humans with them?

At that moment, everyone was in position. The Main God's voice sounded again in
everyone's ears. "Teleportation target locked: Dead Silence. Beginning
teleportation…"

Dead Silence? In a fraction of a second, Zou Hang quickly browsed the horror
movies, novels, and comics he knew, but he still couldn't find anything similar.
And in that instant, he lost consciousness…

Return to Table of Contents

## 096: The Bizarre Golden Sphere

**Contents**

A golden sphere, roughly three meters in diameter. Its entire surface shimmered
with subtle, rippling undulations, a radiant spectacle adorned with glittering
light. It stood out starkly against the backdrop of pure white. Strangely, its
flawlessly polished surface, akin to a mirror, failed to reflect Zou Hang who stood
before it. There was no reflection of anything.

This was different, markedly so from the horror films he had experienced
previously. In those films, he was always transported to a locale with a factual
basis. This ethereal scene, however, felt wrong. An unsettling feeling crept into
Zou Hang's heart. This scene was not a plot point that he recognised.

Abandoning any hope of finding answers within the golden sphere, Zou Hang turned
his attention to the seemingly lifeless bodies of those 'lucky' individuals chosen
by the Main God. Upon careful counting, including a few elderly people and two
androids, the number of newcomers again tragically totalled twelve. Zou Hang didn't
know why, but aside from his initial trial, the level of difficulty in the horror
world was seemingly reaching its peak.

He glanced down at the wristwatch-like task indicator. Its screen remained dark,
displaying no characters, indicating that the mission hadn't yet begun. Meanwhile,
several of the older individuals had begun to stir and get to their feet. It seemed
their period of unconsciousness was directly correlated to their inherent
attributes and abilities. Upon seeing the stark white environment, with the massive
golden sphere as the only feature aside from the group, they were visibly taken
aback.

Long Bao questioned with a puzzled expression, "What is that thing?"

"Looks like it's made of gold. I wonder if it's solid gold inside? We're rich!" An
avaricious gleam shone in the eyes of the AV actress near Huang Jian. It seemed
Huang Jian’s construct mirrored her original nature. Those who entered the adult
film industry were driven either by fame or by fortune.

Huang Jian dismissed her with a scornful look, "All you ever think about is money!
Of course, you could never earn this much in your entire life of whoring!" For the
elderly among them, money was barely a concern. Ever since entering this world of
reincarnation, their entire outlook on life and values had undergone a radical
shift. In the real world, such a massive solid gold sphere would undoubtedly
trigger ruthless slaughter to possess it. But here, to the older people, it was
little more than a considerable amount of survival points.

However, everyone sensed that this object was anything but ordinary. The concentric
ripples spreading across its surface, like those of water disturbed by a dropped
pebble, suggested it was no mundane object. Moreover, would the Main God create
such a gigantic thing merely as decoration? Obviously not. Although the golden
sphere piqued their curiosity, no one dared to touch it.

The thirteen newcomers gradually stirred and rose to their feet. They erupted in a
cacophony of panicked chatter, spouting the usual nonsense about being kidnapped
and tricked into a TV show. Naturally, everyone's attention was drawn to the
conspicuous golden sphere.

"Good heavens, what a huge nugget! How much is that worth?" A middle-aged man, clad
in an outdated Mao suit and sporting oversized, 1980s-style aviator glasses,
exclaimed in astonishment, pushing his spectacles up his nose.

But some people were quicker than others. Before the words had even faded, a portly
man, his body draped in a baggy pair of overalls and an oversized shirt, suddenly
lunged towards the golden sphere, bellowing, "I saw it first! It's all mine!" He
was clearly a money-grubbing miser, but the chances that so many people would allow
him to take it for himself were slim to none. It was just plain common sense that
if you find a large wallet, you split it with the other witnesses, or else people
might do something drastic, especially since they were stranded in some sort of
cloudy realm, a complete wasteland with nothing but this sphere. Besides, such a
huge object couldn’t be moved by one person. A three-cubic-meter gold sphere would
weigh a lot, if it was pure gold, it wasn’t the size of a cheque.

Seeing the fat man approach the sphere, Zou Hang subtly signaled, and Bai Yu
promptly kicked him to the ground. There was something about the object that was
too mysterious, a mystery that radiated danger, at least in Zou Hang's opinion.

Of course, he wasn't the only one tempted by the 'gold'. People tend to follow the
crowd. If a stack of large denomination bills were to fall from someone's pocket,
and the first person helped gather the money, most of it would be returned.
However, if the first person began to snatch the bills, most would be lost to their
owner. The first person sets the tone.

"Everyone, charge! They're trying to keep all the gold for themselves!" Seeing the
fat man get kicked to the ground, the twelve newcomers were briefly stunned, but
those words, spoken by a young punk, immediately united them, invoking the 'common
good'. They were one against what looked like a group of seven, united with the
feeling that their group was almost double the size, even with the muscular guy,
and a scrawny kid.

"Ignorance is bliss," Zou Hang commented casually. He waved the others to the side,
allowing the newcomers to vent their desires. Zou Hang, however, noticed that three
of the newcomers remained still, drawing his attention.

One was a shy girl, appearing no older than sixteen. When Zou Hang's gaze fell upon
her, she seemed to notice him and lowered her head bashfully.

Another, dressed in white and blue striped clothing with the words "Qingshan Mental
Hospital" emblazoned on their shirt, appeared quite normal. Their eyes, bright and
clear, stared calmly at those rushing towards the gold.

The final one, however, behaved oddly, using their hands to prop themselves up
while crouching on their heels. With long, disheveled hair and filthy clothing,
they seemed to be sniffing the air near Zou Hang's nose. Zou Hang clearly sensed a
subtle, unusual pheromone emanating from them, unlike anything from a normal human.
Their eyes, filled with a predatory alertness, were sharper than even those of the
newcomers, like those of a wild animal.

In a fleeting moment, Zou Hang had assessed the three. Meanwhile, the individuals
blinded by greed charged towards the golden sphere. The throng pressed forward,
with those in the front reaching the sphere while those in the back continued to
push, creating a domino effect that sent them crashing into it. Unable to stop due
to their momentum, they were propelled through the sphere.

And then something strange happened. They all passed directly *through* the golden
sphere, appearing on the other side. "What's inside?" one of those who had passed
through the sphere asked a nearby person, seemingly without reason.

<!-- 097 The Last Twenty Earthlings?! -->

097 The Last Twenty Earthlings?!

Contents

At that moment, Zou Hang noticed that Bai Yulongbao and the others were scattered
in different corners of the golden sphere. He immediately asked, "Did you go
inside? What's in there?"

Bai Yu looked surprised and replied, "I didn't go inside! I was just looking
around."

"I didn't go in either!" Long Bao and the others gave the same answer. There was no
reason for them to lie, but Zou Hang felt that they *had* been inside. So what
exactly was *inside* this golden sphere?

"Damn it! Are you messing with us? Which TV station are you from? I'm going to
complain! You kidnapped me without my consent! I'll sue you and make you pay for my
emotional distress…" The fat man who had been so brazen earlier began to yell. But
before he could finish, Zou Hang's Desert Eagle roared with a loud 'bang'. The
bullet narrowly missed his ear, flying past with intense heat.

Unsurprisingly, no one dared to doubt that the gun was a prop anymore. Those who
had initially wanted to cry out for help, upon seeing Zou Hang point his gun at
their heads, quickly swallowed their words!

Who said you had to explain the rules of the Main God space to the newbies? It's
just a reward of one hundred survival points! I can give it up. But what will
happen to these people afterward?

Zou Hang didn't want to waste any more time on explaining for the sake of those
paltry one hundred survival points. After all, who would believe him if he told
them? It was better to let the facts speak for themselves. The job of explaining
should always have belonged to Zou Hang. And since Zou Hang was the leader, the
others remained silent.

After a long while, the dense white fog rapidly dissipated. What appeared before
their eyes was a city. And one landmark building within the city was immediately
recognizable: the White House, the residence of the President of the United States!
But in this magnificent city, there was not a single person to be seen.

The air had thawed, and a cool breeze blew past. The voice of the Main God, like a
gust of wind, echoed in everyone's ears: "'Silent Hill' begins!"

Zou Hang and the veterans quickly focused their attention on the watches on their
wrists: Survive and escape the Silent Hill world! No mission scope, no time limit.

Does it always have to be so cryptic, Main God? Several people inwardly lamented.
But they weren't too discouraged. After all, with Zou Hang leading the way, it
shouldn't be too difficult.

Just then, the massive golden sphere suddenly emitted a burst of light. In a flash,
it soared away, heading straight for the Washington Monument in front of the White
House, where it disappeared. The speed at which the golden sphere took off was
unprecedented. Zou Hang's reaction speed was already abnormally high, yet he could
only vaguely see a few reflective figures flitting across the sphere's surface: the
greedy fat man, the thug, and one person who entered the golden sphere. Then the
golden sphere was gone. But Zou Hang felt that there must be a connection between
them.

(The people who entered the golden sphere!)

"Those who want to leave, you can leave now!" Zou Hang announced. The thirteen
newbies were startled, but no one dared to move, unsure of what Zou Hang was
playing at. The environment here was just like the America they knew. And Zou Hang,
the kidnapper, was clearly the leader of the group who had kidnapped them and
brought them here, only to release them! No one knew what was going on!

"Bang!" The Desert Eagle's shot startled those who were still lost in thought. It
was like the starting gun for a race, and they burst into action with even more
desperation than if they were competing for a gold medal. They scattered in all
directions, shouting, "Help! Murder!"

However, three people remained. The girl seemed bewildered, possibly wanting to run
away after seeing the others flee, but unsure of where to go or who to follow.

"You're smarter than them. State your names," Zou Hang said.

Hearing this, the three hesitated for a moment. Then, after exchanging glances, the
person wearing a mental hospital uniform spoke first: "Wen Yiyue!"

After the words fell, whether it was because she was nervous or not, the girl
spoke, a little breathless: "I... I'm Li Ke... you can call me Ke... Er..."

Clearly, she wasn't the only one who was nervous. The last person, whose posture
was peculiar, also said with some difficulty, "Zhang... Xun!"

Just because they had given their names didn't mean that Zou Hang thought they were
capable. He was simply paying attention to them. Now, what he needed to do was to
understand what this terrifying world was hiding. And he had noticed a strange
detail that was immediately obvious.
People!?

That's right, people. Judging by the position of the sun, it should be around one
or two o'clock in the afternoon. Zou Hang glanced at the digital clock in the
distance: 1:32 PM. It should be during work hours, or perhaps lunchtime. But in
Washington, D.C., near the White House, within sight of the group, there wasn't a
single person to be seen. Of course, the previous newbies didn't count.

Zou Hang's earlier gunshot hadn't attracted a single police officer. Rows of high-
end cars, stalled and abandoned, lined the streets. Many were still running, but
the drivers were nowhere to be found. The televisions in the supermarkets and
convenience stores along the street were still playing audio. But there was no one
behind the cash registers. The owner of the hot dog stand on the side of the road
had also disappeared.

Zou Hang silently surveyed everything. He even tested the temperature of the oil in
the hot dog stand's fryer with his hand. A pungent, burnt smell filled the air. Zou
Hang removed his hand. It was already crispy from the hot oil. But in a moment, the
skin of his hand quickly peeled off, new flesh grew, and all traces of the oil
burns disappeared completely. His cellular activity was too strong.

The oil was very hot. And the owner was gone. So they must have left recently.
Perhaps every resident of this terrifying world had left! Where had they all gone?
Zou Hang didn't know, but he was sure that these people had disappeared almost in
an instant. As the group continued walking, passing through various areas of
varying industries and population densities, it was the same everywhere.

Of course, they weren't the only ones who noticed something so obvious. Almost all
of the newbies who had scattered and fled also discovered this strange phenomenon
as they ran.

A small number of people were filled with surprise and unease. Most people were
filled with surprise and joy. Zou Hang and his group were only wandering around the
streets where they had first appeared.

In the meantime, one more person returned. Unlike them, some people went to jewelry
stores to rob gold and silver; some went to large banks, but still couldn't get
into the vaults. The more practical ones looted small amounts of U.S. dollars from
shops. There were even some who went to computer stores to find free high-end
components to build computers! What was particularly striking was that two of the
newbies, women who were dressed very seductively, headed straight for the cosmetics
department, looting those expensive but inedible items.

It seemed that everyone had different values. Would a seemingly righteous person
feel uneasy taking food from a supermarket for free after everyone else had
disappeared?

But then again! Maybe at this moment, the mission didn't limit time, or scope. And
this obviously wasn't the future or the past. Technology hadn't advanced to the
point of interstellar migration. They might be the last twenty Earthlings, so what
could they do? What strange things would they encounter? How could they leave this
world without people?

Return to Contents

<!-- 098 Wolf -->

098 Wolf

Contents

Now that it's confirmed there's no one else in this terrifying world, the
oppressive atmosphere of before has lifted. The team's mentality has shifted;
they're more like tourists now. With newfound freedom, they can take what they
want, eat what they want, and explore wherever they please without restraint. The
"Final Destination" movies were set in America, but that was just a small town, and
Death was always scheming to kill them. Compared to that, this horror movie feels
almost relaxing. But, the calm always comes before the storm. Dusk has fallen, and
can night be far behind?

The White House is actually quite close. They are all curious about the place. In
reality, one hears rumors about being able to stay in the White House. However,
one's background must be impeccable, and the accommodation fees astronomical. The
Americans really are masters of making money at every opportunity. But now, the
team is establishing its base in the White House without having to pay a dime.
After all, even if they wanted to pay, there's nobody to collect the money.

Currently, apart from the newbies who are busy scavenging for riches and completely
oblivious to their surroundings, everyone is gathered together. They set off down
Pennsylvania Avenue from the heart of downtown Washington D.C., all heading towards
the White House. They could see the towering Washington Monument in the distance.
The Washington Monument commemorates George Washington, the first President of the
United States, construction began in 1848 and wasn't completed until 1884. Situated
in the center of Washington D.C., along the axis of the Capitol Building and the
Lincoln Memorial, it's a marble obelisk standing 169 meters tall. Its inner walls
are inlaid with 188 commemorative stones donated by individuals, groups, and
countries around the world. One of these stones, inscribed with Chinese characters,
was a gift from the Qing Dynasty. Little did the poor Qing government know that
what they were sending wasn't a memorial, but rather a tombstone for their own
dynasty. But, this is just a digression.

If the light sphere's target earlier had been the White House, it's more likely it
was actually aiming for the monument. Zou Hang silently replayed the golden
sphere's trajectory and angle in his mind, forming a hypothesis. And for some
reason, he had a strange feeling about the monument, although he couldn't quite put
his finger on what it was.

The White House is a stage for American political figures and celebrities, and also
the most hospitable official residence in the world. For two centuries, over forty
White House masters have worked and lived here. Every room has countless stories to
tell. Each new occupant, eager to assert their authority, loves to alter the
existing decor to showcase their unique tastes, the White House always welcomes its
master with a new look. And this time, the new master of the White House is the
reincarnation team.

"Introduce yourselves!" Zou Hang and the others sat in a spacious, lavishly
decorated room. The leather sofas were quite comfortable. It seemed to be the
foreign reception room.

"As you can see! My profession is a mental patient!" Wen Yiyue pointed to the words
on his chest.

Zou Hang didn't pay it any mind, and said, "Whether or not you're a mental patient
is none of my concern! I just want to know what you're good at. And you seem pretty
normal to me."
Wen Yiyue gave a wry smile. "Really? But I think you'll all think I'm crazy after I
tell you this! I can see ghosts!" Wen Yiyue said, looking around at the eyes
watching him. He didn't see the mocking or sarcastic looks he was used to. He was
surprised, and said again, "I'm serious, I can see ghosts!"

"Oh!" Zou Hang thought to himself. If Wen Yiyue was telling the truth, he could be
a valuable asset in the sort of horror movies with ghosts and other unexplained
phenomena.

Wen Yiyue saw Zou Hang's pensive expression and felt relieved, thinking, "As
expected, another materialist." But Zou Hang's next words confused him. "Not bad!
If what you say is true, then you're quite useful."

"Wait!" Wen Yiyue said, "You believe me?"

"Is there a problem with that?" Zou Hang asked abruptly.

That was a huge question. He'd been able to see ghosts since he was a child. But
whenever he told people, they treated him like a mental patient. People distanced
themselves from him. Eventually, he really did end up in a mental hospital. He felt
lonely and isolated. Only the crazy patients would listen to him talk about his
experiences. Wen Yiyue wondered if the people in front of him were mental patients
who had escaped from the hospital!

"Are you saying you believe me?" Wen Yiyue repeated for confirmation. Zou Hang
became impatient and said, "Remember this, I never repeat myself! If you think what
you've already said is unbelievable, just wait, I'll tell you something even more
incredible later! Next!"

"I... is it my turn...?" Ke Er said with difficulty. Zou Hang was sure that this
girl was not only nervous, but also stuttered badly. She had been silent the whole
time and was too introverted. Considering everything, she was completely unsuited
for survival in the reincarnation world.

Ke Er looked into Zou Hang's eyes. She suddenly felt pierced by his sharp gaze. She
didn't dare look him directly in the eye anymore. Her face flushed red as she
managed to stammer a few words, "I... can't... do... anything, but... I...
studied... nursing..." Ke Er didn't finish before Zou Hang stopped her.

"Your turn!" Zou Hang turned his attention to the boy with the strange gait.

"Zhang... Xun!" The long-haired, disheveled boy, Na Dun, who was sitting on the
ground in a strange posture, mechanically uttered two words. He seemed even more
uncomfortable than Ke Er.

"Specialty!" Zou Hang said sharply.

"Zhang... Xun!" the boy repeated the same two words!

Zou Hang was getting angry. He glared fiercely at Zhang Xun with a sharp look in
his eyes. Zhang Xun seemed to sense that menacing aura. He bared his mouth wide.
His canine teeth were too large for a human, unsuited for chewing food. They were
more like a wolf's fangs, meant for tearing flesh and blood. Zhang Xun arched his
back as if he were bracing for a fight.

Zou Hang muttered Zhang Xun's name to himself. Looking at his strange movements, he
seemed to have caught on to something. Back in the real world, he had seen a news
story. In the vast desert of the Northwest, an archaeological team accidentally
found a child raised by wolves in a wolf den. At that time, the child was only
seven or eight years old, and his habits were no different from those of a wolf. A
female linguist and scholar of ancient texts in the team felt pity for the child
and decided to adopt him. She taught him some simple Chinese words. The news story
was somewhat surprising. After about a year or two, reports about this child were
all over the media.

One day, at the woman's house, a terrifying scream broke the silence of the night
under the full moon. When neighbors and the police rushed in, they found the
woman's body mutilated. The wolf child was covered in blood, with blood and flesh
of the woman on his hands and in his mouth.

Zou Hang seemed to remember that the woman's surname was Zhang, and she named the
wolf child Zhang Xun! Judging from Zhang Xun's age and tattered clothes, it was
safe to say that this was that wolf child, who must have escaped to the no-man's-
land after that incident and lived among the wolves. This could be seen from Zhang
Xun's sharp eyes.

Zou Hang deliberately emanated his killing intent again. Zhang Xun instantly
crouched and leapt towards Zou Hang. It all happened so fast that no one had time
to react. But just as everyone's eyes caught up to Zhang Xun's trajectory, Zou Hang
had already swapped places with him.

His enhanced nerve reflexes allowed him to execute his Flash skill to its maximum
potential. Zhang Xun's speed had probably exceeded that of a normal person by
several times. But Zou Hang had reacted in just 0.5 seconds and used Flash to move
away. The speed was impossible for the human eye to follow. Zhang Xun had just
leapt towards Zou Hang's afterimage.

Zou Hang was merely testing his hypothesis and Zhang Xun's abilities. This one
action did indeed satisfy him somewhat. It may be because of the straight-line
movement, but Zou Hang's cuff had a small tear. As this happened, Zhang Xun
suddenly reversed direction and reappeared behind Zou Hang.

Zou Hang displayed another quick Flash. In 0.02 seconds, he moved to four different
positions, creating several fixed afterimages. While Zhang Xun's eyes showed some
surprise, Zou Hang noticed that every time he changed position, Zhang Xun's face
followed his movement.

Throughout history, Chinese emperors have granted great power to their most trusted
people. This directly facilitates the management of the empire. However, they would
also foster another powerful minister to serve as a counterweight.

Zou Hang didn't trust people. Although he would keep dogs, he would trust them more
than people. Now that Bai Yu had exchanged for the Shadow skill, if he had a fatal
dagger, it would be a great threat to Huang Jianlong. Although he had obtained the
Blood Screen skill with this bloodline enhancement, that was his last resort. If he
were restrained, he could only resist. But if he had this 'dog'…

The reason Zou Hang had used Flash to create four versions of himself for
observation was because he had suddenly thought of this. What could fool human eyes
couldn't fool a dog's nose. Although Zhang Xun was a human, he had the talents of a
wolf. Even if Bai Yu could appear in Zou Hang's shadow behind him using the Shadow
skill, Zhang Xun's nose could still smell him.

Zou Hang stopped. He turned around and saw Zhang Xun about to pounce. One red and
one green pupil seemed like a mind bomb that locked him in place and he couldn't
move a bit. It was as if it was an irresistible power. Zhang Xun sprawled on the
ground like a puppy. Perhaps at that moment, his heart memorized that gaze, an
eternally irresistible gaze.
Return to Contents

<!-- 099 The First Dream -->

099 The First Dream

Table of Contents

The expansive reception room of the Tongda Hotel fell silent in an instant. No one
understood what was happening. Then, everything returned to normal.

The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. This horror movie lacked the
oppressive atmosphere one would expect. It could even be described as laid-back.
The city was deserted, devoid of its usual hustle and bustle. Streetlights
flickered on automatically, and the lights in many buildings blazed, illuminating
the once-thriving metropolis as if it were daytime. The use of automatic lights was
commonplace in America, deeply ingrained in society, and activated at dusk without
any human intervention. Zou Hang found nothing unusual about this.

Dinner was held in the State Dining Room. The silver collection displayed exquisite
English and French gilded silverware and silver-inlaid utensils. Despite the
display of opulence, Western cuisine wasn't very popular with the Chinese members
of the group. Fortunately, the porcelain room housed a collection of porcelain
tableware used by past presidents, including several sets of famous Chinese
porcelain imported from China.

Porcelain plates, bowls, and chopsticks. Although no one in the team had much
knowledge of porcelain, the delicate, lustrous feel and the exquisitely carved
lines on the surface were enough to convince them that these were creations from
the imperial kilns of a prosperous ancient era. In the late afternoon, the women
had gone to the supermarket to buy a lot of ingredients and prepared a sumptuous
dinner. Zou Hang hadn't realized that An Ran's cooking skills were so accomplished.
Although he didn't touch the food himself, the expressions on everyone else's faces
spoke volumes.

Perhaps it was due to another strengthening of his vampire bloodline, but his
aversion to food had intensified. He had experienced this kind of anorexia when he
possessed the bloodline of a Viscount. His experiments had shown that food ingested
took a long time to digest and that he couldn't absorb any nutrients from it.
Because of this, he no longer ate ordinary food, his only need being for a supply
of blood.

Looking around at the others at the table, Zou Hang noticed that Zhang Xun wasn't
eating either. Instead, she sat on the blue velvet-covered chair, her four limbs
planted firmly on the seat.

During the intentional test earlier that morning, Zou Hang had used his special
skill as a last resort – the Eye of True Sin. Surprisingly, it hadn't been able to
control Zhang Xun, only startle her. The Main God was an absolute and objective
presence in this cycle of the world. This skill was not subject to chance.
Therefore, the only explanation was that there was no sin in Zhang Xun's heart.

Zou Hang remembered that Zhang Xun had treated the woman who adopted her as food.
Some would consider this sinful, but in the instincts of an animal, is eating food
a sin?
Looking back on that day, the woman had been eager for academic achievement, always
believing that she could train Zhang Xun to become a true human being. But she
repeatedly ran into walls. After several years, Zhang Xun had only learned a few
words. This was a heavy blow to the woman, who had hoped to achieve fame and
fortune in one fell swoop. In a fit of anger, she locked Zhang Xun up for a week
without any food. On the Mid-Autumn Festival that year, the woman seemed to have
forgotten something. She returned home after working for a week. The pull of the
moon on wolves is strong. After rapid hormone secretion and the feeling of hunger,
Zhang Xun tore the woman to pieces and devoured her.

Zou Hang left the table and walked over to Zhang Xun. He could see that Zhang Xun
was drooling as she watched the others eat.

"Zhang Xun!" Zou Hang called out softly. There was no other emotion in Zou Hang's
eyes, only plainness.

Zhang Xun remembered these two words clearly. Although she didn't understand the
meaning, she knew it was her name. She turned her head and saw Zou Hang. There was
no anger or defensiveness in Zhang Xun's eyes, only obedience – obedience stemming
from the shock she had experienced that morning. Like a wolf pack, there is a wolf
king. The wolf king's instructions are absolute for the pack, even if it means
running off a cliff.

Zhang Xun remained on all fours. She still hadn't learned to stand upright. But for
someone who thought of herself as a wolf, this posture allowed for an explosive
burst of speed. Perhaps because she had been in this position since she was a
child, her spine had completely adapted to it. When she moved, she resembled a wolf
– a real wolf.

Zou Hang walked toward the doors of the White House. Zhang Xun followed closely
behind him, as if she understood Zou Hang's intentions.

He could trust a wolf-dog, a loyal dog, more than he could trust Long Bao, Bai Yu,
and Huang Jian. All Zhang Xun possessed now was wildness, along with some enhanced
neural reflexes and muscular strength. Neural reflexes were linked not only to
speed but also to intelligence. Although Zhang Xun barely knew a few words,
animals, especially wolves, had a mysterious innate reaction and a kind of
telepathic understanding. If you looked a wolf in the eye, you wouldn't need to
take any action or say any words. They would understand your true intentions, and
those intentions could not be disguised.

Now, Zou Hang was considering Zhang Xun's value and her potential. Of course, it
would require enhancements from the Main God. There were many branches within the
bloodline enhancement system. In Zou Hang's opinion, the vampire and werewolf
branches were quite extensive and offered decent all-around performance. However,
the werewolf lineage was not suitable for Zhang Xun.

Wolves were representatives of speed and one-hit kills, and also possessed
spiritual awareness. Werewolves sacrificed the speed of quadrupedal movement in
exchange for upright walking and the powerful attacks of two arms, but lacked speed
and intelligence. All that remained in their minds was killing. Zou Hang scoffed at
that bloodline.

He carefully recalled the attributes he had reviewed before. To enhance Zhang Xun
to her full potential, there was only one option...

They walked silently, maintaining a distance. Zou Hang arrived at a large Aor Ao
supermarket chain. This was their destination. He went directly to the food
section, where there were vegetables and raw meat.
The items on the surrounding shelves were neatly arranged. The empty space was
devoid of people. Of course, it wasn't that the owner wasn't afraid of theft. After
all, there were only twenty people from the cycle team in this world. Taking some
food when hungry wasn't stealing.

Zou Hang took several large pieces of beef, weighing about ten pounds, from the
refrigerated counter and threw them toward Zhang Xun. Although Zou Hang's muscular
enhancement was only at thirty points, ten pounds wasn't heavy.

The beef, with traces of blood, looked very fresh, slaughtered no more than twelve
hours before – perhaps it was slaughtered just before the group arrived. Everyone
had disappeared. People in different jobs and professions vanished instantly while
they were at work. Who had such power? And what was their purpose?

Zou Hang didn't delve into the question. It was clearly a problem that couldn't be
solved in a short amount of time. Zhang Xun was already drooling, but she didn't
act. She stared straight at Zou Hang. At the moment, she resembled a well-trained
police dog. She wouldn't act without orders. If Zou Hang hadn't realized that he
couldn't control her, Zhang Xun would have seemed completely under control.

Zou Hang looked at Zhang Xun and silently thought the word "Eat." In that moment of
non-verbal communication, Zhang Xun began to tear apart the beef on the ground. She
looked like she had been holding back for a long time!

Zou Hang threw two more pieces of beef over. Then, he walked out. This department
store was quite large, a seven-story square building. Of course, that wasn't high
for a bustling American city. A skyscraper next door had over a hundred floors. Zou
Hang pressed the elevator button and went up to the roof. It was almost ten o'clock
at night. But in this world without people, it was quiet. There was no noise or
bustle, no car horns, no street vendors. It was like the late night in a quiet,
remote Chinese mountain village.

A crescent moon hung in the sky. Suddenly, the surrounding buildings went dark. The
automatic lights went out. Of course, many lights were still on in the shops and
small buildings. The automatic lights probably went out at ten o'clock. As for the
other lights, they had probably been on since before the group arrived in the
morning.

Since the artificial lights had dimmed, the brightness of the moon was even more
dazzling, turning Lafayette Park and Ellipse Park to the south into a silver
landscape. Zou Hang lit a cigarette he had picked up from the supermarket and
quietly smoked, savoring the smoky aroma of the tobacco and listening to the
crackling sound. He gazed at the peaceful night. It was as if the world belonged to
him, as if he was the only one here. For a moment, Zou Hang seemed to have found
what he wanted most: a world of his own. But unfortunately, he was not alone here.

When Zhang Xun silently climbed onto the roof like a wolf, she didn't make a sound.
Zou Hang understood that this place didn't belong to him alone. Suddenly, Zou Hang
had a chilling thought.

(What if I was the only one left here...)

Zhang Xun ate her dinner. Zou Hang also found a well-equipped, modern hospital
nearby and took a few bags of red liquid. He returned to the White House, the
team's base.

No danger was approaching in this world. Zou Hang and Zhang Xun's outing didn't
cause anyone concern. On the contrary, everyone had chosen a bedroom. Being able to
sleep here excited everyone on the team.

It was as if this horror movie was a vacation for them, a reward from the Main God
for enduring the horror movies. But would the Main God do something so pointless?
Obviously, the answer was no.

In one corner of the city, a newcomer to this horror movie, Wu Tian, had fled after
the initial incident. Seeing that there were very few people in this bustling city,
he went straight to a large computer market. Regardless of the price, he began to
assemble himself a super-luxury computer. After a whole day of work, he was finally
satisfied. He felt a little hungry, so he ran to the supermarket and grabbed some
food to eat on the way. He passed a cinema, and the huge poster was for *Resident
Evil: Extinction*, a blockbuster just released in North America.

Wu Tian was a die-hard *Resident Evil* fan. But right now, the place was empty.
Even if he had money to buy a ticket, there was no one to show it. On the street,
there was a lonely stall, with a huge red and white umbrella stuck in it.

Seeing the umbrella, Wu Tian thought about the "Umbrella Corporation" and felt
anxious about the zombies. He was eager to go see the movie. But there was nothing
he could do right now. Besides, he was tired after a day's work. Wu Tian found a
hotel and went to sleep, hoping to dream about those exciting zombies!

As the saying goes, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." That night, Wu Tian
dreamed of the zombies that were rampant throughout the city. Wu Tian didn't forget
that he was dreaming. He kept running and hiding from the disgusting and terrifying
zombies. And perhaps this dream was more than just a dream!

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 100 Biochemical Dream Remnants 1 -->

100 Biochemical Dream Remnants 1

Table of Contents

While Wu Tian was still trapped in a heart-stopping dream, and within the renowned
cosmetics department store in Washington D.C., two drowsy women, Dong Jue He and Ji
Yan Ping, both newcomers to this terrifying world, were seated near a counter.
Several large travel bags at their feet were already overflowing with expensive
beauty and whitening products.

It seemed a full day's labor had yielded quite a haul. They’d clearly gone for the
most expensive, not necessarily the best. To the casual observer, they would have
seemed like shoppers on a spending spree.

"Agh...oh...oh!" A piercing scream, spine-chillingly horrifying, pierced the air.

The two women, exhausted as they were, didn't even notice. But the cries,
originating from multiple sources, grew louder and closer, the frequency increasing
rapidly.

As the sounds drew nearer, Dong Jue He finally reacted. Frowning, she nudged the
sleep-addled Ji Yan Ping beside her. "Did you hear that strange noise?" she asked.

Ji Yan Ping, eyelids drooping, mumbled, "Noise? What noise? I didn't hear anything.
I'm so sleepy!"
Dong Jue He wondered if she was being overly sensitive, but she calmed herself and
listened intently. Sure enough, there were strange noises – like the moans of
people dying. A cold sweat broke out. It definitely wasn't her imagination. She
shook Ji Yan Ping harder, anxiously saying, "There really is something! Listen! I'm
not making it up!"

With a great effort, Ji Yan Ping shook off her drowsiness. Seeing Dong Jue He's
frantic state, she took a deep breath and listened carefully for the strange sound
Dong Jue He described. She heard it immediately. The cries, rising and falling,
were terrifying. "What is it?" she asked, panicked.

"I don't know!" Dong Jue He replied. The two women huddled together in fear, eyes
fixed on the darkness outside the department store. Then, they witnessed a scene
they would never forget.

The women's faces, pale with terror or some unknown force, were ashen. The lighting
on the ground floor, perhaps due to faulty wiring, flickered and dimmed, as if
unwilling to illuminate this place of death. The entire city was enveloped in a
terrifying darkness, thick with an atmosphere of dread. Crows circled in the sky,
their calls mingling with the moans that sounded like countless zombies. A faint,
eerie glow emanated from the moon, a light that seemed to promise safety one
moment, only to turn into a devourer of darkness the next. Each moment felt like an
eternity.

The approaching figure's eyes seemed to emit a terrifying, piercing green light. As
Ji Yan Ping shielded her eyes, a mutated arm instantly pierced her. Suspended in
mid-air, she writhed, mouth twisted in a silent scream as blood flowed from her
mouth and nose. Consciousness faded, her limbs hanging limp.

Bathed in moonlight, the creature's appearance was grotesque. A long scar ran from
its forehead to its right eye, as if it had lost an eye. Its pale skin was
wrinkled, as if flayed and reattached. The facial muscles were taut, and its dark
brown gums were as shocking as the beam of a searchlight cutting through the night.

It was a near-zero-distance encounter, with only ten meters separating them. Ji Yan
Ping saw that the creature's eyes were fixed on her, its mouth open, drooling with
ravenous hunger. She had been chosen as its prey. She felt blood flowing from her
hands, arms, back, and shoulders, as if her life was being drained away. Was it
surviving by consuming these fluids? Though the red liquid was seen as pure and
precious to the world, in Ji Yan Ping's eyes, it was nothing more than rotten,
stinking filth. Her body felt bloodless, reduced to skin and bones, a mere dried-up
corpse. Yet blood flowed from its mouth and teeth, trickling down the stone
pillars.

This horrifying scene unfolded as Ji Yan Ping was near the edge of the lobby.
Instantly, the street was flooded with countless zombies. Though they moved slowly,
their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Seeing this, Ji Yan Ping collapsed to the
ground. That single action was akin to standing in the path of a speeding truck;
even if it was hundreds of meters away, failing to move meant certain doom!

Dong Jue He, some distance from the zombies near the main entrance, was seized by
terror, but fortunately was still aware enough to understand the urgency of her
situation. She desperately fled in the opposite direction. However, the other exit
she sought was already swarming with zombies. Luckily, a staircase leading upstairs
was located next to this exit. Taking a deep breath, Dong Jue He gritted her teeth
and charged up the stairs, running for her life.

Zombies in the Resident Evil world were not particularly strong or destructive; in
fact, they were quite weak, especially compared to experienced veterans of the
Reincarnation Teams, or those armed with weapons. However, the T-virus's
contagiousness and the sheer number of zombies made them a serious threat.
Fortunately, in this horror world, only those chosen by the Main God seemed to
exist.

"Who's there?" As the words left his lips, the barrel of a CZ550FS rifle was
already pointed at the newcomer! As luck would have it, gun control was lax in
America. Many department stores had dedicated weapons counters. Dong Jue He
happened to be in a building where the first floor was devoted to cosmetics, and
the third floor to weapons. Alternatively, one could say that this location was
closer to Pennsylvania Avenue in the center of Washington D.C., where the team had
originally gathered. Luo Chen, a newcomer and gun enthusiast, had been the first to
arrive, eagerly handling the various weapons. He had not come into contact with
Dong Jue He and Ji Yan Ping, since they occupied different floors.

"Help! There are monsters downstairs!" Dong Jue He cried, running towards the
figure without thinking. Luo Chen seemed to recognize her from their earlier
meeting, and also saw that she was unarmed. He lowered the rifle for a moment, then
raised it again. A shot rang out, and a zombie following Dong Jue He fell dead.

The weapons counter on the third floor was arguably the most fortified place in the
entire department store. Due to the dangerous nature of the merchandise, the
emergency button had been activated, sealing off all stairways and elevators. After
hearing Dong Jue He's somewhat incoherent account of the situation, Luo Chen closed
off the access points. He was already wary of this world.

There were a total of twenty people in this horror film. Perhaps the zombies were
frightening, but they were no match for reinforced concrete buildings. However,
those still busy looting wealth were in deadly danger. Aside from Luo Chen and Dong
Jue He, and Wu Tian, who was still sleeping in a hotel, only the group residing in
the White House was still alive. The remaining thirteen people...

Meanwhile, at the same time the zombies appeared out of nowhere, Zou Hang lay in
bed in a bedroom in the White House, eyes closed. The door to his room creaked
open. A figure slowly approached from the darkness.

A low "Ooooooh..." broke the silence. Zou Hang immediately opened his eyes. His
subconscious had already registered the opening of the door, and he had been awake
in a flash. His eyes locked onto the figure entering the room.

(I apologize to everyone. I've been really busy these past few days, and not in the
best mood. Updates have been delayed. But I promise, I will absolutely not abandon
this book. You can rest assured. I wrote two chapters today to make up for it. I'm
also happy to announce that I've finally secured a "Strong Recommendation" from the
editor. I am so happy, and during this "Strong Recommendation" period, I will
definitely not miss an update unless the world ends.)

## 101: Biochemical Remnants, Part 2

101: Biochemical Remnants, Part 2

Table of Contents

Standing before Zou Hang's bed was none other than Zhang Xun. A chilling
ruthlessness flickered in Zhang Xun's eyes, his low growl a primal warning, like a
wolf facing a formidable foe. Zou Hang met his gaze for a few seconds,
understanding dawning. He swung his legs off the bed and followed Zhang Xun to the
window. Bathed in the pale moonlight, he saw them: a dense, swarming mass of dark
figures closing in.

"Here they come, huh? I'm eager to see what kind of enemies we're facing this
time!" Zou Hang murmured to himself.

He roused everyone from their slumber and assembled them in front of the White
House. The zombies were still moving at their trademark snail's pace, but the White
House floodlights illuminated them with stark clarity.

Long Bao, a wild grin plastered across his face, surveyed the shambling horde in
the distance and scoffed, "A biohazard outbreak? Seriously? I can't believe it's
*this*. This is practically a free training session for newbies!"

(No. This isn't a typical biohazard.)

When Zou Hang finally made out the faces of the zombies, a flicker of surprise
crossed his features. He knew that these creatures, superficially identical to
those from the biohazard films, couldn't possibly represent a conventional
outbreak. He'd recently played the latest *Resident Evil* game back in the Main God
space.

This mission only allowed for one thousand survival points worth of supplies, and
while there were no spirit-imbued bullets to be found, the stock of standard
ammunition was abundant. Even the "newbie" was equipped with a standard weapon. Of
course, "newbie" referred specifically to Wen Yiyue; Zhang Xun would never rely on
firearms. And that girl, Ke Er, shouldn't even be here at all.

Forsaking the presidential limousine – recognizable by its rectangular emblem

featuring a shining star, symbolising Lincoln's legacy – the group crammed into a
powerful off-road BMW. Bai Yu floored the accelerator, sending the BMW hurtling
forward. Through the open sunroof, Long Bao, his torso exposed to the night air,
unleashed a torrent of lead from a Minigun M134 7.62mm machine gun. The crisp
clatter of ejected shells formed a brutal symphony. Beside him, An Ran's hands
moved in a blur as she wielded two Desert Eagles, landing headshots on the closer
zombies with uncanny precision. Her reloading speed was so swift as to be almost
imperceptible. The road ahead was choked with the undead, but after this massacre,
all lay prone. Moreover, the zombies didn't seem to be spawning endlessly.

As the BMW sped through the city, the number of zombies dwindled drastically in
their wake. This was hardly challenging. Given a sufficient supply of ammunition,
Long Bao could single-handedly wipe out every zombie in the city.

Meanwhile, in a dingy motel, Wu Tian was drenched in sweat. His eyelids fluttered
rapidly, betraying the torment of a nightmare. In his dream, a hulking figure, clad
in purple leather, stood over two meters tall, a Gatling gun roaring in his hands,
seven or eight tentacles writhing around him – a vision of nightmarish horror...

With a screech of tires, the BMW screeched to a halt. Zou Hang was out of the car
in a flash, bypassing the need to open the door. He stood on the street. He'd
spotted it: on the third floor of a nearby department store, lights still shone. It
was past two in the morning; at this hour, all the high-rises were dark, save for
the streetlights. The lights on the third floor indicated a human presence, as
zombies had no need for illumination.

The Blink skill consumed a negligible amount of Zou Hang's blood, making it his
preferred method of transportation. But after several blinks, as he stepped into
the lobby, he found himself surrounded! Would Zou Hang be deterred so easily? At
the entrance, thanks to his green eyes, which were almost as good as night-vision
goggles, he'd already seen the interior swarming with zombies. Their congregation
was clearly drawn by human scent.

"Blood Oath!" Zou Hang murmured, releasing just ten percent of his blood in a
shower of crimson droplets. The resulting crimson mist, empowered by Zou Hang's
now-considerable mental strength, obliterated every zombie, leaving no trace of
their bodies.

Zou Hang raised his right hand, revealing a small bite mark. He hadn't anticipated
being attacked the moment he'd blinked into the crowd. However, Zou Hang chuckled
softly, unconcerned. With his enhanced cellular activity, he could shrug off
infections, having already developed immunity to the 'Fish' bacteria. He wasn't
about to lose sleep over this.

The group proceeded to the second floor, but a thick fire door blocked the
staircase leading to the third. Such a barrier might withstand a few rocket
propelled grenades, but it couldn't stop them. Sometime during the chaos, Huang
Jian had vanished from the group. Bai Yu, wielding a peculiar dagger seemingly
formed from interwoven muscle fibers, carved a doorway through the fire door as
easily as if it were butter.

As Zou Hang stepped inside, history repeated itself.

"Who's there?" The words were barely out when Luo Chen levelled the barrel of his
CZ550FS rifle. Zou Hang didn't bother to respond; the group filed into the room,
making their intentions clear.

"Y-your... y-your hand is... i-injured?" Ke Er, who had trailed along without
contributing anything, spoke, addressing Zou Hang. She tore a strip from her
clothing, intending to bandage his wound.

Her statement drew everyone's attention. What was the most terrifying aspect of the
T-virus in *Resident Evil*? Infection! The sight of the bite mark triggered alarm.
Ke Er seemed unaware of the existence of medical bandages, which would have been
far more effective than a strip of her shirt. However, the veterans remained
nonchalant, making no move to offer assistance. They knew the wound would heal
shortly, making a bandage a waste.

But the others didn't know that. Luo Chen's memories of the *Resident Evil* films
caused him to raise his weapon again, shouting, "Everyone stay away from him! He'll
turn into a zombie!"

"Idiot!" The veterans dismissed Luo Chen's fears with a single word. Zou Hang
ignored him; the lives of these people were currently meaningless. In the past, he
would have simply eliminated such individuals. He was certain the veterans wouldn't
object if he killed Luo Chen. Some people, although seemingly useless now, might
prove to be allies later, or, more likely, hindrances. Zou Hang always viewed the
useless as liabilities. He didn't believe in having excessive expectations. An ally
could be an asset, but a liability could be disastrous.

Of course, his ruthless philosophy was beyond the understanding of the self-
righteous. So why bother? He would let them experience the consequences for
themselves.

A gunshot rang out. Luo Chen looked around in confusion; he hadn't fired. The shot
had come from the fire door. A girl with darkened skin, Bai Yu's sister, had fired
her Desert Eagle outward.

Zou Hang blinked outside. Below the short staircase connecting the second and third
floors, a formidable figure had appeared. A Gatling gun spewed a stream of fire,
weaving a deadly net. The moment Zou Hang appeared, the Nemesis locked onto him. A
moment's pause could mean being riddled with bullets. Yet, Zou Hang strolled about
as if he was taking a walk in the park. He moved calmly around the creature while
refraining from any attack, showing no sign of being concerned.

At that moment, the Nemesis shattered into pieces. Its inner body fluids and
writhing flesh were still moving. No matter how strong its cellular regeneration
may be, it could never function again. Bai Yu walked away from the remains; no
matter how strong the Nemesis' muscles were, Huang Jian's dagger sliced through
them like butter. As the remaining tentacles twitched, Long Bao crushed the corpse
into a pulp. His skin then transformed into a rocky armour, and he stamped on the
pieces that remained, smashing them into bloody mulch.

Perhaps these zombies, or even the Nemesis, were terrifying to newcomers. But to
the people present here, they were no threat at all.

Return to Table of Contents

## 102: A World Devoid of People

**Chapter 102: A World Devoid of People**

**Table of Contents**

A world without a single soul? Then where did these zombies come from, and why were
there no signs of them before? **Zou Hang** crouched beside the pile of mangled
flesh, his gaze focused, utterly silent. Then, in that very moment, the corpse of
the Revenge God seemed to dissolve into spatial particles. Tiny, cube-shaped
fragments began to detach from the body, drifting upwards. Most bizarre of all,
these minuscule fragments appeared to be stripped from this dimension, teleported
to destinations unknown. When **Zou Hang** reached out to touch the particles, they
passed right through his hand, as if they belonged to an entirely different realm.

As the others stood in bewildered silence, **Zou Hang**, his hearing heightened by
the enhanced nerve responses, noticed that the moaning and growling of the zombies
in the vicinity were rapidly diminishing.

In a flash, **Zou Hang** moved from his crouching position to stand beside a wall.
He gently parted the white curtains of a large picture window, gazing into the
distance. The sky was beginning to lighten, a pale dawn coloring the eastern
horizon.

The others, still reeling from the events, finally snapped back to reality. The
bodies of the zombies they had slaughtered earlier had behaved normally, but the
vanishing of the Revenge God suggested a possible cause and effect.

"The zombies outside are all gone!" **Zou Hang** announced, stepping away from the
window. A surge of excitement rippled through the group as they crowded around it.

"Those trash, seems they are afraid of us. Not to boast, I'll kill one if it comes,
two I'll kill a pair!" **Huang Jian** suddenly appeared amidst the crowd, stark
naked and wearing a fierce expression.

**Long Bao**, leaning on his rifle, chuckled. "You're strong, but you better put
your 'gun' away!" **Long Bao**'s jibe was directed at **Huang Jian**'s swinging
"weapon". Back in the Main God space, during **Huang Jian**'s initial
transformation, they learned that his clothes turned into fragments, and reverting
meant going nude. The presence of women in the team made the situation worse. **Bai
Yu**'s younger sister, **Bai Hong**, showed no reaction, likely due to her past in
the assassin's training camp, where she had become accustomed to seeing things with
a detached air, like **Bai Yu**. However, the newcomers, **Ke Er** and **Jue He**,
screamed and covered their eyes.

"What? Never seen one before?" **Huang Jian** retorted, shamelessly, as he strutted
towards the two women. This terrifying cycle was tearing away people's facades,
allowing them to act with impunity. He might as well kill these two women who were
without any combat skill following **Zou Hang**'s old mind.

**Zou Hang** acted as if he hadn't noticed, which only emboldened **Huang Jian**.
**Luo Chen** aimed the barrel of his CZ550FS rifle at **Huang Jian**'s head.

"Kid, take one more step and I'll blow your brains out!" **Luo Chen** threatened.

Another self-righteous crusader, and a radical one at that.

**Huang Jian** sneered at **Luo Chen**, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
However, **Bai Yu** intervened, "Alright, stop it, both of you." Her words quelled
the imminent confrontation.

For an assassin, displaying emotions meant failure. Even if **Huang Jian** wasn't a
skilled killer, his defensive shield could deflect any bullets, but if **Huang
Jian** fired first, **Luo Chen** would have no chance.

**Zou Hang** sighed inwardly. The consequences of inaction might lead to future
regret; let them learn the hard way.

**Huang Jian** sullenly approached his android sex doll and grabbed her breast.
From her pocket, he pulled out a set of clothes. His dimensional bag was with her.

After this interlude, the group ventured into the streets. Their numbers were too
large for the BMW to accommodate. The surroundings remained unchanged, shrouded in
a lifeless silence. The morning air was cool, with a hint of chill. Unlike the
previous day's excitement, a sense of dread hung in the air. **Zou Hang** couldn't
shake the feeling that something was amiss.

With so few clues and such a vast city, they walked on, seemingly aimlessly. Along
the way, they found two corpses, torn apart and devoured. They were two of the new
recruits who they had briefly encountered the day before. Scattered around them
were stacks of U.S. dollars they had scavenged. Little did they know that in this
world, their efforts were even less meaningful than **Lian Robinson**'s.

It might have been a coincidence, but several factors made it inevitable. The
twenty of them had not strayed too far from one another. **Wu Tian**, waking up on
the street, noticed the group.

He hurried after them, calling out, "Hey! Everyone's here! Check this out!" He
proudly displayed the high-end computer he had assembled the previous day,
boasting, "This thing could fetch at least ten grand on the market!"

None of them paid him any attention. The new recruits were still terrified by the
zombies, while the veterans looked down on his naivety. However, something **Zou
Hang** said caught his attention. "**Wu Tian**, what were you doing after dark?"

"I... I was sleeping. Why?" **Wu Tian** replied, puzzled.

"Sleeping," **Zou Hang** repeated, and asked: "Did anything happen while you were
sleeping?"

"What could happen while sleeping? What are you getting at? Don't you want to see
my computer?" **Wu Tian** was frustrated. He had spent the whole day assembling the
high-end computer, and no one seemed to appreciate it.

As the others silently acknowledged the man's luck, **Wu Tian** spat on the ground
and muttered to himself, "No appreciation. I might as well show it to the zombies!"

"Zombies?" **Zou Hang** repeated to himself, as he drew his Desert Eagle and
pointed it at **Wu Tian**'s head. **Wu Tian** was not blind. He knew that **Zou
Hang** had demonstrated the gun was real the day before.

"Didn't you say you were sleeping yesterday?" **Zou Hang** asked softly.

"What are you doing? Don't kill me!" **Wu Tian**'s legs trembled in fear.

"Answer my question! Don't test my patience!" **Zou Hang** was like a venomous
snake, coiled and ready to strike. **Wu Tian** was incoherent, begging for mercy.
**Zou Hang** reminded him, "Zombies appeared all over the city last night."

"Ah... That can't be. That's just stuff from movies!" **Wu Tian** exclaimed in
surprise. His reaction seemed genuine. The others were convinced that **Wu Tian**
was telling the truth.

**Long Bao**, usually the most talkative, remained silent. Instead, **Bai Yu**, who
rarely spoke, said, "He probably doesn't know anything. Let him go."

**Zou Hang** tilted his head.

(People are never simple tools.)

**Zou Hang** did not rebuke **Bai Yu**. Instead, he calmly ordered, "Kill all the
new recruits." His words sent a shiver through the group.

"Why kill them?" **Bai Yu** quickly asked.

"Because I want you to kill them!" **Zou Hang** added. His words were like a stone
thrown into a calm pool. No one moved. **Zou Hang** shook his head slightly,
dismissing the topic. He turned to face **Wu Tian** with a deadly stare. **Wu
Tian** jumped in fright, his fear renewed. Suddenly, something seemed to have
jogged his memory. He blurted out, "I had a dream last night, a dream about
zombies!"

To the others, **Wu Tian**'s words sounded like a flimsy excuse. Perhaps he had
vaguely seen zombies in his dream. But to **Zou Hang**, it was something different.

"A dream?" **Zou Hang** murmured to himself.

A gunshot rang out! **Wu Tian** fell dead. From the others' perspective, **Wu
Tian**'s flippant remark had provoked **Zou Hang**. The bloodthirsty **Zou Hang**
had committed another senseless act of violence. But was it truly senseless?

**Zou Hang** heard the Main God's notification sound, deducting a thousand survival
points, as expected. For **Zou Hang**, the primary purpose of these tools was to
kill those he deemed worthy of death. And yet, he still had to do it himself. The
tools no longer seemed effective, unable to fulfill their purpose. "Don't regret
it!" **Zou Hang** said softly, the gun's smoke fading away.
Red and white blood splattered everywhere. Two of the girls began to vomit.
Surprisingly, **An Ran** also seemed nauseous. **Zou Hang** sneered at her. After
three horror movie trials, she still couldn't stomach this sight? **An Ran** should
have been dead already.

In a daze, **Zou Hang** felt tired of those around him. Their presence was a source
of anxiety and a burden. He was already far from simple alone. Moreover, these
people were hindering his progress, forcing him to expend more energy.

His world was meant to be just him. He was meant to be pure.

For the next few hours, **Zou Hang** seemed to be leading the group in circles.
They walked down some streets multiple times. Some of the team members started
complaining inwardly, but they dared not voice their discontent, fearing **Zou
Hang**'s threat. The newcomers held even deeper animosity towards him after his
earlier words. It was impossible to have a good attitude towards someone who was
trying to kill you.

If any of them were observant, they would have noticed that **Zou Hang** was not
simply leading them on a wild goose chase. At least, after repeated trips, the
corpses they had encountered were no longer present in their path. By the end of
the morning, they were certain that, apart from the twelve of them, all the other
newcomers had perished at the hands of the zombies, as evidenced by the corpses
they left behind.

South of the President's residence, the White House, stood a verdant lawn. The
Washington Monument rose from it, reaching into the clouds. The towering obelisk,
five hundred and fifty-five feet tall, was the highest point in Washington. No
matter which way they arrived, the monument was the first thing they saw. The
Washington Monument was hollow, with 898 steps inside, but visitors could use the
elevators up to the top. The obelisk was surrounded by green lawns, which often
served as rally points. Fifty star-spangled banners billowed in the wind on the
flagpoles surrounding the monument.

After confirming the number of survivors, **Zou Hang** headed straight for the
Washington Monument. Perhaps it was because of the golden sphere falling in that
direction when the mission started, or perhaps it was because he had often seen the
structure, but **Zou Hang** felt very curious about it.

However, this time, **Zou Hang**'s intuition seemed to be incorrect. After

wandering around the area in silence, he found nothing special. This world without
people was, after all, very strange.

[Return to Table of Contents]

## 103 Staying Aloof

Contents

"Where exactly are you taking us?" Luo Chen, still gripping his rifle, was growing
increasingly frustrated.

Zou Hang turned back, his gaze sweeping over the remaining newcomers. "Still
nobody willing to wipe out this whole batch of newbies?" he asked.
No sooner had the words left Zou Hang's mouth than Huang Jian stepped forward. He
brandished a Desert Eagle, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "I never say no to a
little killing." But just as Huang Jian was about to raise his weapon, Bai Yu
stopped him.

Bai Yu turned to Zou Hang, saying, "I always thought there was a reason behind your
killings. But this time, it seems a bit much, don't you think?"

Long Bao, looking at the handful of survivors, felt a pang of conscience. "I
think," he added, "we should be focusing on completing the mission and getting back
to the God Realm. These newcomers haven't given us any trouble. Killing them will
just cost us Survival Points. Of course, if they become a hindrance, I'll be the
first to take them out!"

The mention of losing Survival Points instantly dampened Huang Jian's bloodlust. He
had a very vivid memory of how precious those points were.

"To be honest, I haven't found a way to complete the mission yet," Zou Hang said, a
smile playing on his lips. "Kill or don't kill, it's your call." But the smile he
gave sent a chill down their spines.

(Since you don't want to spread the horror, then you can experience it yourself!)

Although he hadn't figured out how to leave, Zou Hang had gotten some idea of the
threat they faced. Of course, it was still just a theory. Wu Tian's dream before he
died, the one with the zombies, came true in the city. So, let's hypothesize that,
when members of this team dream, the thing they fear most deep down manifests in
reality. And the sudden disappearance of all the zombies at the same time? That
could be seen as the end of the dream, with everything vanishing when the person
wakes up.

That's just a hypothesis, of course. It could be pure coincidence. At most, there's

a one percent chance they're connected. But Zou Hang thought that one percent was
enough to try and nip the danger in the bud.

As for why he wanted to kill all the newbies, that also stemmed from a hunch. That
golden sphere at the start of the mission. Wu Tian, who's now dead, and Luo Chen
and Dong Juehe, who are still alive, all entered that sphere. Zou Hang boldly
theorized that entering that sphere could mean being controlled by a curse-like
power that makes your 'dreams come true.' It sounds absurd, perhaps, but when you
think about it, there's something there.

But it seems that Zou Hang is no longer insisting on killing them. Since entering
this mission, unlike the usual terrifying missions, this empty world, which would
seem bleak and oppressive to others, felt remarkably similar to a place he'd always
longed for. His inner world already only had room for himself. And this world felt
like it was tailor-made for him, just marred by the presence of the other members
of the reincarnation team.

What's the point of returning to the God Realm? Completing missions, getting
rewards, upgrading, and then more reincarnation. Zou Hang didn't see much value in
it. Even if he did gain great power and save up 50,000 Survival Points to return to
the real world, what then?

Perhaps Zou Hang would rather stay in this empty world.

He could kill these newcomers right now. Each horror movie mission, when completed,
gives you 1,000 Survival Points. But after "Lengren," the annihilation mission in
"Final Destination" and "The Enigma of Amigara Fault," at the start of the missions
they directly opened bountiful rewards. Now this mission didn't say how many
points you get, it likely fell back to the regular 1,000. Killing Luo Chen and Dong
Juehe would only cost him 2,000 Survival Points. He still wouldn't be erased by the
God.

Besides, with no restrictions on where you can go or how long you can stay, Zou
Hang could kill everyone and live in this world until he died. What did it matter
how many points he lost?

Since Bai Yu, Long Bao, and Huang Jian don't want to kill the newbies, then let
them experience the consequences!

"Alright, let them live then! But rest assured, if they get in the way of our
mission, I'll kill them all!" Bai Yu assured him.

"I... I'll... listen to... you... I'll do... whatever... you... want. Please...
please... don't... kill... me!" Ke Er stammered anxiously, her face flushed and
tears welling in her eyes. She looked utterly pathetic. Hearing them discussing her
life and death had terrified her.

Luo Chen was the most guarded of the newcomers. He was baffled by their
conversation, but he was furious at the prospect of his own death. Unlike Ke Er,
who was pleading for her life, he shouted, "You're all pieces of shit! Even if I
die, I'm taking some of you with me!" He raised his rifle again.

Long Bao took a step forward, and Luo Chen opened fire like a madman. The shotgun
blast from the rifle, Long Bao had no way of dodging. But Long Bao had no intention
of dodging. As soon as the bullets hit his body, the lead pellets bounced off with
a clatter, showering sparks. It was as if they had struck stone.

Luo Chen stared in disbelief as Long Bao's body swelled, his muscles instantly
transforming into jagged, yellow rocks. He was stunned, his fingers fumbling even
more desperately on the trigger, firing wildly at Long Bao.

But it was all in vain. The bullets could only tear off the clothes he had on,
which were now stretched taut. Luo Chen looked at Long Bao in disbelief.
Yesterday's battle had been on the third-floor landing, and because the fire door
was narrow, Luo Chen hadn't been able to see them fight firsthand. Now he was
seeing it for himself.

At that moment, Bai Yu appeared behind him. The midday sun cast long shadows, and
as their shadows merged, Bai Yu and Huang Jian vanished. A second's delay might be
an opportunity for an expert, but for Luo Chen it was worthless.

Huang Jian, transformed into a dagger, was held in Bai Yu's reversed grip. Luo Chen
was so shocked by the bizarre scene that he fell to the ground. His twenty years of
education in materialism couldn't explain what was happening before his eyes. These
strange powers only existed in movies and novels.

"This isn't the real world!" Bai Yu said, simply standing there without making a
move.

"A dream! I must be dreaming. That's it! I must be in a dream!" Luo Chen babbled
incoherently.

"A dream? Maybe! But I can tell you with certainty that if you die now, you're
really dead. Wanna try?" Bai Yu asked. Luo Chen tensed, unable to speak.
Long Bao, who had returned to his normal appearance, casually tore off his ruined
clothes and pulled a spare set from his storage bag. Both Long Bao and Huang
Jian's transformations had this side effect. It had caused them plenty of
embarrassing moments during training in the God Realm, so he always kept spare
clothes in his storage bag.

Dong Juehe was standing closest to Bai Yu. After the zombie threat, Dong Juehe had
stuck close to Luo Chen, as if she had great faith in him. But now Luo Chen was
utterly useless. Dong Juehe sobbed, "As long as you don't kill me, I'll do whatever
you say. I'm still young. I don't want to die like this!"

Indeed, Dong Juehe was only in her twenties, in the prime of her life. And the
first thing she'd done upon entering the horror world was head straight for the
high-end cosmetics. It was clear she knew how to take care of her appearance.
Among the women, Dong Juehe had a certain allure.

In Bai Yu's hand, the dagger of pure muscle continuously twisted and changed. After
a rapid, writhing motion, it extended flesh and blood, solidifying into Huang
Jian's form. And just as before, his naked body appeared before Dong Juehe. He
leered at Dong Juehe, saying, "I'll let you live. But let's see how much you're
willing to give up!"

There was no doubt, judging from Huang Jian's obvious arousal, what he wanted. Dong
Juehe wasn't stupid; she knew what Huang Jian was after. But for many women, some
things are more important than life itself. Dong Juehe was one of them.

Dong Juehe collapsed to the ground, scooting backwards. She screamed at Huang Jian,
"No! Don't come near me!" But her hysterical cries only seemed to excite Huang Jian
more. In that respect, Huang Jian was truly someone who followed his instincts,
casting aside all mental constraints in the horror world.

A shot rang out. A bullet was embedded in the concrete next to Huang Jian's feet.
He looked back. An Ran's gun was smoking. Some feelings can only be understood by
those who have experienced them.

"Take one more step, and I'll blow your brains out!" These were the first words An
Ran had spoken since being resurrected after the "Fish" mission.

Huang Jian could sense An Ran's determination. No matter how arrogant Huang Jian
was, he never dared to treat the older members of the team this way. Especially not
An Ran and Zou Hang. They had been around far longer than the three of them.

Huang Jian turned around and chuckled, "Sister An Ran, what are you doing? If you
have a problem, just say so. I was just scaring her a little!" With that, Huang
Jian pulled clothes from his storage bag and put them on.

Scaring her? If An Ran hadn't intervened, Huang Jian would have done far more than
just scare her.

Finding pleasure in the pain of others. Honestly, it was something very worthwhile
to reflect on.

However, no one could understand what An Ran was thinking. Like a delicate flower
that withers at a touch, she had a way of thinking, almost like gambling, placing
all your chips into one circle, and not being able to turn back. An Ran had been
hurt, and she knew that pain intimately. While her body might have its flaws, her
heart had never been divided. Her heart held only Zou Hang. But Zou Hang had hurt
her deeply. What no one had expected was that An Ran hadn't sought revenge on Zou
Hang after being resurrected. Some were at a loss for the reason why.
"What should we do now?" Bai Yu asked Zou Hang.

"Whatever you want! This mission is for me to lead you to get you killed. If you
don't want to die, figure it out yourselves." Zou Hang said and sat down where he
was.

Bai Yu frowned and said, "Then I'll kill all these newbies!"

Zou Hang smiled and shook his head. He knew what Bai Yu was thinking. "No! The
changes between those two things won't make me change. There's no connection
anymore."

## 104 The Second Dream

**Table of Contents**

Where do we go from here? How do we proceed? Nobody knows. While the sudden assault
by that zombie horde was certainly bizarre, it came and went quickly, leaving no
trace in this bustling city. At most, it instilled a lingering fear in the hearts
of the newcomers. A sense of dread hung in their eyes. In contrast, the veterans
remained unfazed. Facing those mindless zombies, simply wielding firearms was
enough to orchestrate a one-sided slaughter. What was there to fear?

But for Bai Yu, this was merely a prelude. The unfolding of a story invariably
progresses from the superficial to the profound. He couldn't expect that all
subsequent horrors would be as straightforward as dealing with zombies. A sudden
wave of regret washed over him.

Indeed, Bai Yu recognized the merits of Zou Hang's approach in certain respects.
However, while he could be ruthless, he refused to be heartless. This was precisely
why he resisted Zou Hang's recent pronouncements. One shouldn't limit their vision
to the immediate present. Eyes can be deceiving, and often subjective perceptions
are inherently flawed. Bai Yu possessed exceptional reflexes, second only to Zou
Hang among the veterans. Consequently, his thoughts were unlikely to be simplistic,
unlike Long Bao, who was currently buzzing with excitement: "Those zombies are just
a bunch of lambs! If they dare to return, I'll wipe them all out!"

Bai Yu shook his head. He glanced at Zou Hang, who seemed detached from the world.
A sense of unease stirred within him. In the previous horror world of "Fish," Zou
Hang had committed even more appalling acts, yet in the end, he had been proven
correct. Had they missed that side-quest because they lacked the key, what would
have happened? The consequences were unimaginable.

But compromise was impossible. Zou Hang was absolutely inflexible in certain
matters, brooking no opposition. What would be the repercussions of disregarding
his convictions and acting unilaterally? On the other hand, Zou Hang had now
withdrawn, leaving the uncertain future to be explored by everyone else. For a
moment, Bai Yu felt like offering a wry smile.

Since entering this cycle of horror, he had been controlled by Zou Hang. Everything
was arranged by him. But what about before? Wasn't he alone after the training camp
incident? Perhaps he had become complacent. Zou Hang's protection came at the cost
of their lives. But "I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul." They
could face anything, even without Zou Hang's guidance.

With these thoughts clarified, the cloud of worry vanished from Bai Yu's eyes. They
shone with renewed brightness. Although his deep pupils remained dark, they
reflected the unwavering confidence of a seasoned killer.

Zou Hang subtly glanced over, the corner of his eye catching Bai Yu's current
expression. A hint of derision flickered across his face before he averted his
gaze. He seemed to be retreating inward, to the desolate landscape within his own
heart. The familiar murmur escaped his lips: "What do I care about their deaths?
Enduring countless horror films is still meaningless. Why even bother continuing?"
From the beginning, Zou Hang had regarded this world as nothing more than a toy, a
game. Even if he were to gain immense power, to control life and death within the
horror films, what would it matter?

He treated this endless cycle of horror like a single-player game, merely repeating
the same set of steps and plot points. Either succeed or fail. Although Zou Hang
hadn't yet discovered a way to escape this mission, it was only a matter of time.
As long as he mechanically found the breakthrough, he could leave. It was like
walking a straight road, simply stepping over a puddle – predictable and
unchanging.

Beneath the towering Washington Monument, the group stood, each with their own
posture and expression, lost in thought. The midday sun shone down, making the
nearby river sparkle. A gentle breeze swept across the cloudless sky. It was all
regarded with indifference. In a photograph, this Zero-Zero-One team would appear
harmonious, but Zou Hang remained oblivious, his eyes closed.

Zou Hang hadn't revealed the secret of the dream, wanting them to experience the
consequences of their own actions. And now, he no longer wished to continue this
meaningless game.

This idea might seem perplexing. How can one stop the mission, without facing
certain death?

There are no time limits. No geographical restrictions. This empty world was
perfectly tailored for Zou Hang. What does it matter if he never returns to the
main God space? It has to be admitted, there are dissatisfactions here. Zou Hang
thinks there are too many people here. His world only needs him. Only when he
watches them die one by one can he make this place tranquil...

In this light, Zou Hang seemed excessively self-centered, completely abandoning

everyone else. This kind of personality is difficult for most to agree with, and
even provokes anger. Bai Yu, on the other hand, is decisive and ruthless when
necessary. Crucially, he is willing to stand up for others. Compared to Zou Hang,
even though Bai Yu lacks his exceptional intelligence, he is still outstanding
among men. If he can strengthen the team's cohesion, he can also make the team
stronger.

The first sentence. "Unless it is certain to harm most people, I will not give up
on any of you!" At this moment, Bai Yu spoke. It can be seen from this sentence
that Bai Yu can give up on people who cannot be saved. Protect most people. After
Zou Hang stepped down. He is also suitable as the captain. Although only in name.

In the fish mission. Zou Hang used his ability to lead these newcomers through. He
undoubtedly acted as the captain. But in fact, after the main God recognized the
captain, he and those with titles only were essentially different! This will not be
discussed for the time being.

"I imagine you all have questions about this place, and you're filled with fear
about those zombies. I'll explain things now!" Bai Yu said, as the group sat around
a mahogany table laden with food. Bai Yu's words were directed at the newcomers.
The veterans had already begun their meal.

"This isn't the real world you used to live in. We arrived here in the same way you
did. You might think we're not ordinary people, but I can tell you, I've only been
here a little longer than you. The explanation I give won't be comprehensive, as I
learned everything from Zou Hang." Bai Yu said, and the eyes of the newcomers
turned to Zou Hang.

Zou Hang didn't like excessive attention. He glanced back, a chilling look that
immediately made the newcomers avert their eyes.

Bai Yu concisely introduced the main God space, the personal enhancements, and the
experience of the previous horror mission, "Fish." He concluded, "Don't harbor too
much animosity toward Zou Hang. I'm only sitting here now because of him. And to be
honest, I have no clue about this mission. But nothing is ever perfect. This
terrifying world is more than just slaughter and bloodshed; it's also like a
puzzle. Once you find the key, it becomes simple. But I need to remind you of one
thing: this is not a game. Don't imagine you can start over. If you die, you're
really dead! Also, like the 'Fish' mission, this one is a team wipe mission with
twenty people!"

The newcomers were somewhat stunned by Bai Yu's description of the walking fish and
the vengeful spirits of the bacteria. But thinking of their current situation, they
felt a flicker of hope. And on the second night in this desolate world, someone had
another dream.

**Return to Table of Contents**

<!-- 105 Shadow of Fear -->

105 Shadow of Fear

Table of Contents

Utter stillness. The night was cold and sharp as water. Even if nothing happened,
this deathly silence was suffocating. Perhaps at this moment, one would rather be
in a bustling marketplace, where the blood flowed freely and the noise was
constant, than endure this situation. But that was a pipe dream, unless they could
survive this mission.

Bai Yu and the new recruit, Wen Yiyue, were on night watch, guarding against any
potential attacks from the darkness. Sleep was a sacrifice they had to make. They
patrolled constantly outside everyone's rooms, ensuring all was well before moving
on. Long Bao was a loud snorer; his snores could be quite disruptive. Normally, Bai
Yu might have been tempted to plug his nose, but tonight, the snoring was
reassuring to them both.

Human senses are crucial; they are our window to the outside world. Even in the
absence of danger, if these senses fail, very few can maintain their sanity for
even a single day. Most would descend into madness. And those who could remain
normal for a week, well, they would be anything *but* normal. The five senses
correspond to our perception. Yet, some individuals possess a faint but distinct
ability beyond these: a sixth sense. Of course, this isn't exclusive to humans; in
fact, certain animals have a far stronger sixth sense than we do.

Often, deep in the night, one can hear the mournful cries of dogs and the frantic
yowls of cats in the neighborhood. In the countryside, similar scenes might unfold:
cows shedding tears, pigs burying their faces in the dirt.

This isn't due to earthquakes or other natural disasters. It stems from one shared
cause:

A ghost!

The aforementioned animals are considered to be relatively sensitive to the

supernatural. Humans with this ability are rare. Wen Yiyue, standing next to Bai
Yu, claimed to possess this gift. But it was all hearsay; his talk of "yin-yang
eyes" sounded like pure fantasy, something no one in the real world would believe.
However, in a world of terror, it was best to err on the side of caution. Even
among fish, those terrifying vengeful spirits were of this nature.

Ghosts and vengeful spirits exist in opposition to science. No one has ever heard
of using thermal detectors or infrared scanners to hunt for ghosts. Even if they
did, it would be nonsense. When ghosts conceal themselves, they are invisible to
ordinary mortals.

Bai Yu considered turning on all the lights in the White House. But how many could
sleep under such intense illumination? After some deliberation, they decided to
keep the lights off in each person's room, but flood the hallways and empty rooms
with bright light.

Just past the third watch – around 12:14 AM. Regardless of folklore about this
being the time when *yang* energy is weakest and *yin* energy strongest, it was the
peak of deep sleep for most people.

Ignoring Long Bao's thunderous snoring, Bai Yu partially closed the door. All the
doors were kept ajar, both for easy observation and so anyone could hear if danger
arose. The two of them walked quietly down the hallway, careful to keep their
footsteps light.

"Last night was probably just a coincidence. It's not like the zombies are going to
pop in every night just to say hello and then disappear," Wen Yiyue mumbled, his
eyelids heavy. He was drowsy and just wanted to sleep, but Bai Yu patrolled back
and forth, almost ceaselessly, checking everyone's room.

Bai Yu didn't stop walking. "I'd be relieved if it were just zombies. If it's not,
we're all going to die horribly." Bai Yu added, "Let me tell you something! In this
world of terror, a simple death is a release. The real fear is a death that's not
so... pure!" As he said this, Bai Yu couldn't help but think of Zou Hang's future
torment of Yamamoto in the fish tank, skinning him alive and boiling him in a pot.
The image was permanently seared into his memory.

Wen Yiyue, of course, hadn't witnessed that. Bai Yu wasn't a talkative person, but
the few words he'd spoken after dinner had all been about how terrifying this world
was. Hearing it repeatedly was becoming tiresome.

"Then why don't you check that room?" Wen Yiyue asked.

Every time they reached the room at the end of the hall, Bai Yu skipped it. It
wasn't that Bai Yu was shirking his duties, but he had complete faith in Zou Hang.
Bai Yu had already turned back and checked Huang Jian's room. Hearing Wen Yiyue's
words, he stopped and said, "It's not that I don't think it's necessary, or that
I'm dismissing the possibility of a minor attack. Let me tell you, if something
happens to Zou Hang in that room, then anything we do will be useless!"

Wen Yiyue was skeptical and about to retort when he suddenly felt like he'd been
electrocuted. His entire body was paralyzed by a wave of terror, short-circuiting
his brain and body. In the crack of the door behind Bai Yu, he saw more than just
simple darkness. In the mere two or three centimeters of space, he glimpsed a
ghastly white face. Though blurry, the chilling black pupils in the door were like
an endless abyss of resentment and monstrous cold. There was no white in the eyes,
only darkness, like the starless night sky.

It was an irresistible force, a power that struck directly at the soul. Wen Yiyue
screamed inwardly, begging for help. He only looked into those pupils for a single
second, but it felt like an eternity. Each second was divided into milliseconds and
microseconds, each excruciatingly long. The turmoil within his heart was so intense
that his face couldn't even begin to express it.

From Bai Yu's perspective, Wen Yiyue was strangely weeping uncontrollably, as if
his tear ducts had malfunctioned. He wasn't sobbing or crying out, just shedding
tears as if he had completely let go and his muscles were no longer under his
control. Wen Yiyue's tears were the only outward sign of what was happening inside.
It was clear that he was terrified. If Bai Yu had Zou Hang's heightened senses, he
would have been able to detect the subtle twitching of the nerves and muscles in
Wen Yiyue's face.

"Why are you crying?" Bai Yu asked, perplexed, looking at the twenty-something man
before him. What could have made him cry so thoroughly? Even the death of his
parents wouldn't warrant this.

Wen Yiyue's inner world was a tumultuous storm, but his body wouldn't obey him. His
physical form seemed detached from his spirit. It was only those eyes, *just* those
eyes. One glimpse and Wen Yiyue had lost himself in abject terror, on the verge of
collapse.

Coincidence!

Bai Yu thought that Wen Yiyue was acting strangely. He stepped forward, intending
to question him closely. But as he moved, Bai Yu's body momentarily blocked the
view of those eyes. With the obstruction, Wen Yiyue seemed to be released, his soul
returning to his body, though he remained somewhat dazed.

Bai Yu knew something was seriously wrong. He slapped Wen Yiyue hard across the
face twice. The impact seemed to shock some life back into Wen Yiyue's body. The
paralyzing fear began to subside, allowing him to regain a sliver of control.
Extreme pain and terror finally flooded Wen Yiyue's face, contorting it into a mask
of horror. He had forgotten how to speak, or perhaps he couldn't find the memory of
how to vibrate his vocal cords to produce sound. His hands reached out towards Bai
Yu's arm, stiff and unyielding, as if they lacked the strength to bend. There was
no reciprocal force between them!

Wen Yiyue was in agony. To use a fitting analogy: it was like a nightmare where a
terrifying creature is chasing you, but your legs feel like they're made of lead,
and you can't move an inch. Bai Yu was standing not far from the eyes that had
briefly been obscured. Wen Yiyue watched, consumed by anxiety. The only lifeline
was about to disappear, but he couldn't utter a single word. If Bai Yu shifted even
a fraction, he would see those eyes again.
Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 106 Ju-On: The Grudge - Death Visits Those Who See It 1 -->

106 Ju-On: The Grudge - Death Visits Those Who See It 1

Table of Contents

Wen Yiyue's eyes. They allowed him to see ghosts, an innate talent that led to
ridicule and ostracism during his childhood. However, as he grew older, this
ability transformed into a sense of superiority. Others couldn't see what he saw.
Bizarre deaths were laid bare before his eyes. But this advantage came with a
significant drawback: it amplified his awareness of the oppressive force emanating
from those entities. Like cattle, he could sense the presence of ghosts and
monsters, experiencing their terrifying power with unparalleled intensity.

As Bai Yu was about to rise, Wen Yiyue was already ensnared by death, awaiting his
end. Yet, as the sliver of light beneath the door appeared before him, it vanished.
There was nothing there. Wen Yiyue's heart, which had been pounding in his throat,
experienced a fleeting moment of relief. But it is often when one is least prepared
that death strikes.

The origin of time is unknown, as is its eventual end. Long ago, a scientist
proposed that time could be visualized as a circle on a clock, with the hands
rotating endlessly. Or perhaps as a long, circular display screen, constantly
updating with electronic digits. When the entire strip was filled with the highest
digit, nine, a new display would appear and begin counting from zero.

Because the shape used for the example was circular, like a wheel, a new term
arose: reincarnation.

Suddenly, all the lights in the hallway flickered off, plunging the corridor into
darkness. A deathly pale face, with eyes like bottomless black holes, materialized
beside Bai Yu's right shoulder. Wen Yiyue's pupils dilated instantly, overwhelmed
by unimaginable terror.

At that moment, Bai Yu felt an icy chill run down his spine. He whirled around,
frantically searching, but saw nothing. The lights flickered back on. Bai Yu turned
to Wen Yiyue and checked his pulse. It was barely perceptible. He examined his eyes
closely. The dilated pupils confirmed brain death.

Wen Yiyue had died in a matter of minutes in a bizarre and inexplicable way. Bai Yu
couldn't identify the killer, but he knew one thing: the second attack had begun.

Bai Yu made a snap decision. Wen Yiyue's death was a signal. He wouldn't waste time
on futile attempts to revive him. He headed straight for Zou Hang's room. Despite
the impending danger, Bai Yu wasn't concerned with Zou Hang's well-being. It was
purely a subconscious reaction. After the "Fish" mission, Bai Yu and Long Bao might
not have liked Zou Hang's methods, but they trusted and valued him immensely. In
this terrifying world, Zou Hang was their strongest asset.

But when Bai Yu burst into Zou Hang's room, it was completely empty. The bed was
neatly made, undisturbed. Zou Hang wasn't there. Where had he gone? Without pausing
to think, Bai Yu roused the other elders, putting them on alert.

"What the hell's going on?" Huang Jian grumbled, his eyes still heavy with sleep,
displeased that Bai Yu had interrupted his erotic dreams. Bai Yu's arrival had cut
short a long night of passionate activity with the actress. Huang Jian wasn't
particularly worried; he and the actress had been at it for a long time after
dinner.

Long Bao, however, sensed the urgency in Bai Yu's demeanor. He was eager for
action. "What's coming for us this time? I'll take care of it!" he declared,
retrieving his heavy machine gun from his inventory, ready to repeat his previous
"slaughter."

"I didn't see anything! But Wen Yiyue died right in front of me!" Bai Yu said
grimly.

"So what? What does his death have to do with us?" Huang Jian scoffed.

"It has everything to do with us! He died right beside me, without any wounds,
without being attacked. He was perfectly fine one minute, and then he was just…
dead. Like he was scared to death! What does that suggest to you?" Bai Yu recounted
the scene, his mind racing as he remained vigilant.

"Ghosts! He said he could see ghosts since he was a kid! But doesn't that
contradict everything? He's seen ghosts for over twenty years. Why would he be
scared to death now? Why didn't he die sooner?" Long Bao countered. When he thought
of ghosts, he didn't have a specific image in mind. After all, he was a soldier; he
didn't have time to watch horror movies about the supernatural. His only experience
with ghosts was during the "Fish" mission, with the misty, resentful spirits. To be
honest, although those spirits were strong, they weren't exactly terrifying or
memorable.

"Let's go!" Bai Yu didn't want to explain further. There was no proof, only the
fact that Wen Yiyue had suddenly died. There were too many unknown variables to
make a definitive conclusion. But to survive in this terrifying world, one had to
maximize their sensitivity, considering even the most minute and absurd
possibilities. Wen Yiyue had only been dead for a few minutes, but if a ghost-like
enemy appeared, they had to gather everyone together and defend themselves.
Otherwise, they would be picked off one by one. Time was of the essence. Every
wasted moment could mean another death among the new recruits!

Ke Er, the stuttering girl, was already dressed and awake. As soon as Bai Yu opened
her door and called her name, she ran to him. The zombies from the previous day had
terrified her, but she had suppressed her fear, not wanting to affect anyone else's
emotions. All she could do was obey instantly. Ke Er knew she was useless, unable
to help and possibly a liability. The others had every reason to abandon her. Like
that pale-haired, oddly eyed young man, Zou Hang, had already tried to kill her. Ke
Er dared not to offend them. Without the protection of Bai Yu and the others, she
would end up like the other new recruits who had already become corpses.

"This kid sleeps like a log!" Long Bao slapped Luo Chen hard across the face. The
'corpse' on the bed didn't even stir. Hearing the commotion, Bai Yu and Ke Er
entered Luo Chen's room. After a quick check, they confirmed that he was still
alive, merely asleep, but impossible to wake up. Leaving him behind would mean
certain death for Luo Chen. He might even experience the same terror as Wen Yiyue
before dying of fright. A bullet might be more merciful. Bai Yu instructed Long Bao
to carry him.

Zou Hang, on the other hand, would have declared the man already dead. Even if he
wasn't, he wouldn't have cared about his life or death. But Bai Yu was different;
he championed the greater good. In other words, unless absolutely necessary, he
wouldn't abandon any of his teammates. Those who knew him could weigh the pros and
cons of his actions.

Huang Jian approached Dong Juehe's room and faintly heard sobbing. The walls of the
White Palace were constructed from excellent soundproofing material. Perhaps it was
the wind. Dong Juehe's door was closed. Huang Jian went alone. He turned the latch,
and the first thing he saw was Dong Juehe sitting on the bed, her back to the door.
Her heart was racing at over 280 beats per minute. She was gasping for breath and
trying to stifle her sobs.
"What the hell's wrong with you in the middle of the night?" Huang Jian asked,
surprised to see Dong Juehe like this. As soon as Huang Jian spoke, Dong Juehe
grabbed him as if he were a lifeline. She began screaming hysterically, "Help me!
Help me! Come quick!"

It turned out that, just a few minutes earlier, Dong Juehe had suddenly jolted
awake from a nightmare. An icy chill had enveloped her. An irresistible, terrifying
presence seemed to be approaching from outside the door. Something was coming in.
Something was getting closer. Dong Juehe closed her eyes like an ostrich burying
its head in the sand. She couldn't bear to look at the thing lurking nearby.
Although the terror wasn't transmitted visually, she could hear it, feel it. There
was no way to block it. The sensation was so intense that she couldn't breathe! She
was about to suffocate from the pressure.

Fortunately, Huang Jian had arrived. Dong Juehe threw herself at Huang Jian,
clutching his body tightly, her grip as strong as a vise. But the danger hadn't
abated in the slightest. Dong Juehe could still feel "him" there.

"He's behind me! He's right behind me! Help me, please help me!" Dong Juehe shook
Huang Jian violently, screaming repeatedly. She tried to make others feel the same
terror she felt, so that they would understand how desperate she was.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Huang Jian was infuriated. Dong Juehe's hands felt
like they were embedding themselves into his flesh. And Huang Jian didn't see
anything around Dong Juehe. However, Dong Juehe's urgent desperation made him
waver, and a sense of unease began to creep into his heart.

Huang Jian backed away a few steps, dragging Dong Juehe out of the room. In the
hallway, Bai Yu and the others emerged, surprised by what they saw.

"What's wrong with her?" Bai Yu asked.

"How should I know? She's probably gone crazy!" Huang Jian replied.

Dong Juehe was still screaming hysterically, "He's behind me! He's right behind me!
Help me!" Her words reached everyone's ears, causing chaos.

Nothing! There was nothing there! No one could see anything strange.

Bai Yu was becoming anxious. Something was definitely about to happen here. They
had to leave immediately. Currently, Zou Hang and Zhang Xun were missing. Bai Yu
had already confirmed that Zou Hang wasn't in his room. He was just about to go to
Zhang Xun's room. The two rooms were dozens of meters apart, located at opposite
ends of the hallway, at the front and back of the corridor.

Just as he was about to move, Zhang Xun appeared outside his room, his eyes
reflecting the light, staring intently at them. He was hunched over, in the same
posture he had taken the first day at noon when he tried to attack Zou Hang. A low
growl rumbled from Zhang Xun's throat.

"Come here!" Bai Yu shouted towards Zhang Xun. But the response was an even louder
growl. Bai Yu took a step forward, but Zhang Xun became even more hostile. It
seemed that any attempt to approach him would be met with an attack.

Bai Yu scanned him coldly. He sneered inwardly. Zhang Xun might be a man, but he
was somewhere between a man and a wolf. Except for his human appearance, his
behavior was undoubtedly wolf-like. He was a latent threat, ready to erupt at any
moment. Time was running out. Bai Yu didn't want to waste precious survival time
with Zhang Xun.

"Forget him! He's just a dog. Let's get out of here!" For the safety of the others,
Bai Yu decided to leave Zhang Xun behind. He didn't care whether he lived or died.

As they turned to retreat toward the exit, looking back from time to time to avoid
being bitten by the enraged Zhang Xun, Zhang Xun remained on guard. His eyes were
fixed on the 'long-haired woman' who looked like a corpse and was being carried on
Long Bao's back. They were fixed on Dong Juehe, who was screaming hysterically, and
the pale-skinned 'little boy' clinging to her back like a koala.

Suddenly, the long-haired woman's head on Long Bao’s back tilted to one side,
making a 'gragra' sound, and her glaring white eyes turned to one side from between
the black hair. At the same time, the small boy on Dong Juehe's back turned his
head in the same way, as if in unison with the long-haired woman.

In that moment of extreme tension, Zhang Xun's nose twitched, as if he had caught a
scent. Then, with a piercing shriek, he turned and fled at top speed, regardless of
the hard glass of the wall. He broke through the barrier and fell to the floor
below.

Zhang Xun's screams and actions surprised the people across the hall. They couldn't
understand why that dog had gone mad!

(A little note: I have said before that this book is only suitable for a minority.
If you have a different opinion, please keep it. Don't expect everyone to be like
you. Also, strong recommendations are hard to come by from the editor, so I will
cherish these days. But I'm not a full-time writer; I have to eat. I was just
notified these past couple days that my unit of temporary employment has started
its probation period. I'm also upset. Therefore, there are fewer updates. I worked
hard for a day and squeezed out time from my sleep to write. Please understand me!)

Return to Table of Contents

## 107: Curse: The Grudge - Death Awaits Those Who See, Part 2

**107: Curse: The Grudge - Death Awaits Those Who See, Part 2**

**Table of Contents**

(This is killing me! I put up with a probationary salary of six hundred, and only
two days off a month. The moment I started, they piled on the work. They’re
treating me like a machine, not a person! "To those who can, more is given," but
I'm no prodigy; why make things so hard for me? It's meant I haven't been able to
update for the last couple of days, and I barely get any sleep. Watching this
golden opportunity for a strong push slip away is beyond frustrating. It’s not my
fault. Even if I don’t sleep, I'll write a chapter. Please understand my plight;
I’ll be eternally grateful. And again, thank you to everyone supporting this book!
I promised I wouldn't abandon it. A gentleman's word is his bond!)

To be honest, Zhang Xun's extraordinary psychic sixth sense allowed him to perceive
unspeakable horrors invisible to others, triggering an overwhelming sense of dread
that fueled a primal, desperate urge to escape. Under normal circumstances, a drop
from two stories wouldn't be a problem for him. But his heightened speed, combined
with smashing through the reinforced glass of the White House window, left him
disoriented. He crashed heavily onto the concrete below, landing back-first. Unlike
muscle, the spine has no give; the force of impact and his own weight threatened to
paralyze him completely.

The agonizing shriek he released upon impact was a testament to the pain. But there
was no time to catch his breath. Zhang Xun scrambled to his feet, blood welling
from a gash on his forehead where a shard of glass had sliced his skin.

He was now outside the White House, standing on a stretch of green lawn. In
daylight, the scenery here was quite pleasant. But cloaked in darkness, every
rustle of leaves and whisper of wind seemed menacingly hostile.

To run would mean exposing his back to the enemy. A wolf only retreats if it's
certain of survival; otherwise, it never turns tail in panic. As Zhang Xun
struggled to his feet, his gaze locked onto the window he'd just crashed through.
More than that, he strained his ears, meticulously searching for any unusual sound.

Jagged shards of glass still clung to the window frame, resembling the fangs of a
monstrous maw. But for now, everything there was eerily calm, devoid of anything
strange. Zhang Xun didn't immediately bolt; instead, he remained fixed on the
window, slowly backing away.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed. A wave of unease washed over him. He could sense the
air behind him shifting, as if a presence was blocking its flow.

Did these supernatural forces move like ordinary people? Their existence defied not
just physics, but also the boundaries of science.

Zhang Xun shuddered, executing an impossibly difficult, lightning-fast turn. Wolves

are fighters, even in death; they would never submit to slaughter.

But as Zhang Xun prepared to launch his final attack, he realized that the figure
before him was Zou Hang. Zou Hang wasn't even looking at Zhang Xun. He was
undoubtedly aggressive, but he posed no threat. Zou Hang was confident he could
dodge the attack. Zou Hang was gazing thoughtfully at the broken window Zhang Xun
had emerged from.

Zou Hang hadn't touched dinner. His current physiology no longer tolerated human
food. After leaving the hospital blood bank, he hadn't returned to the White House
to sleep. Instead, he'd stayed outside the perimeter, quietly observing from the
manicured gardens. He had long suspected the secret of the dreams, and was now
waiting to confirm his theory. He'd stand aside and let those self-important people
pay the price for Bai Yu's actions.

Just moments ago, perhaps in the blink of an eye, Zhang Xun's reckless plunge
through the window had been caught by his highly sensitive nervous system.
Simultaneously, he'd detected an unusual atmosphere, a bone-chilling cold emanating
from the shattered window. Zou Hang's instincts were never wrong, and even if they
were, he would trust his instincts. Whether that feeling was just a delusion, he
didn't know, but Zhang Xun's actions added weight to his suspicions.

Even though Zou Hang's senses were now unmatched, his sixth sense was powerful, he
couldn't pinpoint anything specific. Even though he was beyond normal, he lacked
the unique trait of the spiritual eye.

Zhang Xun’s initial attack was aborted, and now he felt deeply frustrated by his
rashness. This sequence of events was short, only two or three seconds, but in a
life-or-death situation, such carelessness could be fatal. Zhang Xun again executed
an extremely fast turn, exceeding his own speed limit. He locked his gaze back on
the window.
He didn't know why, but in their brief time together, he and Zhang Xun had
developed some kind of strange connection, where he could understand Zhang Xun's
inner thoughts and feelings. Perhaps this anomaly was a marvel of nature, or
possibly a lingering "side effect" from the failed Eye of Sin. When he sensed Zhang
Xun's extreme fear and unleashed aggression, Zou Hang realized Zhang Xun possessed
the instincts of a wolf. Perhaps he perceived a blind spot that Zou Hang couldn't.
So, as Zhang Xun focused on the window, Zou Hang instantly appeared to his right,
at the ten o'clock position, his mismatched red and green eyes acting like night-
vision goggles. In the moonless darkness, they gathered and amplified the faint
ambient light.

The silver moon illuminated the scene. This terror world was set in early autumn,
around the Mid-Autumn Festival. The full moon, now a disc of radiant light, broke
through the obscuring clouds. A silver glow washed over the ground, banishing the
monochrome darkness. As the moonlight hit the window, Zhang Xun came within an inch
of suffocating. In the broken window, just below the sill, a small boy seemed to
have been lurking for a long time.

What was the connection between the full moon and wolves? Science talks of
influencing hormones. Legend speaks of a goddess of the moon who called the wolves.
But no link could explain the moon and the wolf. But everyone knows that a link is
there.

Just moments ago, there had been nothing there; Zhang Xun was certain of that. Now,
bathed in moonlight, it was as if the moon goddess was delivering a death notice.
But it may be too late. The moment Zhang Xun saw the pair of black pupils, he felt
that he was going to die. Or that death would be happiness. Zhang Xun's eyes were
filled with horror. His mind collapsed entirely. Whatever desire to fight was gone,
replaced by boundless terror. Perhaps a sliver of rationality remained, screaming
for help. He felt paralyzed, as if every inch of his skin was numb with fear. This
helplessness was what wolves feared the most. They could choose to die in battle,
but now he couldn't choose his own death.

Zou Hang had his back to that direction. Even if he were facing it, if the
supernatural force didn't want to be seen, he would only see broken glass and the
darkness of the hall. The feeling was cold and dangerous. But now, Zou Hang felt
something through Zhang Xun’s eyes. He sensed a bottomless terror from within Zhang
Xun's soul, a terror that felt contagious, as if spreading through some kind of
supernatural, psychic transmission.

Perhaps the paralysis wasn't a skill of the supernatural force, but a biological
response, a numbing of the body from the inside out due to the horror. The vampires
had one characteristic that Zou Hang had always admired, fearlessness. But it was
no use, he felt a terror never felt before, fear. Now, he felt he could see eyes
staring from Zhang Xun's soul. The target of the entity could change.

But luckily, the horror could be balanced, thanks to Zou Hang's nature.

Zou Hang instantly closed his eyes! Ignoring the terrifying information being
transmitted from within Zhang Xun, and the frantic struggle and cries for help
within.

(This… this is what fear feels like?)

"Death awaits those who see." Close your eyes when it is dark.

Zou Hang turned toward the source, eyes closed, not listening. He let out a soft
chuckle.
Smiling can fight horror? This is nonsense.

Zou Hang's mind didn't collapse into chaos like Zhang Xun's. He had been slightly
infected by the terrifying information. But his true self was strange. His ideas
were bizarre. Fear wasn't in his dictionary. He couldn't put the feeling into
words. But more than the shock of fear, Zou Hang felt a strange kind of joy.

If you don't see horror as horror, and ignore it, is it still horror? What about
boundless horror!

"This terror world is far more fitting than the previous missions," Zou Hang
muttered to himself. The other missions were called terror worlds, but he never
felt fear. Zou Hang felt joy. He was pleased with his previous decision. He looked
forward to the consequences coming to Bai Yu and the others.

Zou Hang closed his eyes. An idea he got from Zhang Xun’s actions! He felt a slight
excitement, the excitement of facing the unknown.

(The first step is resisting the paralysis that horror brings. Close your eyes!)

All this happened in a few seconds, those thoughts flitted through Zou Hang's mind
thanks to his fast brain. As Zou Hang closed his eyes and turned, he felt a bone-
chilling aura suddenly approach...

**Table of Contents**

## 108: The Grudge - Those Who See It Die, Part 3

**Table of Contents**

(I'm not padding the word count, especially since these are free chapters. But I
still want to say something before today's chapter. Feel free to skip it. I read a
post today and wanted to address something a reader brought up: "Why doesn't the
protagonist just tell the others that the zombies are caused by dreaming, so they
kill the newcomers? Why all the unnecessary secrecy?" I suspect many of you have
the same question. My explanation is: why *should* he tell them? To save them? What
reason does he have to save them? If they don't want to kill, Zou Hang won't force
them. Also, people are forgetful creatures. Without a harsh lesson, they'll forget
it all by the next day. Bai Yu and the others are practically rookies themselves.
They had no choice in *Fish,* but after the augmentations, they can be considered
veterans. After just one mission, they forgot all about Zou Hang. Let them truly
experience the consequences this time.

To quote a reader: "Don't be impatient, everyone. The author has shown it in his
work. At the beginning, the protagonist was so ruthless that he would harm his
companions even if they obeyed him perfectly. This reached its peak in the *Fish*
arc. But An Ran touched him, and in this arc, the protagonist no longer actively
tries to harm people. He had many ways to deceive them, like in *Death Note*, but
he is slowly changing, from a perpetrator to an observer. This is much more
realistic. If the protagonist suddenly went from a cold-blooded psychopath to a
passionate hero, that would be terrible writing!"

I said it before: *Fish* was the turning point. Everything reaches a breaking
point. The current Zou Hang may not go around randomly killing people anymore, but
he has become an observer. This is fully reflected in this part. That's why this
book is called *Someone Else's Infinite Terror*. I feel frustrated that so many
readers don't understand my writing like that person! Okay, enough rambling. Let's
start.)

The approach of danger was sudden, so sudden that anyone ordinary would have been
unable to avoid it. However, Zou Hang was no ordinary man. Thanks to his heightened
reflexes, the moment the threat manifested, Zou Hang, already prepared, activated
his "blink" ability in a mere fraction of a second, instantly teleporting away. The
speed was so great that all anyone could see was the afterimage of his still-
unmoved form.

Zhang Xun was right behind Zou Hang. If Zou Hang had simply dodged, the spirit's
attack would undoubtedly have struck Zhang Xun. Moreover, Zhang Xun was already
incapacitated. Zou Hang would never entertain foolish ideas of protecting others.
However, the force that moved the rocking chair followed Zou Hang relentlessly.
This diversion allowed Zhang Xun to barely escape unscathed!

The existence of ghosts is inherently unpredictable. The attacks formed by ghosts

in horror movies are often ridiculous. Colossal figures and numerous duplicates are
all attacks that remain within the scope of human knowledge.

According to the most accepted explanation since ancient times, ghosts are
manifestations of psychic energy, or chaotic bio-magnetic fields. Their origins are
unknown. However, their attacks manifest solely as mental influences, distorting
perceptions and senses to shatter minds or scare people to death. Naturally, in the
terror world, these abilities are amplified many times over!

Zou Hang agreed with this theory. Appearing a few meters away, Zou Hang's body
suddenly underwent a drastic change. A pale little boy could be vaguely seen
clinging to Zou Hang's back like a koala. The boy's head was tilted next to Zou
Hang's ear, his eyes wide open, like a death god's gaze snatching at souls.
However, Zou Hang remained silent, his eyes tightly shut. Perhaps he would wander
through this terrifying world with his eyes closed for a long time.

Even with his eyes closed, he could still perceive his surroundings through his
other senses. Right now, the coldness on his back and right shoulder told him
something was there.

But did closing his eyes end everything? Did the world cease to exist simply
because he closed his eyes?

Zhang Xun's body was paralyzed, though he might be recovering slightly now.
However, he still couldn't move much, and, more distressingly, he couldn't close
his eyes.

The little boy, curled up against Zou Hang, emitted strands of black, deathly aura
from where he was attached. At that moment, the little boy opened his mouth and let
out a shrill, piercing scream.

"Bird (or 'Meow', don't dwell on the exact word. This is just to convey the
sound)..."

The piercing shriek was eerie and shocking, like a sharp knife stabbing into the
listeners' brains, into their very consciousness. Ghost attacks were similar to
hypnosis, using the senses to control or erode the will. However, one thing
remained the same: will is power. A person with strong resistance cannot be
hypnotized. Hypnotists use auxiliary methods to get them to lower their defenses
and completely relax or find their vulnerabilities to break through.

In this light, the existence of ghosts surpassed all hypnotists. Their inherent,
eerie power far exceeded the capacity of hypnotism. That scream was no less
powerful than the eyes. The close proximity of the shriek, blasted directly into
his ear, undoubtedly had the greatest impact on Zou Hang. However, if he had opened
his eyes and seen Zhang Xun's current state, he would have realized that only he
had heard that cry.

Zou Hang convulsed as if electrocuted. The scream was like a dagger severing
something, creating chaos within his nervous system. This was different from the
information he had received through Zhang Xun's eyes. This time, it was a much more
direct reception. He had prepared himself mentally, but for a moment, Zou Hang was
disoriented. The sound was soul-snatching and indistinguishable, as if someone
combined all maddening noises together and amplified the sound of fingernails
scratching on a blackboard dozens of times. The ultrasonic attack, filled with
eerie spiritual power, would drive a person mad even if it wasn't a ghost's attack.
Zou Hang shuddered. In that moment of fear and wavering resolve, his mind felt like
it was being destroyed by a great power. Something entered his body, and his fear
was amplified to the point that it occupied his entire being. He felt a momentary
paralysis, the same paralysis experienced by Wen Yiyue and Zhang Xun. The sound had
the same effect. At this moment, Zou Hang felt like he was being squeezed out of
his body, on the verge of losing control. His last sliver of reason told him he was
in danger. With a thought, he shouted inwardly and activated the unique skill of
his vampire bloodline.

Blood Drain!

That's right, he was draining his own blood. Without any external wounds, the blood
vessels under Zou Hang's skin instantly gathered together into small pockets. These
pockets exploded, rupturing the skin and muscles, and rushing toward Zou Hang's
mouth. It felt like a million ants were simultaneously tearing at his entire body,
and the pain occupied his entire mind. However, Zou Hang showed no pain. The
corners of his mouth were stained crimson. After becoming a Count-level vampire,
the power of Blood Drain had increased. The draining speed was much faster. In just
two seconds, Zou Hang's blood completed a cycle outside his body.

Zou Hang's slight smile appeared because the pain instantly stimulated his nerves
and body, allowing him to regain control.

(Secondly, pain can wake you up.)

The little boy's shriek had significantly disrupted Zou Hang's mind, stripping the
typically calm Zou Hang of his rationality. Barely awake, Zou Hang immediately
shouted, "Blood Oath!!"

The Blood Oath skill was special. It couldn't be purchased from the Main God space
and was acquired during the *Fish* mission by chance. Similar to the Divine
Punishment effect, it could burn the souls of humans and other living things and
deal a devastating blow to spirits and ghosts. Because Zou Hang was a vampire and
had Cain's blood, all the blood in Zou Hang's body had this effect. Of course, a
large quantity lowered the quality of the power.

At the moment Zou Hang used Blood Drain, the blood gushing out of his body was so
thick and uninterrupted that it almost covered him completely. When it came into
contact with the "little boy," his skin charred black at the point of contact, and
he howled in agony. However, it seemed that there was no actual damage. It was just
like a burn, not life-threatening.

The Blood Oath skill manifested, and Zou Hang was instantly surrounded by a sea of
blood. If the quantity of blood in Zou Hang's body was 100, that 100 equaled the
blood of 50 people. As a Viscount, Zou Hang could store the blood of around 10
people at the same time during the *Fish* mission. The amount of blood he could
store was now greater after his augmentations. Even though he could not drain
blood, he had sucked as much blood as possible after roaming through Washington's
major hospitals. At this moment, he had nearly 40 people's worth of blood when he
used Blood Oath. Zou Hang was intent on killing. However, he was concerned because
the Blood Drain skill had just made his face unrecognizable and left him riddled
with holes. Also, excessive blood loss had side effects.

Due to the immense amount of blood, the blood sprayed from his body was no longer a
simple mist. This time, it was a complete liquid. Countless red liquids swirled
violently within a meter of Zou Hang's body. Zou Hang's powerful mental strength
and the intensity of the Blood Oath skill were supporting the enormous amount of
blood. This attack was earth-shattering. The crimson blood enveloped Zou Hang, and
it shone brightly in the moonlight. For a moment, a third color, red, appeared this
night other than black and silver!

(However, will Zou Hang's powerful attack be able to destroy the bone-chilling,
deadly "little boy"? Are the ghost's tricks limited to this? What is happening with
the rest of the team? If you want to know what happens next, please wait for the
next chapter! It's not that I'm deliberately creating suspense. I would have liked
to finish the entire story at once. I just finished writing this chapter at two in
the morning. I didn't even have the energy to upload it. I only had five hours of
sleep, and I feel a little better. I'm going to work soon. I'll tell you what
happened to me early this morning. I squeeze out the time I should be sleeping to
write, and I live alone outside. Before I started writing today, I went to the
bathroom and the light broke. The bathroom door faces the mirror. I was thinking
about the plot, and when I saw the person in the mirror, I scared myself half to
death, hehe...)

## Chapter 109: Ju-on, Death Upon Witnessing 4

**Chapter 109: Ju-on, Death Upon Witnessing 4**

**Table of Contents**

What color is blood? It's a common sight in the world of horror, yet it's also
strangely captivating. Zou Hang's youth was still unfolding, a mere eighteen years
of age. But any semblance of youthful innocence was utterly absent, replaced only
by coldness, iciness, and cruelty. But then again, can someone who's naive survive
for long? Certainly not in a world of horror; there's no room for non-killing
survivors!

As the crimson color bloomed like a phantom, a fleeting meteor in the sky, the
receding tide of blood left behind something more than just Zou Hang! Zou Hang was
a ghostly presence, as was the infinitely terrifying little boy.

Why? Perhaps it was the presence clinging to Zou Hang's back that severed all his
sensory nerves. Or perhaps his nerves were intact, but some force was preventing
him from connecting with the outside world. Similar to that, the piercing shriek
seemed to be affected by that same force, as Zou Hang's ears couldn't register even
the slightest sound. In the mere seconds that had passed, Zou Hang was left with
only his sense of sight. But this last remaining sense had become his fatal flaw!

Should he open his eyes and fully experience the shocking power of that deadly
blow, the infinite horror? Or should he keep his eyes shut and completely lose
track of time, experiencing the endless void of darkness?

In truth, there wasn't much difference between the two options. The only
distinction was that one led to immediate collapse and departure from this world,
while the other prolonged his torment in the endless darkness, facing the agony of
losing everything!

The blood oath skill faded away, leaving Zou Hang completely isolated from the
world. He wouldn't even know if the power that lingered around his eyes had
vanished.

The loss of four senses was a near-annihilating punishment, yet his sixth sense
stubbornly remained in Zou Hang's remaining rationality.

Sixth sense – a vaguely defined concept. For instance, Wen Yiyue's yin-yang eyes
were one example. Zhang Xun's medium abilities were another. Everyone's sixth sense
differed. So what was Zou Hang's? Danger! Zou Hang absolutely, almost fanatically,
trusted his sense of danger, be it significant or insignificant, right or wrong.
Since he could remember, Zou Hang had always trusted this feeling. And now, that
feeling was still powerfully present.

"Fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight…" In a mental space devoid of light or

objects, within a body stripped of its five senses, only the spirit remained,
teetering on the edge of madness. The most important thing here was time!

Time! Forgetting the existence of time was the origin of madness and collapse. If
you were unaware of time, then one second spent here could feel like ten thousand
years! You could remain here for ten thousand years, your body perfectly intact,
yet your mind would be utterly destroyed.

Remember the counting game that Zou Hang played back in the Main God Space? Zou
Hang had always been alone in his world, from childhood onward. His solitary game
was to silently calculate the passage of time before him! This boring, tedious game
was probably only something that Zou Hang could, or would, play!

Now, with all his sensory connections to the outside world severed except for
sight, his consciousness drifted into the darkness. He instinctively began to
count, counting without any external reference, relying only on his own subjective
sense of correctness – but that was enough! Anyone else in the same situation would
undoubtedly open their eyes immediately. Instant death versus endless torment –
surely anyone with even a modicum of intelligence would choose the former.

But Zou Hang had never even considered opening his eyes before that power
disappeared! He had, in fact, formulated several other theories!

(Third, ghosts in the second dream are immortal, or rather, immune to all attacks.
Fourth, they can only sever your senses, causing you to fear yourself, collapse,
and die. Fifth, they cannot directly harm the physical body!)

Zou Hang believed that they were immortal because of his sense of danger. Even with
the amplification of his blood oath skill, his spiritual power, and so much blood,
the power emanating from the little boy hadn't diminished in the slightest. While
it didn't possess the broad destructive power of divine punishment, and Cain's
blood had been diluted considerably, the fact that blood that was extremely
destructive to both spiritual and physical entities had no effect at all was enough
for him to reach this conclusion. Of course, there could be other factors involved.

Now, with Zou Hang's eyes closed, he was in an even more compromised mental state
than if his body had been paralyzed, but his physical body was likely unharmed. He
wasn't dead yet. Looking at it another way, the ghost wasn't stupid. It hadn't
struck a fatal blow when Zou Hang was most defenseless. What else could be said
other than this reasoning also provided ample theoretical support for his other two
points.

Endless darkness, devoid of everything – enough to destroy anyone's will! It would

cause one to collapse and die right there.

While Zhang Xun couldn't close his eyes, the little boy had shifted behind him
along with Zou Hang's flash teleport. Still, an atmosphere of heavy and ominous
fear lingered all around. All Zhang Xun could do was to hold onto his sanity and
not give in! He was fortunate.

Perhaps, in the little boy's eyes, Zou Hang's demonstrated abilities were far
greater than Zhang Xun's, drawing all of the little boy’s attention. This allowed
Zhang Xun to cling to life.

The stalemate continued. Neither side was willing to cross that invisible boundary!
And what about the other side? How would Bai Yu and the rest of the reincarnation
team fare?

In the moments after Zhang Xun crashed through the window to escape, the remaining
team members hurriedly descended the stairs.

"Everyone, gather outside the White House!" Bai Yu, walking last, vigilantly
scanned the surroundings for any sudden attacks, shouting loudly. The White House
building might be a fortress against large-scale enemy assaults in some respects.
However, as the proverb goes, blessings and misfortune are intertwined, a double-
edged sword. In such a cramped space, facing unseen enemies, there was nowhere to
run.

After Wen Yiyue's death, Bai Yu's first reaction was that the enemy was likely
hidden. Therefore, leaving this place was paramount. But Bai Yu had possibly
overlooked a crucial clue: Wen Yiyue's fear before his death, and Dong Juehe's
maddened terror. Wen Yiyue, with his yin-yang eyes, had undoubtedly seen many
ghosts, yet he had been fine for over twenty years. Had Bai Yu considered that the
ghosts in a horror world might not be comparable to those in reality? Even if Wen
Yiyue's death was a coincidence, what about Dong Juehe?

Therefore, while Bai Yu might be a highly capable individual with a personality

better suited to leading the team than Zou Hang, as the saying goes, a single wrong
move can lead to complete defeat. His failure to understand the reality led to the
current slaughter. He spared Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of him, and he had put
himself and the three seniors in danger.

Long Bao's enhanced muscle tissue made him one of the strongest among the group. He
charged ahead. But as he pulled open the White House doors and rushed outside,
something shocking occurred. Long Bao abruptly stopped, his sudden braking causing
the others to collide into him from behind, like cars in a traffic accident.

Huang Jian was right behind Long Bao and slammed into his solid muscles. Long Bao
barely felt anything, but Huang Jian's vision blurred. He angrily cursed, "Damn it!
Are you crazy? Why did you stop? Move it!"

Because Long Bao was tall and muscular, his body nearly blocked one of the open
double doors of the White House, preventing those behind him from seeing clearly.

Seeing that Long Bao didn't react, Huang Jian kicked him dismissively and pushed
open the other door. But what appeared before him left him equally bewildered! Bai
Yu, sensing that something was amiss, rushed forward and called out, "What's
wrong?" As he spoke, he stood behind Huang Jian. And at that moment, he, too, was
at a loss.
Right before Bai Yu's eyes, the White House doors, which should have led to the
outside…

**Return to Table of Contents**

Okay, here's a translation of the Chinese text, aiming for naturalness and
capturing the nuances of the original:

**110 The Grudge: Death Upon Viewing 5**

**Table of Contents**

Bai Yu moved forward, as if confirming the shocking scene unfolding before him. He
walked toward the tower, the crisp sound of his leather shoes against the marble
floor echoing in the silent hall. It told him this was no illusion.

The space was distorted! The White House's main door had transformed into a passage
connected to the stairway exit. Bai Yu stood there, dumbfounded, alone. The scene
before him indicated that he was on the second floor of the White House, where they
had rested earlier. He abruptly turned back to look for the others, but they were
nowhere in sight. Looking down the staircase, the bright lights seemed to suggest
that everything he had just witnessed was merely his imagination. The inanimate
objects around him were unchanged; what he thought he had seen was just a figment
of his mind.

However, as Bai Yu cautiously descended the stairs, he saw the rest of the team at
the other end of the White House's first-floor lobby, all staring blankly toward
the door. The scenery outside that door was identical to what he had seen from the
second floor!

A series of heavy footsteps echoed behind him. Long Bao appeared, exclaiming, "What
the hell is going on here?!"

The others turned to look at him, their faces filled with unease. Everything was
far too strange. It was as if they were trapped within the opulent White House,
sentenced to life imprisonment.

After Long Bao's outburst, no one dared to venture near the door. Huang Jian
slammed it shut in frustration, a sense of malevolence clinging to him, sending
shivers down his spine. Perhaps the hundreds of watts emanating from the crystal
chandeliers of the White House still gave them some semblance of courage, but who
could guarantee that those lights would stay on forever?

"Ghosts! I think we're dealing with paranormal entities this time!" The group
huddled together, their backs against the wall in a corner. Everyone's eyes darted
around nervously. Bai Yu blurted out this conclusion, remembering Wen Yiyue's
inexplicable death and Dong Juehe's near-manic ramblings. Combined with the bizarre
phenomena happening at the White House doors, a clear answer revealed itself.

Hearing this, Long Bao frowned deeply. Vengeful spirits from the "Fish" movie were
the only thing he could think of. Yet, the power of that vengeful spirit was almost
insurmountable. Even with a substantial supply of spiritual bullets, they couldn't
hold out for long. The spirit's power was endless. Moreover, this time, they only
had ordinary bullets in their inventory bags. Long Bao felt like a terminal cancer
patient in real life, powerless and waiting for death.
"Damn it! Is there any way to kill it? I... I just became a 'superman'!" Huang
Jian's voice fluctuated wildly. The first part of his sentence sounded arrogant and
vicious, but the latter half was filled with fear. "Superman" might have been an
exaggeration, perhaps Huang Jian was incoherent, but he was different from the
newbies, or even anyone in the real world. He now had abilities beyond the average
person, and this was only his second horror mission. Including his time in the main
god space, it hadn't even been a month. He wanted to fully enjoy his newfound sense
of superiority and looked forward to an invincible life back in the real world.

"To be honest, I haven't even seen what the ghost looks like. I know nothing about
it!" Bai Yu said. He suddenly thought of Zou Hang. Indeed, Zou Hang never seemed to
panic. He was always aloof and confident, as if everything was under his control.

At that moment, Huang Jian suddenly stood up. He drew his Desert Eagle and aimed it
at Luo Chen, who was sleeping soundly on the other side of the room on a sofa.
Spitting on the ground, Huang Jian exclaimed, "We're about to die, and this kid is
sleeping so comfortably! I'm going to kill him!"

Bai Yu sprang to his feet, pushing Huang Jian's hand away. "This has nothing to do
with him! What the hell are you doing?"

Huang Jian turned to Bai Yu, his face contorted with anger. "If it wasn't for the
fact that you're a veteran, and I've known you for a while, I would kill you first!
If you hadn't stopped us from killing this kid, Zou Hang could have led us out of
here. Would we be waiting to die like this?" Huang Jian glared at Bai Yu. The
veteran players all knew it was true. If Bai Yu had listened to Zou Hang, they
wouldn't be in this predicament. With Zou Hang's intelligence and abilities, he
could have guided them safely back to the main god space from the disaster of the
"Fish" movie. There was no doubt about Zou Hang's skill. On the other hand, they
both loved and hated Zou Hang. They still couldn't accept Zou Hang's actions.
However, following Zou Hang may mean death in the future, being eliminated like a
newbie. But at least they could live a little longer.

In short, Huang Jian's words made all the veterans start to regret their inaction.

Bai Yu understood this, but he vehemently shook off Huang Jian's hand. "Zou Hang
said that even if we killed him, he wouldn't change his mind. What's the point of
killing him now? Just to lose a thousand survival points? Killing him now won't
help us at all!" Bai Yu felt indignant. He suddenly understood Zou Hang's actions,
understood his seemingly willful behavior.

Humanity is truly ugly. I didn't kill him then, and none of you tried to either!
Now you're blaming it all on me. Bai Yu cursed inwardly.

Their conversation, however, sparked a thoughtful expression on one person's face.

An Ran remained silent in the corner. She had been too quiet since her
resurrection, so quiet that people almost forgot about her existence. She had a
good mentality because she had already experienced the most maddening thing
possible. She had died once, and her death was chilling. It was a miracle that she
could still live calmly. If it were someone else, they would have chosen death to
free themselves!

Now, her eyes fell on Luo Chen, who was sleeping peacefully, or perhaps seemed to
be dead. An Ran knew Zou Hang even earlier than Bai Yu, Long Bao, and Huang Jian.
She also understood him better. An Ran wasn't a brainless woman. Sometimes she had
more foresight than these men. But in front of Zou Hang, she was willing to be a
foolish woman and could only be a foolish woman.

Perhaps Zou Hang's actions were outrageous in the eyes of others. But looking
closer, Zou Hang killed people in "Final Destination" to complete the mission. He
also vivisected and cooked Yamamoto Mirai in "Fish" to get the key to complete the
mission. The newbies he killed earlier were all burdens, and he did what he did to
eliminate any potential dangers in the cradle. Those with foresight were never
understood by those who realized things later. This time, he gave mercy. He showed
mercy and let all the newbies live, leaving all the veterans and removing himself
from the situation. Meanwhile, several newbies died from the more terrifying
zombies rather than gunfire. Wen Yiyue was also scared to death by the infinite
horror. It seems that if he could have shown mercy and gave them a bullet, they
would have been happy. Like Wu Tian. Wu Tian was killed by Zou Hang. He didn't have
to be as fearful as the current reincarnation team.

**Return to Table of Contents**

## 111 Ju-on: The Grudge - Death Curse 6

**Contents**

Therefore, An Ran understood perfectly well. Every seemingly meaningless action Zou
Hang took contained a far-reaching vision. His claim about wanting to kill Luo Chen
was likely no exception. An Ran's inaction at the time was also because of Zou
Hang. The only truly meaningless thing Zou Hang did was something she would never
understand and never forget!

She genuinely just wanted to die! To no longer face it all. But the reason An Ran
was still alive wasn't for revenge! She was lost, she was panicked.

An Ran remained seated in an inconspicuous corner. Everything was just in her mind.
In contrast, Bai Yu and Huang Jian, still caught up in their argument, weren't
thinking nearly as far ahead.

Bai Yu seemed indifferent to Huang Jian's outburst. He didn't want to argue

excessively with Huang Jian. What needed to be done now wasn't pointlessly trying
to assign blame. An attack from the darkness could come at any moment.

Huang Jian, however, quieted down. A faint smile suddenly appeared on his face. Of
the people on the team not confirmed dead, besides Zou Hang, there was also Zhang
Xun. This sudden realization made him somewhat excited. However, he didn't show it.
He kept his angry expression. Huang Jian kicked the glorified sex toy created in
the main god space, acting furious as his face turned red, and shouted, "You ****,
crawl upstairs! I need to blow off some steam!"

The beings created in the main god space were all based on the creator's
specifications. No matter what the original prototype was, as long as it was
specified during creation, all permissions were fully granted. For example, when
Huang Jian created this sex toy, he included a command for absolute obedience. Even
if this sex toy was now falling apart, as long as it wasn't dead, it wouldn't
resist.

As soon as Huang Jian finished speaking, the alluring sex toy, despite still being
immersed in fear, truly began crawling towards the second-floor stairs like a
female dog. Her already scant clothing revealed her tempting figure even more in
this position. But no one was in the mood to care what happened to her.

Huang Jian kicked the sex toy's ass, one kick after another, hurling vulgar and
filthy words. Long Bao shouted, "You still thinking about that stuff? You don't
even know how you're going to die!"
Huang Jian replied nonchalantly, "You better worry about yourselves! Maybe you'll
all be dead before I am!"

Long Bao wanted to say something else, but before he could open his mouth, Bai Yu
stopped him, saying calmly, "He left on his own! He left the team. I said that
those who follow me might encounter danger. But I will try my best to protect them.
And now he is no longer a member of our team!"

Long Bao was somewhat anxious. Huang Jian was, after all, a veteran who had
survived the previous terrifying mission. Although he didn't particularly like that
arrogant kid, he still had some acquaintance with him. Of course, now Huang Jian
was acting like he had a death wish.

Zou Hang was gone! Who would be the team leader? The veteran members didn't have
many opinions. To the three of them, it didn't matter who was in charge, as long as
they could complete the mission safely. As for not considering An Ran, it was
mainly because An Ran didn't even speak. Because the rewards from the previous
terrifying mission 'Fish' were quite generous, the three of them had some powers.
They were a bit more confident about surviving in the world of terror. Bai Yu's
displayed attitude and personality were also well suited for this position.
Although they were now all thinking of Zou Hang, Zou Hang was no longer here.

Actually, Bai Yu being called the team leader was just a figurehead. The positions
of the veteran members were the same, and no one could order anyone else around.
Now, it seemed that Zou Hang's team leader identity bestowed by the main god was no
different. What exactly was the use of this team leader identity? I think only Zou
Hang himself knew, perhaps it was another hidden card. But let's not dwell on that
for now.

Huang Jian and the sex toy's figures had already disappeared on the first floor.
Switching the scene to the passageway on the second floor, it was still brightly
lit. On the other side of the stairs, some of the broken glass shattered by Zhang
Xun still hung on the window frame. Sharp and biting. It overlapped with the
completely dark background outside the window, like the bloodied mouth of a demon.

At this moment, the angry expression was completely gone from Huang Jian's face. It
was replaced by pure joy. He ran towards it with the wind at his back. He muttered:
"Hey! those fools will wait there for death! If I can escape and find Zou Hang,
I'll be safe. Bai Yu is nothing compared to Zou Hang!"

Huang Jian liked slaughter. In this respect, he didn't dislike Zou Hang's actions.
But he didn't want to be bound. Zou Hang usually didn't care about his actions
unless something important came up, giving him complete freedom. So Huang Jian also
agreed with Zou Hang very much. The reason he hadn't killed Luo Chen before was
just hesitation because of the survival points.

Huang Jian's expression was so joyful. It could be said that he seemed to see
himself crossing that window and being liberated. But looking back, his sex toy had
stopped. Her face was filled with fear as she stared at the broken window. Crawling
on the ground, her face twisted, her mouth wide open as if she wanted to shout but
couldn't make a sound. As if there was the most terrifying thing in the world
there!

But Huang Jian glanced back and disdained her. He was probably blinded by hope. He
didn't care at all about the strange behavior of the sex toy. He quickened his pace
toward the window.

Remember that saying? The moment you are most unprepared is often the moment of
your death.

He leaped up, jumping straight through without even checking the scene on the other
side. When he got up from the ground, his surroundings left him speechless. The
place he had jumped down into was a place resembling a closet. There was a roof not
far above his head. There were no flowers or plants, no wide, flat, beautified
lawns and roads. Instead, he seemed to be in an abandoned, dilapidated, and gloomy
Japanese building.

Huang Jian felt that although he had never been to this place, it looked strangely
familiar. Not having time to think too much, he noticed the unusual nature of this
place. He hurriedly looked for the window he came through, raising his head and
looking up. The broken window of the White House was several meters above him. A
figure slowly crawled out of the window in a distorted manner, its body constantly
making sounds of bones intersecting. It was somewhat creepy. When Huang Jian saw
the person's clothing clearly, he was a little happy. The figure was the Japanese
sex toy he had created. Huang Jian had never needed her so urgently.

But when the sex toy's face slowly lifted, the face that Huang Jian was originally
very familiar with suddenly twisted and transformed into…

Return to Table of Contents

## 112 The Grudge: Death to All Who See It 7

**Contents**

Black, stringy hair, and a ghastly white face peeking through. Yellowed eyes, all
whites, no pupils - finally, Huang Jian remembered where he was, where he had seen
this before. The words "The Grudge" surfaced in his mind just as numbness set in,
followed by terror. He tried to move his legs, but they felt like someone else's.
The only light came from the window, and he desperately wanted to shout for help,
hoping Bai Yu and the others would hear, but it was futile. He watched the figure
slowly crawling closer, like the countdown to his death.

Kayako, the vengeful spirit from *The Grudge*, was a pure, unadulterated killing
machine. No one in any of the films had ever escaped her wrath. No one could
withstand her, let alone destroy her!

Her sudden appearance caught Huang Jian completely off guard. He'd initially
mistaken her familiar figure and clothing for a sign of hope, a hope that crashed
down swiftly. The emotional whiplash caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood.
His heart felt like it was being twisted, the pain excruciating. Ironically, this
agony might be his saving grace. The pain momentarily distracted him from the
terror, preventing him from being completely paralyzed by fear.

Kayako, the female ghost, continued to approach slowly, almost teasing him like a
dying fish on a cutting board, implying even if she were to give him much more
time, he'd still be unable to escape from her grasp.

Unable to stand because of his stiffened legs, Huang Jian desperately pulled
himself backward with his hands, inching away from Kayako. He screamed, a primal
sound of desperation: "Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!" The phrase
repeated like a broken record.

Although this Kayako looked identical to the one in the movies, with the same long,
black hair, she was using the body of the actress Huang Jian had slept with as a
vessel. According to Zou Hang, ghosts could only attack spiritually and through
illusions. They had no physical form and therefore couldn't inflict physical
damage. Therefore, ghosts cannot be allowed to cause physical, material damage.
But, could that truly not be changed?

Perhaps Toshio, the little boy ghost from *The Grudge*, lacked this ability. But
the Kayako before Huang Jian might have the power to control someone else's body
and will, using that connection as a medium to achieve true murder.

Suddenly, a glint of silver caught Huang Jian's eye. He hadn't noticed it before,
but Kayako was holding a strange-looking Japanese kitchen knife. The blade was
sharp and menacing, undeniably real, evoking a visceral sense of pain as Huang Jian
imagined it plunging into his body.

Even a cornered dog will try to bite. How much more would a person?

Huang Jian had backed himself against the wall. With nowhere left to run, his
nerves were on the verge of shattering. Acting purely out of self-preservation, he
pulled his M16 from his inventory, the very tool he had been deeming as useless.
Screaming wildly, he unleashed a barrage of bullets. But Kayako showed no sign of
stopping, ignoring Huang Jian's assault.

*Thwack! Thwack! Boom! Boom!* The bullets tore into Kayako's body, creating bloody
holes. The sound of bullets shattering bones echoed in the room. Red blood spurted
from her body, forcing Kayako into spasms, preventing her from approaching Huang
Jian further.

*What's happening? She's bleeding! I can actually hurt her!* A flicker of hope
ignited within Huang Jian. As the blood rained down, the familiar scent of iron
began to push back the terror that threatened to consume him.

Those who escape fear often seek revenge, even against a ghost!

This wasn't an empty phrase. In the real world, many forces and figures constantly
oppress you, and there's no means to resist. But within one's heart, resentment
grows with each act of obedience.

Huang Jian didn't flinch from the blood splattering his face. He even licked the
blood, tasting the blood of a ghost! Empty magazines littered the floor, but Huang
Jian didn't notice. Whenever the gunfire paused, the corpse twitched. Huang Jian,
this actress, this homunculus created by the Main God, might appear identical to a
real person, but she differed from all other members of the team. Her rules stemmed
from the one who created her. If this had been any other team member, Huang Jian
would likely hear the Main God's emotionless pronouncement: "Deduct one thousand
survival points."

The actress was dead, or maybe she had died long ago, terrified to death by Kayako.
Or perhaps Kayako had used some strange ability to turn her into a mere puppet.

Huang Jian collapsed to the ground, but his eyes were fixed on the bullet-ridden
corpse, his face twisted into a grimace. "Damn it!" he spat. "I thought you were
all that and a bag of chips. You were just posing." As Huang Jian spoke, he was
very domineering. It seemed as if he no longer regarded Kayako as the role that
made him extremely fearful before.

Ordinarily, a body riddled with holes, drained of blood, with exposed bone and
brain matter, would be incapable of revival. But Huang Jian was facing Kayako, who
was acting through the body!
*Rat-tat-tat!* Huang Jian's hand spasmed on the trigger. A very hot gun could no
longer locate another bullet trace to hit its target. But Huang Jian's pupils
shrank, and as he lost his mind, Huang Jian saw the body begin to crawl back
slowly.

Zou Hang had assigned each team member a specific area of expertise. He had once
told Huang Jian that he was like a knife - others could use him to kill, but he was
unable to move on his own. This made Huang Jian bitter. But then, Zou Hang added
that he was also a shield, that he might be the only one who could survive. What
could be more enticing than immortality? It was like telling someone they could
murder, arson, rape, and commit evil without any punishment.

Perhaps the words Zou Hang had spoken to Huang Jian were a form of faith! Absolute
trust in Zou Hang turned into unwavering devotion!

Kayako, in her ruined body, struggled to her feet. The appearance of this physical
body was almost laughable. Yet it was still capable of murder.

"Defense Mode: Metamorphosis!" As Huang Jian uttered these words, his muscles began
to mutate. His skeleton disassembled and reassembled itself, the spine deformed,
and the ribs opened on both sides to an incredible degree. The surging muscles
began to expand, eventually forming a three-dimensional defensive structure taller
than a person. It was less like a shield and more like a miniature fortification.

Huang Jian's muscles were now infinitely harder than diamond. If it continued to
expand it, the support frame of the shield, which were the bones, will become very
thin. And that layer of muscle will also become thin and transparent. Even like
that, the impact it made would be nothing short of a game changer! The Main God
space, the definition that the Main God's laws give him. Then he cannot be changed.

The silver kitchen knife slashed down, striking the "human wall"! Even through a
powerful microscope, the particles of the thin, multi-layered skin remained
undamaged, still tightly connected, while the seemingly steel-forged kitchen knife
splintered in several places.

After a long while, the actress's shattered body collapsed to the ground, replaced
by a flowing, white dress. Clearly, Kayako had abandoned physical attacks, instead
of opting for her specialty: mental warfare. Zou Hang had been right. While Huang
Jian's augmentation had sacrificed everything else, it granted him a most coveted
skill. Zou Hang had called it "invincible." But before that pronouncement, Zou Hang
had also stated that this only applied in certain aspects!

<!-- 113 Ju-on: The Grudge – Death Foretold 8 -->

113 Ju-on: The Grudge – Death Foretold 8

Table of Contents

Huang Jian's Fate Sealed?

Despite the protective 御盾 (Yu Dun) shielding him, Huang Jian could still perceive
everything around him. Facing Kayako, he felt utterly helpless. A wave of chilling
air washed over him, and in an instant, Huang Jian sensed a profound shift in his
surroundings.

Bai Yu, An Ran, Long Bao, Zou Hang, Li Tao, Huang Jian! How was Li Tao still alive?
It was impossible. Huang Jian stared in disbelief at Li Tao, the rookie who had
supposedly died during the fish mission, his face etched with incredulity.
Moreover, there was another version of himself standing right there. If that was
him, then who was he here? Immediately, Huang Jian scanned his surroundings. He was
in a Japanese-style room. It seemed to be inside a Japanese restaurant. But then
his eyes fell upon two more figures on the other side – Yamamoto Kazuo and Yamamoto
Ryu Er.

Zou Hang should have killed them long ago, right?

As Huang Jian turned his gaze to Zou Hang, he saw him staring back with a detached
expression, idly twirling a small kitchen knife in his hand. Then Zou Hang reached
out and grabbed his hand. At that moment, a voice roared, "What do you think you're
doing? Let her go!" Yamamoto Ryu Er lunged forward to stop Zou Hang, but Yamamoto
Kazuo swiftly intervened, delivering a sharp chop to Ryu Er's neck. Ryu Er seemed
to have completely lost his mind. An Ran's gun was already trained on Ryu Er, but
Yamamoto Kazuo had been quicker.

What was going on? What were they doing? Suddenly, the scene clicked into place in
Huang Jian's mind. He remembered everything leading up to this moment. This was
that terrifying moment, so iconic to Zou Hang's "style," that everyone feared.

"Please keep your eyes open and your mouths shut. I don't want to hear too much
noise," Zou Hang said, already picking up the tray with seven knives and placing it
on the table.

Huang Jian found himself forced down onto the low wooden table by Zou Hang.
Everyone else wore confused expressions, but the other Huang Jian wore a malicious
grin, as if anticipating a grand spectacle.

What was this? A kimono? A Japanese woman's kimono. Huang Jian watched in horror as
Zou Hang began to undress him. In moments, he stood naked, his perfectly sculpted
body exposed to everyone. He was even more confused. How did he suddenly have such
ample breasts? And where was his "little friend"? Zou Hang, unwavering, continued
to use the kimono sash to bind his hands and feet.

An unspeakable terror arose in Huang Jian's heart. He realized he had become

Yamamoto Mirai. And soon, Zou Hang would begin to flay him, slowly slice him apart,
and boil him alive.

"No! Don't! I'm Huang Jian! I'm not Yamamoto Mirai!" The words Yamamoto Mirai's
mouth screamed seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"Zou Hang, I'm Huang Jian, don't kill me."

"Long Bao, make him stop!"

"An Ran, tell Zou Hang to stop!"

"Bai Yu, I was wrong! I admit you're the new leader. I'll listen to everything you
say, just save me!" He had completely broken down. He had witnessed everything Zou
Hang did before. Even with his own bloodthirsty nature, he could barely endure the
scene before him, let alone when it was about to be inflicted upon him.

His breath came in ragged gasps, but he couldn't struggle. His body felt paralyzed,
but his mind remained clear.

"No! You're not Huang Jian! *I'm* Huang Jian!" Finally, someone spoke. The words
were directed at the ethereal, disembodied Huang Jian. But the body that spoke was
Huang Jian's own.
"Okay! You're Huang Jian! Please, save me!" His mind was a jumbled mess. That
single sentence, the only one that acknowledged his existence, was a sliver of
hope.

"You're Yamamoto Mirai. Go ask your father and your brother to save you!
Hahahahaha..."

"I'm Yamamoto Mirai, Daddy, Ryu Er, please save me!" Huang Jian cried out, but he
still couldn't move a muscle.

"Hahahahaha..." From the body that was identical to his, Huang Jian heard near-
insane laughter. Conversely, everyone else maintained their impassive expressions.

Zou Hang made his first cut.

The first time he had witnessed this, Huang Jian felt a certain morbid excitement.
His admiration for Zou Hang had reached fever pitch. He knew that to be able to
execute the flaying with such precision, to peel the skin without touching a single
sensory nerve, to inflict no pain on the victim, was almost divine. Perhaps he
still had some doubts that first time. But now he knew – Zou Hang truly was that
formidable.

Huang Jian didn't feel any pain, but who could bear to watch their own skin being
peeled away from their body? He might have been excited before. Now he was
terrified.

"This skin is perfect. I haven't damaged the tissue at all. If we were to perform a
skin graft right now, it should be perfectly fine! But I know you won't give up the
key, so I'll continue. Next comes slow slicing. Once we start, there's no going
back," Zou Hang said, seemingly to himself, still maintaining his coldness. Huang
Jian had heard those words before. But that sentence was the starting point, the
turning point. It foreshadowed the beginning of the slow slicing torture.

Huang Jian screamed and wailed incessantly. He still didn't feel tired. "Aghh!"
Huang Jian felt a searing pain explode from the soles of his feet. This unbearable
pain was almost fatal. It was hard to imagine that Zou Hang had only cut off a tiny
piece of flesh from his foot. A single tear welled up in Huang Jian's eye.

Some people's tears are abundant enough to wash their faces with. But other
people's tears are so precious. This pain, almost unbearable, triggered a sudden
ferocity within Huang Jian, a man who cherished his tears. He whipped his head
around and stared at the other version of himself, laughing wildly.

"Illusion! This is all in the past, just a hallucination in my mind. You can't
directly kill me," Huang Jian shouted at the other version of himself.

The other Huang Jian stiffened, then suddenly its voice shifted into a chilling,
high-pitched feminine one. All it said was, "I can kill you, and this is the most
terrifying memory of yours! I want you to die here."

Clearly, all of this was the work of Kayako. The power of the grudge could not
directly kill someone in this dream. It had no physical attack power, nor spiritual
attack power. It belonged to the realm of supernatural ghosts. And the power of a
ghost directly challenged your soul. Kayako's words were candid, but Huang Jian
disregarded them. Ghosts spout nonsense, and humans lie too, so what about ghosts!

"Hiss... Good!" Huang Jian felt Zou Hang's second cut. Ghosts were terrifying, and
even seeing one could be daunting. Yet, Kayako's power had somehow resurrected the
most terrifying scene in his memory. And every sensation in this scene felt so
real. Each of Zou Hang's slices felt like it could kill him!

But now, Huang Jian's eyes were filled with ferocity, his will as firm as ever. He
looked into the cold eyes of Zou Hang in this hallucinatory memory. It was Zou Hang
who had given him this indomitable will. Zou Hang had said that Huang Jian was
invincible, so given that fact, he would definitely not die. He would survive. He
would return Kayako's nightmare tenfold!

The terror was real. All the sensations of this illusion felt like a real
experience. Kayako's horrific illusion couldn't harm his body, but all other
sensations were completely and realistically imparted to Huang Jian. It was
important to note that the horrific illusion Huang Jian faced originated from
himself. Kayako was simply a medium. Huang Jian was still facing the terror within
his own heart. It was just like Wen Yiyue's paralysis. The ghost didn't paralyze
him; he paralyzed himself out of fear.

And now, the original version of himself in Huang Jian's memory wouldn't have said
those words. Perhaps he attributed all of his hallucinations to Kayako, hence his
claims of justice. Could this coincidental development offer Huang Jian the
illusion of vengeance? Would it be positive, or negative?

One could also say that his nerves and his brain sensed that everything was real.
But Huang Jian stubbornly and fanatically interpreted Zou Hang's words out of
context. Perhaps that was a good thing. The final result would depend on how long
Huang Jian could endure, and how long this dream would last. Perhaps Huang Jian
could actually endure for hours, until Zou Hang completed the torture in his
memory. But the dream continued, so Huang Jian would find that everything would
start all over again. Everything could be repeated, over and over.

To end the dream, Zou Hang had made a deduction at the end of the zombie crisis. If
the person dreaming was killed, then everything would end. Unfortunately, he was
the only one who knew this. Zou Hang, meanwhile, still stood in the gentle breeze
outside the White House, facing the little ghost Junxiong.

There was a supplement to Zou Hang's deduction. In the first dream, Wu Tian, who
was dreaming, had woken up. He had only been killed by Zou Hang after the dream
ended. Wasn't that contradictory? Actually, no, it wasn't, it's just that no one
had noticed. These dreams seemed like terrifying missions occurring repeatedly. The
first dream ended because the revenge god died. Could the end of this second dream
come by destroying two ghosts who were intangible and immune to all physical and
spiritual attacks?

Zou Hang didn't possess precognitive abilities regarding Luo Chen, either. The
terror of the second dream was a coincidence. Zou Hang simply had an immature
theory. Remember the golden ball from the beginning? Zou Hang still found it very
strange. He vaguely felt that the people who had entered the golden ball might have
been linked to the sudden appearance of these dreams.

And the only rookies who had entered the dream were Wu Tian, who he had killed
earlier, and Luo Chen and Dong Juehe, who he had met afterward. Zou Hang wasn't
sure whether that was the reason. It needed confirmation. Perhaps *Final
Destination* had refuted many of his ideas. Because everything could be both right
and wrong. And one decision could be fatal.

With that being said, Zou Hang did act in a unique way within this world of terror.
Because of his wisdom, those who followed him could walk with ease. But now, Zou
Hang couldn't factor in calculations for the other members. And Bai Yu, the new
team leader of the Reincarnation Squad, what could he use to prove his abilities,
other than empty words?

(Let me explain again. I recently started a new job, and I'm still in the
probationary period. I'm exhausted every day. When I get home, I just want to sleep
and I don't even want to eat. The updates will have to be slow for now. Once I pass
my probation, I can slack off a bit and find time to write ^-^!

Return to Table of Contents

<!-- 114 The Grudge: Death to All Who See It 9 -->

114 The Grudge: Death to All Who See It 9

Table of Contents

Time waits for no one!

Looking back, it seems many death row inmates went mad before their final
execution.

"What time is it?" Bai Yu asked suddenly.

There wasn't a moment to relax their taut nerves. Though weary in body and spirit,
the members of the Samsara Squad kept their eyes peeled, watching their
surroundings. Perhaps this was the only time they'd been so meticulously careful.
Of course, this state of mind was rapidly draining their already depleted mental
energy. Like a dying battery, if the alert were lifted now, they'd likely all
collapse in exhaustion.

"Damn it! It's only 4 AM? I feel like it's been a freaking century!" Long Bao's
words were laced with resentment, but his voice was weak.

His outburst went largely unnoticed. What did 8 AM matter? As long as that
malevolent spirit remained, the waiting time would stretch on endlessly, devoid of
meaning.

"I wonder if that Huang Jian is dead yet. No movement for so long!" Long Bao
strained his stiff neck and glanced towards the staircase. The M16 in his hands was
already warm from his body heat, despite the cold of the apartment. He'd been
holding it in the same position for hours. Though it wasn't loaded with spirit
bullets, just holding it gave the soldier a modicum of confidence. Hours had
passed, and Huang Jian had vanished without a trace. Long Bao felt uneasy.
Normally, Huang Jian's actions were always earth-shattering, but this time it was
so silent. The silence was unnerving.

Long Bao rose and took a few steps towards the second floor. Despite his earlier
pronouncements that Huang Jian deserved what he got, they were, after all, comrades
who had faced death together.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bai Yu snapped.

"I'm going to see if that kid's dead!" Long Bao said, his voice tinged with a hint
of lament. Though there was no concrete proof Huang Jian was dead, they all
silently acknowledged it.

As an agile assassin, Bai Yu moved with lightning speed to block Long Bao's path,
his back to Long Bao, his gaze locked on the second floor. He didn't dare look
away. The others had strained their eyes for the past few hours, but Bai Yu's gaze
had never wavered from that one spot. Though he also disdained Huang Jian's
recklessness, he still hoped he could survive.

"Going up there now is just throwing your life away," Bai Yu said coldly.

"Then I'll die! Better than just waiting here to die. I've lived enough anyway. My
greatest wish has been fulfilled. I never thought I'd see my wife again. Now I feel
like I'm ahead of the game!" Long Bao said resolutely. His personality was
inherently passionate. He couldn't bear to see his brother-in-arms die like this.
He'd lost too many brothers in the real world, and his own life had been bought
with their sacrifices. Now it was his turn to decide, even if it meant dying, to
drag Huang Jian back.

Bai Yu paused, then calmed down. His tone held a hint of helplessness as he said,
"If you die, your wife will disappear from the God Realm as well!" As he spoke, his
expression darkened. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the dark-skinned
girl in the corner. The army green camouflage vest was a constant reminder of his
pain. Bai Yun was a woman of few words; her brevity was legendary. Her eyes
followed Bai Yu constantly, a thousand unspoken words contained within them. And
Bai Yu was more than aware of it.

In the God Realm, Xin Qiao was probably waiting anxiously in the plaza. No matter
how long a horror world lasted, it was only a day for those in the God Realm. Xin
Qiao would likely wait there, waiting for Long Bao to return.

Bai Yu felt that the words he spoke were not just for Long Bao's benefit, but also
for himself.

Zou Hang was ruthless, or at least, he didn't seem to be burdened by the same
concerns as the other two. Bai Yu was an assassin, but one with feelings. Zou Hang
had pegged him as such upon their first meeting. Such impurity came at a price. An
assassin could use the deaths of others to buy back his own life, but Bai Yu would
probably use his own death to save someone else's.

If that were true, then his captain's declaration was indeed valuable. Assuming Zou
Hang shared this sentiment, it would undoubtedly be a blessing for Squad 001. But
would Zou Hang?

Silence once again suffocated the tense atmosphere. This time, however, Bai Yu
didn't let it linger; in just two or three minutes, he made a decision!

"Long Bao, take care of my sister!" In those few words, Bai Yu gave everyone the
feeling that he was no longer constrained. Long Bao felt like he was seeing the
brother who fought alongside him in *Fish*. He was full of confidence, confident
that he could survive and complete the mission. This confidence came from Zou Hang.
Yes, it was Zou Hang. Looking back at their brief separation and the two extremes
that followed, no one would deny that. If Zou Hang were here now, they would never
have been trapped in this atmosphere of fear.

And now, although Bai Yu didn't possess Zou Hang's air of command, he wasn't far
off. But his resolution was tinged with the determination of a man facing certain
death.

Long Bao didn't know what he intended to do, and he wanted to dissuade him. But for
some reason, he could feel Bai Yu's resolve. His tone was just like those of his
comrades who were already buried in the earth. On the battlefield, entrusting one's
family with a few words was a clear declaration of willingness to die.
A man never babbles. Long Bao seemed to have been enlightened by Bai Yu's
leadership. He laughed loudly and said firmly, "If that ghost dares to hurt Bai
Yun, it'll have to step over my dead body!" What ghosts, what fear? At that moment,
they no longer existed in Long Bao's mind. What was so scary about death anyway?

Bai Yu smiled. Perhaps it was the first time he had smiled in many years. He didn't
offer any heartbreaking farewells. Assassins never needed farewells. If they said
goodbye, they would never be able to leave.

But just as Bai Yu took two steps, a ghostly figure suddenly appeared, followed by
a piercing screech that shattered the silence. Long Bao and An Ran were shocked by
this sudden event. But the figure came and went so quickly. Before they could
react, they heard the sound of metal clashing.

"Clang!" The blades of both daggers were chipped simultaneously. With a flick, Bai
Yu retreated a few steps to steady himself. The other figure did the same. Looking
closely, they saw Bai Yun holding a dagger in front of her chest, backhand. Bai
Yu's posture mirrored hers.

Without time to think, without saying a word, Bai Yun lunged forward the moment her
feet touched the ground. Bai Yu brought his right hand down like a hilt to block,
but Bai Yun used the momentum of her energy to evade the attack in an almost
unimaginable way. The blade thrust towards his chest. Bai Yu had to retreat
quickly, dodging the deadly strike and exposing an opening.

Return to the Table of Contents

<!-- 115 Ju-On: The Grudge - Seen and Die 10 -->

115 Ju-On: The Grudge - Seen and Die 10

Table of Contents

Bai Yun had likely been waiting for precisely this moment, a mere fraction of a
second. In a swift, 180-degree turn, she reversed her right hand, pressing her
dagger against his throat. Her back now flush against Bai Yu's, her expression was
obscured.

Bai Yu gave a wry smile, displaying no surprise. Indeed, he hadn't been holding
back in the slightest. He knew Bai Yun's skills well. Perhaps even at his full
strength, he couldn't surpass her. Ironically, throughout their lives, Bai Yu, the
older brother, had consistently lost to his younger sister in every competition,
save for that one life-or-death struggle...

Bai Yun was a true prodigy. Her mastery of weaponry, regardless of type,
undoubtedly surpassed Bai Yu's. In truth, Bai Yu should have died during their
trial that day. He'd never doubted it. They were alone in that massive iron cage,
surrounded by the Japanese instructors he loathed, armed with submachine guns,
watching intently. If they didn't fight, both would perish.

A battle born of desperation. Bai Yu fought instinctively, using the same opening
stance as today. Except that back then, Bai Yu had never considered it, the blade-
down dagger plunging straight into Bai Yun's heart. And Bai Yun hadn't exhibited
this strange, evasive maneuver then.

Bai Yu shook his head with a bitter smile. As he made to move forward, Bai Yun's
dagger abruptly tilted upward, pressing against his chin.
"Don't move! If you do, I'll kill you!" Bai Yun's words were resolute, but everyone
could detect the reluctance within her voice.

Given the same circumstances, Bai Yu never believed he could get the better of his
sister. However: "Kill me then!"

Bai Yu spoke without hesitation. Perhaps dying at his sister's hands was the most
desirable outcome for him at this moment. But he knew his sister too well. Bai Yun
was too much like him—a killer with emotions. Her life would only be in the hands
of others.

Bai Yu appeared to disregard the dagger, stepping forward heedlessly. As everyone

anticipated, Bai Yu remained unharmed. The dagger at his throat followed his
advance. But Bai Yun's left hand suddenly shot up, two fingers coming together to
strike directly at Bai Yu's carotid artery.

A quick strike to the carotid artery would cause temporary oxygen deprivation in
the brain, resulting in unconsciousness. This was a basic lesson in the assassin
training camp. Of course, Bai Yu understood this. But at this range... in the past,
he wouldn't have had room to resist. But now...

Shadow.

Bai Yu's body vanished.

The C-level skill, 'Shadow,' could only be used during the day. In the darkness,
one would lose themselves. But under the illumination of the hundreds of watts of
crystal chandeliers in the White House, Bai Yu's shadow merged with Bai Yun's, his
only escape.

Perhaps a second's delay was a fatal flaw. But in the instant that Bai Yu
reappeared before Bai Yun, the girl with the tear-streaked face was stunned for a
moment. And in that hesitation, Bai Yu lightly tapped her pressure point. Her body
grew limp, the reluctance and unwillingness in her eyes giving way to weary
closure.

Bai Yu instinctively pulled Bai Yun into his arms, then suddenly paused, staring
blankly at his sister for two or three seconds, then he smiled.

(Perhaps... perhaps I can save her!)

Bai Yu gazed at the unconscious Bai Yun. He smiled! His smile was innocent, almost
childlike. The memories of his childhood with his sister were truly beautiful.

Bai Yu reached behind Bai Yun's ear. With a quick tug, he peeled back the skin,
tearing away the previously seamless surface. A flesh-colored human skin mask fell
away, revealing a stunning face. Similarly, Bai Yu removed a mask from his own
face.

If the two previously unremarkable faces were completely dissimilar, then now, the
equally beautiful and handsome faces revealed their blood relation.

The two masks had deceived many, precisely because they were genuine human skin.
These assassin masks served not only to conceal their identities during missions,
but also to bury the memories of past suffering. And now, they were no longer
needed.

At this moment, Bai Yu pressed his larynx against Bai Yun's ear. Wordless messages
were conveyed to the unconscious Bai Yun through the vibrations of his vocal cords.
This technique was normally used for hypnotic psychological suggestion.

"Take care of her!" Bai Yu handed the sleeping Bai Yun to Long Bao! He turned and
walked upstairs.

The sconces continued to cast warm light. The luxurious decorations seemed
superfluous here. Bai Yu, at least, paid them no attention. The sight at the end of
the hallway drew his gaze entirely.

Before the shattered window frame lay a fragmented, bloody mess. The flesh was so
mangled that it should have been impossible to identify the body. But the massive,
fleshy shield beside it confirmed her identity.

Huang Jian's soul might still be in torment. When the terrifying experiences in his
memory transferred from Yamamoto Mirai to him, the feeling must have been
indescribable. But thankfully, Huang Jian had managed to hold on. At least, in Bai
Yu's eyes, his body was still surrounded by strands of black energy.

Originally, Bai Yu had come for him. But now, Bai Yu didn't want to give him any
more attention. Sometimes, abandonment was inevitable, especially since he had no
ability to change anything at the moment, and he had more important things to do.
If his goal could be achieved, Huang Jian might have a chance at survival.

Just then, perhaps Bai Yu's appearance disrupted the balance. Starting from the
window at the end of the hallway, the sconces on both sides flickered a few times
and then went out, cascading towards Bai Yu like dominoes. However, in Bai Yu's
eyes, nothing frightening appeared in this straight hallway. But unseen enemies
were more threatening than visible ones.

Especially since the hairs on Bai Yu's entire body stood on end. A wave of icy
energy surged like an unfelt wind. Bai Yu was nearly suffocated by this invisible
pressure. In the blink of an eye, the extinguished lights were close at hand,
indicating that the ghosts were just a few meters away.

As the last of the lamps sputtered and went dark, the entire second floor was
plunged into darkness. At the same time, someone pressed against Bai Yu's back. Two
tar-like arms reached into his field of vision from behind. And a cackling sound
was in his ear, as if a head covered in long hair was approaching the back of his
head.

But sensing all of this, Bai Yu, although trembling uncontrollably, managed a faint
smile. He abruptly grabbed one of the blueish, discolored arms, and stepped
forward, muttering a single word.

Shadow.

In an instant, Bai Yu, who should only have been on the second floor of the White
House, found himself in another place entirely.

Perhaps unlike his memory of it. In Bai Yu's recollection, this place should have
been entirely white, with a straight black path only a few meters long. But now, it
was completely replaced by black, as boundless as the white had been before.

<!-- 116 Ju-on: The Grudge - Those Who See It Die 11 -->

116 Ju-on: The Grudge - Those Who See It Die 11

Table of Contents

Lost in the darkness of night, it seems there's no end in sight. But he's not alone
here. Those who followed should also have arrived.

Run! Bai Yu seemed determined to do something. Ignoring the bone-chilling cold that
threatened to freeze his very soul, he ran forward. Perhaps this path, where no
outlines appeared, stretched on without end.

Zhang Xun's mental exhaustion was likely the most severe. After all, the black-eyed
Junxiong had been right in front of him, not far away, clinging to Zou Hang like a
koala. He didn't know how long this suffocating pressure would continue. Perhaps
due to the passage of time, Zhang Xun's body could slowly inch forward, but this
speed was probably even slower than a snail's pace.

At some unknown point, Zhang Xun's nose twitched slightly, as if he had caught a
familiar scent. At the same time, a stronger, more intense chill than even the
terror emanating from Junxiong crashed into his mind. That chill caused Zhang Xun’s
entire body to tense up, and he then fainted.

It seemed that Junxiong sensed something was amiss as well. He suddenly let out a
piercing shriek, almost bursting eardrums, "Bird..." Of course, at such close
range, Zou Hang couldn't hear it. After all, the complete loss of his five senses
effectively isolated him. But Junxiong still clung tightly to Zou Hang. If someone
could carefully observe Junxiong at this moment, they would notice a palm-sized
mark on his back, as if it had been burned. Though it was only an insignificant,
superficial injury, it was there.

"Ten thousand eight hundred sixty-five seconds, ten thousand eight hundred sixty-
six seconds..." Zou Hang mechanically counted in his remaining consciousness. But
perhaps Junxiong's power had somewhat dissipated, or something else had happened.
Zou Hang felt that Bai Yu had run past him. This sudden occurrence was neither good
nor bad, in the blink of an eye, he seemed to perceive information from the outside
world. But in that instant, the black aura around Junxiong suddenly intensified, as
if filled with resentment, sealing off Zou Hang's peripheral senses. This
interruption completely scattered Zou Hang's original timer-like consciousness,
sending what was left of it plummeting to rock bottom…

Meanwhile, after Bai Yu went upstairs, Long Bao sighed softly. He didn't know
whether to be happy or worried. He should have been the one to go up and check on
Huang Jian, but now Bai Yu had gone up, and there was no sound. To be honest, a man
shouldn't hesitate. Hesitation erodes courage. Bai Yu's words had given him pause.
He couldn't bear to leave his wife, Xin Qiao, and as Long Bao looked at Bai Yun,
who had just been placed on the sofa, he felt a pang of sympathy. Perhaps her
appearance played a part as well. When Bai Yu tore off the mask on Bai Yun's face,
a beautiful face appeared, no less stunning than An Ran’s. This girl, who had lived
a life of bloodshed, had just reunited with her brother only to face a tragic
farewell.

Long Bao was still lost in thought when Bai Yun suddenly widened her eyes and
abruptly sat up from the sofa. Perhaps it was due to her physical training and the
alertness she'd developed in the assassin camp. If an ordinary person had been
struck by Bai Yu's technique, they would have been unconscious for at least an
hour. But Bai Yun only fainted for ten minutes.

The moment Bai Yun opened her eyes, her body had already sprung up and she silently
walked toward the stairs. Long Bao, bewildered, quickly stepped forward and grabbed
her. To his surprise, Bai Yun seemed to be acting without thinking. She pulled
free. Long Bao had grabbed her with a grip as strong as handcuffs, but with Bai
Yun's pull, her wrist popped with a sickening crack. Her wrist dislocated, but Bai
Yun didn't stop, showing no emotion as she quickly snapped it back into place with
her left hand. As if provoked by Long Bao's actions, she moved with the speed of
the wind, using a ghostly movement to flash upstairs. In the blink of an eye, she
had covered the distance of several meters and vanished.

Long Bao just came to his senses when Bai Yun was already out of sight. He had no
time to hesitate. He racked his gun and ran after her. Regardless of whether Bai Yu
was alive or dead, he had entrusted Bai Yun to her. Even if it meant death, he
would protect her. This was the only thought in Long Bao's mind. This was a man's
promise, and even if he had to trade his life for it, Long Bao wouldn't hesitate.

No sooner said than done, Long Bao had just rushed up the stairs when he witnessed
the scene. He saw Bai Yun leap into the air and land on a figure on the ground.
With a swift movement of her right hand, she painted the air with the color of
blood, and he could almost hear the crisp sound of a spine being severed. The
dagger flashed across the sky, and the rolling head came into Long Bao's clear
view. It was a handsome face. Although it was different from the appearance of the
person he had fought alongside for over a month, Long Bao still remembered the face
Bai Yu had revealed earlier. And the head before him truly belonged to Bai Yu.

(Kill me. Live on.)

"You die, or I die?" Zou Hang had asked that question. The answers he received had
been different. He didn't understand, and he disdained explaining to those strange
people. But the words between Bai Yu and Bai Yun silenced him, and perhaps others,
for a long time.

Bai Yu had given her a final psychological suggestion. And now, the hypnotized Bai
Yun had killed him. This was what he had hoped for, because he owed his sister a
life. And only by him being killed could the group escape the current predicament.

It could be said that, although he wasn't as good as Zou Hang, Bai Yu was a capable
captain.

The skill "Shadow," while seemingly allowing the body to disappear and reappear on
the other side, had an explanation on the God Space's exchange listing. A C-rank
skill that uses shadows as a medium for transmission is incredibly demanding. The
transmission of "Shadow" first requires mental guidance through the alternate
dimension, completing the journey before the transmission can occur. However, time
is frozen in that space, so it appears as instantaneous as Zou Hang's "Flash." But
what if it were a dead end? The biggest limitation of the C-rank "Shadow" is that
it has no exit when used in the darkness. Once inside, Bai Yu's spirit and soul
could never return to his body, in typical terms. Even so, the alternate dimension
would continue to exist until his actual death. Therefore, killing him was the best
way for him to break free. Furthermore, before that, Bai Yu's smile had carried the
Grudge of Kayako.

The silvery moonlight shone through the window, and the shattered glass shimmered.
The wall lamps on both sides flickered a few times before becoming brightly lit
again.

Huang Jian stared intently at the distorted version of himself. Zou Hang's torture
had ended, but in the blink of an eye, everything was repeating.

"Come on! Come at me again!" Huang Jian gritted his teeth. If looks could kill,
then perhaps Kayako would have been killed hundreds of times already. But even
though he was still verbally strong, his mind was nearing its breaking point. It
was as if every cut inflicted by the Zou Hang performing the slow slicing torture
could make him give up at any time. Just then, he suddenly heard the 'self'
screaming shrilly. Then, all the sights went back to normal. When he saw Long Bao
at the end of the corridor, he let out a sigh of relief and canceled his
transformation, collapsing to the ground.

Return to Directory

<!-- 117 Ju-on: The Grudge - Death to Those Who See It, Part 12 -->

117 Ju-on: The Grudge - Death to Those Who See It, Part 12

Table of Contents

Hearing the noise, Long Bao hurried forward. He checked Huang Jian's pulse and only
felt relieved after confirming he was still alive. He supported Huang Jian and
started walking back. As they passed Bai Yun, she seemed to have awakened, her
tears flowing like a breached dam. She hadn't cried in a long time, a very long
time. She had put away her weapons, returning to how she was before the age of
three, crying over a broken toy. Except back then, Bai Yu would comfort her.

Now, Bai Yu was gone. It was visible to the naked eye: Bai Yun, kneeling before Bai
Yu's corpse, her beautiful face sprinkled with crystalline tears, which began to
dissipate in the wind. Along with them went her fingers, her torso, transforming
into the same state as the vengeful evil spirit from before. Flesh and hair
separated into countless transparent shards, her body dissolving like data streams,
slowly disappearing.

Was this erasure? Was she being mercilessly erased by the Main God? Long Bao
witnessed this moment and was utterly powerless. Bai Yu probably foresaw this
outcome when she entrusted Bai Yun to him. His words of protection were simply the
yearnings of his heart. At this, Long Bao seemed to think of himself. If he died,
would Xin Qiao, waiting for him in the Main God's dimension, suffer the same fate?

With no time for rest, the White House's seal was lifted. Everyone's first thought
was to leave and find Zou Hang.

Sure enough, when they emerged, bedraggled, outside the White House gates, waiting
for them were not only Zhang Xun and Zou Hang, but also Junxiong, that equally
terrifying little ghost.

"Close your eyes when you see it! Those who are afraid, bite their tongues! It
can't kill people!" Zou Hang's voice shattered the night's silence, sending a jolt
through everyone's hearts. Without thinking, they instinctively followed Zou Hang's
instructions. Of course, the one who was dreaming and those already dead were not
included.

As Zou Hang's unwavering sense of impending doom descended, he had already counted
to 3,876,733. This long string of numbers represented the seconds ticking by. This
had only happened in the brief dozen or so minutes since Bai Yu's interference. If
one were to examine Zou Hang now, he would appear to have aged considerably.
Although his appearance remained the same, his aura was that of someone who had
lived alone for decades.

Just now, he seemed to have sensed Junxiong's anger. That was when he opened his
eyes and shouted out the warning.
Zou Hang wanted Bai Yu and the others to pay the price for what they had done. He
could already guess that this enemy in the dream was the little ghost, Junxiong.
With Bai Yu gone from the scene, and considering his earlier feelings and
Junxiong's current rage, Zou Hang could roughly deduce some of the details.

"He has paid the price. I hate this thing!" Zou Hang blurted out. Junxiong, who was
headed toward them, suddenly sensed that the person who could harm him was awake.
But even as he turned, all that was heard was, "Rapid Displacement!"

The surrounding air seemed to be violently torn apart, violently convulsing open.
In the blink of an eye, Zou Hang had vanished from the vast, green lawn.

Junxiong seemed furious that he had lost his original prey. Abandoning the others,
he disappeared like a phantom.

As a breeze swept through, the air felt crisp with autumn. Although a bit chilly,
the atmosphere of terror that had been plaguing them was gone. Perhaps the rise and
fall of this breeze marked the end of this particular dream. However, the members
of the Reincarnation Squad were still unable to leave this terrifying world!

"Can we open our eyes now?" Ke Er cautiously asked.

"No! Keep them closed for now!" An Ran said.

But if anyone noticed, An Ran already had her eyes open, as if deep in thought. Of
course, it wasn't that she didn't believe Zou Hang's warning. It was just that,
with everything calm again, she could sense that Zou Hang and that horrifying thing
had left.

Although An Ran remained silent, she had vaguely picked up on some unusual clues.
As mentioned before, An Ran understood Zou Hang better than anyone else. And now,
looking at Luo Chen still fast asleep, she seemed to understand something. Perhaps
she was the first to realize what Zou Hang was doing.

This mission had offered almost no meaningful clues, leaving them groping in the
dark. Yet, these two enemies were straight out of horror movies: Resident Evil, Ju-
on. Or perhaps the next enemies that appeared would also be movie monsters. And all
of this was because Luo Chen, currently asleep, had opened the gates of hell.

(Sleeping? Dreaming?)

If this mission was made up of a series of dreams, then how would they leave this
world? By continuing to experience these unpleasant dreams, or was there another
way...?

An Ran was troubled. Her brow furrowed in worry, giving off a "Xi Shi heart-
wrinkling" vibe. She hadn't wanted to think about these things. After all, Zou Hang
was there to lead. However, An Ran no longer wanted to rely on Zou Hang.
Furthermore, she sensed a change in Zou Hang, a change that could lead to
recklessness or even doom.

Like two flowers blooming on separate branches, each telling its own tale. Zou
Hang's blood volume, after that blood oath, was only a fraction of what it once
was. However, that fraction was still much more than before. Unleashing Rapid
Displacement, he instantly transported himself thousands of meters away. His
control over his blood was now masterful, far from the clumsy attempts of his first
use.

"Are you really invincible?" Zou Hang seemed to sneer. He had dismissed his
previous conjecture after further thought. Perhaps he had made that judgment too
hastily. Just now, the instant he opened his eyes, the burn mark on Junxiong's back
gave him confidence. Although the damage inflicted by his almost full-power attack
wasn't significant, it shattered the myth of invincibility. As long as he had
enough blood, he was confident he could send this thing back to the Main God.

Perhaps there were other ways to destroy the Grudge, but this was the most direct,
albeit the most foolish, method.

He stared at the towering St. Maria Hospital before him. During his previous
"meals," Zou Hang knew that the blood bank was well-stocked. If the blood of forty
people could leave a palm-sized burn on the little ghost after a blood oath, what
about the blood of four hundred?

He easily entered the blood bank. Without worrying about blood types, Zou Hang
opened his mouth and inhaled. Those tightly sealed rubber bags exploded, as if from
within, by the restless blood contained within. The air filled with blood mist,
which began to condense and drip. The massive humidity had already stained the
floor and surrounding walls Zou Hang's favorite color.

At this moment, a frigid aura approached the front door. In a breath, a small,
ghostly figure appeared in the doorway. A pair of lifeless eyes locked onto Zou
Hang.

At that, Zou Hang felt a shiver run down his spine. He coldly raised the corner of
his mouth, unflinchingly turning to face it.

In that instant of eye contact, Zou Hang's pupils contracted and dilated
uncontrollably. His entire body felt as if it were covered in vines, rendering him
unable to move. An oppressive atmosphere, along with a fear Zou Hang was unfamiliar
with, attacked his entire being. But what could he do?

Blood Oath

At this moment, the blood boiling within Zou Hang circulated throughout his body.
Invisible blood vessels suddenly appeared, bulging like bluish veins on his pale
skin. Then, they rapidly swelled and expanded, bursting open with a "pop." Blood
containing Kain's power, the power of a god's curse, enveloped the terrifying
Grudge.

Ghastly wails and screams that no ordinary person could bear, told of the pain it
was suffering. However, Zou Hang didn't bother to appreciate it. At the same time,
the Blood Absorption skill was unleashed. Bo Jue's range meant he didn't even need
to move. In a few short moments, the surrounding blood flowing on the ground and
the blood mist in the air surged into his body.

Blood Oath

Repeatedly.

The power of a vampire came from blood. As long as blood existed, they were the
masters of life.

As the shining shards were broken down and disappeared into the air, this dream
ended.

At the moment when the eastern sky turned a faint gray, the first sliver of dawn
light scattered over the ruins of the city. Of the twenty people on this mission,
only seven were still alive. But that number might decrease further.
Return to Table of Contents