Chapter 6: Murder!
Xu Zhi slowly approached the door. The girl outside hadn’t heard any response from within the room, yet she hadn’t asked if anyone was there—almost as if she were certain someone was inside, listening to her.
This made Xu Zhi even more suspicious. Since the disaster began, she hadn’t taken a single step outside her home. With her good habits and need for sleep to maintain her health, she went to bed early every night. There was hardly any need to turn on the lights, let alone make any noise. And with the thick fog outside, it was impossible to observe anything through the windows. So how had this girl managed to come all the way from the affiliated school and be so sure someone was inside?
Seeing no response from within, the girl outside seemed to grow impatient. Her knocking became more aggressive, and soon, the doorknob began to rattle.
But since Xu Zhi had locked the door, it didn’t budge. The person outside grew more agitated, yanking on the handle, making a harsh clacking noise.
From this action alone, Xu Zhi could tell this visitor meant no good. Oddly enough, she felt a flicker of relief.
In fact, she had been harboring deep suspicion—and even murderous intent—toward these people since yesterday. She had been turning over in her mind how to eliminate this ticking time bomb in her eyes. This mindset clashed with the morals and values she’d upheld for more than a decade, and the internal conflict had been gnawing at her.
Now, with the other girl showing such aggression, her suspicions were confirmed. She could act with less hesitation. She had to admit she no longer wanted to follow the old “rules,” though she was still bound by them. Ten-plus years of moral framework couldn’t be cast aside overnight. But the longer she remained in this city, the more her thinking diverged from normal human society. Who knew? In a few more days, maybe the fog would swallow her too.
Xu Zhi wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. Her only goal was to survive and escape this place.
She calmed herself and finally spoke through the door, “What do you want?”
The moment her voice rang out, the rattling handle and pounding abruptly stopped. A pause. Then a soft, quiet girl’s voice responded again.
“Oh, you’re home. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Was it the black fog messing with her mind? Xu Zhi felt that such a simple sentence somehow sounded disturbing.
She ignored the question. From the frantic door handle rattling, she could tell the girl’s sanity was likely compromised. Testing further, she asked, “How many people are at your school now?”
“Fifteen,” the girl quickly replied.
“How did you all gather together?” Xu Zhi continued.
“After the federal government sent out the alert, the class president who didn’t get out in time found us one by one.”
Xu Zhi didn’t buy it. She pressed on, “So now you’re all living at the school?”
“Yes. The school has everything we need. It’s pretty safe inside.”
Safe?
Impossible.
Xu Zhi asked the question she had been preparing: “Then… no one among you has gone insane?”
There was a long silence before the girl replied in a faint voice, “Gone insane? We’re students, not lunatics. Why would we go insane?”
“We’re all perfectly normal.”
Lies.
And not even lies crafted from the viewpoint of a normal human.
It seemed the fog had not only affected their reason, but also their intelligence—perhaps more than that.
From the girl’s behavior and speech, it was clear they were no longer quite human.
Now that she had the answers she needed, Xu Zhi changed the subject: “Then how did you know someone was here?”
Even if the girl wouldn’t tell the truth, her lies would likely be poorly made, and Xu Zhi could still glean the truth.
Unexpectedly, the girl fell silent again. Then suddenly, she snapped, “Are you coming with me or not?!”
Xu Zhi’s heart sank. That question must have hit a nerve. She calmly replied, “Are you here alone? I have a lot of luggage. I’m disabled and can’t carry things. You won’t be able to take it all by yourself.”
It was a simple test—any rational person wouldn’t fall for it. But based on earlier responses, this girl clearly wasn’t rational anymore. She’d likely fall for it.
“Why do you have so much stuff? Just come with me first. I’ll get someone tomorrow to help with the rest.”
So she came alone.
“It’s not safe if you’re by yourself. How about you bring someone tomorrow, and I’ll go with you then.”
Even after confirming the girl wasn’t normal, Xu Zhi didn’t lower her guard. After speaking, she quietly stood from her wheelchair and peered through the peephole.
Outside, she saw a single girl in a school uniform, her face contorted in irritation as she responded.
“Tomorrow? No way. We’ve got stuff to do. You have to come now!”
The girl had completely forgotten her earlier promise to come back tomorrow with help.
Xu Zhi caught a glimpse of the girl’s eyes—where the whites should’ve been, there was only black, mist-like darkness. One look was enough to confirm: this girl had been consumed by the fog.
Xu Zhi returned to her wheelchair, feigned hesitation, and said, “…Fine, come in first and help me with my things.”
She gripped her knife, made sure it was concealed, then slowly unlocked and opened the door.
A girl in a school uniform stepped in, head lowered. Upon seeing Xu Zhi in the wheelchair, her tense body relaxed slightly, less on guard now.
Before she could say anything, Xu Zhi quickly shut and locked the door behind her.
Caught off guard, the girl didn’t even think to hide her inhuman eyes. She stared dumbfounded at Xu Zhi, not expecting her “prey” to lock themselves in with the predator.
Xu Zhi didn’t let the stunned moment go to waste—she drew her knife and drove it straight into the girl’s abdomen, then yanked it out without hesitation.
Blood gushed from the wound. The girl’s face twisted, already showing signs of being something less than human. She swung at Xu Zhi, with none of the weakness a freshly stabbed person should show—her strength was terrifying.
Xu Zhi cursed inwardly and raised her arm to block the attack. She had deliberately remained seated in the wheelchair for this ambush, so now escape wasn’t an option.
As she pulled out the blade, some of the blood seeped onto her hand. Xu Zhi felt something flowing into her along with the blood—something that gave her strength.
It was the effect of her bloodthirst trait.
Though the girl was unarmed, Xu Zhi felt like she had been hit with an iron fist. Her wheelchair was knocked over, and she crashed to the ground.
She didn’t rush to get up. Instead, she clutched the knife tighter, coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, and pretended she couldn’t rise. Her legs didn’t move at all—playing the role of a helpless disabled girl.
Seeing this, the girl in uniform sneered. To be ambushed by a cripple—what a disgrace!
Her gaze darkened. This prey was now powerless. Killing her outright would be too merciful. Covering her still-bleeding wound, a cruel thought crossed her mind.
She would rip open Xu Zhi’s belly, drag out her intestines, and show her the price of betrayal.
She crouched and reached toward Xu Zhi’s abdomen. Her fingernails had turned black, forming claw-like talons. With a slight movement, her claws pierced into Xu Zhi’s belly.
A grotesque smile crept across her face. She was so focused on her twisted fantasy that she never imagined the seemingly helpless prey could still fight back.
Just as her attention wavered, Xu Zhi unleashed all the strength granted by the bloodlust. She raised the knife and slashed across the girl’s neck, cutting deep enough to sever an artery.
Blood sprayed, splashing Xu Zhi’s face. She didn’t even blink.
That single blow drained all her energy. Her grip on the knife weakened, and the world around her began to blur. She forced herself to stay alert. She watched the blood pour from the girl’s neck, soaking both their clothes. The girl’s horrified face contorted, lips moving as if to speak, but only gurgled blood came out.
At last, the girl collapsed on top of her, blood soaking Xu Zhi like she were submerged in a red bathtub. Only then did Xu Zhi begin to breathe in sharp, trembling gasps.
She had won.
Warm blood flowed over her, and Xu Zhi knew it wasn’t hers. She could absorb traces of vitality from this life essence.
Though drained and at her limit, that energy gave her a sliver of recovery. She was even a little thankful—who knew this girl had so much blood?
Do humans really have this much blood? Or maybe… because she was no longer fully human, she had more?
Despite her exhaustion, Xu Zhi’s mind wandered.
She rested there a moment longer. Once the blood had mostly stopped flowing, she shoved the corpse aside and slowly crawled back into her wheelchair.
Her hands and legs still trembled—not from fear, but from weakness.
Though she had absorbed some vitality, she hadn’t yet escaped the side effects of bloodlust. If they hit her now…
Xu Zhi groaned internally. But it wasn’t hopeless.
Blood-soaked hands gripping the wheelchair’s controller, she wheeled away, washed her hands briefly, then picked up her game console and selected the Snake interface.
Now that Yi had returned, she had enough evolution points to level up—leveling from 10 to 11 should nourish her body enough to endure the coming side effects.
Physical strain was manageable. The greater threat was reality.
That girl wasn’t alone. Her group would surely notice her absence. Xu Zhi didn’t believe they would just let it slide. If one had been so hard to handle, a group would be fatal.
In short—this home was no longer safe.
She had to leave.
But with the black fog covering the entire city… where could she go?
