Chapter Twenty-One: Crisis

After the three had left and the door was closed, the middle-aged security guard’s face grew darker, and a sinister, chilling laugh echoed through the shadowed room, wild and hysterical.

“Liang Jing, and everyone inside, just you wait. Isn’t it all your fault I’m like this now? I won’t let you have an easy time!”

“You didn’t help me when I needed it, and afterward you mocked and despised me.”

“If you all die, then no one in this world will know about it. Don’t blame me—this is what you drove me to. You brought this on yourselves!”

The middle-aged security guard had lost all reason, consumed by madness and malice.

...

Knock, knock, knock...

A gentle tapping sounded at the door. Before it came, Liang Jing, whose senses were sharp, already knew it was Yang Yuyuan outside.

Yang Yuyuan had just finished comforting the group, and hurried over to find Liang Jing. He felt he couldn’t figure Liang Jing out anymore; this post-apocalyptic version was someone entirely different—both unfamiliar and familiar. For now, he needed to keep Liang Jing steady; otherwise, who knew what might happen next.

“What is it?” Liang Jing opened the door and let Yang Yuyuan in. His eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, and the starlight filtering through the window crack was enough to make out a person’s shape.

“Liang Jing, I think we ought to talk, to communicate, and let everyone know each other’s thoughts...”

“Yuyuan, I know what you want. All I can say is, there won’t be a next time. As long as they don’t provoke me, I won’t make a move.” Liang Jing cut Yang Yuyuan off. He knew what Yang Yuyuan wanted to say—that everyone should understand each other, so the group could unite and survive this cruel, dangerous world. But Liang Jing had already decided to leave the team tomorrow; it was all meaningless now, so he interrupted Yang Yuyuan.

“If there’s nothing else, let’s all rest. The night’s too long, and the mutated creatures that hunt after dark are at their most active. Who knows what will happen? We can talk about anything else tomorrow.”

Yang Yuyuan’s eyes gleamed in the darkness, as if trying to see through Liang Jing, but finally he could only shake his head and leave. Since the other didn’t want to talk, and had given the answer he was seeking, there was little point in lingering. He thought to himself, they could discuss things properly tomorrow.

Watching Yang Yuyuan leave, Liang Jing sighed. Yang Yuyuan was capable, but just too kind; sometimes Liang Jing felt guilty refusing him. Compared to him, Liang Jing was a stark contrast.

The night in the distance remained unchanged, but the houses lit by fire became the targets of mutated creatures. For a moment, human shouts and screams, and the roars and cries of monsters echoed without cease, then quickly faded, leaving only the lonely, lasting howls of beasts. The flickering firelight soon died away.

It was as if the world of human civilization had passed, and now only the blood-soaked law of survival remained: adapt or perish, with little room for schemes or intrigue—only the naked clash of strength and savagery.

The night was terrifying, unimaginably dangerous.

Fortunately, Yang Yuyuan had already told everyone not to light fires or speak loudly, so as not to attract the attention of mutated monsters and bring disaster upon them. Otherwise, their fate would have been no better than those people in the firelit houses.

...

In a dimly lit room, four men gathered around a shallow basin on the table—it was the group of security guards.