"Liang Jing! You bastard!"
Lin Qingqing's scream tore through the air, but faced with Liang Jing's cold, detached gaze, her heart sank into utter despair.
Liu Tong was just about to signal the guards to drag her away when his eyes suddenly caught a movement. He instinctively raised his gun.
"Huan Tian, I'm warning you! You can leave if you want, but Lin Qingqing stays! That's non-negotiable!"
Everyone turned their heads in shock, finally realizing—Huan Tian had already cleared the debris blocking the door. He was now leaning casually against the wall by the entrance, arms crossed, watching them like he had all the time in the world.
In that moment, Lin Qingqing could see no one else—only Huan Tian.
"Huan Tian, take me with you!"
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have trusted them…"
She bit her lower lip hard, and amid the despair in her chest, a flicker of hope was rekindled.
Huan Tian wasn't the type to act without purpose. If he hadn't left yet, maybe—just maybe—she still mattered to him.
But Huan Tian didn't even glance at her. Instead, his voice was cold as he held out his hand toward Liu Tong.
"The key. Hand it over. Or would you rather I break the door down?"
The fragile hope that had just begun to bloom in Lin Qingqing's heart crumbled into deeper despair. He hadn't stayed for her at all—he just needed the key to the locked gate.
She finally understood: her hesitation, her wavering, had disappointed Huan Tian completely.
He had shown her where he stood, but she hadn't stood beside him. And to him, that was as good as betrayal.
"Huan Tian… I was wrong… Please save me… I'll go with you…"
"Please, I'm begging you, Huan Tian!"
She struggled with all her might, but Huan Tian still didn't spare her a glance. His eyes remained sharp as blades, his voice like ice:
"Third rule of surviving the apocalypse: Never trust your kind the first time you meet them."
"The more familiar they are, the more dangerous they become."
"This is the last lesson I'll ever teach you."
Liu Tong burst out laughing. "Huan Tian, as long as you don't play any tricks, we won't stop you. Just wait here—I'll get the key."
With that, he turned to head toward the nearby deputy manager's office.
But before he could take more than a step, a violent wave of killing intent erupted from Huan Tian. His eyes turned razor-sharp as he growled:
"Damn it. You idiot—you didn't carry the key on you?!"
Liu Tong flinched from the sheer pressure of that killing aura. "I-I left it in the office. What's the big—"
Before he could finish, Huan Tian had already dashed toward the open office door like a gust of wind, moving so fast he was almost a blur.
Just then, two thunderous crashes echoed from the far end of the hallway, like reinforced alloy doors slamming to the ground.
A rustling, slithering sound followed, spreading down the corridor. But after bouncing off the narrow walls, the sound had distorted—now it sounded like a violent storm raging outside.
Huan Tian came to an abrupt stop. His momentum carried him half a meter forward across the slick tile floor, shoes screeching against the surface.
"Huan Tian! They're coming! We have to go!" Lin Qingqing shouted in panic.
"What the hell is going on? Li San, Wang Tai—go check it out!"
Li San and Wang Tai exchanged a glance, reluctantly removed their lecherous hands from Lin Qingqing, and ran off toward the source of the noise.
As soon as they disappeared around the corner, Liu Tong refocused on Huan Tian. He raised his gun, trying to force Huan Tian back toward the exit.
"Don't move! I'll get your damn key right now—but if you try anything, I swear I'll—"
"Ahhh!!"
A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the hallway—it was unmistakably Wang Tai's voice.
"Zombies! Zombies! There are so many of them!!"
Li San came stumbling back around the corner, wild-eyed and pale. His momentum carried him right into the wall with a bone-jarring thud. "Run! Run! Wang Tai's already been eaten—just run!!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a ferocious roar erupted from behind.
Chaotic footsteps and guttural snarls followed instantly, thundering from around the corner—then, like a dam bursting open, a horde of crazed figures surged into view!
Bathed in the dim, bluish light of the early morning—just past 5 a.m.—everyone froze, breath catching in their throats at the horrific sight.
Zombies.
The scent of the living had completely awakened their hunger. Eyes wild, limbs flailing, they charged forward like a tidal wave.
The ones in front tripped and fell over themselves, but the ones behind didn't even hesitate, trampling their kind underfoot in their frenzy, surging forward like a flood with no end in sight.
Judging by their tattered clothing, some had been office workers burning the midnight oil, but most wore the uniforms of the rooftop construction crew.
Then came another sound—from above.
The air ducts overhead rattled ominously. Violent, rasping growls echoed from within.
Huan Tian's eyes snapped upward.
There, right above him, was a ventilation grate. Behind the slats, a pair of lifeless, ash-gray eyes stared directly at him. A gaping mouth full of jagged teeth began to part, and dark, diluted blood dripped through the grate, falling to the floor in slow, chilling droplets.
"RRAAGHHH!"
A deafening crash rang out as the vent's slats were smashed inward by brute force, clattering to the ground in a twisted heap of metal. Huan Tian leapt back just in time—
Thud!
A blood-soaked zombie tumbled out of the opening and crashed onto the tile floor. It, too, wore the uniform of the building's construction crew.
Before it could rise, Huan Tian lashed out with a brutal kick straight to its temple.
Crack!
The sickening snap of bone echoed through the room. The zombie's neck twisted at an unnatural angle, and its body collapsed, twitching once before falling still.
[Ding—You have killed: Tier-1 Zombie ×1. Demon Hunting Points gained: 1. Total Points: 16.]
But from deep inside the air duct, more sounds echoed forward—rustling, growling, movement building like a wave, getting closer by the second.
"Just two broken windows, and they've got this many workers out here overnight?" Huan Tian hissed, equal parts shocked and furious. "This doesn't make sense."
"They're maintenance workers," Lin Qingqing gasped, her face pale. "For the building's power systems. I think... the rain from the storm leaked into the atrium last night—it must've infected them!"
Huan Tian's expression darkened.
This situation was far beyond anything he'd prepared for.
"The atrium connects all directions—by now, the entire floor's ventilation system is probably crawling with zombies!"
Lin Qingqing spoke through trembling breaths, desperation flashing in her eyes. "Huan Tian, I have the building's schematics memorized. I know which way is safest!"
She had used every ounce of her strength just to pull Huan Tian's attention back to her.
For the first time, a grave expression darkened Huan Tian's otherwise cold eyes. This... this wasn't something he had encountered in his previous life. The situation was spiraling beyond his control.
At the same time, Liu Tong, Liang Jing, and the security guard holding Lin Qingqing were completely stunned. Their eyes, wide in disbelief just seconds ago, quickly filled with thick, choking fear.
"Z-zombies... Those are zombies!"
"So many of them!"
The guard screamed hysterically, panic overtaking all reason.
"Shut up!"
Bang! Bang!
Liu Tong barked and raised his gun, firing twice in rapid succession. But his aim was terrible—not a single zombie was hit. Worse, the shots only drew the horde's attention. Several of them immediately lunged in his direction.
His face went pale. Ditching the idea of reloading, he slung his double-barreled shotgun under one arm and bolted.
"Back to the office! Fall back!"
The only thought in Liu Tong's head was returning to their so-called safe zone: the deputy director's office. That was their base. It had food, water, and a reinforced door. In his mind, once he got inside, he'd be completely safe.
"Wait for me!"
"Cover me! Just cover me!"
Li San burst out with a terrifying burst of adrenaline, his legs moving like the wind. He was only a step behind Liu Tong and squeezed into the office just as the door opened.
"Me too! Don't close the door yet!"
The last security guard ran like a rabbit fleeing a wildfire, cradling Lin Qingqing tightly in his arms as he bolted toward the office.
But he couldn't let her go—not even now. He still wanted to drag her inside with him.
Yet in the very next instant, a shadow flashed across his path.
Before he could react, a searing pain exploded in his leg. The ground suddenly gave way beneath him as he crashed down in a heap.