Fifth Floor.
The kid who used his own head as a soccer ball was gone.
The two of them hurried downstairs.
Fourth floor.
Third floor.
Tension.
Adrenaline.
Just as they were about to reach the second-floor landing, a cold, emotionless voice suddenly rang out.
"Does Xia Mu live here?"
The unexpected voice made Duan Lang nearly jump out of his skin.
Liu Jian, on the other hand, didn't even flinch—gripping his cleaver, bloodshot eyes locked onto the woman in front of them like a predator.
She looked about twenty-six. Long floral dress, sparkly slippers, porcelain-white legs, and waterfall-length black hair cascading down her back.
Her face was clean and soft, giving off a sweet but mature vibe. The only problem was… her skin.
Too white. Not the kind of white you get from skincare—more like the "no blood circulation" kind of white.
Heat surged through Duan Lang's earlobes like they were on fire. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might punch its way out of his chest.
For a split second, he thought she was going to eat him.
"Sorry… never heard of that name," he said cautiously.
The pretty woman gave Duan Lang a long look, completely ignoring Liu Jian like he didn't exist.
"You've got something delicious on you," she said softly.
Duan Lang tensed.
The hell's that supposed to mean?
I'm carrying something tasty? Like what?
Didn't want to seem rude by just standing there, so he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
"You sure you smelled something good? Want a smoke?"
Liu Jian: "…"
For the first time ever, the hardened look on Liu Jian's face faltered. He raised an eyebrow, then quickly went back to stone-faced mode.
The woman stared at Duan Lang for a while, saying nothing.
Duan Lang gripped the pistol in his waistband even tighter.
"We've got business to handle," Liu Jian finally cut in, breaking the silence.
"Shut up," she snapped.
Suddenly, the temperature dropped. Way down.
An icy gust of wind blasted through the hallway, stinging their faces like needles and cutting into their bones.
Liu Jian's eyes narrowed. He was clearly on edge.
Duan Lang didn't dare move an inch.
She was strong.
Way stronger than Liu Jian.
The horror event had just started, everyone was still supposed to be at the same level. So how the hell was this woman already cracked?
She licked her blood-red lips—lips that looked like they'd just been soaked in blood.
Turning to Duan Lang, she looked at him like he was the main course on a silver platter.
"I just moved in. Apartment 505. Drop by sometime."
What the hell?!
That's right below my place!
Duan Lang nodded calmly. "Next time, for sure."
The woman turned and walked upstairs, sparkly slippers clicking gently.
As soon as she left, Duan Lang's body went limp. The sweat on his gun was real.
Even Liu Jian looked shaken.
Duan Lang wanted to scream.
Since he woke up, not a single damn normal person had appeared.
Where the hell did all the sane people go?
"That woman—" Duan Lang started.
Liu Jian shook his head.
Don't talk about her. She might still be listening.
First Floor.
Dead silent.
Back in the day, this place would be full of life—old folks playing chess under the banyan tree, kids running around.
Now? Not a soul. Eerie as hell.
On the ground lay the mangled body of Liu Jian's daughter.
Her face was obscured by her long, blood-matted hair. Blood had splattered across the floor like a death flower in full bloom.
She'd jumped so suddenly, and the way she landed… brutal.
"Hurry," Liu Jian hissed. "Something's coming."
He stared hard to the left.
Duan Lang didn't waste time looking. He ran forward and scooped the girl's body up.
Thanks to his recent stat boosts, she wasn't heavy at all.
As soon as he picked her up, a chill crawled down his back.
Her face—well, what was left of it—was a pulp. She'd hit the ground face-first.
Even worse, her eyes were still open, staring right at him. Full of resentment and pain.
Don't look at me like that, he thought bitterly.
I didn't kill you. Your dad's right over there. Go haunt him.
Suddenly—
From the left, a shadow darted forward at lightning speed, aiming straight for Duan Lang.
BANG!
Liu Jian slammed into the attacker, sending it flying. The wall cracked from the impact. That wasn't normal human strength.
Liu Jian growled like a beast, eyes gleaming with primal fury.
Duan Lang was stunned.
His own recent strength upgrades?
Useless compared to this guy.
He finally got a good look at the attacker.
It wasn't human.
The lower half was human—slacks and leather shoes. But the upper body? A mass of tentacle-like thorns, writhing like a demonic flower.
Looked straight out of a Resident Evil game.
Liu Jian charged again.
Duan Lang didn't stick around to watch.
He clutched the corpse and bolted up the stairs.
Thud-thud!
Something rolled down from the stairwell.
It was a head.
A child's head.
That kid from the fifth floor had come down to play.
Duan Lang's scalp went numb. Every instinct screamed at him to drop the body and run.
But he held on.
The boy's severed head rolled and stopped, pale dead eyes locking on Duan Lang.
A twisted smile curled on his lips.
"Big bro, wanna play soccer with me?"
"…I don't know how to play," Duan Lang muttered.
But the kid's smile shifted. Something bad was coming.
Without another word, Duan Lang launched a perfect roundhouse kick.
Boom.
The head flew through the air in a beautiful curve, soaring right out of the yard like a pro doing a hat trick.
The kid probably hadn't expected that.
🎉 Prankster Skill Activated:
"The kid is very angry" — You've gained the physical ability of a 100m sprint champion.
Duan Lang suddenly felt light as air.
+10 Stamina
+10 Agility
Hell yes.
No time to celebrate though—his ears were burning. The kid was pissed.
He sprinted up the stairs.
At the third floor landing, the boy's headless body was slowly making its way down, one hand on the railing.
It couldn't see or hear.
Duan Lang slipped past it quietly and exhaled.
Then he paused.
Turned around.
And kicked the kid's back.
The body tumbled down the stairs, bumping and bouncing all the way to the bottom.
"I can only help you this far, little bro."
🎉 Prankster Skill Activated:
"You've made the kid really mad" — Gained: Pro-level soccer skills.
+1 Strength
+1 Agility
+1 Stamina
Solid boost.
Though now that his agility and stamina were high, it seemed like future upgrades would get harder.
Duan Lang continued upstairs, suddenly stumbling.
What the hell?
He looked down—
The dead girl's hand had latched onto the railing.
Fuuuuuuck!
Pure instinct. He flung the corpse down the stairs.
🎉 Prankster Skill Activated:
"She's so cute. Are you even a man?" — +1 Strength
"What the hell are you doing?"
Liu Jian appeared at the stairwell just in time to see Duan Lang tossing his daughter like trash.
"…She's alive?!"
"Yeah. I know."
Duan Lang was speechless.
Thinking back, Liu Jian had never said she was dead. Just that "my daughter jumped."
Damn it!
Talk about playing with semantics!
"She's coming," Liu Jian warned. "Move!"