Chapter 6: Blood Pupils

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

If the appearance of zombies only made survivors feel fear, then when people saw these monsters of various forms before them, their hearts were likely left with nothing but despair.

Was this still the familiar world people knew? Within a single day, a warm home had turned into a living hell. Living corpses and monsters emerged one after another, completely overturning people’s understanding.

Monsters kept pouring out from the rooms. Old Zhang knew what this indicated – that was where survivors infected by the blood rain had been resting. In other words, these monsters before them were originally human too!

An Sheng was completely terrified by now. Such bizarre and shocking scenes could only be seen in horror sci-fi movies before. But when images from television screens appeared before people’s eyes, it was a completely different experience. As an ordinary person, not having his legs go weak with fear or losing control of his bladder like that middle-aged woman who got eaten earlier could already be considered quite brave.

“Quick, upstairs!” Old Zhang was the first to recover from the shock and fear. Being ex-military, he had stronger mental resilience than ordinary people. But it was still too late – the monsters reacted even faster.

The monster covered in scales like a lizard was the first to attack. Its tongue shot out like a nimble cobra, swiftly wrapping around Su Yao’s neck.

If the two-hundred-pound Fatty could be easily dragged before, the slender Su Yao stood no chance against such powerful force.

Old Zhang reacted quickly, dashing forward in one stride to grab the tongue and engage in a desperate tug-of-war. The combined weight of two people, plus Zhang’s pulling force, temporarily created a stalemate with the lizard monster. However, the constricting force of the tongue itself was tremendously strong, and Su Yao was already rolling her eyes from being choked.

“Xiao An, use the saber!” Old Zhang shouted desperately at An Sheng as he watched Su Yao about to be strangled to death.

An Sheng shuddered all over, finally remembering he still had a weapon on his back! It wasn’t his fault – An Sheng was just an ordinary person who had never witnessed such scenes before. Fear had nearly robbed him of his senses, how could he remember he still had a weapon on his back?

Grabbing the bayonet made from a heating pipe and fruit knife from his back, An Sheng roared and chopped at the tongue. He dared say this was the bravest thing he had ever done in his life.

The fruit knife blade struck the lizard monster’s deep purple tongue, instantly cutting it in two. The monster let out a piercing shriek of pain, quickly retracting the remaining half of its tongue. The severed portion wrapped around Su Yao’s neck lost control and immediately fell off.

The monster’s blackish-blue blood sprayed everywhere, incidentally drenching An Sheng’s head and face. The pungent smell quickly filled the surrounding area, making people’s stomachs churn violently. If An Sheng hadn’t already vomited earlier and had nothing left in his stomach, he would likely be throwing up right now.

Su Yao, who had nearly been strangled to death by the tongue, knelt on the ground gasping for air. Old Zhang picked up a wooden staff placed by the stairwell as a weapon, vigilantly watching the monster before them.The mutated monsters in the room continued squeezing outward, but the narrow doorway and the creatures’ lack of courtesy made it difficult for them all to emerge at once. The most immediate threats were the three mutants that had already gotten out: a scaled lizard monster, a obese one-eyed big-mouth monster, and a small, skinny dwarf with exaggeratedly large claws.

The mutated lizard, its tongue severed, was now glaring at An Sheng with venomous eyes, its fang-filled mouth dripping dark greenish-black blood.

An Sheng could tell the creature had developed a deep hatred for him. He hurriedly raised his bayonet to confront the monster, though his trembling legs betrayed his terror. All he wanted was to flee this place immediately. The overwhelming sense of danger made his heart feel like it was leaping into his throat. An Sheng simply couldn’t muster the courage to face these inhuman monsters.

The lizard roared and lunged at An Sheng, while the other two mutants simultaneously locked onto their targets.

Without time to think, An Sheng performed an awkward tumble that barely dodged the lizard’s attack. Seizing the opportunity, he scrambled toward the staircase leading to the fourth floor. He knew his only chance of survival was to reach the fourth floor and block the passage, but would the mutated creatures give him that opportunity? The answer, of course, was no!

The one-eyed big-mouth monster, despite its massive size, moved relatively slowly. However, the small clawed mutant proved extremely agile, leaping several times to position itself in front of An Sheng and block his path, its exaggerated claws aimed directly at his face.

Watching those rapidly approaching claws, An Sheng thought this was the end – he was surely done for today! Unexpectedly, the clawed mutant that had been about to shred his head suddenly went flying sideways. Turning his head, An Sheng saw Old Zhang brandishing a wooden staff while positioning himself as a shield in front of him.

“Upstairs!” Old Zhang screamed hysterically, swinging his staff to force back both the clawed mutant and the lizard monster. He looked like a war god, earning An Sheng’s deep admiration.

Old Zhang’s shouts snapped the third-floor survivors out of their fear and shock. Those still alive began rushing toward the fourth floor, just as more mutated monsters poured out from the room.

The nearest survivor was the first to be pinned to the ground. In the next moment, one of his legs was cleanly severed by a praying mantis-like mutant wielding a bone blade as sharp as a saw. Crimson blood gushed out like a spring, exciting the other mutated creatures who roared with excitement as they dismembered him.

The one-eyed big-mouth monster, despite its slow movements, possessed tremendous strength. It lifted a man with one hand, opened the massive mouth on its chest, and swallowed the person whole. The sounds of snapping bones and tearing sinews followed. The mutated monsters were like tigers among sheep – within mere moments, half of the dozen-plus survivors had already perished on the spot!

The clawed mutant, small and agile, constantly darted and leaped about, its sharp claws posing a serious threat to Old Zhang. An Sheng scrambled to his feet, wanting to help. Though cowardly and timid, he understood that without Old Zhang’s intervention earlier, he would have already become monster food. Forget about repaying kindness – he knew that helping Old Zhang meant helping himself.However, there is always a gap between intention and action. He wanted to help, but he lacked the capability.

Just as he straightened up, a thick tail slammed into An Sheng’s chest! The tremendous force sent him flying backward, crashing heavily against the wall. An Sheng felt as if a sledgehammer had struck him squarely in the chest—chest tightness and excruciating pain left his mind blank.

His chest was slightly sunken, with seven or eight ribs broken, one of which had even pierced his lung. The occasional bloody bubbles spurting from his nose and mouth were clear evidence of this. Without immediate medical treatment, such injuries would surely be fatal.

The monsters were still slaughtering the survivors. Of the dozen or so members of the spontaneously formed rescue team, only four remained alive. Old Zhang didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. His arms felt numb, and his stamina was rapidly draining. The mutated monsters were increasing in number. If they hadn’t been busy fighting over the corpses of the dead, he and the remaining few would have been finished long ago.

“Why isn’t this damn skinny mutated monster fighting for food? Isn’t it hungry?” Old Zhang thought to himself. If it weren’t for this creature pestering them, he and the others would have already escaped to the upper floor.

“Is there anyone who can save us?”

Su Yao cried out helplessly and despairingly, her vision blurred by tears. She was afraid of death, but what terrified her even more was the thought of her two children being left uncared for after she was gone. She wanted to live. She wanted her children to live. This damned world!

“Roar!”

A deep, resonant roar drew the attention of all the survivors and mutated beasts present. The source of the sound was a human shrouded in an eerie aura. The exposed parts of his skin had taken on a bizarre purple hue, and he was enveloped in blood-colored steam. The surrounding air wavered slightly due to the intense heat.

Slowly, he raised his head, a pair of eerie blood-colored eyes gleaming with a sinister light! This person was none other than An Sheng, who had just been severely wounded by the Lizard Monster!

“You will all die!”

These indistinct words were forced out from An Sheng’s throat.