The door opened.
The third floor was spacious. Most of the original furnishings had been removed and replaced with a few tables and chairs, making it seem more like a dining or activity area.
Chu Muge, holding Gu Yao's hand, stepped inside. She glanced at a burly man standing by the door before her gaze shifted to the man sitting at the table ahead.
This scene felt like meeting a gang.
The man had medium-length hair, a gloomy demeanor, and bloodshot eyes above dark circles. He squinted at Chu Muge.
"A student?" His voice was slightly hoarse as he looked at the cat ears on top of Chu Muge's head and asked, "What's that?"
Chu Muge shrugged. "A headpiece."
The cat ears remained perfectly still, standing upright.
The man sneered. "You're here for medicine, right?"
Chu Muge nodded and glanced around.
One, two, three, four… There were six people in total. Including the person who led them here, that made seven.
"You can get the medicine," the man said casually, "but you'll have to trade for it."
"What do you want?" Chu Muge asked.
"Simple." He pointed at Chu Muge, then at Gu Yao behind her. "Spend the night with me."
The atmosphere immediately turned cold.
The man chuckled. "What? It's not a big deal, just one night. What do you lose?"
Chu Muge stared at him coldly.
In today's world, this kind of request didn’t seem outrageous to most, but to Chu Muge, it crossed a line.
The man seemed confident, as if he had something to rely on. After making the demand, he looked at Chu Muge with undisguised lust, then shifted his gaze to Gu Yao behind her
Chu Muge blocked his view.
What was he relying on? Why was he so bold? Just because he had more people?
That couldn’t be it. She and Gu Yao had made it here unharmed, so he should have been more cautious. But why did he seem so relaxed?
...Could he have powers?
As Chu Muge pondered, suddenly, a hand blocked her way as she tried to turn and push the door open.
She looked up and it was the burly man standing by the door.
"Tie them up," the man said lazily.
The burly man showed his attitude through action, reaching out to grab Chu Muge.
In front of his muscular frame, Chu Muge seemed frail. However, in the next moment, under everyone's shocked gaze, Chu Muge grabbed his arm without a hint of expression. The burly man struggled, but he couldn't break free. Before he could react, a crisp cracking sound echoed, followed by a sharp pain that spread through his body, making him scream.
Chu Muge let go of his broken arm and kicked his leg.
This kick was not restrained. His leg visibly bent, and he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony like a fish out of water.
The fight erupted unexpectedly.
Everyone froze, stunned by Chu Muge's brutal actions. Gu Yao was the first to react and started running toward the door.
At the same time, she began calling for the creatures she was connected to.
Chu Muge had just broken the man's arm and leg when she heard the man shout, "Don't move!"
Click—
A black gun barrel was aimed at her head.
Chu Muge's eyes widened slightly. She blinked and raised her hands, smiling faintly. "Whoa, whoa, calm down."
The pistol was clearly a police-issue gun, likely taken from a police station.
If he fired, she wouldn't be able to stop it.
So, this was his confidence?
Gu Yao, who had been about to push open the door, froze, standing motionless like a statue.
"You're pretty strong," the man said, glancing at the burly man on the ground, his face pale. He smiled at Chu Muge. "Why so wild?"
There was only one chance.
"Let me—"
Before the man could finish, Chu Muge's irises filled with a red mist. She lunged forward, reaching for the kitchen knife at her waist.
The man hesitated and adjusted his aim, but before he could pull the trigger, a gleaming object, propelled by immense force, shot toward him.
Blood spurted out as the kitchen knife sank into his hand. The man groaned and the gun slipped from his grasp.
After her lunge, Chu Muge somersaulted forward, quickly closing the distance between them like a cat.
The others finally reacted, grabbing weapons to defend and attack.
At that moment, Gu Yao gritted her teeth, flung the door open, and summoned her dogs.
With several barks, two zombie dogs rushed in, their limbs pumping as they bit into the legs of two men who had been about to attack Chu Muge.
Screams echoed.
Chu Muge, still crouched, saw the man trying to flee. She dodged a swing aimed at her, then executed a sweeping kick, tripping one attacker. Pivoting, she grabbed another's wrist, twisted it, and snatched his weapon. Without looking, she hurled it in the fleeing man's direction.
Thud.
It sank into flesh.
She heard the sound, half-knelt, and turned to see a man with a fire axe charging at her. Chu Muge smiled slightly.
The zombie dogs, their sharp teeth sinking into flesh, tore through their enemies' skin with ease.
The unlucky men, terror in their eyes, reached down to try to pull the dogs off their legs.
One second, two seconds...
Veins bulged on their faces, and their eyes started to redden.
Three seconds, four seconds...
Foam began to drip from their mouths, and their pupils turned gray, their skin pale.
Five seconds, six seconds...
As the zombie dogs let go, the two men, mouths ajar and eyes vacant, snarled and lunged at the people on the ground.
They had turned into zombies.
The first to fall victim was the burly man who had been on the ground. One of the zombies opened its mouth wide and bit into his face. Blood splattered as he screamed, his unbroken hand weakly trying to push the zombie off.
But it was futile. Within moments, his struggles weakened, and finally, his hand dropped, lifeless. His face was chewed to pieces, exposing white bone underneath.
In a blink, the lifeless body began to twitch, showing signs of turning into a zombie. However, the zombie feasting on him showed no signs of stopping, continuing to tear into his flesh.
The other fallen ones didn’t fare any better.
On the other side, Chu Muge had already stood up. She snapped the neck of the man wielding the fire axe, his head twisting unnaturally to the back. Then, she bent down, picked up the axe, and calmly stepped over the corpse. Before the man she had swept to the ground could get up, she raised the fire axe and, ignoring his pleas, brought it down with force.
Thick blood splattered onto her face.
Chu Muge frowned, feeling her inner agitation subside a bit. She dragged the axe behind her and walked toward the man with medium-length hair, who was crawling on the ground with a knife stuck in his back, a hint of madness in her eyes.
Blood from the corpses spread, staining her shoes.
Humming a little tune, Chu Muge dragged the blood-stained fire axe as she slowly approached the man. Behind her, bloody footprints and a jagged red trail followed.
The man no longer looked so high and mighty. Hearing her cheerful footsteps, terror filled his eyes. "M-monster!"
"Hmm?" Chu Muge raised an eyebrow as she stepped on his head, slowly applying pressure. "Me?"
The man, face pressed against the floor, slapped it frantically, begging, "Don't kill me! I'll give you anything you want! We still have a car! A car!"
Seeing Chu Muge hesitate, the man spoke quickly, "We were out looking for parts! We have a car! There's only so much food here! We want to leave too! Please don’t kill me! I'll tell you everything—"
"Forget it." Chu Muge coughed, her roiling emotions making her feel nauseous.
She spoke coldly, "Thanks, but I'll find it myself."
It was a death sentence.
Ignoring his further pleas, she pressed harder with her foot.
The man screamed as his head was crushed, his eyes bulging.
At some point, Chu Muge applied her full strength.
Snap—
His skull cracked, leaving only his jaw intact. Chu Muge frowned in disgust at the sight of his exposed brain, eyes, and teeth, and she removed her foot.
Finally, time to get the medicine.
She turned to look at the two zombies standing beside Gu Yao, with one more crawling on the ground with a broken leg.
---
The pharmacy was on the fourth floor.
Chu Muge coughed, suppressing her nausea and irritability, her hands trembling slightly as she hurriedly scanned the labels on the shelves.
Chlorpromazine, haloperidol... anything would do.
Her eyes darkened slightly as she groped in the dimly lit pharmacy. Finally, she found a suitable medicine, quickly grabbed it, and swallowed it in a hurry.
Gulp.
She let it settle in her stomach.
Drown it.
And breathe again.
**Interlude:**
Taking the medicine, the chaotic emotions began to gradually calm down.
Chu Muge leaned against the medicine cabinet, her eyes dark with fatigue. As she panted, the world spun around her, her vision filled with darkness. As she took a step forward, her foot missed the floor, and she collapsed as if she was falling from a great height.
Her consciousness wavered. Just when she thought she would shatter into pieces, a pure white hand swiftly grabbed the back of her collar, like someone saving a person about to jump from a building.
---
Cicadas chirped.
Ah. Someone once said... The kind of person someone becomes is often decided in just a few moments.
"Her dad is a murderer!"
Pushing, laughing.
Children’s cruelty is straightforward and innocent, yet also the most vicious.
She was pushed to the ground, stifling a cry of pain. Her gaze darkened as she looked up at the boys and girls towering over her. She said nothing.
Someone was startled by her sharp gaze, exaggeratedly pretending to be terrified. "She's going to kill us!"
The others screamed and ran off like a pack, following his lead.
The little girl sat on the ground, expressionless, watching them scatter. She didn't say a word.
"Don’t be scared, I’m not afraid of her."
A chubby boy stepped forward, looking back at the group huddled behind him, then turned to face the quiet girl trying to stand up. He approached her.
Just as she managed to stand, the boy grabbed her face tightly, squeezing her cheeks until tears welled up in her eyes. She slapped at his fat hands, trying to make him let go.
But her small body was powerless against the "mountain." Someone behind the boy cheered him on, as if they were fighting a monster.
A trace of fierceness flashed in the little girl’s eyes as she glanced at his arm and bit her lip.
Just as she was about to bite down on him, a crisp voice rang out:
"What are you doing?"
The little girl stared blankly in the direction of the voice, the pain on her reddened cheeks suddenly forgotten.
—At the age of seven, this was the first time Chu Muge met Gu Yao.
Gu Yao wore a clean, white dress and a bear-shaped hair clip on her head. In the scorching summer sun, she seemed to carry a soft glow.
The chubby boy quickly released his grip on Chu Muge's face, his round cheeks flushing. "We’re just teaching her a lesson."
He said this with such confidence, completely unaware of how wrong it was.
"Oh my," Gu Yao’s eyes widened, her young face assuming an oddly mature expression. "Kids these days are really something, huh?"
She glanced up at the sky in confusion, furrowing her brow as if lost in thought, wondering where she was.
After a moment, she shook her head, turned back to the group, her gaze sweeping over the dirty little girl, and said, "If you keep this up, I'll tell the teacher."
"No way!"
One of the kids flushed red with embarrassment.
"Well, at least you know it’s wrong," Gu Yao said, shaking her head, her ponytail swaying behind her. Her demeanor was calm, far more mature than the other kids. "Now, scram."
The children had never encountered someone like her before. It was as if an adult stood before them, exuding a strange sense of authority. One by one, they slunk away like dominoes, quickly disappearing from her sight.
Gu Yao stood with her hands on her hips, frowning as she clicked her tongue, then turned her attention to the little girl standing silently a short distance away. She waved, "Come here."
Chu Muge didn't move.
Gu Yao scratched her head in frustration, her fingers brushing against her ponytail. She froze for a moment, her gaze becoming unfocused, before she refocused on Chu Muge and softly said, "It’s okay, I won’t hurt you."
The little girl stared at her for a while, then turned to leave.
"Hey! Wait up!" Gu Yao called out, waving her arms as she started running toward her. "You are bleeding , you should clean it, or you'll get sick."
Her tone was like coaxing a child, and it actually worked on Chu Muge, who eyed her warily and asked, "What do you want?"
Her voice was pleasant but a little hoarse.
"Don’t be so on guard. Here." Gu Yao held out a piece of chewing gum. "It was in my pocket, I’ll give it to you."
Chu Muge looked at her open palm but didn't reach out.
Gu Yao sighed, walked over, and, before Chu Muge could run, shoved the chewing gum into her hand.
Startled by the sudden gesture, Chu Muge didn’t react in time, letting the gum fall to the ground with a soft thud.
The atmosphere turned awkward.
After a moment of hesitation, Chu Muge bent down and picked up the chewing gum.
"That’s better," Gu Yao said, satisfied, and extended her hand again. "Wanna sit down?"
Chu Muge picked up the gum and looked at the white hand being offered to her.
It was different from her own, which was dirty from falling on the ground. She felt a strange sense of inferiority and didn’t respond.
Gu Yao raised an eyebrow and, without waiting for a reply, grabbed Chu Muge’s hand before she could resist. "Don’t worry, there’s a bench over there. Let’s sit."
Chu Muge remained silent.
She sniffled, noticing that her arm hurt. Looking down, she realized there was a wound, though she didn't know when it had happened.
Gu Yao led her to the bench, glanced at the wound, and then brightened as she rummaged through her pocket, pulling out a red bill.
"Wow, I actually have money."
She looked at Chu Muge, who was sitting stiffly on the bench, and said, "I'll go buy some patches for you. Don't run off."
Chu Muge hesitated, but before she could decide, Gu Yao had already run off like a bird, leaving only her white silhouette behind.
She sat on the bench, her thumbs tracing circles, her gaze wandering as she drifted off into thought.
She should leave; it was pointless.
Yet, her body remained glued to the bench, unable to move.
Time passed.
Passersby occasionally walked by, laughing and chatting, while the cicadas continued to buzz. Chu Muge sat there like a statue, expressionless as she sniffled.
She probably wasn’t coming back.
She was stupid, wasn't she? Tricked again, right?
The feeling of being stuck on the bench disappeared, and she prepared to stand up, already used to this.
Just then, she heard someone calling out:
"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Gu Yao, carrying a white plastic bag, dashed over and plopped down beside Chu Muge.
She smiled at her. "Did I keep you waiting long?"
Chu Muge was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"I’m not an expert, but I can at least do some basic treatment..."
Gu Yao carefully pulled out iodine and cotton swabs from the bag, preparing to disinfect Chu Muge's wound. "This might sting a bit."
Chu Muge frowned but said nothing.
"Luckily, the wound isn’t deep, or I couldn’t have used a bandage." Gu Yao said as she applied the bandage. "There, all done. But it’s still best to tell a teacher."
Chu Muge remained mute, like she was mute.
Gu Yao smiled helplessly. "My name's Gu Yao, what's yours?"
Chu Muge glanced at her but said nothing, continuing to twirl her thumbs.
Gu Yao wasn’t discouraged by the lack of response. She thought for a moment and pulled something else from the plastic bag.
"Here, take this."
Chu Muge looked over and saw what she was holding: a bottle of milk, beautifully packaged, something Chu Muge had never tried before.
"This is technically a drink," Gu Yao paused, "Kids shouldn’t drink too much, but..."
She looked at the bruised and battered Chu Muge and said, "It’s okay to have some occasionally."
Without expecting a response, Gu Yao pushed the drink into Chu Muge’s arms.
This girl was tough but stubborn. If you insisted, she’d take it.
Chu Muge stared down at the drink in her arms, still silent.
Gu Yao leaned back on the bench and sighed deeply. "Where am I?"
Chu Muge glanced at her.
"It feels like a dream," Gu Yao frowned thoughtfully. "Am I dreaming?"
You couldn’t say she was fully awake, but she wasn’t entirely lost either. It all felt too real, as if she was simply Gu Yao.
The pretty girl in her neat dress shook her head, still unsure.
Am I Gu Yao?
Or not?
"I don’t think I should be here." After a moment, Gu Yao reached a conclusion.
She turned to Chu Muge, her expression serious. "If you get bullied, you have to tell an adult."
Chu Muge looked away.
"...I’m leaving, probably." Gu Yao's gaze drifted ahead again, and she sighed. "Maybe we’ll meet again."
She stood, ready to walk away.
Then, she felt someone tug at her skirt.
Turning, she saw the dirty little girl lightly holding onto her, her lips pressed together. "I… I’m Chu Muge."
Gu Yao blinked and nodded, repeating the name quietly, "Chu Muge."
She turned around, picked up the milk bottle, and handed it to Chu Muge.