About 1.5 kilometers from Hongfu Tower stood an ordinary roadside inn called "Yuelai."
In the cramped standard room, the curtains were tightly shut, allowing only a trace of dim light to seep in.
Zhang Hao and his girlfriend, Xiao Xi, huddled together at the edge of the bed against the wall, their eyes vacant as they muttered under their breath.
Zhang Hao was a college student from neighboring Xuetong City. After surviving his finals, he had eagerly come to Helu City to see his girlfriend, carrying the few hundred yuan he had saved by scrimping and saving.
Xiao Xi attended a local university. The two were deeply in love and wished they could be together every day. To spend a few more days together, they had chosen this affordable little inn.
Yesterday at noon, after they had made love, they were discussing going out to find a nice restaurant to treat themselves when disaster struck without warning.
The thunderous noise outside, terrifying howls, and human screams instantly shattered the intimate atmosphere.
They locked the door in terror. Before long, bloodcurdling screams and running footsteps echoed through the hallway outside, followed by the sound of something sharp frantically scratching at the door.
Not long afterward, an official short message alert arrived. Following its instructions, they hurriedly used the room's chairs, bedside table, suitcases, and anything else they could find to brace the door shut.
During that time, Zhang Hao desperately called his parents and sent them WeChat messages. Thankfully, the calls still went through. His mother's anxious voice gave him a little reassurance, but the signal soon became extremely unstable before cutting off completely.
The last WeChat message from his father read: "Hide well! Don't come out no matter what! We're hiding at home. We're fine!"
There had been no news