Evolution

The aging apartment building was quickly surrounded by police cars, and the area downstairs was packed tight. Yet the residents on Xu Huo's floor kept their doors firmly shut.

"Damn, kid, I really don't know what kind of bad luck you've had. This is the third time this month." Zhao Biao, the veteran detective leading the team, accepted the Cigarette Xu Huo offered him and shook his head sympathetically. Then he pointed at a black RV parked behind the police cars. "Someone else is here to question you today. Just tell them everything you know, and you'll be fine."

Xu Huo looked over and saw a young man in a crisp suit stepping out of the vehicle. His leather shoes gleamed, and he looked like an elite attending some formal occasion—utterly out of place in the residential complex.

The man glanced at him, then crossed the distance in a few strides. "You're Xu Huo? Let's talk in the vehicle."

He looked at Zhao Biao without asking for Xu Huo's opinion.

"Sure, I'm done here." Zhao Biao waved him off.

Xu Huo followed the young man into the RV. They sat facing each other while someone who looked like a Secretary started recording on a phone beside them.

"Someone new today?"

Xu Huo asked the first question. The Secretary being questioned instinctively looked toward the young man beside him, and the young man dressed like a gentleman took over. "I have some questions for you. I hope you'll answer truthfully."

Xu Huo nodded. This vehicle had come twice before, but the Secretary had been accompanying an experienced middle-aged man then.

"Tell me what happened."

Xu Huo told the truth. After listening, the young man began asking questions.

"Why did you buy a refrigerator?"

"The one at home broke."

"What kind of food do you usually like?"

"I'm not picky. I eat anything."

"Has your appetite changed recently?"

"It's been too hot. I've been eating more vegetables."

"Did you experience any physical changes when you came into contact with the deceased? Hunger, thirst, or increased strength, for example?"

"No."

"Your records show that you graduated from a top university in the country and come from a wealthy family. Why are you working as an extra in Ting City?"

"I don't get along with my family. I don't want to rely on them."

"You worked as a stunt double in Ting City for two years and as an extra for four. Several directors offered you acting opportunities during that period. Why did you turn them down?"

"Personal preference."

The young man's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds before he continued.

"Why do you think all three criminals targeted you?"

Xu Huo's flat tone changed. "Victim-blaming?"

The Secretary tried to smooth things over. "Mr. Xu, we're asking this to determine the conditions the criminal group uses when selecting victims..."

Xu Huo stared at the young man for a moment, then spoke after a brief consideration. "I don't know about the first two, but the one today said I smelled delicious. She was a woman, so she probably targeted me because I'm handsome."

The young man smiled faintly. "What do you think was different about that woman?"

"She was pretty messed up. She even tried to seduce me after coming in. She was incredibly strong—maybe she used to be a stunt double."

"What did she say?"

"Not much. She said she was an Evolver, that she had a lot of money, and asked me to save her."

"Did you know the person in the refrigerator?"

"Yes. He delivered packages around here a lot."

The question-and-answer session went on for a long time. Xu Huo spent nearly two hours in the vehicle before he was finally released. As he got out, the young man handed him a business card. "If your body undergoes any changes, it would be best to contact me. That would also be the wisest choice."

"Tingcheng First Research Institute, Nie Xuan." Xu Huo pinched the business card between his fingers and joked, "You're not going to catch Evolvers and slice them up, are you?"

"There are many rumors about Evolvers online, but failing to properly manage them will only lead to people becoming like the woman who attacked you."

Nie Xuan said nothing more. He took the Cigarette Xu Huo had left in the vehicle and tucked it into his shirt pocket, gave it a light pat, then turned and left.

Watching the vehicle drive away, Xu Huo slipped the business card into his pants pocket. He lit another Cigarette before turning back.

The police were not finished yet. Zhao Biao wanted to arrange a room for him at a nearby guesthouse, but Xu Huo refused, saying he would stay with a friend for a few days. He packed a couple changes of clothes and found a hotel nearby.

The moment he entered the room, suppressed hunger surged through him. Xu Huo trembled as he took a hard drag from his Cigarette, pulled the compressed biscuits from his bag, and crammed them all into his mouth. But they did nothing to ease the craving. He covered his mouth and nose with both hands. Though his skin had already been washed clean, it seemed to still carry the scent of human blood—an enticing fragrance.

After several minutes, he finally rubbed his pant leg hard and turned on his tablet.

A month ago, strange phenomena had suddenly begun occurring across the world. Along with these bizarre events, many people developed Gluttony Urges. Livestock and pets were the first to be attacked. Half a month ago, crimes erupted explosively, with assault, missing-person, and murder cases being the most common.

After the initial uproar, someone suddenly proposed the "Evolver Theory." Alongside the Gluttony Urge came increased physical ability and enhanced senses. For a time, talk of "Earth Mutation" and "survival of the fittest among humanity" became rampant. On some radical forums, people even called on Evolvers to follow their instincts!

The forums were shut down immediately, of course, but the real danger was not that kind of rhetoric. It was the uncontrollable urge to feed suffered by Evolvers.

Xu Huo had encountered his first Evolver half a month ago, the second ten days ago, and today's woman was the third.

The first Evolver had clearly been a novice. His physical ability and reactions could not keep up, and he acted entirely on instinct, like a wild beast.

The second Evolver already knew how to conceal his Gluttony Urge. He had even wormed his way onto the set and called Xu Huo brother for an entire day, only to find an excuse that evening to "stay over" at his home.

The woman who came today knew how to disguise herself, but not very well. It was not that she had failed to think of it; more likely, she believed she had something to rely on and saw no need to hide herself from an ordinary person.

In just one month, Evolvers had already adapted to this state.

Xu Huo stubbed out his Cigarette and counted his heartbeats against his watch.

Two hundred and twenty-seven beats per minute. It was far beyond the normal range, but it was not the fastest his heart had ever beaten. At its fastest, it had reached nearly three hundred beats per minute.

Normally, an excessively rapid heartbeat would cause dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath, or even fainting and shock. Yet since his heartbeat had become abnormal a month ago, he had gradually adapted to this rate in only ten days. At its highest, it approached three hundred; at its lowest, it fell below forty.

Aside from the changes in his heart rate and the Gluttony Urge, his physical ability and sense of smell had improved as well. His formerly mild nearsightedness had returned to normal.

But none of that compared to the woman he had met today.

That woman was clearly faster and stronger than he was. She was petite to begin with, physically weaker than an adult man, yet her degree of improvement surpassed both his own and that of the previous two Evolvers.

"Was it because she passed the initial screening?"

Xu Huo sat at the edge of the bed, repeatedly flicking the disposable Lighter in his hand as he stared at the flickering flame.

How could I get onto that vehicle?

Just then, his vision suddenly went black. A translucent projection screen lit up immediately afterward.

"Player attributes detected. The following three professions are available:

"A. Gambler; B. Adventurer; C. Passerby A."