Darkness Descends

As the girl in black vanished, the scene descended into total chaos. The survivors chased after her to the entrance, only to be met with a field of mangled corpses. Outside the mall, the ground was littered with mummified remains. Not a single person who had been dragged out to work remained; only a few survivors huddled by the door, weak and trembling. Seeing their familiar kin, they broke into a mix of tears and laughter, spilling every atrocity committed by the group of burly men.

"...They were absolute devils! We were going to cut the power and lock the doors the moment we got out. They did it on purpose because they thought we were wasting resources. Everyone who went out with us was eaten by monsters—they're dead, all dead... If the Watermelon Hero hadn't appeared in time, we would have died too!"

Among those just sent out to their deaths, some still had companions alive. They wailed, "Impossible! No... Daddy... my daddy wouldn't die..."

"I don't believe it! My husband wouldn't die. I have to go out and see!"

These people grabbed high-intensity flashlights and ran out frantically, searching through the mummified corpses for their loved ones. When they finally laid eyes on the bodies, they collapsed onto the ground, wailing in agony.

"God, I knew that bunch didn't look like good news. They killed at the drop of a hat—they were either lunatics or psychopaths! Thank goodness the Watermelon Hero killed them all!"

"That's right! Sob... I knew the Watermelon Hero would lead us to victory!"

"..."

Inside the supermarket, Zhuang Huining stared at the spot where Ye Zhao had disappeared. After a long while, she seemed to wake from a dream. Looking at the clothes she was wrapped in, she murmured, "...Ye, Ye Zhao? Is she