At death's door

An Xiaotong stood frozen in place, her blood-soaked hair plastered to her pale cheeks. The sounds of fighting around her seemed sealed away beyond a thick barrier.

Everything in the world seemed to vanish at that moment, leaving only Sister Pei's open, gentle eyes, which would never curve into a smile again, and the sob trapped in the girl's throat that she could not release.

Bzz—!

A hum born of grief exploded in the girl's chest, and tears gradually blurred her vision into a wash of bloody red.

An off-road vehicle sped across the wilderness.

Across the dark land, pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in the distance, steadily closing in on the vehicle.

These were mutated beasts. They were not entirely mindless; they still retained their animal instincts.

Faced with a large convoy, mutated beasts would not foolishly attack, but a lone vehicle like Bai Ye's was the perfect target for a pack.

Inside the vehicle, Bai Ye completely ignored the approaching mutated beasts. He kept glancing at the communicator on the passenger seat, growing increasingly agitated.

"Why hasn't she replied yet? An Xiaotong, what the hell are you doing? How can a shower take this long?"

He looked up at the sky outside again. It still wasn't raining, but his unease had not diminished in the slightest.

An Xiaotong rarely socialized, and she had promised him she would stay home. Even if she went out, she would reply to his messages.

But an hour had passed now. Even if she had been showering, she should have finished long ago.

Roar—!

A loud roar erupted from the pack of mutated beasts, like a horn signaling an attack.

"Goddammit! Shut the fuck up! You're getting on my nerves!"

A vicious gleam flashed through Bai Ye's eyes. A pitch-black RPG