Other Normal Humans?

Other Normal Humans?

The air outside was somewhat biting. Though Black Fog filled the surroundings, it carried no strange smell. Instead, much of the city's former pollution seemed to be gone, as if the city had become clearer after all industry shut down and everyone left.

Xu Zhi gently sniffed the fog. It clearly had no scent, yet she wanted to breathe in more of it. When she restrained that urge slightly and slowed her breathing, she could feel her throat tightening, as though an addiction had gone unappeased. It was hard to bear. Only after taking several deep breaths did the feeling ease, as if something scarce within her body had been replenished and stopped clamoring for rebellion.

It was far too strange, even eerie. Xu Zhi thought of many things, such as whether inhaling too much fog would make her turn into a madwoman faster. But there was nothing she could do. She had already entered the mist, and breathing it in was unavoidable. Besides, compared to that, her throat had just craved it so badly she had nearly been unable to breathe. If she had not taken deep breaths, she suspected she might have suffocated.

At this point, Xu Zhi could only pay closer attention to whether anything changed in her body instead of regretting why she had failed to restrain herself.

The streets were extremely quiet. The only sounds came from Little One crawling along the ground and flicking its tongue. Though it was still before dawn, and the city's streetlamps were not lit, Xu Zhi could faintly make out the area nearby. If not for the Black Fog, she felt she might have been able to see even more clearly.

Had moonlight passed through the mist and shone down?

But even daylight could not fully penetrate such dense Black Fog. Why would moonlight be able to?

Xu Zhi did not dwell on the question for long. Through years of self-study, she had learned that when she encountered a problem she could not understand, she should set it aside for the moment.

The early morning streets were a little too quiet. Xu Zhi walked for more than ten minutes without encountering any danger. It went more smoothly than she had expected. It seemed there were no monsters in this area capable of staying awake at Midnight.

It took around thirty minutes to walk from her original home to the old residential district behind the Bell and Drum Tower. As for exactly where she would stay, she had already had Little Dog scout it out yesterday. There was a home that seemed to belong to a single woman. Its owner had left in too much of a hurry to close the door, so Xu Zhi planned to "borrow" it for the time being.

It did not matter that she had no key. She was not going out anyway.

The people who had left the city were unlikely to return. Later, she could have her Familiars search the old neighborhood for somewhere more suitable. For now, she would stay there temporarily.

Xu Zhi advanced while thinking. When she passed another corner, she neither heard nor sensed anything, yet Little One suddenly shot toward the left like a black bolt of lightning. It raised its head, opened its now enormous maw, and bit down on a stray dog hiding in the dark, ready to ambush them.

The entire process was silent. Neither Little One nor the dog, which was killed instantly, made much noise. Xu Zhi could only vaguely see that the stray dog's paws seemed thicker and stronger than those of an ordinary dog. Then Little One swallowed it whole.

One section of Little One's enormous body bulged slightly. Though it had just swallowed an entire prey animal alive, it returned to normal the next second and continued guarding the surroundings, as though what had just happened was merely a familiar, insignificant interruption.

Only upon seeing this did Xu Zhi truly realize that the giant snake that behaved as obediently as a pet before her was actually an excellent hunter.

The heart she had kept raised high ever since leaving the apartment relaxed a little. She had to admit that the sight gave her a faint sense of security.

Her combat ability was no greater than that stray dog's. If Little One wanted to eat her, it would not take much effort. She had only lowered her guard because it had shown obedience and closeness toward her from the beginning. But now, that closeness finally felt a little more genuine.

Nothing else happened on the rest of the journey. Led by Little One, she arrived safely at the old residential district.

Xu Zhi could not guarantee that this residential district was safe. Honestly, there was probably nowhere in the city that was absolutely safe. She had chosen this place purely because Little Dog was here, and so she had settled on it.

As soon as she entered the stairwell of the building containing that room, Xu Zhi stopped. This was an old neighborhood without elevators, so she needed Little One to carry her wheelchair upstairs.

However, the moment she stopped, she heard a subtle sound from the stairwell. It sounded a little like deliberately softened footsteps descending the stairs.

She had already prepared herself to encounter monsters here. She had even planned to have her Familiars "clean up" the nearby area once she moved into that room. Yet she had not expected that on her first day moving in, she would see a woman who appeared fairly normal.

The other woman had just come downstairs. As soon as she reached the corner, she came face-to-face with Xu Zhi, who had only just entered the stairwell and had not yet risen from her wheelchair.

Since they were now indoors, the fog was not as dense as it was outside. Some faint light from an unknown source allowed Xu Zhi to barely make out the person standing on the stairs. She was tall, probably around one meter seventy-five, with a high ponytail and sportswear. She looked like a college student. The instant she saw Xu Zhi, she stopped and watched her warily. Her body reacted before anything else, immediately raising the knife clenched in her hand.

Her eyes were not black, but normal human eyes. Her expression was normal too, carrying the wariness and suspicion anyone should have when encountering a stranger in such a place, especially the fear and tension that flashed across her face the moment she saw Little One.

Even so, Xu Zhi did not let down her guard.

Xu Zhi could guess that the woman's feelings were probably quite complicated right now. After all, the combination of a girl in a wheelchair and a python was indeed rather bizarre.

For a moment, the stairwell fell silent. Xu Zhi did not move, and Little One merely flicked its tongue as it stared at the woman upstairs. When it was not facing Xu Zhi, Little One was a cold-blooded beast with an overwhelming sense of menace. This prevented the woman on the stairs from acting rashly. The two sides remained in a delicate standoff, neither taking the initiative to speak.

Until Xu Zhi deliberately backed her wheelchair up slightly, making room, then said to Little One, "Come here. Don't scare her."

Only then did the air around them finally begin to move again.

At her words, Little One obediently "carried" the suitcase as it slithered to Xu Zhi's side, shielding her with its body like a devoted guard.

Xu Zhi had not spoken for any other reason. She simply wanted to test the woman's reaction.

When Xu Zhi spoke, the woman's gaze shifted to her. When she saw Little One obey so readily, surprise and curiosity appeared on her face before she quickly suppressed them. She stood where she was, seemingly hesitant. In the end, for some reason, she made up her mind. She gave Xu Zhi a slight nod in thanks, then began walking toward her, radiating tension from head to toe.

She was heading outside.

Xu Zhi's gaze fell on the knife in her hand. It was not a common blade. It looked ancient and cool. Xu Zhi had seen it on television before. It was called a Tang dao. Since the woman held it as a weapon, it naturally could not be unsharpened. But where had she gotten a controlled weapon like that?

Xu Zhi realized that she was not especially nervous. She watched with ease as the woman passed by her, tense yet restrained.

She could even sense the woman's wariness toward her and Little One. Without question, this was a normal human.

Xu Zhi's interest was immediately piqued. So, besides her, there were other humans who could resist the fog's erosion of the mind. What did people like them have in common?

Why had the woman stayed here? What was she going out to do now?

Did she know any other normal humans?

With those thoughts in mind, Xu Zhi spoke just as the woman was about to step out of the stairwell. "Hey."

The girl's slightly hoarse yet soft voice suddenly echoed through the not-so-spacious stairwell. The woman's back stiffened. Xu Zhi could even sense a faint killing intent from that rigid silhouette, as if she would immediately strike back if Xu Zhi tried anything.

Xu Zhi smiled. "Big sister, don't be nervous. I just wanted to ask, do you live here?"

The woman turned to look at her upon hearing that, but did not answer her question.

For some reason, Xu Zhi suddenly thought of how, just two days ago, she had still been that "poor little thing" who did not even dare make a sound when someone smashed on her door and questioned her. The situation was somewhat similar to this one.

Thinking of that, Xu Zhi found it a little amusing, so she laughed as she pleased.

She did not miss the confusion in the woman's eyes, so she continued in a smiling voice, "I just moved here, and I don't know much about the area. If we're neighbors, perhaps we can exchange information?"

"You know how it is. It's not very safe right now. Knowing a little more can't hurt."

After saying that, Xu Zhi was a little amazed that her social skills were actually not bad.

The woman fell silent for two or three seconds, then nodded. Her tone was probing as she asked, "All right. Where do you live? I'll be back within two hours. Should I come find you then?"

How vigilant. She would not even reveal where she lived.

Xu Zhi still wore her good-tempered expression, but what she said made the woman's face change slightly.

"Why don't you tell me where you live instead, big sister? As you can see, I'm like this. It's dangerous for me to casually tell people where I live."

She sounded pitiful, but with Little One still obediently lying by her feet, the scene became rather strange.

The woman did not dare refuse again and could only tell her that she lived in the room on the left side of the third floor.

Having gotten her answer, Xu Zhi looked at her with smiling eyes. "See you later, then."

The woman nodded stiffly and returned the farewell. Then she left without looking back.

After she left, Xu Zhi sat there in silence for a while. She was still thinking about what she had just done. It was the first time she had completely followed her own desires and acted as she pleased, saying whatever she wanted. It felt unexpectedly good. Though she was only borrowing Little One's power and was not personally that formidable, so it could be called throwing her weight around, Xu Zhi rather liked the feeling. She began reflecting on herself, thinking the fog must have affected her and made her arrogant. Then she wondered whether she might simply be bad by nature.

Still, whichever it was, what she had now was not enough. She could threaten this woman today, but tomorrow she might not be able to force others to bow to her. She needed more and stronger Familiars, and she needed to improve her own strength as well.

As for whether that woman would simply run away, Xu Zhi did not care much. Without her, there would be other normal humans. She would meet them eventually.