Midnight terror

The underground Morgue lay in unnerving silence, without a single sound.

"Why didn't you bring him upstairs with you?"

Li Wei glanced at Officer Fletcher, who was clearly quite rattled himself and hurried to explain.

"He refused to leave. He said he had to watch over the other bodies so no one could damage them."

"Are there any other exits?"

"There's an emergency passage over there."

Officer Fletcher pointed to the side. Li Wei looked over and spotted a door resembling a fire door, bound with heavy chains and secured with a thick padlock. Judging by the frost and dust covering it, the door hadn't been opened in a very long time.

That definitely isn't up to fire code.

Li Wei silently remarked to himself, then headed forward. Katie walked beside him, cautiously watching their surroundings.

The place felt much like a hospital, only far more crude and bare-bones. The morgue rooms on either side were filled with bodies, most covered in white sheets. They could barely make out human shapes beneath them, but that only made the sight more unsettling. It felt as though the corpses might climb off their tables at any moment and lunge at them.

"You don't seem particularly scared."

Li Wei glanced at Katie. Although she was cautious, she wasn't frightened at all, unlike Officer Fletcher, whose face was now almost as pale as the corpses'.

"Of course not. What's so scary about a few bodies?"

Katie proudly waved her little fist.

"I'm not scared of anything I can handle with my fists!"

Yeah, same here.

Gripping his revolver, Li Wei silently nodded. He was actually grateful that this world's monsters were still very Western in style-at worst, they were monsters that looked a little disgusting. If they had been Asian-style curses, evil spirits, or female ghosts, he would have run as far away as he could.

That was why Li Wei didn't particularly enjoy horror escape games. As far as he was concerned, they simply forced the player to flee. Put a weapon in his hand, and he'd show them who should really be running.

Even if he couldn't escape, taking one down would make it worthwhile. Taking two would be a killing.

Li Wei put those thoughts aside, closed his eyes, then opened them again and scanned their surroundings. His gaze briefly sharpened before returning to normal. He turned toward the other two and gestured with his gun.

"Stay alert. Watch your surroundings."

Officer Fletcher hurriedly nodded at Li Wei's words. Katie paused for a moment before indicating that she understood as well.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

The three had already softened their footsteps as much as possible, but even those faint sounds rang clearly through the deathly silence. Beneath the stark white lights, the bloody drag marks on the floor only heightened their unease.

A long corridor, rooms on either side filled with sheet-covered bodies, bone-chilling cold, and bloodstains on the floor.

There was nothing here that could possibly put anyone at ease.

A corner lay ahead.

The trail of blood turned with it.

Li Wei slowed as he reached the corner, then leaned his head around to look. Once he had confirmed there was no immediate danger, he turned and continued following the blood. They passed through another corridor and arrived at the room at its end.

The sign above it read [Autopsy Room].

The trail of blood disappeared behind the door. At the same time, they could hear a low sound from inside, as though something was tearing into flesh.

Li Wei glanced at Katie. Unlike the people of this era, he could already guess what awaited them inside.

Please don't give me that classic over-the-shoulder death stare. I'm really not in the mood to revisit the classics.

Praying inwardly, Li Wei tightened his grip on his gun and pushed the door open.

"Creeeeak-"

The Autopsy Room door opened with a teeth-grating creak, revealing the scene inside to Li Wei, Katie, and Officer Fletcher.

The snow-white floor tiles were now drenched in red. An old man in a white coat lay on the floor, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping, his expression twisted with terror. Yet his vacant, clouded, lifeless eyes made it clear that he had been dead for some time.

Beside him crouched someone with his back to Li Wei and the others, his head lowered over some unseen activity.

But the distinct sounds of chewing and tearing made it obvious to everyone what was happening. He knelt beside the corpse with his head down, shaking it from side to side like a wild dog as he tore into the flesh. His tugging made the corpse rock along with him.

The wet splatter of blood became the dominant sound in that silent space.

"Ugh..."

Katie instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes widening as her petite body began to tremble. At that moment, the man noticed their presence as well. He stood and slowly turned his head toward the three of them...

At that very instant, Li Wei, who had already braced himself, pulled the trigger without hesitation!

Bang!

A bullet shot from the muzzle toward the enemy before him.

Splat!

Li Wei's bullet struck the man's head dead center, but he didn't fall. Instead, he spun around, raised his arms, and lunged at Li Wei!

Li Wei instinctively stepped back from the attack. Just then, Katie flashed in front of him. With a sharp cry, she thrust out her small, silver-gloved fist and punched the attacker!

Bam!

The blow sent him flying backward and crashing hard into the wall.

Holy shit! Young lady, that was brutal!

Seeing it out of the corner of his eye, Li Wei was rather astonished. Although the zombie wasn't as tall as he was, he was still a strapping young man of about five foot seven. Katie was only around five foot three and looked delicate and frail, yet she had sent him flying with a single punch?

Li Wei couldn't help recalling how she had confronted the monster transformed from Amelia's corpse in the underground chamber.

Now that I think about it, that monster must have been seriously tough to avoid getting knocked flying by this young lady... or maybe she's just seriously terrifying.

The thought flashed through Li Wei's mind, but it didn't stop him from reacting to the fight before him. His earlier bullet had struck the zombie directly in the head, yet failed to do enough damage. The creature let out another beastlike roar and lunged forward with his arms outstretched!

Someone from this era would probably have been at a complete loss. Officer Fletcher, for instance, was trembling as he pulled out his gun nearby, his face stricken with panic, unsure what to do. Clearly, he had never seen someone who could run around and take bullets after having his belly sliced open.

Fortunately, Li Wei came from an era when well-fed people with time on their hands discussed absolutely everything. Online, there had been countless discussions and suggestions about what to do if a zombie outbreak actually happened!

He promptly shifted his aim to the zombie's knees.

Bang! Bang!

With the two gunshots, blood burst from both of the zombie's knees, and he collapsed to the floor. Even then, he kept roaring and reached forward with both hands, crawling toward Li Wei. Li Wei repeated the process and shot through his arms as well.

With his arms and legs disabled, the zombie finally stopped advancing. He merely writhed like a maggot, staring at them with wide eyes and letting out low moans.

Only then did everyone regain some composure and let out a long breath.

Katie stared at the writhing zombie, then looked at Li Wei.

"Mr. Detective, what do we do now?"

"...We don't have a choice."

Li Wei thought for a moment, then made his decision.

"Contact Inspector Lestrade immediately."

As he spoke, Li Wei looked at Katie.

"And it would be best to let certain people who ought to know about this hear about it."

In many horror films, the protagonists destroyed the monster, and the world escaped annihilation without ever knowing what had happened. But Li Wei chose another approach.

He would let other people know, rather than always being the only one stuck dealing with the trouble!

Just like now.

The Morgue, previously as silent as a graveyard, was now unusually lively-well, perhaps lively wasn't the right word, but at least there were a few more people.

One was Inspector Lestrade. With a grim expression, he silently stared at the zombie whose limbs Li Wei had disabled as he writhed and roared on the floor.

There was also an elderly man in black formal attire who looked like an aristocrat's butler. He stood politely to one side, staring at the zombie as complicated thoughts flickered through his eyes. Li Wei didn't know who he was. All he knew was that Katie had gone out to make a phone call, after which this man had appeared, bringing with him...

Li Wei silently turned to look at the group of soldiers nearby. They wore black coats and masks, and didn't look like troops that operated in the open.

Hmm, some kind of covert unit, probably?

The old man said nothing. He simply raised a hand, and the soldiers raised their guns in unison.

Then the old man swept his right hand down.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A barrage of gunfire riddled the zombie with holes, reducing his body to a ruined mess. Even so, he continued writhing and letting out beastlike roars.

At the sight, even the previously calm soldiers seemed to grow uneasy. Li Wei could clearly see several of them tense up, their bodies stiffening as they became unsettled. The old man seemed to notice as well. He turned and swept his gaze over the soldiers, who quickly straightened and stood at attention.

Then the old man looked away and walked over to Li Wei.

"What do you think? How should we deal with this monster?"

"My personal recommendation is fire."

Li Wei didn't know why the man was asking him, but since he'd asked, Li Wei might as well answer.

The old man nodded and made another gesture. Li Wei watched a soldier step forward, take a bottle from his belt, and throw it at the monster.

The bottle struck the monster and burst with a whoosh. Searing flames erupted from it and quickly engulfed his entire body. The monster trembled even more violently and screamed again and again, but with his limbs disabled, he couldn't even resist. He could only struggle as he burned to ashes.

The old man quietly watched until the zombie was completely charred, then made another gesture. A soldier advanced with his rifle and prodded the blackened remains with his bayonet.

Yep, burned to a crisp.

Only then did the old man look away and turn back to Li Wei.

"You're investigating this case?"

"Yes."

Li Wei nodded.

"Good. Finish it."

The old man stared at Li Wei.

"Find the culprit behind this tragedy and erase them from this world completely."

At that, Li Wei raised an eyebrow.

"No need to take them into custody?"

The old man shook his head, then bowed slightly to Li Wei, like a proper butler paying his respects to a guest.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, but please look after the young lady."

With that, the old man turned and left.