I Turned into a Rabbit!

August was sweltering. By day, the city streets were as deserted as if the world had ended. Only toward evening did they regain a little life, and with a passing breeze, the city's bustle flared into motion.

Haiyan Plaza was the city's financial and shopping hub, and it was crowded now. Before the sky had fully darkened, the malls' lights came on one after another. People thronged the long street, most of them smartly dressed adult men and women.

Behind Haiyan Plaza, however, was an entirely different scene. Small private shops lined this side, untouched by the city's uniform planning. Signs of every description overlapped in flashing layers. Now and then came vendors' cries and the sounds of laughter and arguments. The fragrance of baked flatbread drifted from carts, while smoke from barbecue stalls filled the whole street. It almost felt like an old town from the previous century.

A few students who had just started their summer vacation gathered outside a shop, chattering about something.

"Found it! I think this is the place!"

"Looks pretty good. Should we do this one, then?"

"What do you think, Miaomiao?"

The speaker was their class president. Though only in his second year of high school, he had already shot up to six foot one, and standing straight, he looked big and burly. The boy he addressed was much prettier, with delicate, clean-cut features and fair skin. Perhaps because he was so thin, he didn't look particularly tall despite being five foot ten. His name was Qin Miaomiao.

Qin Miaomiao hesitated as he studied the gloomy, oppressive words on the sign: Escape Room of Death. Even the word "death" had been deliberately tilted, as though it had fallen in battle. This wasn't about solving puzzles. This was about losing your life.

Qin Miaomiao coughed to disguise the nervousness in his voice. "Are we really doing this?"

The class president brought out a classic argument. "We're already here."

"Exactly! We're already here! Do you know how popular this place is online? It took forever to get a booking!" The girls were particularly excited.

"But..." Qin Miaomiao wanted to protest, only for someone to hit his weak spot with ease. "Oh, I've always wanted to try this, but I was afraid I wouldn't be smart enough to get out. With Qin Miaomiao here today, we should be fine! He's top of our year. I refuse to believe there's a puzzle he can't solve! Right, Miaomiao?"

Qin Miaomiao was a proud little thing, and flattery worked on him every time. "Since everyone wants to play so badly, fine. Someone has to be top of the year, after all."

Qin Miaomiao sounded a little uncertain, but all he could do was reassure himself. Not every escape room is that scary, right? I'll just pick a mildly scary one. How scary could it be?

What Qin Miaomiao didn't know was that "mild horror" in the escape room industry was like "mild spice" in Sichuan and Chongqing. And here he was, a Cantonese newcomer to Sichuan, asking how spicy mild could possibly be!

The escape room was on the fifth floor. The old building's elevator was shabby and plastered with advertisements. Its wiring seemed to have gone years without maintenance, leaving the voltage wildly unstable and the lights flickering. Only the electronic advertising screen was newly installed, playing a science fiction movie trailer on repeat.

Everyone suddenly fell silent, turning to look at it in unison. It seemed to be about the end of the world and a group of humans trying to save Earth. The final shot showed a vast galaxy, with a spaceship slowly approaching. Just when it seemed poised to break through the darkness, the whole screen abruptly went black, as though the power had gone out. Really, it was just building suspense.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Someone finally spoke, breaking the eerie atmosphere. "We should go watch it together sometime!"

Qin Miaomiao had absolutely no interest in the end of the world. That was something for hundreds or thousands of years in the future, anyway. He wouldn't be around to experience it.

Just as he was thinking that, a sudden ding sounded and the elevator doors opened. A cool breeze brushed the back of his head.

Qin Miaomiao flinched and rubbed the back of his head.

"Miaomiao, coming?" the class president suddenly asked. Qin Miaomiao jumped, let out a shaken breath, and rolled his eyes. His voice carried no threat whatsoever. "Could you stop calling me that..."

The class president lifted an arm and easily draped it around his shoulders. "You're as timid as a rabbit. If I don't call you Miaomiao, should I call you Bunny?"

The girls up ahead burst out laughing. Qin Miaomiao felt thoroughly embarrassed. He was supposed to be their leader today, after all, so he tried to salvage his dignity. "Who's timid? If you've got the guts, pick a horror theme when we get there. Nobody gets to chicken out!"

"Really?"

Qin Miaomiao regretted it the instant he said it. "No." Then he added, rather too obviously, "Mostly because we have to consider the girls."

Who knew the girls would all stand their ground? "We're not scared. If we're doing this, we're picking the most exciting one!"

This couldn't stand. Qin Miaomiao hurriedly cut in. "Then let me choose the scenario."

Qin Miaomiao asked a staff member for the scenario list. Excluding those already booked, five remained. In the spirit of democracy, he made a token gesture of letting the others choose three. Then he ruled out their choices.

Every last one of them had picked whatever looked most terrifying. He wasn't about to give them what they wanted. Instead, he found the one with the most peaceful-looking picture and said, "This one!"

The class president took a look. "Are you sure you don't want to read the description?"

Qin Miaomiao just wanted to get it over with. "This one!"

"Sure!" the class president said readily. "If we make it out, I'll treat you to rabbit heads tonight."

Qin Miaomiao didn't give much thought to why he was being offered rabbit heads.

After a while, a staff member came over to confirm their time slot and explain the precautions. The staff member asked repeatedly, "You're sure none of you have any medical conditions?"

"What do you mean?" Qin Miaomiao grew a little anxious. The staff member explained, "This scenario ranks first here in difficulty and second in horror, so players with certain medical conditions aren't allowed inside."

Qin Miaomiao's throat went dry. He had never enjoyed luck like this in all seventeen years of his life, yet today he'd hit the jackpot.

Solemn and cautious, he asked, "I just got over a cold. Does that count as a medical condition?"

As the group's strategist, Qin Miaomiao no longer remembered how he had been ushered inside. He felt he'd escaped the first two rooms through sheer luck.

Now they were in the third room, trapped in a laboratory. The entire room contained nothing but a box resembling an ice coffin. From outside came intermittent pounding on the walls, utterly unpredictable, never giving them a moment's peace.

Now an extremely eerie dripping sound had joined in.

According to the staff's hint, their first priority was to stop the dripping.

The girls had already huddled together. Having learned from the previous stages, they now had puzzle-solving down to a fine art. All it took was one sentence: "Master Qin, hurry up and think of something!"

Even the burly class president, who had swung a hammer in the first stage, was losing his nerve. "Dad, hurry up and think of something!"

Qin Miaomiao was already drenched in cold sweat, his spine chilled and his limbs weak. He pointed at the box. "Why don't you try lying in there?"

Who would do that?!

"What if lying down in there transports you into another room?"

Someone shouted that, and now even fewer people dared to try.

"Class president!" With everyone's hopes resting on him, the class president stepped forward. But nothing happened when he lay inside. Everything remained unchanged, except that the dripping grew faster and faster.

"Should someone else try?"

The boys took turns lying inside until only Qin Miaomiao remained. He wanted to cry. "I'm your strategist! If something happens to me, how will you get out?"

The class president didn't hesitate. "We'll surrender and go eat rabbit heads."

"..."

His classmates' hopeful gazes settled on Qin Miaomiao. He felt like Imperial Consort Yang at Mawei Slope. Everyone wanted him to die for the cause.

"Then... then hold on to me, okay, class president?"

"Sure. I won't let go even if it kills me."

Trembling, Qin Miaomiao lay down inside. Then he squeezed his eyes shut.

The dripping grew clearer, but gradually slowed. Delight appeared on everyone's faces. Before they could speak, the dripping suddenly accelerated.

The next instant, the box moved! Its lid was slowly closing. Yet Qin Miaomiao lay motionless, as though asleep.

The class president shouted, "Qin Miaomiao!"

But it was too late. All that remained in the room was his cry of "Qin Miaomiao," echoing back and forth.

Qin Miaomiao noticed nothing. He only heard his surroundings suddenly fall silent. There was no sound, but now there was wind. Where had that come from?

"Class president?"

Qin Miaomiao opened his eyes to a gray blur, like an unfocused camera shot. It took a long time for everything to sharpen, but-where was he?

He rubbed his eyes, trying to see more clearly. Yet the moment he raised his hand, he stopped short. His brain froze for three seconds.

What was this white, fluffy thing?! He looked down. His belly, legs, and feet were all wrong. Without much hope, Qin Miaomiao felt the top of his head. There was actually a pair of rabbit ears.

Who put him in a mascot costume?!

Qin Miaomiao clutched his head with both hands and tried to pull the headpiece off. But even after he rolled back and forth across the ground several times, the rabbit head wouldn't budge. It was as though it were real-or growing from his neck.

I'm done for... Qin Miaomiao lay sprawled on the ground, thinking despairingly. Did I turn into a rabbit?

Looking around again, he saw a vast city that seemed to have just survived a catastrophe. Dilapidated, empty buildings stretched as far as he could see, without a soul in sight. Even sound was scarce, reduced to the calls of birds and beasts. The sky was a bluish gray, as though it might collapse at any moment. Most terrifying of all was the sun overhead, with only half of it remaining.

The words "end of the world" flashed through his mind. Qin Miaomiao felt his entire soul shudder. No way...

He had been lying perfectly peacefully in the escape room. Ten minutes at most had passed. Not even a comet striking Earth could work this fast. How had the world suddenly ended? And why had he turned into a rabbit?

Ridiculous! A dream! It had to be a dream! A nightmare!

Before Qin Miaomiao could think further, an agonizing sound suddenly came from the distance, like teeth grinding at fifty times their normal volume. His ears shot upright. Danger!

In his panic, Qin Miaomiao instinctively jumped into the tree beside him. Every part of his reaction was perfectly in keeping with a startled rabbit. But perhaps because he wasn't used to his rabbit body yet, he failed to get a firm grip the first time and slid straight down. On his second desperate leap, he discovered that rabbits really could climb trees.

Sure enough, the next instant, a crocodile emerged from around the corner of a ruined building ahead. No, it wasn't a crocodile. Its back was covered in spikes, and it was twice the size of an ordinary crocodile. Two enormous fangs gleamed, while thick black liquid continually seeped from its body.

Qin Miaomiao froze. What was that thing? Did a dream really need to make something so disgusting so vivid?! Even the fear felt real. Qin Miaomiao trembled uncontrollably. This was a dream, right? Right?!

The monster twitched its nose, seemingly catching the scent of food, then crawled toward him. It stopped where Qin Miaomiao had just been standing. Suddenly, its fangs seemed to come alive, lengthening and writhing before turning incredibly rigid and plunging into the ground like arrows.

Right there lay a tuft of rabbit fur he had just pulled from his head.

The wind stirred the leaves twice. Qin Miaomiao went rigid. He could no longer make sense of what sort of monster this was. He only felt that his corpse might be dangling from those disgusting fangs in the next second.

Because those fangs had already spotted him. They kept writhing, reaching toward Qin Miaomiao.

Qin Miaomiao was now a rabbit-shaped wreck. His head swam and his limbs went weak. He couldn't flee even if he wanted to. He could only watch as they shot toward him.

Aah-

The expected pain of his body being torn apart never came. Only his throat hurt from screaming.

Qin Miaomiao waited ages without anything happening, then cracked one eye halfway open. The crocodile had stopped moving, like a realistic plastic toy. Only, something seemed to be lodged in its neck.

Was it dead?

Quiet gradually settled over the air. Only once Qin Miaomiao was certain it truly wasn't moving did he dare let out a long breath. He slumped against the tree trunk, pressing hard against his chest.

But before he could calm down, a shrill cry split the distant sky. The light dimmed, and a dark mass spread overhead. From afar they looked like crows, but up close, he saw that every bird had three heads.

Wasn't there a single normal species in this world? Why did everything look like a kindergarten kid's drawing? Or was someone like him, with one head, one body, and properly arranged features, the abnormal one?

The flock descended and began devouring the monster's body like a cleanup crew. In the blink of an eye, the enormous creature was reduced to a skeleton.

The unidentified white object lodged in its neck also fell to the ground. It looked like an oversized bullet. Then, in another instant, all the birds tumbled to the ground with flapping wings and dissolved into pools of black liquid.

Poison?

This hadn't simply been about killing one monster. It had been used as bait to wipe out the entire flock.

Who had done it?

Qin Miaomiao turned around. Smoke rose across the ruined apocalypse, devastation filling his vision beneath a shattered sky and a half-missing sun. The person stood atop the wreckage of a high-rise, with short silver-white hair, a black jacket, and an enormous black laser cannon in his hands.

Qin Miaomiao couldn't make out his face. He only felt that, standing there, the figure looked lonely and chillingly severe, like the creator of this apocalypse.

The silver-haired boy had just finished a hunt. His face was cold, devoid of expression, as he leaned against a wall and patiently, meticulously wiped down his weapon.

Like him, it radiated a bone-chilling coldness. Who knew what terrifying power lay contained beneath its sturdy casing?

It had a lonely name: Heavenly Bane.

Chris's voice came through his earpiece. He was the commander of this operation. "Lei Ouyan, the class I mutant signal in District Twelve has disappeared. Team Two will handle the remaining stragglers. You can return to base."

"Team Two?" The boy gave a cold scoff, his tone contemptuous. "Are you sure leaving the current Team Two to handle these mutants won't get them wiped out?"

"Lei Ouyan!" Chris interrupted, his voice much sterner. "I don't care what you're planning. As your superior officer, I'm ordering you to return to base."

"Not yet, at least."

Lei Ouyan simply switched off his earpiece. He stood, his deep blue eyes seeming to carry a layer of ice. No one could see what currents surged beneath that calm, unruffled surface.

His gaze landed on a lush camphor tree. Amid the verdant green was a patch of white. Lei Ouyan easily raised the weapon from his back and aimed at it, eyes half narrowed.

Only at times like these did a trace of emotion slip into those blue eyes. He was enjoying the thrill of the hunt.

Climbing up was easy; climbing down was hard. Qin Miaomiao kicked his rabbit legs for ages without finding a foothold. In the end, he simply fell out. Good heavens, why couldn't he be a hero even in his dreams, instead of such a useless rabbit?

He got up and warily glanced around. Nothing unusual. All clear. But his stomach chose that moment to growl.

Apparently, no matter the circumstances, when it was time to be hungry, your stomach would still get hungry.

But where could he find food now? Without any destination in mind, Qin Miaomiao picked a direction and explored. Yet all he found along the way was grass and stones. He stopped on a patch of grass, clutching his fluffy belly. Since he was a rabbit now, surely he could eat grass.

Qin Miaomiao hesitated for a long time before finally gathering his courage and taking a tiny bite. Ptooey. I want to go home. I want braised pork, sweet-and-sour ribs, and Peking duck.

But there was nothing now. The more Qin Miaomiao thought about it, the more miserable he became. From the beginning until now, he'd probably spent three hours in this world, but it felt as long as three years.

Fear, hunger, pain... If this really was a dream, why did everything feel so real? If it wasn't a dream, who would come save him?

Qin Miaomiao sat on the ground and burst into loud sobs. He was completely unaware that, all along his journey, he had already become a delicious prospective meal for countless ravenous monsters.

Danger lurked throughout the darkness, where countless strange creatures hid. Yet in this world filled with aberrations, this rabbit was the only true anomaly.

When Qin Miaomiao finished crying, he wiped his face haphazardly with his hands and prepared to stand. As he turned, a sharp gust sliced toward him like a knife. Reacting quickly enough, Qin Miaomiao somersaulted with the motion and flattened himself against the ground.

Momentum carried the thing some distance forward, but it actually turned around and charged straight at him again. Only then did Qin Miaomiao get a clear look. It was an enormous mosquito with eight eyes!

Perhaps it was a rabbit's instinctive reaction. Qin Miaomiao froze for one second, then took off running, as though his body had left his soul behind.

But this thing was far more persistent than he'd imagined. He couldn't dodge it or shake it off. Worse, it wasn't the only monster.

Qin Miaomiao had no idea how far he'd run before he was finally driven into an alley. He initially thought there was a wall at the end, but when he got closer, he realized it was a mutated brown bear. It was enormous, with two mouths in its belly, like two tunnels at the end of the road, waiting for prey to wander inside so it could swallow him alive.

A cliff ahead and pursuers behind-even television dramas wouldn't dare make things this intense. Yet Qin Miaomiao had stumbled into exactly that.

He had no time to think. All he could do was gamble everything. Even as he was about to collide with the brown bear, Qin Miaomiao didn't stop. He merely slowed down, as though waiting for the monstrous bird behind him.

A shrill, piercing cry tore through the sky. At the critical instant, Qin Miaomiao planted a foot on the brown bear's face and flipped backward, brushing past the monstrous bird. Carried by its momentum, the bird crashed straight into the bear, its sharp beak stabbing into its body. In a flash, the tense standoff finally came to an end.

Qin Miaomiao had intended to land stylishly and give himself a cool ending. Unfortunately, his abilities were limited. He hit the ground, rolled several times, and then heard a crack. He had twisted his ankle.

The monster hadn't entirely settled down, either. Like a broken toy, it stalled briefly, then restarted. Its face contorted ferociously, and something seemed to be thrashing inside its body, trying to break through its skin. Finally, its skull split open in a bloody mess, and a pair of wings grew straight out of it-the two monsters had actually fused!

!!!

Good heavens, being ugly wasn't enough. It could evolve, too! Qin Miaomiao stared, dumbfounded. He felt that this time, he truly couldn't run anymore, nor could he escape. Of his entire body, only his backside could still drag him laboriously backward in one final, feeble struggle.

Was his brief rabbit life about to end already? Though there wasn't much in this life for Qin Miaomiao to cling to, he still didn't want to die at the hands of something this ugly.

Qin Miaomiao was utterly hopeless. Yet in what seemed to be the final moment of his rabbit life, he suddenly remembered the human he'd seen that morning. He didn't know why. He only thought how wonderful it would be if that boy were here, or if he could be like him.

He wanted to be a hero, but instead he was only a rabbit. Something cool touched his back. Qin Miaomiao seemed to have bumped into a pillar. Like a drowning person catching hold of driftwood, he clung tightly to it, as though he really could draw warmth and strength from it.

Perhaps it was because he suddenly had something to lean on. Perhaps it was simply because he was a complete idiot. Wearing a miserable expression, Qin Miaomiao bared his gleaming white front teeth at the monster and let out a little "awoo" that carried no menace whatsoever.

Even the wind seemed embarrassed. It stopped blowing.

And the monster actually stopped, too. Qin Miaomiao thought his cry had worked and kept baring his teeth. Then he heard a bang. The surrounding air seemed to freeze in an instant.

The monster collapsed, gradually melting into a pool of black liquid. In the middle of the liquid lay a little white worm. Its belly gently swelled and contracted. It was actually rather cute.

Qin Miaomiao was still completely out of the loop, unable to process what had happened. Had the monster blown itself up?

Dazed, he wanted to approach for a closer look. But the next instant, pain shot through his ears, and the rabbit rose into the air.

Perhaps he really had been scared stupid. Looking down at the ground growing farther and farther away, Qin Miaomiao thought he was ascending to heaven.

What was going on? He hadn't even been hit. How had he died anyway?

Then he was turned around and met that face. It was him! The boy he'd been longing for, the one he'd wanted to see even in the final moment of his life!

So the pillar he'd just been hugging was-Qin Miaomiao glanced down. It was his leg! No wonder he'd suddenly gained strength.

He carefully looked the boy over, from legs to waist, shoulders, and finally his face. Perhaps he'd seen too many ugly things, but the face before the rabbit was clean and handsome. Especially those eyes, blue in its deepest concentration, like the calm surface of the sea late at night. How could anyone be so good-looking?

Qin Miaomiao suddenly perked up, as though he'd spotted a flame in a frozen wilderness. This was the first thing with any warmth that he'd encountered since coming to this world!

With tears brimming in his eyes, Qin Miaomiao gazed at him with deep affection and boundless hope.

Holding the rabbit up, Lei Ouyan inspected him from both sides. He was a little dirty, but he hadn't been contaminated, nor did he show any sign of mutation. He really was an ordinary rabbit.

Lei Ouyan had noticed him back when he was still in the tree. That was why he had aimed his gun at him.

But the Mutant Response Detector had given no feedback on his presence. Only after watching him fall out of the tree had Lei Ouyan lowered his gun. Mutants weren't quite so blatantly stupid.

He had followed him for a while, watching him forage, get chased, and even display a little cleverness with a few small tricks. None of those behaviors were something mutants would exhibit.

Most importantly, he was too weak. Only then was he certain that this was just an ordinary, slightly stupid rabbit.

The rabbit sneezed.

Lei Ouyan frowned, glanced at the white lump on the ground, then set the rabbit down.

He walked over, crouched, and took a bottle from inside his clothes. He opened the lid and tilted its mouth, and the little white thing immediately darted inside.

Lei Ouyan capped the bottle and put it away.

Qin Miaomiao was not happy about that. That was a monster! Limping, he hopped over, determined to make Lei Ouyan realize that he was the cutest rabbit of all.

Lei Ouyan turned around and looked at him.

Qin Miaomiao gazed at him intently and immediately began acting cute and affectionate, trying to make the boy feel his love.

But all he got was a chuckle. "Don't want to run?"

Qin Miaomiao did not understand. The next moment, he was picked up again. "I gave you a chance. Since you won't run, don't regret it."

Held by his ears, Qin Miaomiao could not move. He could only shake his head frantically in his mind, beside himself with excitement. I won't regret it! As long as I'm a rabbit, I'll stay with you!

Naturally, Lei Ouyan had no idea what he was thinking. He looked him over and murmured to himself, "Nice coat. Must be a good breed, too. Those legs look pretty plump."

Only then did Qin Miaomiao begin to sense something was wrong. What do you mean?!

"Spicy rabbit head, braised rabbit legs, spicy diced rabbit... Let me think. What other dishes could I try..."

*!!!*

He's going to eat me!

Lei Ouyan's voice carried the languor of someone well fed and content, but to Qin Miaomiao, it was a bolt from the blue. He had thought he was saved, that he had even found someone who could help him get home. Who knew he had merely met something a little better-looking than those ugly creatures that wanted to eat him! All his devotion had been wasted on the wrong person!

And to think he had just praised him countless times in his head! Anger slowly swelled inside him like a balloon. Qin Miaomiao puffed out his cheeks and struggled desperately, but it was no use.

Let go of me!

"Pretty lively."

Put me down!

"The meat should be pretty good, too."

I taste awful! Nobody likes eating rabbits!

"Just..." Qin Miaomiao thought he saw a glimmer of hope, believing Lei Ouyan would give up on eating him. But nothing good ever came out of that bastard's mouth. He would have been better off saying nothing.

"A little too noisy."

With that, Lei Ouyan tapped the rabbit's head. Qin Miaomiao had no idea why he was so weak. That tiny tap actually knocked him out!

He passed out, and anger was fifty percent of the reason.

Lei Ouyan smiled, then casually stuffed him into his pocket. The rabbit's ears would not fit and drooped outside. No one would know what they were.

After all, no one would ever imagine that Lei Ouyan, the cold and ruthless Lone Wolf Warrior, had a little rabbit tucked into his pocket.