Lin Xian's footsteps came to a halt at the end of a narrow street leading into a food market.
The place had turned into hell.
The stench of blood mixed with the reek of rotting meat stabbed into his nose.
Blood pooled between the collapsed stalls.
Scattered human body parts—arms, legs, even heads torn to pieces—were being gnawed on.
In the middle of that grotesque scene, a dozen mutant rats prowled the area.
They were massive—each the size of a grown dog.
Thick black fur, jagged fangs jutting out of their muzzles, and glowing red eyes like embers of hell.
The moment Lin Xian appeared, all of them turned toward him.
The scent of fresh human flesh drove them mad.
"Good…" Lin Xian muttered, lifting one hand.
Clank.
From thin air, golden chains materialized—floating around his body.
Three… five… ten. Each chain extended and hovered as if alive.
At their ends, blades formed—gleaming, sharp like swords.
The mutant rats snarled and charged at once, their claws scraping violently against asphalt and concrete.
Lin Xian remained calm.
"Dance for me."
Swiiing!
The chains shot forth with incredible speed, slamming into the charging beasts. The razor-sharp tips pierced their bodies—ripping flesh, breaking bone.
CRAASH! SPLAAAT!
Blood sprayed in wild arcs, painting the air and the ground. The mutants screamed in agony… and fell silent one by one.
One chain wrapped around a rat, then dragged it into nothingness, disappearing along with the golden links.
Lin Xian walked slowly, stepping through corpses.
Each step was accompanied by the whirling of chains around him, shielding him.
A few rats leapt from above the broken tents—
But the chains soared upward—SRAAAK!—cleaving them mid-air, raining chunks of meat.
In less than a minute, not a single rat remained.
Lin Xian stood in the middle of the bloody battlefield, his body and mask splattered in red.
The golden chains hovered quietly around him.
He stared at the now-silent ground… and gave a faint smile behind his mask.
"Not too difficult…"
He then pulled all the mutant rat corpses into his personal void.
Once he was done clearing the area around him—
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Gunfire echoed from a distance.
---
Elsewhere, at the source of the noise, a group of soldiers and police sped through the streets in armored vehicles.
Heavy machine guns roared non-stop.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Hot bullets tore into mutant rats chasing them.
BLAARR! BRATATAT!
Explosions rocked the ground. Some rats were blown to pieces; others shrieked wildly.
KiiIEEEEK!!
SKREEEEEE—!
Death screams echoed through the ruins and flames.
Atop one of the vehicles, a woman in a police uniform stood firm.
Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, whipping in the wind.
Her eyes burned with determination.
She held an assault rifle, cocked it, and opened fire again.
RAT-RAT-RAT!
"Hurry! We need to escape before they surround us!"
she shouted, ignoring the blood and flying shrapnel.
Her face was fierce—unshaken amid the chaos.
Inside the vehicle, a soldier yelled:
"Lieutenant Lian! We're almost out of ammo!"
Hearing that, she frowned.
"What about backup from HQ?"
"Ten minutes out!"
"Too slow!" she growled.
Just as she refocused on the enemy—
BOOM!
A giant rat erupted from underground right beneath her vehicle.
The armored car was sent flying into the air.
Lieutenant Lian's body was flung upward—
directly into a swarm of mutant rats.
Time slowed.
Her squad watched in horror.
"Lieutenant!!"
"Nooo!!"
Lian froze. Her face turned pale.
She closed her eyes. Hopeless.
In her final moments, memories flashed—
Her parents' faces. Her squad's laughter.
The teasing about how she'd never had a boyfriend.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered.
But before her body hit the ground—
CLANK!
Golden chains burst into the air and wrapped around her, halting her fall.
A man in a blood-splattered white shirt appeared, standing atop one of the floating chains.
Half of his face was hidden behind a demonic mask.
Calmly, he caught Lian in his arms and leapt several meters into the air—
Using the golden chains as footholds,
he landed gently on the rooftop of a nearby shop.
---
The sun blazed above.
Dust, gunpowder, and the stench of blood filled the air.
Lieutenant Lian slowly opened her eyes.
At first, all she saw was a blur.
But then, the bright blue sky came into view.
She froze.
She hadn't been torn apart.
She didn't feel unbearable pain—just dizziness and fatigue.
"I… I'm alive?" she whispered.
She tried to sit up, her body light—
as if something had cushioned her fall.
Then, from the corner of her eye… she saw him.
A man stood on the rooftop beside her—tall, wearing a bloodstained white shirt.
Half his face hidden behind a demonic mask.
And around him floated glowing golden chains, moving like sentient beings.
Lian held her breath.
Her gaze locked onto him.
This was her savior.
"How…?" she murmured.
The man turned slightly, just enough for her to see his eyes through the mask.
"You almost died," he said calmly. Then gently set her down.
Lian stood shakily, her knees still trembling, but she forced herself upright.
"I don't know who you are…" she said softly,
"…but thank you for saving me."
She had no more words.
Her heart thumped—confused, curious, and strangely drawn to him.
She stared at his back.
The way he stood, the calmness, the power of those chains…
Was this some kind of new secret government weapon?
Curiosity stirred within her.
"Are you with the rescue team? Or… some kind of special military unit?"
The man replied without turning.
"No. Just passing through."
Lian frowned.
His answer made no sense.
But before she could ask more, he stepped toward the edge of the rooftop.
Then without hesitation, he jumped.
The golden chains caught him midair, guiding him safely down into the battlefield below.
Lieutenant Lian stood frozen, watching his figure fade into the smoke and dust.
"…Who is he?"