A bone-chilling cold permeated the air.
You couldn't help but sneeze, wiping your nose with the back of your hand. Rubbing your throbbing temples as you got up, you suddenly realized you were in an unfamiliar place—no familiar soft bed, no phone by your pillow.
You were trapped in this icy-cold room. Before you stood an old, battered desk, a sleek, modern-looking computer, a small sofa in blue, red, and white, and… an entire wall of surveillance monitors.
This was definitely not your room, and your home's air conditioning was never this freezing.
You slowly approached the desk, sat on the sofa, and tried to operate the unfamiliar computer. Fortunately, the interface was outdated and simple.
Unfortunately, there was no option to contact the outside world—only the internal system functions of "Hengshi Precision Company."
You tried pressing the "Alarm" and "Alert" buttons several times, but oddly, nothing happened.
"What the heck is with this junk computer!" you muttered in frustration, your throat raspy from prolonged dryness.
"Haven't spoken in so long that my voice sounds like a guy's, huh?" You cleared your throat forcefully, barely regaining your usual tone. "Whatever, I need to figure out what's going on with this 'Hengshi Precision Company' first." Your gaze shifted to the wall of monitors.
The screens flickered with images of white humanoid figures. They resembled crude, glowing clumps of clay, sometimes moving alone, sometimes in groups.
Definitely not human. You were certain of it.
Most wandered aimlessly, but some… were crouched on the ground, gnawing on something. Zooming in, you saw it clearly—human limbs! As you leaned closer to the screen, one of the creatures with crimson eyes suddenly looked up. It dropped the limb it was holding, its mouth still chewing on bits of human flesh. It stared directly at the screen—at you—tilting its head as if mimicking your movement.
Its gaze pierced through the monitor, straight into you.
"It… it didn't see me, right…?" you murmured, your nerves tensing as cold sweat broke out. You stared at the screen, heart pounding.
Thankfully, it seemed to lose interest, lowering its head to resume gnawing on the limb. Your racing heart calmed slightly. The monitors showed nothing but these white humanoids—no other living beings.
As you racked your brain for an escape plan, one of the screens caught your attention: a white humanoid was stealthily avoiding the cameras, cautiously slipping into… a room.
Creak—
A sound came from the door behind you. It seemed the creature had entered the room you were in.
The door opened, and it saw you, appearing slightly surprised. Then, with a comical yet cautious gait reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin, it stepped inside, dragging a large leather suitcase behind it before swiftly locking the door. Only then did it let out a sigh of relief.
"Hello?" The speaker was a girl with pinkish-red hair and deep green eyes, dressed in a British-style leather vest and skirt, the suitcase slung over her back. She looked at you with a hint of nervousness.
"What are you doing here?" you asked, stepping closer to meet her gaze. She flinched, avoiding your eyes at first, but then mustered the courage to look back. "I saw the red light of a surveillance camera flashing in the corridor—it was an SOS signal, so I came," she said, her eyes lingering on you.
"So that's why that particular white humanoid was staring?"
Your heart skipped a beat, and you showed a startled expression. Noticing your reaction, the girl put her hands on her hips and asked, "What's on your mind?"
"I just saw a white humanoid staring at me—right here!" You grabbed her sleeve, pulling her toward the monitor wall. But the screen had gone blank, showing only static. Suddenly, a violent tremor came from outside the door, followed by a cacophony of inhuman roars!
She heard it too and quickly handed you a black-and-gold dagger from her back, gripping a peculiar purple scythe herself.
"Get behind me!" She stepped in front of you, eyes locked on the door. An unspoken agreement formed instantly as you both braced for the monsters that might burst in. After what felt like an eternity, the commotion outside finally subsided.
"Their behavior is similar to zombies," she explained calmly. "They used to be like slime—bullets would just sink into them like mud, useless. But after… eating enough people, they started taking human form."
"Let's gather supplies and find a way to escape," she suggested. You nodded in agreement.