The Little Merman in the Apocalypse 14
Ahead, a concrete bridge stretched across the frozen lake. The railings on both sides were broken, and many abandoned vehicles were covered in snow, a testament to the chaos when people had fled in their cars.
“How much longer until we reach Qingzhou Hospital?”
Qi Yu was driving the lead vehicle. He pressed his twitching right eyelid, extinguished his half-burned cigarette, and tossed it out the window. In the passenger seat sat the timid researcher, Wang Wu.
“Boss Qi… I mean, Qi Yu, it’s about half an hour away, if nothing goes wrong.”
The addition of that last phrase made Qi Yu’s expression grow even darker.
As they turned a corner, Qi Yu glanced in the rearview mirror at the second-to-last vehicle, where Su Luo was. Breath condensed in the cold air, forming white mist. The survivors in the car huddled tightly together, relying on the vehicle’s meager wind protection and each other’s body heat to fend off the relentless cold.
“Su Luo?”
Sister Zhao watched the boy beside her, trapped in a nightmare, and hurriedly shook his arm. It took a while for him to wake up. Su Luo’s nose was red from crying, and tear stains lingered on his cheeks. He looked around at the familiar surroundings and the indescribable feeling that hadn’t yet dissipated from his body. His lips quivered, and he spoke with a tremor, full of grievance.
“Sister, he came looking for me…”
Sister Zhao frowned slightly and wiped the sweat from the boy’s forehead, assuming he was just groggy from sleep, and comforted him gently.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s just a nightmare.”
The boy’s palms were clammy with sweat, and his unsettled emotions weren’t calmed by the woman’s soothing words. Pei Yue, who had been feigning sleep, watched him with half-lowered eyes. The man’s cold voice brushed past the boy’s still-flushed earlobe, slightly hoarse, as if it had been sanded down.
“Can you tell me what you dreamed about?”
Su Luo crossed his hands inside his sleeves, nervously clutching his palms. His soft, light blue hair, damp with sweat, clung to his slender, pretty collarbone. He pursed his lips repeatedly before stammering out a response.
“It was… I dreamed of being bitten by a big, scary dog.”
Whether Pei Yue believed him or not was unclear, but Su Luo didn’t have the courage to look up at his face. The man seemed to click his tongue in irritation, and the boy couldn’t understand where his inexplicable anger came from.
After chatting for a while, the boy realized that A307 hadn’t appeared, and his anxious heart gradually settled. However, the long-haired woman in a gray cotton jacket, sitting diagonally across from him, hadn’t moved for a long time. She leaned her head against the metal wall of the vehicle, her messy hair draping over her thin shoulders and obscuring her face.
The boy in the denim jacket next to her called out softly.
“Xiaoting, wake up, don’t fall asleep.”
In sub-zero temperatures, falling asleep could mean never waking up. But as he got closer, he noticed the woman’s pale face and her body convulsing uncontrollably. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her nails dug into the seat, a picture of agony. The boy stood up in a panic, unsure of what to do. He looked around, realizing no one else had noticed the situation.
His gaze instinctively fell on the armed players, seeking help. But as he turned, Hu Xiaoting, who had been asleep, suddenly grabbed his hand, her voice hoarse.
“Don’t… don’t go…”
The boy’s eyes widened in terror as he saw Hu Xiaoting’s face covered in a web of blue-purple lines, her eyes bulging as if they might pop out. In that moment, his heart pounded like a frantic drum, his mind racing with uncontrollable fear.
“Okay, Xiaoting, I won’t leave, just let go of me first.”
The woman straightened her crooked neck, producing a creaking sound like mechanical bones. She seemed unaware of how terrifying she looked.
“Really…?”
Infected with the zombie virus, Hu Xiaoting had rapidly mutated, swallowing hungrily as she stared at the fresh blood coursing beneath the boy’s skin. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her cheeks were covered in grotesque blue-purple veins, like twisted maggots crawling over her face. The boy, frightened, tried to pull his hand away.
But this action completely enraged Hu Xiaoting.
“You’re… lying to me!”
The woman let out a hysterical scream, her mouth full of meaningless syllables, like the dying roar of a beast. Her lips split open, revealing sharp teeth, as she lunged at the boy. He screamed in terror, and before the nearby players could fire their guns, a swift slash severed Hu Xiaoting’s head, which rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop.
Pei Yue nonchalantly placed the long knife back by his leg and closed his eyes. Even without speaking, his actions revealed a hint of irritation. The man’s mood had shifted since Su Luo had woken up, but the boy hadn’t noticed. He was still focused on watching the players deal with Hu Xiaoting’s body, dragging it out and disinfecting the vehicle.
The bridge stood several meters above the lake. To avoid the scattered nails and other debris on the ground, the vehicle Su Luo was in gradually fell behind the others. Qi Yu glanced at the frozen lake below the bridge, where many fish were trapped in the ice. He pressed the accelerator, not caring if the tires might burst, urging them on.
“Keep up, move faster.”
Just as the pickup truck Su Luo was in reached the center of the bridge, the thick ice on the lake began to crack. Within seconds, a blue-purple tentacle covered in suckers emerged from beneath the ice, slamming onto the concrete bridge. Those not seated securely in the vehicle were thrown around and hit their heads.
“Oh my God, what is that thing!”
Su Luo, bouncing in his seat, thought he was about to be thrown out, but a hand around his waist pulled him back. The appearance of a Mutated Octopus sent the survivors into a panic. Before the players could fire, it launched another attack with astonishing force. The tentacle’s impact on the bridge made the vehicle shake violently, making it impossible to stand. They were thrown into disarray, unable to aim their guns properly.
“Damn it, I’m gonna puke!”
The Mutated Octopus’s tentacles were much larger than those of a regular octopus. Its skin had a strange texture, with suckers that were highly toxic. Despite its massive size, it moved with exceptional agility and flexibility, able to swim freely in the water without hindrance. The sturdy bridge began to crumble under the Mutated Octopus’s assault. Someone, unable to hold on, was thrown out of the broken car door.
“Help me!”
The unfortunate soul fell directly into the creature’s mouth, chewed and swallowed as if it were a crunchy snack. The Mutated Octopus had a highly developed nervous system and intelligence, clearly not intending to eat the people in the car. Its tentacles, covered in black, rotating eyes, scanned the crowded group, searching for its target—the sweet, delectable little morsel.