The Little Merman in the Apocalypse 18
Otherwise… what would happen?
Was it referring to that rebellious madman, Z?
The medical record book fell to the ground.
Su Luo had already placed one foot on the stairs at the second-floor corner, ready to head down.
But before he could lift his other leg,
a heavy iron chain scraped across the tiles, sending a spine-chilling grinding sound echoing from the first floor.
At the same time, the sharp, piercing sound of a chainsaw starting up filled the air.
In the eerie, abandoned hospital, with players mysteriously disappearing,
he doubted that the strange noises below were made by Qi Yu and the others.
Fortunately, Su Luo was two steps slow, or he would have surely run into whatever was down there.
Without hesitation, he turned and ran to the other end of the corridor, his toes tiptoeing like a cat’s, making almost no sound.
The boy quickly found an open storage room and slipped inside.
His crimson lips were bitten white, and he was panting lightly from running too fast.
The disordered chairs and cleaning supplies served as excellent cover.
Su Luo crouched low and crawled into the innermost cabinet, still careful not to make a sound.
With trembling hands, he opened the cabinet door.
A wave of dust hit his nose, and he couldn’t help but stifle a few coughs before hurriedly closing the door.
He tried to shrink himself into the cabinet, minimizing his presence as much as possible.
Peering through the crack of the cabinet door,
he saw a hunched shadow reflected on the floor near the ajar steel door.
The madman was wandering around, his heavy breathing and footsteps coming and going.
Su Luo bit his lower lip nervously, terrified of making any noise.
He pressed his hand over his mouth, his palm damp with cold sweat.
Every second stretched into an eternity.
His shivering body was pressed tightly against the inside of the cabinet, and finally, after ten minutes,
a man in a black hooded dustproof suit, with the brim pulled low, appeared in the corridor.
Su Luo couldn’t see his face, but it must have been Z, as recorded in the medical file.
The man held a roaring chainsaw in his left hand and dragged a bloody corpse with his right, slowly passing by outside the door.
Z seemed completely unconcerned about being heard, as if he was deliberately trying to scare the hidden prey for his own amusement.
The boy’s chest heaved as he recognized the dead person as a player, though they had hardly interacted.
Su Luo’s nerves tightened into a taut line, not daring to relax or think too deeply.
“Were Qi Yu and the others… killed?”
Through a dilapidated door,
Z stood hunched in the desolate corridor, making no further moves, the pungent smell of blood wafting into the boy’s nostrils.
Sweat on Su Luo’s back dried and flowed again, with a few drops stinging his eyes, too painful to wipe away.
The cramped space felt suffocating, making it hard to breathe.
Just as the boy’s knees were going numb and he was about to give in, Z finally moved, dragging the bleeding corpse away.
Su Luo stayed put for another half hour, ensuring the madman didn’t return.
Then he rubbed his aching knees, blowing softly, muttering, “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt.”
The boy’s slender body awkwardly emerged from the pile of clutter, looking up, and froze…
“Are you okay?”
Su Luo turned into a statue, staring up at the man who had silently appeared before him.
The man seemed unfazed by the cold, wearing only a loose, light-colored fleece sweater.
His head was slightly bowed, casting a shadow with his lashes, and his disheveled gray hair fell over his shoulders.
He was beautiful, excessively so.
The boy cautiously pulled out the small handgun from his pocket, aiming it at the stranger.
He hadn’t noticed that in his earlier scurrying, his nose had picked up some dust, making his face look dirty.
“Who are you?”
Perhaps from a lack of sunlight, the man’s skin had a sickly pallor.
He didn’t mind Su Luo’s wariness, smiling gently and politely at the boy.
His voice was warm and mellow, courteous.
“You can call me Zhou Yu.”
The man extended a hand to the little dirty cat still crouched on the floor.
His hand was elegantly long, with distinct bones and a thin layer of calluses on the back.
Zhou Yu’s tone was so gentle it was disarming, his demeanor devoid of malice, enough to lower anyone’s guard.
But Su Luo shook his head, loading the gun.
“No, what if you’re in cahoots, all bad guys.”
The man calmly pulled out a tissue to wipe the dust from Su Luo’s face, neither impatient nor urging him to come out.
Zhou Yu’s first impression was like a cup of rich tea, revealing warmth in his restraint and composure upon closer inspection.
“You’re talking about that madman, right? Don’t worry, he’s gone, it’s okay.”
Su Luo’s body still trembled slightly from lingering fear, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
His not-so-bright mind began to work, assessing whether Zhou Yu was friend or foe.
The man remained unperturbed, gazing down at the doll-like boy, a bit dazed but endearing.
“Let me take you out. If you wait any longer, you won’t have a chance to leave when the madman returns.”
Su Luo put away the gun, deciding the handsome brother was likely a good person.
Zhou Yu helped him up.
Su Luo, with numb feet, accidentally leaned against the man’s shoulder.
Zhou Yu, rarely in such close proximity to others, seemed to sense the warmth of the boy’s breath and a faint sweet scent, more enticing than freshly baked cake.
“Thank you, brother, I was really scared just now.”
The man subtly stepped back to maintain distance, his manner polite and restrained, speaking soothingly.
“Don’t be afraid, I’ll take you out.”
Once Su Luo stood straight, he realized the man was exceptionally tall, easily over six feet.
The boy’s eyes darted around, prompting Zhou Yu to ask, “What are you looking for?”
He didn’t reply, the series of events leaving him a bit dazed, unsure whether to leave or continue searching for Qi Yu and Sister Zhao.
“If there’s anything troubling you, feel free to tell me. I might be able to help.”
Su Luo thought for a moment, then asked, “Brother Zhou Yu, have you seen my companions?”
He roughly described Qi Yu and the others.
Zhou Yu lowered his long lashes, pondering briefly before responding.
“They might have gone to the fourth floor. Don’t worry, I’ll help you look for them.”