The Little Merman in the Apocalypse 8
The winter chill had seeped deep into the bones.
Even the air seemed frozen solid.
The once luxurious villa district had long lost its former glory, now just a silent expanse covered in snow.
The artificial lake had frozen over.
The temperature kept dropping, making everyone shiver, each gust of wind carrying a biting chill.
Inside the villa, the fireplace roared, with dozens of people huddled together, wrapping their clothes tightly around themselves.
There were both players and NPCs, sitting scattered on the carpet and sofas.
Unfortunately, not a scrap of food could be found in the vast house.
“Mommy, I’m hungry!” a young child cried, having filled their stomach with water but no food.
A voice as cold as ice snapped, “Shut up!”
The mother hurriedly covered the child’s mouth, “Don’t fuss, sweetheart, be good.”
Since Huang Mao’s death, no one was left to lead the group.
Qi Yu had turned up the collar of his thick brown coat to fend off the cold air, hiding most of his face.
His demeanor was ominously grim.
Another loud voice, disapproving of Qi Yu’s bullying of women and children, fearlessly confronted him.
“What are you acting all high and mighty for? Watch out, or I’ll give you a beating!”
The burly man pulled off the blanket wrapped around him, standing half a head taller than Qi Yu.
His skin was a deep coffee color, a healthy hue that highlighted his strong physique.
Though Qi Yu wasn’t as tall, his face was gaunt, cheekbones prominent, and a hidden malice simmered within him.
Bang!
No one saw where Qi Yu suddenly pulled out a gun, turning the tall man into a bullet-riddled mess.
He had taken Huang Mao’s place, wielding a silenced rifle with wild abandon.
In a brutal massacre, all who resisted were killed.
The bodies were tossed onto the lake, with no fear of attracting zombies.
Sister Zhao disapproved, chastising him.
“We just need to complete the quest, there’s no need to kill. You’re being too cruel.”
Qi Yu wiped the blood splatter from his gun, casting a glance at the woman as if she were an ant.
“If you can’t stand it, you can leave. I’m not forcing you.”
Power could change a person, and the woman watched her increasingly unfamiliar companion with silent regret.
No one dared to question him anymore, as the players truly didn’t care about the others’ fates.
Qi Yu went out and somehow captured a researcher.
The young man in a white lab coat had some injuries, his face bruised comically.
When Qi Yu let go, the young man scrambled under a table.
His body curled up under the coat, knees to his chest, as if trying to protect himself from harm.
His heart pounded like a drum, filled with fear and anxiety, fingers clutching his hair tightly.
“I’m just an intern, I don’t know anything, please let me go.”
Qi Yu’s threatening and intimidating demeanor made him even more terrifying, keeping people at bay.
The dark muzzle of the gun pointed at the young man’s temple.
“This is your last chance. If you’re not out by the count of three, one…”
The young man’s glasses had long since shattered, and as just an intern, he was both scared and panicked in such a stifling atmosphere.
Finally, Qi Yu dragged him out by the collar, so roughly that the young man’s shoes fell off, and he didn’t dare pick them up.
They began to research a potion to suppress the zombie virus.
Using the current conditions, they hastily set up a makeshift laboratory.
The researcher trembled as he spoke.
“You at least need to catch a live zombie…”
Upon hearing this,
Qi Yu’s sinister gaze swept the room, landing on Xiao Mei, who had been mentally unstable since Huang Mao’s death.
His tone was as indifferent as if dealing with an insignificant object.
“Tie her up and throw her out.”
Xiao Mei remained in a daze until her hands and feet were bound with hemp rope, then she began to struggle.
“Please, don’t kill me, I can help you.”
She racked her brain trying to think of how she could be useful to Qi Yu but came up empty.
The man used her as bait, cutting her leg with a knife and dragging her out, bleeding.
“I want to live, please spare me!”
Qi Yu found her voice too noisy and promptly gagged her.
On the icy surface,
Xiao Mei wore only thin clothes, her hands gripping the hem of her dress tightly, the fabric now crumpled.
Her face was turning purple, her slender body shivering in the cold wind, nearly frozen stiff.
Beside her lay fresh corpses, scattered around her feet.
The slowly flowing blood stained her pretty dress red.
Xiao Mei’s pupils shrank to thin lines, as if she had been severely frightened.
Her mouth opened slightly, wanting to scream, but no sound came out.
Unable to move, she could only keep company with the corpses.
After waiting for more than half an hour, no zombies came.
Not far from Xiao Mei, a plump little rabbit appeared, hopping around in search of food.
It was at least three pounds, and if skinned and roasted, it would surely be delicious.
Someone was tempted.
Including Player Old Li, who was already forty-five, his stubble unkempt and appearance shabby.
He caressed the rifle Qi Yu had just given him, unable to put it down.
Old Li wore a fleece-lined cotton jacket, with a gray woolen hat on his head, the edges already frayed.
The man couldn’t wait to test the firepower.
He rolled up his sleeves, closed his left eye to aim, but missed, startling the rabbit further away.
“Hahaha, you idiot, can’t even hit a rabbit, what can we expect from you?”
The laughter of his companions made Old Li flush with anger.
He took advantage of the rabbit’s back being turned while it nibbled on grass and aimed again.
It was unaware of the impending danger.
Pulling the trigger, the bullet whizzed by, and the rabbit fell straight to the ground.
“Hmph, see that? Not sharing a bite with any of you.”
His companions’ mocking smiles faded, pretending not to care with a “tsk” and rolling their eyes.
Old Li slung the rifle over his shoulder, humming a tune as he walked out.
Xiao Mei, nearly unconscious from the cold, saw someone approaching and instinctively sought help.
The woman crawled with difficulty toward Old Li.
Old Li “tsk”ed, not wanting to bother with her, just a slightly pretty NPC, not worth his time.
He bent down to pick up the rabbit by its ears, but the supposedly dead creature suddenly turned its head.
Its eyes were blood-red, its cute rabbit teeth now as menacing as a zombie’s fangs, and it bit a chunk of flesh from Old Li’s arm with lightning speed.
“Ah! How is it still alive?”
The man flailed wildly in pain, but the teeth seemed embedded in his flesh, impossible to shake off.
His strange actions caught the attention of the others in the villa.
The players thought Old Li was just playing a prank.
The surrounding trees had long since withered, with only snowflakes gently falling in the breeze, making a faint rustling sound.
They opened a crack in the window, rubbing their hands and blowing warm breath.
“Stop playing around and come back, this damn weather is getting colder.”
In an instant, half of Old Li’s arm was gnawed to the bone by the zombie rabbit.
He steeled himself and fired repeatedly at his own arm, finally killing the terrifying little rabbit.
“Hey, what’s your problem? Got too many bullets to waste?”
The voice of a companion drifted over.
Old Li’s ears rang, watching as eerie blue-purple marks spread across his arm.