The main entrance of the shopping mall where the cinema was located had been blocked off with a "closed for business" sign.
Everyone had been urgently evacuated from the mall.
It was said that a rare infectious patient had been found inside the cinema, and at that moment, more than ten medical staff members in isolation suits were entering the cinema with boxes in hand.
One of the last medical staff members to enter casually shut the iron gate of the cinema. At this point, the cinema hall was dimly lit, with no staff in sight.
"Have the staff been evacuated?"
The lead medical staff member asked. Even though her voice was muffled by the protective suit, it was clear that she was a woman.
"It's too late, Captain. All the cinema staff should have been infected by that beast."
A medical staff member carrying a box next to her answered.
"Then treat everyone as a suspected infected. Is this the only exit from the cinema?"
"Yes, Captain. This cinema is small, with only this one entrance connected to the mall."
At that moment, a young girl dressed in the cinema staff uniform walked out from the employee lounge.
She looked panicked upon noticing the medical personnel.
"Excuse me, what happened?"
"Please don't panic. We will handle everything."
The tall medical staff member stepped forward to try to calm the frightened girl.
But just as his hand was about to touch her shoulder,
The girl's terrified face suddenly twisted into a strange smile.
By the time the medical staff realized it, it was too late. A sharp tendril shot out from her open mouth, aiming directly at his protective visor.
However, just as it was about to pierce the man's visor, the lead medical staff member raised her hand and grabbed the tendril, then yanked the girl's body violently against the wall.
"Ugh!" The girl cried out in pain. Just as she was about to open her mouth to roar, a gleaming long knife was already in front of her.
Whoosh—
The blade flashed, and the girl's head was severed into several pieces. Her body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
"Captain, thank you."
The tall medical staff member said, his voice full of fear.
"I told you." The lead medical staff member turned, her pale purple eyes shimmering through the visor. "Treat everyone as a suspected infected, understood?"
"Understood!"
The girl then discarded the bloodied knife and removed her visor. The others followed, peeling off their heavy protective suits.
In the end, ten men and women dressed in sleek black uniforms appeared in the cinema hall.
"The Fearless have arrived," the black-haired girl in the lead said, pressing her hand against her earpiece. "Prepare to begin the hunt."
...
In the bathroom, Jiang Huai had just finished using the toilet and was washing his hands when he suddenly heard movement from one of the stalls behind him.
Bang—bang—
It sounded like something was rhythmically banging against the stall door.
"Damn, is it really that exciting?"
Jiang Huai couldn't help but think of a strange scenario, imagining a man and a woman naked, engaged in some kind of thrilling activity in the bathroom stall, with himself as an unintentional part of their play.
Though he found it amusing, he wasn't a voyeur. He smiled bitterly, wiped his hands, and was about to leave.
But just as he turned, the stall door slowly opened.
A strong stench of blood wafted out from the stall.
There was indeed a man and a woman inside.
And yes, they were both naked.
Perhaps the man had originally intended to have something happen with the woman,
But until that woman opened her mouth wide and bit off half his head, silencing him before he could even scream.
"...Handsome boy, am I beautiful?"
The woman slowly turned her head, her seductive body swaying, her enchanting eyes gleaming as she gazed at Jiang Huai, as if she intended to steal his soul.
"I won't disturb you. You guys can continue," Jiang Huai said, turning to leave.
But the next second, the woman's head stretched unnaturally long and lunged at Jiang Huai.
Just as she was about to bite off half of his head, a sharp tail pierced through her skull from below.
"Is it a beast? Or... an infected? No, I can't sense the infection from her."
Jiang Huai's tail pierced the woman's head, slowly pulling the terrified skull toward his face.
"What is this thing?"
Upon closer inspection, Jiang Huai saw that there was a thin, light blue thread connecting to the back of the woman's head.
Following the thread, Jiang Huai discovered it led directly to the air vent above the bathroom.
Just then, he heard footsteps behind him, recognizing them as Lu Wanyin's.
Without hesitation, Jiang Huai coiled his tail around the woman's head and twisted it, crushing it into a mess of flesh.
Just as the door opened, Jiang Huai quickly retracted his tail into his spine.
"Jiang Huai, the situation here is not right..."
Lu Wanyin had intended to warn Jiang Huai about the strange happenings at the cinema,
But seeing Jiang Huai half-covered in blood, she assumed he had already realized something was wrong.
"Did you get attacked?"
Lu Wanyin asked.
"Yeah." Jiang Huai nodded.
"I was about to leave when it lunged at me, and I don't know why, but it exploded on its own, splattering me with blood."
Then Jiang Huai noticed the blood on Lu Wanyin's face.
"That's not your blood, is it?"
He raised his hand and gently wiped the blood from her face.
"No." Lu Wanyin had been about to ask more questions, but the scene before her, with the chunks of brain matter and bone fragments at Jiang Huai's feet, didn't seem like it was caused by the explosion.
But given the situation, she didn't press further.
"If there are infected here, then all the ordinary people in the cinema are in danger."
Lu Wanyin said.
Perhaps there were no ordinary people left.
Jiang Huai didn't say this out loud.
Because he could feel it, just at that moment, the cinema was already filled with a certain scent.
The scent of beasts.
After this period of training, Jiang Huai had developed the ability to distinguish the scents of beasts and infected, and he was more sensitive than other awakened beings.
Yue Qinshan had also expressed surprise at Jiang Huai's enhanced sensory abilities, saying he had reached a level where he could join the Tiānqǐ Huì (Heaven's Awakening Society).
Of course, that wasn't all. Jiang Huai could sense another kind of scent.
That of an awakened person.
"There should be other awakened people here besides us."
Jiang Huai said.
"If there are beasts here, the association should have already taken action. We don't know which team has arrived, but we need to leave here."
Just then, the bathroom door was pushed open.
A black-haired girl appeared in front of them.
The girl was tall and elegant, with a cold, aloof aura, like a black rose standing proudly among ruins, beautiful and untouchable.
Lu Wanyin immediately grabbed a black scythe from her side, positioning herself protectively behind Jiang Huai.
"Awakened?"
The black-haired girl's cold gaze landed on Lu Wanyin.
"You are..." Lu Wanyin suddenly recognized the girl.
"Captain Mo Yu of the Fearless?"
"State your organization and code name."
The black-haired girl said coldly.
"Night Demon Patrol, Lu Wanyin..."
Upon hearing this name, the girl's expression softened slightly.
"Three failed attempts at the exam... You're quite famous, I remember you."
Lu Wanyin's face stiffened.
"Are the awakened behind you from the Night Demon Patrol as well?"
The girl's gaze shifted to Jiang Huai.
But just as she looked at him, Mo Yu froze in place, as if she had seen something unbelievable.
Jiang Huai stared at Mo Yu, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Had he seen her before?
"He's like me, a trainee member."
...
"Captain."
The silence was broken by a call.
A man with short black hair entered the bathroom, glanced at Jiang Huai and Lu Wanyin, then spoke to Mo Yu.
"We didn't find any core inside the infected's corpse, and... its body is gone."
Mo Yu was slightly stunned, then coldly said,
"The upcoming purge must ensure no one survives."
"Understood."
The man left the bathroom, and Mo Yu paused for a moment before turning to Lu Wanyin and Jiang Huai.
"Since you are both just trainees, try to protect yourselves as best as you can. We will handle the rest."
With that, Mo Yu turned to leave.
Jiang Huai watched her retreating figure and shouted,
"Watch out for the things behind their heads."
Mo Yu stopped, turned back to look at Jiang Huai. Just as she was about to ask something, a sudden commotion and the sound of metal clashing echoed from outside.
"Take care of yourselves."
Mo Yu left those words and exited the bathroom.