Lu Tixu saw Fu Shiwu following him, visibly relieved. It seemed Fu Shiwu wasn't as bold as he had initially portrayed himself.
"Shall we take the elevator straight to the 20th floor?" Lu Tixu asked him.
Fu Shiwu adjusted his glasses and solemnly replied, "Sure."
After a brief wait, the elevator opened. They stepped into the empty compartment, and Lu Tixu pressed the button for the 20th floor.
"Once we're up there, we'll search floor by floor," Lu Tixu stated.
"Okay," Fu Shiwu replied nervously, gripping the watermelon knife in his hand.
Lu Tixu tried to strike up a conversation, but Fu Shiwu seemed aloof, so Lu Tixu let it go, focusing on the elevator's changing numbers.
As they neared the 20th floor, Fu Shiwu's heart raced faster, his breath quickened.
Seeing Fu Shiwu so tense, Lu Tixu chuckled softly, "No need to be that nervous. We won't run into anyone."
Fu Shiwu forced a half-smile. Who could guarantee such odds?
The elevator halted at the 20th floor with a soft 'ding.' Fu Shiwu raised the watermelon knife, ready for whoever might be outside.
The door opened, revealing an empty hallway. Fu Shiwu relaxed, sweat trickling down.
Lu Tixu's baseball bat in hand shook a bit as he said, "See? no one is here."
Fu Shiwu cautiously stepped out of the elevator into the quiet corridor.
It was eerie. Despite the isolation due to the sickness and the departure of many to hospitals, reducing the building's population by a fifth, there should still be over two hundred people around.
Even in the daytime, this silence was uncanny.
With the watermelon knife in hand, Fu Shiwu proceeded cautiously, sensing something ominous.
The sound of Lu Tixu's footsteps faded behind him. Fu Shiwu's senses heightened, scanning everything suspicious.
Suddenly, something caught Fu Shiwu's peripheral vision. He froze.
"Hey," Lu Tixu stood near the elevator, "No one here. Let's try somewhere else."
"Wait," Fu Shiwu said, his expression grave.
He gently pushed open the door to the garbage chute, and what was a mere bloodstain turned into a pool of crimson, a thick, nauseating stench of blood hitting him.
Fu Shiwu gasped and staggered back several steps.
So much blood! And that sickening stench! Almost identical to the odor on the third floor!
Had everyone on this floor perished?
Fu Shiwu shivered, his hand gripping the watermelon knife trembling.
What kind of psychopath was he facing? Besides the third floor, they'd cleaned out the 20th too. What about the other floors? Were they empty too?
...He was just one person. How did he manage this?
His body tensed; Fu Shiwu sensed trouble. He swiftly dodged a baseball bat swinging toward his head.
"Ah!" Fu Shiwu couldn't hold back a cry, stumbling back two steps, quickly turning to face the person who had taken the elevator with him.
"What are you doing?!" Fu Shiwu gasped, evading as the man swung a hefty baseball bat at him. "You and Guan Liangbi are in this together!"
"Haha! Who's with him! That lunatic!" Lu Tixu's face showed a hint of amusement. "Your curiosity got the better of you, discovering things you shouldn't have."
"What? Did you kill these people?" Fu Shiwu couldn't believe it. "Are you and your five companions responsible for these deaths?!"
Was Guan Liangbi set up by these people?
"Yeah!" The man sneered, licking his lips. "Why go outside? This is paradise and heaven combined. Money, food, women, everything's here. Who wants to leave?"
The man's baseball bat tapped his palm as he spoke triumphantly, "We've taken control of several floors quietly. Sooner or later, this whole building will be under our feet. If it wasn't for Guan Liangbi ruining things, you might have silently perished. Behave and let me make it quick for you."
If Guan Liangbi was a doomsday prophet, these five, led by the one in the camouflage vest, were outright thugs.
In short, none of them were good people!
Thinking of Wang Ziping and Liao Ke, Fu Shiwu felt their chances were slim. He couldn't worry about others; he was in a perilous situation himself.
The assailant swung his baseball bat while Fu Shiwu held a watermelon knife. However, in terms of combat skills, the opponent had the upper hand with a five versus his zero.
Fu Shiwu kept retreating, feeling a sharp pain in his wrist but refusing to let go.
He kept retreating, seemingly cornered, while Lu Tixu momentarily relaxed, allowing Fu Shiwu to seize the opportunity and escape through an emergency exit.
The 20th floor was empty, but at least the 18th, where he lived, had people!
"Help!" Fu Shiwu yelled while running.
Lu Tixu, infuriated by Fu Shiwu's escape, hurried to catch up.
The other two probably fell prey to the assailants' ambush. If he couldn't handle an office man with no fighting skills, his friends would mock him endlessly.
"Stop! Don't run!"
"Help, someone's killing people!" Fu Shiwu descended two floors, bursting into his own floor, panting heavily.
With a baseball bat in hand, Lu Tixu took a big step, leaping down from the middle of the staircase, catching up to Fu Shiwu in an instant.
Fu Shiwu ran two floors, exhausted, but still tried to resist.
"Where are you running!" Lu Tixu swung his arm forcefully, aiming for Fu Shiwu's head. It landed solidly, sealing Fu Shiwu's fate.
Suddenly, the door closest to the emergency exit swung open, and someone rushed out, kicking away the baseball bat from Lu Tixu's hand.
"Ahh!" The force of the kick was immense; Lu Tixu immediately broke into a sweat, clutching what seemed to be a fractured wrist, threatening the newcomer, "Mind your own business! Beware of sticking your nose in and losing your life!"
"Oh?" The person lazily tilted his head, flicking the cigarette from his mouth, eyes dangerously locking onto Lu Tixu. "Let's see how you'd threaten me."
Fu Shiwu, almost collapsing, uttered the man's name, "Tang Xuhai!"
"Kid!" Lu Tixu glared at Tang Xuhai, displaying a disdainful attitude, releasing his excruciating wrist, pulling out a switchblade from behind, gesturing menacingly.
Tang Xuhai moved almost in slow motion, effortlessly dodging Lu Tixu's vulnerabilities, shoulders guiding elbows, delivering a fierce blow to his abdomen.
Lu Tixu nearly spat blood, yet maliciously stabbed Tang Xuhai's abdomen with the knife.
Tang Xuhai
, disdainful, raised his knee, his long leg swirling, delivering a sharp strike to Lu Tixu's head, the impact echoing loudly on the ground.
Facing down, a pool of blood quickly formed around his head, convulsing a few times before becoming motionless.
Staring in disbelief at this chain of events that lasted less than half a minute, Fu Shiwu swallowed hard, tremblingly asking, "Is he dead?"
Tang Xuhai frowned impatiently, "Dead!"
"You... you killed someone..." Fu Shiwu stared wide-eyed at him.
Tang Xuhai wore an expression of disgust, "He was about to kill you, and you blame me for this."
"No, I didn't mean that," Fu Shiwu shook his head.
It was just his first time witnessing a murder scene, and it was too shocking.
Fu Shiwu stood up, his hands trembling, yet he firmly held onto the watermelon knife.
"What did you do? He was about to kill you," Tang Xuhai couldn't understand, eyeing him.
With a weak physique and a rigid personality, how did he attract such danger?
Clearly, Tang Xuhai was also one of those who hadn't stepped outside, unaware of the current situation in the building.
So Fu Shiwu quickly recounted what had just happened.
He asked Tang Xuhai to check on Wang Ziping and Liao Ke.
"I didn't ask you to go alone. I'll come with you," Fu Shiwu said, gripping the watermelon knife.
"Just you?" Tang Xuhai mocked him, scanning him disdainfully. "Save your energy; I'll manage without you."
His face flushed, Fu Shiwu was infuriated.
Unable to contain his gratitude for saving his life, he erupted in anger and shame.
Tang Xuhai went into the emergency exit, gesturing for Fu Shiwu to stay home.
After Tang Xuhai left, Fu Shiwu stood there gasping. Even though he was asked to go home immediately, he couldn't be that obedient.
He hovered by the emergency exit, regretting why he hadn't acted together with Tang Xuhai earlier.
Now, left alone to chase after them, he didn't dare, still rattled by the person he encountered earlier.
Fu Shiwu considered himself somewhat courageous, but his body refused to comply. He lacked proper training!
After a while, a figure appeared at the exit. Fu Shiwu quickly raised the watermelon knife.
Seeing Fu Shiwu's anxious appearance, Tang Xuhai chuckled, "Didn't I ask you to go back?"
"..." Not daring to express his concern, Fu Shiwu adjusted his glasses. "How are those two?" They're not dead, right?
"They got hurt a bit," Tang Xuhai said somewhat admiringly. "they were fighting them when I got there. Two dead, two injured."
"So powerful?" Fu Shiwu's eyes lit up.
Tang Xuhai smirked, "The one with the stick seemed to have some martial arts training, somewhat skilled. The one with the crossbow was just wasting the weapon."
"..."
Sharp-tongued. Not everyone has had your training.
"You worry about yourself. You look a mess," Tang Xuhai sighed, shaking his head as he looked at Fu Shiwu's disheveled appearance, then went into his own apartment.
Looking at his white shirt, now thoroughly stained, Fu Shiwu felt soreness spreading throughout his body.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
