Chapter 30: Life-and-Death Rapid Descent

The top floor of a forty-story skyscraper.

As they left the room that had sheltered them for nearly a month, each person's heart rose to their throat.

In the office building's safety stairwell, it was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat and the faint sound of dust falling.

Han Ya carried her feverish brother on her back, her body's center of gravity pressed low.

She stepped extremely lightly, fearing that any extra sound from broken glass underfoot would awaken the surrounding mutant beasts.

She held a military dagger in reverse grip, blade against her forearm, her eyes still bright in the darkness, vigilantly scanning everything around, ready to strike at any moment.

"Sis... I am thirsty..."

Han Yu on her back muttered deliriously, his scorching breath blowing on Han Ya's neck, making her increasingly anxious, but she also knew that being anxious now was useless.

"Little Yu, be good, water will be here soon, just hold on a bit longer."

She soothed him softly, yet her steps unknowingly quickened.

A Qiang and Xiao Hui followed behind her.

A Qiang gripped a rusted steel pipe, nervousness making his palms slick with sweat.

He dared not look back at the path they'd come, nor think about how deep below them was, merely fixing his gaze tightly on Han Ya's slender back.

Xiao Hui took the rear, covering her mouth with a rag, fear making her whole body tremble.

With each step down the stairs, it felt as if they were stepping deeper into an abyss.

The building was quiet to an extreme, so quiet it made people anxious.

This feeling was more frightening than a monster's roar, because excessive silence often signals unknown danger.

"Crack."

A faint cracking sound suddenly exploded in the dead silence.

The three froze instantly, hairs standing up all over their bodies.

It was Xiao Hui; she hadn't been paying attention and crushed a loose floor tile.

"Don't move!"

Han Ya lowered her voice and shouted, her body tensed like a drawn bow.

In the darkness, something seemed to have been awakened by that sharp sound.

A rustling sound, like countless insects crawling on the ground, came scurrying up from below toward them.

"What... what is that?"

Xiao Hui's voice trembled with tears, fear choking her throat.

"Shut up!"

Han Ya's eyes were sharp as a blade; she cocked her ear to listen, discerning the sound's source and number.

The sound grew nearer and clearer.

Although Han Ya could tell from the sound that what approached them was likely not insects, their number was astonishingly large!

"We can't go on the stairs!"

Han Ya immediately made a decision,

"Follow me!"

She hesitated no longer, turned, shoved open the fire door on the thirty-fifth floor, and plunged into the pitch-black office area.

A Qiang and Xiao Hui dared not delay, scrambling after her on hands and feet.

Before them lay a vast open-plan office, desks and chairs overturned, papers scattered across the floor, the air reeking of rotting paper mixed with dust.

"What... what should we do?"

A Qiang asked in a strained voice, his heart pounding like a drum.

The scraping sound in the stairwell had reached their floor; through the heavy fire door, the rustling remained clear enough to make one's scalp tingle.

"Find another safety stairwell."

Han Ya's gaze swept quickly through the darkness, looking for the green sign marking an exit.

"Over there!"

Her eyes lit up, she pointed to the far end of the office area.

But just as they were about to move, Han Yu on her back suddenly groaned in pain, his body convulsing violently.

"Ugh... sis... I feel awful..."

The high fever had plunged his consciousness into utter confusion.

Han Ya's heart sank; she reached out to feel his forehead, the astonishing heat making her heart clench.

"Little Yu's condition is worsening; we must hurry, otherwise even if we make it safely to that giant beast, Little Yu might not hold out!"

She gritted her teeth, carried her brother, lowered her body, and sped through the office area.

"Rustle..."

Yet that eerie sound also seeped in through the gap of the fire door they had just entered.

They've followed us in!

"Hurry!"

Han Ya's heart sank to the bottom.

With one hand supporting her brother and the other gripping the dagger tight, she pushed her speed to the limit.

Just as they were about to reach the opposite safety stairwell door, a black shadow leapt silently from the shadow of an office cubicle ahead, lunging straight at Han Ya, who was leading the way!

That thing resembled a human infant, but crawled on all fours, its body pitch-black, its claws razor-sharp.

Its face had no features, only a huge mouth split to the ears, packed with fine, sharp teeth!

"Watch out!"

The A Qiang behind them only managed to shout this.

Han Ya's reaction was unbelievably fast.

She didn't even turn her head, her body suddenly sank down, a smooth side slide dodging the deadly lunge by a hair's breadth!

While sliding, she reversed her grip on the short dagger and slashed upward, drawing a cold arc!

"Puchi!"

The sound of the blade entering flesh was especially clear in the office.

That monster didn't even utter a scream; its whole body was split from jaw to crown, black blood gushing out.

It twitched twice on the ground, then fell still.

One strike, fatal!

A Qiang and Xiao Hui were stunned; they knew Han Ya was strong, but never imagined she could be this strong.

However, Han Ya's face showed no relaxation.

Because as the first monster fell, similar black shadows rose one after another from the surrounding shadows.

The number, at least over a dozen!

They quickly surrounded the three, their eyeless hollow faces turning in unison toward them, low roars of 'heh-heh' issuing from their gaping mouths.

"Damn... we're surrounded..."

A Qiang's voice was trembling.

Xiao Hui was so scared her legs went weak; if not for A Qiang supporting her, she would have collapsed.

"A Qiang, Xiao Yu is entrusted to you; take them into the passage first!"

Han Ya handed Han Yu on her back to A Qiang, quickly arranging, she said:

"I'll hold them off!"

A Qiang took Xiao Yu,

"But, Elder Sister Han..."

"Cut the nonsense, hurry!"

Han Ya let out a low growl, not even glancing at them, she fixed her stare on the dozen-odd monsters around her.

A Qiang gritted his teeth, no longer hesitating, he dragged Xiao Hui toward the door of the safe passage.

Those monsters seemed enraged by their movements, all letting out a sharp shriek as they lunged from all directions!

Han Ya moved.

Her body twisted and turned in the narrow office area, her short dagger becoming streaks of silver lightning; each flash felled a monster.

Her movements had no wasted motion, all taught by her father, a former special forces soldier, the most direct and deadly killing technique.

Chop, thrust, lift, wipe, cut!

Black blood spattered her face and clothes, yet her gaze remained icy cold.

When A Qiang and the others finally rushed into the safe passage and looked back, the sight before them would be unforgettable.

Han Ya stood alone among the dozen-odd monster corpses, the tip of her short dagger still dripping black blood with a 'drip-drip' sound.

She was like a killing god walking out of hell.