Shortly after 8:00 p.m., the sky darkened, and a dense, RUSTLING sound began to echo from the surroundings.
The streetlights were still holding on. Their orange glow attracted the surrounding insects, bringing a sliver of hope to the darkness.
THUD. A heavy object crashed to the ground. Something had knocked over the streetlights. One by one, they flickered out, and darkness once again blanketed the area.
Meter-long dark shadows scaled the residential building across the street, crawling toward a brightly lit window. The other illuminated windows were battered by unseen flying objects, rattling with loud CLANGS and BANGS.
Several dark shadows flew in Bai Xi's direction. She hurriedly turned around and hit the wall switch, immediately plunging the room into pitch blackness. Without the light to guide them, the shadows adjusted their trajectory and flew off to the side.
Those who were slower to react were not so lucky.
Under the cover of night, terrified screams and feeble cries for help mingled with the scuttling of unknown creatures and the gruesome CRUNCH of bones and flesh. The sounds lingered in the air, sending involuntary chills down people's spines and making their limbs tremble.
Bai Xi leaned against the corner of the wall, minimizing her exposure to danger as she vigilantly monitored the movements both inside and outside the apartment.
Minute by minute, the commotion outside grew louder. The dark shadows had actually begun tearing at each other. The vicious struggle was so intense that the doors and windows rattled with a loud CLATTER.
Day four of the game.
Around four or five in the morning, the noise outside finally died down. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. It had been a truly terrifying night.
At 6:00 a.m., the sky gradually brightened. The dark shadows outside had all vanished, leaving only utter devastation in their wake.
The exterior walls of the residential buildings were riddled with scattered small holes and shattered windows, marred by deep gouges in the plaster. The neatly kept, brand-new buildings from just yesterday had been reduced to dilapidated ruins today.
Dried brown bloodstains covered the streets, mixed with scattered shards of glass and the mangled remains of unidentifiable limbs. Above, awnings and iron railings hung precariously, on the verge of collapsing.
The sheer horror of last night had terrified countless people into hiding; no one dared to step outside their homes. The survival rate had plummeted to 75%. Over twenty thousand people had died in a single night.
Day five of the game.
Yesterday had passed peacefully, save for the nighttime when the dark shadows reemerged to prowl. Because of the dim lighting, Bai Xi could only guess from their blurry silhouettes that the shadows were likely mutated insects, similar to ants. She figured it had something to do with that so-called genetic serum.
Shortly after 1:00 p.m., as Bai Xi was quietly eating, a knock sounded at her front door.
"Young lady, are you there? Could you spare us some water? The water supply was cut off so suddenly yesterday, and we've used up everything we managed to save." The speaker was an old woman.
Bai Xi didn't respond. She didn't even have the desire to get up and check the peephole. She felt the voice sounded a bit unnatural, and in times like these, she didn't dare hand out misplaced kindness.
It was already the fifth day of the game. People had been locking themselves indoors for anywhere from two to four days. Whatever ready-to-eat food they had at home was likely depleted. Most importantly, without much water, they couldn't even boil rice to eat.
Over the next couple of days, more and more people would be forced to venture out in search of food and water. Based on her experience from reading novels and playing video games, this was the most dangerous period. Man-made disasters were often far more terrifying and ferocious than natural ones.
Outside the door, receiving no response, the old woman cast a fearful glance at the tall, honest-looking man standing beside her. The man jutted his chin toward the door, gesturing for her to continue knocking.
"Young lady, I know you're in there," the old woman called out, resuming her knocking. "You even went out the day before yesterday. Please, help an old woman out!
"We should all help each other out when things get tough. If you keep silent like this, we'll think something terrible has happened to you."
Inside, Bai Xi rolled her eyes. Asking for water was one thing, but lecturing her about mutual aid? What, were they planning to just barge right in?
Sure enough, the people outside didn't disappoint her. The faint CLINKING of someone tampering with the lock echoed into the room.
But Bai Xi wasn't panicked in the slightest. The new lock she had installed not only featured a manual interior deadbolt, but she had also locked it with her key from the inside and left the key in the keyhole. The locksmith had told her that as long as the door was locked from the inside and the key wasn't removed, no one on the outside could turn the mechanism. They wouldn't be able to get in at all.
Unless they smashed the door down, of course. But a security door wasn't so easily broken, not without a sledgehammer or a chainsaw for a violent breach. Given the current situation, where would they easily find such tools? Furthermore, doing so would create a massive racket. What if they attracted monsters?
Outside, the honest-looking man gave up after only a few minutes of tinkering. Unwilling to accept defeat, he pounded viciously on the door.
The old woman's voice rang out again. "Young lady, this door of yours sure is sturdy. Now that I know you're safe, I can rest easy. You have to be careful in times like these."
With that, the two turned and headed up to the fourth floor, repeating their trick in front of another apartment door.
This apartment was shared by two female roommates. However, they were nowhere near as vigilant as Bai Xi, making it incredibly easy for the honest-looking man and the old woman to force their way inside.
The two girls were terrified. The braver of the two grabbed whatever was at hand and tried to drive the intruders out, but the honest-looking man easily blocked her. He and the old woman each tackled one of the girls, quickly subduing them both. Despite her advanced age, the old woman possessed a surprisingly strong grip.
Soon after, the horrified cries of the girls echoed from within the apartment.
The family living next door turned a deaf ear to the screams, silently eating their meal. A child opened his mouth to say something, only to have his grandmother shove a spoonful of rice into it.
"Eat up quickly, sweetie."
Between his grandmother's sudden, out-of-place fussing and his parents' deafening silence, the child seemed to understand something. A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes, and he copied his parents, eating without saying a word.
After the two intruders had left her door, Bai Xi's internal alarm bells were blaring. They were up to no good, and sooner or later, they would target her again.
She walked over to the window and looked out. Fortunately, she had chosen to live on the third floor. It was only a drop of about six meters to the ground, which should make for an easy escape.
Bai Xi retrieved the rope she had prepared during her earlier massive supply run from her spatial storage. She measured it out, finding the length to be just about right, and then scoured the apartment for a sturdy fixture to tie it to.
Having secured an escape route, Bai Xi felt much more at ease. She resumed her warm-up exercises; maintaining peak physical condition was the key to survival.
By this point, the survival rate had dropped to 69%. Another ten thousand-plus people had died.
Bai Xi became even less willing to let her guard down, working out in silence while keeping a constant ear out for any surrounding noises.
Day six of the game. Survival rate: 58%.
The old woman came knocking on her door once in the morning, once at noon, and once in the evening. It was a false alarm each time, and the day passed safely.
Day seven of the game. Survival rate: 43%.
Taking advantage of the daylight, the number of people heading out to scavenge increased. Bai Xi had enough supplies and had no need to venture out. The old woman continued her routine of knocking three times a day.
Day eight of the game. Survival rate: 40%.
For today's breakfast, Bai Xi had prepared a carton of pure milk and some bread. She was thoroughly enjoying her meal when the old woman's knocks sounded from outside the door once more.
Compared to her soft-spoken, amiable tone from the day before, she sounded much more vicious today.
"Open the door, you little brat! I know you're in there. You haven't stepped foot outside for days—you must have plenty of food hoarded up in there!
"We're practically starving to death out here. Can't you just help us out? We're neighbors, for crying out loud. You're being far too selfish!"