Negut showed no mercy and immediately killed the two women. With just two punches, he shattered their hearts, forcing them to endure agonizing pain before finally dying.
He glanced at the man who had been stabbed in the chest by the knife he threw. The man wasn't dead yet. Now, seeing Negut's gaze, he panicked and desperately crawled backward.
Blood still poured out of him, but the wound wasn't instantly fatal, so he remained alive.
"Don't… don't kill me…" the man sobbed like a child.
Negut smiled cruelly as he slowly approached, step by step. "I need an answer that satisfies me."
"It was him…" the man stammered. "He… Alex… he said you had a lot of food, and warm clothes, so… I… I…"
"Tsk!" Negut clicked his tongue, his gaze turning colder. "You believe anything he says? If he told you to eat shit, would you eat it?"
"I'm sorry… I regret it… I'm sorry." The man trembled violently, tears pouring down his twisted, terrified face. "I was too hungry… too cold… so… I… I…"
"Your answer annoys me."
"No!!"
Negut raised his foot and stomped down on the man's chest.
BAM!
His ribs shattered. The knife embedded in his chest was driven even deeper by Negut's stomp, so deep that the handle sank entirely inside his ribcage.
"Pfff!" The man spat a mouthful of fresh blood. His eyes widened, his lips moved as if he wanted to speak, but in the end, he died. Even in death, his glaring eyes remained fixed on Negut as if cursing him.
Negut drew a long breath, then looked outside through the window.
Outside, the sky was dark, snow fell heavily, and the temperature was so low it instilled fear in anyone who saw it.
Negut didn't rush to chase Alex, because he knew… Alex wouldn't get far. The first floor of the building was occupied by two monsters.
If Alex jumped from the second floor, it was impossible to survive. The lobby below was nearly five meters high. Even if he didn't die, he would break his legs.
And in this apocalypse, being injured meant death.
Yes! This was the apocalypse.
Thirty-five days ago, a meteor exploded four hundred million kilometers from Earth. Massive amounts of smoke and strange substances engulfed the entire planet.
Since then, the temperature had plummeted. In just thirty-five days, the scorching summer heat of 42 degrees Celsius dropped to minus 15 degrees Celsius.
But the temperature wasn't the only horror. Other living creatures mutated and turned into monsters.
Tiny mice mutated into terrifying creatures nearly one meter tall, capable of devouring humans.
The dead turned into zombies.
Even harmless-looking trees transformed into vicious predator beasts.
Negut and the residents of this building had been trapped inside for thirty-five days.
In the first ten days, all water froze, leaving them with no clean water to use.
Over the next fifteen days, the entire city lost power.
The days that followed were filled with chaos and brutality. Humanity crumbled. Only hunger and fear gnawed at people's minds.
Negut was fortunate to have stored plenty of food in his apartment, but in the end, he was killed by the very people he once considered neighbors and friends.
But fortunately… he was still alive. He even managed to activate a System.
He didn't yet know what functions this system possessed, but right now, Negut didn't care. He stepped outside, searching for Alex.
Those people came because of that bastard Alex. And the one who most deserved to die… was him.
Negut stepped out of the room and suddenly heard rapid footsteps. Because his body had evolved, his senses had become several times sharper than before.
He frowned as he saw a group of people in combat uniforms, guns raised and pointed directly at him.
"It's him!" The brown-haired young man pointed at Negut, shouting in fear and panic, "He's the Mutated one. Hurry, kill him quickly."
Negut frowned, his gaze sweeping over the armed soldiers and their uniforms. He cursed silently in his mind: 'The military?! Damn it! Of all times… why show up right now?'
The moment they heard the word 'Mutated', the soldiers stiffened and immediately aimed all their weapons at him.
A middle-aged man holding a megaphone stepped forward and spoke sternly, "You in front, raise your hands and surrender. Do not resist."
"Don't waste words on him," the brown-haired young man said urgently. "Captain, he's a Mutated Human. He killed everyone inside that room. If you don't believe me, you can go in and check."
The Captain frowned, staring intently at Negut. He could clearly see Negut's hands and clothes covered in blood, yet not a single wound on his body. The Captain's expression grew cold and grim.
"Alex…" Negut gritted his teeth, his eyes locking onto Alex, seeing the cruel, mocking smile on his face.
Of course, no one noticed Alex's smile. Every soldier's attention was focused solely on Negut.
'Mutated Human.'
That label alone was terrifying beyond words.
The apocalypse had descended, but humanity was not completely hopeless. Some people awakened special abilities and became Awakened.
However, those who failed to awaken properly became Mutated Humans, monstrous beings trapped in human form, gradually losing their reason, turning into violent creatures no different from other beasts.
"Ready!" the Captain shouted.
The fully armed special forces soldiers were tense and prepared. The moment Negut moved, they would open fire.
Negut's eyes turned colder as he frowned.
The Captain also frowned, his voice firm and commanding. "I don't know whether you are an Awakened or a Mutated Human, but if you cooperate, I guarantee we won't harm you."
Hearing that, Alex panicked and quickly shouted, "Captain, you can't do that. He killed so many people, he's a monster. If you let him live, he will…"
"Silence!" the Captain barked.
Alex clenched his teeth, glaring at the Captain with hatred.
That was the kind of person he was. Even though the Captain had just saved him, he felt no gratitude. Instead, the moment the Captain displeased him, he held a grudge in his heart.
Negut inhaled slowly and spoke softly, "They stole my food. Was I not allowed to fight back?"
Hearing that, the Captain knew Alex's story wasn't entirely false. There were probably dead people inside and likely, they were killed by Negut.
Alex shouted again, "Captain, he's lying. He hoarded so much food but refused to share with anyone."
"In the apocalypse, people must rely on each other, must unite to survive this darkness. Not only did he refuse to help, he tricked us into entering his room and then killed everyone."
"Luckily I escaped. Otherwise…"
As he finished speaking, Alex pretended to tremble violently, as if overwhelmed with fear.
The Captain frowned again and spoke into the megaphone, "Murder is a crime. You must be punished according to the law. Raise your hands. If you cooperate with the investigation, you may receive a lighter sentence."
Hearing that, Negut sneered in his heart.
In the apocalypse, every day hundreds or thousands died in bloody fights over scraps of supplies.
Who would seek justice for those people?
Negut's eyes fixed on Alex, burning with hatred. His fists tightened until his knuckles turned white.
The atmosphere grew suffocatingly tense.
Alex could feel the killing intent radiating from Negut, so terrifying that he truly trembled in fear.
'Not good. He's an Awakened. If he stays alive, I'll never have peace again.' Alex gritted his teeth, glancing at the soldier beside him, whose hands were firmly gripping a gun aimed at Negut.
A cold smirk appeared in Alex's heart, cruelty flickering in his eyes.
"Agh!" he suddenly screamed, startling everyone. He pretended to stumble into the soldier next to him, but his hand shot out and pressed the trigger.
BANG!
The gunshot echoed sharply, but Negut had already anticipated something like this. The instant Alex screamed, he immediately tilted his body and dashed back into the room.
"Bastard! What the hell are you doing?" the Captain roared in fury.
Alex collapsed to the floor, trembling uncontrollably, stammering, "I… I don't know…"
The Captain didn't have time to scold him. He shouted, "Chase him!"
BANG!
Right then, the sound of shattering glass rang out.
When the soldiers reached the doorway, they saw the window smashed open. Freezing wind blasted into the room, making everyone shudder.
"Damn it!" the Captain slammed his megaphone onto the ground, then grabbed Alex by the collar, yanking him to his feet. "You idiot! Do you know what you just did?"
Alex shook violently, tears spilling as he stammered, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I… I don't know what happened. When I looked into his eyes… I suddenly lost control."
"At that moment… the only thought in my head was to grab the gun and kill you instead."
"What?!" The Captain frowned deeply, suspicion flashing in his eyes. But when he saw Alex's terrified, trembling expression, he loosened his grip.
Alex collapsed back onto the ground, repeatedly apologizing as if he himself didn't understand what had happened.
"Captain," a soldier approached and asked with a frown, "Should we pursue him?"
The Captain shook his head and sighed. "No need. It's freezing outside, and there are monsters everywhere. There's no reason to risk our lives."
"Captain, you need to see this." A shocked voice called from inside the room.
The Captain stepped in and immediately froze when he saw six corpses scattered across the floor. His expression turned cold.
A soldier beside him growled angrily, "That bastard… he even killed the women."
The Captain took a long breath and said quietly, "He's already a Mutated Human. Someone like him knows nothing except killing. You recorded the whole thing, right?"
A soldier tapped the small camera mounted on his helmet and grinned. "Everything's recorded. But… Captain, do you believe what he said earlier?"
The Captain glanced at Alex, still trembling on the floor, and frowned. "Of course not. But we need manpower to build the base."
"Forget him. Our mission is to gather survivors. As for that Mutated one… whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with us. Handling Mutated Humans is the job of the Awakening Bureau. It's not our concern."
"Contact Headquarters 7 and report that we have discovered an extremely dangerous Mutated Human. Request clearance to initiate a Special Pursuit Order."
"Yes, Captain!"