Chapter 7, The Screams in the Darkness

Su Chen instinctively held his breath

But why does a member of a special forces unit not even have a gun

Only when it completely disappeared did Su Chen let out a sigh of relief; at that moment, he realized that his back was already soaked through

In fact, Xia Ming now considers Su Chen to be a strange person

Those sounds are getting closer to the twenty-third floor

However, Su Chen was not interested in this; he was only interested in Xia Ming's pistol

Fortunately, it seems that it did not notice the human in the dark presidential suite, who, like a flash of lightning, swept past the window and vanished into the higher sky.

The modification of the high-fidelity Thor's Hammer requires a total of 2 energy units. Although this mechanical pistol is lighter than Thor's Hammer, its structure is more intricate, and it may require more energy for modification. To avoid the waste of precious energy units, Su Chen plans to accumulate more energy units before proceeding with the magical transformation.

However, Su Chen did not have time to think too much. After the black giant bird swooped by, he was in a state of panic, not daring to waste a moment. He hurriedly focused on accumulating energy points, having barely slept for a short while. Finally, he managed to gather a total of seven units of mysterious energy and began to modify the handgun in his hand

In contrast, Xia Ming and his group all moved into Su Chen's presidential suite. Su Chen designated areas for them; aside from his own room, which was off-limits, they were free to move about the other rooms.

If this thing were to crash and shatter the glass and come in, he would undoubtedly be dead!

However, as Su Chen just returned to the room, he heard a loud and piercing scream coming from a position that was almost within arm's reach

Su Chen also demonstrated his ability to protect the other party—he showcased the power of the gravity hammer. Xia Ming was quite surprised and ultimately decided to "hire" Su Chen, offering a gun and some bullets in exchange for the protection of someone who had killed monsters.

However, at that moment, Su Chen suddenly heard a scream coming from outside

Because he had to notice that the sofa, chairs, and coffee table in this presidential suite were all in a state of destruction... And this seemed to be caused by Su Chen's peculiar weapon. Moreover, there were quite a few cans, compressed biscuits, and drinking water piled up in the corner of the room, making it look as if preparations were being made for something.

A group of people is fleeing upwards from the lower floors

That group of people was being chased by monsters, and in their panic, they could only run upwards without considering the path.

Su Chen took a deep breath twice to calm his emotions and immediately began his cultivation, absorbing the ambient energy in the space, transforming it through the Anoval Ring, and channeling it into his own body, without stopping except for consuming two packets of biscuits in between

Of course, if a group of slender, ghostly figures were to charge at him, Su Chen would not hesitate to turn around and flee. His relationship with Xia Ming had not yet reached the point of risking his life to protect him; protection was limited to the extent of his own abilities. The only thing he had to be grateful for was the traveler he had inadvertently killed, who had chosen such a "good neighbor," providing him with golden fingers and equipment.

Su Chen set down his somewhat sore arm

However, such transformations are still too slow... It takes several hours to "cultivate" a single unit of energy...

The more he thought about it, the more perplexed Xia Ming became, like a monk who could not grasp the situation. Little did he know that Su Chen's entire set of equipment had been inexplicably obtained "for free" from him.

Su Chen can see that Xia Ming has considerable trust in the military and the federal government. For someone of his status, the trust in the government and the military is based on a different level compared to that of ordinary citizens

It was a standard pistol from the Federal era, chambered for 9mm ammunition, with a magazine capacity of 15 rounds. Xia Ming provided Su Chen with two magazines, totaling 30 rounds of ammunition, and it weighed approximately one pound

Their numbers seem to be increasing. However, they are too far away for Su Chen to confirm

If Xia Ming outside were to witness this scene, he would likely be so frightened that his soul would leave his body, thinking that Su Chen is also a mad monster

He even felt that this person might possibly be a member of some secret special forces of the Federation

Did Su Chen know in advance that disaster would come

In addition, there were hurried echoes of chaotic footsteps rapidly approaching on the eerily silent twenty-third floor

May 7, 16:17

Xia Ming approached, wanting to engage in conversation with Su Chen, but after Su Chen announced his full name, he displayed a lack of interest. He took the handgun and bullets and immediately retreated to his room, locking the door behind him, and began his training

Where do these monsters come from

A mere floor-to-ceiling window is virtually indistinguishable from being unprotected

This city seems to have transformed into the legendary city of hell, where the living have vanished, leaving only ghosts wandering throughout the day

The internet and utilities have all been cut off, leaving Xia Ming with nothing to do but let his mind wander. He eagerly anticipates the arrival of the military while speculating wildly about the true identity of Su Chen, who has been hiding in the room except for going to the bathroom. Unable to figure it out, he repeatedly reminds those around him to get along well with Mr. Su Chen, while Xia Ming has given Su Chen a gun, though he still has another gun in his possession

The modification of the handgun took nearly twenty minutes to complete, and it consumed six energy units. Upon completion of the modification, the gun appeared almost unchanged from before; however, when held in hand, it possessed a texture reminiscent of a living being

The neighborhoods near the Tianjing Hotel are almost deserted. From a high vantage point, illuminated by the flickering lights of some vehicles and burning shops on the ground, one can see the nearby streets in disarray, with dark shadows wandering aimlessly like ghosts on the streets

That was a pitch-black giant bird. Up close, Su Chen realized that it was even larger than he had previously estimated, with a wingspan of at least 13 meters and a body length of about 7 meters

However, Su Chen still possesses a strong sense of contractual spirit. Although he does not particularly like Xia Ming, the latter has provided him with a gun in his time of need, and he still wishes to protect these individuals, at least to the best of his ability to fulfill his promise. Whether in the apocalypse or in an orderly society, the world has changed, and people should indeed change. However, there are certain matters—what should be done, how it should be done, and what absolutely should not be done—that must be weighed in one's heart. This is a scale that should remain unchanged regardless of the era; it represents the principles and bottom lines of being human, which are unrelated to society and morality, but rather pertain to the kind of person you are.

Time passes little by little

There is also a faint, piercing, inhuman wail.

The sound did not come from the presidential suite, but rather from a position further outside.

First came the wailing, followed closely by screams of utter terror... Echoing and reverberating in the darkness

The bargaining ultimately ended with both sides taking a step back. Su Chen's protection period remains three days; however, if after three days, Su Chen still does not intend to leave this place, he will still need to provide them with assistance and protection

People seem to have hidden away, relying on the limited food and supplies they have to evade the monsters, waiting for the situation to change. Before their existing supplies are completely consumed, no one dares to venture outside. Whether it is an illusion or not, Su Chen feels that with each observation, the shadowy figures on the streets, near and far, seem to multiply.

Only the hand wearing the Anoval Ring can absorb energy, and Su Chen has personally tested that actively swinging his arm to attract energy from the surrounding space can increase the absorption efficiency by approximately 15%. Therefore, he has been frantically waving his hand in his room.

In the distance, gunfire never ceased. However, near the Tianjing Hotel, there was no sign of any military presence, only a broken police car lying on the roadside

Xia Ming knew that the Federation had a certain special force, equipped with next-generation weapons, specifically tasked with executing special missions, yet they usually disguised themselves as ordinary people

Xia Ming was even more curious about the weapon in Su Chen's hand. He believed it to be some kind of high-tech device that was not widely circulated. He was very curious, but Su Chen did not allow him to see it. Of course, Xia Ming had no ulterior motives; he knew that this person was a shrewd businessman, but he was not actually a bad person and had no thoughts of killing Su Chen to seize his belongings. He only felt increasingly that this seemingly ordinary person was, in fact, incredibly mysterious and was by no means an ordinary individual

Su Chen, in a small-town citizen manner, speculated: These two are probably the type of people who have their secretaries do the work when there is something to be done, and have their secretaries do nothing when there is nothing to do

The living room of the presidential suite was also enveloped in silence, as if everyone had been frightened into a state of shock

A massive dark body, enormous bat wings spread wide, and blood-red eyes, as if ready to pounce at any moment

During this process, he would lean by the window every half hour to look down and ascertain whether his surroundings were safe

There are not many people on Xia Ming's side, just two security guards and a female secretary, the same woman who sat beside him during the auction. The interactions between the two of them subtly reveal a sense of intimacy.

Su Chen suddenly raised his head and saw a massive shadow swiftly passing by outside the floor-to-ceiling window on the twenty-third floor.