Chapter 10 Seize the Initiative

Chapter 10: Seizing the Initiative

Hua Diao sighed, a realization dawning on her. The government was indeed quick to react. The game had only been online for a few minutes, yet they had already gathered so much information.

After reviewing the game system and confirming it largely matched the novel's descriptions, she rose from her bed and walked barefoot to the window, pulling back the curtains.

The crimson moonlight instantly flooded the room, casting an eerie, blood-red hue over the white satin quilt and sheets.

Though she had anticipated this, a flicker of surprise still crossed her mind. Without hesitation, she opened the innermost soundproof window. There was still a glass pane and a screen outside, so she wasn't concerned about the now rampant mosquitoes flying in.

The moment the soundproof window opened, a cacophony of noises surged into her ears.

The clearest sound was the magnified buzzing of the giant mosquitoes outside—their hum now amplified as if by megaphones.

Then came the lively shouts echoing between the floors of the apartment complex.

People weren't just yelling at the top of their lungs; some even had megaphones, their voices carrying from the first floor all the way up to the twentieth, making conversations largely intelligible.

Of course, the clearest voices were those from the sixteenth and fifteenth floors below, and the seventeenth and eighteenth floors of the adjacent Building B.

“Holy crap, this moon is so damn red! Totally worth crawling out of my wife’s warm bed for this.”

“What the hell is going on? A voice just popped into my head saying it’s the apocalypse. I almost thought my bastard boss, with his 996 demands, had finally driven me insane.”

“Hey, if you’re not sure if you’ve gone crazy, just ask your wife. If she hears the voice too, then you’re fine.”

“Damn it, that’s the worst part! My boss leaves early every day to screw his mistresses—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven—rotating them, never the same one twice a week. Meanwhile, I’m a diligent corporate drone who’s still a single dog. Where am I supposed to get a wife? I don’t even have a girlfriend. Man, I’m so bitter, it hurts like a wolf’s howl!”

“Hahaha, I swear I just heard a wolf howl.”

“Drop the ‘I think’—that’s a goddamn wolf howling! There’s an actual werewolf downstairs in our complex! Its eyes are glowing green, and it’s towering over me, two and a half times my height. Its claws are thicker than my 180-pound thigh. Oh, fuck, it noticed me! Guys, please don’t shout, don’t attract it! I live on the second floor…”

Instantly, the voices from both buildings fell silent.

If not for the oversized mosquitoes still lurking outside, many heads would surely have popped out of windows to gawk.

Damn human curiosity!

Hua Diao was no exception. Her heart pounded as she paced her room twice, consumed by an intense curiosity about the werewolf.

Should she go down and take a look?

Once the thought surfaced, it became uncontrollable, growing stronger by the second.

She’d have to fight monsters sooner or later anyway; getting an early start would give her an advantage.

With that in mind, sleep was out of the question. Her delicate, pretty face hardened with resolve as she immediately closed the soundproof window.

Having made up her mind, she wasted no time. In a flash, she entered her island space to gather equipment.

First, she needed to change into thick long sleeves and pants. A heavy-duty raincoat was also essential, coated with a layer of lubricant to make it too slippery for mosquitoes to land on.

Next, she donned a 360-degree sealed gas mask, leather gloves, and knee-high leather boots, tucking her pant legs securely inside.

Fully armed, Hua Diao opened her bedroom door and strode out with a determined, imposing air.

Fearing a power outage might trap her in the elevator, she chose the stairs.

The eighteenth and nineteenth floors belonged to her family, and no one from the twentieth floor or above had come down yet, so the stairwell remained empty until she reached the fifteenth floor, where she encountered a group.

Despite the scorching summer heat, seven or eight people were bundled up like Arctic explorers in padded jackets and pants, cotton hats under hard hats, scarves wrapped around their necks, masks over their faces, and swim goggles covering their eyes.

Apart from the varying colors of their padded clothes, they were dressed exactly alike.

In contrast, Hua Diao—shorter by a head, clad in a raincoat and gas mask—stuck out like a sore thumb.

In the early days of the apocalypse, people still retained some decency. The "polar bears" didn't try to strip her of her gear for themselves. Instead, they waited for her, greeting her kindly and striking up a conversation.

“Hey, buddy, are you a researcher? You actually have a gas mask at home—that’s rare! Got any extras? Sell me one?”

“We’re heading to the 24-hour convenience store to stock up. Wanna come? It’s safer in numbers. Heard there are monsters downstairs—going solo is too dangerous. There’s strength in numbers, and we can fight together.”

Hua Diao shook her head. Though the mask hid her face, she still lowered her voice. “No, thanks. I’m just going to my aunt’s place next door. She’s too scared to sleep alone.”

The “polar bears” gasped in surprise. “Whoa, it’s a girl!”

“Damn, this girl’s got guts! Way more than my cowardly brother. That kid’s still curled up under the blankets, shaking his butt off, refusing to leave the house.”

“Hey, stop talking, save your energy and saliva. We still have fourteen more floors to go. I lined my mask with plastic to keep mosquitoes out, but it’s suffocating and hot—I can barely breathe.”

“Right, right, we need to save our energy. We’ll have to dodge werewolves later, and carry stuff back after buying it. Can’t waste stamina or body fluids.”

With that, they no longer paid attention to Hua Diao. The stairwell was filled only with the sound of footsteps and heavy, ragged breathing. Yet no one dared remove their masks, for large mosquitoes were already present in the stairwell, along with black spiders, each larger than a palm, clinging to the corners of the walls.

The sight was unsettling.

This was a high-end residential area, home to many wealthy and influential residents. The property management kept it impeccably clean; normally, even a tiny ant would struggle to get in. But now, with so many spiders and mosquitoes appearing, it was clear that the apocalypse was to blame.

They could distinctly feel the environment changing, humanity’s comfort zone shrinking.

A heavy mood settled over them, killing any desire for conversation.

If not for the still-functioning lights illuminating the stairwell, the atmosphere would have been even more terrifying.

But soon, fear took a backseat. The lower they went, the more people joined.

Hua Diao looked up and counted twelve people visible ahead of her, not to mention those continuously emerging from floors above and below.

Moreover, this was just one building. The entire Jinxiu Huayuan complex had thirty buildings in total, meaning the population was certainly much larger. Yet, there was only one 24-hour convenience store in the entire complex.

So, the problem arose: too many monks, too little porridge. Could so many people actually buy what they needed?

With the apocalypse warning, whether rich or poor, everyone now understood that stockpiling supplies was the sensible thing to do.

Hua Diao could already imagine the chaotic, fierce competition that would soon erupt at the 24-hour convenience store.

But that was not her concern. Upon reaching the third floor, she seized the opportunity to slow her pace and slip away from the group.