Chapter 11 Kill the Werewolf

Chapter 11: Slaying the Werewolves

Even before the apocalypse, Hua Diao had shown foresight, acquiring a detailed structural layout of Building A and general resident information from the property management.

Her generous spending habits had made her a valued client, ensuring the property management provided her with comprehensive details.

For instance, the third floor comprised four units. One was a vacant investment property, occupied only once or twice a year by its wealthy owner.

Of the remaining three, one belonged to a university student who only returned on weekends. As it was Wednesday, the student was likely at school.

The final two units were home to an elderly couple—an old woman and an old man.

According to gossip from the property management staff, this pair was a real-life embodiment of "abuse now, regret forever." The old man had followed the old woman here, buying a home just to be near her. He’d periodically devise new romantic gestures, far more dramatic than any TV drama’s domineering CEO chasing Cinderella, yet he still hadn’t won her back.

Most residents in the community knew about this "crematorium" old man. Many women used him as a cautionary tale for their boyfriends and husbands. It could be said that this old man, through his own misguided efforts, had single-handedly deterred many local men from straying, saving countless families and relationships.

Once, a young scion even presented the old man with a commemorative banner, thanking him for his "negative example" that helped him appreciate a woman who loved him for himself, not his wealth.

Whether the old man suffered a heart attack upon receiving the banner was unknown, but the rich heir certainly regarded him as his "life’s guiding light." On his wedding day, he not only gave the old man a hefty red envelope but also distributed wedding candies at the community entrance for three days, publicly acknowledging the old man’s profound influence.

This incident caused quite a stir and remains a popular anecdote to this day.

Ahem... In any case, a preliminary analysis confirmed that the third floor’s simple resident distribution made it Hua Diao’s ideal sniping spot for werewolves.

And so it proved. As she tiptoed from the stairwell onto the third floor, the entire level was eerily silent, even the lights were off.

Hua Diao navigated the darkness to the janitor’s room, then used a work card "borrowed" from property management to unlock the door and slip inside.

"Awooo!"

The janitor’s room was bathed in the blood moon’s crimson glow. A long, drawn-out howl suddenly pierced the silent night, sending shivers down her spine.

Hua Diao swallowed nervously, gripped her gun tightly, and moved to the window to peer outside.

The person who had shouted from the second floor hadn’t lied—there were indeed werewolves on the lawn in front of their building, and not just one. She counted three.

Their bodies were covered in thick, coarse black fur, and they wore crude, grayish animal-hide loincloths around their waists. They were immensely tall and muscular.

Wolf-headed humanoids, walking upright.

Humans, beside them, seemed like three-year-old toddlers next to their fathers—so small they’d have to jump just to reach their knees.

Under the crimson moonlight, Hua Diao could clearly discern their cold, sharp fangs and claws as keen as steel blades. She had no doubt a single swipe could tear through glass and walls.

Fortunately, the blood moon seemed to exert a peculiar pull on them, and they showed no immediate intent to attack the building. Instead, they stretched their necks and unleashed prolonged, chilling howls at the moon.

"Bang—"

A sharp gunshot suddenly punctuated the howls, sounding incredibly close, as if from the next room.

Hua Diao stiffened—was someone trying to poach her targets?

She quickly widened her eyes and scanned the werewolves.

Thankfully, the three werewolves on the lawn were still there.

She cautiously poked her head out the window, surveying the surroundings, but saw no suspicious figures. Only when the second gunshot rang out did she confirm that, though close, the shooter wasn’t aiming at her three targets.

Still, it was possible the shooter was a monster hunter. If they were so close, they might come for her werewolves after finishing their own.

So Hua Diao quickly focused, removed her gloves, raised her gun, and prepared to act.

She had learned to shoot—real guns with live ammunition—at the All-Star Training Camp. She was a crack shot, hitting bullseyes every time.

Her instructor had repeatedly tried to recruit her into the military, but her jinxed nature eventually deterred him.

Now, holding the gun again, muscle memory instantly kicked in.

Under the crimson moonlight, Hua Diao’s face, obscured by the gas mask, was grim. Her hands gripped the gun, her eyes laser-focused.

"Bang—"

A single shot exploded a werewolf’s head, killing it instantly.

Hua Diao was taken aback. According to the novels, werewolves were tough, and even a headshot wouldn’t kill them outright; the bullet would lodge in their skull, requiring follow-up shots from teammates.

But what was happening now?

She had clearly seen the werewolf’s head burst, its health bar drop to zero, and a system prompt chime in her ear.

But this was no time for contemplation. After she killed one werewolf, the other two immediately became agitated. They swiftly pinpointed her location—one agilely leaped onto a nearby pavilion, then turned and lunged at Hua Diao’s window, snarling.

The other sank its claws into the wall and scaled it, its crimson wolf eyes burning with savage fury, acidic saliva dripping from its sharp teeth.

As they closed in, Hua Diao’s heart pounded.

"Bang—"

"Bang—"

The more tense and dangerous the situation, the calmer she became. She pulled the trigger, dropping the werewolf leaping from the pavilion with a single shot, then immediately shifted her aim to blow the head off the one climbing the wall below.

[Ding dong—Congratulations to player Hua Diao for killing a werewolf!]

[Ding dong—The werewolf dropped a treasure chest. Would you like to pick it up?]

Once the danger passed, Hua Diao sagged against the wall, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

Exhilarating! Absolutely exhilarating!

If she had been even a second slower, or if the werewolves’ skulls had been tougher, it might have been her lying dead instead of them.

A minute later.

Her heart rate normalized, and the adrenaline faded, replaced by a creeping fear.

She had almost died.

But now was not the time for regrets. She quickly suppressed her emotions, then swiftly clicked "Pick Up" to collect her spoils.

She had killed three werewolves, and all three had dropped treasure chests—her luck was incredible.

Upon clicking "Pick Up," the game system, lacking an inventory, simply caused the chests to float towards her. She could then choose to open them on the spot and take their contents, or laboriously carry the entire chest.

In-game chests were all the same size—roughly that of a 20-inch suitcase—and glowed with gaudy gold. Carrying one would make it obvious to anyone that she had just scored loot from killing monsters.

But Hua Diao didn’t have to worry about that. She simply absorbed the three floating chests into her personal island space, then quickly put her gloves back on and left.

Earlier, for better shooting feel, she had forgone her gloves, leaving her hands exposed. Mutated mosquitoes had bitten her several times, and the toxins were likely already spreading through her body. She needed to hurry back, upgrade her membership, and purchase an antidote from the game’s official store to treat the poisoning.