Chapter 12: Chaos

"Bang——" At the same time, a strong arm smashed through the door.

This arm was no human's arm. It was broad, muscular, and bronze in color, with muscles bulging high like forged steel. The back of its massive hand was covered in eerie, textured scales, and the nails on its four fingers were several centimeters long, hard, and sharp like blades.

As Gao Yang tackled the fat Jun, the claw that broke through the door followed closely, slashing Gao Yang's left arm.

The claws, sensing the blood, trembled with excitement and then began slashing wildly at the door. The door was like fragile cardboard, falling apart in an instant as the creature outside tore through it with ease.

The beast stepped into the room, its feet crushing the wooden fragments underfoot, making a soft yet terrifying sound.

The main light in the room was off, the atmosphere dim, eerily red, and oppressive.

"There are three... three of them... ah, ahh..." Aunt He's voice was full of excitement, vaguely tinged with unspoken grief and immense gratitude, "They're all mine... all mine..."

Gao Yang crouched behind the waterbed, enduring the intense pain in his arm, one hand pressing over fat Jun's trembling mouth, not daring to breathe loudly.

Soon, Gao Yang's fingers were wet, soaked with fat Jun's fearful tears.

The light in the room was weak, but with the reflection from the ceiling mirror, Gao Yang could clearly see the enemy's appearance.

It was indeed "Aunt He," a middle-aged woman in her fifties wearing a cleaning uniform. She looked thin and aged, her body and head still resembling a human, but her limbs had already turned beast-like, excessively large and muscular, bursting through the seams of her pants and sleeves, looking completely out of place.

She walked step by step into the entryway, her body trembling with excitement.

Soon, a slippery, dark green, wet tail sprouted from her back.

The growth of the tail was slow, inch by inch, accompanied by sticky, murky fluid, like amniotic fluid during childbirth.

It pressed against Aunt He's pelvic bones and spine, causing her body to bend forward.

Finally, a tail as thick as a thigh, two meters long, fully emerged, dragging along the ground with a chilling rustling sound, like a serpent crawling.

Now, she looked like a lizard person.

Gao Yang, witnessing it all, felt terror from the bottom of his heart, dizzy and ears ringing. In fact, aside from enduring the pain and holding his breath, waiting for death to come a little slower, he had no way out.

He knew very well that he was no match for this monster.

In a daze, his mind wandered.

He remembered the time he had killed a cockroach with his slipper.

At that time, after the cockroach was discovered, it quickly hid under the bed, but Gao Yang easily drove it out and, with disgust and arrogance, slapped it dead.

Gao Yang felt that right now, he was like that small, hopeless cockroach.

His only hope was the Qingling hidden somewhere in the room.

Everyone stood in a tense standoff for what felt like a long and agonizing ten seconds.

It might have only been seven seconds; Gao Yang didn't count.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——" Three sharp daggers flew from the shadows, heading straight for Aunt He's eyes.

Aunt He quickly raised her arm to block.

"Cling, cling, cling!" With three crisp sounds, the daggers fell to the ground, failing to even scratch Aunt He's hard arm.

Of course, this was just a feint.

The moment Aunt He raised her arms to block, Qingling shot out from the wardrobe, holding two knives, and stabbed at Aunt He's heart from the side.

Aunt He's reaction was a split second too slow, but very quick nonetheless. She grabbed the sharp Tang knife, and eight hardened claws scraped sparks from the blade.

"Ah!" Qingling gritted her teeth, her leg, waist, and wrists all exploding with strength, pushing the Tang knife in with all her might.

"Bang!" Aunt He slammed into the wall, but her hands still firmly held the Tang knife, guarding her heart.

Qingling kept pushing, the blade inch by inch driving into Aunt He's chest.

"Ahhwoo——" Aunt He let out a scream between human and beast, her tail swinging violently and whipping Qingling in the waist. Qingling staggered, losing all her strength in an instant.

Aunt He took the initiative, tossing the Tang knife away. Qingling was thrown along with the weapon, crashing into a nearby independent bathroom, the tempered glass shattering with a loud crash.

Aunt He's chest wound was deep, and she panted in pain and fury, stepping toward the bathroom where Qingling lay.

"Whoosh——" A blanket flew through the air, covering Aunt He's head.

During the brief ten seconds of combat between Qingling and Aunt He, Gao Yang and fat Jun had not been idle either.

Fat Jun lifted the blanket to cover Aunt He, but it didn't hold her for even two seconds. His plan was simple: block Aunt He's line of sight for a moment, then escape.

In fact, that was exactly what Fat Jun did. As soon as the blanket covered Aunt He, he bolted for the door. Unfortunately, he was too nervous, and the floor was littered with shattered glass and sticky secretion from the beast's body. His foot slipped, and he landed flat on his back right in front of Aunt He.

"Don't—don't kill me... Mom... save me..." Fat Jun, like a fat mudfish, rolled on the floor, unable to get up due to the sticky liquid.

Aunt He swung her claws to tear the blanket apart, locking her eyes on Fat Jun. The three humans were more troublesome than she had imagined. She no longer expected to enjoy them properly, so killing one first was the best option.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——" Three daggers flew out again, aiming for Aunt He's eyes.

Aunt He's eyes were punctured, blood pouring out uncontrollably.

"Ah..." She waved her claws wildly, "My eyes! My eyes..."

At this moment, Gao Yang's body trembled violently, but his actions did not stop.

—You're useless.

—No matter what you do, you can't change anything, so don't panic.

—Just do it, you're already here, just participate.

Relying on this strange form of self-comfort, Gao Yang was able to significantly reduce his fear and anxiety. The moment fat Jun lifted the blanket, Gao Yang had already reached the entryway, picking up the fallen Tang knife, cutting the blow dryer cord, and then plugging the dryer into the wall socket.

Not enough distance!

He gritted his teeth, grabbed the Tang knife, and lunged at Aunt He.

The knife tip sank into Aunt He's thigh, but the force was weak, and it didn't go deep. Aunt He slapped at him, but Gao Yang had already prepared, leaning back, feeling a sharp sting across his nose—his nose was cut.

Aunt He, now blind, didn't blindly chase after him. She grabbed the Tang knife stuck in her thigh, trying to pull it out. The knife wasn't deeply embedded and could easily be removed, but there was an invisible force pressing down on the knife, preventing her from pulling it out.

Lying on the floor, Qingling stretched her hands out, gritting her teeth, blood seeping from the corners of her mouth: "Hurry up!"

Gao Yang grabbed the end of the dryer's cut cord and placed it on the knife blade.

There were no sparks or flashy "zaps" as seen in movies, and there was no visible electric shock. Only a dull, short "zzi" sound was heard, and Aunt He's whole body went limp and she knelt to the ground.

She didn't faint, though, and still tried to get up.

Gao Yang quickly shocked her again.

Aunt He twitched violently, falling to the ground.

If it had been an ordinary human being electrocuted, even if they didn't die on the spot, they would have definitely passed out.

At some point, Qingling stood up. She approached, pulled the Tang knife out of Aunt He's thigh, and forcefully stabbed it into her right chest. Aunt He let out a painful howl, her hands still struggling wildly.

"Help!" Qingling shouted.

Gao Yang quickly threw away the cord and grabbed Qingling's hands from behind, pushing forward with all his strength.

Finally, the Tang knife pierced Aunt He's chest.

Aunt He's body spasmed, but she couldn't even scream. Her head tilted, and she was pinned to the pink wall, the scene indescribably eerie.

Qingling, covered in injuries and exhausted, took a long breath and leaned back, resting against Gao Yang's chest. He could feel her heartbeat "thump, thump, thump."

After a few seconds of silence, Qingling turned and collapsed onto the waterbed, nearly exhausted. Her body was covered in wounds, and her white bathrobe was dotted with blood stains.

Gao Yang's mind went blank. He pressed his hand against his now throbbing shoulder, standing in the ruined, dirty, bloody room, with the air thick with an indescribable, suffocating stench.

If he had to describe it, it smelled like rotting eggs mixed with burning plastic, with a hint of menthol and mustard in the flames.

Gao Yang's stomach churned. He knelt before Aunt He's corpse and vomited heavily.

Fat Jun, having narrowly escaped death, didn't waste any time. He quickly found something to block the door and, looking scared, said, "Luckily, no one else is in the other rooms on this floor."

"Didn't you say there was only one room left on this floor?" Gao Yang wiped his mouth.

"Hehe, I lied to you guys. Business has been really bad lately," Fat Jun ran over happily and began treating Gao Yang's arm.

"Brother..."

"I'm younger than you."

"From now on, you're my real brother," Fat Jun looked at Qingling on the waterbed, "She's my real sister-in-law!"

"..." Qingling didn't say anything, but the killing intent from her exhausted body was palpable.

"Brother, I have a question. How did you know Aunt He was off?" Fat Jun asked.

"The sound," Gao Yang's voice was tired, "If she came to clean, there would be a cart, right? I didn't hear the sound of the cart wheels when I told her to leave."

"Impressive!" Fat Jun slapped his thigh, "Quick thinking! How come I didn't think of that!"

"No kidding! My bro, of course, is sharp-minded!"

Gao Yang froze and turned around.

It wasn't anyone else who spoke, but Wang Zikai.