Chapter 002 It’s getting fierce
Zhang Su''s home was located in Shengqin Garden, about three kilometers away from the Eireiwen Convenience Store. With twelve-story buildings and a low population density, it was considered a mid-to-high-end residential complex in Qin City’s apartment sector.
Building 3, Unit 801. As Zhang Su opened the door, a pungent smell immediately greeted him.
“You’re back? I just finished streaming and cooked a huuuge bowl of river snail noodles. Hungry?”
In the living room, a girl in a loose T-shirt was sitting cross-legged on the sofa. A steaming bowl of river snail noodles sat on the coffee table, alongside a white porcelain bowl and a spoon, clearly prepared for Zhang Su.
Zhang Su noticed these details and shook his head with a smile. “I just ate at the store. Also, Xin Yu, next time don’t turn off the range hood immediately after cooking snail noodles.”
“Oh!” Zheng Xinyu answered a bit dejectedly but quickly remembered something. “Oh, right, Brother Su, what about the stuff I ordered? Didn’t you say you’d bring it back tonight?”
Zheng Xinyu was the livestreamer Zhang Su had mentioned earlier—the one challenging herself not to leave her room for a month. However, Wu Lue didn’t know that this beautiful streamer was Zhang Su’s roommate.
Their 80-square-meter, two-bedroom apartment had clearly divided private and shared spaces, so living as roommates of opposite genders was no issue.
Since she had just finished streaming, Zheng Xinyu’s makeup was still on, making her look vibrant and charming. At just over twenty years old, she exuded youthful energy. Her long legs stretched out from beneath the oversized T-shirt, appearing particularly fair under the light, an appealing sight.
Zhang Su changed his shoes, walked over to the bay window, and lit a cigarette. He said casually, “It’s hundreds of kilograms of stuff. Do you expect me to carry it up for you? I’m a store clerk, not a mover. Be thankful I brought it back for free!”
“You work out every day, don’t you? Ugh, so unfair…”
Slurping her noodles, Zheng Xinyu mumbled softly, wondering why she couldn’t catch Zhang Su’s attention. If it were any other young man, they’d be head over heels for her by now, doing whatever she asked. But this unromantic “almost-uncle” was immune to her charms.
When she first moved in, Zheng Xinyu even laid down some ground rules with Zhang Su, thinking he might have ulterior motives. As time passed, she realized she was overthinking—Zhang Su showed zero interest in her. Sometimes she even questioned if his preferences were… different.
“By the way…”
Noticing Zhang Su’s indifference, she tried to spark a conversation. “Did the landlord tell you? The rent is going up by 10% next year!”
Zhang Su took a deep drag of his cigarette, stubbed it out in the ashtray, and glanced nonchalantly out the window. “Yeah, I was notified. Rent going up isn’t surprising—prices rise every year.”
“I think something’s fishy! Just the other day, I mentioned how I’ve gotten used to living here and wouldn’t move even if rent increased, and now the landlord’s raising it. Do you think…”
She paused dramatically and gave Zhang Su a mysterious look.
“Do I think what?”
Her mischievous gaze made Zhang Su’s heart skip, though he maintained a calm demeanor. “What are you trying to say?”
“Do you think the landlord installed a listening device here?”
Her wide eyes darted around the room, her brows furrowing in mock seriousness. “A friend of mine in Shanghai had this happen to her. She sued the landlord and won 800,000 yuan!”
“Brother Su, I think we should thoroughly check the place. Maybe even use one of those spy-detecting gadgets like in the movies. Who knows? We might strike it rich!”
The more she talked, the more plausible it seemed to her.
Listening device? If only that were the case! Why stop there? Maybe even surveillance cameras!
Cutting-edge technology. Over three billion base pairs combining to create advanced surveillance…
“Paranoid much? Haha…” Zhang Su chuckled, taking off his T-shirt and heading to the bathroom. “You can search if you want. I don’t have time for this. I’m taking a shower. Clean up the living room after you eat—no smells allowed!”
“Okay, fine…”
Watching his well-toned muscles as he walked away, Zheng Xinyu swallowed her retort. After all, their rule was whoever made the mess cleaned it.
“By the way!”
As Zhang Su was about to enter the bathroom, she blurted out, “The weather alert mentioned a cold front. Wear more layers, okay?”
Touched by her concern, Zhang Su smiled and nodded. “You stay warm too.”
“Yeah, yeah, go shower. I’ll clean up!”
She stretched lazily, leaving half her bowl of noodles unfinished.
It took Zhang Su half an hour to leave the bathroom. The strong smell had mostly dissipated, and Zheng Xinyu had already retreated to her room. The door was tightly shut, with a half-meter-tall pink melancholy bear hanging on it. Faint clacking sounds of a mechanical keyboard came from inside, likely from her gaming.
Accustomed to her nocturnal lifestyle, it was hard for her to wind down even after her livestream ended.
Whoosh.
A gust of wind blew through the still-open window, sending chills down Zhang Su’s damp skin.
“Looks like the temperature really dropped. The weather alert got it right for once…”
Muttering to himself, Zhang Su closed the window, drew the curtains, and returned to his room. He booted up his computer and immersed himself in a CSGO session, battling away until after 3 a.m., when he finally threw off his headset and collapsed into bed, falling fast asleep.
He loved this routine—not the early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule of office workers or students, but one that suited him. Sleep at two or three in the morning, wake up naturally around eleven or noon, and enjoy eight or nine hours of restful sleep.
But this time, Zhang Su’s peaceful routine was interrupted.
“Ahhh!”
A piercing scream jolted him awake, followed by frantic banging on his door.
“Brother Su! Zhang Su, wake up! Open the door!”
The panicked voice outside was unmistakable, filled with fear.
Zhang Su glanced at his phone’s Big Mud King wallpaper—it was 10:30 a.m.
“Zhang Su, hurry up! Something terrible has happened!”
The pounding and shouting continued.
“This girl is insane…” Zhang Su muttered, throwing off his blanket. The room was noticeably colder than yesterday. He pulled on his pants as he responded, “Coming!” S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Swinging the door open, Zhang Su didn’t even get a chance to question her before Zheng Xinyu, panting and pale, pointed toward the window with trembling hands.
“Mu-murder… Dismemberment… Downstairs! Multiple deaths!”
She didn’t even glance at Zhang Su’s abs as she grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the living room window.
“Murder?”
Zhang Su’s heart skipped a beat. In a country with excellent public safety and Shengqin Garden’s robust security, how could such a thing happen? And multiple victims?
He suspected she was playing a prank but followed her to the window to look.
From their eighth-floor vantage point, about 25 meters above ground, Zhang Su quickly spotted the scene below in the garden. The bright daylight revealed blood staining the white pebbled path, severed limbs, and chunks of what appeared to be organs scattered around. A figure crouched over a body, seemingly administering CPR.
But after a closer look, Zhang Su’s thoughts turned grim.
That wasn’t CPR. The figure was biting into the corpse.
Biting down, head bobbing, ripping off chunks of flesh.
“Still dreaming…”
The horror on Zhang Su’s face faded as he forced a smile and turned back to Zheng Xinyu. “Must be a dream—I’m going back to sleep.”
He walked to his room, muttering to himself that playing zombie mode in CSGO last night had been a bad idea, leaving him hallucinating such a surreal scene.