One of Chen Dong's greatest pleasures is night running.

He picked up this habit five years ago when he found himself with an endless amount of energy that needed an outlet.

Night running was the best solution he could think of; otherwise, he didn't know what he might do.

If it was windy or rainy, he would hit the gym and not come out, which led Wang Shi to joke about his unstable mental state.

Thinking of that nouveau riche, Chen Dong benevolently dialed his number. No one answered, so he didn't think much of it.

Chen Dong circled the lake as he ran. At night, there weren't many people around here, so it was quiet, save for the sound of frogs.

After running for a while, he slowed to a walk. He placed great importance on tomorrow's competition, which made him surprisingly anxious at the moment.

He chuckled softly, the last time he felt this nervous was a decade ago on Wanzhou Island, a wild, overgrown island that has now become a vacation spot.

I wonder if those tourists could find traces of our stay there.

Chen Dong pondered the reason for his anxiety, maybe it was because the gathering was near, and he was about to return to Wanzhou Island and see his friends again.

There was the timid and neurotic Fang Sen, the vain and foolish Qiu Ning, the money-loving pauper Wang Shi, and her...

"Who's there?!"

Chen Dong warily scanned the surroundings, hearing rustling sounds coming from the bushes.

He did not approach, instead, he cleverly retreated while keeping his eyes fixed on the source of the noise.

After a moment, a frog jumped out.

Before Chen Dong could relax, he felt his foot hit something hard.

He looked down and found a shadowy object.

Its outline and shape made it resemble a lizard.

But how could there be a lizard in the city?

Chen Dong had a bad feeling. As the wind scattered the clouds that were obscuring the moonlight, the object’s true appearance was revealed.

A bald head atop two slender arms, with palms pressed to the ground for support, raising its upper body, with no legs to speak of.

The black mole on its hand reminded Chen Dong of Fang Sen's hand, and that tanned upper half, Wang Shi had often bragged about his abs at the gym,

But the most horrifying part for Chen Dong were its eyes.

Those eyes should belong to Qiu Ning.

Without another word, Chen Dong ran. He worked out daily and was in good shape; he refused to believe he couldn't outrun this monster.

Five minutes later, Chen Dong looked back, his eyes almost popping out.

The monster's hands moved rapidly, creating afterimages, gradually closing in on him.

It used its arms for all its strength, dragging its body along. Wang Shi's once-proud abs were now rotting flesh and blood, oozing everywhere.

Chen Dong had no choice but to run towards the night market. He ducked into a narrow alley, dodging back and forth until he was completely exhausted, and finally, there was no sound behind him.

With his last bit of strength, he made his way home, fumbled for his keys, and finally managed to unlock the door. As he turned on the light, his heart finally settled.

Strange laughter echoed in the silent living room.

"Hee hee."

Chen Dong’s gaze dropped to see a pair of gray-white hands clutching his ankle. The face attached to those hands turned ghastly pale and sneered, "Caught you."

Chen Dong was violently pulled to the ground, he tried to crawl with all his might, high on his arms, trying to dig his nails into the wooden floor, leaving scratch marks in vain.

He even wished the thing would kill him, but instead, it seemed to be torturing him, sometimes letting him go, only to reappear from some corner of the room, watching Chen Dong scream like a clown.

Hiding in his bedroom, Chen Dong was sure he would die tonight. In his final moments, he took out his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"Yin Jiajia, it's Chen Dong."

After a long pause, a woman yawned lazily, "Chen Dong, did you miss me?"

Her voice was alluring and seductive, with a sexy tone, "If there’s nothing, I’m hanging up."

Chen Dong took a deep breath, "They're dead, I'm being targeted, Jiajia, you need to run."

"Targeted by whom? That little lamb who’s already dead and gone? Haha Chen Dong, since when did you learn to joke?"

Chen Dong knew the woman was prepared, he felt relieved and began to comfort her, "Jiajia, this is karma."

There was a three-second silence on the other end, followed by even louder laughter, "My heart is weak, don’t scare me."

"Karma is something that waits for the next life."