"Zhang Xiao, I'm back. I couldn't figure out anything else, but luckily I found some self-heating hotpot. It's a bit spicy. Can you handle it?"

I nodded.

As the white steam rose, I seemed to see white rotten flesh flying towards me in the mist. In an instant, it turned into silver aluminum flakes and swirling milk powder...

I curled up in bed, holding myself tightly.

"Here, have a little. After not eating for a long time, your stomach might not handle it well."

I swallowed the nonexistent saliva in my throat.

"Can you taste if it's spicy or not?"

She hesitated for a moment, then smiled.

"Sure."

She put the food in her mouth, took a bite, and slowly swallowed.

"It's not spicy."

『No poison.』

I quickly took what she handed me, disregarding the heat, and ate it greedily.

With the warm food in my stomach, I finally felt alive.

She also picked up a bowl, eating while telling me about the situation outside.

"Several coastal cities have almost simultaneously experienced the landing of mutated fish, and many people have been infected with the zombie virus carried by the parasitic fish."

"The situation in the coastal city is relatively mild, and there haven't been any aerosol transmissions."

"The situation in the other cities is more severe, so the rescue efforts are also skewed towards them."

"What's the date today?"

She paused for a moment, then recollected and said:

"It's Singles' Day..."

"Oh."

The Singles' Day in my memory was too different from the present, and we fell into a long silence.

After a while, she said:

"You should rest first."

【November 11, evening】

She was talking to someone through a portable communication device.

Words like "no time," "hurry," "injection," and "come over" were mentioned in the conversation.

After the communication ended, I heard the sound of a metal box opening and closing, and then footsteps approaching.

She approached me and spoke as if she wasn't afraid of exposure.

"Xiao Xiao, don't be afraid. This won't... hurt..."

Ancient and ethereal Arabic incantations swirled in my mind, growing faster and faster.

『God will forgive you. You are doing this to survive.』

『Yes, I want to survive...』

I opened my eyes, and the woman in white twisted and rotated before me like an angel.

The needle of the syringe in her hand shimmered with a faint white light under the moon.

"Xiao Xiao, don't be afraid. Xu Yang said you're afraid of pain, so I'll be gentle..."

『Test subject! The only surviving test subject! Behave and listen! We will never let you go!』

"Xiao Xiao, don't be afraid..."

『Pain is more terrifying than death...』

"I don't want it! Ahhh!"

I screamed as the knife in my hand plunged into the demon's body.

"God will forgive me! I just want to live!"

"Xiao... Xiao..."

"Don't call me that! You want to kill me! All of you want to kill me!"

"Call... for help... save... save you..."

"Liars! You're all liars! Deceiving me even at the brink of death!"

I dragged the woman's body towards the door and then walked towards the communication device.