Apartment No. 5 Building (10)
3:30 PM.
In the bedroom, three people gathered punctually in front of Xiao Qing’s display screen.
The screen was completely blank—no signs of any life forms detected yet.
The bedroom fell into a heavy silence, an awkward atmosphere slowly spreading.
Just moments ago, Jiang Mei had bluntly pointed out Luo Chenyi’s condition without sparing him any face, and the discussion had ground to a halt like entering a dead end.
Xiao Qing’s old habit of feeling embarrassed for others crept back, making her utterly uncomfortable.
Time ticked by, minute after minute, as the three silently stared at the screen.
Finally, the display showed some movement—
A red shadow slowly approached.
“Quick, quick, quick, look…” Xiao Qing gasped sharply, as if a drowning soul had suddenly found a breath of air.
The red figure gradually expanded from the edge.
Its shape was hard to describe—tall and long, like a tree trunk with several thick branches hanging off it.
It slowly moved forward, fully entering the screen’s range before gradually disappearing off the other side.
Xiao Qing’s scalp tingled. What kind of monster was that?!
Jiang Mei: “…Queen larva.”
Luo Chenyi: “No.”
In other words, inside this nest, besides the queen larva, there was also a long-striped creature.
The long-striped creature vanished from the screen and then reappeared after about forty minutes, circling back and forth.
The three watched as it repeatedly passed the detection device.
Xiao Qing furrowed her brow. “Disinfection time… is this the creature that moves out then? What exactly is it doing?”
“Patrolling,” Jiang Mei said inexplicably.
Xiao Qing was stunned, unsure how to respond. “Patrolling? Patrolling its territory?” She gave a dry laugh.
Luo Chenyi straightened his back and shifted his gaze from the screen to Jiang Mei’s pale profile.
“Patrolling is part of its job,” Jiang Mei murmured, lowering her head, her expression thoughtful.
“Just watch and you’ll understand.”
“Watch.”
4:30 PM, Jiang Mei pushed open the door on time, ignoring the suspicious new claw marks on it, and stepped straight to the door, pressing her eyes against the peephole.
Xiao Qing, terrified, hurried after her, but seeing Jiang Mei was only looking through the peephole, she breathed out, “You scared me. I thought you were going to…”
Jiang Mei turned her head, eyes questioning.
Xiao Qing patted her chest and happened to catch Luo Chenyi subtly releasing a breath of relief.
“…Phew, that really scared Luo team leader.”
A Degenerate was lying flat against the kitchen door window, staring fixedly at them.
Xiao Qing caught it in her peripheral vision and jumped again, admiring Jiang Mei’s courage even more.
Living with such a monster—she could still adapt?!
The living room gradually quieted down; even their breathing became soft and slow.
Jiang Mei’s body pressed tightly against the door, her eyes following the peephole to look outside.
After about ten minutes, Jiang Mei caught sight of a blurry figure.
Distorted by the peephole’s twisted perspective, the shadow slowly approached, magnifying in her eyes like a long leather strap stretched by brute force.
Its body nearly touched the ceiling, with its back bent sharply, limbs hanging long down to the floor.
For a while, Jiang Mei couldn’t see the creature’s head.
After searching, she found its neck stretched like putty, flowing down from its nape to its back, nearly touching the floor.
A sudden flash of light blinded Jiang Mei.
A beam shot out from the monster’s chest, dazzling and bright.
Her breathing paused instantly, her mind filled with even stronger suspicions.
The monster’s huge, cumbersome body cast a shadow on the wall as it slowly approached Room 524.
Jiang Mei calmed her breath, focusing intently as she followed it.
When it reached Room 524, the monster suddenly stopped.
The head hanging near the floor twisted 180 degrees and lifted up.
“Hello—” Through the peephole, the hollow eye sockets stared back at Jiang Mei.
At the same time, Jiang Mei clearly saw the creature’s clothing, stretched beyond recognition.
A blue top and white pants.
A voice came through the door: “Hello, do you need any assistance?”
The voice was normal and fluent, but no one answered.
The living room fell into deadly silence.
Jiang Mei stepped away from the door and sat on the sofa as the voice continued outside.
The strange yet normal voice repeated: “Do you need any help?”
“Hello?”
“Are you looking at me?”
Xiao Qing’s throat felt dry like a cicada’s, her scalp prickling as she stared fixedly at the door.
The presence outside was far stronger than the Degenerate inside.
Jiang Mei remained unmoved until the voice outside finally stopped.
The corridor sounds resumed—shuffling and faint footsteps.
Luo Chenyi asked, “Jiang Mei, what did you see?”
“Wait! Jiang Mei?!” Xiao Qing suddenly shouted, her eyes reflecting Jiang Mei’s unusual behavior.
From her perspective, Jiang Mei suddenly stood up, walked a few steps to the door, and opened it—
Luo Chenyi clenched his jaw tightly and dashed forward.
In the bright and quiet corridor, a clear “click” sounded.
The long-limbed creature had reached the corridor’s end.
Hearing the door open, it stopped moving.
Its eyes, which had been hanging near the floor, looked back—
The naked eye saw more clearly than through the peephole.
Jiang Mei straightened up, confirming her suspicions.
“Jiang Mei!” Luo Chenyi grabbed her arm from behind as if holding onto a slender rod.
Jiang Mei felt a strong pull on her arm and was dragged backward toward Luo Chenyi.
“…”
Now Jiang Mei could only see Luo Chenyi’s back.
“Go back!” a voice came from in front.
“…You go back!” Jiang Mei tried to break free.
The long-striped creature raised its head, pushing straight up to the corridor ceiling.
It spoke two short words:
“Electric. Light.”
Jiang Mei was stunned.
Tilting her body, she tried to communicate: “Hello?”
The creature’s whip-like arms whipped over without mercy.
Jiang Mei quickly scanned Luo Chenyi in front of her but didn’t see any movement.
A gust of wind rolled off the creature’s arms, hitting her face.
Luo Chenyi’s pupils rippled, shifting from black to silver.
As if issuing a final command, the arms stopped mid-air, frozen in place.
Jiang Mei, witnessing the display of power, couldn’t help but praise sincerely: “Impressive!”
Luo Chenyi didn’t feel Jiang Mei had time to compliment him.
“Go back now.”
But Jiang Mei said, “Actually, you’re interfering with my plan.”
“I have something to discuss with him.”
Luo Chenyi’s mind went blank.
Jiang Mei circled to stand in front of him.
The creature’s arms whipped again.
Luo Chenyi held his breath; patterns appeared in his eyes—
“Protecting the resident’s safety is the property’s duty.”
The voice, neither loud nor soft, seemed to invisibly inscribe a rule in the air.
The creature’s flexible, long arms stopped just half a step from Jiang Mei.
However, in the next instant, its arm twisted in mid-air and swung straight at Luo Chenyi.
Xiao Qing, leaning against the doorway, hadn’t yet registered what was happening when cold sweat broke out on her back.
Jiang Mei’s slender figure came into Luo Chenyi’s view.
She stepped aside and stood in front of him.
The attack stopped mid-air again.
“Very good,” Jiang Mei said softly.
“Let’s discuss.”
“Could I borrow your flashlight?”
The words “flashlight” seemed to trigger an underlying mechanism.
The property’s head turned swiftly and wriggled closer.
Its limbs flailed with explosive sounds but stopped abruptly right at Jiang Mei’s nose.
“Electric.”
“Light.”
The mechanical repetition echoed through the corridor, whispers mixing with the response.
“All right,” Jiang Mei sighed lightly.
She turned, grabbed Luo Chenyi’s hand behind her, and pushed him back inside Room 524.
With a sharp “click,” Xiao Qing quickly shut the door.
A heavy thud hit the door.
This time, Jiang Mei clearly saw the source of the light on the creature’s chest.
It was a flashlight embedded in its chest, fused with its flesh.
Bang! Crash! Bang!
The repeated pounding hit her eardrums as Xiao Qing tried to process what they had just witnessed.
“Ms. Jiang, that was really dangerous just now, don’t you realize?” Luo Chenyi said coldly, trying to make Jiang Mei understand the severity.
“I’m not in danger,” Jiang Mei sat back on the sofa, her eyes calm.
Her voice was hoarse and indifferent. “You shouldn’t stand in front of me. I’m the resident; you’re the guest. I’m within the property’s protection range, and you’re only inside mine.”
Jiang Mei had already guessed the long-striped creature’s identity from its silhouette on the screen—it was the only property staff member.
The clothes she saw through the peephole further confirmed it.
Then she tested whether the property would still prioritize resident protection under this abnormal state by opening the door—
The truth was, in abnormal conditions, its first order was to eliminate anyone in the corridor.
Jiang Mei had no choice but to invoke its duty to protect the resident.
She lifted her chin and looked toward Luo Chenyi, who seemed to understand her intention, and to Xiao Qing, whose face had turned pale.
“The person outside is property staff.”
“I just established the rule: property won’t attack the resident.”
“Let’s lure the queen larva down, let the property, in its abnormal state, trap it, and then we head to the seventh floor to get the flashlight—does this plan work?”
Jiang Mei lowered her head and bit her lip twice softly.
Originally, she planned to borrow the property’s flashlight.
The flashlight the property always carried was most likely from the property service center.
Unfortunately, the creature wouldn’t lend it.
Under the rules, property might not harm her but wouldn’t allow her to take it.
Stealing it would be no easier than fighting the queen larva head-on.
So she had to try another method—she would provoke the queen larva herself, and under the property’s duty to protect the resident, the property would come to her rescue and trap the queen larva.
At first, Jiang Mei’s plan seemed bold, but on closer thought, it was indeed a way out.
To prevent Luo Chenyi from degenerating, he needed to avoid direct confrontation with the queen larva.
Jiang Mei’s plan minimized the chance of clashing with the queen larva.
“The property notification says the first floor doesn’t include disinfection and sterilization.
So the property won’t go there.
We can position ourselves on the second floor,” Jiang Mei’s voice was tired and weak.
She had issued a new rule, which consumed a lot of her energy.
The food stored in her stomach was instantly digested.
The exhausted Ms. Jiang stopped speaking, rested for several breaths, and continued, “We’ll take the second elevator… cough, cough, cough…”
Xiao Qing worriedly asked, “Jiang Mei, are you okay?”
Jiang Mei’s back relaxed; she covered her mouth and nose, coughing continuously.
Luo Chenyi quickly poured out two pills and some water, placing them in front of her.
Jiang Mei moved her hand away.
Xiao Qing gasped and quickly grabbed tissues to hold over Jiang Mei’s nose.
Jiang Mei saw the fresh red stain in her hand.
Luo Chenyi pressed his lips lightly, lifted the water and medicine, and fed Jiang Mei gently.
She accepted the help without refusal and swallowed.
The medicine’s effect was immediate; the nosebleed stopped at once.
Xiao Qing said, “Jiang Mei, you can’t use your ability anymore.”
Jiang Mei: “I know.”
She knew her own body well.
Her condition was poor, held together by medicine.
The earlier rule was her limit.
Mainly, she was very hungry.
The hunger clung to her like a parasite, slowly devouring her flesh.
If not replenished soon, her body would collapse and rot.
This was why, after weighing her endurance, she issued that rule.
She needed to get out quickly.
Immediately.
Right now.
Jiang Mei was determined.