Chapter 11-Game Descent: I Am the Sole Player
Bai Shan had zero recollection of that Rolls-Royce. She'd merely been bluffing—and judging by the woman's expression, she'd guessed right.
The young woman said nothing. She turned away coldly, and the Rolls-Royce's window slid up. The gray vehicle sped off.
"Bai Shan, aren't you projecting a bit?" Lin Huijun joked.
"What do you mean, projecting..." Bai Shan muttered.
At a time like this, everyone was using whatever means they had to survive. Not actively killing others to level up already counted as good character. She could scheme against others, and others could naturally scheme against her—it was just a matter of who was more skilled.
That woman had used them to scout the path and should have had the sense to leave quietly. Coming up to play friendly might have meant she had ulterior motives.
"What's so special about a Rolls-Royce? My family has a globally one-of-a-kind vehicle."
She wasn't sure if other players could obtain the same item, but her [A Diligent Hardworking RV] had accompanied [Tyrant] all the way to Level 89 in the game's 1.0 version. Its significance was beyond compare—no Rolls-Royce Cullinan could hold a candle to it!
Bai Shan said, "I'll take you to see it tomorrow. Tonight, let's rest at my auntie's place first. She lives nearby."
Lin Huijun had recovered to normal. The two walked side by side at a brisk pace. They didn't encounter any monsters along this stretch—only damaged buildings, vehicles, and bullet-riddled Aberrant carcasses. The nearby residents seemed to have all gone into hiding.
The Aberrants on the streets had been swept clean by the authorities.
"Oh right, I just got an item." Lin Huijun said suddenly while walking with her head down, pulling something out that startled Bai Shan.
Bai Shan touched the rock-hard fish in her hand. Sharp, hard spines protruded from its back.
[Frozen Tilapia (B-Tier) Effect: Hard enough to crack a skull open with one swing.]
"The item description says it's hard enough to crack a skull in one hit, and it's stored in the panel space so I can pull it out anytime."
Lin Huijun said with some excitement. Bai Shan couldn't help but crack a smile too. "B-Tier. Good enough for the early game."
Bai Shan didn't like physical contact with people. Lin Huijun's ability was powerful but taxing—best saved for critical moments. For ordinary Aberrants, whacking them with a Frozen Tilapia would do just fine.
Night came earlier than usual today. Before six o'clock, only a sliver of sunset remained.
The two arrived at a residential complex.
"Your auntie's doing pretty well for herself."
Lin Huijun recognized this complex. It was on Rong City's property price leaderboard. Although housing prices had plummeted in recent years, high-end developments in major cities weren't much affected.
Auntie Zhou was among the earliest wave of e-commerce entrepreneurs in the country. Rumor had it she'd known Bai Shan's mother since that era. Bai Shan, ever hoping her mother would achieve greatness, felt a pang of regret—if only her mom had gone into e-commerce with Auntie Zhou back then, she might have been a rich second-generation kid.
The security booth was empty. The card-swipe entry gate had been destroyed by something, leaving only one door hanging precariously.
Bai Shan had a bad feeling.
She caught a foul smell. As the two walked deeper into the complex, they discovered one of the buildings had been scorched black.
The originally elegant white walls had become mottled and charred, forming a bleak contrast with the pristine building next door.
"Not the one she lives in."
Bai Shan confirmed with a glance and breathed a sigh of relief.
"This fire doesn't look right." Lin Huijun stopped to study it, her expression grave. "You can still see greenery on the 10th-floor balcony. The fire doesn't seem to have spread from inside the apartments—it looks more like someone set it from the outside."
Bai Shan moved closer for a careful look and found Lin Huijun was right.
This complex had generously sized balconies. With her current eyesight, she could see into the balcony interiors. The flames seemed to have only burned the building's exterior briefly before dying out—they hadn't even reached inside. It looked worse than it actually was.
Bai Shan said, "Someone probably used their Talent ability to start the fire, but their skill level was clearly mediocre."
Counting this one, Bai Shan had encountered three fire abilities today: the tall man, Lin Huijun, and the arsonist.
Similar abilities, vastly different power levels. Lin Huijun was S-Tier; the other two were B-Tier at best. Their fire looked impressive in scale, but when Bai Shan had faced the tall man's flames head-on earlier, she hadn't felt any pressure at all.
"Setting a building on fire—was that person driven insane by the game?"
Lin Huijun shook her head. She couldn't understand that person's logic.
Bai Shan scoffed. "That person probably thought they were a genius. Imagine how much leveling experience you'd get from burning an entire building full of people to death."
However, this was a game where everyone had Talent abilities. A ruthless person could seize a slight advantage by striking first, but once others reacted, they'd have all sorts of abilities to throw back. Brazen villainy was shortsighted and foolish.
The two walked past the building and found a severed head in the grass, eyes wide open. There were scorch marks around it, but the person appeared to have been... stomped to death?
Near the head, Bai Shan found a puddle of bloody pulp. This person had likely been pinned to the ground by some massive beast's paw, then crushed flat with a single stomp—only the head remained.
Lin Huijun examined the surrounding footprints and battle traces. "Looks like a mutated cat or dog did this."
She added, "This person was most likely the one who set the building on fire."
Then Lin Huijun turned away and dry-heaved. It was her first time seeing something this gory.
"Good kitty, good doggy."
Bai Shan praised. She nudged a slightly singed strand of long fur on the ground with her foot, thinking of Auntie Zhou's British Shorthair.
"She lives in the building next door. Let's go."
After a few steps, Bai Shan noticed several depressions in the lawn ahead, along with an overturned tea table. She crouched down suspiciously and identified them as large paw prints from a cat or dog. The prints were so deep that the animal must have jumped straight down from a balcony above.
Bai Shan followed the direction of the paw prints and looked up. Her expression shifted.
She ran into the building, climbed to the 15th floor, and stopped before an apartment door. The smart lock's facial recognition approved her, and the door opened.
Pushing the door open, the two cautiously peeked in from the entryway, exchanging a glance. They heard nothing unusual.
Entering the living room, expensive furniture lay toppled on the floor. Wall paintings had crashed down. The crystal chandelier from the ceiling had shattered on the carpet. It was as chaotic as a moving scene.
Bai Shan and Lin Huijun searched the bedroom, study, and bathroom. Not a single living thing, and no bloodstains.
The bedroom wardrobe doors hung open, more than half the clothes scattered on the floor. The kitchen freezer hadn't been closed either. The apartment's owner had clearly left in a hurry.
"She's already gone."
Not even a single bag of cat food had been left behind. Zhou Xuzhen had definitely taken the cat with her.
"Her cat must have mutated. The sofa's been knocked over."
Bai Shan analyzed. "She left in such a rush—it might not have been voluntary."
Lin Huijun looked at Bai Shan, puzzled. "Why do you think that?"
"Didn't your complex require everyone to get rid of their pets? Ordinary pets were treated that way—let alone a gray fat cat at least three meters tall."
That cat had been fat to begin with—solid fat, not the fluffy kind. It was entirely possible that the dead arsonist outside had simply been unlucky. The freshly mutated fat cat probably hadn't even noticed him and accidentally stepped on him. Karma, really.
Lin Huijun said, "My neighbor's dog also mutated, but it wasn't aggressive at all. It actually saved someone. It was still in the yard when I left."
Bai Shan pondered. "So it seems Aberrants don't mindlessly attack humans like zombies."
But aside from animals that had emotional bonds with humans, all other mutated creatures had shown intense aggression. Was it because the mutation created enormous energy demands, driving an overwhelming urge to feed?
The floor-to-ceiling windows of the spacious apartment were shattered. Bai Shan stood at the edge of the broken glass. Night had quietly descended. Scattered lights glowed in the surrounding buildings—ordinary lights that felt extraordinarily conspicuous tonight.
"Turn off all the lights."
Bai Shan said suddenly.
They'd turned on all the lights earlier to search the rooms.
It wasn't even 7 PM yet. Normally, the lively nightlife would just be getting started.
But starting today, the lively nights would belong to certain nocturnal creatures.
Bai Shan felt somewhat grateful that Tomorrow's Dominator had descended in winter. Creatures were relatively inactive in this season. If it had been summer, the insects alone would have been terrifying enough.
"Are we staying here tonight?" Lin Huijun asked in the darkness after turning off all the lights. "Will the auntie be okay? She's alone with a cat—who knows where she'll end up."
"She runs an online shop. She has a big warehouse for inventory. I'm guessing she took the cat there."
Having confirmed that Zhou Xuzhen hadn't been killed by her mutated cat, Bai Shan stopped worrying. She didn't know what Talent ability the woman had awakened, but she had a mutated pet fat cat with her. Felines were always top-tier fighters—even if this particular cat was a bit lazy, a bit fat, and a bit dim...
Water and electricity were still running. The two washed up quickly and headed to the bedroom to rest.
Before lying down, they moved furniture to barricade the door and windows. Their bodies were exhausted, but their minds were so wired with tension and adrenaline that sleep wouldn't come easily.
Bai Shan thought she heard a scream. She rolled over in bed and met Lin Huijun's tense gaze—so the scream hadn't been her imagination.
The slightest sound was like water splashing into hot oil. In the pitch-black darkness, it bred vivid, terrifying imaginings. Bai Shan considered herself a brave person, but guarding this eerie, unfamiliar environment and waiting for an unknown tomorrow—for the first time, she found the night truly agonizing.
She forced herself not to overthink, and at some point, she fell asleep.
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