(This is the fourth update. There will be a fifth update later. I promised five updates today, and I won't break my promise.)

Daylight broke.

Li Qiming is dead.

I went back to the warehouse, expressionlessly opened a packet of instant noodles, took a bite—it was very dry. I opened a bottle of water, took a sip—it was very bitter.

After eating half a pack of instant noodles and drinking a couple of sips of water, I curled up in a corner, clutching the message left by Li Qiming. Tears streamed down my face like a burst dam, and the pain in my heart was indescribable. My mouth was agape, and I couldn't even breathe properly!

"Ah!" I screamed, trying to vent my emotions, and closed my eyes, feeling immense pain.

Why?!

Why be so pessimistic?

Even if living is painful, at least you're still alive! As long as you live, there's always hope. But once you die, everything is gone. Hell and heaven are all bullshit!

Once you're dead, you lose everything!

Li Qiming! Why the hell are you so desperate?!

I curled up in the corner, unable to think.

Everything in front of me became unfamiliar, and before I knew it, I cried myself unconscious.

I don't know if I'm dreaming.

I seem to have dreamt about some things, some people.

In my dream, I was sitting in a Starbucks in the center of Wutong City. In front of me was a square wooden table with a computer on it. Next to the computer was a matcha latte, which was very sweet and rich, but not bitter at all.

Outside the window was a crossroads, bustling with traffic, and it seemed to be raining.

My seat faces the door directly.

There were quite a few people coming and going outside the door. Every now and then, I would see some familiar faces walk in. They looked really familiar, but I couldn't remember who they were.

A good-looking man, who appeared to be in his thirties, was carrying his child, who looked to be about four or five years old, with his beautiful wife following behind. They walked into Starbucks, chatting and laughing. They didn't look at me and went straight to the bar to order coffee.

I turned my head and saw two students sitting at a table next to me. At first, I thought they were students in a relationship, but upon closer inspection, I realized that they looked very alike and were probably siblings.

I could tell that the older brother's eyes were full of affection for his younger sister, and the younger sister pouted and teased her brother.

I smiled, closed my laptop, put it in my backpack, grabbed my coffee, went outside, opened my umbrella, and stepped into the rain.

The rain was light, just right.

When I arrived at the intersection, I crossed the pedestrian crossing and saw a film crew's car with several people inside. They were all familiar big stars, which made me realize how wonderful their lives are.

However, I also know that beneath this beautiful surface lies their hard work, their unconsciousness every night, and their perseverance and tears behind closed doors.

No one has it easy.

After crossing the intersection, walk onto Wutong Street.

Beneath the pure white sycamore trees, several high school students appeared, dressed in school uniforms, chatting and laughing, playfully fighting, having an unbelievable time. Seeing them, I couldn't help but think of my own high school days, such a wonderful age.

Continuing on, I came to the entrance of a hotel and saw a successful man get out of a luxury car, speaking English that I couldn't understand, chatting and laughing with a foreigner next to him.

Is this what social elites are like?

Turning my head, I looked down at the road and saw a military pickup truck in my line of sight. There were two soldiers in the pickup truck, and they looked very tough.

After walking about 300 meters, I came to another intersection. The traffic here was quite heavy, and it seemed there had been a car accident. A police car drove up from a distance, and a policeman got out of it. I looked at him and smiled slightly.

That used to be the hospital where I worked.

I'm on the night shift today, and I have to stay up all night again. I can't take it.

Holding an umbrella, I walked into the hospital and arrived at my department. As soon as I entered, I saw a familiar face.

She said to me, "Why are you so late?"

"Wu Shuang..."

...

The moment I called out Wu Shuang's name, I woke up.

I woke up suddenly, and when I touched the corner of my eye, it was full of tears.

I looked up and saw that I was still the only person in the warehouse. Memories flooded back, and I remembered that Li Qiming had committed suicide before, and I had watched his body being eaten by those monsters.

I covered my face and woke up feeling terrible, with no sign of recovery.

Li Qiming is dead, and I have accepted that now.

But I'm not resigned to this!

I closed my eyes and began to think about what happened last night, trying to figure out how to analyze each of their situations.

“I remember, when we escaped last night, Fei Lichao seemed to have gotten into trouble, and Pu Weichao didn't make a sound, so he must have escaped. Something must have happened to Chenshen as well, which is why Yunlan screamed. As for the little girl, she should…”

When I thought of the little girl, I paused. Yesterday I heard her scream. At the time, I didn't think much of it and assumed she was in trouble. But now, thinking about her screams last night, something was definitely wrong.

Because the little girl was shouting things like "Let me go...", it's clear she was being captured, not killed!

"So, the little girl might still be alive! And she was captured by Zhou Liang?"

I was puzzled. Didn't Zhou Liang say he was going to kill us all? Why did he capture the little girl?

There's definitely something wrong!

No, I have to go back and rescue the little girl!

I got up, checked the time, and realized it was already 10 a.m. I had slept for five hours.

I ransacked the safe house, taking out everything hidden inside: food, supplies, clothes—all stuffed into my backpack, along with a handgun, a machete, and plenty of ammunition. Most importantly, I found my cell phone.

I picked up my phone, opened it, and saw that the photo album contained many memories.

When I saw that group photo in the album, my heart ached.

This photo was taken when we were still in the Linshan Scenic Area in Hangzhou. Now, many of the people in this photo are dead.

I put away my phone, composed myself, and prepared to leave.

I opened the door, and the blinding light outside made me uncomfortable.

I originally intended to go out through the front door, but when I turned around, I saw Li Qiming and his son's bodies lying outside the door, and I didn't have the courage to go out through the front door.

I really want to bury them, but there are too many monsters outside. If I go out, I'm afraid I'll become the target of everyone's attacks.

"Li Qiming, I'm sorry."

I muttered to myself, turned around, and walked toward the back door.

Upon arriving at the back gate, I found myself in a residential garden. I had already cleared out the monsters there, so even if there were any left, they were few and far between.

I drew my machete, stepped out the back door, and was met with a monster and a woman with long, flowing hair, wearing very little clothing. I walked forward with a furrowed brow and slashed the woman's head with my machete. It died before it could even roar.

"Girl, I will come and rescue you."

(End of this chapter)