News reports about citizens suffering from sudden high fevers and extreme weakness, resembling flu-like symptoms, are being attributed to abnormal weather changes. The public is urged not to panic and to seek medical attention promptly. This station will continue to follow the developing story.
The news broadcast from the living room pierced through the bedroom door, an irritating sound that reached the home's cluttered storage room. The storage room was in disrepair, filled with scattered debris, and the air even carried a musty odor. Amidst the mess, a space was barely cleared to accommodate something resembling a small bed. On it lay a crumpled cotton mattress and a thin, threadbare quilt, tightly wrapped around a girl who seemed to possess no presence, her frame impossibly gaunt.
"Luo Xiaole! You lazy brat, aren't you getting up to make breakfast? You don't want to eat today, do you?"
A gruff, middle-aged female voice forcefully pushed open the door and entered, storming towards the girl on the small bed. Luo Xiaole only heard the resounding slap and then a burning pain across her back. She winced, her sleepiness vanishing. She secretly glared at her aunt who had hit her, then stumbled to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. If she didn't work, she wouldn't eat; she just wanted a full meal.
The weather had been persistently cold and damp lately. Her rheumatism, a condition developed from years of forced labor, had flared up, causing unbearable pain in her joints as she cooked breakfast. After some time, an impatient voice also came from her sister's room.
"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and bring us breakfast! And I have a fever, get me some medicine."
"Honey, don't be so harsh on Xiaole," a male voice chimed in from the sister's room.
"Oh, so you're the good guy now, huh? Why are you always defending her? Do you have a crush on that little brat!" The sister unleashed a torrent of abuse at her brother-in-law.
Luo Xiaole rummaged through drawers and cupboards to find fever medicine. Hearing the exchange, she pursed her lips. Her brother-in-law would always say nice things to her face, but it only resulted in her enduring more of her sister's scolding. Besides, he ordered her around just as much as her sister did. They were all bullies! Luo Xiaole spat softly.
Still, she brought the medicine and breakfast into their room. If she didn't comply, she would be the one to suffer in the end. As she watched her sister and brother-in-law, their eyes red and throats gurgling as they drank their porridge, Luo Xiaole was about to go to the kitchen to clear the dishes when she suddenly sensed something was amiss. She stared at her sister and brother-in-law with a look of confusion. They seemed unusually odd. Although they were happily eating porridge, their eyes were remarkably red, as if they had been crying.
"Hn... hn..." The sound of them eating porridge gradually morphed into a guttural panting, like a beast before a hunt.
Before Luo Xiaole could get a clear look, her sister suddenly cried out in pain and then violently lunged, grabbing her brother-in-law. Her fangs bared, and she instantly bit off a large chunk of flesh from his neck! The carotid artery in her brother-in-law's neck was instantly severed, and blood spurted violently towards the ceiling! His pained screams continued unabated. Within seconds, his eyes changed, and he instinctively bit back, tearing off a large portion of his sister's cheek, which he chewed with a sickening crunch...
Luo Xiaole had never witnessed such a scene. Her blood ran cold, and she clamped her hand over her mouth, suppressing the scream that clawed at her throat. Zombies! Wasn't this something from television shows? How could this be? How could her sister and brother-in-law suddenly turn into zombies? Did zombies actually exist in this world!
Before Luo Xiaole could react, the door behind her was abruptly slammed shut with a bang. Her aunt's enraged voice echoed through the door.
"Luo Xiaole, you little slut, you dare hit family members? And you've gotten your sister and brother-in-law covered in blood. I'm calling the police to arrest you. Don't expect me to open this door for you!"
"Auntie! Auntie, open the door, my sister and brother-in-law have turned into monsters, quickly open the door and let me out! Help me, Auntie!" Luo Xiaole was frantic. She rushed to the bedroom door, desperately twisting the doorknob, her voice distorted by fear.
Instead of her aunt showing any mercy, her "sister and brother-in-law," hearing her cries for help, bared their fangs, their faces smeared with blood and flesh, and approached her with eerie guttural sounds, their eyes glinting with excitement. They were about to pounce on her! In a critical moment, Luo Xiaole spotted a wardrobe beside her. Gritting her teeth, she yanked open its door and squeezed inside. Just as she closed it, she heard them slam violently against it. A second later, and she would have been dismembered! Luo Xiaole bit her lip hard, using her back to brace the wardrobe door.
At that moment, a terrified scream erupted from the living room, her aunt's voice filled with horror! Then, a sudden cacophony of fighting sounds ensued. Luo Xiaole heard a heavy thud, followed by her uncle, aunt, and brother's voices discussing something heatedly at the door.
"Mo... monsters! What should we do, husband! Should we run!"
"Nonsense! Quickly grab that ring! We'll go with them!"
"The ring, the ring, at a time like this, you're still thinking about that bitch's ring! Even after marrying someone else and having Luo Xiaole, she still has your soul! I should have pulled the oxygen tubes from that bitch and her man earlier!" Her aunt raged and cursed, her voice growing fainter as they moved away.
Hearing this, Luo Xiaole's heart leaped, and her body trembled violently. After her parents died, she was taken in by these distant relatives. Grateful, she endured their mistreatment daily, believing that she was alive only because of her aunt's family. But now, she learned that her parents, who were in the intensive care unit, were actually killed by her aunt!
"...creak..." Her sister's frantic roars echoed, her sharp nails scraping against the wardrobe door, creating a horrifying sound. The noise, so close to her ear, made her scalp tingle. Luo Xiaole snapped back to reality, fear flooding her once more. In despair, she rubbed the crescent-moon white ring on her finger, the only memento from her parents. Terror and despair overwhelmed her, and tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, dripping onto the ring.
"Drip."
[Command Received]
[Item Merchant System Activated. System is currently charging, with three trial uses of item enhancement: Sharp as a Blade]
[Please select the weapon to be enhanced.]
The mechanical voice that suddenly appeared in her mind startled Luo Xiaole. Although absurd, this was her only hope. Luo Xiaole fumbled around. The empty wardrobe contained only a few pathetic plastic coat hangers. Luo Xiaole had no choice but to tightly grip one of the hangers and silently recite "Sharp as a Blade" as instructed.
[Enhancement Skill Activated: Sharp as a Blade!]
In the next second, a soft golden light flashed, and a sharp, irresistible blade-like hum filled the air. One side of the hanger seemed to have condensed into a sharp edge in the air, glinting with a transparent, cold light. Luo Xiaole attempted to slash the enhanced hanger towards the wardrobe door. The wooden handle area was directly cut in half! This demonstrated how formidable the hanger had become! Her sister's face, now purplish and discolored, with saliva dripping, emerged from the hole, appearing terrifying!
At this moment, Luo Xiaole's body froze abruptly. How could this be! She gasped inwardly. She knew she had always been timid, lacking the courage to resist others, but in this critical moment, she couldn't control her own body? Not only was she frozen as if by ice, unable to even blink, but all the aches and pains from her illnesses surged back simultaneously. Before her was still her sister's terrifying, dusky face. The entire experience felt like an agonizing torment in hell!
After about five minutes, Luo Xiaole finally felt strength gradually returning to her body. She could finally control herself again. The sight before her didn't allow for much thought. She took a deep breath, grabbed the hanger, and with all her might, pulled open the wardrobe door, swinging directly at her monstrous sister and brother-in-law! The hanger swept across, slicing as easily as cutting tofu. Both zombie heads flew off and landed with a thud. The cross-sections of their severed necks were… incredibly smooth, like mirrors…
The overwhelming intensity of the scene hit her nerves. She knelt down uncontrollably, retching. After a while, she slowly managed to suppress the discomfort. She opened the window to get some air and saw cars on the street outside, swerving and crashing into each other as if drunk. Figures like walking corpses scrambled out of the vehicles, then pounced on fleeing pedestrians, tearing and devouring them. Instantly, the entire street became a hellscape, drenched in blood, with screams and roars piercing the sky.
What had happened to this world... Luo Xiaole's mind reeled, and she stood frozen, feeling as though her 19 years of a peaceful life had been completely overturned.