The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

"..."

"Alright, Xiaolan, don't go and provoke those monsters. Be careful they don't actually break through the glass and escape."

"We'll all die then!"

Xiaolan pursed her lips, said nothing, and quietly stepped aside.

The atmosphere froze again, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Unable to bear the deathly silence any longer, someone couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Where do you think these monsters came from?"

"Nobody here conducts biological or genetic experiments, so could it be... someone has been tampering with something they shouldn't have?"

Don't look at me, it's definitely not me.

"It couldn't be me! I value my life very much!"

Xiao Lan, who was squatting by the wall, looked up and said in a soft voice with a hint of curious inquiry, "Tracing the source might not be the most urgent thing right now... We should think about what will happen to them next?"

Without a second thought, Brother Li said viciously, "What else can we do? We'll kill them all!"

"These monsters are so aggressive, are we just going to keep them alive for the New Year?!"

"All of them?" Xiaolan's gaze swept across the small glass window and landed on the restless figures inside, her brows furrowing.

Xiaolan shook her head and mustered her courage to speak: "I don't think killing them directly is a good way to deal with it."

"They exhibit unusually high levels of intelligence, and their aggressive behavior may be a stress response to being trapped."

"Moreover, these monsters are agile and extremely durable; even firearms have difficulty penetrating their hides and actually injuring them."

At this point, Xiaolan paused slightly, took a deep breath, and seemed to be searching through her memories.

"I've never seen this creature before, and I can't find it online either, perhaps..."

"They have significant research value..."

Before Xiaolan could finish speaking, Brother Li rudely interrupted her.

"Take a taxi right now to S City, find the big Buddha statue there, tell him to get out of the way, and you can sit in his seat."

"Please, snap out of it! Research? Look at Sun Haoze's arm! Look at Lao Wang's leg! You still have the mind to research these monsters?!"

"Can you? No... are you worthy?"

Xiao Lan, who was called out, was not intimidated this time; she just frowned even more.

"No, Brother Li, you've misunderstood me. I'm not acting on emotion."

"It is precisely because they are dangerous that we cannot simply deal with them and be done with it."

"Where did they come from? Why did they appear? And why are they so aggressive?"

"If we don't find a way to clarify these unknowns, the next time someone encounters a similar situation, they will probably only face certain death."

"We're not always this lucky to be able to hide behind a safe door when we encounter these monsters."

Xiao Lan's voice was calm, yet it caused a moment of silence to fall around her.

Brother Li laughed angrily: "Idiot!"

"We're not even completely safe ourselves yet, and you're already thinking about others? Someone like you wouldn't even survive three chapters in a post-apocalyptic novel."

The others glanced at the furious Brother Li, then at Xiao Lan, and sighed softly.

"Alright, Lao Li, I think Xiao Lan has a point. Even if you don't agree, there's no need to say it so harshly."

"That's right, we're all colleagues after all, and we'll see each other all the time."

Hearing that some people were speaking up for her, Brother Li immediately became furious: "Is she stupid, and are you all stupid too? Aren't we already in enough trouble?"

He can't listen to anything now; all he wants is to go back alive and well.

When I got home, I hugged my wife and kids.

"I...I was just suggesting a possibility." Xiaolan lowered her head, her eyes slightly red. "Of course I know that everyone's safety is the most important thing right now."

Brother Li didn't believe her at all. He glanced at the people next to her and said, "Keep an eye on her. I don't want to die at the hands of a useless teammate."

Just then, the previously silent, refined-looking man with glasses suddenly let out a low, uncertain gasp.

"Wait...look!"

The argument stopped abruptly, and everyone turned to look at the glass window in the door.

Inside the experimental hall, the previously agitated monsters suddenly stopped all movement.

It stopped catching things and stopped barking.

One of them stood quietly in front of the door, its head slightly tilted, as if it were thinking about something.

next second.

Under the horrified gaze of everyone, it slowly raised one of its front paws.

With its sharp claws, capable of easily tearing through steel plates, it gently tapped the combination lock area of ​​the alloy door.

drop.

A soft electronic sound came from the combination lock area of ​​the alloy door.

The moon cat demon's claws landed precisely on the number keys.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

Everyone's breathing stopped, their hearts felt like they were being squeezed by an invisible hand, and even their blood stopped flowing.

drop.

Another sound.

Then......

drop.

drop.

drop.

The electronic sounds began to quicken, forming a continuous chorus that echoed through the empty, deathly silent night, pounding against everyone's heart.

The sudden turn of events left all the experimenters, who had just escaped death, with their backs instantly soaked in cold sweat.

A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head.

"Is it...is it trying to crack the password?"

The man who spoke was trembling, and his teeth were chattering, making a clattering sound.

Fear is spreading.

But soon, the usually silent, refined-looking man with glasses suddenly pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a calm light.

"impossible!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was unusually firm.

"This door uses a military-grade composite access control system, which requires a 12-digit password and a special access card."

"Even if it happens to guess the correct password, it has absolutely no chance of getting the access card!"

These words were like a shot of adrenaline, injecting into everyone's nearly collapsing nerves.

Yes.

There are also access cards.

There was only one copy of that thing, and they had already taken it out.

Brother Li's tense muscles relaxed, he exhaled a breath of stale air, and a look of disdain reappeared on his face.

"I knew it! An animal is an animal. Did it really think it could become a spirit?"

"It was just a lucky coincidence."

"However, this monster is indeed quite intelligent, it just happened to run into us, who are even more cunning."

The others chimed in, saying things that sounded like they were comforting others, but were actually just trying to convince themselves.

Although the huge weight on my heart has been lifted temporarily, the incessant "drip-drip" sound still feels like a death knell, making me restless and uneasy.

I just feel like something's missing?

At this moment, shouldn't Xiaolan, who is usually the most timid, be crying loudly in fear?

Sudden.

puff.

A barely audible sound, like a sharp weapon piercing flesh, suddenly rang out.

The sound was very soft and muffled.

Yet it was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears.

Immediately afterwards, a warm sensation was showered upon everyone.

All the conversation came to an abrupt halt.

They instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.

Xiao Lan, who was standing on the outermost edge of the crowd, froze.

Her eyes were wide open, her pupils dilated, and her mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a word and could only make a "whooshing" sound.

Blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Three deep purple spikes pierced her white coat and penetrated her body in the chest area, exposing her to the cold air with warm blood.

thump--!

Xiaolan's body went limp.

She slowly fell to the ground.

The monster that had been lurking in the shadows behind her was revealed.

It was a gigantic monster that was a head taller than an adult male.

Its entire body was a strange deep purple, covered in purple fur, reflecting the faint moonlight.

It is neither human nor cat.

It walks upright on two legs, with long and powerful limbs, and its hands are five sharp claws. The index, middle, and ring fingers of its right hand are slowly retracting.

The red liquid on top dripped onto the ground.

The monster tilted its head, sizing up the group of terrified humans before it.

suddenly.

It grinned, revealing a row of fine, sharp teeth.

It was a sinister smile, full of malice.