Freeze the entire population, activate my Superman system?

He didn't open his eyes immediately, keeping his breathing even, and slowly reached for the alloy rod on the headboard with his left hand.

He finally opened his eyes when his fingertips touched the cold metal.

A thin layer of frost had already formed on the window.

It's not a problem with the heating boiler.

The eerie blue flames in the stove were still burning, and the thermometer in the living room showed 19°C.

However, on the inside of the window glass, near the window frame, frost is spreading at a visible rate.

There's something outside.

Ling Shuang rolled out of bed, stepped barefoot on the floor, and silently walked to the window.

He leaned against the wall and used the tip of the alloy rod to pry open a corner of the curtain.

Using the fluorescent light filtering through the dome, he could see the courtyard outside.

There was nothing there.

The lawn, the stone path, the fish and meat drying in the sun, the pumpkin vines in the corner of the yard—everything was as usual.

But the chill did not subside.

Not outside.

Yes--

Ling Shuang suddenly turned her head and looked towards the back door.

He had a feeling that something was wriggling in the darkness.

It felt as if the air itself had become viscous, and something unseen was floating around outside.

But a few seconds later, the thick darkness began to recede.

Cautious, like a wild beast weighing the pros and cons.

The chill dissipated.

The frost on the window stopped spreading and even began to melt slowly.

Ling Shuang stood still, holding the stick, and waited for another five minutes.

Nothing happened.

He then realized that his back was covered in cold sweat.

"Brother Shuang... what are you doing?"

Zhang Mu was awakened by his noise. Still half asleep, he pulled a kitchen knife from under his pillow. "A thief?"

"No." Ling Shuang sat back down on the sofa, placing the alloy rod beside her. "Go to sleep."

"Your hands are shaking." Zhang Mu squinted at him.

"It's really nothing, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Zhang Mu stared at him for two seconds, then turned over and went back to sleep without asking any further questions.

But Ling Shuang noticed that he also took out another kitchen knife, one in each hand, and tucked it into the quilt.

Ling Shuang did not sleep again.

He sat cross-legged on the carpet, staring out the window.

The frost flowers had completely disappeared, the glass was clean, and the fluorescent light from outside shone through, drawing blurry spots of light on the floor.

There was just one thing Ling Shuang couldn't understand.

That thing just now,

Ultimately, it was all because of him.

Or were they after the heating boiler?

……

Nine o'clock the next morning.

Ling Shuang had just finished frying the last few pieces of original recipe chicken, and Zhang Mu was still humming a song while brushing his teeth in the bathroom when a shrill broadcast suddenly blared through the neighborhood.

It wasn't music, it was an emergency alarm, sharp as the sound of an air raid drill, looping over and over again.

"What's going on?" Zhang Mu blurted out, his mouth full of foam.

Ling Shuang had already picked up the alloy rod and walked to the courtyard gate to look outside.

There were already people on the street. Several neighbors stood at their doorsteps, whispering to each other, their faces filled with confusion and panic.

In the distance, towards the high-rise area, someone is running.

The broadcast lasted for about two minutes, then suddenly stopped.

Instead, a man's voice came through, with the distortion and echo characteristic of a loudspeaker:

"Attention, residents. This is Guo Yueshan from the management office."

Now, an important notice is being broadcast: Building administrators are requested to immediately conduct door-to-door surveys to collect information on the residents and their needs for supplies, with a focus on investigating any cases related to mutated animals.

To reiterate, please have each building's building manager visit the premises immediately...

Ling Shuang frowned.

What's the connection between the chill last night, the emergency broadcast this morning, and the door-to-door survey of mutated animals?

"Let's go check out the property management office," he called to Zhang Mu as he turned around.

As the two walked onto the tree-lined path in the row houses area, they were met by Xiao Chen, the property manager, who was rushing towards them.

Xiao Chen's face was as white as paper. Seeing Ling Shuang was like seeing a savior; he grabbed her sleeve and cried, "Manager Ling! Director Guo sent me to see you! Something's happened!"

"Take your time."

"Building 4... Building 4, when the building manager came to do the door-to-door survey, they found one family..." Xiao Chen swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "...who froze to death."

Ling Shuang suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Zhang Mu blurted out, "Frozen to death? The lowest temperature last night was seven or eight degrees Celsius, how could they freeze to death?"

"It's not the kind of freezing to death!" Xiao Chen stamped his feet anxiously. "You should go and see for yourself, the scene..."

The whole room was frozen solid; the walls and ceiling were covered in ice, and the bed felt as hard as a rock.

The administrator said he touched it and it was so cold it hurt his hand.

Ling Shuang and Zhang Mu exchanged a glance.

"Walk."

Building 4 is located on the east side of the community, near the wall. It is an 18-story high-rise residential building.

Police tape had been put up downstairs, and several people in security uniforms were guarding the area.

Guo Yueshan stood at the entrance of the building, his face ashen.

Upon seeing Ling Shuang, he led her directly into the elevator without saying a word.

The backup power supply can last for a few more days, and the elevator can be used barely.

Which floor?

"Fifteenth floor, 1502."

As the elevator ascended, Ling Shuang noticed that Guo Yueshan's hands were shaking.

It was both fear and anger.

"Director Guo, what exactly is the situation?"

Guo Yueshan took a deep breath: "Old Zhou, the administrator of Building 4, started going door-to-door to collect statistics at 8:30 in the morning."

Room 1502 is occupied by a single man in his early thirties, surnamed Liu, who works at an internet company.

Old Zhou knocked for five minutes but no one answered. He also called but no one answered, so he used his spare key to open the door.

The elevator doors opened.

The temperature in the corridor was noticeably lower than downstairs, and the closer you got to 1502, the colder it became.

Guo Yueshan pushed open the door, and Ling Shuang followed him inside.

As soon as he entered the room, he understood why Xiao Chen was so frightened.

The whole room felt like an icebox.

The walls were covered with a thick layer of white frost, icicles hung from the ceiling, and several floor tiles were cracked from the cold.

In the fish tank in the living room, the water was completely frozen, and two goldfish were frozen in the middle of the ice, their eyes still open.

The bedroom door was half open.

Ling Shuang went inside and saw the bed.

There was a person lying on the bed, in his early thirties, wearing pajamas, with the blanket only covering his chest.

His skin had an abnormal bluish-white hue, his lips were purple, and his eyebrows and eyelashes were covered with fine ice crystals.

The strangest thing was his expression.

He died in his sleep, with no trace of pain or struggle on his face, and even a hint of peace.

It was as if something had, without him noticing, drawn away his body heat.

"The doors and windows are all closed."

Guo Yueshan stood at the bedroom door, his voice low, "There are no signs of vandalism by outsiders."

Zhang Mu walked to the bedside and examined the patient carefully.

He opened the deceased's eyelids, looked at the pupils, and then touched the skin on the neck and wrists.

"There are no external injuries or bleeding points on the body surface."

Zhang Mu's tone turned serious, "The time of death was probably between 2 and 4 a.m. But..."

He hesitated for a moment, "This way of freezing to death doesn't seem to be caused by a sudden drop in ambient temperature."

People who normally freeze to death usually undress before dying because low body temperature can cause heat hallucinations. But he didn't.

"His body temperature was gradually lowered to below zero while he was asleep."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ling Shuang's mind flashed back to the chill that had approached and then receded last night.

That thing killed the man.

Its original goal was his row house.

That guy chose an easier prey!

At this moment, Guo Kuoshan looked at Zhang Mu in surprise.

"I never knew Dr. Zhang was also proficient in forensic skills."

Zhang Mu coughed lightly.

"I know a little bit."

"Director Guo," Ling Shuang turned around, "besides Building 4, were there any other buildings that showed unusual activity last night?"

Guo Yueshan shook his head: "So far, only this one household has been discovered."

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

Ling Shuang slowly spoke,

"Could there be some kind of being beyond our understanding, 'hunting' within the safe zone...?"