I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

"vomit--"

The stench of a corpse filled the air, and finally someone couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited. After the first one, like dominoes falling, one after another, the hallway was filled with the sounds of retching, and the floor was covered in yellowish liquid.

"Ugh... ugh..."

"Ugh... It stinks..."

"I can't take it anymore..."

So when the detectives arrived at the scene, what they saw was a black-haired "monster" bouncing around in a mess of vomit, its eyes gleaming menacingly, and...

A bystander who watched the spectacle while vomiting uncontrollably, yet still bravely held up their phone.

police:"……"

It's hard to say whether dead people are more terrifying, or whether everyone's gossipy, spectator mentality is more terrifying.

—The officer leading the team was Chen Xi, a criminal investigator from the Chengdong Branch Criminal Investigation Team.

Even with seven years of police experience and having witnessed countless bloody scenes, possessing exceptional mental fortitude, her heart still skipped a beat when she arrived at the scene.

The air was thick with an unbearable stench, a mixture of vomit and sweat, and the two neighbors crammed into the innermost corner were already struggling to stay upright.

"Headquarters! This is Chen Xi from the Chengdong Branch. We have confirmed the spread of an unidentified irritant gas. More than ten people are experiencing mild poisoning symptoms, including vomiting, dizziness, and limb convulsions."

While reporting the situation, she instructed her colleagues to evacuate the crowd as much as possible.

Those who were initially just watching from the sidelines didn't want to move, but upon hearing the suspected toxic gas leak, they rushed downstairs in their slippers.

As the crowd moved and the air circulated, the stench of the corpse became even more pronounced, and the police officer in charge couldn't stop gagging in his ears.

"...An adult male was found at the scene, with a stiff body and aggressive behavior, suspected of being severely infected..."

"Hello, Director Hu, it's me... We can't handle this. Call the chemical defense brigade immediately. We're still unsure if it's a gas leak. All residents in this building need to be evacuated!"

After saying that, Chen Xi stared at the wide-open security door, sweat instantly pouring down his forehead.

Ordinary people might not recognize it, but they deal with corpses all the time. At first glance, they can tell that the thing jumping around inside has a layer of lividity on its body.

What are livor mortis?

This thing is actually a purplish-red scar that forms on the unpressed parts of the body after a person dies because blood circulation stops.

A colleague providing support glanced at it and immediately broke out in a cold sweat, nearly swearing in fright.

"Holy crap... this can't be alive? The lividity is so heavy—and there's the stench of death, how long has he been dead... ugh..."

They had seen corpse spots, murder cases, and countless vicious criminals.

I've never seen anything that can still move while covered in lividity!

What about physics? What about the law of conservation of energy? Come out and save the day!

Even a forensic expert would have to study this for three hours first!

"Hehehe..."

The zombie sensed the presence of the living. Its shadowy eyes shifted slightly, facing the group, and its hairy lips suddenly parted, violently exhaling a plume of black smoke—

"vomit!"

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

"Ugh! My God!"

Chen Xi, who was at the front, felt a strong stench hit her face, her eyes stung slightly, and she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. The two male colleagues next to her tilted their heads back and almost fell to the ground.

"Give me the blast-proof fork!"

Chen Xi, with her sharp eyes, spotted Liu Mei and Wang Hao lying prone in the living room. Holding her breath, she took the riot fork from her colleague and plunged it down hard into the zombie's neck.

click!

The steel fork head was precisely wedged into the neck, with the sharp steel teeth digging directly into the flesh.

Immediately afterwards, a crisp, ear-piercing "crack" sound rang out in the silent stairwell—the sound of a cervical vertebra breaking.

Clean and crisp, like breaking off a frozen carrot.

The faces of all the police officers present turned deathly pale instantly.

The cervical spine is a vital organ in the human body; a cervical spine fracture means that the connection between the brainstem and the body is completely severed.

Even the strongest person will instantly lose all ability to move and die on the spot.

Something's really wrong!

When faced with a riot control fork, a normal person would instinctively dodge it, using the force to back away, or if they are too weak, they would fall to the ground.

Because people are soft and alive.

Who would slow down a weapon and then forcefully ram their neck into a riot control fork with all their might?!

Chen Xi froze for a second, almost dropping the riot fork in her hand, but the next second, her pupils dilated instantly, and her whole body trembled slightly—

Wang Dazhi's body was thrown back two steps by the impact of the riot control fork.

But its head was bent forward at a bizarre angle, completely contrary to the structure of the human skeleton, with its entire face pressed against its chest.

The broken cervical vertebra pierced the skin, revealing the stark white bone fragments, from which a thick, dark red liquid slowly flowed.

But it did not die, nor did it fall.

Its body remained upright, its neck, trapped by the riot fork, twisted into a terrifying arc, its limbs still struggling frantically, its hands flailing wildly.

It can still move.

Even with its head severed, it can still move.

Several police officers from the local police station nearly collapsed to the ground, their legs buckling as they leaned against the wall and began to speak, trembling:

"My God... what... what is this thing...?"

"His head's off... how is he still moving...?"

Losing one's mind and becoming highly aggressive can be explained by suspected drug use, but I've never seen anyone who's on drugs and can still be lively and energetic even after losing their head!

Everyone present felt their scalp tingle and their stomachs churning. Several police officers instinctively covered their mouths and barely managed to hold back their vomiting.

"No, it's alright, let's save them first."

Chen Xi's body stiffened, and his hands gripping the riot fork trembled violently.

"Have you contacted an ambulance? Get the two people out of the house first and see if they can be saved."

She could clearly feel the force coming from the other end of the fork, and the strange sensation of the broken cervical vertebrae rubbing against the steel teeth.

But she cannot back down.

Chen Xi forcefully suppressed the fear in his heart and used all his strength to push the riot control fork forward:

"Clang!"

She pinned the zombie against the living room wall, its severed head swaying back and forth in front of its chest, its hands frantically clawing at the air, and it emitted even more violent roars:

"Hehehe—Hehehe!!"

"What are you standing there for?!" Chen Xi shouted at the top of her lungs, "Quickly save them!! Get those two out of here!!"

The colleague next to him suddenly snapped out of his daze and immediately waved his hand: "Quick! Two people per group! Lift the woman inside first! Hurry up!"

Two police officers immediately crouched down and rushed into the living room, carefully avoiding the struggling zombie, and ran to Liu Mei's side.

Liu Mei remained unconscious, lying face down in a pool of blood, her hair covered in blood and shards of porcelain.

Fortunately, she was still breathing and did not have any fatal injuries.

The two policemen didn't dare to delay. They quickly lifted Liu Mei onto a stretcher and rushed out of the living room.

When the zombie saw someone pass by, it struggled even more frantically, trying to break free of the riot fork's restraints.

Chen Xi's arm ached so much it felt like it was about to break, and her colleague, despite being frightened, quickly offered a helping hand, his face turning pale.

"Captain Chen, what on earth is this thing? It can still move even after its head is cut off. I've never seen anything like it before—"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

Chen Xi slowly exhaled, "There's another man on the ground, he's also unconscious, quickly carry him away."

The police officers who ran down first came back, carrying the stretcher and rushing back into the living room.

Wang Hao lay motionless on the floor near the door, his face turned toward the ceiling.

The police officer walked up to him, and just as he was about to reach out to lift his arm, he abruptly pulled his hand back the moment it touched his skin.

"Captain Chen! Captain Chen! You...you come and take a look..."

One of the police officers' voices trembled, and he almost burst into tears.

"This...this doesn't feel right either..."

Chen Xi pressed down hard on the riot control fork, turned her head to look into the living room, and what she saw made the hairs on her body stand on end:

Wang Hao lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling slightly.

But he no longer looks like a young man in his twenties.

His skin, like the bark of an old tree that had been exposed to the sun for decades, was wrinkled, dry, and clung tightly to his bones, without a trace of moisture or elasticity.

His face was covered with deep wrinkles, deep furrows, and fine creases at the corners of his eyes, mouth, and forehead—like a tree spirit with special effects added in a movie.

It was as if an invisible hand had forcefully sucked away all the vitality and moisture from his body.

……

……

"Oh my god..."

"This...this is Wang Hao? He was perfectly fine just now..."

"How did it get like this? What sucked it in?"

At the entrance of the building, the two policemen carrying Wang Hao jogged along, but some sharp-eyed people still spotted Wang Hao's current state.

Gasps of shock rose from the crowd again, and everyone watched with a chill running down their spines.

When Wang Hao cried for help, everyone could see clearly that the zombie didn't bite him or hit him; it just pressed its face against his.

It's like having your yang energy sucked away by ghosts and monsters.

Many people swallowed hard, not daring to look any longer.

The chemical defense department arrived in about fifteen minutes.

Three white chemical defense vehicles were parked in the residential area, with eye-catching "Biochemical Emergency" signs printed on their bodies.

Twelve team members, dressed in full Class A biochemical protective suits, wearing positive-pressure gas masks, carrying oxygen tanks, and holding various testing instruments, entered the residential building.

The chemical defense department acted professionally and swiftly, immediately setting up two cordons at the entrance of the residential area to keep all the onlookers outside.

Meanwhile, staff from the emergency evacuation team, equipped with megaphones, began evacuating all residents of the entire building and the two adjacent buildings.

"Attention residents! An unidentified toxic gas leak has been detected in Units 3, 4, and 5 of Hongguang Residential Complex! Please evacuate immediately and orderly to the central square of the complex! Do not use the elevators! Do not panic! Do not crowd!"

Residents of other buildings, please stay home and await further instructions. Do not believe or spread rumors!

The sound from the loudspeaker echoed in the dead of night. Some residents of the other two buildings, still unaware of what was happening, groggily went downstairs.

……

A long cordon has been set up in the central square of the residential area, and the area is full of police cars, ambulances, and chemical defense vehicles.

The lights were on, and the place was bustling with people.

The sounds of sirens, ambulances, loudspeakers, cries, and retching mingled together, creating utter chaos.

"What happened? Wasn't it supposed to be rabies? How did it turn into a gas leak?"

"I don't know! I smelled a really bad odor just now, and then I started throwing up. I still feel dizzy."

"I just saw the police carry two people out. One woman was unconscious, and the man... my god, he looked like an old man, it was terrifying."

"I heard that Wang Dazhi on the second floor has gone mad; he ate his own son and even the dog..."

"Don't talk nonsense! The police said it was a gas leak, not some kind of madness."

"Someone posted photos in the group chat! My God! They say Wang Dazhi's head is off but he can still move!"

"Isn't this a case of a zombie coming back to life? When did he die? Didn't we see him go home this afternoon?"

Time passed by, second by second.

At 3:15 a.m., the first test report came out.

Chen Xi held the test report, her face grave.

There is no poison gas.

The chemical defense department tested all known toxic and harmful gases, including nerve agents, blistering agents, asphyxiating agents, irritants, as well as various industrial waste gases and household toxic gases, but all results were negative.

Radiation detection was normal, biological agent detection was also normal, and no viruses, bacteria, or fungi were found.

The stench comes from the smell of a corpse.

They detected dangerously high levels of cadaverine, putrescine, and hydrogen sulfide—all gases produced by the decomposition of corpses.

The concentration is too high, enough to cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and conjunctival irritation in humans.

Chen Xi looked at the test report over and over again.

Ordinary decomposition of a corpse, even a highly decomposed one, could not produce such a strong irritant effect, and could not cause all the people in the building to show symptoms of poisoning.

Moreover, the body was not decomposed at all.

Until just now, its skin was intact—there were no signs of decay except for its broken neck.

Where did this stench of corpses, which is a thousand times higher than the standard, come from?

……

……

At 4:30 a.m., the chemical defense department issued a second report.

At 5 o'clock, the alarm was lifted, and the police arranged for residents to enter the building in an orderly manner. At this time, someone noticed that Wang Dazhi's neighbor had been arranged to live in a separate room, and that floor had been cordoned off and entry was prohibited.

At 5:10 a.m., under the watchful eyes of a group of residents, four special police officers carried a body down from the building.

His limbs were tightly bound with nylon restraints, and his head was covered with a temporary anti-bite mask borrowed from the police dog unit.

However, a white sheet was covering the stretcher, so no one noticed that the body was actually still "alive".

"Captain Zhou, could you please arrange for someone to take this item... to the Municipal Forensic Identification Department?"

Chen Xi took a deep breath and slowly loosened her numb hands: "Use the strongest restraints, tie it up several times. It's very strong, and... it won't die."

The colleague in charge of the liaison also had a blank expression. Upon hearing this, he was first stunned, then blinked blankly:

"...What do you mean? Wasn't it supposed to be a corpse?"

"It's a corpse, but a... living corpse."

Chen Xi pursed her lips, and after saying those words, she felt her adrenaline surge. The sweat-soaked inner lining clung tightly to her skin, making her feel a little itchy.

Even with a broken cervical spine, they won't die.

Covered in lividity, it could still run and jump, and even release poison gas, turning a twenty-year-old into a "monster".

She was at the point where even submitting a report would raise suspicions of dereliction of duty from her superiors.

She had just sighed when she saw the first light of dawn on the horizon. It was probably in the direction of the vegetable market nearby when a loud rooster crowed.

Chen Xi turned his head sharply and saw only the shock on the faces of the special police officers and the terror on the faces of the onlookers—

The outline covered by the white sheet suddenly collapsed and shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye. The forensic doctor quickly lifted the sheet, only to see a white skeleton and a wisp of black smoke rising up.

In front of everyone.

This also means that everyone present witnessed tonight's extremely bizarre case.

Chen Xi stood frozen in place.

……

……