Am I actually still here? Not dead...

I glanced around me. My clothes were very thin, except for a small square block that looked like a cellphone, with some glowing blue buttons labeled: Unlock, Connect, Close, Activate.

"I suppose this is some kind of switch that's activated in certain places, might come in handy to pack it away."

In this room, there was only so much to grab, and unfortunately, the only thing that could potentially be used as a weapon, a military knife, was already damaged and only half of it remained.

"But something is better than nothing."

I hoped that like what just happened, this short military knife, although only an inch long, would be enough to save my life when necessary.

Hmph, speaking of which, let's spare Edward this time, but if I meet him next time...

"That bastard better watch out, he might not end up alive under my hands one day."

Contrary to what I initially imagined of dismemberment, at this moment, I was still sitting safe and sound on the bed in the room, except for the absence of the maniac with the chainsaw by my side.

It had left, leaving a big hole in the wall, apparently lured out by something... hmm, why do I even care so much?!

"Ugh~ Blargh!"

Cough cough cough... cough cough!!

"I'm actually alive, that's already a miracle."

I vaguely remembered, as I recalled my past life in my dreams, could it be that I am the only survivor of that catastrophe?

Perhaps Yukari was right, it's already beyond repair.

"Family members are often the deadliest weakness, but also the strongest shield."

My actions are nothing to fear, I don't know how they know what I'm thinking, but they just don't want me to die, and I don't know what good that does.

"Tsubaki Kyu Juxi, just turned eighteen this year, family... none, am I correct?"

In a room with only one desk lamp, a man and a middle-aged man were seated facing each other on cold chairs.

And the man being interrogated was me, I was not sure why he went to such lengths to bring me here, just for this meaningless conversation?

"Don't you have anything to say?" A particularly burly man approached me.

His two small eyes, like rats, emitted a wolf-like blood red gaze,

"What to say?" I smirked, "Since you know me so well, why ask me so much? Let me remind you, I have no idea about any information regarding the Dogshit Alliance, I'm just a gofer."

"..."

Seeing that I had no intention of saying anything, he did not feel discouraged, but rather appeared even more interested as he walked behind me.

"Hehehe, you sure know how to spout some nonsense that can be ignored, but you should know my identity, and... about me and your story, shouldn't you?"

Heh, I was actually starting to fear disappearing when I was originally searching for a way to vanish.

Fear? Darkness, everyone has their own dark side of fear, I am the kind of jerk who can't extricate himself from living in the shadows of the past!

The world line... has already started to change, our future is now at a point where we must inevitably intersect.

"Hey, are you okay?" A gentle and delicate voice woke me up.

Who is it?!

That familiar yet warm feeling seemed to float past me, ethereal but so vivid.

The pitch-black basement remained as dilapidated as ever, but it indeed left behind a long-lost trace.

"Ah, junior?"

Just as I walked out of the already damaged wall, the figure lying on the ground in front of me was the junior I had helped escape. How did he end up back here again?!

I hurried forward to help him up, one arm draped over my shoulder as we prepared to retrace our steps.

This...?

The elevator had completely collapsed, and the only way back to the previous floor was to climb up to the hole in the ceiling about seven to eight meters high. Was there no other way out?

Glancing at him asleep on my shoulder... It was most likely his doing. I sighed helplessly.

"Ah, this path is blocked, maybe we should..." I turned back to the iron door that guy had burst open.

Without hesitation, I swallowed hard, realizing that I might just have to take a gamble.

"By the way, young man, don't snore while you sleep." I warned the sleeping junior. "That psycho might be lurking nearby, and I don't want us to end up dead down here because of you."

Though I spoke harshly, deep down, I was truly grateful to him.

Despite our own peril, he came back to save me. Was I really that valuable to him?

The blond foreign kid was quite unreliable. We had agreed that he wouldn't come to save me, as I wasn't worth saving. At least at that time, I had no value to offer.

In that moment of overwhelming guilt, I had to abandon my original beliefs and continue striving to survive.

Honestly, I saw him as playing the role of my mischievous and adorable childhood friend, Yu Nai.

It was so ironic that we, or rather he, had missed so much along the way by rushing ahead. Time is a long journey with no shortcuts.

"Let me make this clear, I didn't save you because I like guys, because..."

Looking at him asleep, I smirked to justify myself.

"I only like girls."

"Hmm." He seemed to hum in his sleep.

"..."

Was I imagining things? I didn't have time to dwell on that. Holding him, I passed through the threshold leading to hell on the other side of the door... Oh no!

The floor, the walls, and the table were all splattered with blood, yet the bodies were inexplicably missing.

Could it be... that they were consumed alive? Cough, cough! In his ghastly state, it seemed possible.

Should I investigate further? I was indecisive, but the way back was completely blocked.

Moving forward might lead to finding another exit. It seemed like there was no point hesitating.

I picked up a cup from the floor and threw it straight ahead...

Crash!

As the glass shattered crisply, there was no sound around me. Had that figure disappeared?

Just as I started to feel relieved, a gradually approaching roar echoed in the dim basement, along with the frantic footsteps of several unknowing creatures banging against the iron door to the office on the left!

"What on earth is behind that door?" I cowered under the office desk for a moment.

When I finally calmed down, I realized that while the force was beyond human capabilities, it wasn't something a three-meter-tall psycho armed with a weapon could achieve.

"It looks like just a few lackeys under its command, so..."

After psyching myself up for a while, do I really have to face them head-on other than you guys? No way!

I immediately hoisted the unconscious junior onto my back and brought him to the automatic door across from the gate.

"May this door still work!" With an uneasy heart, I activated the automatic door. Since the entire basement had already lost power, the door remained motionless when I pressed the start switch in front of it.

"Oh god, now we're all going to die here." The realization that the door wasn't powered up made me feel restless and anxious.

I had no idea how long the iron door behind us could withstand the monsters' ravaging, but I knew their entry would result in us becoming part of the incomplete bodies in this basement.

It was truly insane, but there seemed to be no other emergency exits around for escape.

"Well, a company this big must have backup power!" I was adamant that there was still a chance.

In this critical moment, I suddenly remembered a device similar to a phone that I found at the entrance – perhaps it was the emergency switch for this door.

I guessed that the several puddles of blood on the floor were left by the previous owner trying to use this switch to escape, but they were one step too slow.

After glancing at the options on the screen, I pressed start.

Drip... The door slowly slid open to the sides, leaving just enough space for one person to pass through.

"Come on!"

After peeking inside to assess the situation, I tossed the junior inside.

Huh? There was a rectangular frame above, with a white grid flashing inside, giving me a foreboding feeling.

Now, it was just me left, but as I was about to close the door, the "phone" warned me, "Warning, reserve power depleted."

"…"

If my suspicions were correct, this wasn't about the remaining power of the switch but the backup power!!

"Oh no!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The muffled sound of gunfire outside – could it be Elena's mercenaries breaking in?

Lost in thought and staring at the ceiling, a fair hand waved in front of me through the ceiling, "Hey! Juxi, are you asleep? Hehe, this is your juice, please enjoy!"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot I wasn't in the restaurant; besides me, there really aren't a lot of…"

As I tried to explain my distraction, I accidentally touched a sore spot of this shop, which had been struggling with poor business and negative profits all day. However, the stubborn Qiu Caolan refused to close the shop despite the numerous attempts from both me and Yukari to persuade her.

Suddenly, a suffocating aura of killing intent and beastly roars filled the entire cafe, with Xi Xiaona rushing towards me with a ferocious speed.

"Which blind brat dares to say my business is bad? Hmph!"

"Hi, dear Tangerine…Tangerine!" My buddy Yuanhui (my buddy) who just walked in from the door, sported an annoying grin and slipped in with a culturally contaminated English accent.

And then... there was no 'then'. Looking at the awkward situation, I said, "I'm sorry, I need to leave now."

As he finished speaking, he attempted to leave, but it wasn't going to be that easy!

"Hold it!" The tigeress Qiu Caolan yelled from behind, taking two steps forward to block his path.

"Hmph, this handsome guy, customers who come to this lady's coffee shop never leave without making a purchase!" The extremely magnetic voice from inside the shop even made his hand that was about to push the door somewhat reluctant to obey.