"Hold up! Big sis! Didn't you promise I wouldn't die? Cough! But I feel like I'm about to kick the bucket."

"You look pretty comfy lying there though," Yeping teased, grinning down at me by her feet.

"I'm bleeding dry here," I wheezed from the floor.

"Save your breath and shut up for now." She glanced at the three Judges surrounding us. "Scram. I can't be bothered to kill you. Taking you out would just attract more Judges—and maybe even Outsiders."

"Huh?!" The high school girl gasped, startled but relieved.

"Are you serious?" The man in the suit wiped sweat from his brow.

"Get lost!"

"You two go first," Third Brother Lang ordered the girl and the suited man.

"O-Okay!" They scrambled toward the stairwell, tripping over themselves to escape.

Once they vanished, Third Brother Lang strode toward Yeping and me.

"What's your problem, old man? Not happy? Wanna throw down?" Yeping taunted, chin lifted.

"Ugh... since when do you sound like a street punk?" I deadpanned through gritted teeth.

Third Brother Lang just stared at us silently. He hoisted the corpse of the edgy guy onto his shoulder and turned away.

"Mimics," he called over his shoulder. "You win this round." With that, he leaped dramatically over the sixth-floor railing, vanishing downward.

"Must he be so dramatic about suicide?" I muttered weakly.

"Stop talking. This is your place, right? Get inside. I need to pull those bullets out before someone comes back." Yeping hauled me up by my one good arm.

"What about the bloodstains?"

"Hah. If they could clear an entire apartment complex, erasing a few stains is nothing." Her blue markings had already faded, her appearance back to normal.

"What even are Judges?"

"I'll explain everything later." She dragged me toward my unit 603. "Cough! Big sis, I'm half-dead but not gone yet—must you drag me like a sack of rice?" I protested, spitting blood.

Ignoring me, she stopped at my door. "Keys."

"...Right pocket."

She unlocked the door, dragged me inside, dumped me in the center of the bare room, then plopped into a chair. She crossed her legs, scanning the empty space. "Seriously? You own nothing."

I glared, too exhausted to retort. *I’m actually dying here!*

Yeping pulled a glass vial from her pocket, popped a black pill into my mouth. "Swallow this. Then I’ll remove the bullets."

I chewed and swallowed. Warmth flooded my body instantly—especially at the wounds, burning fiercely. I watched in disbelief as my gashes sealed before my eyes.

"What was that?" My energy surged back.

"Healing pill."

"That’s insane. What’s it made of?"

"Heh. You really don’t wanna know." She leaned closer, examining my shoulder. "Good regeneration speed. Time to extract the bullets."

"How?" I started—

Before I finished, her fingers plunged into my gunshot wound.

"DAMN IT! THAT HURTS!" Agony ripped through me. She yanked her hand out, blood spraying, a silver bullet pinched between her fingers.

"Next." She wiped the bullet on a tissue, ready for the next wound.

"Wait—let me catch my breath!" I yelled.

Her fingers stabbed into my stomach wound.

"FUCK!" The pain was nauseating, visceral.

Again, she withdrew instantly—another silver bullet clutched in her bloody fingers.

"Next." Her voice held a hint of enjoyment.

"*Huff*—" I braced myself. Arguing was pointless. I sucked in a deep breath—

Her fingers jammed into my thigh wound before I could exhale. *Pop.* Another bullet extracted. Her technique was getting scarily efficient.

"Done. Lie still until the wounds close." She wiped her fingers clean and sat back. "Ask your questions."

"That edgy guy... his death won’t cause trouble?" Even half-dead, I knew murder wasn’t normal.

"If he were human? Maybe. But his kind? Killing as many as you want won’t matter." Yeping’s smile turned sinister.

"Won’t the police care?"

"How many cops do you think it’d take to kill *me*?" She chuckled. Fair point. She’d shattered high-frequency vibrating blades with her fists. Survived point-blank headshots.

"Who *are* those Judges? What’s a Mimic? And what happened to my body?" My core questions tumbled out.

"Mimics are us. Monsters hiding in human skin. Officially? 'Known or unknown species concealed within human society.' Judges hunt us. They’re also called Demon Hunters, exorcists, trackers—you get it. As for you?" She shrugged. "Wuxiaowu turned you into a Mimic."

"...*" My brain stuttered.

"Mimics split into three types: Primordials, Neos, and Inferiors. Primordials are ancient bloodlines—the original monsters. Neos are their servants: humans transformed by Primordial blood. Inferiors?" She paused. "Remember the Haidu Mental Hospital fire five years ago? The one that burned half the mountainside in the West District?"

"Yeah. Big news. My hometown TV covered it."

"No forest fire. Mimics caused it. The government covered it up." Yeping rested her chin on her palm, legs still crossed. "The hospital’s top four floors housed patients. But thirty levels underground? A Mimic research facility."

"*Thirty floors?!* Who built that?!"

"Outsiders."

"*Again?!* What *are* they?!"

"Outsiders. The city’s underground police. Officially? 'Special Species Strategy Prevention Bureau.' They manage conflicts between Mimics and Judges—keep humans in the dark. They ignore small fights, but cross the line?" She flicked her wrist. "They erase you."

"What’s 'crossing the line'?"

"Getting spotted by humans. Killing recklessly. That’s how they mark you for termination."

"Are they strong?"

"Think militia versus military. Few members, but elite. And they’ve got eyes everywhere." She smirked. "They claim neutrality, but they feed missions to Judges. The two organizations collude."

"*Collude?*"

"Today was their joint operation. Only Outsiders could evacuate this whole complex. Their informants found you."

"I haven’t done anything wrong! Why kill me?"

"If you saw a cockroach in your home, would you let it live?" Her grin was razor-sharp.

"...Touché. I yield."

"Worse: there are bounties for killing Mimics. Research value. Corpses sell for good money." She slid a slip of paper onto my table. "When you’re healed, come to this address if you don’t want another ambush at your door. I’ll explain Inferiors then." She stood, heading for the exit. "Shadowless Abode Agency."

My bleeding had stopped. I struggled upright, snatching the paper.

*Shadowless Abode Agency?*