I stared blankly at the pistol on the bedside table, shivering all over.

"I need your help!" Li Xiaobai repeated.

"Huh?" I hadn’t processed it yet. Xiaobai shoved the gun into my arms. I jumped, dropping it back on the bed. "I don’t know how to use it…" I said weakly.

"This is the safety. This is the trigger. Even if you’ve never fired one, you’ve seen TV! It’s not high-recoil. If anyone comes, shoot them!" he yelled, forcing the pistol into my hands again.

"I can’t kill…"

"They’re not human! They’re beasts!"

"Huh?!"

He suddenly grabbed my head, pressing it toward Moxiaoi’s wound. "Don’t you want to save her? Do you want her to die? Me to die? Or yourself?" His hands clamped my shoulders as he shouted face-to-face. "Donghui, I never wanted you to kill! But things changed! You have to! I can’t save everyone alone! You’re a man—you should understand this!"

"I…" I looked lost.

"Our enemies aren’t one or two—they’re a horde! This isn’t a game. It’s a killing game! If you don’t kill, they’ll kill you! Think of yourself. Think of her. Think of me!"

"I…" I picked up the pistol from the bed. My hands trembled violently.

"You can do it?"

"I… I can."

"Good!" He swept Moxiaoi into a princess carry and turned to me. "Cover my back. Shoot anyone you see. Just remember—they’re not human. They’re beasts trying to kill us. Don’t hesitate. Fire on sight!"

"Okay!"

"Stay close!" He spun away without looking back, heading for the first floor.

I gripped the pistol tightly behind him. His face was icy, resolute—the look of a killer. But me… I wasn’t sure if I could pull the trigger.

Soon, Li Xiaobai carrying Moxiaoi and I sprinting behind reached the second-floor stairwell.

"Stop!"

"Are those the three?"

"The nurse, the unconscious schoolgirl—it’s them!" Two figures lunged from a corner—one with a machete, the other a pipe.

"…" Li Xiaobai halted, silent.

"You!" I aimed the pistol at them.

"Hey! They’ve got a gun!" The men flinched but didn’t retreat. One yelled, "Don’t panic!"

My hands shook as I held the gun. My fingers locked stiff.

Li Xiaobai nudged me back with Moxiaoi in his arms. "Save bullets for real threats. I’ll handle these," he said coldly.

"Oh… okay." I stepped back. Right now, he was my savior—I’d obey anything.

"Daring to underestimate us?" The pair snarled, swinging weapons at Li Xiaobai.

A shadow sprouted from his back—a black, spider-like spike writhing in the air.

"Ahh!" I gasped. What was that? I’d glimpsed it earlier in the dark but never clearly. Now, from behind, I saw it sprouting from his body like a tail.

"What?!" The attackers faltered but kept coming.

*Clang! Thud!*

Li Xiaobai didn’t move. His Spider Spikes lashed out—invisible speed shattering the machete, then piercing the wielder’s heart. The pipe-wielder fared worse: a brutal high kick slammed into his chest before the pipe could land, sending him flying two meters.

"Ahhh!" The man groaned on the floor.

"Let’s go." Li Xiaobai glanced back coolly and marched on.

"Right." I followed.

*Crack!*

As he passed the downed man, Li Xiaobai stomped on his neck. I said nothing, stepping over the corpse to catch up.

*Thud… thud… thud…* Footsteps echoed.

"Xiaobai! People are chasing us from behind!" I panted, glancing back while running.

"…" He stayed silent, face grim.

"We’re too slow." He carried Moxiaoi; my skirt hampered my speed.

"Keep up!" He sped up.

"Xiaobai, they’re almost here!" I looked back—terrified. Several figures charged into view, snarling.

"It’s them!"

"The nurse! The unconscious high school girl! The ordinary boy!"

"Kill them, and we live!"

"Kill! Don’t run!"

"Stop! Stop running!"

Their screams filled the corridor.

"Donghui! Shoot!" Xiaobai barked, glancing back.

"Huh?!" I froze.

"Now!" he roared.

"Okay!" I spun, aiming the pistol at the shadows. My hands shook. My finger refused to press the trigger.

"Donghui! No hesitation! Fire!"

"AHHHH!" I screamed. Morals? Rules? I wanted to live! I wanted us all to live! Even if I became death itself—a killer—I’d do it!

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

I squeezed the trigger four times until my hand numbed. Though only a finger moved, I felt like I’d run miles—exhausted.

"Ahh! Aaah!"

Three figures dropped. One groaned on the floor; the other two lay silent.

I trembled. I’d killed again.

"They have a gun!" the pursuers shrieked.

The fallen blocked their path. Even without the groaning man and corpses, they hesitated. They were human—beasts who feared death.

In this gun-free country, pistols were movie props. People boasted theory, but never touched real ones.

Guns were killing tools.

"Don’t stare! Forget them, Donghui. Move!"

"Okay…"

Seeing them frozen, Xiaobai grabbed my arm and fled toward the first floor. I holstered the pistol, sprinting after him.

*Huff… huff… huff…* I gasped for air.

"Hold on! Almost to the first floor! Once we reach the exit, we’re free!" Li Xiaobai shouted.

Halfway down the stairs, bright light flooded the lower steps.

We reached the first floor.

It felt like a new world.

Unlike the dark, cramped upper floors, this reception hall was vast and brilliantly lit.

A high-tech iron gate sealed the main entrance—massive and imposing.

"That must be our goal," Xiaobai muttered, cradling Moxiaoi. He stopped, face darkening.

Mine did too.

The hall held over ten armed figures. They stood waiting… as if for us.