Pushing open the rest room door, I was met with a messy bed and a musty smell. This must be where that mother and daughter had been staying. Judging by the smell, one of the nearby labs was probably serving as their bathroom too.

But… bathroom? Why hadn’t I felt the need to go after eating so much? Habitually, I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

Sometimes, things just can’t be mentioned.

The urge hit me like a tidal wave.

It was nothing like when I was a guy. How exactly? Well… just *different*, okay?

Who’d even *think* about that kind of thing? Normal people don’t!

Still… this was my first time using *this* body’s bathroom.

Ugh. So awkward.

But the pressure in my lower belly was relentless—nothing like the familiar feeling from my old "down there."

*Sigh.*

Gritting my teeth, I dropped my backpack in the rest room. I glanced left and right before slipping into one of the inner labs. Even with my bladder screaming, I stayed alert. I didn’t yank the door open.

Instead, I tapped lightly on the lab door.

*Tap tap…*

Silence. I knocked three times harder.

*BANG BANG BANG!*

No danger.

Relieved, I pushed the door open. It felt weird relieving myself in this empty lab, but what choice did I have?

*A steady stream hissed…*

My face burned crimson as the pressure in my belly finally eased.

Seriously though…

"Women are such a hassle!!" I grumbled, wiping carefully with my wet wipes before pulling my clothes back on.

So embarrassing… And that weird tingling sensation when I touched *there*—what was *that* about?!

Is it like this for all women?!

My head spun as I stumbled back to the rest room. I clutched my backpack but couldn’t sleep. The more I thought about it—

*Ahem!* Stop it! No more thinking!!!

Yeah… no more.

"*Yaaawwn~*"

A huge yawn swallowed me whole. Sleepiness crashed over me.

"So tired…"

Tired…

So…

…

Sunlight on my face finally woke me. Instinctively, my hand drifted downward—*ahem!* Don’t judge! Isn’t that the first thing any guy does when he wakes up?

…Guess women do it too.

*Ahem!*

But the hollow feeling between my legs jolted me fully awake. I snapped my eyes open. White tile walls. A white ceiling. A dusty ceiling fan.

"How cheap… not even an AC in the rest room?" I muttered, my long hair spilling loosely over my shoulders. A persistent buzzing grated on my nerves.

"Flies?"

I listened closely. Yep—flies. Everything since waking had made me overlook them. Luckily, they were busy feasting on corpses elsewhere. For now.

My strength had mostly returned. I checked my watch.

"Almost… one?"

The minute hand pointed to fifty-five. My stomach growled. I eyed my backpack.

*Eat or not eat?* The dilemma lasted seconds. Eating meant staying full. Not eating? Well, if something happened to me… it’d just feed the flies.

I yanked my backpack off the floor and pulled out my breakfast.

"Hmm… feast time! Bread, ham, and glucose tablets!" I grinned. Food always lifted my mood.

After eating, I took stock. This stash would last two days of heavy eating. After that? Just dry stuff like instant noodles. The bread was already gone.

"Right. Next step: get home ASAP. I’ve got two crates of instant noodles there, plus a nearly full bucket of clean water from the dispenser. Power’s out, but the water’s still good." —And most importantly, my crossbow. Nothing beats cold steel in this world.

No time to waste. I packed my gear and double-checked my equipment. My fruit knife was broken—only the pocket knife remained. The gun was empty… except for one last bullet in my pocket.

"Bullet… my precious Bullet," I whispered, sliding it into the magazine and chambering it. "Be my lifeline when it counts."

The lone bullet settled into place.

And I…

slowly pushed open the sixth-floor iron gate, stepping once more into this dangerous world.