Volume One, Chapter 18: What Lies Beneath the Lowest Bound
Ding!
“Welcome home, my Princess Hanhan!”
As the elevator doors on the fourteenth floor opened, Qi Fengling immediately recognized the prerecorded chime. The speaker was a young man with a gentle voice—likely the master of this residence. As for Hanhan, she must be the lady of the house.
However, as Qi Fengling took a step forward, a much stronger scent hit his senses—the pungent stench of blood mixed with the smell of rotten flesh and roasted meat. The combination was grotesquely unusual.
Meow!
“You three, hurry up! If my kitty gets hungry because of you, you’ll regret it, hmmph!”
Before Qi Fengling could respond, a cat’s cry and a woman’s voice echoed out. Yet, the tone of the woman’s speech unsettled him deeply.
“All right, Sister Hui, hold on. I’m going to cut a good piece of meat right now!”
“Ah! You bastard, come and face me if you dare!”
“You’ll die a miserable death, that’s for sure!”
“What are you yelling for? Consider yourself lucky to be Sister Hui’s food!”
Voices poured from inside the room. They were varied, indicating at least six people were present.
But that wasn’t the worst part. Qi Fengling could tell, from the chilling sounds and words, that they were cutting human flesh. They were eating human meat.
“Hanhan, I’m sorry… I truly am sorry.”
“Hanghang, let me die… I can’t take this anymore, please, just end it!”
Just as Qi Fengling prepared to enter that room, another faint pair of voices—a man and a woman—called out weakly from a different room.
This immediately drew his attention, because it seemed that the Hanhan mentioned earlier was inside that very room.
Meow!
“Hm? Who are you? Did Brother Ma send you up here?”
Just as curious Qi Fengling was about to step inside, a woman’s voice came from behind him.
Turning around, Qi Fengling saw a woman clad in black stockings, high heels, and a mink coat, cradling a white cat in her arms.
It appeared this alluring woman was Sister Hui, Ma Zhuang’s woman.
She looked at Qi Fengling without a trace of fear. In fact, he caught a gleam of amusement and hunger in her eyes.
“Well, well! You must be the new guy! Such a tender face—definitely a young man in his prime!” She dropped the cat and swayed her hips as she approached him.
Seeing this, Qi Fengling quickly concealed his gun. It seemed she was unaware of what had happened downstairs and assumed he was just one of Ma Zhuang’s men.
“Why so quiet? Scared I’ll devour you, huh? Hehehe!” Sister Hui clung to him, her restless hands wandering.
“Sister Hui, please don’t do this. Brother Ma asked me to come up and get familiar with the place.”
Well, it wasn’t exactly pretending to be young. After all, Qi Fengling’s current body was indeed that of a young man.
“Hmph, that old man again. I bet he sent you here just to keep an eye on me!”
Mentioning Ma Zhuang’s name seemed to drain her earlier enthusiasm. Qi Fengling even sensed a flicker of murderous intent.
“Stop standing there and come with me to see something amazing!”
“Little friend, don’t cry when you’re scared later, okay? Hehehe!”
With that, she led the way into the room filled with suffering.
This time, Qi Fengling didn’t hesitate and followed her inside.
“Look! These are our meals!” The woman raised her hand and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, as if intoxicated by the scent.
Her demeanor, combined with her name, sparked a memory in Qi Fengling’s mind:
This was Hua Qianhui, the underground queen of Yun City after the apocalypse, controlling all manner of illicit and dark trades. Her status rivaled Ma Zhuang’s.
Truly impressive! Such a modest skyscraper hid such formidable figures, all steeped in unimaginable evil.
It seemed that wealth, luxury, and comfortable living rarely bred good people.
This room was a massive kitchen. Thanks to the still-functioning power system, the temperature inside was chillingly low.
The scene here was best described as bloody and barbaric.
Besides Hua Qianhui, five other chefs dressed as butchers were present, and the rest of the space was piled high with “people.”
Some were still alive, some barely clinging to life, and others already dead. But they all shared one cruel commonality:
They were bound, with parts of their flesh cut away.
Qi Fengling had once doubted such horrors, thinking this was the early apocalypse and no one would dare resort to cannibalism. But this dreadful sight shattered that illusion, revealing the depths of humanity’s darkness.
On the floor, the pitiful captives met his gaze—some with fierce eyes, others pleading silently. Their sole wish was clear: that Qi Fengling would end their suffering.
Their eyes stoked a fire in Qi Fengling’s chest, extinguishing the last flicker of mercy he had harbored.
“Hahaha! I knew you’d be scared! Don’t worry, I’ll show you something even more extreme!”
Just as Qi Fengling reached for his gun, Hua Qianhui seized his hand.
He suppressed his rage—not because of her allure, but because he wanted to see just how far these monsters would sink.
Following her lead, Qi Fengling entered the room he had been seeking, the one where Hanhan appeared to be held.
*Cough, cough! Kill us! Please, just end it!*
The moment he stepped in, a voice came from a corner.
It belonged to a man missing one arm and one leg. His hollow eyes burned with fury, ghost-like.
“Want to die? Not so easy. Look! I brought a new helper to take care of your wife!”
Hua Qianhui sneered at the bound man on the floor and dragged Qi Fengling closer.
Witnessing the scene, Qi Fengling immediately shut his eyes, his fury overwhelming.
A woman was tightly bound, stripped naked, and twisted into a grotesque, perverse pose.
Even worse, mysterious substances clung to her body and the surrounding area.
Anyone could understand what this meant: these people not only ate human flesh but tortured their victims as well.
According to Hua Qianhui, the man and woman were likely husband and wife. Now, the wife was bound here, while the husband lay restrained on the floor, forced to watch as otherI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.