Chapter 21: Whereabouts

The monster was not at all distracted by the phone that had been thrown down! By the time Mu Yu realized this, it was already too late. The monster’s limb, sharp as a spear, pierced through Mu Yu’s abdomen, leaving behind a gaping, grotesque wound.

“Damn it!”

Mu Yu barely managed to curse before being hoisted high into the air by the spear-like appendage.

After a brief numbness, agony surged through him. Mu Yu could feel his organs being compressed, pulverized into mush. Blood sprayed out incessantly, flooding his lungs so that he couldn’t even scream—only his limbs convulsed violently, his eyes bloodshot.

There was no hope.

Even if Mo Yan descended from heaven right now and dispatched the monster with a legendary set of martial arts moves, Mu Yu’s injuries would be irreparable. No medical team could save someone whose insides had been reduced to a heap of ruined flesh.

Using its limbs, the monster climbed up from the bottom of the elevator shaft. Blood splattered across its pale face, lending it an eerie allure.

It had been lurking there, watching Mu Yu’s futile and pitiful efforts with an expressionless gaze, as though observing a tiny insect starring in its own escape drama.

It raised the limb impaling Mu Yu higher, letting the blood trickle down the tip, savoring the sight of Mu Yu’s trembling body.

By rights, Mu Yu should have already fallen unconscious from blood loss. But the fluid secreted from the spear’s tip kept him awake, dulling the pain at the wound, though his vision was growing ever dimmer.

Fresh, living food was always the most delicious.

The monster reveled in the warmth of the liquid enveloping its body, unconsciously opening its mouth and letting out a hoarse sigh.

Mu Yu’s body was gently lowered, sliding off the spear’s tip, landing atop the remnants of the elevator ceiling.

The perfect dining table.

Mu Yu didn’t know why, but this thought flashed through his mind.

Even on the brink of death, Mu Yu’s pupils involuntarily widened at the sight of the monster.

Its massive form was cloaked in darkness, its limbs slashing deep gouges into the walls, revealing its inner delight.

Under the light from the phone lying nearby, its face—smeared with blood—appeared beautiful yet rigid.

What on earth was this thing?

Mu Yu hadn’t even had time to be astonished when the battered surface of the elevator began to ripple like water.

Four identical heads emerged, sniffing hungrily at the thick scent of blood, their faces flush with longing as if they had stumbled upon a feast.

A thirty percent survival rate was far too optimistic.

Mu Yu silently grumbled—he had tried every means to save himself, yet it had all been for naught.

Could humanity really resist such monsters?

A boundless despair welled up from deep within.

But evidently, none of the diners present cared about the feelings of their food.

The spear-like limb shielded Mu Yu’s body protectively, shrill cries echoing from the darkness, tinged with anger.

The four Mu Yus shuddered in unison, exchanging hesitant glances.

“The head.”

The figure that seemed to be the leader emerged fully from the surface, voice steady.

But from Mu Yu’s vantage, he could see the figure’s legs trembling.

So these monsters could feel fear?

Mu Yu’s eyes flickered.

“We’ll take the head. The rest is yours.”

The other three figures appeared behind the leader. Though they outnumbered the monster, their confidence seemed lacking.

The shadowy limbs stopped their swinging. The snarls from the darkness betrayed the monster’s displeasure.

Mu Yu, sensing the heavy tension, inexplicably felt a strange sense of privilege.

Never in his life had anyone fought so fiercely for his ownership.

Even if it was as food.

Oddly, as time passed, Mu Yu’s mind did not sink into gloom. Instead, he grew increasingly lucid.

In the stagnant atmosphere, no one noticed that Mu Yu, who should have been dead, was still watching the drama unfold with keen interest.

The stalemate did not last long. The spear withdrew from Mu Yu, retreating slowly.

The massive figure seemed to be weighing something, but ultimately chose to compromise.

The four faces relaxed in unison.

After all, compared to this monster, they were barely different from ordinary humans—at most, an ant compared to a grasshopper.

The Mu Yu who had spoken first nodded toward the darkness and approached the food lying on the ground.

Its arm wriggled and morphed into a translucent blade, its face eager and filled with desire.

Not hunger, but something deeper and more primal.

The monster’s craving for blood seemed to it ugly and filthy.

If it could sever Mu Yu’s head and take it away, it could keep the head alive.

Knowledge was more precious than hunger, more valuable than life itself!

Through Mu Yu’s mouth, it could acquire memories, a life, everything!

It could finally become a real person!

The other three Mu Yus watched with burning eyes, suppressing their trembling bodies, careful not to make the monster in the darkness suspicious.

Not only Mu Yu—everyone in this building was their food!

Given enough time, they could replace every identity in the entire building.

Mutually disguising, mutually protecting.

They would no longer be mere shadows—they would become real people!

The translucent blade hovered over Mu Yu’s neck.

On the identical faces was a near-fanatical expression.

“Our lives begin here!”

Eyes wide, it brought the blade down, eager to witness the grand opening of this stage.

Boom!

A metallic clang reverberated through the elevator shaft.

Mu Yu, who had closed his eyes to await death, felt no pain for a long time and curiously opened them.

Was that… his own body?

Mu Yu’s face twisted in horror—was it really this terrifying?

He twisted his head with effort and saw his body still intact on the ground, sighing in relief.

“So it’s infighting?”

His body, torn apart by the spear, lay scattered in every corner of the elevator; the monsters’ blood was silver, glimmering in the light.

The Mu Yu impaled on the wall by the spear was aghast.

“Didn’t we… have a deal?”

Silver blood oozed from the wound, pooling in a small puddle.

A harsh, snarling roar erupted from the darkness.

The figure that had always lurked deep within finally stirred.

Sharp limbs swung, dragging three shattered humanoid forms, scattering silver liquid in the air that fell upon its massive body.

Its graceful waist and pale skin shimmered with silver, accentuating its beauty and elegance.

Under the faint outlines of muscle was a ghostly power.

Just one look made Mu Yu want to turn his head and wipe his nosebleed.

But given his condition, he couldn’t even move a finger, let alone turn his head.

So he could only force himself to keep watching as the monster emerged from the darkness, his blood flowing all the faster.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god!”

When it stepped fully from the shadows, Mu Yu could think of nothing else.

He wished he could slap the daydreaming version of himself moments ago.

Its upper body had no trace of gender, with slender, delicate arms—and a face without features.

It seemed covered with a membrane of flesh, bizarre and terrifying.

Long black hair cascaded down its back, reaching its colossal body.

Eight spear-like limbs stabbed effortlessly into the elevator shaft’s concrete walls, as if slicing into tofu.

This creature was beyond anything Mu Yu could have imagined.

Its lower body, wrapped in pale, human-like skin, glistened under the lights; the exquisite face was rigid and lifeless.

Human-faced spider.

Mu Yu remembered seeing a spider on a nature show, its markings on its back eerily resembling a human face—vivid and beautiful.

“Think carefully! If you let me go, I can help you cover up! You can have this person entirely!”

The figure pinned to the wall, bleeding profusely from the abdomen, was still energetic, trying to bargain with the monster.

“If you kill me, they’ll definitely notice! You can’t—”

Its trembling pupils faded into lifelessness; the bisected corpse fell beside Mu Yu.

The cut was smooth and as splendid as a blooming flower.

The monster leaned close to Mu Yu, its face gazing down as though seeing a long-awaited meal.

It raised its knife and fork.

Sharp limbs lifted high.

Mu Yu squeezed his eyes shut, hoping it would be quick.

He had been prepared for sacrifice when he joined the investigation team, but hadn’t expected it to come so soon.

What kind of job was this—joining in the morning, dying in the afternoon!

In any other company, this would be grounds for social rescue!

A pity, really, that the millions he earned with his life hadn’t been enjoyed yet, the three beneficiaries hadn’t been chosen, and his adorable cousin…

Mu Yu’s mind raced with wild thoughts, but the pain didn’t come.

He peeked open his eyes; the spear still hovered overhead, its tip gleaming coldly in the light.

“What…”

Before Mu Yu could react, a warmth blossomed in his abdomen.

His hollow, numb belly felt as though warm hands were caressing it.

Control over his body seemed to return—no longer the helplessness of the dying.

Mu Yu cautiously lowered his head.

A slender shadow descended from the spear, covering his empty abdomen, entwining and wrapping.

The shadow beneath him writhed excitedly in the light, like a giant snake swallowing its prey.

“This is… insane.”

Mu Yu glanced at the enormous, frozen figure, and sat up.

His weakness faded rapidly, replaced by incomparable strength.

Strength strong enough to shred anything.

Mu Yu looked at the shadow connecting him to the monster, carefully reaching out to grasp the hanging spear.

It was icy cold, not at all like a living thing, more akin to steel.

The monster’s body shuddered violently, its snarling roar startling Mu Yu.

But it quickly fell silent, statue-like.

Yet as Mu Yu stroked the spear, he could feel it trembling ceaselessly, a surge of power rising and falling.

None of it showed outwardly.

Under the light, Mu Yu’s shadow seemed insatiable, writhing ever more fiercely, even affecting Mu Yu's expression.

The monster’s once grotesque body now appeared beautiful and alluring to Mu Yu.

Alluring as food.

The gaping wound in his abdomen was now filled with an intense, ravenous hunger.

Mu Yu couldn’t help but lean toward the monster’s body, his own shivering uncontrollably.

“I must be mad…”

Mu Yu murmured, wrapping his arms around that slender, elegant waist.

He could feel the body in his embrace, rigid and trembling.

That was fear, terror, panic.

What could make a monster afraid?

Mu Yu did not know.

He bowed his head and gently kissed that smooth, featureless cheek.