Seeing Zhou Tianming lying on the ground, the short-haired man's lips twisted downward, his expression displeased. "Dammit, it's just some little freak."
Beside him, an orange-haired man peeked inside and burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I can't stop laughing! Just thinking about how you acted like you'd caught a big fish earlier is hilarious."
As he spoke, he mimicked the short-haired man's actions from a few minutes ago—first raising a finger to his lips in a "shush" gesture, then arrogantly pointing his thumb toward the door.
After finishing, he couldn't hold back and laughed even harder.
The short-haired man's face darkened, his teeth grinding audibly. "F*ck!"
With a furious curse, he stormed into the room, his heavy footsteps thudding as he approached Zhou Tianming. "Dammit! You worthless trash made me lose face!"
He pulled his right foot back and aimed a vicious kick at Zhou Tianming's abdomen.
Sensing the incoming force, Zhou Tianming activated [Iron Wall], but nothing happened.
With no time to think, as the attack landed, his thoughts shifted—[Unyielding] activated.
Thud! A dull impact echoed.
His small body was sent flying, his back slamming hard against the wall before he bounced forward and crashed to the ground.
The short-haired man stepped forward, raising his knee before stomping down, pinning Zhou Tianming beneath his foot.
Cursing under his breath, he twisted his ankle, grinding his foot into Zhou Tianming's body.
[Unyielding] formed an invisible protective layer around Zhou Tianming, shielding him from serious harm despite the repeated blows—though the constant flying around left him dizzy.
The short-haired man's fierce attacks might as well have been tickling him.
By the door, the orange-haired man scoffed. "Boring. What's the point of messing with a corpse? It's only fun if they can still run and struggle."
With that, he turned to leave.
The short-haired man panted heavily, his dark expression easing slightly. After delivering two more heavy stomps, he finally turned away.
Tap.
A faint sound came from Zhou Tianming's body.
The short-haired man, who had been about to leave, whipped his head around, his gaze locked onto Zhou Tianming.
Zhou Tianming lay motionless on the ground.
Frowning, the short-haired man crouched down, grabbing Zhou Tianming's uneven, jagged hair with his right hand and yanking him up.
"Not dead?"
Seeing Zhou Tianming's closed eyes, he relaxed slightly. "Just scaring myself. No way he's still alive."
At that moment, Zhou Tianming's eyes snapped open, his deep brown irises locking onto the short-haired man's face.
The short-haired man jolted backward in shock, but before he could react, Zhou Tianming moved faster.
Both index fingers shot out like lightning, stabbing precisely into the man's eyes.
"AHHH—!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream erupted as blood splattered.
The short-haired man collapsed onto his backside, clutching his face as blood gushed between his fingers, covering his entire face within seconds.
The orange-haired man spun around at the sound, raising his gun to aim—but his instinctive reflex made him point at an adult's chest and abdomen.
By the time he adjusted his aim downward for the child, it was too late.
Those few seconds of delay were all Zhou Tianming needed. He snatched the short-haired man's rifle and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!—
The powerful recoil knocked Zhou Tianming backward, the bullets tracing an upward arc.
The orange-haired man was first hit in the groin, then the chest, before a final bullet blew through his skull, sending him crashing down in a spray of blood.
Clutching his aching, bleeding chest where the rifle had struck him, Zhou Tianming used the gun's stock to push himself up. But before he could fully straighten, a dark shadow loomed over him.
The short-haired man, his face covered in blood with two gaping, bloody holes, stared fixedly at Zhou Tianming, baring his teeth in a ghastly grin.
A chill ran through Zhou Tianming's heart as he hastily retreated, only to bump into the metal-framed bed behind him with a loud clang.
Suddenly, the short-haired man spread his arms and lunged forward.
Zhou Tianming raised his gun.
The short-haired man wildly swung his arm, knocking the gun away, then charged like a raging bull.
Zhou Tianming dropped to the ground, pushing himself forward with his hands, and slid under the bed.
The next second, a loud crash echoed as the short-haired man collided with the metal bed frame, howling in pain.
Zhou Tianming, curled under the bed, kicked off the wall and slid toward the rifle that had been knocked away.
The short-haired man grabbed the bed frame and flipped it over, stomping violently at the empty space beneath.
Meanwhile, Zhou Tianming grabbed the rifle, lying on his side and bracing the stock against his body as he fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of bloody blossoms erupted on the short-haired man's body as he collapsed.
Zhou Tianming's stomach took repeated heavy blows from the rifle stock, forcing him to vomit a mouthful of glucose solution.
The room fell silent in an instant, and Zhou Tianming let out a sigh of relief.
But just then, rapid footsteps echoed from the hallway outside, growing louder as they approached the door.
His heart tightened. Zhou Tianming steadied his breathing and aimed the gun at the doorway.
A middle-aged man glanced at the corpse by the door before stepping inside cautiously, gun raised.
He then looked at the short-haired man's body.
His eyes followed the bullet trajectory to the metal-framed bed on the left.
From under the bed, Zhou Tianming could only see a pair of sneakers. He held his breath and slowly adjusted his aim toward them.
The middle-aged man took two steps forward and stopped, raising his gun at the bed.
Seeing the feet pause, Zhou Tianming relaxed slightly.
But in the next instant, his hair stood on end. His mind raced—room dimensions, foot size, stride length, height, posture, head position.
A flood of information flashed through his mind.
He raised the gun.
Fired!
Before the middle-aged man could pull the trigger, a bullet from under the bed struck him square in the forehead.
His fingers twitched, squeezing the trigger, but it was too late—the gun barrel tilted as he fell.
Bullets sprayed wildly, shattering the walls and ceiling.
Broken debris rained down onto the overturned bed, leaving the room in chaos.
Under the bed, Zhou Tianming gasped for breath, his heart pounding.
Sweat drenched his body, mixing with dust and blood on his bare torso to form a grimy, sticky layer.
As his nerves finally loosened, exhaustion surged over him like an unstoppable tide.
He fought to keep his eyes open, but his body—untrained for five years—had reached its limit after the injuries and exertion.
His head lolled to the side as he fell unconscious.
This time, even his consciousness sank into deep slumber.
...
"From today on, your name is Zhou Tianming. How does that sound? Mom picked it for you."
...
"Tianming, I won't give up on you. Never."
...
"He's a failed experiment. He might never wake up, and even if he does, as a first-generation incomplete prototype, there could be hidden defects. Are you really prepared to care for him for the rest of your life?"
"That's none of your concern. I'll take care of my child."
"Hah, you'll take care of him? Do you think caring for a vegetative patient is easy? If you don't want him to lose bodily functions, the cost of equipment and medication alone will far exceed your meager salary."
"...I'll find a way. I'm not afraid of hardship. I can take on more jobs."
...
"Hanxiang, if you keep going like this, your body won't be able to take it."
"It's alright, Wei Ya, I can handle it. This is what I owe this child—not letting him be born like a normal baby. He's just throwing a tantrum. Enough about me, how are you? You've been looking pale lately, are you sick?"
"I'm pregnant..."
"That's wonderful."
"I..."
"What's wrong? Aren't you happy about the baby? Children are so lovely."
"I can feel it... inside me. So tiny. It's just an embryo, but I can feel it. They're alive. I... I've taken so many children..."
"Calm down! Wei Ya! Calm down."
The sound of desperate sobbing.
...
"Tianming, it's your birthday today..."
"Tianming, listen, just now..."
"Tianming, when you wake up, let's go eat this together, okay? It looks delicious..."
"Tianming..."
"Tianming..."
...
Suddenly, Zhou Tianming's eyes snapped open as his consciousness gradually cleared.
The gentle voice of Zhou Hanxiang from his memories faded away, leaving only a lingering warmth in his heart.
His first instinct was to survey his surroundings. He was still lying beneath the metal-framed bed in the same position as before he had blacked out.
Listening carefully, there were no sounds from outside.
The blood from three corpses had spread, filling the entire room with a thick, metallic stench