Eight hours passed in a cacophony of deafening detonations and the acrid, choking stench of gunpowder. The pristine white snow of Thai Son Street had been transformed into a visceral, abstract crimson tableau. Thousands of golden brass casings lay scattered, still smoldering as they bit into the frozen ice.
Thien Anh lowered the scorched muzzle of his machine gun, exhaling a long, heavy breath. The two ninety-kilogram ammo crates were nearly empty. His arms vibrated with a dull numbness, yet his eyes remained wide, flickering with a deep sense of predatory satisfaction.
All around them, the carcasses of Ghouls and mutant beasts lay in mangled heaps. But they wouldn't remain there for long.
"Time for the cleanup." Thien Lang and Azure Sky lunged into the greatest all-you-can-eat buffet they had ever encountered.
Thien Lang didn't feed with any pretense of grace. With a single snap, he crushed and swallowed entire skulls, the rhythmic crunch of splintering bone echoing through the cold air. His stomach acted like a biological incinerator, digesting everything in seconds to convert it into raw energy. Azure Sky was more surgical, draining fluids and neural matter, leaving behind only withered, hollowed-out husks.
Lam Linh sat huddled atop a concrete slab, witnessing the scene with her jaw dropped, completely oblivious to the biting chill.
"Their biological structure… what on earth are they?" she murmured. "Consuming tons of meat without the slightest bloat? Where did the Law of Conservation of Energy go?"
...
Twilight descended. The night in the apocalypse was the sovereign territory of things far more terrifying than Ghouls.
"Withdrawal. Going home."
Thien Anh issued the command. Before departing, he meticulously mounted several thermal sensors and signal transmitters onto the highest vantage points. He needed to know how this city "lived" when the sun went down.
If the night proved safe, he would claim it as his hunting hour. If it was lethal, he needed to identify the enemy to prepare a counter-strategy.
The journey back was conducted in a shroud of silence and high-alert vigilance. Thien Anh knew that to escape this city of the dead and reach the government zones or the "Death Desert," he needed more than just lead and steel. He needed absolute, transcendent power.
...
The bunker hatch groaned shut, severing them from the blizzard and the specter of death outside.
The warmth and the soft, golden incandescent glow allowed everyone's rigid muscles to finally uncoil. Thien Anh stripped off his tactical gear and slumped into the sofa, feeling every fiber of his body groan for rest.
Lam Linh stepped closer timidly, her fingers twisting together.
"Mr. Huy…"
"Yes?" Thien Anh looked up.
"Do you… have any spare clothes? I need to borrow something. Mine are filthy, stained with monster blood… I want to take a shower."
Thien Anh glanced at the grime-streaked girl and nodded.
"The wardrobe next to the bathroom. Take one of my shirts and some sweatpants. You're thin enough they should fit."
"Thank you! I'll wash them and return them later."
Lam Linh hurried off, clutching the clothes, and disappeared into the bathroom. Soon, the rhythmic hiss of steaming water filled the air.
Outside, Thien Anh activated the surveillance monitors, syncing them with the newly installed cameras. Afterward, he flicked to a news channel. Thien Lang sprawled across the rug while Azure Sky coiled on the sofa's armrest, both watching the broadcast with their master.
Today's news was a familiar montage of grey: famine, plague, riots. However, a new bulletin from the National Institute of Biological Research caught their collective attention.
"...Scientists have confirmed that the meat of mutated beasts, specifically the heart, contains an enzyme capable of cellular regeneration and immune system enhancement. This could be the ultimate food source for humanity's survival..."
"Hiss…" Azure Sky rasped. "They found out. I thought this secret belonged only to us."
Thien Anh stroked her cold, sleek head.
"It was only a matter of time. When humans are starving, they'll eat anything; once they eat it, they discover the truth. But knowing is one thing—hunting is another. To feast on the heart of a high-tier beast, you have to wager your life."
Thien Lang yawned, baring his brilliant white fangs.
"Master is right. It's not like you eat and instantly become a god. Look at me—I've eaten a mountain of meat and I haven't even felt the next stage of ascension yet."
Thien Anh grew pensive, checking the health vitals on his smartwatch.
"Look, Mutt. Have you noticed that since we swallowed that 'soft white marrow' inside the Prism Pearl, our bodies haven't stopped optimizing? Yesterday, my neural reflex speed was 0.09 seconds; today, it clocked in at 0.08. We are breaking human limits."
Thien Lang nodded his massive head in agreement.
"Ki feels it too. The bite force, the speed, and most importantly… the mind. Before I ate that substance, I only felt stronger, but my thoughts were still dim. Now, I feel truly intelligent. Did the Derpy One feel it too?"
"The Derpy One"—the nickname Thien Lang had bestowed upon Azure Sky. The small serpent let out a cold hiss but didn't refute him.
"It is true. That substance is like a neural stimulant. It recalibrated our entire genetic makeup. I wonder what it actually is, brother?"
Thien Anh shook his head.
"I don't know. I've never seen any records of anything like it. Perhaps it's the essence of the meteorite, or a gift from the heavens. Regardless, it doesn't matter, as long as we keep evolving…"
Click.
The bathroom door creaked open.
A plume of hot steam billowed out. Lam Linh stepped into the room, her damp hair cascading over her shoulders. She was wearing Thien Anh's oversized white shirt, which hung past her hips, revealing her pale, slender legs.
She was about to ask where the hairdryer was.
But the words died in her throat.
She heard voices. Not from the television.
"...Did the Derpy One feel it too?"
"...Ki is right, I felt it as well..."
Lam Linh's eyes bulged, her pupils constricting to pinpricks. The towel in her hand hit the floor with a soft thud.
Before her, the gargantuan black wolf and the jade-green serpent were… talking to each other? In human speech? Clear, articulate, and with distinct inflection?
The room froze in an icy stasis.
Thien Anh, Thien Lang, and Azure Sky turned their heads in unison.
Six eyes—predatory and intense—locked onto the girl who stood there, paralyzed like a statue of stone.
Their little secret… was out.