Chapter Eight: Pandora’s Box Is Opened

Not long after rushing out of the school, Gu Sha was forced to abandon his car. Driving was utterly impossible in the city—cars were scattered haphazardly across the streets, zombies staggered aimlessly everywhere, and many buildings had been burned and collapsed in the chaos. The entire city was in ruins, making passage by vehicle impossible.

But hacking a way through on foot was hardly a solution either.

At last, Gu Sha found a motorcycle. With his superb skills, he managed to navigate through the city, albeit slowly. Fortunately, as a third-tier fighter, he was plenty strong—when he encountered obstacles, he could simply hoist the several-hundred-pound motorcycle and go around. Even so, by the time he reached the Blue Moon Hotel, it was already afternoon.

The Blue Moon Hotel was the largest establishment in Cang City, stately and grand, sprawling like a manor. Gu Sha flung his motorcycle at the hotel entrance, and immediately several zombies burst from within. Their bodies were stiff, draped with tattered flesh, their faces a ghastly pallor, empty white eyes rolling sightlessly as they clawed the air, lurching toward him.

Gu Sha hefted his axe—now chipped and battered from use—and dispatched them one by one with efficient brutality, striding boldly into the hotel.

The lobby too was swarming with zombies, but with Gu Sha’s current strength, fighting these newly spawned, low-level creatures was no different from thrashing kindergarteners. He cleared them out in no time, then began searching the hotel from top to bottom.

Everywhere, the hotel was overrun. What had once been a valuable property was now reduced to nothing overnight. Of course, the same was true the world over—no one had the leisure to mourn lost fortunes. The owners themselves were likely either dead or on the run.

With his prowess, facing these primitive undead was like crushing ants, especially in a complex like this, with many places to hide—he was in no danger of being surrounded. At this stage, as long as he didn’t end up in some open, coverless space beset by thousands of zombies, he could handle himself with ease.

So, searching for Lin Xingyan in the Blue Moon Hotel went very smoothly.

It didn’t take long for Gu Sha to find Lin Xingyan in a detached villa, though her situation was dire—she was in a state of complete disarray.

He recognized her not because he remembered the famous star after twenty years, but because, before the apocalypse, Lin Xingyan had come to Cang City for a commercial performance. Her posters had plastered the entire city. Even on his way from the school to the hotel, Gu Sha had seen her face dozens of times—she was impossible to forget.

At this moment, Lin Xingyan and a group of people were trapped in a villa—not a large one—surrounded by zombies, at least three hundred of them, all pounding frantically on the doors and windows.

Thankfully, the Blue Moon Hotel’s hardware was first-rate; the doors and windows held against the assault. But while the threat outside was temporarily kept at bay, inside the survivors had turned on each other.

Lin Xingyan was curled up in a corner, two or three corpses sprawled in pools of blood nearby—clearly killed by human hands, not zombies.

The murderers were obvious: seven or eight men in hotel security uniforms, all young and strong, wielding weapons—axes, cleavers, iron rods, and one with a finely crafted Tang sword, likely a hotel decoration.

Apart from the security guards, there were about a dozen others, clearly guests by their attire—each one dressed in expensive, luxurious clothes. Before the world ended, anyone who could afford to stay at the Blue Moon was wealthy, upper-class. Now, these same elites cowered in fear, not daring to intervene as the security men bullied Lin Xingyan.

Gu Sha had climbed in from the back and reached the second floor, looking down with interest at the drama unfolding below. From the jumble of shouted arguments, he pieced together the situation.

This group had been trapped since yesterday. Today, they’d tried to send people out to scout, but were ambushed by zombies and forced to retreat. The security guards had covered their escape, but when they reached the door, those who’d entered first had slammed it shut behind them, abandoning the guards outside. Only seven or eight of the original fifteen guards survived, and the one responsible was Lin Xingyan, who, relying on her two strong bodyguards, had closed the door against everyone’s objections.

The survivors hadn’t been let in by Lin Xingyan’s mercy—they’d found a back entrance and slipped in by luck. Once inside, the guards were furious and demanded answers, quickly learning it was Lin Xingyan’s doing. When confronted, Lin Xingyan, accustomed to her privileged life, not only refused to apologize but acted as though she had done nothing wrong, infuriating the guards further. Violence erupted—her two bodyguards were hacked to death on the spot, as were two wealthy men who spoke up for her.

Now, Lin Xingyan was finally terrified, and the other wealthy guests were too frightened to utter a word.

“You fucking bitch!” the leader of the guards, clutching the Tang sword, kicked Lin Xingyan hard in the stomach and snarled, “You ungrateful wretch! We risked our lives to save you, and you stabbed us in the back. I’ll send you to the grave right now!”

He raised the sword, ready to bring it down.

By now, everyone understood that the end of the world had truly arrived. Order had collapsed, and the moral boundaries in people’s hearts were crumbling—especially among those who had already killed zombies and people alike. They were the first to adapt to this new era, shedding the restraints that civilization had imposed.

And this was only the beginning.

In a few days, perhaps less, the world would descend into utter anarchy, with all notions of morality and humanity erased.

Lin Xingyan, already pale as death, screamed in terror, “You… you can’t kill me… My father is Lin Tian! If you kill me, you’re doomed!”

At the mention of Lin Tian’s name, many people froze—especially the guards, who had served in the military and knew the name well. Their innate deference to power momentarily checked the leader’s savagery, and his sword paused in mid-air.

But Lin Xingyan, in her foolishness, pressed on, “I’m telling you, my father commands over a hundred thousand soldiers. If you touch me, you’re dead! You’d better apologize right now, or else…”

“Fuck you! Still threatening me? The world’s ended—what the hell do I have to be afraid of?” the guard leader roared, finally enraged beyond reason. He slapped Lin Xingyan hard across her delicate face, sending her sprawling. The torn hem of her dress flipped up, revealing a pair of long, slender legs.

A lascivious glint appeared in the guard leader’s eyes—a dangerous thought flashed through his mind: The world’s already over; who cares about the powerful and mighty? Better to enjoy what you never dared before!

He grabbed Lin Xingyan by the hair, a filthy grin spreading across his face as he looked at his fellow guards. “Brothers, the world’s gone to hell—who knows how long we’ll live? Why not enjoy what we never could before, eh?”

With a rip, Lin Xingyan’s clothing was torn open, exposing her pale skin.

In that moment, it was as if Pandora’s box had been flung wide in the hearts of the other guards.