“You have a space ability. You don’t care if the shelter gets destroyed, but we do! We care!”

“You’ve got food, water, and supplies. You can survive anywhere. But what about us? Have you ever thought about us?”

“You want us to risk our lives for you, and at the slightest issue, you’re shouting to kill. Who do you think you are?”

As they ransacked his things, they cursed him out, as if venting all the frustration that had been simmering in their hearts over the past few days.

“Ha! Ptooey!”

A glob of bloody phlegm landed squarely on the man’s face.

Ma Yan watched as the man before him got coated in his spit, looking utterly disheveled, and suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha, you pack of dogs—”

The laughter was cut short.

A filthy, foul-smelling rag was shoved into his mouth.

“Shut him up.”

Da Cheng glared at him and gave a low order, then turned to his companions.

“This old bastard probably wants to lure zombies here to screw us over. Hurry up and search him. Once we get what we want, kill him.”

Two of their companions, more seriously wounded, lay groaning a short distance away.

“Da Cheng, see if he has medicine in that space of his. Give it to the brothers first. This bleeding won’t stop.”

“Get me a damn painkiller. It hurts like hell.”

Yu Hongfei watched as they pawed and tossed Ma Yan around like a ragdoll, and couldn’t help thinking of earlier that day, when those same people obeyed Ma Yan’s every word and beat him at his command.

He murmured, “Karma really does come around.”

Lin Chu, however, frowned, silently observing the commotion downstairs.

Something felt off.

If Ma Yan had a space ability, he definitely had backup plans. There’s no way he’d let himself get manhandled like this.

The fact that he wasn’t fighting back yet… probably meant he was waiting.

Da Cheng and the others kept patting him down, and when they didn’t find anything on the front, they moved to check his back.

Someone suggested, “Strip off all his accessories. He must be carrying it on him somewhere. Take everything off.”

Everyone agreed and quickly started removing Ma Yan’s necklace, belt, chest bag—everything.

“There’s a bracelet here too!”

Da Cheng’s eyes lit up when he saw a leather strap bracelet on Ma Yan’s bound wrist.

But to get it off intact, they’d have to loosen the rope binding his wrist.

“No big deal, he’s beaten so bad, he can’t do anything.”

With that reassurance, everyone nodded in agreement.

With their support, Da Cheng reached out.

But the moment Da Cheng loosened the rope around Ma Yan’s wrist, Lin Chu saw a strange smirk curl on Ma Yan’s lips.

It was time.

Ma Yan’s counterattack began.

“AHHH—!”

Da Cheng’s scream pierced the night.

A sharp dagger had plunged into his left eye, leaving a gory, bleeding hole where his eyeball had been gouged out.

“Holy shit… he actually had a weapon hidden! That guy’s whole eye is gone—that’s gotta hurt like hell.”

Yu Hongfei winced from the sidelines.

Lin Chu noticed Da Cheng was clutching something in his hand.

Ma Yan’s sudden strike threw the others into panic.

The two more seriously wounded men scrambled away as fast as they could. One of the less injured ones grabbed a baseball bat from the ground and rushed forward to help.

But Ma Yan suddenly flung the dagger from his hand, sending it flying straight at the man’s chest.

Thwack—

The blade pierced his skin with a sickening sound.

His knees buckled and he collapsed in front of Ma Yan.

In a blink, the battlefield turned.

As Ma Yan dealt with the man in front of him, he turned to find Da Cheng already ten paces away.

He quickly grabbed his machete from the ground and gave chase.

Da Cheng, realizing what he had grabbed, frantically searched through it for useful items.

Soon enough, he pulled out a large axe.

He stopped running. Instead, he turned and swung the axe at Ma Yan.

The two clashed again.

“That axe came out of nowhere! That guy’s got the space!”

Yu Hongfei sounded excited, but when he turned to share the news, he realized no one was beside him.

He looked out the window—and saw Lin Chu was already downstairs.

Ma Yan had always been the leader because he was strong, had good gear, and was generous with his leftovers.

But now, though he was a spent force, Da Cheng’s injury had severely weakened him too. After a few exchanges, Da Cheng was clearly losing.

Soon, Ma Yan slashed his shoulder with the machete, and Da Cheng collapsed.

The ground was soaked in blood.

Ma Yan wasn’t doing well either. His head had been bashed several times earlier, and his body was covered in wounds.

Even managing to defeat Da Cheng had already pushed him to the limit.

He staggered forward, bent down—and collapsed.

Still, he forced his blood-soaked eyes open, stretched out a hand, and reached for the leather strap in Da Cheng’s grip.

He was just about to touch it—when a foot, clad in a black sneaker, stepped firmly on the back of his hand.

It was a narrow foot. A woman’s.

Ma Yan lifted his bloodied gaze.

A short-haired woman stood over him, black mask on her face, almond-shaped eyes staring down coldly.

He’d dealt with women like this in his previous life. Not the kind to mess with.

He realized immediately.

“You… didn’t leave after all…”

“It was you… you killed A-Feng. It was you!”

Lin Chu didn’t deny it. She simply squatted down and pulled the leather strap from Da Cheng’s hand.

“You cut the power too… didn’t you.”

“What about Gangzi and Skinny Monkey? Where did they go?”

“You followed Da Cheng here, didn’t you?”

“Our door wasn’t left open… you pried it open. It was you…”

“You sat back and watched us slaughter each other. Ha, we slaughtered each other…”

“You… you activated the security door.”

Ma Yan suddenly connected all the dots.

Lin Chu didn’t reply. She simply pulled down her mask.

And Ma Yan finally understood why she had felt so familiar just now.

He chuckled, choked on blood, and coughed. Still, he spoke, his voice weak and broken.

“Heh… it was you… Forensic Investigator Lin. We meet again.”

“Forensic Investigator Lin… you actually… broke the law too…”

Lin Chu ignored him. She asked him a single question.

After getting the answer, she placed her hands on either side of his head—and twisted.

When Yu Hongfei approached, he heard a crisp crack.

Five bodies lay on the ground.

None of them were breathing.