Xu Zhi didn't intend to open the door. Her home didn't have a surveillance camera, but she also didn't want to approach the door to see through the peephole who was knocking.

After all, she didn't have a body that could escape from any unexpected situations in time.

——Bang, bang, bang.

There was another round of knocks, but this time they were significantly louder than before.

Holding the game console tightly in her hand, Xu Zhi's heart began to beat faster. She remained silent, as if she didn't hear the increasingly urgent knocks.

Finally, realizing that Xu Zhi wasn't going to open the door, the person outside gave up on the futile knocking and spoke up, "We know there's someone inside. We're not bad people, we just want to find some companions to join us."

"I'm a student from Yuncheng High School, and I'm with a few classmates. We can show you our student IDs. We can't leave this place now, and hiding at home isn't safe. Why don't you join us and build a base together?"

"If you're not interested, just let us know, and we won't bother you again!"

The voice of a slightly young man sounded outside, sincere but with a quick pace. It seemed like he wanted to persuade the person inside the house while also being eager to move on to the next place.

However, in Xu Zhi's ears, even though the young man was shouting to convey his message, she still found it difficult to hear clearly. Some parts of his speech were too faint, and she had to rely on guesswork to understand what he was saying. Her hearing had been gradually declining since four years ago.

After waiting for about ten seconds, the person outside seemed to realize that they wouldn't get a response. "Do you think we're not trustworthy? We'll leave now. Would you be willing to talk if we sent a female classmate next time? Or you can come to the high school and find us if you change your mind!"

After speaking, the outside finally fell silent. Xu Zhi couldn't hear the footsteps of the person leaving, but after waiting for a while and not hearing any more knocks or shouts, she assumed that they had left.

During the emergency evacuation announcement by the federation, it was emphasized that inhaling the black mist could affect one's body and sanity. The most obvious symptom was that some people became suspicious and paranoid after inhaling the mist, as if suffering from delusions of persecution. Their temper became volatile, they became extremely aggressive, and even their strength increased.

However, after careful examination using medical equipment, it was discovered that the increased strength came at a cost: the life force of these individuals was being drained. Their metabolism rate also accelerated significantly, causing them to age twice as fast as normal people.

The most bizarre aspect was the mutation that occurred in their brains. This mutation caused their emotions to become extremely sensitive, and even the slightest stimulus could trigger a frenzy.

No one could maintain their sanity after inhaling excessive amounts of the black mist. Even ordinary people who spent just two hours in a misty environment would become more agitated than usual, let alone those who had been in the city enveloped by the black mist for nearly a week.

Perhaps, there were no mentally healthy individuals left in this city anymore.

As for Xu Zhi herself, she didn't think her mental state was very good. Otherwise, why would she even consider killing someone?

She was aware that there was something wrong with her, but she didn't think it was a bad thing. In fact, she felt a sense of relief, as if she had put down a heavy burden and was now feeling lighter and freer.

Even when she heard the male voice outside her door, her first thought was: "If he breaks in, how can I kill him?"

Xu Zhi didn't believe that the person outside was a "good guy" at all. She was convinced that the male student must have some evil intentions and was trying to trick her into opening the door.

How did he know there was someone in this house?

Had he and his accomplices already targeted her?

Questions like these filled Xu Zhi's mind, and she even began to believe that the next time these people came, they would forcibly break into the house and kill her.

"Was I this radical before?"

No, a few days ago, her thoughts were still focused on revenge against her parents, such as making their lives difficult or letting her younger brother experience her struggles. But today, her thoughts had gradually become more extreme...

The young girl sighed, feeling that if she continued this way, even if she became stronger, she would only end up as a villainous character in a story.

However, she thought, being a villain was still better than being a minor character who died at the beginning of the story.

"I hope I can increase my strength and find a way to leave here before I completely lose my mind."

Currently, seven tenths of the black mist was concentrated within the city of Yun, while the remaining three tenths spread across other parts of the world. In particular, the mist on the ground in the city was so dense that it resembled a surge of black tide. If a person were to be immersed in it, they might not even be able to see the people around them clearly. Just one deep breath of this mist was enough to drive an ordinary person insane.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Given such circumstances, it was surprising that the male student dared to say he came from the affiliated high school.

Even if Xu Zhi was sane, she would not have given him any response.

But the appearance of the boys was a reminder to her that it wasn't just fae monsters that were dangerous in this city, but that the humans who stayed here would slowly turn into some kind of unknown danger over time.

This heightened the sense of urgency in Xu Zhi's heart. She stopped indulging in idle thoughts and picked up her handheld console, determined to upgrade as quickly as possible. It was the only thing she could do at the moment.

After completing its evolution, the small snake's strength had increased even further. The 50 evolution points that overflowed after consuming the eagle were still retained, and the current requirement for evolving to the next level was 200 evolution points.

【Current Evolution Points: 50/200】

【Your spirit pet has defeated an enemy that is more powerful than it, and its path to evolution is slightly accelerated, but good fortune will not favor you forever! You still need to be a little more careful with every choice you make.】

【Now, it's time to make a choice again】

【1. Look for weaker prey, 2. Look for prey of similar strength, 3. Look for powerful prey.】

In Xu Zhi's eyes, this was not a difficult decision to make. Without hesitation, she chose option 2.

The small snake on the screen moved again, and as the already dim sky outside gradually darkened, night had fallen.

This was the first time Xu Zhi had played for such a long time, and she felt a slight excitement. She lifted her head to relieve the stiffness in her neck and shoulders from being bent over for so long, and marveled at the fact that one of the benefits of this game was that she didn't have to operate it constantly.

As the small snake in the game defeated prey of similar strength again and again, the evolution points had reached 180, and an upgrade was imminent. However, a line of text suddenly appeared again.

【As midnight approaches, the intersection of the past and future emerges from the void. Power scatters across the world, waiting for someone to pick it up... But not now!】

【Your spirit pet does not yet have the ability to walk in the midnight, please let it sleep peacefully with its eyes closed as soon as possible, and it must not look directly at anything shrouded by the night fog, and it must not expose itself to the midnight.】

【Of course, if you wake up early enough in the morning, you may find another reward.】

【Now, it's time to rest.】

【Please choose: 1. Continue staying and searching for prey, 2. Find a concealed location to rest.】

"Midnight?"

With a puzzled expression, Xu Zhi chose option 2.

She was not a person who ignored advice, especially when the game's narrator had been guiding her. It was still too early to tempt fate.

Once the game screen showed that the small snake had begun to rest, and the only remaining option was [Wake It Up], Xu Zhi also prepared to rest, maneuvering her wheelchair accordingly.

But as she steered her wheelchair towards the bedroom, her gaze caught an unexpected sight outside the window that surprised her:

In the night, the black mist on the streets was swirling like waves.

“……”

For a moment, Xu Zhi fell silent. She wondered if something was about to happen again.

She sat by the window and quietly watched the black fog for a few minutes, then realized that even if something was going to happen, there was nothing she could do at the moment, so she abandoned this meaningless behavior.

Finally, her body began to feel tired. After the small snake rested, the feeling of drowsiness came flooding in like a delayed reaction, as if someone had hit her on the back of her head with a blunt object. If she didn't rest soon, she would even fall asleep right there in her wheelchair.

That wouldn't be good. She would wake up with aches and pains all over her body.

Holding on to the thought that even if something happened, there was nothing she could do in her current state, Xu Zhi felt a sense of resignation and even a bit of contentment as she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes to fall asleep.

She needed a wheelchair due to her weakened physical condition, not because she was disabled, so getting into and out of bed was not a problem for her.

The alarm was set for 5 am, and it was already close to midnight. In the past, sleeping only five hours a day would have been unbearable for her, but now, somehow, Xu Zhi felt that five hours might be enough for her.

——Ding, ding, ding.

At 5 am, the sound of the alarm clock rang. Shortly after it started, a pale and slender hand emerged from the bedcovers to turn it off. Then, Xu Zhi slowly used her hands to prop herself up, and despite her mind still being a bit foggy, she instinctively reached out to touch the game console placed on her pillow.

Upon seeing the 【Wake It Up】 option on the screen, Xu Zhi blinked hard to clear her mind a bit.

She never expected that one day she would become so engrossed in a game that she would forget to sleep or eat.

After placing the pillow horizontally against the headboard, Xu Zhi leaned back against it and pressed the confirmation button on the game console.

【Early in the morning, you awaken your spirit pet.】

【The power that does not belong to this world has just dissipated. Most creatures are still asleep. If your luck is good enough, you might find something, but there's also a chance you'll find nothing. If you choose to hunt, you can find many prey that offer no resistance.】

【Please choose: 1. Search for remnants left behind by the midnight, 2. Search for prey.】

"So, 'the early bird catches the worm'?"

"No, it should be the 'early snake' catches the prey."

It seemed like there were such good things happening in the morning. Xu Zhi decided that she would have to wake up at 5 am every day from now on.

After some consideration, Xu Zhi chose option 1.

After all, the narrator had given such a hint. Although prey that offered no resistance was also very appealing, Xu Zhi was more curious about what the remnants left behind by the midnight were.

After pressing the selection button, the small snake began wandering around nearby, seemingly searching for something. It took over ten minutes, but finally, the small snake stopped in front of a strange plant.

It was a black withered branch, stretching out from a crack in the ground, only about half a meter in height and without even a single fork, and at the top of the branch, a black fruit the size of a human thumb was crashed.

【Your luck is truly incredible. You've actually found it. Although its concentration is not very high, it is a precious existence for you at this moment.】

Then, the only option that appeared on the screen was: 【Pick it up.】

After Xu Zhi clicked on the option, the small snake approached the black fruit, and it disappeared. A line of text appeared in the lower left corner of the screen.

【A low-concentration unknown fruit.】

【This item has been placed in the player's inventory. Press the '*' key to open the inventory.】

"Huh?"

Something new had appeared. She even had a player's inventory?

Curious, Xu Zhi pressed the '*' key to open the inventory. The inventory interface was not much different from the backpack interfaces in other games, and right now, it contained only the solitary black fruit.

When Xu Zhi selected the fruit in the inventory, a shocking option appeared before her eyes.

【Feed to Spirit Pet: Snake】

【Taking out the game】

"... Taking out the game? Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Instead of taking out the warehouse, you're taking out the game?"

Xu Zhi was stunned for a few seconds, then hesitantly pressed the option to remove the game, and then...

A black, thumb-sized fruit appeared out of nowhere, quietly landing on her bedspread.

She had actually taken an item from the game into reality.