The invisible pressure here is constantly draining my energy as time goes by.

Moreover, it's getting late, and if I can't find a safe spot outside now, it would be adding insult to injury.

Late at night, my room is the only one with the lights on in the entire building. The other floors and buildings are sleeping silently in a black mist.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Just as I decided to spend the night waiting for daylight, I heard hurried footsteps from the fourth floor. My first reaction was... someone!

"Hey, upstairs! Is anyone there?"

The atmosphere in this apocalyptic situation is terrifying. Every additional person brings a sense of security.

In this desperate situation, it would be best if it's the guild leaders.

Creak...

I finally took the first brave step. Of course, considering the strong stench initially, I opened the door with caution this time.

To provide light, I gathered some decorative desk lamps from the hotel and some fabrics that could be used as guides.

After some tinkering, I finally made an improvised alcohol lamp using liquor as fuel.

The walls around the hallway were cracked, and I had to be extra careful when walking. Every step on the ground felt like stepping on a hollow cardboard, as if it could collapse at any moment. I had to watch out for the possibility of stepping into empty space and pay close attention to the gaps beneath my feet.

"Sigh, so there's no one here after all?"

I didn't know if shouting would help at this moment, but at least it wouldn't attract anything strange, would it?

"Hah... Hey! Is anyone there...?"

Boom! After a wave of disgust, the loud roar caused me to collapse the walls at the corner of the third floor of the hotel.

This is too loose. It seems that some special substance has corroded the wall tiles here.

"Could the strong stench I smelled earlier have come from here?"

It seems that it's not like those miraculous situations in games and anime where... zombies or demons appear, right?

"Probably no zombies or demons, huh?"

Phew, I breathed a sigh of relief - safe!

I reached the stairs on the third floor smoothly, but unfortunately, the pitch-black fourth floor with zero visibility made me hesitate.

Pfft... What was that sound?!

I held my breath and listened carefully to the source of the sound, which seemed to be beneath my feet.

Suddenly, I felt something sticky and smelly under my feet. It was... yes, the same stench.

I will never forget the moment I inhaled that pungent gas. Could it be... blood?!

No... it can't be, right? Could there be some psychopath who can kill without spilling blood, or zombies that devour people completely?

I tried to stay as quiet as possible and crouched down, using a metal rod I brought from the room to poke it.

"This color doesn't look like blood. Is it sulfuric acid?"

Preliminary observation: the thick, viscous liquid had a green color, so it shouldn't be something left behind by an animal or a human.

But I haven't explored the upper floors yet. It's best to find the person who just ran by and gather my companions. That's my top priority.

Sigh, I wonder where the guild leaders and Yu Nai are hiding right now.

...Well, I only took a short nap, so they shouldn't be too far away.

But wait, it's been more than four hours since we split up, right?

They probably already abandoned me long ago, but I don't think they are those kinds of people!

"Cough, cough, the corrosive smell is even stronger?" The strong irritating gas made me cover my mouth and nose.

By the way, who would stay on the fourth floor for so long?

When I rested on the third floor, I heard the sounds coming from the fourth floor on the left, which means I should start searching from the position where the third and fourth floors are separated by only one wall.

"What's going on?!"

I pushed open one door after another, but there was no sign of human presence. Could it be an auditory hallucination?

Bang!

It's on the right side of this floor!

"Hey, who's there? Answer me!"

I was sure I heard someone knocking over metal objects. As I reached the center of the fourth floor, something seemed to be moving at the end on the right side.

"Wuwuwu..." I could faintly hear the person sobbing.

He pushed open the door of the room on the north side, but it's as if he didn't notice me and went straight into the small room on the south side.

What's going on with that person? Well, anyway, he still seems to be wearing the hotel's formal uniform. I'd better observe the situation first.

I slowed down my pace and quietly entered the room on the north side, making sure to grab the doorknob as I entered.

"What's this? Besides some food, there are a few bottles of mineral water. Pretty ordinary room."

But this is far from enough. After confirming that there was nothing else in the room, I planned to crack open the door and peek at the situation in the room across from me.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. In such a high-pressure situation, it's best to avoid unnecessary conflicts as much as possible.

This way, it may damage my image as a strong man, but I can't be called a coward either. Simply put... it's about having both courage and strategy.

"Um, sorry... I disturbed you."

Using the dim light, I quietly looked towards the room where the person was.

I saw that the person seemed to be earnestly eating something, occasionally making strange noises.

Wait a minute, what he was eating... a large pile of red liquid was spreading towards me from that room!

"Ah..." I couldn't help but exclaim in shock, and then instinctively covered my mouth, but it was already too late.

"Hmm?"

He seemed to have noticed my presence and slowly stood up from the ground, looking around. I took the opportunity to take a look at his face...

His bloodshot eyes were dim and lifeless. Although he still had a human appearance, he seemed to be living like a soulless zombie!

Bang, crack!

I quickly closed the door and locked it.

"Wu-ahhh!"

He heard the sound of the door closing and immediately let out a beast-like roar, then fiercely pounded on the door.

Bang, bang, bang...

Under the brutal impact, cracks slowly appeared on the wooden door.

Although I know that the hotel's wooden door is not very sturdy, what kind of creature is that guy? Not only can he shake the wooden door, but he also has the ability to destroy it!

In dire straits!

This room is no different from the others, except for one thing... there's a balcony!

The most urgent thing is to save my life, so I didn't have time to grab the food and ran as fast as I could.

When I climbed over to the balcony, I heard a loud noise from the room, and the door was knocked open!

"Uhh..." I was already scared out of my wits. He circled around in the room and didn't see anyone, then slowly walked out of the room with unsteady steps.

"Whew! That was close." I finally caught my breath. If I stayed in the room just now, I would have ended up like that pool of blood, right?

Being on the balcony is as good as being outside.

At this moment, the sky was beginning to turn white, and I believe it won't be long before it becomes daytime.

The plants and trees on the road became exceptionally clear, with numerous animals roaming on the spacious road. Even lions were inhabiting the central intersection!

Where did everyone go?

If I were to say the most wrong decision I made at that moment, it would be seeing the elevator after entering through the window on the other side of the balcony.

I don't know why, but I saw that the indicator light above was still on, so I hurriedly got on. Initially, the elevator was operating smoothly as it went to the middle of the first floor.

But after reaching the first floor, the elevator paused for a second and then headed towards the basement.

"What the hell, where is this elevator going?!"

So what happened next occurred (the beginning of the final chapter of the previous volume).

"Hey hey hey, Xiaoxi... What did you see just now?"

The President sat on top of me while slapping my ears, really living up to her role as the president.

"Ah, what are you doing... stop messing around and get off Xiaoxi! You pig! Move the bus!"

"Hey, Xiaoxi! What did you see over there?" everyone asked at the same time.

What did I see... what's the situation? I just remembered... and now I'm lying on the hotel bed again. The President and the others gathered around the bed, eagerly asking me.

"There was no one, I... Uggh!"

I really don't want to remember that world, it was just like hell on earth!

"Well, it seems that Xiao Xi really did go to the future world, and we must go to that time and space to save the current world. Unfortunately, when we travel through time and space, the time storm will be a major obstacle for our human bodies," the president said, speaking in circles and somewhat showing off.

"Then just tell us how we can safely get there, don't say useless things!" I replied.

"Um, do you trust me?" Yu Nai's expression suddenly became serious, which surprised us greatly.

"What is there to trust or not trust, after all, Xiaoxi said..."

"What did I say?"

"Nothing...okay, quickly tell us what the president has to say."

Yu Nai deliberately turned her body away from me, afraid that I would see her blushing face.

"Very well, as long as you have this determination, I think you are qualified. Starting tonight, leave your contact information with Xiaoxi's family for a sleepover!"

Why does she keep calling it Xiaoxi's house? Wait...what is this sleepover thing?!

It seems like they have all packed up and are planning to stay at my house.

"It's not that it's not possible, we have many rooms in our house!"

"What do you mean 'our house,' it's clearly my house, right?"

The president has no boundaries in her speech, making me worried.

"What do you mean 'our house' and 'your house,' could it be..."

"Huh?"

When Yu Nai looked at me with suspicion, I instantly felt like I was in big trouble.

The president seemed to accidentally reveal the secret of us living together just now. If this were to cause a big scene at school, where would I put my face?

"Um, that...it's not what you're thinking, Yu Nai..."

"Hey, I'm called Yu Nai, why do you still call me the president...we are also certified individuals!"

It was definitely on purpose. I saw her intentionally drop a small notebook from the inside of her coat.

Is she doing this to show it to Yu Nai?