After returning home, Mai Ding paced angrily back and forth through his friend Li Ming’s room. “Who does he think he is? That shameless bastard actually tore up my lottery ticket! That’s the same as tearing up my chance to become rich. I’m going to beat him to death.”
“What’s the point of acting brave afterward? Why didn’t you hit him while he was standing in front of you?”
“I don’t think I could beat him.”
“Tsk, tsk.” Li Ming shook his head while playing on his computer. “You passed the DS exam and you can’t even beat a human. How are you going to fight corpses?”
“The methods for dealing with corpses are different.”
“Mai Ding, you only just got your DS certificate. Don’t tell me you’re going out tonight…” Mai Ding could hear the worry in Li Ming’s voice. He gripped the DS certificate inside his bag. “I’ve already learned everything. If I never put it into practice, I’ll always be a beginner. It’s fine. I’m mentally prepared. Some things have to be done by somebody, right?”
“You’d be better off finding someone to go with you. Going alone is way too dangerous.”
“Mm. Then I’ll head back first.” Mai Ding returned to his own apartment. Find someone—easy to say, but where was he supposed to find one? Mai Ding didn’t have many friends. He had only met Li Ming after moving here. He wanted to save humanity like Superman. He wanted to carry out thrilling missions like the cops in Infernal Affairs. But he was too ordinary, so ordinary that he seemed suited only to an ordinary life. Did people nowadays look down on being friends with ordinary people? An Zi Yan’s face appeared in Mai Ding’s mind. Someone like him probably had plenty of friends.
The darker the sky became, the more anxious Mai Ding felt. Am I really going out? But if I don’t, why did I spend so much time getting a DS qualification? Since the day he was born, Mai Ding had never once walked through the streets at night. He also wanted to know just how beautiful the night was that some people would risk danger to go outside. He knew the night was lively—bars, lights… Corpses weren’t like the ones in movies, stupidly standing around or slowly shuffling all day for the sole purpose of finding survivors. They lived their own nightlife too. Ordinary corpses attacked humans only when they were hungry, while black corpses specifically hunted humans for entertainment. Of course, some businesses at night were still run by humans. They simply stayed away from places corpses frequently visited and installed extensive protective measures, providing services to people seeking thrills. That was also why so many people rushed to obtain DS qualifications. In reality, only a small portion of certified DS members actually fought black corpses.
At last, darkness completely fell and humanity became quiet—terrifyingly quiet. After checking everything on his body and inside his backpack, Mai Ding finally made up his mind and went downstairs. He looked through the glass to confirm there was nobody outside, then took out his DS card and swiped it. The door opened. At night, this door locked completely to protect the residents upstairs. Only a DS card could open it.
After stepping outside, Mai Ding carefully shut the door again. His heart felt as though it were about to leap into his throat. The street had no lights. There was nothing at all. He constantly encouraged himself as he moved forward one step at a time. Streets he knew perfectly well in daylight became completely unfamiliar in the darkness. Mai Ding had no idea where he had turned. There was light ahead. Just as he was about to go closer and see what it was, someone grabbed the back of his collar. He nearly screamed before a hand covered his mouth.
“What are you doing here?”
Hearing the same voice he had heard that morning, Mai Ding’s tense body relaxed. He pulled An Zi Yan’s hand away. “I should be asking you what you’re doing here. Hurry back. This isn’t somewhere you should be. If you run into a corpse, someone unarmed like you is dead for sure.” He pushed An Zi Yan by the back, then thought about it and changed his mind. “Forget it. It isn’t safe for you to go back alone either. Where do you live? I’ll take you home. If anything happens, I’ll protect you.” The moment he finished, he heard An Zi Yan give a short, cold laugh.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“You noticed?”
“I’m telling you, I have a DS certificate. Do you? If you don’t, then keep a low profile. Seriously, you young people. You’ll use any method you can to sneak outside just for some excitement. Do you have a death wish?”
“You’re so noisy. Come with me.”
“You’re coming with me.” Mai Ding walked ahead first and started retracing the route they had taken. An Zi Yan switched on the light built into his watch. Mai Ding hurriedly covered his hand. “Don’t turn on a light. We’ll be discovered. Look, I have one too. Mine is different from yours. Yours is just an ordinary watch. My watch has a special light issued to DS members. When it shines on a corpse, their eyeballs turn red. It’s used to distinguish humans from corpses at night.” Mai Ding bragged proudly. An Zi Yan pulled his hand away, and only under the light did he finally get a good look at Mai Ding’s outfit. “Are you going on a picnic?”
“What picnic? All of this is equipment to keep me alive. Stay behind me and don’t move around. If we encounter a corpse, don’t worry about me. You run first.” Mai Ding reached behind himself and pulled out a crossbow.
“Are you here to make people laugh?”
“Please respect my profession! I’m still a beginner DS. I haven’t reached the level where they issue me a gun yet. I’ll say it one more time—turn off the light!”
An Zi Yan shrugged as though he hadn’t heard Mai Ding’s warning. The two continued forward. Their footsteps were extremely clear on the silent street. Suddenly, An Zi Yan stopped. “There’s a sound.” Mai Ding frantically whipped his head from side to side. “Where? Where? I don’t hear anything. Where?”
“I heard wrong.” An Zi Yan started walking again. Before long, he stopped once more. “It sounds like there’s something.” Mai Ding swung his crossbow around in every direction, his legs trembling. “I-I think I hear it too. It must—it must be a corpse. What do I do? What am I supposed to do? Am I going to die?” He grabbed An Zi Yan’s arm. “Right! There’s something I want to ask you before I die. Tonight is when the lottery numbers are announced. Help me—”
“Sounds like I heard wrong again.”
“Can you be serious at a time like this?! Don’t joke around with people’s lives!” Mai Ding jumped up and down in fury. He quickened his pace while continuing to lecture An Zi Yan. “I can’t communicate with you at all. I’m trying to save you out of kindness, and what are you doing? You’re trying to get me killed. I’m telling you…” An Zi Yan interrupted him. “We’re at my home.” Mai Ding looked up at the luxury apartment building in front of them. “No wonder. Rich young masters really are too willful. Sigh.”
“Let me use your DS card.” Mai Ding thought, I knew it. I guessed right again. An Zi Yan definitely used some illegal method to get outside. Although helpless about his behavior, Mai Ding still handed him the DS card. An Zi Yan swiped it and opened the sturdy glass door.
“No need to thank me.” Mai Ding said goodbye. Just then, An Zi Yan put a hand against Mai Ding’s back. He leaned very close, making Mai Ding’s heart beat strangely. Mai Ding tried to step back. “W-What are you doing?” The moment he finished asking, An Zi Yan shoved him through the doorway. “The key I put in your bag has the apartment number on it. Stay there tonight. No need to thank me.” As he spoke, An Zi Yan closed the glass door. By the time Mai Ding reacted, he lunged forward and pounded on the glass. “Hey! An Zi Yan! Give my DS card back! Hey!”
Mai Ding’s pupils suddenly widened.
He could clearly see someone walking toward An Zi Yan.
No.
That wasn’t a human.
It was a corpse.
Leave a Reply