Chen Xiao's body tensed, his eyes fixed on the bloody hand. As the door curtain slowly lifted, he suddenly realized that no one else had entered the Supermarket in the few minutes since he had come down to queue.
A drop of cold sweat slid down his temple.
Is it coming?
"Help, help... help! Murder!"
The shouts immediately drew everyone's attention. A security guard, covered in blood, his face ashen and his features contorted in terror, burst through the door curtain and rushed in. He clutched his shoulder with one hand and waved the other wildly.
The old woman sitting on the ground continued to wail, as if greatly wronged; the security guard rushing past did not affect her consistent performance in the slightest.
The security guard fled into the Supermarket, while another dark figure suddenly appeared at the entrance, rushing in even faster than the security guard.
Chen Xiao didn't look at the security guard but kept his eyes on the entrance. The moment the dark figure entered, he reacted immediately, pulling Lin Sinan back and shouting to the people on both sides: "Step back quickly!"
The dark figure's speed was more than a little faster than the security guard's. In a blink of an eye, it was close, making a flying pounce straight for Huang Mao.
At this moment, Huang Mao was still standing dumbfounded outside the crowd, closest to the entrance and most conspicuous. Fortunately, Er Niu heard Chen Xiao's shout and, with quick eyes and hands, pulled him back, narrowly dodging the dark figure's attack.
The moment the dark figure missed its pounce and landed, it let out a series of unwilling growls, but its movements didn't pause for a second. It immediately pushed down the old woman sitting on the ground next to it and bit her neck.
"You..."
The old woman hadn't even finished her sentence.
"Pfft."
Her throat and carotid artery were directly bitten through, blood gushing out. The dark figure's back slightly arched upwards, and with a "tear," a large chunk of flesh was directly ripped off by its teeth.
"Crunch, crunch" came the sound of chewing, cartilage being ground in its mouth, making people's scalps tingle.
Huang Mao and Er Niu, who were closest, were splattered with blood. Such a frenzied and bloody scene terrified them, leaving them momentarily stunned.
Only then did people clearly see the dark figure's appearance: a grotesque face stained with blood, pupils like needlepoints, sharp teeth, tattered clothes, and a huge scar on its leg, sending shivers down their spines.
Meanwhile, the old woman's neck was almost half bitten off; she could no longer make any sound, lying on the ground twitching, blood gushing out and spreading in a crimson pool on the white tiles.
All of this happened in a flash, causing everyone present, except Chen Xiao who first noticed the anomaly, to still be in shock.
"Ah! Murder!"
A woman's scream, like a clap of thunder, startled the surrounding crowd. In such peaceful times, no one had ever witnessed such a scene. The timid ones all started screaming, and many who had learned some news online immediately grabbed their belongings and ran out of the Supermarket.
The petite female Cashier hadn't seen what happened in the crowd. Seeing people run off without paying, she immediately shouted, "Don't run! You haven't paid yet! Security! Security!"
She ran out, shouting, but before she had gone a few steps, she was knocked down by the surging crowd behind her. She struggled to get up, but was trampled by others, and could only curl up painfully on the ground. The older female Cashier at the very end and the other two male Cashiers had long been terrified and were hiding under the Cashier counter.
The scene was extremely chaotic.
The moment the monster heard the girl's scream, it abandoned the old woman on the ground and pounced on her.
The girl had no time to react and could only hastily raise her hands to block. The monster bit the girl's arm, knocking her down, and the people nearby immediately scattered in terror.
She looked at the boy who was with her, seeking help, but the boy simply collapsed to the ground, completely ignoring the girl's desperate gaze, desperately kicking his legs to retreat.
These two were very close to Chen Xiao and Lin Sinan. Chen Xiao saw the monster about to bite the girl's neck, so he kicked it away, then quickly pulled Lin Sinan back to a slightly safer position. Lin Sinan also pulled Chen Xiao, wanting to escape the scene like everyone else.
But Chen Xiao stopped her: "Wait!"
He led Lin Sinan to a safe spot, staring intently at the Supermarket entrance. With his current hearing, he was confident he hadn't misheard; there had been movement outside the Supermarket just now.
At this moment, nearly 70% of the customers had already fled. Just as Lin Sinan was about to say something, Huang Mao and Er Niu, who had just run out, returned in a panic. Er Niu accidentally knocked down the wind-blocking door curtain. A chorus of screams erupted, followed by the sight of a hellish scene outside the Supermarket.
Outside the Supermarket, at least six or seven monsters were continuously attacking the crowd, while more than a dozen people lay strewn across the ground, a large amount of blood mixed with rainwater staining the ground crimson.
Another security guard at the entrance had already fallen by the floor-to-ceiling window, half his face gnawed beyond recognition, a truly horrifying sight!
Lin Sinan's stomach churned, and she involuntarily tightened her grip on Chen Xiao's hand.
As the door curtain fell, the light from inside the Supermarket also attracted the attention of several monsters outside, who all rushed towards the Supermarket. Several people still lingering at the entrance hastily tried to rush back into the Supermarket.
Chen Xiao's face darkened. He looked at the running monsters and reached for his axe handle.
Suddenly, a horn blared, growing louder, and a truck came barreling in. With a loud "bang," it completely blocked the Supermarket entrance. The floor-to-ceiling windows shattered, and the truck's front was severely deformed, the driver trapped inside, convulsing.
Only two people managed to run in before the truck. One, unlucky, was directly embedded in the wall by the truck, instantly crushed, red and white matter splattering everywhere. The rest were blocked outside, and desperate wails could be heard.
A severed hand flew to Huang Mao's feet. Huang Mao felt a wave of dizziness and immediately threw up with an "ugh." His retreating steps were a bit unsteady, but Er Niu timely supported him.
Seeing the Supermarket entrance blocked, some people wanted to escape through the emergency exit, but were shocked to find it completely blocked by shelves and locked. They stomped their feet in frustration, unable to help but curse loudly.
"Come help!"
A middle-aged Construction Worker, dressed in work clothes, was seen gripping the monster's neck with one hand, pressing down its arm with the other, and simultaneously using his knee to brace its back.
The monster propped itself on the ground with one hand, struggling constantly. Although this Construction Worker Big Brother was very strong, even with all his might, he struggled to prevent the monster from breaking free.
Chen Xiao quickly scanned the entrance, confirming that the monsters outside couldn't enter for now. Just as he was about to go help, he found Lin Sinan clutching his arm in fright, unwilling to let go.
Just then, a young man quickly ran over, pinning down the monster's other arm and shoulder. A man wearing glasses handed the items in his hand to his wife, then lunged forward and pressed down on the monster. The three of them together finally managed to control it.