"Ding! You have killed two Mutated creatures and earned 10 points."
On the thirty-second floor, Lin Dong sat on the sofa, staring at the lottery system panel with a puzzled expression.
The notification had sounded half an hour ago—right when he had been fighting Liu Erlong and his gang.
At the time, he hadn't had the chance to check it. Now that he had a moment to spare, he examined it carefully.
"You burned a Mutated human to death with flames and earned 5 points."
"You burned a Mutated human to death with flames and earned 5 points."
The detailed notification revealed the source of the points.
Lin Dong's pupils constricted instantly. "Mutated… humans?!"
He could hardly believe it. The two people he had burned to death with gasoline today were Mutated humans?
How were they mutated?
Why hadn't he noticed?
Lin Dong carefully recalled the men who had been banging on his door.
Apart from their burly builds and considerable strength, he really couldn't see how they differed from ordinary people.
"Can humans mutate too? How did they mutate?"
A wave of fear surged in his heart.
What exactly did mutation mean?
Those men had been wearing helmets and thick down jackets at the time, making it impossible for him to recall any distinctive features.
"What the hell is going on? What about me? Have I mutated?"
Agitated, he stood up, quickly stripped off his clothes, and rushed to the bathroom to examine himself in the mirror.
Lin Dong scrutinized his reflection. Compared to six months ago, aside from more defined muscles and slightly paler skin, he couldn't spot any significant changes.
After checking himself thoroughly, he still couldn't find anything unusual.
"How the hell do you tell if someone's mutated or not?"
Unable to resist, he called out to the system and asked a few questions. But the system seemed to be nothing more than a mechanical program—it remained completely silent.
Lin Dong frowned, then suddenly had an idea. "Maybe next time I kill a Mutated human, I should drag the body back and study it carefully?"
With that thought, he made up his mind.
Liu Erlong and his gang would definitely come after him again. Rather than waiting passively, it was better to strike first.
He was desperate to know—what was the difference between Mutated humans and ordinary humans?
What caused humans to mutate?
And was mutation dangerous to humans?
His mind raced with questions.
Just then, a faint knocking sound came from the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
Lin Dong's brow lifted. The familiar rhythm immediately told him who it was.
He frowned, annoyed.
Hadn't he already rejected that couple? Why were they still shamelessly coming back?
He pulled on his pants and walked to the door bare-chested, checking the peephole to confirm that Yang Mei was alone before unlocking the inner door.
The moment he opened it, he froze.
Yang Mei's outfit was completely different from before.
This time, she wore a white blouse—one that was slightly too small, making it impossible to contain the two enormous pomelos beneath.
The top two buttons couldn't be fastened at all, and the third struggled to stay in place, stretching the fabric into a diamond-shaped gap.
Inside the gap was a pink bra, faintly visible under the dim light.
Lin Dong's gaze burned as it swept over Yang Mei's figure.
Yang Mei felt Lin Dong's gaze as if it had physical weight, landing on her body and instantly causing a tingling sensation on her skin, raising goosebumps all over.
A strong sense of shame welled up inside her. Her cheeks flushed red as she hurriedly clutched her collar, pulling in her ample chest and shoulders into a hunched posture.
Unfortunately, those pomelos were far too grand. No matter how hard she tried to shrink in on herself, she couldn't conceal them fully.
This humiliating display only served to further excite Lin Dong unintentionally.
Lin Dong swallowed reflexively, steadying his mind before speaking in a low voice, "Sister Mei, why have you come again?"
"Little brother, I... I'm just too hungry..."
Yang Mei kept her head lowered, not daring to meet Lin Dong's eyes, her voice trembling as her eyes reddened.
Lin Dong frowned. "Sister Mei, I've already said all there is to say. Every household is short on food now. I've helped you before, but even my family has nothing left to spare."
"Hurry back before Liu Erlong's men see you. They won't be as reasonable as I am."
With that, he moved to close the door.
Yang Mei panicked, immediately dropping to her knees with a thud.
She pleaded desperately, "Little brother, I truly have no other choice. Li Zhiqiang won't give me any food at all. I haven't eaten in two days—only had some water. Please, have mercy on me. Just give me a bite to eat, I beg you."
As she knelt, the movement was abrupt, causing the two snow-white pomelos to nearly bounce free.
Lin Dong's eyes were involuntarily drawn to them.
He couldn't help but marvel inwardly—despite starving for so long, this woman's pair of big pomelos hadn't shrunk at all. How strange.
Her face had indeed grown thinner, her figure visibly slimmer, yet those two remained unaffected.
Lin Dong steeled himself to shut the door, but Yang Mei continued her desperate pleas. This time, she was truly at her limit.
If she went back now, Li Zhiqiang would really hand her over to Liu Erlong's gang.
Tearfully, she sobbed, "Little brother, I have nowhere else to turn. That bastard Li Zhiqiang... he wants to trade me to Liu Erlong's men for food. Please, I'm begging you. Just give me something to eat, and I'll do anything—wash dishes, do laundry, cook meals—I can do it all."
Lin Dong was stunned. Skeptical, he asked, "That coward Li Zhiqiang would dare do such a thing?"
It wasn't that he looked down on Li Zhiqiang, but in the half-year since the Great Flood, he had witnessed the man's spinelessness multiple times.
Liu Erlong and his men had harassed and insulted Li Zhiqiang to his face, yet the man never dared to utter a word of protest.
He had even sent his wife to seduce Lin Dong for food—what kind of man did that if not a coward?
Yet Lin Dong never expected that such a coward would dare threaten his own wife like this.
Yang Mei wept, pleading relentlessly.
Lin Dong hesitated, but the commotion seemed to have caught the attention of the men downstairs who were keeping watch on his home.
Footsteps sounded—deliberately quiet, but both Lin Dong and Yang Mei heard them immediately.
Yang Mei paled in terror, urgently whispering through tears, "Little brother, please, I'm begging you!"
Lin Dong couldn't hold back. "Sister Mei, go back now. Any later and it'll be too late."
Seeing that Lin Dong still wouldn't open the door, Yang Mei panicked and quickly stood up. She turned and desperately ran to her own door, pounding on it frantically: "Open the door, Li Zhiqiang! Open the door!"
However, Li Zhiqiang behind the door gritted his teeth and growled, "If you don't get any food, don't even think about coming in!"
(End of Chapter)