After All Species Mutated, I Activated Cheats [Apocalyptic] - Chapter 3

Lu Mian swallowed hard. The commotion upstairs was growing louder by the second. He reached out, pressed the voice message button, and recorded the sounds he was hearing.

In the audio clip, the scratching had escalated from the deliberate pacing of a single person to the sound of a vast army. It sounded as if ten thousand hands were clawing at the floorboards, a grating noise so sharp it made his scalp tingle.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the resident seen in the video being swarmed by those human-faced butterflies lived right above him!

He sent the recording to the neighborhood group chat, his heart leaping into his throat.

Building 1, 602 Boxxing Appliances: I’m hearing the same thing, though it’s not as clear as it is for 402…

Building 4, 803: Has anyone called the police?

Property Management Xiao Sun: I’ve been trying, but the line won’t go through. It keeps saying the lines are busy.

Building 3, 202 Old Wang: Same here!

Building 1, 602 Boxxing Appliances: Wait! @Building 1, 402 Lu, listen closely, is there a baby crying in 502?

Lu Mian’s heart rate began to climb. Steadying himself against the desk, he stood up on his computer chair to get as close to the ceiling as possible.

The scratching sounds slowed down, replaced by a faint crying. it was intermittent, sounding like a newborn whimpering for food in its cradle.

Lu Mian couldn’t bear to imagine the horrific fate awaiting a defenseless infant.

However, things took an unexpected turn.

Just as the group was frantically discussing how to break down the door and save the person inside, that faint crying was abruptly cut off, as if by some external force.

Lu Mian’s heart sank, thinking they had missed their window to help. But a second later, the crying started up again. This time, there were many voices, sounding like a choir, rising and falling in an eerie harmony…

Lu Mian gasped. He was certain that those cries were not coming from a human baby.

Building 1, 402 Lu: @Building 1, 602 Boxxing Appliances, did you hear that?

Building 1, 602 Boxxing Appliances: Hiss… I heard it… So, that’s not a kid at all?

Building 3, 202 Old Wang: If it’s not a kid… then what… what is it?

Lu Mian hopped lightly off the chair and sat back down, leaning against the backrest. He sent another short audio clip before switching to text to share his theory with the group.

Building 1, 402 Lu: If I had to guess, it’s that swarm of human-faced butterflies.

The group went dead silent for a full three minutes after that message.

Lu Mian frowned, thought for a moment, and added: “Then again, it might actually be a child. With so many cries, no one can guarantee there isn’t a real one mixed in.”

The group chat exploded again!

Building 3, 1001 Piano Training: I… I have goosebumps all over!

Building 4, 202 Zhang Fang: Holy crap!

Building 1, 1202 Ah Zhen: Where’s the person from 502? Are they there? @Building 1, 502 Feng Hua Xue Ye, where are you!

Building 1, 602 Boxxing Appliances: He’s not online. People have tagged him plenty of times already.

Building 1, 1302: We can’t get through to the police, what do we do?

Building 2, 601 Li Shun: Should we, maybe, go in and check? We don’t know if those butterflies are aggressive. If they are, the person in 502 is probably.

Property Management Xiao Sun: I have the spare keys at the office, so we won’t need to break the door down. Anyone willing to go with me?

Silence fell over the group once more.

Lu Mian rubbed his throbbing temples. That dull ache was returning, and he felt a wave of heat rushing to his head. He knew his fever was spiking again.

He got up and swallowed a few pills. The human-faced butterflies were too close. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but in the moment his temperature rose, he thought he heard a cough that sounded different from the ghostly wailing of the “infants.”

He checked his phone and saw the group was active again.

Building 3, 202 Old Wang: I’ll go. I’ve practiced freestyle sparring since I was a kid and even won a national championship. I’m pretty sturdy.

Building 5, 1002 Chen: Count me in.

Building 1, 602 Boxxing Appliances: Me too.

Building 1, 402 Lu: I’m coming as well.

Lu Mian wasn’t exactly the “bleeding heart” type, but he couldn’t just sit back and watch a neighbor suffer.

And so, the ragtag rescue squad was formed. They agreed to meet at Lu Mian’s place.

The first to arrive was the resident from 602. He knocked politely, and after Lu Mian checked the peephole to confirm it was a human, he let him in.

The man from 602 was a sharp-looking young man with a crisp buzz cut. His voice was full of energy. “Hi, I’m Lin Feng from 602.”

Lu Mian nodded. “I’m Lu Mian. Have a seat, the others should be here soon.”

Lin Feng didn’t stand on ceremony and sat on the sofa. “You look pretty young, are you even an adult? Maybe you should stay behind.”

Lu Mian poured a glass of water for him. “Are you… a soldier?”

Lin Feng took the water, looking surprised. “How’d you know? I’m a veteran, I retired the year before last.”

Lu Mian pulled up a small stool and sat opposite him. “It’s not hard to guess from your vibe. Don’t worry, I’m an adult.”

Lin Feng frowned, seemingly wanting to argue further, but he was interrupted by a frantic pounding on the door.

“Xiao Lu! Open up! Quick!”

The voice sounded urgent. Lu Mian jumped up, took a quick peek through the peephole, and pulled the door open. He ushered the three men inside and slammed the door shut instantly.

Lu Mian: “What happened?”

The men were carrying a large bag that rattled loudly, a sound that felt particularly piercing in the night.

The burly man in the lead sat on the floor, gasping for air. “Man, the hallways are full of those things. There are too many. We were afraid they might be carrying some virus, so we didn’t dare let them get close. I was lugging these weapons, too. It took forever to climb four flights of stairs…”

Hearing this, Lu Mian was startled. He turned to Lin Feng. “Brother Lin, did you run into those things when you came down?”

Lin Feng said blankly, “I… I took the elevator…”

Another man chimed in, “The first-floor elevator lobby is swarming with giant butterflies. We couldn’t just stand there waiting for the lift, so we had to take the stairs.”

At this, everyone’s faces darkened. Lu Mian’s sense of unease intensified. He walked to the door and looked through the peephole.

The next second, he recoiled as if he’d seen a ghost!

Lu Mian: “!!”

He had locked eyes with a pair of pitch-black eyes that had no whites!

They were the eyes of a human-faced butterfly!

The creature must have been clinging to his front door, its eerie face pressed directly against the peephole.

Lu Mian’s face went pale, his heart still racing. “We have to move fast. Those butterflies have caught up. We can’t wait for the elevator now, we’ll have to run for it.”

No one disagreed.

They lined up in a column behind the door, planning to bolt for the stairs the moment it opened.

Lu Mian was fourth in line. At the very front was Old Wang from Building 3. Just as he’d said in the chat, he was built like a tank, his muscles rippling under his skin.

Second was Brother Chen from Building 5. Though he was skin and bones, his eyes were bright and sharp. For some reason, Lu Mian felt that Brother Chen was incredibly reliable.

Behind him was Xiao Sun from property management, a mild-mannered man whose thick, black-rimmed glasses took up half his face.

And behind Lu Mian was the veteran, Lin Feng.

They distributed the weapons Old Wang had brought, staring tensely at the door.

Lu Mian gripped a golf club tightly, feeling far from confident. Their “weapons” were just hammers and shovels. This golf club was actually one of the better options. Without knowing how aggressive those butterflies were, these tools didn’t offer much of a sense of security.

Old Wang gripped the door handle. “As soon as the door opens, we run for the fifth floor. Lin, you’re last, remember to shut Xiao Lu’s door behind us. Try to avoid the big butterflies on the way, got it?”

Lu Mian’s expression was grim. He had tried to mentally prepare himself, but when the door finally swung open, his nerves fried instantly.

All the mental preparation in the world didn’t mean a thing!

Lu Mian: “Sh*t!”

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