Survivor

In just the time it took to exchange a few words, the water level in the room had risen significantly again, almost reaching the height of the bed.

Mrs. Jin walked over through the water and realized she was unharmed.

"How did you..."

"Shut up, no time for nonsense. Hurry, we can still stand in this water for now."

Mr. Jin immediately wrapped his arm around Mrs. Jin's neck and rested it on her shoulder.

Mrs. Jin supported Mr. Jin, and the two of them moved with difficulty toward the door.

"Hang in there. At this pace, we can make it out."

"Yeah."

What they didn't notice was that dense black dots had started to appear around their feet.

They were surrounded by tadpoles.

The reason they hadn't been attacked yet was that, when dealing with living creatures, this type of anomaly preferred to enter through orifices. They were waiting.

At the Jins' speed, they really could have made it out—if it weren't for the anomaly.

When they were just two steps away from the door, the tadpoles gathered in front of it, once again forming a twisted humanoid shape.

"Two, flesh and blood, delicious, eat, eat."

The Tadpole Monster blocked their way out. The Jins didn't anger it, and it didn't strike directly; it was merely waiting for the water level to rise and completely submerge the room.

"You... sigh, I've doomed you." Mr. Jin's heart sank to rock bottom.

"I've lived a life of luxury with you for over a decade. It's been worth it."

The water level was still rising and had already passed their thighs.

Unable to leave, the two took a few steps back. Intuition told them the water was very dangerous. Following their instincts, they supported each other and stepped onto the bed, so the water only reached their calves again.

In moments of crisis, human potential is often forced out.

"Why isn't it attacking us?" Mrs. Jin recalled the knowledge she had learned in school over a decade ago.

She had once been a sixth-year student at the school, but instead of fighting for her life in the graduating class, she had chosen to simply complete the coursework.

Even though she only completed the coursework, over those six years, she had learned a lot of valuable knowledge.

For example, how to survive when facing an anomaly.

Mr. Jin was also desperately analyzing the situation: "Maybe we haven't met its conditions for attacking. I'm guessing it has to do with the water level."

"It's possible. When we stepped onto the bed just now, it seemed a bit agitated, like it wasn't very happy?"

"At the current rate, I estimate it will only take five or six minutes for the water to fill the room. With it blocking the door, even if it doesn't attack us, we'll eventually drown."

"How about we charge past it? It doesn't look very sturdy to me."

"That's a last resort. Plus, in my physical condition, I can't charge."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. I hope what my teachers taught me works today." Mrs. Jin turned her head toward the Tadpole Monster. "Hello, excuse me, what will it take for you to let us go?"

Knowledge from school: Most anomalies can be communicated with. If the interaction goes well, it's possible to keep your life—though it's only a possibility.

"Flesh and blood, lost, eat, eat, replenish." The Tadpole Monster was not very articulate and could only express a general idea.

"Are you saying you lost flesh and blood and want to eat meat to replenish it?"

"Eat, eat, yes."

"We have a large stockpile of food in our kitchen. Let us out, and I'll bring you food."

"Not return, eat, eat, won't."

"We will come back, this is our home. Today is [No Tomorrow], we can't leave the house. We'll throw the food to you in a bit. Food, lots of food, many kinds, more than the amount of two people!"

The Tadpole Monster just wasn't good at speaking; it had no problem understanding.

It thought for a moment and decided this was a worthwhile trade.

"One, go out, not return, eat, eat."

Mrs. Jin and Mr. Jin exchanged a glance.

It was already a stroke of immense luck that the anomaly accepted their proposal. Haggling would likely be a death wish.

Mrs. Jin gently pushed Mr. Jin. "You go out."

"You go."

"I've been a rich wife for over a decade. I don't know how to do anything. Xiao Jin will have a better life with you."

"If it were a few days ago, sure. But now, who knows when I'll be able to pay off my debts. It's better if I die so the debts die with me, and you two can start over."

"But."

"No buts. Are you trying to put on a melodrama here? We have no time to waste. Your legs are fine; go out and quickly bring things over from the kitchen. Do you expect me to carry them?" Mr. Jin snapped.

"Okay."

Mrs. Jin jumped down from the bed; the water had already passed her chest.

She waded carefully toward the door.

"I'm going out to get you food."

The Tadpole Monster turned slightly, leaving a gap wide enough for one person.

Mrs. Jin walked out the door once again.

After getting out, she didn't even have time to shake the water from her soaked clothes before rushing straight to the kitchen.

She took out all the meat in the house.

"Here you go." She threw the food into the room.

One of the Tadpole Monster's hands dispersed, and countless black dots enveloped the food that had fallen into the water.

The meat was instantly broken down and devoured.

Once, twice, three times.

The meat was gone, the vegetables were gone, the fruits were gone, the snacks were gone. Finally, even the seasonings and spices were gone.

The Tadpole Monster was like a bottomless pit, refusing nothing and eating all the food completely.

"There's... there's no more. That should be enough, right? That food was way more than two people." Mrs. Jin couldn't find a single edible thing left.

"Not enough, eat, eat, hungry."

The Tadpole Monster could never be full because, down on the first floor, Boss Zhang was still continuously swallowing tadpoles through his suction power.

The more tadpoles he swallowed, the hungrier the Tadpole Monster became.

The water level had already passed Mr. Jin's neck.

Realizing that Mrs. Jin could no longer provide food, and with the water level almost at its ideal height.

The Tadpole Monster began to swim toward Mr. Jin.

It was about to start its final feast.

"No!" Mrs. Jin nearly shattered her teeth from gritting them so hard. It was impossible to tell if the liquid on her face was water, sweat, or tears.

She did not make the suicidal move of charging into the water.

To Mrs. Jin, Mr. Jin was so close, yet so far away.

Perhaps luck had finally arrived.

Just as the Tadpole Monster and her husband were face to face.

The water level suddenly plummeted.

Down on the first floor, Boss Zhang had already eaten all the tadpoles on the first and second floors. The suction force from his mouth wasn't strong enough to pull down the portion on the third floor, so he decided to shrink the height of the "Water Cube."

The water on the first and second floors vanished, while the water on the third floor shifted straight down.

On the third floor.

Feeling the water level rapidly dropping and taking it along, the Tadpole Monster let out an angry roar: "Flesh and blood, eat, eat!"

In that instant of rapid descent, it no longer cared about entering living creatures through their orifices. As it fell, it attacked directly, tearing away Mr. Jin's legs like a swarm of locusts passing through.

The next second.

The water vanished, and the Tadpole Monster vanished with it.

Mr. Jin fell heavily onto the bed, his blood dyeing the sheets red, before he finally let out a tragic scream.

He had lost his entire lower body.

Mrs. Jin was dumbfounded.

She hurriedly ran out and opened the door to her son Xiao Jin's room.

When she was moving the food earlier, she had locked his door. Xiao Jin was already awake, and she had been afraid he would rush out.

"Xiao Jin, quickly, heal your father."

Xiao Jin's rudimentary [Mystery] happened to be of the healing class. He had just enrolled in school, so his [Mystery] was still very weak, but he knew a little about stopping bleeding, relieving pain, and reducing inflammation.

Right now, it was [No Tomorrow] and they couldn't leave the house. Xiao Jin's little bit of [Mystery] healing arts was almost as good as a professional medical worker's and could make a huge difference.

In just that brief moment.

On the first floor, Boss Zhang and the Tadpole Monster continued their fierce battle;

On the second floor, a wealthy tycoon died a tragic death, leaving behind only a skeleton, while an elderly couple wept bitterly;

On the third floor, Mr. Jin lost his legs. Xiao Jin used all his strength to activate his ability, while Mrs. Jin opened her medical kit and busied herself with treating him.

Another half hour passed.

The battle on the first floor finally came to a conclusion.

Boss Zhang happened to be the perfect counter to the Tadpole Monster, securing a major victory.

Although he won the battle and enjoyed a hearty meal, he lost all the fish in his shop, so it was still a loss overall.

The Tadpole Monster wasn't a real human, but an amalgamation of countless tadpoles that couldn't be completely eradicated. A small remnant swam out of the water cube, left the aquatic shop, and leaped back into the fog.

The events in the South District building were just a microcosm of the entire world's Day Without Tomorrow.

Having lost the protection of the sun and the moon, danger lurked everywhere beneath the fog, and countless tragedies played out in every corner of the world.

For several eras, this had been the underlying tone of this world.