Chapter 13 – Is This How You Find The Source of Pollution?!
The management office sat diagonally opposite the staircase, offering a clear view of the descending cockroach-man. Its head remained fixed, focused solely on its descent, as it slowly crept down the steps.
With a sickening crunch, its entire body came into view. Unlike its appearance just half an hour ago, its two hind legs and lower body were missing, replaced by a gaping wound oozing yellow-green fluid. A foul, rancid stench filled the air.
Yu Zhi fought back the urge to vomit, his eyes fixed on the jagged wound. It hadn’t been a clean cut; something had torn the creature apart. Zhuang Ding had only severed one of its antennae. There are other contaminants here, Yu Zhi realized with a shudder. And they’re killing each other.
Footsteps echoed from the stairwell—the distinct sound of leather shoes on concrete. The cockroach-man trembled, its pace slowing. Crippled and bleeding, it moved with a pathetic slowness.
A man in a suit emerged from the shadows. Black shoes, a black suit, a black briefcase clutched in his left hand. He exuded an air of arrogance despite his expensive attire. Yu Zhi’s eyes fell on the briefcase, recognizing the luxury brand logo. It was Zhu Boxue’s briefcase, the one he’d boasted about for weeks. Could this be him?
But no, that was impossible. Zhu Boxue was timid and pompous; he wouldn’t be this calm next to a monstrous creature.
The suited man reached the bottom of the stairs and bent down. Where a human head should have been, a triangular, yellow-black cockroach head protruded. Two long, glistening antennae twitched as it approached the wounded cockroach-man on the ground. It lowered its head and tore into the exposed flesh.
The sound of crunching chitin and wet chewing echoed through the corridor.
Yu Zhi’s stomach churned. They’re cannibalistic.
Lu Liming clapped a hand over his mouth, terrified of making a sound. Tang Yong and Zhuang Ding were equally pale, fighting back nausea.
Thankfully, the suited cockroach-man ate quickly. In less than a minute, only the head of its victim remained – Gao Yangyao’s head, still upright on the step, his expression blank, his eyes blinking occasionally.
The suited cockroach-man picked up the head and tilted it back, drinking the yellow-green fluid that oozed from the neck as if it were a fine wine. It wiped its mouth with an antenna, a disturbingly human gesture, then placed the head in its briefcase and turned to leave.
Just as they thought it was over, the creature turned its head, its bulging black eyes fixing on Yu Zhi. He froze, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. The cockroach-man didn’t attack, didn’t even speak. It simply nodded in recognition, then continued up the stairs, its briefcase bulging ominously.
Yu Zhi let out a shaky breath, listening as the creature ascended to the second floor. The sound of a door opening and closing spurred him into action.
“Close the door,” he instructed, heading towards the other end of the corridor.
Tang Yong, initially intending to flee to the backyard, saw Lu Liming and Zhuang Ding following Yu Zhi and reluctantly trailed after them.
They reached the resting area, a spacious alcove next to the staircase with windows overlooking the backyard. Yu Zhi paused by the window, gasping for fresh air. Behind him, a chorus of retching erupted.
Yu Zhi grimaced. They’re more disgusting than the contaminants.
Tang Yong was the worst, hunched over a trash can, his face pale and his eyes bulging. Zhuang Ding dry-heaved, then collapsed onto the floor, his face ashen.
“Officer Yu,” Zhuang Ding asked, looking at Yu Zhi’s impassive face, “are you okay?”
“Not okay,” Yu Zhi deadpanned.
Lu Liming, having recovered slightly, met Yu Zhi’s gaze. “Brother Yu,” he said, his voice trembling, “thankfully we have you. We won’t die… for now.”
“I might die from your disgust,” Yu Zhi muttered.
Lu Liming, Zhuang Ding, and Tang Yong (who was still retching) fell silent.
“We need to deal with the contamination source quickly,” Yu Zhi announced, “or this place will be swarming with cockroaches.”
The image of cockroaches spewing from the pipes sent shivers down their spines.
“Was the source that suited cockroach-man?” Lu Liming asked nervously.
Yu Zhi shook his head. “It shouldn’t be,” he said. “The source of the contamination wouldn’t need to eat its own creations.” If it wanted to consume them, it would have done so long ago, not waited until it was injured. “That creature was just a mimic,” he explained.
It wasn’t truly Zhu Boxue, just a contaminant mimicking his appearance and mannerisms. A hollow shell, like the cockroach-man with Gao Yangyao’s head, capable of rudimentary deception, but ultimately driven by base instincts. It had some intelligence, but not much.
Yu Zhi frowned, questions swirling in his mind. Why did the cockroach-men take on human forms? Why mimic humans at all?
“Should we search the building for clues about the contamination source?” Lu Liming suggested.
Zhuang Ding blanched. “If we search for clues…” he stammered, “do we have to go back to the management office?”
“The management office should have information on the residents,” Tang Yong agreed, scratching his head. He opened his mouth to say more, then abruptly turned and vomited again.
Seeing Tang Yong incapacitated, Yu Zhi turned to Zhuang Ding. “You two have abilities, right?” he asked directly.
Zhuang Ding was taken aback. “Yes,” he admitted. “Mine is lie detection, but I can only hold it for a few minutes. Brother Tang can control fire.”
Tang Yong, mid-retch, glared at Zhuang Ding. He’d intended to keep his ability secret, not have it casually revealed. He wanted to ask about Yu Zhi and Lu Liming’s abilities, but another wave of nausea forced him to squat back down.
“Brother Yu, you have experience,” Lu Liming said, turning to Yu Zhi. “What should we do now?”
Yu Zhi blinked. What experience? he thought, but instead of voicing his doubts, he played along. “We don’t have time,” he declared. “We have to take a gamble. Gather your things and follow me.”
“So soon?” Tang Yong mumbled, wiping his mouth.
“You can wait here for us,” Yu Zhi offered.
Tang Yong, unwilling to be left alone, shakily got to his feet. “I, I’ll go…” he stammered.
As they walked, Yu Zhi said to Zhuang Ding, “When I tell you to use your ability, do it.”
Zhuang Ding nodded, confused. How could his ability help against those cockroaches?
An eerie silence hung over the apartment building, punctuated by the faint rustling sounds from the management office. As they reached the stairs, a loud crash echoed from the floor above. A door had been smashed open.
Everyone’s faces fell. The cockroaches from the management office bathroom were loose. The thought of thousands of the creatures swarming through the building made their skin crawl.
Yu Zhi’s livestream chat exploded with activity:
[User “Rebirth in a Different Universe” is curious about your plan.]
[User “Not an Insect Cigar” hopes you enter the management office.]
[User “Gaze of the Black Eye” looks forward to your contamination.]
[User “Mr. Rabbit” hopes you enter the management office and get contaminated.]
Yu Zhi ignored the comments and turned away from the management office, heading up the stairs.
“Officer Yu,” Zhuang Ding asked, bewildered, “aren’t we going to the management office?”
“Do you want to go?” Yu Zhi countered.
“Not really…”
“Neither do I,” Yu Zhi said firmly.
Zhuang Ding was dumbfounded. Can we really just… not go?
“Don’t worry,” Lu Liming reassured him, clapping him on the shoulder. “Brother Yu knows what he’s doing.”
Yu Zhi continued up the stairs, stopping at the door of room 205.
“Is the contamination source in there?” Lu Liming whispered, eyeing the door nervously.
“No, the cockroach-man was in there earlier,” Yu Zhi replied.
Zhuang Ding and Tang Yong stared at him in disbelief. Weren’t they trying to avoid that creature? Why were they walking straight towards its lair?
Yu Zhi didn’t explain. He listened at the door for any sounds of movement, then raised his hand and knocked.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
“Police! Open the door!” he shouted. He caught Zhuang Ding’s eye, signaling him to be ready.
A cockroach man in a suit appeared before them.
Yu Zhi curved his lips, revealing a friendly smile: “Excuse me, do you know where the source of contamination in this building is?”
Zhuang Ding: “???”
Tang Yong: “???”
Is this how we look for the source of contamination?!
Oh God, cockroaches are evolving into fake dapper gentlemen, what has that world come to?! At least it has turned against its own ?