Chapter 1: Rainstorm World

HISS...

In a daze, Han Ning was awakened by a sharp pang of hunger. He opened his eyes to complete darkness. Outside, gale-force winds whipped the rain against the tightly shut windowpanes, echoing with a nerve-wracking BANG BANG. A torrential downpour and a pitch-black room—it should have been the perfect environment for a good sleep. Yet, Han Ning only felt irritable, simply because this endless rainstorm had been pouring for a full three days and three nights.

Just three days ago, he had been an ordinary office worker. He had just gotten out of bed and was heading to the bathroom to wash up when his apartment building suddenly shook violently like an earthquake. By the time he regained his senses, the familiar, smooth roads outside his window had inexplicably transformed into a muddy, waterlogged wilderness. It was as if a sprawling cityscape had suddenly descended upon this place; colossal buildings were haphazardly embedded in the dirt, looking completely out of place.

In the beginning of this transmigration, many people were curious about the wilderness outside. Some bold individuals even attempted to leave the buildings to explore. As a result, a pack of monsters that looked like a cross between crocodiles and lizards lunged from the downpour, dragging those curious souls into the heavy curtain of rain. Similar scenes had played out countless times over the past three days and were still happening now. Those hideous monsters didn't just roam the wilderness; they would also enter the buildings, hunting for prey by relying on their sense of smell.

The good news was that the monsters hadn't found his apartment. The bad news was that his food was completely gone.

GRUMBLE.

"I'm so hungry... so hungry."

His stomach cramped violently, as if a ball of fire was raging inside him. He picked up a half-empty bottle of mineral water from the nightstand and drank a few mouthfuls—GLUG GLUG GLUG—temporarily tricking his stomach with water.

"I can't hide at home anymore!" Han Ning wiped his mouth, thinking to himself. Once his stamina was completely depleted, he would simply be waiting for death.

Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, brightly illuminating the entire room for a split second. Taking advantage of the brief light, he looked out the window. His vantage point from the seventh floor allowed him to overlook this unfamiliar wilderness. Between the buildings, rolling stretches of Huang Tu had been scoured with countless ravines by the torrential rain.

ROAR!!

Suddenly, a low, guttural growl echoed from below. Han Ning's body instantly tensed. He slowly shuffled to the window and gently lifted a corner of the curtain. Down on the street, three creatures resembling crocodiles—yet capable of standing upright on their hind legs—were prowling in the rain. Their yellowish-brown skin glistened with a sickening, oily sheen in the downpour. Jagged bone spikes on their backs sliced through the curtain of rain, while their long tails dragged meandering trails of blood through the puddles. One of them suddenly stopped, raised its hideous head, and sniffed vigorously at the nearby buildings.

Han Ning held his breath, not daring to make a single sound. He carefully closed the curtain and dragged his weak body to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator. It was completely empty.

"Sigh..."

He wasn't in the habit of hoarding supplies, and over the past three days, he had eaten all the food in his home. Left with no other choice, he walked over to the cabinets and pulled open a drawer. Inside, there was a kitchen knife, a flashlight, and half a roll of duct tape.

Rather than starving to death in his room, it was better to go out and try his luck to see if there was any food in the other rooms on the same floor. But first, he needed to confirm if the hallway was safe. Han Ning padded softly to the front door and pressed his ear against the cold surface. However, apart from the sound of the rain, he couldn't hear a thing. With his hand gripping the doorknob, he hesitated to turn it. Right before heading out, doubt crept in again. What if those things were right outside? What if they caught his scent? What if...

GRUMBLE...

The rumbling of his stomach interrupted his fear. People only mustered true courage when pushed to the absolute brink. Hunger drove him to slowly turn the doorknob. With a soft CLICK of the lock, the door opened to a small crack. A damp, musty odor mixed with a metallic stench assaulted his face.

The corridor of the hotel-style apartment building was dim and desolate; the emergency lights had long since gone out. There were no people, nor were there any Crocodile Lizards. Scattered across the floor were suspicious dark stains, trailing all the way from the door opposite him down to the stairwell. Han Ning tightened his grip on the kitchen knife and silently took his first step, then a second...

CREAK.

A faint noise came from his right. Han Ning's heart nearly skipped a beat, and he whipped around. At the end of the corridor, a security door was swaying slightly, as if it had just been blown open by the wind.

"Who is it?" Han Ning called out softly, though his voice was instantly swallowed by the roaring wind and rain. There was no response.

He hesitated for a moment before deciding to investigate the door that had been blown open. If there were survivors inside, they might be able to team up to find food. If it was an empty room, he might find some supplies. Han Ning approached carefully. The hallway felt much longer than he remembered, and behind every tightly shut door could lurk hidden dangers. Finally, he reached the slightly ajar door.

"Room 704..." He glanced up at the door plate, remembering that an old man lived here alone. Han Ning leaned against the doorframe and listened quietly for a while. After confirming there was no movement, he used the tip of his knife to gently nudge the gap in the door.

SQUEAK.

The door hinges let out an ear-piercing groan, revealing the scene behind it. The room was pitch black, its curtains drawn tight.

Han Ning turned on his flashlight, the bright beam illuminating the outline of the living room. An overturned coffee table, scattered books, and...

"What the..."

Han Ning's gaze swept across the room before his expression suddenly froze. The flashlight beam trembled violently in his hand. Beside the sofa, a mangled corpse lay on its back. Its abdomen had been completely sliced open, the internal organs missing. The face of the corpse was already unrecognizable.