Damn it, the tone of this story is changing a bit too fast. Wasn’t my life supposed to be a plotline from “Slam Dunk” plus “Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, But Lots of Harems”?

And now it’s suddenly switched to “Resident Evil”?

He stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do. The young man seemed to sense something, suddenly whipping his head around to look at him. His face was twisted and ferocious, as if countless worms were writhing beneath his skin, the flesh on his face bulging and flattening in turns, distorted and bizarre. His eyes were blood-red, radiating an extreme hunger for flesh and blood.

Meeting those blood-red eyes, Autumn Whitman felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe. Any stray thoughts vanished instantly, and he snapped awake, his whole body even trembling slightly.

He didn’t need to see the abnormal face, the sharp teeth, or the pointed nails—Autumn Whitman’s instinctive terror told him everything: this guy might have once been human, but now he definitely wasn’t. He was some kind of monster!

A predator that feeds on humans, the natural enemy of all mankind!

What the hell is going on?

Chapter 7: Monster

Charlotte Sutton had suffered from asthma since childhood and couldn’t do strenuous exercise. She already thought she was unlucky enough, but never imagined something even worse would happen in her life—one day, she would actually witness someone being torn apart alive!

She had just been quietly listening to music, riding the train home. For some reason, a woman dressed as an office worker not far away suddenly lost her temper and began scolding a young man harshly, apparently suspecting he was deliberately brushing up against her—a pervert taking advantage of her. The young man just sat there with his head down, trembling all over as if enduring immense pain while listening to her tirade.

The other passengers, not understanding what was happening, watched curiously. The office lady, seeing the man “playing dead,” got even angrier, grabbed him and threatened to call the police, and then—

Everything changed in an instant!

The man suddenly looked up, his face twisted, eyes bloodshot. He reached out and grabbed the office lady’s neck, pressed hard, and with a crisp “crack,” her head drooped limply.

Everyone was stunned.

Immediately after, the man’s body swelled, veins bulging, and he let out a heart-wrenching howl, launching indiscriminate attacks on everyone around him.

The scene descended into chaos. Screams filled the air. Some tried to dodge, some collapsed, and some, thinking themselves strong, tried to subdue the suddenly berserk killer. But the killer possessed inhuman strength. Even when several people grabbed him in the cramped train car, he could still fight back, swinging people around as he turned. Every punch and kick was more than any ordinary person could bear.

In just moments, the brave citizens who tried to subdue him were all injured to varying degrees. One even had half his face torn off, letting out a blood-curdling scream.

Charlotte Sutton only snapped out of it after being splattered with blood. Watching the “killer” attack passengers in a frenzy, creating a bloody scene, she instantly understood.

This guy looked human, but he definitely wasn’t—he was some kind of monster!

Her body began to tremble, adrenaline surging, and ancient memories at the genetic level began to awaken—just like when humans face wild beasts, every cell in her body screamed: Run! Get away from here, or you’ll die!

She did exactly that, jumping up to flee as far as possible. But everyone else had the same idea. She had barely left her seat when someone crashed into her, knocking her off balance and sending her tumbling behind the guardrail advertisement panel by the train door.

There, two elementary school students with big backpacks—a boy and a girl, both under ten—were already hiding.

According to Japanese elementary school education, children riding buses or subways are supposed to avoid taking seats, leaving them for adults who need to rest more. So they had been standing there since boarding, and now, terrified out of their wits, they couldn’t comprehend what was happening and even forgot to run, ending up being knocked into by Charlotte Sutton.

When Charlotte Sutton got up, she saw that all the passengers who could escape had crowded to both ends of the train car. The middle section was empty, and not far from her was the monster, finishing off the last brave soul who dared to fight back—if she jumped out now, she’d be far too conspicuous and would almost certainly draw its attention.

She didn’t dare show herself. She pressed the two terrified children into the corner formed by the ad panel and the door, shielding them with her body. She quickly pulled a sharp utility knife from her backpack, gripping it tightly for courage, and listened intently for the “monster’s” movements, ready to fight for her life. But the monster didn’t come over, nor did it try to enter another car.

Then, the sound of flesh being torn and chewed began to echo.