On the 2nd floor, Brond held Catherine close, staring out the window. Moments ago, a group had rushed out of Building C to cut grass downstairs. Were they insane? With grass growing so quickly, how could they possibly keep up?

"Why are they cutting grass?" Catherine yawned, "Who knows, crazy people! Strong, let's get some more sleep." Having eaten their fill yesterday, Catherine and Brond had spent the entire night being wild, and now she was tired.

Cleverly, Brond had taken Catherine out to find food while the herbicide was still effective. Knowing the large supermarket would be crowded and potentially dangerous, Brond opted for a nearby parcel pickup point instead. Using his lock-picking skills, he easily gained entry. Inside were hundreds of packages waiting for pickup. Brond and Catherine found plenty of food and drinks, enough to last a few days. After this success, they felt confident. With at least a few hundred parcel points in New York, even if only one-tenth remained, they'd have food for a long time.

Brond scratched an itch below, noting it was worsening, and noticed an unpleasant smell. Pulling down his pants, he was shocked, "What the hell is this?"

His thighs were covered in disgusting red bumps. Catherine was equally horrified, "Damn! What's that on you? Is it contagious?" She quickly checked herself, finding no changes. "This idiot seemed honest, but he's carrying something nasty! I hope it doesn't spread to me!" She cursed Brond internally. Reluctantly reliant on Brond for survival, she kept quiet.

Grabbing a bottle of clean water, Catherine retreated to the bathroom to wash. Brond urgently said, "I need to wash after you!" Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud noise from the toilet. Crash! A black, fist-thick tentacle shot up like lightning from the toilet, piercing through Catherine!

The tentacle skewered her from bottom to top, exiting through her mouth. Instantly, her eyes froze, and she stood rigid on the spot.

Brond's eyes widened, his mind blank. What the hell?!

With a squelch, the black tentacle retracted like a shot. Blood splattered everywhere. Catherine's body collapsed limply, blood pooling around her.

"Ah， My God!" Brond screamed in terror, a sound so inhuman it grabbed the attention of those cutting grass below and the surrounding neighbors. Even James Lon noticed the scene.

Just moments before, a creature in the sewage pipes had its body suddenly glow tenfold, then pierced through a woman's body! Immediately after, its glow dimmed as it slipped deeper into the pipes, heading to the first floor.

James Lon's face darkened. Damn! This thing was devious, hiding its brightness to appear harmless. Shivers ran down Shirley's spine upon hearing the scream, "Master, what's happening? Was it someone in our building?"

James Lon, with a grave face, said, "I'm going to check it out." He phased through the floor, quickly descending to an empty room on the second floor. Stepping out, he kicked open Brond's door.

Bang! Brond sat on the floor, pale as a ghost, incapable of rising. Seeing James Lon, he babbled incoherently with terror.

The bathroom was a bloodbath. A female corpse lay slumped by the toilet, which was shattered. The drain emitted a foul stench, now enlarged by the incident.

From James Lon's senses, the creature was moving away via the pipes, now headed to the first floor. After observing, he relaxed slightly. This creature seemed physically limited, unable to ascend beyond the fifth floor, posing no danger to the upper levels. As long as it didn't threaten him, he was fine. Saying nothing, James Lon turned to leave.

Finally grasping the situation, Brond grabbed his food and water, scuttling up to higher, crowded floors for safety. Reaching above the 22nd floor, he sighed in relief. Seeing him, bloody and reeking of urine and feces, the crowd backed away, "Stay away, you stink!" "Go stand somewhere else, kid!" "Don't come near!"

Repeating in terror, Brond shouted, "There's a monster in the toilet! A monster in the toilet!" Quickly, tales of a toilet monster spread among the survivors.

By noon, most who had ventured out for grass cutting returned. The very best had cut a mere 60 pounds; lesser amounts hovered around 30. Unaccustomed to such labor and weakened by poor diets and improper tools, they were exhausted. Compounding this, two individuals were bitten by unknown bugs, their swollen bites causing pain and fever.

Dissatisfaction brewed among them: "Damn, that store clerk is screwing us over!"

"Completing a hundred pounds in a day is impossible!"

"Who's to say he'll even give us food?"

"I'm dying of thirst! What if we run out of water?"

Aunt Green felt secretly delighted. Unable to participate in the weeding, she was initially resentful of the younger ones trading labor for food. Now, sensing an opportunity, she loudly declared,

I say the weeding is pointless, the store clerk is just toying with us!"

Others quickly echoed her sentiment: "After cutting, it grows back tomorrow—what's the point!"

"Right! He's messing with us!"

"Let's talk to James Lon and get some food, nothing fancy, just three loaves of bread each per day!"

"But...will he retaliate?"

"We'll go together! I refuse to believe he'll attack us all!"

"Yes! We must stick together; he won't dare touch us!"

April Jones, blending in the crowd, listened quietly. "Sounds like there's someone named James Lon with lots of food here?" Newly arrived, she had just combed through Kiki's house without luck and descended the stairs, stumbling upon the heated debate. Disguised in middle-aged women's clothing, with deliberately ugly makeup, April Jones was inconspicuous.

After listening awhile, she decided to follow the crowd, "If that James Lon gets overwhelmed, he'll lose his supplies—a perfect chance for me to grab something amidst the chaos."

Amidst their fervent discussion, a lazy voice interrupted from the stairs above, "You seem to be having a lively discussion. Care to share it with me?"

James Lon casually descended the stairs, an amused smile playing on his lips. Silence fell over the scene.

......

Having been up all night, James Lon slept soundly with Lily after lunch. In just over an hour, he felt rejuvenated. With his composite physique reaching 90, he could stay awake for 48 hours with minimal fatigue. But Lily, being soft and comfortable, made napping a pleasure.

Upon waking, James Lon sensed an ability user in the building! The blue "ginger" within indicated it was the female ability user, April Jones. "So you came back!" Unexpected joy filled him, and fearing she might flee, he quickly dressed and phased downstairs. Reaching the 25th floor, he heard a group fervently plotting against him.

His priority was April Jones, not concerned with their unrest. Blending in was April Jones, who remained. Immediately rounding the corner, he chuckled, "You seem to be having a lively discussion. Care to share it with me?"

He glanced at April Jones, who seemed confident in her disguise, showing no signs of alert. James Lon slowly descended, the crowd parting unconsciously to give space. Despite their bluster, seeing him made them hesitate. Even those bitten during the weed-cutting dared not speak up. Remembering James Lon's casual murders, no one dared lead the charge.

April Jones mused, "What's the fear about? A crowd afraid of one man?" Observing James Lon, she couldn't discern anything special about this handsome young man. Stepping strategically, he halted directly before April Jones. Smiling at the crowd, he teased, "So, what's this lively talk about? Tell me!"

All eyes fell on Aunt Green. Steeling herself, she stepped forward, "Young man, I..."

Shing! A bright flash severed Aunt Green's neck. Blood sprayed like a fountain, splattering the ceiling. Thud. Her head rolled, landing before April Jones as her mind went blank.

James Lon, now holding a machete, remarked in mock surprise,

"Oh? Why'd you stop halfway?"

An eerie silence fell over the scene.