Chapter 273: My Name Is Shu Hua

My name is Shu Hua.

I’m so scared.

I don’t know why I ended up here, but this place terrifies me.

The sky is perpetually red, and the air smells nauseating.

The kind people all died days ago, and those who survived are terrifying.

I finally found an expired can, but those people came at me with knives to take it.

I’m starving, but there’s no way I can fight them off…

Will I starve to death… or be beaten to death?

Clinging to the can, I hide in a corner, trembling uncontrollably. What’s happening here? The older kids I came with all died within just three days…

I miss them so much…

I wonder if Sister Qin Dingdong is okay…

She left to find food three days ago and never came back…

“Hey! I see you!”

Hearing that, I flinch. I look around—they haven’t spotted me at all. They’re just bluffing.

A man shouts from a distance, “Don’t make us mad, kid! Where do you think you’re gonna run?”

I don’t want to cry, but tears keep falling.

I have to escape… I can’t stay here any longer…

But how do I lose them?

Turning my head, I suddenly spot an iron door behind me.

After a moment’s hesitation, I toss the can in another direction and slip through the door, hiding inside.

They just want the can. If I give it to them, I’ll be safe.

Groping in the dark, I grab a stick to wedge the door shut, then step further inside.

It’s pitch black in here, and even fouler than outside… What should I do?

“H-Hello…?” I whisper, taking a few cautious steps, only to hear my own echo.

The room must be small.

I’m too scared… I need a place to hide.

But it’s so empty—how can I possibly hide?

As I fumble around, footsteps suddenly sound outside.

They’re here!

Terrified, I stumble forward, tripping over something soft and sticky beneath me.

“Hey! You in there?!”

The iron door shudders from a heavy impact.

“Get out here now!”

The banging grows louder, each thud reverberating through my body, making me shake uncontrollably…

“I-I gave you the can!” I try to sound brave, but my voice cracks. Still, I force out the words, “I don’t have anything left! I… I won’t eat it… you take it…”

“What kind of nonsense is that?” The man outside rattles the door. “Damn it, there are four of us! You think one can is enough for four grown men?!”

“W-What do you want then?!” I regret the question immediately.

A chill creeps from my scalp down my spine, paralyzing me.

So I won’t be beaten or starved to death… They’ll eat me.

I sob uncontrollably, completely lost.

As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I faintly make out a dark shape lying in the center of the room.

Is that… a person?

Gathering my courage, I stand up. I’m out of options—if there’s someone else here, maybe they can help me.

I shuffle forward, nudging the figure with my foot. It’s stiff, like a mannequin.

“H-Hello?” I whisper, inching closer, only to be hit by a stronger stench.

He’s dead. And has been for a while.

I touch his body—he’s wearing a tattered suit. Why did he die here?

“Dammit… the door’s blocked,” the muffled voice outside growls. “Move aside. I’ll break it down.”

I’m finished. I’m going to die.

My body turns ice-cold, hands trembling. In my panic, I brush against something fuzzy.

A mask.

“Ah!” I gasp.

I’ve seen masks like this before—they’re worn by the “Judges.”

This is my only chance. If I wear this, I can pretend to be one!

In this pitch-black room, the mask might give me a sliver of hope…

I yank it free, revealing the corpse’s rotted face. Blackened skin sticks to the mask, leaving behind stringy red tendrils as I pull it away, exposing a raw, crimson face.

I don’t have time to think. Fighting the stench, I slide it over my head.

**BANG!**

The door bursts open. Dim red light spills in, revealing the cramped, abandoned warehouse.

I stand frozen against the wall, silent.

I want to scare them off with a bluff, but I don’t even know what animal this mask represents.

“Rat…?” The leader squints at me.

“R-Rat… Yes, rat…” I nod frantically. “You should leave… I-I’m the ‘Rat Man’…”

“Rat Man?” He pauses, then erupts in laughter. “HAHAHAHA!”

I know it’s over. That one percent chance is gone.

They’re not afraid of me.

“‘Rat Man,’ my ass,” the leader sneers, stepping closer. “Can’t even pretend right.”

“P-Please let me go…” My legs give out, and I slump to the floor. “I’m just a student…”

“Nah.” He shakes his head. “After today, you won’t be ‘just a student.’ First, we’ll make you a ‘woman,’ then we’ll fill our stomachs. You’re our lucky charm.”

“What…?”

His words send me collapsing fully.

Four towering men block the only exit, armed with knives and clubs. What can I do?

“Boss, do we kill her first or play first?” one asks.

“Kill her. Less struggling,” the leader says, raising his blade.

As he approaches, my mind goes blank. I think of Grandma.

I never got to cook for her…

Just as the knife descends, a new figure appears in the room.

He materializes holding a bloody head—the leader’s.

What…?

The naked man moves like a blur. In seconds, four heads roll in his grip, splattering my mask with crimson.

The headless bodies slump to the ground.

Dropping the heads, he helps me up.

Staring at his bizarre form, I’m speechless.

He leans close, sniffing gently, then murmurs kindly, “Little girl, you’re a ‘Human Rat,’ not a ‘Rat Man.’ Get it wrong, and things get messy.”