Chapter 56: Sitting

Just as Xiao Ran was about to let out a scream, Dr. Zhao quickly covered her mouth from behind.

The scream turned into a muffled groan, stifled in her throat.

Dr. Zhao, curious after seeing the three people who had just left the door go silent, had followed them out—only to witness such a bizarre scene that it nearly scared the soul out of him.

None of the four dared to make a sound as they stared quietly at the “person” before them, whose posture resembled that of a cricket.

The figure swayed its hind legs rapidly like an insect, constantly shifting directions as if searching for something, occasionally lifting the two bloody holes on its face to look around.

Its neck twisted unnaturally, moving with the speed and exaggerated range of an insect, sending chills down their spines.

After a few seconds, the “person” suddenly leaped high into the air, aiming for the convenience store’s wall.

Qi Xia quickly raised his torch to illuminate the area, trying to track the figure’s movements. In such darkness, losing sight of a target was the worst possible scenario.

But the moment the torchlight hit the wall, even Qi Xia—despite his strong nerves—nearly collapsed in terror.

The wall was crawling with “people.”

At a glance, there were at least a dozen of them, moving swiftly across the surface.

As the light fell upon them, they seemed to sense something and scurried back into the shadows.

They looked like crickets, cockroaches, spiders—

Anything but human.

A cold shiver ran down Qi Xia’s spine.

Earlier, he and Lin Qin had navigated the darkness to reach this convenience store, constantly hearing the chirping of insects—sometimes distant, sometimes close.

But those weren’t insects at all.

They were “people.”

The thought that while he and Lin Qin had been moving forward, these things had been crawling on the ground beside them and scaling the walls nearby…

This realization went beyond mere “lingering fear.”

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Qi Xia’s forehead as he slowly turned and gestured for the others to retreat.

Understanding his signal, they all began backing away cautiously.

Qi Xia kept the torch raised, his eyes locked on the figures on the wall as he and the other three inched their way back inside.

Not a single sound escaped them—their movements were painfully slow.

Those creatures appeared to have had their eyes gouged out, meaning they likely relied on sound to locate their prey. Fortunately, everyone knew better than to make a noise.

Once the door was shut, Qi Xia propped a wooden plank against it for reinforcement. They continued retreating until their backs hit the far wall.

The cold, mottled surface offered them a sliver of security.

“What… what were those things?” Xiao Ran asked, her voice trembling.

“They were people…” Dr. Zhao began before shaking his head. “No… human bones couldn’t bend like that. They must be insects…”

Qi Xia took a deep breath. “Last night, I heard rustling sounds too. That means these things didn’t just appear today—they’ve been here all along.”

He turned to Lin Qin with a grave expression. “We were incredibly lucky not to have stepped on any of them on our way here…”

Lin Qin, still shaken, nodded weakly.

Silence fell over the four of them.

Before witnessing this horror, they might have managed a decent night’s sleep.

But now, none dared to close their eyes. They remained pressed against the wall, staring intently at the door, ready for the moment those things might break in.

The night, devoid of sleep and sound, stretched endlessly.

Standing vigil for hours had left them sore and exhausted.

Gradually, they noticed something.

The “insects” outside seemed just that—mere insects.

They showed no interest in forcing their way into this brightly lit space.

Qi Xia began rationalizing the situation with the rules of this place.

No matter how grotesque they looked, no matter how their hollowed-out eyes bled—they were still just insects.

If they were like the “store clerks,” then they would stick to their designated roles.

Meaning, the creatures outside posed little threat. Even if they did attack humans, they wouldn’t swarm the door en masse.

With that in mind, Qi Xia slowly sat down, stretching his aching limbs.

Seeing him take the lead, the other three followed suit, though their expressions remained tense.

“Qi Xia… what do we do now?” Lin Qin asked.

“Sleep,” Qi Xia replied.

“Sleep?”

“Rest. Conserve our strength.” He found a clean plank and laid it beside Lin Qin. “At dawn, we’ll set out to find Officer Li.”

“But those things outside—”

“Don’t worry.” Qi Xia waved dismissively. “They won’t come in. As long as we stay put, we’re safe for now.”

Lin Qin nodded hesitantly, like a child, before lying down.

Meanwhile, Qi Xia moved to the corner, placed a wooden plank over the pot, and sat on it to weigh it down.

Xiao Ran and Dr. Zhao exchanged uneasy glances, looking between each other and Qi Xia and Lin Qin.

How could they possibly sleep?

Even if they could ignore the creatures outside, Xiao Ran still saw Qi Xia as dangerous.

In the story he’d told earlier, he was a conman who’d swindled two million. How could someone like that be trustworthy?

If they slept near him, would they wake up dead by morning?

Qi Xia paid no mind to their wary expressions. Instead, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to rest.

To him, whether they stayed up all night or not was irrelevant.

Lin Qin, lying on the plank, glanced at Qi Xia in the corner. Feeling a pang of guilt, she shifted slightly and said, “Qi Xia, this plank is big enough. You can lie down too.”

Qi Xia cracked an eyelid. “No need. I’m used to sleeping sitting up.”

“Sitting up?” Lin Qin pondered for a moment before getting up, moving the plank next to him, and lying back down. “Then sit beside me while you sleep.”

Qi Xia didn’t refuse. Compared to Xiao Ran and Dr. Zhao, Lin Qin left a much better impression on him.

Curious, Lin Qin turned her head slightly. “Why are you used to sleeping sitting up?”

Qi Xia raised an eyebrow, giving the question serious thought. “Because it keeps me from relaxing too much. My brain stays alert, ready to act at any moment.”

Lin Qin nodded, but then another thought struck her. “You always sleep like this?”

“Yes.”

“For years?”

Qi Xia found her line of questioning odd. He turned to her. “Is this really important?”

Lin Qin swallowed, choosing her words carefully before asking, “But you’re married… Even when you lived with your wife, you slept sitting up every night?”