INSIDER Chapter 6

People who lost their sight, frantically and fearfully groping for food in the supermarket.

People who lost their sense of touch, unknowingly eating raw human flesh.

————

Lu Chu was familiar with every street in this town, thanks to the subtle influence of his parents. Every month, he would walk around the town once. His parents had mentioned that tower to him more than once.

He could reach it in the shortest time possible.

But now, with the outside world already in chaos, it was a real challenge to navigate through the crazed mobs while guiding a man who had lost both his sight and hearing.

“Don’t worry about me,” the man suddenly spoke, “You should go alone. Enter the tower before dark.”

——Before dark?

“Yes.” Due to losing his senses, the man’s response was a bit sluggish. “Otherwise, you will never be able to leave here.”

Lu Chu didn’t understand why the tower would be an escape, but he knew he wouldn’t abandon this man.

There were too many mysteries surrounding the man, yet Lu Chu could faintly feel that he had been helping him all along.

——We’ll go together.

Lu Chu seemed soft but had his own opinions. After writing in the man’s palm, he got up and went to the kitchen.

For the past seven days, the man had kept him confined in the bedroom, unable to move freely. Everything had been handled by the man. The food at home should have run out days ago, meaning the man had gone out looking for food more than once.

Lu Chu managed to make a hearty breakfast with some vegetables and brought it to the bedroom. Initially, he planned to feed the man, but the man insisted on eating by himself, so Lu Chu didn’t force him. Instead, he prepared food for Radish. They didn’t know what might happen once they left the house, so filling their stomachs first would give them the strength to handle any unforeseen circumstances. Lu Chu ate quickly, then got up to pack. It was 9:26 AM, and at this time of year, it got dark around 6:30 PM. The central tower was some distance from Lu Chu’s neighborhood. Normally, it would take him just over an hour to walk there quickly, but now it was uncertain how long it would actually take.

It wasn’t practical to carry too much. He packed two bottles of purified water, two packs of compressed biscuits for emergency energy, a basic medical kit, and a baseball bat with a fruit knife tied to it for defense. Close combat was best avoided since he couldn’t see. Other essentials included his bamboo cane.

Despite not wanting to bring too much, he ended up with a large bag. After some sorting and reducing, he finally left out some medical supplies and one bottle of water before sealing the bag and strapping it on his back.

The man couldn’t hear or see and had to rely on touch to perceive things. Lu Chu, being blind, was worried they might lose each other. As for Radish, the dog was actually the safest among them, having all his senses intact and able to see this now broken and twisted world clearly.

Lu Chu eventually found a rope in the house. He tied one end to the man’s wrist and the other to his own wrist, then wrote in the man’s palm.

——Once we are outside, we’ll hold hands. If we lose grip, we’ll still be connected by the rope.

The man was silent for a moment, then finally nodded, “Alright.”

Lu Chu handed the man a baseball bat with a fruit knife tied to it, while he himself bound another knife to his bamboo cane.

During this process, Radish was excitedly jumping around.

Once everything was ready, Lu Chu wrote in the man’s palm again.

——Are you ready?

“Yes.”

——Then let’s go.

————

An hour ago, Lu Chu had fought with a “senseless” person, and the living room still reeked of the decaying flesh from the “senseless” person’s body. Radish, sensitive to the smell, was restless near the door. Lu Chu used his bamboo cane to navigate and held the man’s hand tightly, a medium-sized backpack on his back.

He listened carefully at the door, and once he confirmed there was no one outside, he opened it. Holding the man’s hand firmly, with Radish following, they left the apartment.

The journey from the second floor to the first was smooth, with no sudden attacks from “senseless” people. Occasionally, there were human-shaped obstacles underfoot. Lu Chu would scratch the man’s palm with his finger, prompting the man to lift his foot and step over them.

Lu Chu remained on high alert, not daring to relax for a moment. Unable to see, he focused all his attention on his hearing. Born blind, Lu Chu was accustomed to darkness and fear, giving him an advantage over those who had lost their senses due to panic.

“I’m so scared…”

“I’m so hungry…”

Before they even left the complex, Lu Chu heard a strange voice. It was hard to distinguish the gender at first, but upon closer listening, it was a little girl’s voice.

A very familiar one.

Lu Chu suddenly remembered. This little girl, living in the building in front of his, was cute and well-behaved, still in kindergarten, and doted on by her parents.

Lu Chu couldn’t help but stop.

“So hungry…”

“Mom, I’m so hungry…”

Besides their group, there were no other footsteps around. Lu Chu felt somewhat relieved. He tentatively called out, “Nuonuo?”

“Who… who is it?” The little girl, hearing someone call her name, stumbled towards Lu Chu’s voice but tripped and fell, making a dull thud.

Lu Chu didn’t move but turned his face slightly, lowering his eyes as he softly asked, “Where are your parents?”

“Parents…”

“Daddy and Mommy.”

The little girl’s voice was hoarse, not as clear as before. She lay on the ground without getting up, instead crawling slowly towards Lu Chu’s voice.

“Rustle, rustle—”

The sound of fabric scraping against the ground and gravel was unpleasant to hear.

“Daddy… I could hear him and touch him. He went out to find food because Nuonuo was very hungry… but then Daddy never came back…”

The hoarse voice carried a hint of helpless sobbing.

“Mommy… I could hear her, but she didn’t feel any pain.”

“Mommy said Daddy wouldn’t come back.”

The little girl was getting closer. Radish suddenly started growling furiously.

“Mommy said she didn’t hurt at all. Because Nuonuo was hungry, she would find tasty things for Nuonuo…”

The little girl’s voice was somewhat aggrieved.

“But it didn’t taste good at all, and the water wasn’t good either. It was fishy meat and water, worse than milk… then Mommy stopped talking. She was covered in sticky water, tasting the same. Maybe Mommy found it hard to drink too.”

“So hungry… they all left Nuonuo.”

As the girl got closer, Lu Chu finally smelled the nauseating scent of rotting flesh, sweet and putrid, the same as the “senseless” person he had knocked down earlier.

In an instant, a chill ran up his spine.