He looked around twenty-seven years old. Medium height. Average build. Not muscular, not skinny. His short black hair was slightly messy, and his face was plain — the kind you wouldn't notice in a crowd. Ordinary eyes. Ordinary nose. Nothing remarkable about him.
Beside him stood a woman.
She looked to be between twenty-one and twenty-five. Deep blonde hair fell over her shoulders, slightly messy but still soft-looking. Her face was a bit above average — clear skin, bright eyes, and well-shaped lips. Not breathtaking, but attractive enough to turn heads.
Her figure stood out more.
She had a noticeably busty figure, her chest pressing slightly against her thin shirt. A slim waist. Soft curves. Rounded hips that gave her body a naturally appealing shape.
They were the same people from next door.
They spotted Ren on the rooftop.
"Hey! You over there!" the man shouted.
"Help us! We're trapped!" he yelled.
"Save us!" the woman cried.
Ren looked down at them calmly.
"Why would I?" he said in a sarcastic tone. "What can you give me in return?"
The woman frowned and shouted back, "Really? Are you asking for something just for helping someone?"
Ren shrugged. "Don't pain yourself if you don't want to. The zombies are going to break into your room soon enough. So keep shouting if that's what you prefer."
The man's face twitched with irritation.
"We'll give you half of our rations. How about that?"
"But—" the woman tried to speak.
"This is the only way," the man said firmly.
Ren nodded. "Then we have a deal."
He thought to himself with quiet pride.
Rule number three.
Nothing is free. Everything has a price.
"Go fetch your rations," Ren said. "I'll throw a rope down. Climb up using that."
He opened his bag and thought with a faint smile,
I know what comes next.
Ren tied one end of the rope to a steel bar structure and threw the other end down to them.
The man and woman took a little time.
"I'm ready, Mr…?" the man said. "What's your name? My name is Peng, and this is my girlfriend, Rachel."
"You don't need to know my name," Ren replied coldly. "Just climb up."
Peng climbed first, gripping the rope tightly. After reaching the top, he helped pull Rachel up.
"Thank you for saving us," Peng said with a forced smile.
"We're very grateful," Rachel added.
Ren smiled innocently.
"Don't worry. It's only natural."
Then his tone shifted.
"Cut the crap. Dump half of the rations."
Peng and Rachel exchanged irritated looks. Both were clearly thinking the same thing.
This guy is a scumbag.
Peng forced a smile. "Yes, here's your share, as promised."
He handed over some packed food and a few water bottles.
Ren glanced at it.
So that's all they had? This will only add one or two extra days at most.
Rachel looked at Ren's bag.
"What's in there?" she asked.
"Oh," Ren replied casually, "just my food and supplies."
---
At Night
Ren lay on the floor, pretending to sleep.
Peng and Rachel whispered in low voices.
"Is he really asleep?" Rachel asked nervously.
Peng's eyes darkened. "Don't worry. If he's not, he will be soon."
"Do we really have to do this?" she whispered.
"We don't have a choice if we want to survive," Peng replied coldly.
Rachel hesitated.
"Then do it quickly… before he wakes up."
Suddenly—
A loud bang echoed across the rooftop.
Something heavy smashed down with crushing force.
------
Peng said, "How did you—"
Ren smiled. A playful but dark grin spread across his face.
"Did you really think I'm that easy to kill?"
He suddenly kicked Peng hard.
Peng was thrown several steps back, almost losing his balance.
Rachel rushed to him. "Are you okay?!"
Ren slowly stood up.
He glanced at the floor where he had been lying.
Cracks.
Thin fractures spread across the concrete.
Then his eyes shifted to Peng's hand.
A hammer.
Ren tilted his head slightly, a mocking expression on his face.
"Did you really use that?" he said in a taunting tone.
"How brutal of you."
He chuckled softly.
"You could have at least used a knife to make it less painful… but no. You chose a hammer to smash my head."
His smile widened faintly.
"What a barbaric way."
"You asshole!" Peng shouted angrily.
Rachel's lips curled into a cold smile. "Kill that scumbag."
Peng's face twisted with rage. "Don't worry. He'll be a goner before he even knows what happened."
He charged at Ren with the hammer raised high.
Ren sighed in amusement. "Oh boy… what a joke."
The hammer swung toward his head.
Swoosh.
Ren stepped aside smoothly.
"Really? That's your move?" he mocked calmly.
Peng swung again.
Swoosh.
Ren dodged once more.
"Such a brutal man," Ren said sarcastically.
Peng overextended slightly after missing.
That moment was enough.
Ren pulled the crowbar from behind his waistband.
He swung it hard at the back of Peng's head.
CRACK.
A heavy, sickening sound echoed through the rooftop.
Peng's body froze.
Then—
Dhum.
He collapsed onto the hard concrete.
Ren looked down at him with quiet pride.
Rule number four.
Never blindly trust anyone.
Blood flowed from Peng's head like a thin stream across the floor.
"That's it?" Ren said coldly.
"For a moment, I thought it would take more than that… but it was really child's play."
Rachel ran toward Peng, shaking him desperately.
"Wake up! Wake up!"
There was no response.
Ren looked at her with an innocent smile.
"Don't sweat it. He's already dead."
He stepped closer, calm and composed.
"So… what should I do with you?" he asked softly.
An innocent yet unsettling smile formed on his face.
"Should I feed you to the zombies? Or perhaps kill you myself? Nah… too much trouble. And messy."
He paused, as if thinking.
"Ah, I know."
His smile returned.
"I'll just throw you off the building. If you somehow survive — which is basically impossible — the zombies can handle the rest."
Rachel trembled violently, fear written all over her face.
"Please… spare me! I'll do anything!" she cried, clinging to his leg.
Ren looked at her with a blank, terrifying expression.
"Really?" he said coldly. "I thought you wanted me dead."
"Please! I'll do anything! Just spare my life!" she begged desperately.
Rachel trembled, unable to respond properly.
Ren's gaze slowly moved over her, assessing her calmly.
He let out a quiet breath.
Rachel forced a smile, though a faint tremor lingered at the corner of her lips.
"Hey… how about my body?" she whispered softly.
"Don't you want it?"
Her eyes flickered, something uneasy hiding behind the teasing tone.
"I can tell you're starving too…"