Apocalypse Park

The Scorching Steak Night

What’s the difference between the temperature at midnight and 1 a.m.?

If it were an ordinary day, probably no one would notice.

But tonight was clearly different. The sun had long since disappeared, but the scorching heat in the air seemed to intensify with each passing minute; worse yet, there hadn’t been a hint of wind for days.

The air outside the window wasn’t just air; it was like pockets of searing hot sand, ready to smother you.

As if on cue, the last few households in the city that hadn’t turned on their air conditioners due to various reasons suddenly switched them on one after another.

People without air conditioning couldn’t bear it any longer, seeking refuge wherever they could find even a hint of cool air—bars, 24-hour convenience stores, offices.

Half an hour later, with a faint click, the night lights in the apartment on the 38th floor suddenly went out.

The house plunged into complete darkness, and the faint “buzzing” that had been lingering in the bedroom silently stopped at some point.

The central air conditioning had stopped blowing.

Not long after the cool air ceased, Emma turned over in her sleep, agitated.

Without the 26-degree cool air, she quickly broke into a sticky sweat, like a suffocating cover, and soon she was awakened by the heat.

Ugh, the remote must be on the nightstand.

The thought flashed through her groggy mind, and she was about to reach for it when she suddenly felt something was wrong.

Emma froze, stopped her hand, and after a moment, she slowly squinted her eyes and looked upward.

A pale white face was suspended directly above her, with two black hollow eyes staring straight at her in the dark.

It was here again!

It was here again!

A scream erupted in Emma’s mind, but her throat was so dry that no sound came out. Her heartbeat quickened, louder and faster. The white face tilted slightly, listening, then suddenly lunged closer to Emma.

Two weeks ago, she had woken up thirsty in the middle of the night, and when she sat up, she had collided with this face.

At the time, Emma had screamed, scrambled to turn on the light, only to discover that it was Ethan...

Ethan had somehow been sitting beside her, his face expressionless in the dark, staring at her—who knows how long he had been doing that, just like tonight.

At that time, Ethan had explained that he had sleepwalked since childhood.

Had Emma not been suspicious, she might have believed him.

Now, she fought back her fear, pretended to still be half-asleep, rubbed her eyes, and asked shakily, “Ethan, are you sleepwalking again?”

Ethan’s face cracked into a smile in the dark, his words unnervingly clear: “Yes, my old habit has kicked in again.”

“Did I scare you?”

“A bit,” Emma nearly fled out of bed, standing at the door where she felt a slight sense of security, and only then did she notice the stifling heat in the room.

“Why is it so hot? Did you turn off the air conditioning?”

Ethan didn’t respond, but instead reached out, pulling the heavy curtains aside, revealing a floor-to-ceiling window. Usually, through this window, Emma could see the dazzling night view of half the city.

But tonight, the city had lost its usual never-ending lights; even the stars had wisely hidden away, leaving only a pitch-black void.

The house, with its doors and windows tightly shut, was stiflingly hot.

“The power load was too much; it seems the whole city has lost power,” Ethan said with a still-smiling, leisurely tone, as he slowly stood up, circled the bed, and began walking toward the door.

Alarm bells rang in Emma’s head, and before he could get any closer, she suddenly dashed toward the living room.

Her familiarity with the layout of the apartment over the past three months finally paid off: in the pitch black, she managed to reach the living room entrance, and without catching her breath, she slammed her hand down on the elevator button.

But the expected red light didn’t come on—how could such an expensive apartment not have a backup power system?

“The backup power only supplies the hallway lights. As for the elevators, especially private ones, they’re not covered.” The voice Emma had heard for half a year sounded behind her. Ethan was still as gentle as ever, but as he spoke, Emma could hear a faint wet sound in his words.

As if Ethan couldn’t control the saliva in his mouth...

In the darkness, the vague silhouette representing Ethan slowly approached her, finally stopping in the middle of the living room.

Emma felt a dizzying wave wash over her.

Her intuition had been right—regret surged through her, and she asked a question she had never imagined she would: “Are you going to eat me?”

The shadow let out a satisfied sigh: “Such sharp intuition.”

Emma’s fear mixed with anger, confusion, and a complex range of emotions. Oddly enough, it made her feel a little less helpless, and the next words burst out of her: “Don’t joke around! Who are you? Why did you target me?”

“I’m telling you, don’t try anything funny. All my friends know I’m staying here with you...”

She deliberately raised her voice, hoping someone would hear her, while slowly moving towards the open-plan kitchen on one side of the living room.

Ethan sighed. “Well, you’ve stayed with me for six months, so I’ll let you die with some understanding.” With that, he snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, with a loud crash, one of the glass walls in the living room shattered into countless pieces. Accompanied by distant, indistinct screams, an intense heat wave, unlike anything Emma had ever felt, rushed into the apartment along with the glass shards.

The last bit of cool air left by the central air conditioning was instantly consumed.

How... how could it be this hot?

It felt like the whole city was being roasted alive!

Before Emma could react, Ethan’s gentle voice spoke again: “As of tonight, this world is no longer the Earth you knew.

In this new world, according to your measurement system, the temperature is... oh, fifty-six degrees Celsius.”

Emma froze. Fifty-six degrees Celsius was enough to cause severe heatstroke and dehydration several times over. The thought made her quickly reach for the back of her neck.

Unexpectedly, Emma wasn’t sweating as much as she thought she would.

“Look at that! After just a few months, you’ve already adapted to high temperatures and developed sharp intuition—no wonder I picked you out as a high-potential candidate. If only the new world hadn’t come so early, I would’ve liked to nurture you for another two years before... eating you.” Ethan’s tone was filled with regret.

He sucked in his saliva loudly and began walking toward Emma. “It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted such a promising child.”

After the glass wall shattered, a faint light seeped into the living room.

In that dim light, Emma could see Ethan’s face.

The handsome features of a male model had been distorted by his widening mouth, gradually disappearing from sight.

Clear saliva flowed uncontrollably from his mouth, and by this time, Emma had been cornered into the kitchen.

“I... I still don’t understand! What are you? Why do you want to eat me?

And what’s all this about evolution and abilities? You said you’d let me die with some understanding—tell me!”

Even a minute of delay would give her a better chance!

Using the opportunity provided by talking, Emma reached back toward the knife rack on the countertop.

Ethan’s gaping mouth paused, then shrank slightly, revealing some of his original features. “Sigh, why are you so dense? Of course, I’m human. Ethan is my real name, but I’m different from you backward creatures. I come from a new world.

In the new world, humans evolve different abilities to survive—abilities you can’t even imagine.”

Ethan wiped his dripping chin. “I suggest you put the knife down. My vision is excellent.

Just let me eat you; I promise it won’t hurt.”

“Bullshit!” Before he could finish speaking, the terrified and furious Emma was already charging at him with a sharp knife, yelling angrily.

The gleaming boning knife moved fast, drawing a bright line through the dark. Just as the knife tip was about to pierce Ethan’s chest, he sidestepped lightly, and Emma missed.

She stumbled, stepping on a shard of glass, and lost her balance, crashing heavily to the ground.

The knife clattered away.

An enraged Ethan pinned Emma to the floor, his pupils narrowing to pinpricks. “A steak should behave like a steak!”

In the faint light, Emma watched in despair as the shadow lunged for her throat.