The City of Never Sleep.
Recently, rumors of monsters eating people outside the city had panicked everyone. No one dared to linger outside the city after dark.
Zhang Laoliu, a vegetable vendor, had to go out before dawn every day to fetch vegetables for sale.
Despite hearing the rumors, Zhang Laoliu had no choice but to leave early for the sake of his family's livelihood.
But he never expected that on this particular morning, as he was returning from the market outside the city, he would be attacked by a monster on the way...
Zhang Laoliu's family, not seeing him return all day, searched the city anxiously. When they found no trace of him, they ventured out of the city, following the route he usually took.
Eventually, in a secluded stretch of road lined with tall grass, they discovered Zhang Laoliu's cart and his entire load of vegetables, along with bloodstains scattered around the area.
Upon further inquiry, nearby villagers confirmed hearing terrifying noises at night, though they didn't know if it was wild beasts or something else. They were too scared to go out.
The government constables, after receiving the family's report and investigating the scene for a long time, could not come to a conclusion.
As the incident spread, more and more people claimed to have seen terrifying humanoid monsters. This caused everyone to pack up and hurry home as soon as night fell. The City of Never Sleep lost its namesake, becoming eerily silent.
At this moment, a Kongming lantern, personally released by the Gu family, was carried by the southeast wind over the City of Never Sleep. It finally ran out of energy and, as Gu Qingcheng had calculated, plummeted to the ground after its lamp extinguished.
Simultaneously, the hundred flyers carried by the lantern scattered in the sky like snowflakes. Some landed on haystacks, some fell into ditches, some were washed away by water, and others landed on courtyard walls. A few even ended up inside the prefect's yamen.
Early the next morning, the people of the City of Never Sleep awoke to find people picking up these scattered paper slips.
Prefect Cao of the City of Never Sleep was woken up by his subordinates reporting an urgent matter first thing in the morning.
Prefect Cao was too lazy to get out of bed.
For the past year and more, enduring ice storms and floods, the city had lost contact with the imperial court. Cut off from all communication and governance, he had become thoroughly lax.
The people, battered by natural disasters, were already weakened. He had long lost any inclination to manage state affairs.
But a constable's words today almost made him jump up:
"What? You're saying there's a way to counter that man-eating monster? How do you know?"
The constable quickly handed the retrieved flyer to Prefect Cao.
Prefect Cao glanced at it, his expression shifting several times. He said,
"What kind of outlandish tale is this? Haha, it's more absurd than any storybook I've ever read."
With that, Prefect Cao carelessly tossed the flyer to the ground and lay back down to resume his sleep.
The constable, however, felt that there might be some truth to it. He picked up the note from the ground, brushed off the dust, and put it in his pocket.
The constable's name was Qiu Ming. He lived outside the City of Never Sleep. As a government official, he could only return home once a month, and usually at night.
Tonight was his scheduled day off. He handed over his duties and hurried home.
Recently, reports of monsters attacking people had surfaced in various parts of the city.
Although Qiu Ming was an officer, he felt a pang of unease walking on the night road.
However, his days off always seemed to fall at night, forcing him to return home late. He instinctively touched the saber at his waist and quickened his pace.
About a mile outside the city gate, he had to pass through a reed marsh, which was about a mile long. His home was another two miles beyond that.
As Qiu Ming walked through the reeds, looking at the stalks towering over his head, the surroundings felt increasingly eerie.
Suddenly, he remembered that this reed marsh was where the vegetable vendor Zhang Laoliu had disappeared.
Although he hadn't handled the case himself, he had heard about it from his colleagues.
The thought sent a chill down his spine, and he felt an icy wind suddenly pick up around him.
He forced himself to remain calm.
As a constable, would it not be ridiculous to be frightened by such fanciful notions?
So, he placed his hand on the hilt of his saber and walked forward with forced composure. He couldn't afford to not go home today.
His wife and children knew he was off, and if he didn't return, how would he face them when they asked? Would he say he was scared?
Would he have any face left?
He was halfway through and nothing unusual had happened. Another half mile and he would be out of the reed marsh and onto a main road with people around. It wouldn't be so gloomy and terrifying anymore. Qiu Ming breathed a sigh of relief.
But unexpectedly, just then, he heard a rustling sound from the grass by the roadside, as if someone was hiding there.
Sneaky. They were clearly up to no good.
"Who's there? What scoundrel is hiding? Come out!"
Qiu Ming still had lingering questions about the disappearance of Zhang Laoliu. He heard from his colleagues that only bloodstains were found at the scene, but no body. Perhaps it was a robbery gone wrong?
So, he assumed that whoever was hiding in the reed marsh might be bandits.
To his surprise, his shout only made the rustling sound in the grass more pronounced.
Soon, a group of people emerged from the grass, staggering.
Qiu Ming hadn't expected there to be so many of them and became nervous. He drew his saber and said,
"Who are you bandits? I am a constable from the City of Never Sleep. Retreat immediately."
Qiu Ming revealed his official status. If they were sensible, and since they hadn't encountered each other before, they would retreat, and the matter would be dropped. Those who understood the rules would know.
Unexpectedly, his loud shout seemed to embolden them further, and they advanced towards him faster.
Before he could react, another person emerged from the reeds beside him and lunged at him.
The moonlight was bright that night, allowing both sides to see each other clearly. Qiu Ming saw that the attacker had a distorted face, with sharp fangs protruding from its mouth. Although it had a human body, its movements and appearance were not human.
In a moment of desperation, Qiu Ming suddenly remembered the flyer that described how to deal with zombies.
With no time to think, and seeing the creature lunging to bite him, Qiu Ming quickly swung his saber towards its exposed neck.
After being decapitated, the monster's body stiffly collapsed. A foul odor emanated from it, confirming it was not human.
The group of people who had been approaching were now upon him. In the moonlight, Qiu Ming could even see their blood-red eyes, the long fangs in their mouths, and their claws as sharp as a wild beast's. These were the exact characteristics of zombies described on the flyer.
So, zombies were indeed a serious matter.
Qiu Ming, outnumbered, felt sweat beading on his forehead.
He swung his saber, severing an arm of a zombie. But cutting off an arm was useless; the creature felt no pain and kept charging forward with a gurgling sound.
Only then did Qiu Ming understand why the small flyer instructed people to aim for the neck. If the head wasn't severed, the zombies could still bite.
Fortunately, he possessed exceptional swordsmanship. With one arm missing, the zombie's neck was a gaping target. Qiu Ming steadied himself and with another swift stroke, sent the zombie's head flying.