Blood Neon-Chapter 8

Chapter 8
A Daily Life That Has Nothing to Do With Me
To be honest, in every sense of the word, Lin Ying felt grateful to the first driver who hit her while drunk driving.
Thanks to his heroic sacrifice, a pure girl who had never known the taste of others found a way to survive—by eating.
Also thanks to his capital crime—almost as if he feared that merely hitting someone while drunk wouldn’t be enough to warrant a death sentence—he even went so far as to get out of the car and stab her for good measure. Only because of that did the girl suffer no psychological burden afterward.
If hitting someone was an accident and drinking wasn’t intentional, then the stabbing surely counted, right? It’s not like he was some kind of hero.
And if he hadn’t slashed her three more times before fleeing the scene, Lin Ying might not have reacted on instinct. If that hadn’t happened, then none of what followed would have occurred. So thank you, Luo Da—uh, thank you, kind sir, veteran driver.
Come to think of it, in a certain sense, hadn’t he released a natural enemy of humanity?
A true traitor to mankind. So wicked. Crimes against humanity. Definitely worth chewing a few extra times.
…
While reminiscing about all this nonsense, Lin Ying descended the stairs carrying several empty soda cans in her arms.
The building she had used as a hiding spot for the night wasn’t her base of operations. It was a pretty decent spot she’d discovered over the past few days.
Geographically, it was located on the edge of the old downtown, right near the center of the old district, close to Pingyang Square. It was one of a cluster of old buildings, most of which were nearly twenty years old.
In recent years, with the rise of new residential towers and massive shopping malls, the city center had long since shifted. This whole area of old office and commercial buildings had been left behind. It was an unavoidable physical process—like the shifting of a center of gravity. As the economic density of the new district increased, the economic center naturally followed.
As a result, those who remained in these old buildings—especially the long-standing shops—were mostly relics of dying industries. Even if they weren’t failing yet, the enormous malls just down the road would probably swallow up most of these businesses in just a few years.
Thanks to this “people gone, buildings abandoned” situation, finding a building with no security and direct access to the rooftop wasn’t too hard.
And so the rooftop of this old building—one that housed an outdated hotel, a jewelry store, a convenience store, a kiosk, a semi-legit OV accessories shop, and a fried chicken cutlet place—became one of Lin Ying’s little strongholds.
The advantages? It was close to the city center, and the nearby food—wait, no, foot traffic—was high. Perfect for her morning walks and observing humans.
After tossing the blue empty cans from her arms into the trash bin near the entrance, the girl clapped her hands in satisfaction and looked back at the building, thinking to herself.
…
Nine-thirty in the morning was a pleasant time of day.
Elderly people who had just finished breakfast strolled around the neighborhood in small groups, gathering around stone tables to reenact battle after battle in games of strategy. Young mothers, grocery bags hanging from baby strollers, ambled home while muttering into their phones. From the primary school came the clear, loud voices of children reading in unison—their eyes bright with energy as they looked toward the blackboard and their teacher. Many of them probably dreamed of becoming teachers themselves one day.
Even in autumn, the people exercising in the park wore light clothing. Life was carefree for those who didn’t have to work. Fragrant aromas wafted from the bakery facing the street, drawing clusters of passersby to stop and pick out treats...
Once rush hour passed, this little eighteenth-tier city quickly revealed its relaxed, slow-paced side. The leaves hadn’t fully turned yellow yet, rustling gently in the breeze as they lined the roads, creating a pleasant contrast with the upturned faces of the people below.
“So nice,” Lin Ying couldn’t help but murmur, watching the peaceful scene.
“But… why can’t I feel anything inside?”
Yes, her rational mind had mimicked the sentiments she once truly felt and naturally voiced a comment that seemed only appropriate.
But her genuine emotions seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, showing not even the slightest response.
Once upon a time, she had envied scenes like this—had longed to be a part of them.
Not someone swept along by life, always rushing forward, but someone who could stroll slowly, bantering with life itself while taking in the myriad views of the world.
And now... in a certain sense, she had achieved that.
No school, no job, no pressure from rent.
Looked at one way, it didn’t seem so bad. But Lin Ying knew clearly—her current self was no more than a primitive survivor, playing wilderness survival in a city.
She had no home that would light up for her at night, and no anchor to tie her down, no one she missed or who missed her.
Like a ship lost at sea, directionless. The surface might be calm, but beneath the waves, she had already drifted into unfamiliar and treacherous waters.
What’s more, she was a monster who ate people.
Her act of living like a human was nothing more than a desperate effort to preserve her shaky humanity. And to be honest, Lin Ying had no idea how much longer she could keep it up.
She raised her slender hand, shading her forehead to block some of the warm autumn sunlight. Gazing at the flickering light filtering through the leaves, the girl sighed, a sentiment much like the last leaf clinging to a tree.
If only… if only that feeling could come more from the heart. That kind of emotion that wells up naturally in response to a scene…
Lin Ying shook her head and resumed her leisurely walk, continuing on her unhurried way.
…
“One hundred yuan.”
After fiddling with the phone in his hands, the shopkeeper gave his verdict.
“No way, that’s way too low.” The girl standing in front of the glass counter rejected the offer, not forcefully but in a tone that left room for discussion.
“Hey, I’m not lowballing you. Look at this phone—it’s already a no-name brand from two years ago. It was barely worth a thousand yuan when bundled with a contract. Now, this is about what it’s worth.”
The shopkeeper responded in the same negotiating tone, trying to sound reasonable.
“Besides, you said you picked it up, right? I still have to wipe the data. That alone costs forty yuan. If you add that up, it’s really one-forty I’m paying out of pocket. Not a bad deal, right?”
Lin Ying frowned. She knew the shopkeeper was aware the phone was probably stolen—just as she knew that he knew she knew.
After all, picking up a lost phone once was believable. But three times in a single week? That definitely raised some red flags.
Still, she had no other choice. As much as she wanted to play it smart—changing locations like a sly rabbit with multiple dens—this was the only second-hand phone shop she had found so far that both offered decent prices and didn’t have surveillance cameras.
She wasn’t sure if the shopkeeper took pity on her appearance or what, but compared to the shop on the next street, at least this guy didn’t rip her off too badly and he paid in real cash.
Letting out a quiet sigh, the girl pouted just slightly, putting on a helpless but endearing expression.
“One-twenty-five, okay? No more haggling. I know this is about as much as I’ll get anyway.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t argue. Cash again?”
“Yes, please break it up. One fifty, two twenties, two tens, two fives, and five ones. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Sure, sure. Let me get the change.”
The middle-aged man, who was rummaging through his waist pouch for change, glanced at Lin Ying. When he caught the glimpse of longing in the girl’s eyes as she looked toward the phones in the display case, he sighed silently.
Such a pretty little girl, looking clean and proper too—he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of hardships had pushed her into doing this kind of thing.
The shopkeeper knew all too well—some kids might not show it, but life at home could be tough. A stepfather or stepmother who gave no allowance and barely fed them… a single-parent family with a father who drank, gambled, womanized, and then vanished with a mountain of debt… So many miserable possibilities played out like a melodrama in the uncle’s mind, softening his gaze as he looked at Lin Ying.
Of course, sympathy was one thing, but price was another. He still had to bargain. Otherwise, a naïve child like her might end up getting taken advantage of somewhere else—worse than here.
Taking pity on a fledgling who still couldn’t fly would only harm them in the long run.
Lin Ying couldn’t see the little theater playing out in the shopkeeper’s head, but she could more or less sense his goodwill.
Out of respect for that goodwill, Lin Ying—who had already mentally counted the money while the man was retrieving it—did not bother to double-check the thick stack of bills. She slipped the cash into the small pouch at her chest and offered a quick thanks before taking her leave.
—While she had been eyeing the phones in the display for “temptation’s sake,” her real body in the shadow had been keeping a close eye on the man’s hands as he handled the cash.
Trust was one thing but having a plan was another. She wasn’t some clueless little girl.
Couldn’t be helped. Money was one of her lifelines. Blame it on being too poor—so poor that she didn’t even have the luxury of keeping a bit of spare cash to show goodwill toward others. Dry.
Wiping away nonexistent tears, Lin Ying cheerfully began planning her next steps now that the fencing was complete.
Alright, the current situation was: proven through practice, the “fishing tactic” actually worked. In just three days, it had netted her a fine catch and a full stomach.
Last hunt had been two days ago—around thirty-three hours had passed since. If she didn’t eat anything more from now on, she estimated she could stay active for another thirty-nine hours.
Hmph. Better than Unit-01.
She pinched her chin with her small hand and gave a satisfied nod.
Of course, that thirty-nine hours was assuming she didn’t eat anything at all. If she managed to snack on a few cats and dogs, or maybe some fried chicken or siu mai, then that timeframe could easily double.
So the next step was simple: with the 125 yuan she just received, her current savings had broken the 400 mark. That meant she could afford some snacks while wandering around in the daytime, enough to keep her going. And come nightfall, she could head out to carry out a righteous exe—uh no, to look for a suitable dinner.
That time window could be split into two segments: one, actively seeking out a lucky sinner to digest; and two, playing bait herself, waiting for a guilty fool to take the hook.
In any case, she had to eat humans—only by eating them could she barely keep her life going. The city folks were all outstanding individuals, spoke nicely, had the right texture—she really liked what was inside them.
And hunting also meant income. As much as she looked down on it, the truth was that everything she had—food, clothing, essentials, transportation—came from spoils of war.
For example, this white dress she was wearing? It came from her very first prey: the short-tempered wild boar, Brother Peppa. She had taken it from a shopping bag on the passenger seat.
…
He had family too?
Was that a gift for his daughter?
A father long divorced, preparing a present for their meeting tomorrow. After being forced to attend a dinner party, he finished the gathering late but wanted to make it home in time, so he drove through the night. And then, tragedy struck. Thinking of seeing his daughter the next day, he gritted his teeth and drew a knife…
Ah! No, no, she couldn't let her imagination go wild like this.
Lin Ying shook her head, trying to shake off the scenario playing out in her mind.
"Don’t imagine people as being too good. Try thinking of them as worse."
She muttered to herself and gradually calmed down again.
There was no helping it. No matter how she spun it, what she was doing now could only be classified as “dark hero” at best—not exactly noble or righteous.
After all, she couldn’t guarantee that every person she’d kill in the future would be unquestionably guilty. She couldn’t even guarantee that those she’d already killed truly deserved death—let alone the fact that this world was never black and white to begin with.
Right now, she could still pat her flat chest and confidently say: the three people she had eaten were all absolutely unforgivable. The kind that would have gotten the death penalty in court without question. But the next one? Who knew—what if, say, she lost control and picked a random passerby?
That’s why, unless she left a gray buffer zone in her mind, Lin Ying could already feel that sooner or later, the clash between human morals and monstrous instinct would mess her up.
Because when she was still human, Lin Ying had been someone with a strong sense of empathy.
Seeing others happy made her happy; seeing others sad made her sad.
Before acting, she would consider how it might make others feel. Before speaking, she’d think about how her words might affect someone. She’d patiently listen to people talk about things she didn’t care about—just so their feelings wouldn’t be hurt.
These emotional habits still lingered in her mind like ghosts, echoing in her thoughts, and even affected her during hunts.
There’s an old saying: “A gentleman stays away from the kitchen.” It’s because kind-hearted people, even if they rationally understood the situation, would still be soft-hearted after seeing the cruelty inside. But you can’t exactly stop eating meat… and in the end, it just adds more trouble to your life.
So Lin Ying had no choice—she had to numb that part of herself, at least a little.
…
“Hm?”
Suddenly, a delicious aroma wafted into her nose, cutting off her solemn and melancholic thoughts.
The moment the scent hit, both her human stomach and her true body’s gut rumbled in unison—hunger flaring up immediately.