On a remote old street in Lingyu City, a man clutched his abdomen, stumbling forward as he ran.
Blood continued to seep from between his fingers, leaving a trail of shocking bloodstains behind him.
"Help! Open the door... someone, please help me!" the man screamed desperately, banging on the tightly shut rolling doors on either side.
However, most of the shops on the street had already been vacated, leaving behind only some dilapidated, soon-to-be-demolished storefronts. No one responded to his cries.
Suddenly, a hot breath sprayed on the back of the man's neck, accompanied by a disgusting, nauseating stench.
He slowly raised his head.
A hideous monster emerged from the crack in the wall, its sharp teeth just inches away.
The monster bared its teeth, revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp fangs.
The man was so terrified he collapsed onto the ground.
The monster didn't give him another chance to flee. Its body leaped out of the crack, sinking its teeth toward the man's neck.
But just as those sharp fangs were about to make contact, a bullet pierced the monster's neck.
The immense force sent the monster's body flying through the air.
Thick, black blood splattered onto the man's face, and he was so terrified, his consciousness nearly faded.
The mysterious man who had shot the monster slowly walked over, his face obscured by a cowboy hat, and his revolver was still emitting smoke.
The monster struggled to rise, its body began to swell and distort, emitting a deafening roar before lunging at the armed man.
The man sneered and coldly snorted, "Noisy."
Without haste, he raised his hand and fired a shot, instantly severing one of the monster's legs.
Then, with the other hand, he quickly pulled the trigger three times in rapid succession. In an instant, the monster's limbs were pierced by bullets, and it collapsed to the ground, blood spurting everywhere.
The man in the cowboy hat stepped calmly in front of the monster and said, "May your soul rest in peace, and may you no longer suffer. This bullet is my mercy."
After speaking, he fired a final shot, crushing the monster's skull.
Stowing the revolver away, the man retrieved a pitch-black crystal from the monster's severed neck.
He examined it for a moment, furrowing his brow, then took out his phone and walked over to the injured man sitting nearby.
"Hello, is your intel wrong?" the man spoke as he wedged the phone between his shoulder and ear, ripping open the injured man's shirt to inspect his wounds.
[What? You didn't encounter a beast?]
"The beast was there, but only a scout-class beast. What happened to the promised vanguard-class?" the man asked, squatting in front of the injured man.
The man then casually pulled apart the injured man's shirt, causing the man to shrink back in fear.
When he saw the cut across the man's abdomen, the cowboy-hat man pulled out a yellow talisman from his pocket.
[Search the area nearby. This is an order from the Joint Hunt Alliance. It should be accurate.]
"Heh, sure, and by the way, there's an injured person here. I'll handle it. Also, this scout-class core, I'm taking it to sell for money," he added.
[Old Yue, this goes against the rules.]
The voice on the other end of the line sighed heavily. But the man knew there was no stopping him, and the cowboy-hat man did indeed need the money.
[Next time, don't mention this kind of thing on the line.]
"Heh, thanks, Old Du."
After hanging up, the cowboy-hat man pressed the yellow talisman against the injured man's forehead. The moment it made contact, the man felt dizzy, and a powerful drowsiness overcame him.
The cowboy-hat man muttered mysteriously, "What you see is all an illusion. When dawn comes, you will forget everything..."
"Y-You... what are you doing...?" the injured man finally could not hold on any longer and slipped into unconsciousness.
"If you become an infected, we will meet again," the man said softly.
He carefully laid the injured man by the side of the road before turning back to the monster's corpse.
Looking at the bloodstains on the ground, the man lit a cigarette and fell into deep thought.
...
After leaving the school, Jiang Huai had planned to go straight home.
But Lu Wanyin abruptly grabbed his hand and led him toward the commercial area not far from the university.
"Where are you taking me?" Jiang Huai asked warily.
After all, he still vividly remembered how Lu Wanyin had slashed Shen Anan with a knife yesterday.
"What, are you afraid I'm going to sell you? That's actually a good idea. Even if I take out your heart, liver, and kidneys, you still won't die," she joked.
"..." Jiang Huai didn't answer, as he was actually considering that this might be a profitable idea.
Seeing Jiang Huai's silence, Lu Wanyin thought he was angry.
She stopped, turned to face him, and smiled faintly, "Alright, during these seven days of monitoring, as long as you don't show any signs of infection, I won't harm you."
Then, she gently patted Jiang Huai's head.
"Where are you taking me then? Not to treat me to dinner, right?" Jiang Huai asked, half-joking.
"Treat you to dinner? I can, but you have to do something for me first," she replied.
Soon, Jiang Huai realized what Lu Wanyin meant.
He watched as she walked into a newly opened restaurant, then emerged dressed in a comically oversized bear costume, holding a stack of flyers.
"While I'm working part-time, you sit here. Don't go anywhere. If you violate the monitoring order, hmph, the consequences are yours to bear," Lu Wanyin said as she put on the bear headpiece.
"Wukong, draw a circle for me. I promise I won't leave," Jiang Huai said, smiling at the comically cute bear.
"Ugh, you really have a mouth on you," Lu Wanyin's voice came muffled from inside the bear costume, adding a touch of cuteness.
He really did just sit on a bench near the park, watching the bear mascot awkwardly distribute flyers to passersby.
It reminded him of something he had heard about Lu Wanyin's past.
She came from a very poor family, and both of her parents had died in an earthquake when she was young. She had worked hard since high school, taking on various part-time jobs.
Whether as a supermarket cashier or now as a flyer distributor, she had always worked hard.
At first, he had thought it was just gossip.
After all, she was an Awakened, part of some organization, and organizations like that usually weren't short on money. Maybe they even had a Batcave full of high-tech gadgets.
But seeing her old accessories, her outdated phone, and her determination to work multiple jobs today, Jiang Huai began to doubt that idea.
Time passed.
As evening approached, the nightlife in the area began to pick up, and more people appeared on the commercial street.
By around 8 PM, she had finally distributed all the flyers.
The bear turned and ran to Jiang Huai, pulling off the headpiece with a "snap."
As the headpiece was removed, her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, a few strands damp with sweat, sticking to her forehead and face, making her look more vivid and real.
The shine of the sweat in the light resembled tiny diamonds, decorating her face.
Jiang Huai was stunned and unable to say a word.
"Do I look a mess now?" Lu Wanyin asked, slightly embarrassed.
"No," Jiang Huai scratched his head.
"You're really pretty."
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Both their faces turned red, and their gazes diverted.
A cold breeze blew, and Lu Wanyin sneezed.
"Ah-choo."
"Finished with work? Change your clothes. Don't catch a cold," Jiang Huai said with a smile.
"I said I'd treat you to dinner," Lu Wanyin hesitated. She glanced around, then looked at a noodle shop that was still open.
"Is it alright if I treat you to noodles?" Her voice was unsure, almost as if she knew noodles weren't really a grand gesture.
After speaking, she looked at Jiang Huai, concerned that he might be upset by her offer.
But Jiang Huai smiled brightly.
"Sure, I love noodles. Just make sure I get a big bowl."
Seeing Jiang Huai's attitude, Lu Wanyin felt relieved.
"Alright, as you wish. Don't eat too much and explode."
Just as Jiang Huai was about to help Lu Wanyin return the bear costume, someone suddenly blocked their way.
"Hey, you're that little fox, right? You stole my best friend's guy?"
The person was a girl with a sharp, sarcastic voice, about 1.5 meters tall.
Jiang Huai recognized her immediately—she was Wang Meng, Shen Ning's best friend.
"What do you want?" Jiang Huai coldly stared at Wang Meng.
This woman had tormented him before because he once had feelings for Shen Ning.
Don't ask how a girl who was only 1.5 meters tall could bully someone.
At the time, Jiang Huai was about 1.67 meters tall, weighed less than 110 pounds, and was sickly.
Meanwhile, Wang Meng, although only 1.5 meters tall, weighed around 150 pounds.
Plus, because she was Shen Ning's friend, Jiang Huai had to endure her insults and even physical attacks.
And Shen Ning knew all about it but simply watched with a mocking look in her eyes.
"What do I want? Jiang Huai, I should be asking you that. Didn't you like Ning Ning? Why are you now hanging out with other women?" Wang Meng said, confidently.
Her attitude made Jiang Huai laugh in anger.
"Do you really think the world should revolve around you?" Jiang Huai sneered at Wang Meng.
"What did you say?"
"I said, get lost."
Wang Meng's face flushed red in anger.
Her eyes flickered toward Lu Wanyin, and she was stunned to see this woman smiling at her.
That smile was full of mockery.