Monster - Chapter 72
Chapter 72: Uncertain Factor
"Sigh…" Amidst the heavy footsteps, Lin Sandie heard a long sigh. In her field of vision, a tall, thin, dark figure appeared at the corner of the alley ahead, illuminated by her night-vision light.
The figure's legs, as slender as withered branches, first entered the light, followed slowly by its entire body. Through her lenses, Lin Sandie saw a gaunt-looking man. He wore coarse clothes, and his wrinkled, bark-like face betrayed no age. He looked as if he had been starving for a long time—his cheekbones were high, his eyes bulged, and his chin was covered in fresh bloodstains.
"So hungry… but why is it always you un-nutritious things coming and going?" The man's terrifying eyes swept over Mike and Lin Sandie as he spoke these strange words in a hoarse voice, like the sound of sawing through rotten wood.
She didn't need to see him with her naked eyes; just looking through her lenses was enough to imagine how terrifying the man's true face must be.
Mike was the first to react. The moment he heard the footsteps, he was on high alert. When the monster appeared, he had already raised an arm to shield Lin Sandie, simultaneously drawing the handgun from its holster. Without a word, he raised the gun and fired a precise shot at the monster's brow.
"Bang!" A flash of light erupted from the muzzle. The bullet passed through the monster's forehead as if it had struck the surface of water.
"Why is it always you un-nutritious things!?" the monster roared, its entire face twisting as if being torn apart. A layer of wrinkled, bark-like skin was stretched taut over its skull, making the bones underneath protrude sharply.
Reeking of blood, the monster lunged at Mike and Lin Sandie.
Lin Sandie felt like her eyes were playing tricks on her, because when the monster appeared, she vaguely saw a green "A" next to its head.
Mike quickly grabbed the still-dazed Lin Sandie and yanked her aside. But the alley was narrow, and his pull sent them both slamming into a crumbling wall. The house, neglected for years and on the verge of collapse, couldn't withstand the impact. The wall shattered, and Mike and Lin Sandie crashed through it into the building.
The impact knocked Lin Sandie's glasses askew, and a sharp stone cut the corner of her left eye, blood streaming down her face. She quickly steadied herself and drew her pistol from its underarm holster. Without her lenses, she saw a tall, thin, pale monster stooping to enter through the hole in the wall, illuminated by the moonlight. Its mouthparts branched across its entire face like lightning bolts, nearly consuming its whole head. They gaped open to reveal red flesh and rows of fine, inwardly spiraling teeth. Two arms covered in eyes and four thick, spider-like limbs on its back braced against the edges of the hole. The black eyes on its arms swiveled about, scanning the interior of the ruined house.
Mike grabbed Lin Sandie's arm, dragged her to a corner, and switched off the night-vision light in her hand. Then she heard him whisper, "Conceal!"
At his word, the monster, which had been surveying the room, blinked several times, a flicker of confusion in its eyes.
Lin Sandie looked up at Mike, who had released her arm. At some point, he had removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of milky white eyeballs.
Seeing Lin Sandie looking at him, Mike raised a finger to his lips, signaling for her to be quiet. After she nodded, he crossed to the other side of the room.
Mike's footsteps made a faint sound on the floor, but it was enough for the monster to detect. It didn't seem to be in a hurry, however. After stepping fully inside, it stood still, its face turned toward Mike's position.
Lin Sandie took the opportunity to survey the interior of the ruined house by the moonlight filtering through the hole. The place had clearly been abandoned for a long time, covered in dust and cobwebs. Strangely, two dust-covered coffins sat in the middle of the room. They appeared to be nailed shut, and she wondered if they held the dead.
Tension, horror, fear, trembling—a storm of emotions erupted in Lin Sandie's heart, only to be swiftly siphoned into the 'Scorpion' on her back. The feelings were fleeting, but they left her with a strange sensation. As they had rippled through her chest, she felt, for a moment, like she had returned to being the flesh-and-blood Lin Sandie.
Once the emotions were devoured, Lin Sandie calmly analyzed the scene. It was clear Mike's eyes possessed some strange power, because after he'd said "Conceal," they had vanished from the monster's sight.
"Well now, this is a little interesting. I thought tonight's midnight snack would be bland, but when that little girl saw me, I smelled some delicious emotions." The monster stroked its chin, its grating voice filled with anticipatory amusement.
"Bang! Bang!" Mike fired two quick shots, aiming for the monster's chest and brow. But just like before, the bullets passed through as if hitting water.
The attack, however, revealed his position. The monster raised two of its spider limbs—covered in a fuzz that resembled festering dark clouds—and stabbed swiftly toward Mike.
"Distort!" Mike roared, lunging forward to dodge the monster's sharp limbs.
Lin Sandie saw Mike lunge forward, yet somehow, he suddenly appeared less than three steps away from her.
"This monster is A-class. We can't handle it right now. I'll keep it busy. You go back, get the car, and get the others out of here."
"It's wearing a string of beads on its wrist," Lin Sandie whispered. On the way to Taiyin Village, Mike had explained that some monsters, even before death, could possess Remnants that granted them additional abilities, making them incredibly difficult to fight.
"The little girl is here!" The monster sensed Lin Sandie's location and lunged again with a strange cry.
"Do as I say!" Mike shoved Lin Sandie away and simultaneously raised his gun, firing at the monster's arm with the beads. But the monster's wrist was a small, constantly moving target. Mike missed, revealing his intention. The creature turned and lunged at him.
A fierce energy surged through him. With a ferocious expression, Mike dropped his gun, drew the dagger sheathed at his ankle, and charged the monster.
This was another special method for dealing with monsters: against certain types, cold weapons were sometimes more effective than firearms.
Shoved aside by Mike, Lin Sandie seized the opportunity while the monster was engaged. She stumbled out of the building, planning to find Xiang Nan and Yan Zhi, get the car, and leave Taiyin Village for now.
But tonight was destined to be a restless one. Just as Lin Sandie emerged from the ruined house, she saw a figure standing at the previously empty corner. It was a woman with disheveled hair in a coarse cloth dress, and it was blocking her path. Under the moonlight, a pair of sharp, gleaming eyes peered out from behind its messy black hair.
The hair on her arms stood on end. Next to this monster's head, Lin Sandie saw a green "B." Even a B-class monster was something she was absolutely no match for right now.
Without a second thought, Lin Sandie turned and fled in another direction. Fear and horror surged through her before being numbed away again. Despite the chill in her heart, she kept her wits about her. When she'd glanced at the monster blocking her path, she had also noticed a beaded bracelet on its wrist. That meant the two monsters they'd encountered tonight were working together.
As long as she found a hidden place and made no sound, she could evade this monster just as they had the first one.
Keeping her night-vision light off, Lin Sandie navigated the streets of the ancient, gloomy village by moonlight. Strange, scattered rocks and overgrown trees made the already narrow alleys even more difficult to traverse. After a frantic sprint, she was forced to slow down. No one seemed to be chasing her, which only made the surroundings quieter. The only sound was her own shoes crunching on gravel and dirt.
Lin Sandie's heart was pounding. She slipped into a building of indeterminate purpose, leaned against the main door, and took a deep breath. Then, she bent down, quietly removed her short black leather boots, and carried them in her hand.
The surroundings became even quieter, with only the occasional rustle of leaves in the faint breeze. Lin Sandie glanced at the building's interior and realized it was a small temple. It didn't enshrine any Bodhisattvas or Buddhas, however. Instead, there were strange clay statues dressed in ancient official robes. Their paint had peeled away, and they were so covered in dust that their original colors were indiscernible. Only their wide, staring eyes seemed unnervingly lifelike.
Lin Sandie stared at the clay figures that seemed to be watching her, her heart pounding like a drum. Carrying her boots and light, she moved silently toward the pitch-black altar behind the statues. The further in she went, the less moonlight penetrated. By the time she crouched down behind it, she was enveloped in darkness.
What can I do? After finding a flat spot to stand and putting her boots back on, Lin Sandie's heart was still racing, but her mind was already analyzing the situation.
What could she possibly do in a situation like this? Besides running and hiding, what other options did she have?
Was she doing the right thing? Had she been smart enough to consider every detail?
Would the monster really not find her? Or was it already watching her every move, just toying with her before devouring her when her emotions peaked?
Or should she run out and fight a monster she couldn't possibly beat, facing certain death?
Or should she scream to get the attention of Xiang Nan and the others?
Or should she have stayed close to Mike?
Was the choice she was making right now the correct one? Would it have been better if she had agreed to go to the Disorder Land with Lou?
...
Countless questions exploded in Lin Sandie's mind. The more she thought, the quieter her surroundings seemed. A person in darkness grows ever more anxious, terrified that something might suddenly materialize out of the thick blackness, its presence felt only when it's pressed against the tip of their nose.
Lin Sandie could hear her own heartbeat. Fear kept welling up, only to be devoured again and again. Her back was soaked in a cold sweat.
Just then, a pair of hands emerged from the darkness behind her. They slid under her arms, and warm, dry palms with interlaced fingers clamped over her mouth, stifling the terrified sound that was about to escape her throat.
Lin Sandie was pulled into a tight embrace from behind. A soft, gentle voice with a teasing southern accent whispered in her ear:
"Guess who I am?"
Comments
Post a Comment