The sharp broken cane punched through the monster's brain, snuffing out every last spark of life. But even death couldn't halt the momentum of its leap.
Its massive body crashed down like a cannonball, slamming Lin Qiye — still gripping the shattered cane.
The truth was, the only reason Lin Qiye managed to kill this creature was thanks to his extraordinary reflexes and the divine power of the Seraph. His physical strength had not improved one bit. The monster weighed at least two hundred kilos — there was no way he could break free anytime soon relying on brute force alone.
What's more, after Lin Qiye had just forced himself to unleash the Seraph's might, he felt utterly drained — as if every ounce of strength had been sucked away. His limbs were limp, and even his head spun with dizziness.
Just then, the second monster, which had been lurking on the other side, made its move.
The hidden hunter in the shadows finally bared its savage fangs!
It dashed forward on all four, weaving beneath the flickering, dim streetlights. Its shadow twisted beneath it, sinuous and wicked like a wraith, and a blood-red tongue writhed grotesquely from its jaws.
Lin Qiye could see every movement it made, but in his state now he was helpless to dodge. All he could do was watch as those jagged fangs loomed ever larger before his eyes.
When there were only two meters left between him and the monster, Lin Qiye's pupils contracted in alarm!
Within Lin Qiye's senses, something even faster than the monster was racing straight toward him!
It looked like… a person?
A real human being.
Whoosh—
All of a sudden, Lin Qiye's vision blurred — a figure plummeted from the night sky. Boots struck the earth, his descent whipping up his dark-red cloak to reveal the sharp profile of a middle-aged man.
He wasn't handsome, nor was he ugly — a man so ordinary you'd pass him by on the street without a second glance, someone whose presence faded easily into the background. Yet what lurked within those eyes was a killer's glare, as blinding as bared swords.
He crouched low, eyes locked onto the monster less than a meter away, his right hand steady on the hilt of the blade slung across his back.
Tsing—
A crisp ring cut through the air as steel slid free of its sheath. The pale blue blade caught the dim glow of the Moon, slicing through the heavy air in complete silence as it swept forward!
That was a straight saber with no fancy features!
The blade carved a crescent through the air, meeting the monster's claws head-on with a burst of flying sparks.
Zhao Kongcheng let out a low growl, every muscle taut as a bowstring, and drove forward a half-step with sudden force!
The creature, as bulky as a grizzly bear, was actually forced to stagger back several steps!
Lin Qiye could only stare, stunned — he'd fought this monster before and knew better than anyone just how terrifying its strength was. But this man had managed to push it back?
Who exactly was he?
After Zhao Kongcheng forced the monster back several steps, he weaved in an odd pattern — sticking to the beast like a shadow. The straight saber in his grip flashed again and again, carving a trail of vicious scars across the beast's body.
The monster shrieked and stared with pure hatred at Zhao Kongcheng. It lifted its spear-like forelimbs, intent on finishing off this infuriating human.
With two quick slashes, its forelimbs were chopped off.
Before the monster could even scream, a cold glint flared in Zhao Kongcheng's gaze — his straight saber sliced toward the monster's neck, swift as lightning.
The pale-blue blade parted its flesh with ease, and in the next instant, the creature's head was sent flying…
It bounced and rolled across the ground.
Click—!
The straight saber slid back into its sheath. The dark-red cloak was spattered with monster blood, but the color was so close you'd never notice unless you looked hard.
Without so much as a glance at the corpse on the ground, Zhao Kongcheng casually fished a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it and took a deep drag before reaching for his walkie-talkie.
"The two Ghost Faces that ran away have been taken care of. Have the logistics team come clean up the scene."
He pocketed the walkie-talkie and walked straight over to Lin Qiye, who was just pulling himself free.
Lin Qiye simply looked at him in silence — and received a gaze just as quiet and steady in return.
Beneath the night sky, beside the blood pool, the two men simply stood and watched each other in silence.
After a long while, Zhao Kongcheng finally couldn't help himself and broke the silence.
"Was I cool just now?"
Lin Qiye: …
Lin Qiye looked him dead in the eye for a bit, saw he was genuinely serious, finally sighed.
"Yeah, cool."
"That's the right answer." Zhao Kongcheng chuckled. "Wanna be as impressive as I am?"
"Nope."
"..." The corner of Zhao Kongcheng's mouth twitched. "Why not?"
"Easy to get killed."
Lin Qiye was completely straight-faced.
Zhao Kongcheng was left speechless for a moment. "But you saw for yourself — you've got supernatural powers that most people could only dream of. Don't you want to be a superhero, just like in the movies?"
"Nope."
"…Because it's risky?"
"Yes."
Zhao Kongcheng massaged his brow. The kid was stubborn — and yet, here he was, neck-deep in trouble, loaded up with power…
"Alright, this isn't really the place for a conversation. Let's find somewhere else — we can actually talk things over." Zhao Kongcheng paused, then added, "By the way, I'm Zhao Kongcheng. I'm not a bad guy."
"Lin Qiye." He blinked, nodding with an innocent look. "I believe you. Can you wait here? I just need to grab my backpack — my study materials are still in there."
"…Go ahead." Zhao Kongcheng gave a helpless little wave and wandered over to sit on the curb, feeling a bit deflated.
If an ordinary person had gone through all that they would be a nervous wreck by now — scared half out of their mind. But this kid? He's just worried about getting his study materials…
And what really gets me… he just straight up turned me down?
Damn it, I poured everything I had into that fight! Pulled off every trick in the book — even those slick saber moves — smooth as hell! I don't even go that all-out when I'm sparring with Captain.
Speaking of which, I still have no idea how Captain's doing. The Ghost Face King isn't exactly easy to deal with…
Zhao Kongcheng sat on the curb, cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking completely disheveled and lost in thought.
He drifted. Stared off into space…
Wait…?
Something's off.
He snapped back to reality, shot to his feet, and whirled around, scanning the area…
There was no sign of Lin Qiye.
Zhao Kongcheng stood rooted in place for a good ten seconds, mouth hanging open, completely in disbelief at what had just happened.
F*ck! That kid really ditched me?!
***
"Why are you back so late tonight, brother?" Yang Jin asked, looking at Lin Qiye's exhausted face with concern. "Where's your cane?"
Lin Qiye slipped off his shoes and forced a smile. "Something happened on the way home — I lost it by accident."
Not wanting Yang Jin to see the cut near his temple, Lin Qiye wrapped the black ribbon back around his head. But the cane had really snapped in half, so instead of bringing it home and worrying his family, he'd just thrown it away.
"Don't worry about it, I'll just pick up another one… Did you sort things out?"
"Mhm, it's taken care of."
Little Blackie scampered over from the balcony, rubbed his head against Lin Qiye's calf, and then flopped down to show his belly.
Lin Qiye crouched down with a sigh and began rubbing Little Blackie's belly. "Has Auntie not come home yet?"
"Mom's working the night shift. She'll be back tomorrow morning."
"Alright. Have you finished your homework?"
"Just a little left."
"So much homework, and you're only in middle school… That's insane." Lin Qiye stood up, grumbling. Then he turned to Yang Jin, "Don't worry about it, If you're tired, just leave it. If your teacher gives you a hard time, send them to me — I'll have a word with them."
Yang Jin smiled and nodded, "I'll be done in just a bit."
Lin Qiye nodded back. "I'm a bit tired — I'm heading to bed. Make sure you call it a night soon once you finish."
"Okay."
Dragging himself into his bedroom, Lin Qiye was just about to close the door when Yang Jin called out again.
"Hey… Is everything really fine?"
"I'm fine, go to bed soon. Oh, and if you wake up early, remember the milk's in the fridge."
"Will do."
"Good night."
"Sleep well."
The door shut softly. Yang Jin stood outside, holding Little Blackie in his arms, staring quietly at Lin Qiye's room.
He stroked Little Blackie's head and whispered, "You noticed it too?"
"Woof!"
He looked up at the dim moonlight outside and muttered to himself,
"There's a… smell of blood on him."