Bang!
A crude gunshot exploded in the quiet bedroom, wood splinters flew from the wardrobe door, and a round hole was blasted out by the bullet. On the other side of the round hole, a scream simultaneously erupted from the shadows of the bedroom, followed by the sound of tearing cloth and the crash of overturning tables and chairs.
Lex didn't look; relying solely on his hearing, he pinpointed the opponent's movement and launched an attack.
His arm was strong and steady as he raised the Snake Scale Revolver, making a slight pre-judgment, and continued his assault.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Unfortunately, Lex missed this time, only shattering the tables, chairs, lampshades, and oil paintings in the room.
Footsteps faintly echoed from outside the door; the residents of the mansion had been startled awake and were rushing this way.
If his mother also arrived, she should be able to stop this monster. Thinking of this, Lex quickened his firing rate, hoping to wound it further and prevent its escape.
Click.
The revolver quickly ran out of bullets. At this moment, Lex heard an indescribable, malicious, filthy, and evil utterance from within the room.
Hearing this utterance, he suddenly felt an inexplicable fear. His heart pounded, his palms sweated, and he instinctively moved towards the window.
The courtyard lamplight shone there, and upon entering the Light, the fear and dread slightly subsided.
However, at this moment, a black figure rapidly approached from the shadows of the room. Suddenly, a mass of shadow lunged into the Light. Lex couldn't clearly see the opponent's face, only that the thing opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and bit towards his neck.
Like a beast!
Driven by instinct, Lex dodged, discarded the empty revolver, tightly gripped the hand wearing the Shadow Gauntlets, and suddenly threw a powerful punch from bottom to top.
Lex's clothes seemed to cling to the air, making a crackling sound as his punch landed squarely on the monster's chin, sending it flying into the air.
The God of Fortune must have favored Lex, as the effect of the Shadow Gauntlets simultaneously triggered. The shadows in the room 'boiled,' pulling out a fist condensed from shadow. This fist bore countless strange patterns, with three-dimensional symbols of symbolic meaning emerging, striking the monster with unimaginable speed.
With a shriek, the monster burst through the window like a cannonball. Fragments of the window frame and glass, along with a rush of air, sprayed out into the Light from the courtyard lamplight.
At this point, Lex saw clearly that the thing was draped in a tattered cloak, from which two thick arms, disproportionate to its body, extended.
Those two arms had black, worm-like veins and a row of black stiff hairs. One of the arms was severely deformed, likely due to the impact of the Shadow Fist.
It fell into the courtyard along with the window fragments. Two hounds in the yard rushed out, barking furiously as they charged at the monster.
It scrambled up and quickly darted into the flower bushes with an unnatural posture, moving away until it disappeared into the shadows of the courtyard.
Just then, the door opened, and lights came on. Lex heard exclamations, and then his father Bison's voice rang out.
"What happened here?"
----
Study.
Lex was drinking black tea. He had already recounted the events, though he naturally concealed the fact that he had visited the Sea Monster Tavern as 'Duke.'
After listening, Bison snorted, "Whatever it is, it's too arrogant, daring to come knocking on our door!"
Amelia softly said, "I found some of that thing's blood in Lex's room. I can use this blood to divine its location."
"If the experts can't resolve it, I will personally intervene. I cannot allow something that threatens my child to roam the Town."
Bison frowned, "But that..."
Amelia shook her head, smiling gently, "It's alright, that won't cause me any trouble."
Is Mother in trouble? It sounds like she can't easily make a move. Is it because of the Abraham surname?
As Lex was analyzing, the light before him dimmed, and Amelia stood before him.
"Alright, Lex. You're tired, it's time to rest. Also, you did well tonight, but next time you encounter something like this, I hope you don't face it alone."
"You don't need to face it alone, understand?"
"I understand, Mother," Lex said with a smile, putting down his cup and standing up.
The bedroom was temporarily unusable due to the fight, so Lex had to switch to another room to sleep.
Soon, he fell into a dream.
[Don't sleep, Lex. We have a guest.]
Thump, thump, thump.
Lex heard a knock on the door and woke up with a yawn. He glanced out the window; the red moon hung high, and it was still night.
In the corner of the room, a person stood with their back to Lex. He wore a white shirt and dark trousers, pointing at the door and letting out a deliberately suppressed laugh.
The door opened, and someone walked in, wearing a black and white checkered uniform and a soft cap with a badge—a police officer. However, on his epaulets were three silver hexagonal stars, the insignia of an Inspector.
"Good evening, Mr. Lex, I apologize for the intrusion. I am Inspector Lewis."
The officer calling himself 'Lewis' entered the room. The crimson moonlight fell upon him. He removed his soft cap, revealing neatly combed brown hair parted in a three-seven ratio.
He had prominent forehead wrinkles, deep-set eyes, and wore black-rimmed glasses.
His face was square, his nose and ears were rather large, and his nasolabial folds were beginning to show.
"May I sit here?" The officer, holding his soft cap, pointed to the sofa in the room.
Lex nodded and walked over, sitting opposite the officer.
After sitting down, Lewis, through the thick lenses of his glasses, scrutinized Lex with his azure blue eyes: "I hear Mr. Lex went hunting in the mountains with the Town's hunters not long ago."
"You encountered a pack of wolves and also some non-human entities. Can you tell me how you escaped?"
The person standing in the corner with his back to Lex, wearing a white shirt and dark trousers, walked over and stood behind Lex. Throughout the entire process, Lewis showed no abnormality, as if there was only air behind Lex.
He bent down and spoke into Lex's ear.
[Don't tell the truth, he's testing you.]
Lex spoke, "I was quite lucky. I thought I had run out of bullets in my gun, but I found I still had one, and that bullet saved me."
"Sounds like you're quite lucky," Lewis asked gently. "Can you tell me why your skills are so good? You know, even an experienced hunter like Leon might not be able to harm that monster."
Lex said without any change in expression, "I've received training in combat and gunnery, and I've learned quite well. Regarding this, you can verify with my teacher, Mr. Shire, and he will give you a satisfactory answer."
Lewis took out a notebook and made notes, seemingly indicating that the officer's memory might not be very good. Otherwise, why would such a simple matter require recording?
The person in the white shirt moved behind Lewis. He extended his hand; his palm was very pale, bloodless. But his fingernails were dirty, as if he had just dug something up.
With both hands gently cupping Lewis's face, the man standing behind the sofa let out a low laugh.
[Lex, what do you say we gouge out his eyeballs? Or maybe cut off his tongue?]
[No, no, I still think twisting his neck would be more interesting, don't you?]
During this process, Lewis felt nothing unusual. After finishing his notes, he looked up.
"Last question, Mr. Lex, are you a Beyonder?"