Chapter 8: His Eyes
Jiang Qian is dead.
Lin Qiye witnessed the entire process of her death.
The monster descended from the sky, its claws cutting through her neck with the ease of slicing tofu, then it gleefully began to devour her.
Until the very last moment, Jiang Qian's eyes were fixed on Lin Qiye, filled with terror and resentment.
Lin Qiye's mind clearly perceived every detail, his stomach churned, and he nearly vomited.
Although he had endured many hardships and trials, his mind had long matured beyond that of his peers, yet this blood-curdling scene was the first of its kind he had ever witnessed.
And now was not the time to vomit.
Lin Qiye didn't hesitate for a second. As the monster was busy feasting on Jiang Qian's corpse, he turned and sprinted toward the opposite end of the alley!
His original escape route had been blocked by the monster, so his only option was to head in the direction of Wang Shao's victimized area.
It seemed the monster was more interested in the body than in chasing him, and it didn't follow, which allowed Lin Qiye to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
He didn't know what kind of creature the monster was, but one thing was certain—it didn't belong to the realm of "humans," nor did it fit into the category of "beasts" known to mankind.
If someone told him it was a mutated ape from radiation, he might believe it. The creature's size, strength, and speed were far beyond what a normal human could contend with.
But that was just a "maybe."
In this world shrouded by mist, having witnessed the existence of a seraph, Lin Qiye didn't believe science to be the only truth in the world.
He believed in the existence of the "mysterious."
And something about this monster's image seemed vaguely familiar, as if he had heard of it somewhere before.
While Lin Qiye's mind wandered, something else entered his spiritual perception range. He slammed to a halt and froze in place.
His breathing became heavy.
Ten meters ahead, another monster appeared in his line of sight. Lin Qiye was certain this wasn't the same one he had just seen.
Though it looked quite similar, it was definitely a different creature.
The most obvious clue was that in this monster's arms, it was holding the already-dead Wang Shao's body, continuing to feast on it.
At this point, Wang Shao's face had completely disappeared, leaving only a blur of blood and flesh. If not for his distinctive clothes, Lin Qiye might not have recognized him.
This was the second monster.
It was the one that had killed Wang Shao!
When Lin Qiye was with Jiang Qian and the others earlier, he hadn't seen the scene ten meters away and had subconsciously assumed there was only one monster. But now, he realized how terribly wrong he was.
From the monster's behavior after killing Jiang Qian, it was clear that these monsters preferred eating corpses rather than chasing after the living, which was why Lin Qiye had been able to escape the scene.
But after Wang Shao's death, a monster immediately began pursuing Lin Qiye and the others.
This could only mean… another monster was already enjoying Wang Shao's body.
One alley, two monsters, completely blocked off all of Lin Qiye's escape routes.
Lin Qiye's face turned ashen, and a feeling of despair, long buried, suddenly surged in his heart.
In these seventeen years, there were only two times that truly made him feel despair.
One was ten years ago, when he saw those eyes on the moon.
The other was now.
In front of him, the monster that had just finished devouring Wang Shao's face tossed the body aside like garbage and turned its gaze toward Lin Qiye, its crimson tongue licking the blood at the corner of its mouth.
At this moment, Lin Qiye wanted to curse.
Damn it, why does this always happen to me?!
When I was a child, I saw the seraph just by climbing a roof.
Then, I went blind and fell from the roof, got sent to a mental hospital for a year because they thought I had a breakdown,
Now that I've finally made it, ready to study hard and take the college entrance exam for a new life…
And now I run into this ugly freak?
Other people might never encounter one in their lifetime, but I encounter two?!
This is ridiculous!
Under the pressure of death, the suppressed anger and frustration that had been building in Lin Qiye for years erupted like a volcano!
This anger burned fiercely, and the fear in his heart grew smaller and smaller, replaced by a surge of unknown ferocity that suddenly spiked!
He gripped his guide dog cane tightly, facing the monster poised to strike, his chest heaving violently.
At that moment, the creature before him seemed not like a monster that had just consumed a human but like every frustration and setback he had endured over the past decade.
Even Aunt and Yang Jin didn't know what kind of rage was hidden deep inside this young man, suppressed for ten years!
He wouldn't accept it!!
Perhaps even he himself didn't realize that, beneath this turbulent emotion, the pair of eyes that had been tightly closed for ten years were trembling violently, as though they were about to open.
"Chirrr—!"
The monster, eyeing the delicate Lin Qiye, let out a shrill scream and leaped toward him like a thug seeing a beauty.
"Damn it, I'm not afraid of you!" Lin Qiye growled, raising his cane and charging straight toward the leaping monster!
The distance between them closed rapidly!
Just as the monster's claws were about to tear open Lin Qiye's throat, Lin Qiye abruptly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly swipe!
However, while Lin Qiye could predict the monster's movements perfectly, his own physical strength was still lacking. The claw scraped his temple, leaving a faint streak of blood.
At the same time, the black ribbon was sliced open, and with the gust of wind, it flew off into the unknown.
Lin Qiye kept his eyes closed, seizing the moment to shout fiercely and thrust the cane into the monster's abdomen!
Crack—!
A crisp sound rang out as Lin Qiye felt the cane grow lighter in his hand. Then a massive force slammed into his back, and the monster's tail sent him flying!
Lin Qiye hit the ground, rolling several times. Despite the pain, he managed to get back up, sensing that his cane had snapped in two.
The cane, designed for guiding blind people, wasn't very sturdy. Naturally, it couldn't stand up to a monster of such immense power.
"Damn!"
He cursed loudly, throwing the half-broken cane to the ground.
He finally got a chance, and now it was useless.
The broken cane felt like a fuse, igniting Lin Qiye's emotions entirely. He stood there, fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his flesh, leaving bloody marks.
"I won't accept this!!" he yelled!
In that moment of emotional upheaval, a strange sensation suddenly surged in his heart.
It was as if spring rain had come, the water naturally flowing to the blocked places in his mind. With a gentle touch, the barrier was effortlessly shattered!
Lin Qiye felt as though a sun had exploded within his body, an unprecedented heat filling him entirely. His eyes, beneath his closed eyelids, felt like they were being scorched by flames!
Then, naturally…
He opened the eyes that had been closed for ten years.
And the last thing these eyes saw was another pair of eyes,
The eyes of the Seraph!
In an instant, a dazzling column of scorching light erupted from the alley at the edge of the old town, shooting straight into the sky!
At that moment, the night was as bright as day!