Chapter 8: Its Eyes

Jiang Qian was dead.

Lin Qiye witnessed the entire process of her death.

The monster descended from the sky, its claws slicing through her neck with the precision of cutting tofu, then gleefully began to feast on her.

Until the very end, Jiang Qian's eyes were filled with terror and despair.

Lin Qiye's mental sense was acutely aware of every detail, his stomach churning as he barely held back the urge to vomit.

Although he had endured many hardships in his life and his mind was more mature than most of his peers, he had never seen such a gruesome scene.

But now was not the time to be sick.

Without a second thought, Lin Qiye turned and ran toward the other end of the alley while the monster was still feasting on Jiang Qian's corpse.

His original escape route was blocked by the monster, so he had no choice but to head in the opposite direction, towards the place where Wang Shao had been attacked.

The monster seemed to be more interested in the body than in chasing him, so it didn't pursue him right away, giving Lin Qiye a small moment of relief.

He didn't know what the monster actually was, but there was no doubt in his mind that it wasn't human, nor any kind of known animal.

If someone told him it was a mutated, radioactive ape-man, he might believe it. With that size, strength, and speed, it was far beyond what a normal human could handle.

But that was just a "maybe."

In this mist-covered world, having witnessed the existence of a Seraphim firsthand, he didn't believe science was the only truth in this world.

He believed in the "mysterious."

And deep down, Lin Qiye felt like he had heard of such a creature before.

As he drifted into thought, something else entered his mental range. Lin Qiye abruptly stopped in his tracks.

His breath grew heavier.

Ten meters ahead of him, another monster appeared. Lin Qiye could confirm that this wasn't the same one he had just encountered.

Though they looked similar—ugly, but definitely not the same one.

The most obvious sign was that in this monster's arms, it was holding the lifeless body of Wang Shao and continuing to gnaw at it.

At this point, Wang Shao's face was entirely gone, leaving only a bloody mass. If not for his distinctive clothing, Lin Qiye might not have been able to recognize him.

This was the second monster.

The one that killed Wang Shao!

When Lin Qiye had been with Jiang Qian and the others, he hadn't been able to see beyond the ten-meter range and had subconsciously assumed there was only one monster. But now, in hindsight, he realized how wrong he had been.

From the way the monster that killed Jiang Qian acted, it was clear that these creatures were more interested in devouring corpses than chasing after the living. Otherwise, Lin Qiye wouldn't have been able to escape.

But after Wang Shao died, one monster immediately began chasing Lin Qiye and the others.

This could only mean... another monster was already feasting on Wang Shao's body.

One alley, two monsters, completely sealed off every possible escape route for Lin Qiye.

His face turned pale, and an emotion named despair—long forgotten—surfaced in his heart.

In his seventeen years of life, Lin Qiye had only truly felt despair twice.

Once, ten years ago, when he saw the eyes on the moon.

And now.

The monster that had eaten Wang Shao's face discarded his body like trash, then turned to look at Lin Qiye, its long, blood-red tongue licking the blood from its mouth.

At that moment, Lin Qiye wanted to curse.

Damn it, why is it always me that gets stuck with this bad luck?!

When I was a kid, I climbed a rooftop and saw the Seraphim,

Blinded my eyes and fell off the roof,

Then everyone thought I was crazy and I spent a year in a psychiatric hospital,

Now, after all that suffering, I'm finally about to turn my life around, preparing for the college entrance exam to embrace a brand-new life...

And I run into this ugly freak?

Most people would never encounter one of these things in their lifetime, yet I run into two?!

This is ridiculous!

Under the pressure of death, all the frustration and anger Lin Qiye had been holding in for years erupted like a volcano!

The fire of rage burned fiercely, compressing his fear until it seemed almost nonexistent. A kind of unexplainable determination surged from somewhere deep inside him!

His grip tightened around his cane, his chest rising and falling violently as he faced the monster preparing to pounce.

At that moment, it felt like he was no longer facing a monster that had just eaten a human, but all the grievances and setbacks he had suffered over the past ten years.

Even his aunt and Yang Jin had no idea what kind of anger was hidden deep inside this teenager, a fire that had been suppressed for ten years!

He was unwilling to accept it!!

Maybe he didn't even realize it himself, but in the midst of this storm of emotions, his eyes—shut for ten years—trembled violently, as if they were about to open at any moment.

"Jie——!"

The monster, looking at the delicate Lin Qiye, let out a sharp scream, like a thug seeing a beautiful woman, before leaping into the air!

"Damn it, I'm not afraid of you!" Lin Qiye growled, gripping his cane and charging toward the leaping monster!

The distance between them closed rapidly!

Just as the monster's claws were about to tear Lin Qiye's throat open, he suddenly sidestepped, narrowly dodging the deadly swipe!

However, even though Lin Qiye could perfectly track the monster's movements, his own physical abilities were still lacking. The monster's claws grazed his temple, leaving a faint streak of blood.

At the same time, the black ribbon was severed, and with the swirling wind, it disappeared into the unknown.

With his eyes still shut, Lin Qiye seized the opportunity, shouting in a burst of anger. He thrust his cane with all his might into the monster's abdomen!

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out, and Lin Qiye felt the cane suddenly lighten in his hand. A tremendous force came from behind him, and the monster's tail swung around, knocking him away!

Lin Qiye was sent sprawling on the ground, tumbling several times before painfully getting back to his feet. He sensed that the cane in his hand had snapped in two.

The cane, being a tool for the blind, wasn't made of the strongest material. When it collided with the unyielding monster, it was naturally shattered.

"Fuck!" he cursed, throwing the half-broken cane to the ground.

He had finally found an opening, only for it to be wasted.

The broken cane felt like a fuse, triggering an explosion of emotion in Lin Qiye. He stood there, his fists clenched tightly, nails digging into his palms, leaving bloodied marks.

"I won't accept this!!" he shouted!

In that moment of heightened emotion, a strange sensation suddenly surged through his heart.

It was like the spring breeze and the rain, everything falling into place, a coolness flowing from his heart to the troubled corners of his mind, gently touching them...

And with that touch...

The thin membrane broke open!

Lin Qiye felt as though a sun had exploded within his body, an unprecedented heat flooding his entire being. His eyelids felt like they were being seared, burning with intensity!

And so, without a second thought...

He opened his eyes.

And the last thing his eyes saw was another pair of eyes.

The eyes of the Seraphim!

In that instant, a dazzling beam of radiant light erupted from the alley at the edge of the old district, shooting straight into the sky!

At that moment, the night was as bright as day!