Chapter 10: The Moonlit Straight Blade

The sharp, broken staff pierced the monster's brain, snuffing out its life. But even then, the momentum of its leap did not stop. Its enormous body fell like a cannonball, slamming into Lin Qiye and knocking him to the ground.

In the end, Lin Qiye was able to kill the monster purely because of his extraordinary dynamic vision and the Seraph's divine power. His own physical strength hadn't increased, and this monster weighed at least 200 kilograms. There was no way he could shake it off in such a short amount of time.

Moreover, after unleashing the Seraph's divine power, Lin Qiye felt as though he had been drained. He had no strength left and even felt dizzy.

But just then, the second monster, which had been lurking in the distance, moved.

The hidden predator revealed its vicious fangs!

It sprinted rapidly, darting through the flickering streetlights, casting shadows like ghostly figures. A long, crimson tongue twisted unnaturally in the air.

Lin Qiye could clearly see its movements, but in his weakened state, he couldn't avoid it. He could only watch as its dense fangs grew larger in front of his eyes!

Just as the monster was two meters away from him, Lin Qiye's pupils suddenly contracted!

Within his sensing range, something faster than the monster was rapidly approaching!

It seemed... like a person?

Yes, a real person.

Swish——!

Lin Qiye barely had time to blink before a figure suddenly dropped from the sky. His feet landed firmly on the ground, sending gusts of wind that lifted the dark red cloak he wore, revealing the side of a middle-aged man's face.

He wasn't handsome, nor was he ugly—just an ordinary man you could find on any street corner, someone you'd easily overlook. But the murderous intent in his eyes was sharp, like a glaring blade!

He crouched slightly, eyes locked on the monster, which was less than a meter away. His right hand firmly grasped the hilt of a sword on his back.

"Shing——!"

A crisp sound rang out as the sword was drawn from its scabbard, its faint blue blade reflecting the dim moonlight. It sliced through the thick air, silently cutting through the space toward the monster!

It was a simple straight blade—no frills.

The blade struck the monster's claws, creating sparks as it collided. Zhao Kongcheng growled, his muscles tightening as he stepped forward forcefully!

Despite the monster's massive size—comparable to a grizzly bear—Zhao Kongcheng managed to push it back several steps!

Lin Qiye stared, stunned. He had fought this monster before and knew just how terrifying its strength was. But this man, who was completely unassuming in appearance, had actually forced it back?

Who exactly was he?

After pushing the monster back, Zhao Kongcheng moved in a unique pattern, his steps sticking to the monster like a parasite. The straight blade in his hands slashed mercilessly, leaving deep gashes on the monster's body!

The monster screamed in agony, its hateful gaze fixed on Zhao Kongcheng. Its long, spear-like forelegs rose, attempting to kill this pesky human in front of it.

However, before it could strike, two more blade slashes lit up the night. Its forelegs were severed!

Before the monster could even scream, Zhao Kongcheng's eyes flashed coldly, and his straight blade swiftly swung at its neck!

The faint blue blade easily sliced through the monster's flesh, and in the next moment, its head was sent flying...

It rolled to the ground.

"Snap——!"

With a swift motion, Zhao Kongcheng sheathed his blade. The dark red cloak was stained with the monster's blood, but the color matched so closely with the cloak that it was nearly impossible to notice.

Without even looking at the monster's corpse, Zhao Kongcheng leisurely took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag before pulling out a walkie-talkie.

"The two fleeing Ghost-Face Men are cleared. Send in the cleanup crew."

After speaking, he put away the walkie-talkie and walked calmly toward Lin Qiye, who had just managed to free himself.

Lin Qiye silently watched him, and Zhao Kongcheng returned his gaze in kind.

In the quiet night, surrounded by blood, the two men silently stared at each other...

After a long time, Zhao Kongcheng finally couldn't hold back and spoke first.

"Did I look cool just now?"

Lin Qiye: ...

Lin Qiye stared at him for a moment, realizing that the man was serious, and could only reply with a quiet, "Yeah."

"Of course, I'm cool," Zhao Kongcheng chuckled. "Want to be as cool as me?"

"No."

"..." Zhao Kongcheng's mouth twitched. "Why?"

"Because you die easily."

Lin Qiye's expression was serious.

Zhao Kongcheng was at a loss for words for a moment. "But you saw for yourself—you have supernatural powers that ordinary people can only dream of. Don't you want to be a superhero, like in the movies?"

"No."

"... Because you die easily?"

"Exactly."

Zhao Kongcheng rubbed his eyes, realizing that this young man wasn't easy to deal with. But at the same time, he had been pulled into this mess, and he had such immense power...

"Alright, here's the deal. This isn't the best place to talk. Let's move somewhere else and have a proper chat." Zhao Kongcheng thought for a moment before saying, "By the way, I'm Zhao Kongcheng. I'm not a bad guy."

"Lin Qiye," Lin Qiye blinked and nodded obediently. "I trust you. You wait here. I'm just going to grab my backpack; my study materials are still inside."

"... Go ahead," Zhao Kongcheng waved his hand helplessly and sat down on the curb, a little frustrated.

If an ordinary person had gone through this, they would've been too shaken to function. But this kid was still thinking about grabbing his study materials...

And the most ridiculous part was... he had outright rejected me?

Damn it! I used every trick in the book! Those few moves with the blade were so smooth! I've never even practiced so hard during sparring with the team leader!

Speaking of which, I wonder how the team leader is doing... the Ghost-Face King isn't easy to handle...

Zhao Kongcheng sat on the curb, smoking and lost in thought.

Lost in thought... wait, what?

Something didn't feel right.

Suddenly, Zhao Kongcheng snapped back to reality. After half a second, he sprang to his feet, quickly scanning the area...

Where was that kid?

Zhao Kongcheng stood frozen for several seconds, his mouth agape, unable to believe what had just happened.

"Damn it, that little brat ran off?!"

At home, Lin Qiye trudged inside, looking exhausted.

"Bro, why are you back so late?" Yang Jin asked, noticing his tired face. "Where's your cane?"

Lin Qiye slipped off his slippers, forcing a smile. "Ran into some trouble on the way, lost it by accident."

To avoid Yang Jin noticing the bruise near his temple, Lin Qiye wrapped the black satin around his head again. The cane was indeed broken, and instead of bringing it back to worry his family, he decided to discard it.

"It's okay. Just get a new one if you lose it... Did everything get sorted?"

"Yeah, it's solved."

The little black mutt trotted over from the balcony, rubbing its belly against Lin Qiye's leg.

Lin Qiye crouched down, scratching its stomach as he asked, "Has Auntie come home yet?"

"She's working the night shift, she won't be home until tomorrow morning."

"Alright... Have you finished your homework?"

"Almost."

"Middle schoolers are given this much homework... it's insane," Lin Qiye stood up, complaining. Then he turned to Yang Jin, "If you're too tired, don't bother with it. If the teacher complains, just tell me, I'll go have a word with them."

Yang Jin smiled and nodded. "It'll be done soon."

Lin Qiye nodded. "I'm a little tired. I'm going to sleep. You finish up and go to bed early too."

"Okay."

Lin Qiye dragged his weary body into his room. Just as he was about to close the door, Yang Jin's voice came again.

"Bro... are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"It's fine, go to sleep. Oh, there's milk in the fridge, heat it up if you wake up early."

"Got it, bro."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The door closed softly behind him, and Yang Jin stood outside, silently staring at Lin Qiye's room.

He gently rubbed the little mutt's head and muttered softly, "You feel it too?"

"Woof!"

Looking up at the faint moonlight outside the window, he mumbled to himself.

"There's the smell of blood on him..."