Chapter 64: The Devil’s Eyes, a Failed Experiment

*It hurts!* 

That was the first thought that crossed An Ran's mind as she tumbled onto the ground. 

Thankfully, she'd been wearing a helmet, so while her head felt dizzy, she hadn't sustained any serious injuries. 

When she fully regained her senses, a wave of panic hit her: *This is bad! I just hit someone!* 

An Ran scrambled to her feet, ignoring the aches and pains shooting through her body, and rushed toward the figure lying several meters away. 

"Sir! Are you okay?" she called out as she ran. 

But the figure remained motionless. The closer she got, the more her anxiety grew. 

When she finally reached the man, she saw he was tall and broad-shouldered, his body sprawled on the ground, his head turned to the side, obscuring his face. 

Her heart sank. She was about to take off her helmet to check on him when— 

*"Aaggghh!"* 

The man suddenly sat up, startling An Ran so badly she screamed. But then relief washed over her. "Sir, you're okay!" 

The man turned his head. His eyes were bloodshot, his mouth wide open, his teeth stained with what looked like flesh. He let out a guttural growl and lunged at her! 

An Ran froze for a split second, but realizing she couldn't dodge in time, she instinctively headbutted him. 

*Clang!* The sound of the impact echoed as her helmet collided with the man's head. 

The man crumpled to the ground, and An Ran wasted no time sprinting away. But she hadn't made it far before the man was back on his feet, chasing after her. 

An Ran was almost at her bike when she felt a chill run down her spine. She glanced back—the man was right behind her! 

*He's fast! This one's different from the guy I dealt with at school!* 

The thought flashed through her mind as she instinctively spun and delivered a roundhouse kick. The kick landed squarely, using every ounce of her strength. The man's head snapped to the side, his upper body tilting backward, while An Ran used her hand to steady herself on the ground, barely keeping her balance. 

But there was no time to catch her breath. The man didn't go down completely. To An Ran's shock, he steadied himself and quickly turned his head back toward her. 

His eyes were even redder than before! 

Now cornered, the man lunged again. 

In a flash, An Ran's fingers brushed against something cold and hard. 

She grabbed the steel pipe she'd dropped earlier, forgotten in the chaos, and swung it with all her might at the man's head. 

The impact was so strong it bent the pipe. The man howled in pain and collapsed, but his limbs still twitched, trying to push himself back up. 

The horrifying, surreal scene made An Ran's heart race. She considered hitting him again to finish the job. 

But then her vision blurred. In the blink of an eye, a dark figure stepped in front of her. 

Before she could process what was happening, the figure reached out with a pale hand and grabbed the man's neck. The man struggled weakly, but with a sickening *crack*, his neck was effortlessly snapped. 

A cold, eerie voice filled the air: "Another failure. Can't even handle a human." 

The figure turned sharply, long hair obscuring their face. All An Ran could see were two crimson eyes glowing in the darkness, like the eyes of a devil…