Encounter (Please Bookmark)

"Now that you've grown up and gotten into a good university, you even look down on your own cousin. He finally managed to come visit, and this is the face you show him. At this rate, when the two of us grow old, will you look down on us too and throw us out directly?"

At that, Li Zhenguo turned and went into the kitchen, where he grabbed a wooden stick.

He was clearly truly enraged.

When Li Yi saw Li Zhenguo's furious expression, she swallowed the words she had wanted to say.

She ducked behind Hu Leimei.

"I... I was just saying it. I didn't mean anything else."

"Enough, calm down, both of you. What kind of behavior is all this bickering and shouting?"

Hu Leimei wiped the corners of her eyes and spoke up to stop them.

She knew that half of Li Zhenguo's anger was because of her.

He was only doing this because he was waiting for her to speak up and stop him.

She had once wanted to bring Hu Qi over to live with them.

There happened to be enough rooms at home, and living together would at least mean they could look out for one another.

But Li Yi had flatly refused, while Li Zhenguo said nothing.

In the end, the matter could only be dropped.

Though her surname was Hu, as a woman, once she had married, she had become a member of the Li Family.

What else could she do?

She only felt that, sometimes, she had truly let down her elder brother and sister-in-law, and it hurt deeply.

Yet there was nothing she could do.

Close to midnight.

The moon shone bright while the stars were sparse, and the night breeze was faintly cool, sweeping away some of the lingering heat from the day.

Hu Qi, riding his bike, had no idea what happened after he left.

He had slipped the money there while they weren't paying attention.

After leaving, he sent Li Yi a message to let her know.

Hu Qi was a man of principles.

Naturally, he could not take things for free.

The reason he had left one thousand yuan was because that was all the cash he had on him.

As for a transfer, they definitely would not accept it.

As he rode, the night breeze blew over him, perking him up considerably and dispersing much of his slight drunken haze.

There were few pedestrians on the streets at night, making the surroundings feel silent and desolate.

The dim yellow streetlights on both sides of the road stood quietly.

They stretched and shortened Hu Qi's shadow on the ground as he rode.

However.

Just as his bike passed the entrance to an alley.

Meow!

Suddenly.

A black-and-white furry figure shot out from the alley to one side.

It was too fast.

Hu Qi had no time to dodge.

Bang!

The front of the bike jolted.

The dark figure was sent flying on the spot.

It tumbled several times through the air before landing on the ground.

"Hmm?"

Hu Qi hurriedly squeezed the brakes.

But even so, driven by inertia, the wheels still carved two clear skid marks across the ground, sliding some distance before finally coming to a stop.

He looked up.

The thing he had sent flying was, surprisingly, a stray cat with black-and-white fur.

Its fur was standing on end all over, as though it had been badly frightened by something.

After landing on the ground, it merely let out a miserable cry.

Then it swiftly scrambled to its feet.

Its lithe body darted across the road and vanished into the grass of the greenbelt.

"Running that fast—did it see a ghost? Aren't you afraid of getting flattened into a cat pancake?"

Hu Qi lifted the food box and checked that the eel was safely inside its bag. Only then did he relax.

This thing was equivalent to Modification Points. Nothing could happen to it.

Just then.

A gust of icy night wind blew out from the mouth of the alley.

Hu Qi's expression changed.

He caught a scent in that wind.

It smelled like rust, yet also like rotting berries.

It was enough to make one gag.

"Is that the smell of blood?"

In his previous life, he had been a chef. He was far too sensitive to such smells.

But the blood of those creatures had never been this strong.

Clang!

Suddenly, a sound came from within the dim alley.

It was like someone had kicked an empty can.

Hu Qi looked over and vaguely made out a shadow rapidly approaching.

He twisted the handlebars, shining the headlight into the alley entrance.

The next moment.

A gaunt figure with disheveled hair came sprinting toward him, its eyes reflecting a red glow.

It raced on all fours at astonishing speed.

In only a few steps, it was about to rush out of the alley.

It was less than ten meters away from him.

The choking stench of blood grew even thicker.

"Fuck!"

At the sight, Hu Qi's heart jolted, and he couldn't help swearing.

He immediately steadied the front of the bike.

Then pressed the gear-shift button twice.

After that, he violently twisted the electric bike's throttle, and the motor let out a low roar.

"You want to catch me?"

Hu Qi stared at the monster rushing toward him.

In such a situation, not only did his legs not go weak like an ordinary person's would.

His heart instead pounded wildly, his blood surging hot through his veins.

In an instant, when they were less than three meters apart.

He could clearly see the brutality and greed in its eyes.

The next moment.

The modified electric bike shot forward like a wild horse breaking free of its reins.

The wheels spun furiously, grinding against the ground with a piercing Screech!

His body jerked backward, both hands clamped tightly around the handlebars as he tried to control the sudden burst of force.

"Roar!"

A strange howl rang out behind him.

Hu Qi had no time to look back.

The trees and buildings on either side rapidly fell away behind him, blurring into streaks of shadow.

The gale howled past his ears.

The lights on the electric scooter's dashboard cast a glow over Hu Qi's slightly pale face.

The numbers on it skyrocketed in an instant—60, 70, 80.

Finally, they froze at 130.

On the road late at night.

There were few pedestrians and vehicles, with only the occasional car passing by with its headlights on.

Suddenly.

An electric scooter shot out with a whoosh.

"Fuck! Do delivery riders go this fast these days?"

On the road.

In the driver's seat of a black sedan, a man rubbed his eyes.

Watching the electric scooter's taillight ahead nearly vanish in the blink of an eye, he looked utterly bewildered.

He recalled a pretentious quote he had seen online before.

Bro isn't fast—I just fly low.

After riding continuously for several more minutes.

He arrived at Qirong City's night market district.

When he heard no more movement behind him.

And vehicles and pedestrians began appearing around him.

Only then did Hu Qi slow down.

After turning back for a look.

He still felt lingering fear.

"What the hell was that thing?"

Hu Qi raised a hand to wipe away the cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

His expression shifted uncertainly.

He had been in too much of a hurry just now, but thinking it over carefully now.

This monster seemed somewhat different from the one he had seen in the surveillance footage before. In terms of size alone, this one was undoubtedly much bigger.

Had it undergone some mutation?

Or was there more than one monster like this in the city?

Unfortunately, no one could answer his questions.

After lingering by the roadside for a while.

Hu Qi finally followed the main road back to his apartment complex.

Only after locking the door from the inside.

Did he finally let out a long breath and relax.

"My guess was right. This world really is far too dangerous."

At that thought.

A sense of urgency rose in Hu Qi's heart.

Looking at the plastic bag in his hand, constantly writhing and struggling, he headed straight into the kitchen.

He opened the black bag and poured its contents into the sink.

Along with the rush of water, a golden-yellow rice field eel appeared inside.

Its head was slightly flattened.

Its skin gleamed with a faint yellow sheen, slick and springy.

What was even more startling was that its body was as thick around as an adult's wrist, and its length was equally astonishing.

Its thick body looked extremely out of place in the cramped sink, while the slime on its body caused it to cling tightly to the sink walls.