Traces of Monsters

The three continued their patrol along the designated route in silence.

Wang Quan followed behind the captain, wanting to speak several times but stopping himself. What was that zombie just now? He was full of questions, but remembering the captain's strict order not to make a sound earlier, and seeing the captain's tense back and limp left arm ahead, he swallowed his words.

Anping County seemed exceptionally vast and eerie in the night. The earthen walls glowed a ghastly white under the moonlight, and the lanterns of the night patrol on the ramparts were like dim, yellow eyes. They proceeded along the dirt road outside the city walls, their feet crunching on ground mixed with gravel and weeds. Distant alleyways occasionally echoed with a few dog barks, or the sound of something being knocked over, before quickly falling silent again. The wind whistled through the empty streets and eaves, emitting a mournful cry, as if the city itself was whispering in the darkness.

An invisible pressure hung overhead. Cold sweat beaded on Wang Quan's palms as he gripped his saber, not entirely from fear, but more from the unease of being ignorant of his surroundings. He strained his eyes, listening in all directions, his vigilance, honed by his brief stint as a mountain bandit, pushed to its limit.

After rounding a derelict brick kiln on the west side of the city, they entered a sparse patch of woodland, with the faint outlines of farmland visible further on.

Just then, a dull, raspy voice suddenly came from behind them, like sandpaper scraping against metal.

"Just a few of you on patrol? Not even enough to fill my teeth. Why not send more people?"

The three spun around abruptly.

Under the moonlight, a colossal figure blocked their retreat.

The creature stood about nine feet tall, its body as bloated as a small mountain, yet it bore a strangely oversized, dark wild boar's head. Two curved, bone-white tusks jutted from its mouth, gleaming cold in the moonlight. Its entire body was covered in steel-needle-like black bristles. It stood on its hind legs, its muscled arms wielding a heavy saber as broad as a door. Most terrifying were its eyes, which glowed crimson on the boar's face, filled with undisguised ferocity and greed.

A Pig Demon.

Wang Quan's heart constricted, his breathing almost ceasing. His past life's memories only held vague legends of mountain spirits and monsters; he had never seen such a living, breathing demonic creature radiating palpable menace.

The captain's body trembled almost imperceptibly. He took a half-step forward, positioning himself half a body's length behind Wang Quan and the pale young man, and spoke in a dry voice, "T-tonight… there were Corpse Puppets in the northern woods, and two men were lost. We… we really couldn't spare more people. He swallowed, speaking with difficulty, "That Corpse Puppet… and the bodies of the two brothers who died earlier, they're… they're still in the woods. If you need to replenish yourself, you can take them."

Upon hearing this, the Pig Demon's massive head slowly lowered. Its crimson eyes indifferently surveyed the captain, its gaze like that of a butcher appraising a piece of talking meat.

"You think I'm a stupid pig?"

Its voice suddenly deepened, becoming low and dangerous, resonating with a rumbling echo. With that, it suddenly swung the giant saber in its hand, a casual sweep that sent a melon trellis made of straw and sticks by the roadside exploding. Straw and wood fragments flew everywhere. Two streams of scorching white vapor jetted from its thick nostrils, conspicuously visible in the cold night air. Saliva, thick and foul, dripped like threads from its tusks, landing on the ground with a faint sizzling sound.

"You're just a petty patrol captain." The Pig Demon took a step forward, the ground seeming to tremble slightly. "You really think you're something?"

The captain's face was ashen white under the moonlight. He gritted his teeth, seemingly about to say something.

But the Pig Demon gave him no chance, its voice suddenly sharpening, "Have you forgotten who I am? Dare to betray me, and do you want us brothers to pay a visit to your Captain Chen tonight, to ask him if the walls of Anping County are strong enough?!"

At the mention of "Captain Chen," the captain's entire body jolted. The last flicker of struggle in his eyes extinguished, leaving only profound fear.

Wang Quan thought, This is bad. This demon is connected to the higher-ups in the garrison!

Before he could react, a dark blur flashed before his eyes.

An unimaginable force slammed into his abdomen.

In that instant, Wang Quan felt as if his internal organs had shifted and shattered. He couldn't even scream, his entire body sent flying backward as if struck by a battering ram, crashing heavily into a paddy field by the roadside. The icy mud and water instantly submerged his mouth and nose. The intense pain and suffocation made his vision go black, his mind went blank, and he nearly fainted.

He struggled in the mud for a while before managing to prop himself up, coughing out cold water mixed with mud and blood. His vision blurred as he looked towards the roadside.

The captain and the pale young man were also sprawled miserably by the paddy ridge. The captain clutched his abdomen, curled into a ball, while the young man seemed to have fainted, motionless.

The Pig Demon, carrying its exaggerated saber, ambled to the edge of the field and looked down condescendingly at the three struggling in the mud, its crimson eyes filled with mockery and cruelty.

"Ungrateful wretches." It snorted, its hot breath condensing into white mist in the cold night air. "Hmph! Your garrison was already late with this month's Blood Tax! And now you're trying to fool me? Go back and tell Old Dog Chen, tomorrow night at midnight, outside the north gate, five living people with strong Blood Qi!" It casually pointed the tip of its saber at the slumped captain. "You, bring them yourself. If you dare to play any more tricks, or if the number is insufficient…"

It paused, its voice suddenly turning sinister and terrifying. "If even one is missing, I'll bring my brothers into the city ourselves to pick! We'll start with the families of your garrison!"

With that, it stopped looking at the three in the mud, shouldered its great saber, and turned, walking with heavy steps into the sparse woodland. Its figure was quickly swallowed by the darkness. Only the faint tremor of the ground and the receding sound of heavy footsteps in the distance proved it wasn't an illusion.

The night wind swept across the empty fields, carrying a bone-chilling cold and the fetid smell of mud.

Wang Quan lay in the icy mud, his body wracked with pain, especially his abdomen, as if his intestines were twisted together.

Offerings. Living people. Five. Tomorrow night.

So this was the truth of the patrol? This was the truth of atoning with their lives? They, who were already serving punishment, were not only cannon fodder against zombies and monsters, but also expendable bargaining chips in transactions with Demonic Creatures?

The captain struggled to sit up from the paddy ridge, coughing up a few mouthfuls of bloody phlegm. He looked at his unconscious companion, then at Wang Quan in the mud. A smile, more bitter than a cry, appeared on his face, contorted by pain and fear.

He said nothing. With his usable right hand, he painstakingly pushed himself up, then staggered to his unconscious comrade, laboriously lifting him and slinging him over his shoulder.

Wang Quan gritted his teeth, enduring the twisting pain in his abdomen, and slowly pulled himself out of the mud. Every movement pulled at his wound, causing cold sweat to break out. He picked up his long saber, which had fallen into the mud, and used it to prop himself up, barely standing.

"Let's go back." The captain's voice was hoarse. Without looking back, he carried his companion and trudged, step by hesitant step, towards the county town. His back was hunched, his left arm hung unnaturally, and his right arm supported his companion.