Black Shadow

Night fell.

Chenghua Avenue.

Several li from Guanghua Residential Area, at the entrance to a sewer.

Three figures clad in pure black combat suits crept forward inch by inch along the damp, foul-smelling tunnel.

Their movements were swift and sharp—clearly no ordinary people.

"Old Ye, how much longer is this blind search going to drag on?"

The man in the middle wiped his face with a hand, frowning at the stench of rot in the sewer, a cold gleam flashing from the knight sword in his grip.

"Until we catch those few demonic beasts that slipped out, this job won't be done." Old Ye's voice dropped a notch, his high-power flashlight cutting through the thick darkness. "We don't have to bag them all, but we'd better grab two or three to report back."

"If I weren't only E-rank, I'd love to break into the dungeon and see what it's like!" The sword-wielding man slapped his scabbard with a clang, his tone full of frustration.

"Give it a rest." The last guy couldn't help but tease. "With our E-rank skills, we're barely stronger than ordinary folks. You still dare to dream about the dungeon? Got a death wish?"

He patted his companion on the shoulder. "Stick with this patrol gig, handle some low-risk monsters, pocket tens of thousands a month—what's not to like?"

"A real man aims for the horizon!" The sword-wielder lifted his chin proudly. "How could a patrol spot ever cage me?"

"There you go, daydreaming again."

"Quiet!" Old Ye suddenly barked, cutting off their bickering.

He stared hard at the murky water flowing beneath their feet, a sharp glint of vigilance flashing in his eyes.

"Something's off."

The other two instantly dropped their playful expressions, following Old Ye's gaze.

On the stone slabs where they stood, twisted, winding marks were clearly visible—like the trail of some giant mollusk that had crawled through.

"At this size... that's not an E-rank monster." The sword-wielder's face darkened, his earlier arrogance gone from his voice.

"Definitely not one of those E-rank octopus monsters that slipped out of the dungeon today."

Old Ye crouched down, his fingertips brushing over the marks on the stone, his brow furrowing into a knot. "An E-rank octopus monster tops out at a meter tall, but the thing that left these tracks is at least two meters! This is at least a D-class monster!"

The three exchanged glances, instantly reaching an unspoken agreement. They turned silently, lightening their steps, retreating one pace at a time.

They were all E-rank Hunters, with decent gear to boot. If they really fought together, they might take down a D-class monster.

But why bother?

No matter how high the patrol's monthly pay was, it wasn't worth betting their lives.

"Report it. Let the higher-ups send a senior Hunter."

"Agreed."

"No objections."

With a few quick words, they settled the plan. Carefully backing away, they pulled out a walkie-talkie.

No one noticed the strange ripples suddenly stirring in the murky water behind them, as if something massive was slowly churning beneath the surface.

"Headquarters, D-class or higher monster traces found in the sewer at 16 Chenghua Avenue. Requesting backup! Requesting backup!"

Static crackled from the walkie-talkie, followed by the Dispatcher's voice: "Report your exact coordinates and stay alert—"

Before the Dispatcher could finish, a piercing scream erupted from the sewer, cutting off the rest of his words.

"Ah—!!!"

"Old Ye! Don't come over!!! Aaahhh!!!"

Thud—

The night deepened, thick and impenetrable.

A dark figure slipped silently out of a window, fingertips gripping the weathered pipes on the outer wall, moving down with the agility of an ape.

Cold moonlight spilled down, outlining the bulging muscle lines on his arms, every motion radiating explosive power.

Five stories was nothing—in just twenty or thirty seconds, the figure leaped and landed steadily, not even a speck of dust kicked up by his toes.

"The smell of blood."

The moment Xu Feng landed, his nostrils flared slightly, catching a faint, elusive scent of gore.

Ever since he'd trained Iron Wire Fist to perfection, his strength and physique had far surpassed ordinary people, and his sense of smell and hearing had sharpened to that of a wild beast.

"Could it be those E-rank octopus monsters that slipped out of the dungeon, like they said on the forum?"

A glint of light flashed in Xu Feng's eyes. He reached back, pulling a kitchen knife from the pack on his shoulders—the blade gleaming coldly under the moonlight.

That's right, his weapon was one of three kitchen knives he'd swiped from his own kitchen.

"Little monster, obediently turn into my Breakthrough Points."

Following the trail of blood, Xu Feng crouched low, stepping lightly, and crept silently toward the source of the scent.

As he moved swiftly, a mix of emotions churned within him.

Excitement and impatience churned in his chest, mixed with a hint of fear toward the unknown.

After all, this was his first time facing a magical beast face-to-face—to say he wasn't nervous would be lying to himself.

But the burning thirst for power ultimately overpowered the faint unease in his heart.

The further he walked, the thicker and more pungent the smell of blood became.

The source lay in the dense, impenetrable thicket behind Guanghua Residential Area.

Xu Feng held his breath, stepping as lightly as possible, gripping a Kitchen Knife in each hand as he crept inch by inch toward the bushes.

As he drew closer, his vision finally cleared.

A dark figure was crouched among the branches and leaves, frantically tearing at something beneath it.

"Could it be... someone's been killed?!"

Xu Feng's heart sank sharply. The heavy stench of blood choked his throat, and a layer of cold sweat had already formed on his palms gripping the knife handles.

The dark figure was completely unaware of his approach, still burying its head in the prey, gnawing away.

"Here goes!"

Xu Feng clenched his teeth, suddenly pushing off the ground with force, closing the distance in a few quick strides as he charged at the dark figure.

Just as the Kitchen Knife was about to fall, cleaving the shadow in two, his movement abruptly froze.