The Greedy Animal

Three days had passed since the confrontation that day, and Xiao Xiao hadn't encountered that monster again.

Although he hadn't seen the monster's true form, the little fox on its shoulder and the giant fox tail he glimpsed in his daze gave him reason to believe it was a fox demon, commonly known as a fox spirit.

The other party's final words still echoed in his ears, causing them to tingle involuntarily.

He couldn't help but sigh, As expected of a fox spirit.

It was a shame it wasn't like the harmless, beautiful, and devoted fox spirits in storybooks.

The coldness in this fox spirit's eyes was bone-chilling and terrifying.

He wondered if a monster whose true form he hadn't seen could appear in the black notebook.

Finally, the dormitory was empty, and Xiao Xiao eagerly took out the black notebook.

Qiuqiu fish, Ear Mouse, Qin Yuan. On the yellowed pages, bizarre monsters were vividly and lifelike. The bright cinnabar seemed to possess a life of its own, giving the illusion of slowly flowing.

Xiao Xiao stopped flipping the pages and slowly ran his fingers over the page depicting the Qin Yuan.

The slightly rough texture carried an aura of mountains and great waters, drawing one's heart into a state of quiet contemplation.

Xiao Xiao slowly turned the page, and a blank sheet of paper met his eyes.

He gently stroked the paper with his fingertip.

Vibrant red cinnabar slowly seeped out.

Xiao Xiao moved his finger, and a faint pattern emerged, spreading like an ink wash painting, deepening from light to dark.

It was a red fox.

Xiao Xiao was somewhat surprised, yet also somewhat expected.

"It really is a fox demon," Xiao Xiao murmured.

However, Xiao Xiao tapped his fingertip. One, two. He wasn't mistaken; this was indeed a fox with two tails.

Could this be an unevolved form of the legendary Nine-tailed Fox?

Suddenly, Xiao Xiao thought of a question: since an image of a fox demon could appear in the notebook, could he summon a fox demon the next time he encountered that one?

He had always been a little unclear about something.

Were the monsters he summoned later the exact same ones he had encountered?

Or were they just the same species, but different individuals?

Perhaps he could try it next time he had the chance.

After all, whether it was a confrontation between two fox demons or him forcibly summoning the fox demon he encountered, either situation would be very interesting.

"Hey, did you hear? Ruan Rou is dead!" Zhuge Yun exclaimed before even fully stepping into the dormitory.

His words were filled with sighs and lamentations, tinged with sadness and melancholy.

Even a classmate he had only met a few times, whom he had seen just a while ago, was now separated by the veil of death in such a short time.

It made one lament the impermanence of life.

"What?"

"Really?"

Zhang Bo and Zhao Luzheng were greatly shocked. They straightened up and exchanged glances.

"How did she die?" Xiao Xiao's hands clenched, his pale fingertips digging sharply into his palm, the slight sting a jolt.

"They say she died in a car accident."

"A car accident, huh? Cars nowadays are really getting reckless."

"Yeah, it's impossible to guard against. You never know when a car might suddenly come speeding out of nowhere."

"Is she really dead?" Xiao Xiao still found it hard to believe.

What a joke! A dignified fox demon. Even if I don't understand the power hierarchy of monsters yet, one that can possess a human, a fox with two tails, and the oppressive aura of a great monster I personally felt—how could it possibly be killed by a car?

This is utterly absurd!

If his previous guess was unreliable, then was it intentional?

Then, why?

Why would she want to die?

Was she too bored? Or... had her objective been achieved?

"Don't make me wait too long." The girl's young voice, deliberately lowered, had a husky quality, exuding a rosemary-like allure. It echoed in his ears like a whisper, making them tingle inexplicably.

Xiao Xiao touched his ear. This sentence, which suddenly echoed in his mind, had a "thunderclap" effect, causing his whole body to stiffen and his expression to freeze.

What did she mean?

Was the casual remark the other party made last time a hint that today's events were foreshadowed?

If so, he'd been played for a fool!

He had been desperately trying to save that girl, getting frustrated by his own powerlessness multiple times, and rejoicing at every small discovery. And now, while he was wholeheartedly trying, she died? The person he wanted to save had died!

How could this be! Xiao Xiao felt a twitching sensation in his cerebral cortex, making his vision go black.

How dare that fox demon?!

Even without knowing the specifics, he had a strong premonition: this girl's car accident was orchestrated by that fox demon, and she was killed by it!

To possess someone's body and then take the host's life in the end?

"Truly, the weather is unpredictable. How could this happen..."

"Yeah, such a beautiful girl."

"It's such a shame, she was so young."

Zhang Bo and the others were all shocked by the news. A fellow student they had met a few times, they fell silent after the initial shock, and the atmosphere in the dorm became somewhat stagnant for a while.

Later, Zhuge Yun was the first to speak, breaking the oppressive atmosphere.

The others gradually started chatting.

After all, they weren't too close, so their sadness was only temporary. It was just a sense of regret and sorrow for the fragility of life and the irreversibility of death.

"Third Brother, what's wrong?" Xiao Xiao, who had been silent, drew Zhao Luzheng's attention.

"Hm? Third Brother, why are you so quiet?"

"Third Brother, don't tell me you're crying?"

Zhuge Yun's exaggerated and mischievous question earned him a big eye-roll from Xiao Xiao.

"I'm fine." He had just lost control of his emotions for a moment, and to prevent Zhang Bo and the others from noticing anything unusual, he had kept his head down, hiding all his expressions.

Xiao Xiao smiled as always, his brows free of any gloom.

However, he knew that the next time he encountered that fox demon, he would not let her get away with it!

But perhaps he was just bragging. Despite some unusual circumstances, he was still fundamentally a mortal. What could he use to fight a monster? Especially a powerful one.

Was he supposed to summon monsters using a black notebook?

He suddenly felt an intense sense of unwillingness. He could see monsters and summon them, so why did he himself lack any ability to contend with them?

An ability that belonged solely to him, without relying on external forces.

He wanted that kind of power.

He craved it urgently.

Are humans truly greedy creatures?

He had already received blessings from heaven, yet he was still not satisfied.