The Hour of the Demon

The victory of their own basketball team truly excited the students of Yan University for several days, and they exclaimed that it was a great satisfaction.

Although the current students were not eyewitnesses to the events of a few years ago, the arrogance of the Polytechnic University basketball team was obvious to all.

Under a common enemy, the fruits of victory were even sweeter and more moving.

Xiao Xiao was naturally happy, and even more so because he had contributed to this victory.

Even if it was unknown to others, it gave him a sense of secret joy, like "everyone is drunk and I am sober."

Especially when he saw Eldest Brother's confused and clueless expression.

He couldn't quite control his own expression.

However, Xiao Xiao bared his teeth, almost wanting to grab a big hammer and smash his head! He had no lofty aspirations of achieving enlightenment through suffering like an ascetic monk, so, Master Monster Compendium, couldn't you completely solve his headache?

Xiao Xiao rubbed the peculiar texture of the Monster Compendium's cover with his palm, hoping it would display its divine power. Even if it couldn't completely solve his headache, it would be good if it could at least alleviate it somewhat.

Unfortunately, even though Xiao Xiao, unwilling to give up, touched the Monster Compendium all over, again and again, the other party was completely uncooperative, showing no reaction at all, giving the impression of "let the wind blow from east, west, south, and north, I stand firm."

Xiao Xiao's eyes twitched, feeling like his brain was aching abnormally.

Hoo, Xiao Xiao let out a long sigh, muttering to himself: "When Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man, it first exercises his heart with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil, and his body with hunger, and exposes him to extreme poverty. It confounds his undertakings, and thus stimulates his heart, and cultivates his nature, and supplies his incompetencies."

He finally managed to get through the most uncomfortable few days. Although his headache hadn't completely healed, Xiao Xiao was sore and stiff from resting, and he really couldn't stand it anymore.

And actually, after these few days, he had somehow gotten used to the pain. Huh, why did that suddenly feel so masochistic?

In short, he was now completely capable of having a tumultuous inner world while maintaining an outward appearance of calm.

At this moment, the sun was setting, and the world was bathed in a hazy, dim yellow light, with large swathes of red clouds faintly bleeding into a few wisps of crimson.

Xiao Xiao shuffled along in his flip-flops, hands in his pockets, wandering around campus.

He exuded an air of laziness and listlessness.

"Yo, isn't this the so-called hour of the demon?" Xiao Xiao thought somewhat carelessly, his gaze casually sweeping across the distant sky. Looking at it, it did indeed have a somewhat eerie feel.

Xiao Xiao avoided the crowds. It was currently the peak time after classes, and the view was filled with heads upon heads, with the sound of laughter and play buzzing in his ears.

After a few days of cultivating himself in the dorm, Xiao Xiao frowned slightly at the current noise, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. He quickened his steps, not looking in any particular direction, just heading wherever there were fewer people.

Soon, Xiao Xiao left the noisy crowd behind, only able to faintly hear some sounds.

The world seemed to have been painted with a thick, rich ink, and the overly dense colors inexplicably made Xiao Xiao feel somewhat oppressed.

Xiao Xiao rubbed his slightly throbbing temples, feeling that he should go back. This time of day was really not a good choice for aimless wandering.

Just as he was about to turn back, his nose twitched, and he smelled a scent in the air that was both unfamiliar and familiar.

Is this... the smell of blood?

Xiao Xiao had a bad premonition.

It seemed that today was indeed not a good day to be out.

He should have stayed in the dorm to rest his headache, why did he go running around outside like a lunatic?

Despite complaining inwardly, Xiao Xiao still followed the faint scent of blood.

He wasn't so cold-blooded as to turn a blind eye when he knew something was wrong.

This was an alley behind the school's back gate, rarely frequented. The deep alley was shrouded in an unending darkness, where all light seemed to stop abruptly, the boundary between light and dark clear yet blurred.

"Tsk, there's such a creepy place near the school," Xiao Xiao pursed his lips, his nerves tightening.

Here, the smell of blood was so strong it was nauseating.

And the source of the bloody smell was within the alley.

Xiao Xiao irritably ran a hand through his hair, his face pale, a faint weariness and gloom etched between his brows. Then, his expression gradually calmed, the lines of his face revealing a sharp, cold edge.

His already deep and tranquil eyes became even more profound and dark, with a faint Golden Light flashing in the depths of his pupils.

Xiao Xiao, hands in his pockets, strode towards the alley.

The hazy, warm light gradually fell behind him, peeling away from his body. The eerie chill clawed at him, gradually covering his entire being, seeping into his limbs and bones.

The darkness of the alley did not hinder Xiao Xiao's movements in any way.

In Xiao Xiao's vision, everything in the alley was clearly visible.

An old, rusty trash can, dented in the middle as if kicked by someone. A few scattered cigarette butts and some miscellaneous garbage lay on the ground.

A stench of decay emanated from it.

Everything seemed ordinary.

However, the lingering smell of blood in his nostrils constantly reminded Xiao Xiao that something was definitely wrong.

Xiao Xiao scanned his surroundings, his dark eyes shining brightly.

Suddenly, Xiao Xiao's gaze stopped. He walked forward a few steps and crouched down. There were several dried, darkish marks, inconspicuous. Most people wouldn't notice them, thinking they were ordinary water or beverage stains.

However, Xiao Xiao's sensitive nose told him that these splotches exuded a strong smell of blood.

This was… bloodstains!

Xiao Xiao suddenly remembered the ferocious monster he had seen in the gymnasium.

After returning to his dorm that night, the first thing Xiao Xiao did was to pull out the Monster Compendium to see what kind of monster it was.

Yellowed pages, crimson cinnabar, and a strange aura filled the air. The cinnabar flowed, and a monster, neither quite a bird nor something else, appeared vividly on the paper.

A single horn on its head curved into a ferocious arc, sharp cold light constantly glinting, casting a few bloody shadows.

Two strangely written characters then appeared – Gu carving.

Whether it was because the Monster Compendium had upgraded or for some other reason, the information it provided him was more extensive than before. Besides the monster's name, Xiao Xiao was surprised to find more text slowly appearing, appended just below the monster's name.

At this moment, for some reason, Xiao Xiao suddenly recalled a sentence from that text – "Its cry sounds like a baby's, and it devours humans."

Devours humans… huh?

Immediately, Xiao Xiao shook his head vigorously, wondering if his persistent headaches were making him overly sensitive.

Otherwise, why would he connect everything to monsters?

Currently, he couldn't even be sure if this was the smell of human blood.

He wasn't a police dog, although in some ways he was much more capable than one.

But he couldn't distinguish between human blood and the blood of a cat or dog.

Perhaps he had stumbled upon a scene of animal cruelty reported on the news, not a murder scene.

Heh, when had he become so good at deceiving himself?