A Promise

The pitch-black sludge surged into the Alpha Ape's throat like a tide, causing the area to instantly swell into a bloated tumor. It pulsed rhythmically like a heart, giving off the unsettling impression that it could explode at any moment.

Faced with this sudden, violent transformation of its own flesh, the Alpha Ape's expression was one of utter shock and caught-off-guard disbelief.

It appeared that this series of events was not the creature's own intent, but rather an action dictated by that patch of Abyss Matter.

Watching the bizarre scene unfold, danger signals flooded every nerve in Ye Chen's body, prompting him to immediately unleash his Auling Power and use the explosive momentum to put as much distance as possible between himself and the prey.

Just as Ye Chen retreated ten meters, the tumor on the Alpha Ape's neck finally reached its limit.

The next moment, it began to contract violently, spraying the unknown substance stored within directly into the Alpha Ape's maw.

Driven by this strange energy, the Alpha Ape could not resist opening its massive jaws, allowing the pitch-black saliva to spew outward while simultaneously letting out an extremely shrill and piercing roar.

"ROAR—!"

The moment the ape's cry descended, the air in front of the creature was torn into countless distorted ripples by the terrifying sound waves. These ripples spread in all directions with the Alpha Ape at the center, reaching Ye Chen in mere milliseconds.

Although Ye Chen immediately raised his arms and lifted his knees to protect his vital organs, the moment he made contact with the ripples, he heard a jarring vibration erupt from deep within his body.

Boom.

Following that, the boy's brain was instantly flooded with a wave of severe discomfort. The air pressure inside his body fell into a state of rapid imbalance, causing his internal organs to tremble and spasm.

"Pfft!"

His internal organs let out a series of pained groans, and the boy could no longer hold back, spitting out a mouthful of blood. At the same time, he was blown back dozens of meters by the gale force of the roar, tumbling several times before finally coming to a halt on the flat, snowy ground.

"Ugh..."

Ye Chen groaned in agony as he scrambled to his feet in a disheveled state.

Even though his body had been tempered by the Nightmare, that deafening roar still left his insides in a state of total upheaval. Waves of dizziness and nausea washed over him, making it difficult for him to even stand steady.

Had he not happened to land in the soft, slushy snow, which cushioned most of the impact, Ye Chen would surely have suffered even more severe injuries.

The boy slapped his head hard to force himself to stay focused, then immediately raised his revolver in a threatening posture to guard against any pursuit from his prey.

However, the Alpha Ape in the distance did not charge at Ye Chen. After roaring that terrifying cry, two exaggerated tears appeared on both sides of its mouth, gushing with ape blood. The creature's face looked incredibly weary and haggard, as if it had suffered a powerful backlash from its own horrific roar.

"Wooo..."

The Alpha Ape scratched its split lips with its fingertips, touched the thick layer of black sludge congealed on its neck, and finally began to pound the ground in a fit of rage, its eyes glaring fiercely at Ye Chen in the distance.

Although Ye Chen's consciousness was blurred by dizziness and nausea, he forced a calm expression. With a gun in his left hand and a blade in his right, he did not yield to the Alpha Ape's surging killing intent. Instead, he radiated the aura of a warrior prepared to fight to the death, looking as if he were the one ready to tear the beast to pieces.

The boy understood that the more critical the situation, the less he could show cowardice to his target; otherwise, it would only incite the beast's primal nature, turning him into the prey to be hunted down and devoured.

Man and ape stood at opposite ends of the snowy field, staring at each other's every move in a standoff that lasted a full minute.

Finally, when Ye Chen tentatively took a step forward, feigning an intent to strike, the Alpha Ape scratched its cheek in frustration. It let out a long, skyward howl, as if to vent its resentment elsewhere, then turned and sprinted toward the bottom of the mountain, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Not long after the Alpha Ape departed, Ye Chen let out a sigh of relief and collapsed to his knees, vomiting as he fought to purge the dizziness and nausea from his mind.

"Haa..."

Having regained some of his composure, the boy staggered to his feet. When he looked up to survey his surroundings, Ye Chen discovered that the power of the Alpha Ape's roar had been so great that it had left the pine trees within dozens of meters swaying and broken.

A bad premonition arose in Ye Chen's heart. When he turned to look for the Frost White Person who had been following him, he immediately spotted a figure lying motionless in the snow on the other side of the woods.

Lloyd was now lying in a pool of blood, staining the snow a deep, tragic red.

Ye Chen's expression shifted, and he hurried to Lloyd's side, only to find that the man was unrecognizable. Blood was flowing incessantly from his ears, mouth, eyes, nostrils, and lips.

When Ye Chen tore open Lloyd's jacket, he discovered that the man's chest and abdomen were sunken and distorted; even his navel was continuously oozing thick, dark blood.

"Lloyd..."

Ye Chen leaned over to look at the Frost White Person. After a long silence, he did not attempt any first aid, knowing it was futile. He simply placed his palm gently on the man's shoulder and softly called his name.

The boy understood that there was nothing more he could do; the man's injuries were beyond saving.

After all, Lloyd was just an ordinary person who had never been tempered by the Nightmare, his body far too fragile.

Under the impact of the Alpha Ape's earth-shattering roar, even though he had been much further from the center than Ye Chen, the sharp sound waves had still mercilessly ravaged his body from thirty meters away.

Now, his internal organs were shattered and pulverized, bleeding profusely from every area. It was clear that this man could not hold on much longer.

"Ah... outlander." Hearing Ye Chen's call, Lloyd struggled to lift his heavy eyelids, blinking a few times to clear the blood from his eyes before asking in a trembling, hoarse voice, "Am I... dying?"

"Yes, I am sorry." Ye Chen nodded, his expression dim as he stated the facts. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"Is that so..." Lloyd blinked his blood-filled eyes again, taking a few weak breaths before whispering, "Sigh, you were never under any obligation to protect me. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. As a local, I haven't been of any help to you..."

"No, you were very brave. That is enough." Ye Chen replied with a tone of regret.

Upon hearing this, tears seemed to well up in Lloyd's blood-red eyes. After gasping for air for a moment, he suddenly raised his hand with great difficulty, and Ye Chen grasped it without hesitation.

"Outlander... I know this is asking too much, but I have one last request. Would you be willing to help?" Lloyd choked out the words.

"Tell me." Ye Chen replied calmly.

"The direction that monster fled... it's toward Cold Wind Village. Almost all the creatures nearby have been eaten by it... so it will likely go there next... to slaughter the villagers and replenish its strength."

Lloyd furrowed his brows, forcing each word out through his blood-stained teeth.

"My wife and daughter... they are in the village too!"

"Outlander, please... save the people of Cold Wind Village. Save my wife and daughter."

"Protect everyone... don't let that demon take anything else away."

Hearing this, Ye Chen did not hesitate to clasp the dying man's cold, damp hands between his own.

"I promise you. I will do everything in my power."

Lloyd, his face covered in blood, curled his crimson lips into a bitter smile. As he gazed at the snowflakes drifting through the dim sky, the light in his eyes finally faded away along with his last breath.