A Promise

Black sludge surged into the Alpha Ape's throat like a rising tide, causing the area to swell into a huge lump of flesh in an instant. It pulsed like a heart, giving the impression that it could explode at any moment.

Faced with the sudden change in his body, the Alpha Ape looked utterly caught off guard and shocked.

It seemed this series of actions wasn't of his own accord. Rather, the Abyss Matter was controlling him.

At the bizarre sight before him, danger signals blared through every nerve in Ye Chen's body. He immediately used the Auling Power, harnessing its fierce momentum to put as much distance as possible between himself and his prey.

Just as Ye Chen had retreated ten meters, the lump on the Alpha Ape's neck finally swelled to its limit.

The next moment, it began to contract violently, spraying all the mysterious matter stored inside into the Alpha Ape's mouth.

Driven by this strange energy, the Alpha Ape could do nothing to stop his jaws from gaping open. Countless drops of black saliva burst out as he let out an ear-piercing, shrill roar.

"Roooar—!"

The instant the ape's cry rang out, the air in front of him was torn apart by terrifying sound waves, forming countless rippling distortions. They spread in every direction from the Alpha Ape, reaching Ye Chen in mere milliseconds.

Ye Chen immediately raised his arms and lifted a knee to protect his vital spots, but the moment the ripples touched him, he still heard a strange vibrating sound rise sharply from within his body.

Thump.

A wave of intense discomfort instantly flooded the young man's brain. The pressure inside his body became severely unbalanced in a matter of seconds, making all his internal organs tremble and spasm.

"Pfft!"

His organs let out a string of miserable groans, and the young man couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of blood. The gale brought on by the ape's cry sent him flying dozens of meters, tumbling several times before he finally came to a stop on the flat, snowy ground.

"Ugh..."

Ye Chen groaned in pain as he struggled to his feet.

Though his body had been tempered by Nightmare, the Alpha Ape's deafening cry had still left Ye Chen's insides in turmoil. Dizziness and nausea kept surging through him, making it hard for him even to stand.

If he hadn't happened to land in soft, slushy snow that cushioned most of the impact, Ye Chen would surely have suffered even worse injuries.

The young man slapped his head hard, forcing himself to focus. Then he immediately raised his revolver in a threatening gesture, ready to guard against his prey's attack.

But the Alpha Ape in the distance didn't charge at Ye Chen. After letting out that terrifying cry, the corners of his mouth split open in two enormous gashes. Ape Blood poured from them, leaving him looking utterly exhausted and haggard. It seemed the terrifying cry had exacted a terrible backlash.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh..."

The Alpha Ape scratched the corners of his split mouth with his fingertips, then touched the thick layer of black sludge gathered around his neck. Finally, he began pounding the ground in a rage, his ape-like eyes glaring fiercely at Ye Chen in the distance.

Though dizziness and nausea had left Ye Chen's consciousness hazy, he forced his expression to remain calm. He held a gun in his left hand and a knife in his right, refusing to yield to the Alpha Ape's murderous hostility. His fierce demeanor even suggested he meant to chop the Alpha Ape to pieces, radiating the air of a warrior who would fight to the death.

The young man understood that the more dangerous the situation, the less he could afford to show his target any fear. Otherwise, he would only provoke the beast's instincts and become prey to be chased down and mauled.

Man and ape stood at opposite ends of the snowy ground, watching each other closely as they faced off for a full minute.

At last, Ye Chen tentatively stepped forward, pretending to take the initiative. The Alpha Ape scratched his cheek in displeasure, then threw back his head and howled, as if venting his resentment elsewhere. He turned and charged down the mountain, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Not long after the Alpha Ape disappeared, Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief and immediately fell to his knees, vomiting as he tried to purge the dizziness and nausea from his mind.

"Phew..."

The young man's mind had settled somewhat. He staggered to his feet, and when he looked around carefully, he realized that the Alpha Ape's roar had been so powerful that it had knocked over all the pine trees, large and small, within several dozen meters.

A sense of foreboding crept over Ye Chen. He turned to search for the Frost White Person who had been following him, and immediately spotted a motionless figure sprawled in the snow at the far end of the woods.

Lloyd was lying in a pool of blood, the snow beneath him stained crimson.

Ye Chen's expression changed. He hurried to Lloyd's side and saw that the man was unrecognizable. Blood poured continuously from his ears, mouth, the corners of his eyes, nostrils, and lips.

When Ye Chen tore open Lloyd's shirt, he found that the man's chest and abdomen were horribly misshapen. Even his navel, normally closed, was now oozing thick, red blood.

"Lloyd..."

Ye Chen bent over the Frost White Person and watched him in silence for a long time. He did not attempt any first aid; he merely placed a hand gently on his shoulder and softly called his name.

The young man understood that there was nothing he could do now. Lloyd's injuries were beyond saving.

Lloyd was, after all, just an ordinary person whose frail body had never been tempered by Nightmare.

When the Alpha Ape's earth-shattering cry had struck, Lloyd had been much farther from its center than Ye Chen. But even from a distance of thirty meters, his body had still been mercilessly battered by the sharp sound waves.

His internal organs had been pulverized by the ape's cry, and he was bleeding heavily from all over. The man clearly didn't have long left.

"Ah... outsider." At Ye Chen's call, Lloyd struggled to lift his heavy eyelids and blinked several times, forcing the drops of blood from his eyes. Then, in a trembling, hoarse voice, he asked Ye Chen softly, "Am I... going to die?"

"Yes. I'm sorry," Ye Chen said, nodding as his expression darkened. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"I see." Lloyd blinked his bloodshot eyes a few more times and drew several weak breaths. "Sigh... you never had any obligation to protect me. I'm the one who should apologize. I'm a local, but I couldn't do much to help you..."

"No. You were brave, and that's enough," Ye Chen replied regretfully.

At his words, Lloyd's bloodshot eyes seemed to glisten with tears. After breathing heavily for a while, he suddenly raised a hand with great difficulty. Ye Chen took it without hesitation.

"Outsider... I know this is asking too much, but I have one last request. Could I trouble you to help me?" Lloyd said, choking back sobs.

"Go ahead," Ye Chen replied calmly.

"The monster ran down the mountain... toward Cold Wind Village. It's eaten almost every creature around here, so next... it'll probably slaughter the villagers to replenish its strength."

Lloyd furrowed his brow, struggling to force each word through his bloodied teeth.

"My wife and daughter... they're in the village!"

"Outsider, please... save everyone in Cold Wind Village. Save my wife and daughter."

"Protect them all. Don't let that demon take anything else from us."

Without hesitation, Ye Chen clasped both hands around the dying man's damp, icy palm.

"I promise. I'll do everything I can."

Lloyd, his face covered in blood, curled his blood-red lips into a bitter smile. Then he gazed at the flecks of snow drifting across the darkened sky. The light in his eyes finally faded along with his last breath.