A Touching Scene

The middle-aged man lifted his slender hand to his mouth and licked away the few drops of blood still clinging to his fingertips.

His nails were long and sharp. From a distance, they looked like the claws of some kind of feline.

He had used those nails to slice off the Mohawk's head.

Fang Cheng had seen it clearly. It had been even easier than cutting tofu with a sharp knife.

After the Mohawk was killed, the thugs' cries fell abruptly silent, as if someone had grabbed them by the throat.

Their pent-up fury was doused in an instant, like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over their heads, leaving behind only a bone-chilling dread.

As mentioned before, in this world overrun by monsters, ordinary people had to learn a few basic rules if they wanted to survive longer.

The most important one was: don't provoke monsters.

The underworld took that rule especially seriously.

After all, when the government dealt with them, it still needed evidence and had to save face. Even if they ended up in government hands, they might be able to pay their way out of trouble.

Monsters, on the other hand, didn't care about any of that. Before killing you, they had no interest in finding out whether you were an innocent civilian or a powerful crime boss.

After the middle-aged man sliced off the Mohawk's head with his extraordinary abilities, the thugs didn't erupt in anger. Instead, he was met with a sea of terrified faces.

The middle-aged man looked utterly delighted.

His name was Kuroishi Yuto. Not long ago, he had been just another unremarkable corporate drone, enduring the merciless grind of society every day.

His boss's constant scolding and his wife's nagging had been like death warrants, driving him to contemplate suicide. He had even written a farewell letter.

Then, one night, after getting blackout drunk and passing out on the street, Kuroishi Yuto became a monster.

He hadn't been angry. He had been ecstatic. The first thing he did was go home and bite to death the wife who was always exchanging flirtatious glances with the neighbor.

Then, one night, he secretly dragged his boss out to the suburbs and tortured him to death.

As his boss wailed, Kuroishi Yuto had felt as though he had transcended humanity and risen above everyone else.

He no longer had to be restrained. He could live without fear of consequences.

The pleasure and thrill he got from ordinary people's screams and terrified expressions far surpassed the women at the hotel who pretended to writhe on top of him.

The headless body beside them finally slid off the motorcycle and hit the ground with a slap.

It was like a fuse had been lit, setting off the thugs' pent-up panic.

Amid a chorus of screams, they turned and fled in a panic. A few collided in their haste, turning the place into the scene of a crash.

Kuroishi Yuto vanished from where he stood.

The next moment, the fleeing thugs began dropping one by one, their heads severed from their bodies. Their heads rolled far away, joining the Mohawk's.

Ordinary people could only make out a shadow darting through the night. Every time it flashed past, another thug was left headless.

Fang Cheng, however, saw everything clearly. Kuroishi Yuto had spread open his trench coat, making himself look like a gigantic Bat.

He wasn't running on two legs. He was leaping.

He jumped once and shot sideways through the air, caught up with a fleeing thug, and sliced through his neck with a single swipe.

His speed and strength were definitely far beyond Yagawa Ryoka's.

Fang Cheng and Kanzaki Rin, who was peeking from afar through a drone, both felt their hearts sink as Kuroishi Yuto continued his slaughter.

This was definitely a Vampire who had devoured one of his own. He was far beyond the level that ordinary punches and kicks could handle.

He had probably noticed them tailing him long ago.

Damn it. They were in for a tough fight tonight.

In less than thirty seconds, every fleeing biker had been slaughtered.

The clearing had become a slaughterhouse, splattered with blood and scattered with severed limbs. The pungent stench of blood was nauseating.

Kuroishi Yuto returned to Fang Cheng and pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket, gently wiping the blood from his hands.

He eyed Fang Cheng with curiosity. "You're mixing with humans, and you even rescued my food. If your scent weren't unmistakable, I'd almost think you weren't a Vampire."

The hand clutching Fang Cheng's clothes suddenly tightened.

He turned to look. The high school girl beside him wore an expression of utter disbelief, staring at him with suspicion and uncertainty.

Fang Cheng pried her hand off his clothes and lowered his voice. "Take them and get out of here."

The high school girl parted her lips. "But... you..."

Fang Cheng impatiently urged her on. "You'll only get in the way if you stay. If you get hurt, I'm not paying your medical bills. Go."

"I... I understand."

The high school girl didn't hesitate like most little girls. Instead, she acted decisively.

She took the little boy by the hand and said to the others, "Everyone, it's dangerous here. Let's get out of here, quickly."

But the others only trembled in fear. Kuroishi Yuto had terrified them, and they didn't dare try to run while he was there.

Kuroishi Yuto watched them with interest, then suddenly spoke. "Go ahead and leave if you want. You lot would only spoil my appetite when there's real delicacy around."

As he spoke, he kept his eyes fixed on Fang Cheng. It was obvious who he meant by "real delicacy."

"Everyone, the monster... He said we can leave, so let's go!"

The high school girl was frantic, tugging at the others with all her might.

At last, they hesitantly took their first steps.

Only after they saw that Kuroishi Yuto really wasn't reacting did they begin to stumble toward the exit.

After running some distance, the high school girl glanced back at Fang Cheng and suddenly shouted, "My name is Ugou Mirai! Don't die!"

Fang Cheng turned and shouted back, "Keep your damn bad luck to yourself! You could die and I still wouldn't! Get lost! The farther away, the better!"

Was this woman crazy? With a powerful enemy right in front of him, she had to jinx him like that.

Good thing he'd been quick with his mouth and could nip the jinx in the bud. Otherwise, he'd have to die again tonight.

Ugou Mirai was startled by Fang Cheng's shouting and hurriedly turned to run.

The "touching" scene made Kuroishi Yuto burst out laughing.

He dabbed at the corner of his eye with his handkerchief. "You seem to care a lot about this food. In that case, I suppose I can't let them go. Maybe I can use them to threaten you?"

As he spoke, Kuroishi Yuto raised his hand and snapped his fingers at the fleeing people.

With a sharp snap, the woman at the front suddenly exploded.

A mass of blood-red spikes burst out from inside her, turning her into a human pincushion.

The people behind her let out screams of utter despair.

Kuroishi Yuto looked at Fang Cheng with eager anticipation, wanting to see him wear an expression of fury and shock.

But all he saw was Fang Cheng's expressionless face. Even his eyes seemed unchanged.

"Are you trying to hold back your anger?"

Kuroishi Yuto smiled and snapped his fingers again. Another woman was impaled by spikes that sprouted from inside her body.

He had tampered with their bodies long ago. He had let them go on purpose just to enrage Fang Cheng.

But it didn't seem to be working. Even after two people had died, Fang Cheng's breathing hadn't changed.

After being beaten up by Takeda Masumi for three days straight, he had long since learned how to control his emotions.

"I was wrong. You're a cold-blooded monster just like me. Why would you get angry over a bunch of food? Then I'll just get rid of them all."

Kuroishi Yuto spread his arms with a smile.

"Snap!"