Late-Night Visitor

Bang!

The brutal gunshot exploded through the quiet bedroom. Wood splinters flew from the wardrobe door as the bullet blasted a round hole through it. From the shadows on the other side came a scream, followed by the sound of clothes slicing through the air and tables and chairs toppling over.

Without looking, Sifa judged his opponent's position by sound alone and launched another attack.

He raised the Serpent-Scale Revolver with a steady, powerful arm, made a slight prediction, and kept firing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Unfortunately, Sifa failed to hit his target again. He only shattered the tables, chairs, lampshade, and oil painting in the room.

Faint footsteps came from outside the door. The people in the manor had been awakened and were hurrying over.

If Mother came too, they should be able to keep this Monster here. With that thought, Sifa increased his rate of fire, hoping to worsen its injuries and prevent it from escaping.

Click.

The revolver quickly ran out of bullets. At that moment, Sifa heard a string of indescribable words filled with malice, filth, and evil echo through the room.

The moment he heard them, fear suddenly seized him for no reason. His heart raced, his palms sweated, and he instinctively moved toward the window.

The courtyard's Road lamp shone there. Only after stepping into the light did the fear and terror ease slightly.

But then, a black figure rushed out of the shadows. A mass of shadow lunged into the light, and Sifa could not make out its face. He only saw it open its mouth, bare its fangs, and bite for his neck.

Like a wild beast!

Driven by instinct, Sifa twisted aside, tossed away the empty revolver, clenched the hand wearing the Shadow Glove, and suddenly threw a heavy upward punch.

Sifa's clothes seemed to cling to the air, producing a string of crackling pops. His fist struck the opponent squarely on the chin and sent the Monster flying into the air.

The goddess of luck must have been watching over Sifa. The Shadow Glove's effect activated at the same time. The shadows in the room "boiled," drawing out a fist condensed from shadow. Countless strange patterns covered it, along with three-dimensional symbols carrying some kind of meaning. It struck the Monster at an unimaginable speed.

With a scream, the Monster shot through the window like a cannonball. Fragments of the frame and glass sprayed out into the courtyard beneath the Road lamp's glow.

Only then did Sifa see clearly that the thing wore a tattered cloak, from which extended two thick arms completely disproportionate to its body.

Black veins like earthworms bulged across those arms, covered in rows of stiff black hairs. One arm was badly deformed, likely from the impact of the Shadow Fist.

It crashed into the courtyard along with the window fragments. The two Desi Hounds in the yard charged out, their frantic barking directed at the Monster.

It scrambled to its feet and darted into the flowerbeds in an unnatural posture, fleeing farther along Road before vanishing into the courtyard shadows.

Then the door opened and light flooded in. Sifa heard a chorus of startled cries, followed by his father Bison's voice.

"What happened here?"

Study.

Sifa sipped his black tea. He had already recounted what happened, though naturally, he had concealed the part about going to the Sea Monster Tavern as "Duke."

After listening, Bison snorted. "Whatever it is, it's far too brazen to come right to our door!"

Enilu said softly, "I found some of that thing's blood in Sifa's room. I can use it to divine its location."

"If the experts cannot handle it, I'll act personally. I cannot allow something that threatens my child to roam around town."

Bison frowned. "But that—"

Enilu shook her head and smiled gently. "It's all right. It won't cause me any trouble."

Does Mother have some kind of trouble? It sounded like she could not act freely. Was it because of the Abraham surname?

As Sifa analyzed the situation, the light before him dimmed. Enilu stood in front of him.

"All right, Sifa. You're tired too. It's time for you to rest. Also, you did well tonight, but if something like this happens again, I hope you won't face it alone."

"You don't need to face it alone either, understand?"

"I understand, Mom." Sifa put down his cup, stood up, and smiled.

His bedroom was temporarily unusable because of the fight, so Sifa had no choice but to sleep in another room.

He soon drifted off to sleep.

[Don't sleep, Li Zexi. A guest has arrived.]

Knock, knock, knock.

Sifa heard someone knocking at the door. He woke with a yawn and glanced out the window. The Crimson Moon hung high in the sky. It was still nighttime.

A person stood in the corner of the room with his back to Sifa. He wore a white shirt and dark trousers, pointed at the door, and let out a deliberately lowered chuckle.

The door opened, and someone walked in. He wore a black-and-white checkered uniform and a peaked cap with a badge. He was a police officer. Three silver six-pointed stars decorated his shoulder insignia—the mark of an inspector.

"Good evening, Mr. Sifa. Sorry for the intrusion. I'm Inspector Lewis."

The officer who called himself "Lewis" entered the room. Crimson moonlight fell across him as he removed his cap, revealing neatly combed brown hair parted seven to three.

His forehead lines were pronounced, his eye sockets deep, and he wore black-framed glasses.

His face was square, with a large nose and ears. Nasolabial folds had begun to show.

"May I sit here?" The officer holding his cap pointed to the sofa in the room.

Sifa nodded, walked over, and sat opposite the officer.

Once seated, Lewis studied Sifa through the thick lenses of his glasses with azure eyes. "I heard that Mr. Sifa went hunting in the mountains with the town's Hunter not long ago."

"You encountered a wolf pack, as well as something inhuman. Could you tell me how you escaped?"

The man in the white shirt and dark trousers, who had been standing in the corner with his back to Sifa, walked over and stopped behind him. Throughout the entire process, Lewis showed no reaction, as if there were nothing but air behind Sifa.

He bent down and spoke into Sifa's ear.

[Don't tell the truth. He's testing you.]

Sifa said, "I was rather lucky. I thought I had fired all the bullets in my gun, but there was still one left. That bullet saved me."

"Sounds like you were lucky." Lewis asked in a gentle tone, "Can you tell me why you're so skilled? Even an experienced Hunter like Leon might not have been able to hurt that Monster."

Without the slightest change in expression, Sifa said, "I received training in hand-to-hand combat and firearms, and I learned fairly well. You can verify that with my teacher, Mr. Shirey. He'll give you a satisfactory answer."

Lewis took out a notebook and wrote something down. It seemed this officer's memory was not very good. Otherwise, why would he need to record something so simple?

The man in the white shirt moved behind Lewis and extended his hand. His palm was pale and bloodless, but his fingernails were filthy, as though he had just dug something up.

Both hands gently cupped Lewis's face. The man standing behind the sofa let out a low chuckle.

[Li Zexi, what do you say we gouge out his eyeballs? Or maybe cut out his tongue?]

[No, no, no. I still think snapping his neck would be more fun. What do you think?]

Lewis felt nothing unusual throughout the process. After finishing his notes, he looked up.

"One last question, Mr. Sifa. Are you a Beyonder?"