Night.
The bright moon was like a mirror, spilling delicate moonlight.
Pale moonlight streamed through a windowless opening into an abandoned, unfinished building, illuminating a thin, frail young man's face in patches of light and shadow.
Rustle.
A faint scraping sound came as someone stepped on a broken plank, its rough surface rubbing against the gravel-strewn ground to produce a barely audible rustle.
There was only one brief sound.
Yet that unusual sound startled the owner of that face like a bird frightened by a bowstring. His eyes snapped open, and he scanned his surroundings, seeing threats everywhere.
Inside the abandoned, unfinished building, the walls had yet to be plastered. The clear moonlight from the window illuminated only a small area, while far more lay in deep, ink-black darkness.
A savage beast seemed ready to leap out of that darkness at any moment and devour someone.
No, savage beasts were not frightening.
Some things were far more frightening than savage beasts.
Rustle.
Another faint scraping sound.
It sounded like the toe of a shoe turning slightly to the left amid the gravel and debris, producing a soft scrape.
It was very faint, but in the silence of the night, as the young man held his breath in terror and focused all his attention on listening, it was also very distinct.
It was no illusion!
It was no stray cat or rat!
The haggard, frail young man jolted into alertness. Without hesitation, he bolted, scrambling and tumbling as he leaped out through the window.
This was the third floor.
Thud!
He landed without the slightest technique, his ankles groaning under the strain as piercing pain shot through them.
But the young man, so thin he seemed little more than skin and bones, had no time for anything else. He simply charged