"It's grown up!"
Peng Sisi frowned.
Duan Ming didn't quite understand what Peng Sisi meant.
He didn't rush forward immediately, because he still didn't know much about what this thing was capable of.
Although he had attended many educational classes about monsters, he really had never learned about this kind.
The humanoid monster ahead seemed to sense someone behind it. It stopped and turned to look at Duan Ming and Peng Sisi.
In an instant, the monster's appearance was so ugly it nearly made Duan Ming cry.
Its face was as long as a bitter melon and pitch-black. It had not a single hair on its head, its forehead was exceptionally high, and its mouth stretched back behind its ears. Four eyes bulged wide as they locked onto Duan Ming and Peng Sisi.
Whoosh-!
In an instant, Duan Ming and Peng Sisi both used the Qi within their bodies and entered a combat-ready state.
Duan Ming glanced at Peng Sisi.
Her Qi was blue.
Didn't that mean she had at least three Divine Marks?
Just as Qi appeared around their bodies, the monster took a step back.
It was as though it could sense the Qi on Duan Ming and Peng Sisi and knew they weren't ordinary people.
Or perhaps it was because Duan Ming was carrying the Snake-Tiger Beast's teeth, and their aura made it uneasy.
After hesitating for a moment, it let go of the corpse on the ground, turned, and ran into an alley nearby.
Duan Ming and Peng Sisi ran forward at the same time.
"He's beyond saving. His internal organs have all been smashed."
Peng Sisi crouched down and examined the man's corpse.
Then she looked in the direction the monster had fled. "I never thought that thing actually survived."
"You know it?"
"This kind of monster is called a Four-Eyed Ghost. They often imitate a baby's cries to lure people over, so we call them children. Three months ago, six Four-Eyed Ghosts appeared in Jiang City. The City Protection Bureau dealt with five of them, but they could never find the remaining little one." Peng Sisi continued, "But this kind of monster often dies young, especially without its companions' protection. They basically can't survive on their own, so the City Protection Bureau didn't devote all its efforts to finding the remaining little one. Who would have thought it not only survived, but grew this big in just three months!"
"Can the two of us handle it?"
"We probably can, but it's too risky," Peng Sisi said worriedly. "This kind of monster is very strong. Any casual punch can unleash over a ton of force. Getting hit by one is no joke."
"Then let's wait for the City Protection Bureau to come deal with it."
Duan Ming wanted to kill the monster too, but he'd rather forget it if he wasn't sure he could handle it.
If he rushed in to show off now, he might get beaten so badly his own mother wouldn't recognize him.
"But it'll probably take seven or eight minutes for the City Protection Bureau to get here. By then, the monster will be long gone, and finding it again won't be easy. Besides, it could hurt someone else in the meantime!"
Peng Sisi looked at Duan Ming. "You, go!"
"Me? Go?"
Duan Ming looked around.
Aside from him, there didn't seem to be anyone else here.
"There's no one here but you and me. My ability is useful, but it isn't suited for combat. In a fight, I might not even be able to beat you." Peng Sisi blinked and said, "Surely you don't want to see a great beauty like me beaten until her face is ruined?"
"But what if I can't beat it either?"
"If you can't beat it, stall for time and wait for the City Protection Bureau. If you really can't manage, run." Peng Sisi spoke with absolute conviction. "Neither of us has graduated yet, but every Divine Power Master has a responsibility to stop this monster from hurting anyone else."
"You're guilt-tripping me..."
Duan Ming wore an expression that said he had nothing left to live for.
"Don't worry. With me here, no matter what happens, I can keep you safe," Peng Sisi said with absolute conviction.
Seeing how confident Peng Sisi was, Duan Ming looked toward the entrance of the alley where the Four-Eyed Ghost had fled.
The two reached the corner of the second alley, but there was no sign of the Four-Eyed Ghost.
"Let's split up and look. I'll call the City Protection Bureau." After saying that, Peng Sisi entered another alley. "I'll shout when I find it."
"Where's the Four-Eyed Ghost?"
After searching several alleys, Duan Ming still hadn't found any trace of the Four-Eyed Ghost.
This was an old district about to be demolished. Old buildings stood in rows, forming a complex maze of paths leading in every direction.
Looking for the Four-Eyed Ghost here was like playing hide-and-seek.
For all he knew, it was already hiding in one of the buildings.
"Yeah, I can't find it. I'm done looking."
He hadn't graduated yet. He was still just a kid, and he wasn't even getting paid. Why risk his life?
It would be fine if he could beat it.
But charging ahead when he couldn't beat it would be like carrying a lantern into a latrine-looking for shit, or rather, looking for death.
He might not have had much schooling, but he wasn't stupid.
Besides, the injuries he'd suffered last night still hadn't healed.
His phone rang.
Duan Ming answered. "Hello?"
"How's it going on your end? Did you find it?"
"No."
"Then stop looking. We'll leave it to the City Protection Bureau when they get here. Head back now and meet at the place we were just at."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Duan Ming looked at the alleys around him.
"I think I'm... lost."
After turning through two alleys, Duan Ming ended up in a dead end.
"No, I don't just think so. I really am lost..."
Duan Ming wandered through the alleys for a full five minutes, but still couldn't find his way out.
What was he supposed to do now?
Call Peng Sisi and tell her he was lost?
Didn't he have any face to save?
The main problem was that the buildings here followed no pattern whatsoever. On top of that, the sky was gray and overcast, with a light rain drizzling down. He couldn't see the sun at all, so he had no way to tell which direction he was going.
After wandering through the alleys for a while longer, Duan Ming still hadn't found the place they'd been before.
Faint sounds of fighting came from not far away.
Those sounds seemed like a beacon guiding Duan Ming.
He immediately hurried in their direction.
The sounds of fighting grew closer and closer, accompanied by a voice giving instructions.
"Don't take it head-on! This thing is really strong. Whatever you do, don't let it hit you!"
The young man's voice sounded familiar.
It was Zhang You!
The leader of the City Protection Bureau's Squad Two, Group E!
Duan Ming ran through the alleys and followed the sounds to their source.
A short distance ahead, a young man lay on the ground with his mouth full of blood. Peng Sisi had one hand on his chest and seemed to be treating his injuries.
Farther ahead were the Four-Eyed Ghost and Zhang You, who was on the verge of going mad.
He too held a blade, a large saber resembling those used by executioners in ancient times, and was fighting the Four-Eyed Ghost.
Zhang You's eyes were bloodshot. Two teammates who had followed him for three years had been killed, and he was now on the verge of going berserk.
The Four-Eyed Ghost's arms were very long, but the alley wasn't narrow, so it could move freely.
The walls were covered in marks left by fists, and chunks of concrete knocked loose by the Four-Eyed Ghost lay scattered on the ground.
Bang!
The Four-Eyed Ghost's fist left a deep crater in the wall.
That punch looked like it could kill an ox!
Duan Ming came to Peng Sisi's side.
"I'm using my Power of God to treat him. The other two were already dead before I got here," Peng Sisi said. "This Four-Eyed Ghost is stronger than an ordinary adult Four-Eyed Ghost. It's very likely the Ghost King's offspring."
Duan Ming stood up, but he had only taken one step forward when Zhang You stopped him.
"Stay back! I'm going to slaughter this beast with my own hands!"
Zhang You's voice bordered on madness as the large saber in his hand flashed up and down.
But though the Four-Eyed Ghost looked bulky, it was actually very agile. Nearly every one of his slashes missed.
Bang! A punch!
It struck Zhang You squarely on the left shoulder, accompanied by the sound of bones shattering.
That sound definitely hadn't come from the bones in the Four-Eyed Ghost's fist.
It came from Zhang You. His entire shoulder had been shattered.