The Bloodstained Alley

"Huff, huff..."

Shen Heng watched the black dog shaking its head madly with its teeth clamped around his arm. Gasping for breath, he endured the searing pain of his arm being torn and struggled to calm himself.

"A copper head, iron bones, and a tofu waist! Hitting its head won't work. I have to attack its waist!"

At that thought, Shen Heng swiftly changed his target, raising his hand to hammer at the black dog's waist.

Thud! Thud! Thud! ...

"Awoo, awoo..."

This time, the big black dog finally reacted, pained whimpers rising from its throat now and then.

Even so, its sharp teeth remained locked around Shen Heng's arm as though they had taken root, without the slightest sign of letting go.

Seeing that attacking its waist worked, Shen Heng felt as though he had grasped a lifesaving straw. He frantically raised his hand again and again, pounding relentlessly at the black dog's waist.

Time ticked by, second after second.

He had no idea whether one minute, five minutes, or ten minutes had passed...

"Hah... hah..."

Ragged gasps echoed through the alley.

Shen Heng felt the world before his eyes draining of color. Only the tearing agony in his left arm remained painfully clear-warm blood was gushing from the wounds where the dog's fangs met.

Was I... going to die?

Would I... die?

The two thoughts flashed alternately through Shen Heng's mind, yet his muddled brain inexplicably cleared at that moment.

He raised his head again, his gaze fixed on the enormous dog's head before his chest, on the two blood-red gleams swaying constantly along with it...

He raised his hand...

"Awooo..."

A scream of agony suddenly rang through the narrow alley. The black dog abruptly released Shen Heng's arm and desperately pulled back.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Heng swiftly raised his legs and clamped them around the black dog like pincers, locking his entire body onto the big black dog.

"Wait, let go! Let go of me!" the big black dog screamed in agony.

But Shen Heng paid no attention whatsoever, frantically burrowing deeper with the fingers he had plunged into the black dog's eye socket.

"Hey! I told you to stop! Stop, and I'll let you all go!!" the big black dog howled in pain.

"Heh... do you think I'm an idiot? If I let you go now, I'll be the one who dies!" Shen Heng grinned savagely. Adrenaline surged wildly through his body, letting him temporarily forget his physical agony.

His eyes reddened, his gaze locked on the big black dog, with only one conviction in his heart.

Either I kill it, or it kills me!

Shen Heng drove his fingers into the big black dog's head with increasing force, every inch deeper accompanied by its agonized struggles.

Sensing Shen Heng's resolve, a trace of madness appeared in the big black dog's remaining right eye as well.

It opened its mouth to bite Shen Heng again while dragging his body toward the wall and slamming into it.

Watching the enormous jaws lunge toward him, Shen Heng unhesitatingly thrust his left hand into them. Just as he was about to move his right hand again, his back slammed hard against the wall.

"Pfft-"

A mouthful of blood spilled from Shen Heng's mouth.

He gritted his teeth, a hint of scarlet rising in his eyes, and exerted his right hand, frantically driving his fingertips into the black dog's head.

Thud! Thud! Thud! ...

The sounds of flesh striking the wall rang madly through the alley.

Both figures had descended into a frenzy. They could no longer spare a thought for anything else. All that mattered now was who could...

Hold on!

At last, a soft sensation traveled from his fingertips to Shen Heng's brain.

A flash of joy crossed his eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly plunged his right hand inside.

Squelch-!

In an instant, the black dog, which had still been running and struggling madly, suddenly stiffened. After standing frozen for a moment, it collapsed limply.

Its brain had been utterly destroyed!

Feeling the body pinning him down stop moving, Shen Heng let out a heavy breath.

Whether from losing too much blood or some other reason, all he felt now were waves of numbness throughout his body. He could not muster the slightest strength.

Never mind pushing the big black dog's corpse off him-he did not even have the strength to pull his hands out of its head and mouth. He could only lie on the ground, gasping for breath.

Just then, an inexplicable warm current flowed through Shen Heng's body, bringing waves of comfort. Even the sounds beside his ears became much clearer.

"A final flicker before death...?" Shen Heng murmured, his voice so faint that even he could barely hear it.

The warm current faded as quickly as it had come. Soon, Shen Heng's body gradually grew numb again. He paid it no mind-or rather, he had expected this all along.

He simply lay on the ground, staring up at the night sky and breathing heavily.

Time passed, second by second.

The breathing beside Shen Heng's ears grew heavier and heavier, and the world before his eyes gradually began to sway...

He had no idea how much time passed.

Just as Shen Heng's consciousness was growing hazy, a bright beam of light pierced the darkness.

Finally... someone's here...? Shen Heng thought sluggishly as his vision gradually sank into darkness.

After he passed out, two police officers soon reached the depths of the alley.

The two fell silent as they surveyed the bloodstained alley and the three figures lying on the ground. A suffocating tension and oppressive weight hung over the scene.

"What do we do now?" one of the officers asked.

The other officer took a deep breath. "Check on these two. I'll report to Captain Fan!"

"Right!"

The officer who had asked nodded, and the two swiftly set about their respective tasks.

"Captain Fan, we've arrived at the scene!" the officer who had just given the instructions said into the radio at his shoulder.

A reply soon came through the radio. "What's the situation?"

"Dead!" The officer glanced at the calamity beast's corpse, which had been flipped aside, his tone grave.

After his report, the radio fell silent. Only after a moment did the voice return:

"All right, understood! Did the calamity beast get away?"

"Huh?" The reporting officer was taken aback, but quickly realized that the other man had misunderstood him. He corrected himself. "No, I meant the calamity beast is dead!"

Having said that, he seemed worried about being misunderstood and added:

"It was already dead before we arrived!"

"The calamity beast was dead before you arrived?" Astonishment came through the radio, followed by a string of questions. "Did the caller kill it? What weapon did he use? How is he?"

The reporting officer glanced at the officer crouching beside the young man. After watching him say a few words, he replied:

"He's all right, but... it looks like he didn't use a weapon!"

"You're telling me a high school student killed an unranked calamity beast without a weapon?" An astonished voice came through the radio.

While waiting, they had already used the phone number to find its owner's information. He was merely a student who had not yet graduated from his final year of high school.

Never mind a mere student-even with the officers under his command, he would not dare claim they could kill a calamity beast single-handedly with their bare hands!

The reporting officer glanced at the blood-spattered alley. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded gravely.

"I'm afraid... that's right!"