Descent: The Little Monster Descended.

Ye Jiang obtained Yu Qingyi's off-work time and workplace location, and wrote them down so that her sieve-like brain wouldn't forget.

The room was very quiet, and the furnishings were no different from when Ye Jiang left. Ye Jiang sat down on the sofa, and after a while, she stood up and went to stand by the window.

A sense of unease rose within her, an unease that she couldn't pinpoint the cause of.

Because of this inexplicable anxiety, she didn't contact Dong Zhen and the Invisible Man to ask them how their house-hunting had gone over the past month; she ignored them.

She stood by the window, like a green plant rooted there, until night fell and darkness completely enveloped the room.

As midnight approached, she suddenly moved in the darkness, leaving the apartment through the window like the wind.

Ye Jiang swiftly weaved through the city's high-rises, the scenery constantly changing before her eyes. Perhaps it was because she had been away from City A for too long, causing her to feel a sense of unfamiliarity with the city, but she felt that City A was too quiet tonight, the air pressure a bit low... like the calm before a storm.

The place ahead was Yu Qingyi's workplace. Ye Jiang stopped her random thoughts and could already see her friend, who was saying goodbye to her colleagues.

Exhaling from her chest, Ye Jiang was about to go over when suddenly a bolt of lightning exploded in the Sky. The sound was so loud that even Ye Jiang experienced a momentary ringing in her ears. After the ringing, there was boundless silence, and the sound disappeared from her ears for two seconds. In those two seconds of silence, a colossal creature crashed down from the sky, its body covered in bumps and lumps, its body enormous, its legs deformed and thin, resembling a spider but not quite. It descended from the sky, its Pollution thick and inky, thickly covering the city's Sky.

Thud--

The Polluted landed and destroyed countless houses.

Ye Jiang froze. Her eyesight was excellent; she clearly saw Yu Qingyi, who had been smiling and saying goodbye to her colleagues just a moment ago, being pierced through by a flying steel bar the next second. It was so fast that even her defensive gear didn't have time to activate. The Polluted that landed were frantically destroying the surrounding houses. Ye Jiang's mind was buzzing. She hadn't even realized that her speed had suddenly increased to the point of tearing through space. She practically teleported to Yu Qingyi's side and caught the falling body. Hot human blood flowed onto her hands. She shuddered, and a corner of her memory was pried open.

As memories surfaced, she finally realized what she had been anxious about.

Sometimes, the wishes of a dying person can break through the barrier and enter the Inner World, where they can be heard by a monster whose soul is highly in sync with that person's. The monster then descends upon the person by receiving the wish, and at the same time, receives the person's memories.

On that day, Ye Jiang, who was in a deep sleep, heard the wishes of humankind in the chaos.

Chapter 103 The Little Monster Arrives.

Three years ago, in City S.

In a modest restaurant, two girls sat facing each other, one outgoing and cheerful, the other introverted and shy, with a cake placed between them on the table.

"Blow out the candles! Qingqing, blow out the candles!" The cheerful and outgoing girl urged with a loud laugh, her voice a little loud, attracting the attention of the surrounding diners.

"Shh--" The birthday girl was so shy that she almost wanted to bury her head in the cake. She kept shushing her friends to keep their voices down. The diners who looked over saw that it was just two little girls celebrating their birthdays and smiled kindly, making the introverted girl blush.

She gave her friend a reproachful look, then cautiously leaned forward and gently blew out the candles on the cake.

The restaurant suddenly darkened several degrees, even though it was still daytime and they were just blowing out a candle. The two girls turned their heads in unison and looked out the glass wall. A huge tree suddenly came into their view, its stark white branches growing rapidly upwards, and a crescent moon instantly illuminated the branches.

"... What is that?" the cheerful girl murmured softly, her loud voice barely registering as she lowered it, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Suddenly, the restaurant diners rushed out, their faces flushed with excitement, muttering a name—

Moon Tree.

There is a wondrous tree in the world, with a crescent-shaped crimson crescent hanging high in the sky, known as the Moon Tree.

The two girls were stunned. Was this the legendary Moon Tree? This enormous tree covered almost half the city. They weren't under the tree, but they weren't far from it either, as if they could reach out and touch it.

The cheerful girl barely hesitated; she jumped up, grabbed the introverted girl, and ran towards the Moon Tree, just like everyone else in the city.

Where are we going?

"Of course we'll go to the Moon Tree, to—receive—the—moon—brightness!"

"Huh?"

"Qingqing, you're so lucky! You actually encountered the Moon Tree on your birthday. With your good fortune, you're sure to catch the Miracle Moon!"

"... It's not just my luck."

The introverted girl blushed slightly at the compliment. Her friend held her hand tightly, a little sweaty from excitement. Touched by the friend's enthusiasm, the girl's heart skipped a beat, and a secret expectation rose within her... Could she really catch the miracle moon?

That day, the entire City S was abuzz with excitement, all heading towards the miracle tree with the same anticipation as the girl.

They thought they were luckier than others, having witnessed the birth of the Moon Tree, unaware that death was on its way.

An unprecedented S-Rank Polluted suddenly appeared, bringing with it overwhelming Pollution. A murderous storm instantly arose, darkening the sky and raging on, causing countless lives to perish in an instant.

Over there, the Moon Tree stands serenely, unaffected by the storm, a picture of tranquility. Over here, the storm rages, and people wail and cry out in despair. The difference between heaven and hell is no greater than this.

The two girls were not spared either; they were thrown over by the storm, one seriously injured and the other unconscious.

The one who was most cheerful was seriously injured; a large hole was torn open in her chest, and her vision was blurred.

She was so badly injured that she only had time to check on her friend's condition before her body lost all function and she lay down in a daze.

In the final moments of her life, she saw the Moon Tree; it was so close to her.

However, they are worlds apart despite being so close.

She tried to reach out and grasp the illusory moonlight, but grasped only air.

She was filled with remorse, hating herself for being so greedy for a miracle. If she hadn't dragged her friend to try and catch the moon, perhaps this whole mess wouldn't have happened.

At this moment, the girl was unaware that the S-Rank Polluted that had descended upon the city were ruthless and merciless, and the storm had swept through the entire city. She thought they had only experienced a normal Polluted incident, and that as long as they didn't leave the restaurant, they wouldn't suffer any more. However, because of her greed, she ended up neglecting even the most important thing—she couldn't be with her on such an important day.

She felt so guilty when her friend offered a word of blessing.

[Please send someone to say to my friend on my behalf—Happy Birthday.]

[Please send someone to tell her... that even if she's alone in the future, she must live well.]

The dying human girl silently prayed in her heart.

The monster heard it.

The monster is coming.

Monster... I forgot.

After lying in a coma for three years without knowing the cause, the monster finally awoke. She had forgotten her host's wish, and even forgotten herself. The host's wish was so simple; it should have been fulfilled the moment she crossed the interdimensional gate, but she only remembered it now.

No wonder she was restless and anxious; after all, she had been putting off a simple wish for three long years.

No, not three years.

Ding--The city center bells rang, midnight had arrived, and a new day had begun.

It was four years.

Today is the birthday of this human woman named Yu Qingyi, which is why she hoped her friend could go home today, and that's why she didn't refuse her friend's offer to pick her up from work.

Four whole years have passed, Ye Jiang thought to herself, "This monster is me."

The healing power flowed freely into the body of the person in his arms. His critically injured, near-death human friend slowly opened his eyes, and their gazes met—

"Happy birthday."

Ye Jiang offered her belated congratulations.

"I'm sorry, I forgot your birthday."

Ye Jiang offered a belated apology.

The human woman was lost in thought, her eyelashes trembling violently, whether from pain or something else, she stared blankly at Ye Jiang. The spider-like Polluted was rampaging on another street, its spider silk shooting out like steel wires, violently destroying everything around it. With a loud crash, a tall building collapsed. Ye Jiang heard the sound and turned her head. The human in her arms had been almost healed by her. She thought for a moment, then withdrew her healing hand, put the human down, and stood up.

As soon as she made a move, the human woman's eyes trembled in surprise. Ye Jiang's expression remained indifferent, but her voice softened considerably.

"I'll go take care of things over there first," she said.

"Over there" refers to the Polluted caused the riot.

The human woman didn't speak. She seemed to be traumatized by her recent injury, remaining motionless like a soulless doll. She just stared at Ye Jiang as if Ye Jiang was the only person in her world.

Ye Jiang's expression shifted slightly, and she added, "Soon."

The human woman seemed to understand, and her eyes stopped twitching. Seeing this, Ye Jiang vanished.

No one could detect her departure; even the air currents changed long after she had gone. In the blink of an eye, Ye Jiang found herself on another street. The monstrous Polluted was roaring and raging, then froze in place, a hole torn in its chest, a piece of its body missing. On the rooftop of a building in the distance, Ye Jiang stood quietly, holding a piece of dark flesh in her hand—the very piece of flesh that had been missing from the Polluted's chest.

The Polluted froze for a few seconds, then raised its head and let out a painful roar that startled the entire city. The people who had been desperately fleeing since the Polluted appeared were terrified, thinking their end was near. In their fear, they looked up and saw the Polluted dropping something to the ground. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was pieces of flesh and skin. The Polluted's massive body was inexplicably rotting and falling apart!