"Wang Shao?!" Li Yifei and the other two heard the familiar voice and shouted in unison.
They exchanged glances and rushed towards the alley where Wang Shao had left.
Lin Qiyue stood alone, frowning at the dim alley, his expression somewhat serious.
Although he didn't know what had happened, he had a ominous premonition.
The outskirts of the old city, a sadistic killer, eerie stench, screams...
Something was off.
After hesitating for a while, Lin Qiyue sighed helplessly and lifted his white cane, heading towards the alley.
Normally, Lin Qiyue wouldn't bother with such situations and would run in the opposite direction as fast as possible. If someone screamed, it meant trouble—robbery, murder, or witnessing a crime scene. Lin Qiyue had no interest in getting involved.
But this situation was different.
If they hadn't escorted Lin Qiyue home, Wang Shao might have taken another route or returned a few minutes earlier, avoiding the current predicament.
He didn't like meddling, but he disliked owing favors even more.
Regardless, he had to go and see what had happened, a small gesture of goodwill. If things got dangerous, he'd run.
With his eyes still covered, Lin Qiyue's speed didn't falter. The closer he got to the source of the screams, the tighter his brows furrowed.
The stench was getting stronger.
"Ahhhh!!!"
A second scream echoed from around the corner, this time a woman's voice.
Jiang Qian!
Lin Qiyue suddenly stopped at the corner of the alley. Within his range of spiritual perception, he detected the figures of Jiang Qian and the others.
Not far in front of him, Jiang Qian was collapsing on the ground, staring in terror ahead, trembling.
In front of her, Liu Yuan and Li Yifei were frozen, their eyes fixed on something ahead, also trembling.
Further away, Lin Qiyue couldn't perceive.
He hesitated for a moment, but after some internal struggle, he sighed and reluctantly lifted his white cane to charge into the alley.
If it were any other time, Lin Qiyue would never have gotten involved. He would have run in the opposite direction as soon as possible. But he couldn't ignore the fact that they had promised to escort him home. And besides, they had willingly put themselves in this situation.
He may not be curious, sympathetic, or a hero, but he had no choice.
Lin Qiyue, blindfolded, moved swiftly. As he got closer to the source of the screams, his expression became increasingly grim.
The stench intensified.
"What happened?" Lin Qiyue asked in a hushed voice.
Jiang Qian seemed startled by Lin Qiyue's sudden appearance. She grabbed his clothes in panic, teeth chattering.
"Monster... a monster is devouring Wang Shao's face!"
Lin Qiyue's complexion instantly changed.
"Run!"
Lin Qiyue and Li Yifei simultaneously roared.
As the word escaped their lips, Liu Yuan, like a mad dog, abruptly turned around and sprinted away. After colliding with Lin Qiyue, he quickly climbed up, playing a desperate escape act.
"Monster! Help! Someone help! Monster!" He screamed while running.
Li Yifei had already run off right after yelling "run." His speed was faster than Liu Yuan, who had momentarily delayed Lin Qiyue. However, even with this brief delay, Li Yifei was far ahead.
If Liu Yuan hadn't stumbled into Lin Qiyue, he might have been as far away as Li Yifei by now.
But even in this instant, everyone forgot Lin Qiyue's identity as a "disabled person." The classmates who had just sworn to escort him home completely left him behind.
Confronted with such a bloody and terrifying scene, fear took hold of everyone's minds.
Lin Qiyue had only taken a few steps when something entered his spiritual perception within the ten-meter range.
It looked like a person, yet not quite.
It resembled a human, having limbs and a head, but at the moment, it moved like a hyena, using all four limbs to run on the ground, with a massive size like that of a bear.
Most importantly, it had a ghostly face on its head.
Pale and contorted.
A long, crimson tongue, like a snake, extended half a meter from its mouth, writhing agilely.
Lin Qiyue's face immediately turned ugly.
Its speed was too fast. In a few steps, it had leaped from beyond ten meters into Lin Qiyue's spiritual perception range, and it was rapidly approaching him at an astonishing speed.
He could already feel a gust of wind sweeping in from behind.
On the side, Jiang Qian also felt it. Her face turned pale, and fear and panic filled her heart. She stiffly turned her head a little to see how far away the monster was.
It should be quite far, right?
"Don't look back!" Lin Qiyue's voice suddenly sounded from the side.
But it was too late. Jiang Qian's pupils suddenly contracted as the monstrous and terrifying ghost face almost touched her face. She could feel the rich smell of blood coming from it.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Another scream echoed in the alley. She closed her eyes abruptly, intending to take off her backpack and smash it onto the monster's body.
She was completely panicked.
A backpack wasn't a weapon, and she wasn't a trained warrior. In this life-or-death situation, whoever lost their composure first would lose their life.
The monster grabbed the backpack strap, and its brute force transferred to Jiang Qian. She suddenly lost her balance, stumbled, and fell to the ground.
A heavy shadow fell abruptly, crashing onto her...
In the next moment, fresh blood stained the night crimson.