Translator: CinderTL
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The high school years were merely a simple endpoint, and people would inevitably change in the dye pot of society.
Chen Feng remained calm, indifferent to the conversation as the two left.
He was no longer the original owner, and aside from the only connection, Chen Yun, he had no desire to care about other relationships.
Soon, time passed, and midnight arrived once again.
With a swish, the mop was placed at the door, and Chen Feng lowered the metal roller shutter.
"Xiao Feng, we'll head off first. You stay safe on your way back," Li Hongxia said as she adjusted the electric scooter and hopped on.
Behind her, Xu Yao followed, carrying an old backpack, and turned to look at him, her bright eyes shining.
"Goodbye, Brother Chen Feng."
"Take care, Sister Hongxia."
"Goodbye, Xiao Yao."
With a gentle nod, Chen Feng waved goodbye to the mother and daughter.
He watched them leave slowly, the red lights of the scooter fading at the end of the street.
Only then did he turn around, carrying the bag with his practice clothes, heading in the direction of the neighborhood.
Tap, tap!
The sound of footsteps echoed along the road.
The streetlight poles were old, their white paint yellowed, and the flickering light cast a series of oval-shaped patches on the ground, each about two to three meters wide.
Every five or six meters, there was a streetlight, and the dim night sky covered most of the view.
Tap, tap!
The footsteps continued, and as usual, he felt a gnawing hunger.
Prepared in advance, Chen Feng took out two energy bars from his bag, tore open the wrappers, and stuffed them into his mouth.
Crunch!
Crunch!
The crisp sound echoed in his head as the taste of the milk-flavored bars filled his stomach.
Full and satisfied, his eyes scanned the road, and Chen Feng noticed an empty water bottle and some scattered plastic bags.
He continued walking until, two minutes later, he reached the spot near the old barbecue stand.
The area was deserted, with the ground still stained with oil stains from previous days. Two flattened beer cans lay on either side.
"Did they really stop setting up their stall?"
Chen Feng was somewhat surprised. He remembered the barbecue vendor as a man in his late forties. He used to set up the stall here every day, rain or shine, so it was strange that the stall hadn't appeared for two days in a row.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, his gaze shifted.
Chen Feng looked toward the nearest streetlight pole.
Missing Person Notice.
Zhao Guoqiang, male, 49 years old, disappeared after closing his stall on the night of August 16th...
A reward of 5,000 yuan will be given to anyone providing clues, and additional rewards will be given if the person is found...
The notice contained both text and a photo. Chen Feng glanced at it, his eyebrows furrowing as his expression grew serious.
The photo was of the barbecue vendor, Zhao Guoqiang.
And, most importantly...
"August 16th, wasn't that just the day before yesterday?"
A cold feeling ran down Chen Feng's spine as he suddenly realized that the air around him seemed to carry a strange, metallic scent.
Hiss!
A faint sound like a snake's tongue flicking out, followed by the slow approach of heavy footsteps.
Thud!
Thud!
The surrounding light was suddenly blocked, and a thick, overwhelming malice enveloped the area.
In an instant, a chill ran through him, and his skin crawled.
He saw a shadow rush toward him on the ground, and without thinking, Chen Feng immediately rolled forward and dove.
Whoosh!
Boom!
A black shadow appeared where he had been just a moment ago, and the nearby streetlight pole was struck by a thick arm.
Iron shavings flew, and the metal surface showed a slight dent.
Chen Feng's pupils contracted, and his gaze followed the thick arm, slowly moving upward.
The figure was clad in black robes, with a hood covering its face, and its body stood nearly 1.85 meters tall.
Broad, heavy.
The face was shrouded in shadow, but the most prominent feature were the blood-red eyes.
Veins like those of a snake's pupils, bloodshot and intense.
Dimly, Chen Feng thought he could hear it opening its mouth, expelling something that resembled a snake's tongue.
"Is it that monster?!"
The thought struck him, and Chen Feng suddenly remembered the blood-red eyes he'd seen in the alley nearby before.
At the time, the distance was too great to make out clearly, but now, with a closer look, he realized how similar the two eyes were.
Whoosh!
Just as his mind was distracted by the memory, a crackling sound followed.
The creature withdrew its arm from the streetlight pole and, with a stomp, lunged forward.
The air whistled as it blurred into a black shadow, shooting toward him like a cheetah.
"Move!"
"Move, now!"
A cold chill gripped his heart as the air seemed to grow heavier with the creature's foul scent.
In the face of death, Chen Feng felt a wave of intense malice and fear that seemed to invade his mind like a tidal wave.
It felt like the difference between life and death, as if the predator at the top of the food chain had locked its sights on him.
His body froze, his limbs unresponsive, and he could only stand there, watching as the creature flew toward him.
"Move, damn it!!"
Whoosh!
The inner scream resounded as Chen Feng's willpower suddenly surged, and with it, all the negative emotions were swept away, leaving him in a state of calm.
In a moment of clarity, the image of the Crimson Tiger flying through the sky appeared in his mind.
Roar!!!
The fiery tiger howled, the king of beasts!
In an instant, his blood began to boil, and his heart raced like an engine.
His figure flickered, and Chen Feng executed the Hungry Tiger Leaps the Gorge from the Flame Tiger Stance.
Boom!!!
A low, resounding hum reverberated through the air as the monster appeared where he had been moments before.
Its thick arm struck the air, and Chen Feng suddenly realized that its palm was tinged with blue, the veins wriggling like small snakes.
Before he could recover his senses, the black-robed creature twisted its body, launching a fierce side kick.
Whoosh!
The air vibrated with a loud whistling sound as the attack surged toward him like a constrictor.
There was no way to avoid it, no way to retreat!
Sensing the killing intent and indifference, and recalling that he had just begun practicing martial arts...
In that instant, Chen Feng's blood boiled as his eyes flashed with madness.
'Explosive Fist!'
He roared inwardly, his arm muscles swelling as if waves were crashing.
Since he couldn't avoid it, he would take the blow head-on!
Boom!
In an instant, his already muscular right arm expanded even further, and with tremendous force, he struck the attack.
Boom!!
Fist met foot.
Violent power surged, and the shockwave struck.
Chen Feng staggered back several steps.
The surrounding area fell eerily silent, the gust of wind from the impact sweeping through the night.
Tap, tap!
Finally, he found his footing, steadying his stance.
Chen Feng raised his head, his bright eyes gleaming with intensity.
There was no fear, no hesitation, only a trace of exhilaration and madness.
"I can fight it!"
Calculating calmly, Chen Feng shook his arm to ease the tension from the powerful punch.
Looking over, he saw that although the black-robed creature hadn't retreated, it had paused momentarily, its breath heavy.
Chen Feng's senses sharpened, and he realized that if he ignored the intense malice, the creature's strength seemed to be at a professional level, around the first or second tier.
In other words, though the monster was strong, it wasn't invincible.
As long as he was fast enough, strong enough, and ruthless enough...
He could still pop its head with a single punch!
(End of the Chapter)
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Translated 4 Series, 1.5K+ Chapters and 1.78M+ Words.