Chapter 144: A Night Not Fit for Driving

Since high school, Ayano Eiko had rarely watched movies or TV. In her view, spending time on pointless entertainment was a waste; running or fishing was far more beneficial for physical and mental health. Among these so-called entertainment options, she despised horror films the most. To her, they were nothing more than a way for cinemas to generate unnecessary noise or a prelude for perverts to make their moves on unsuspecting women.

Unfortunately, tonight she had unwittingly become the protagonist of a real-life horror scenario.

Driving through the darkness, Eiko glanced into the rearview mirror. After confirming there was nothing behind her, she slowed the car again. Clamping the gun barrel between her knees, she freed her left hand to reload.

She’d lost count of how many shots she’d fired. Thankfully, before running out of bullets, she’d managed to shut the car door—otherwise, she might have become the second victim of the night.

In the pitch black, she hadn’t seen the creature clearly. All she had glimpsed were its eyes. Though illogical, she simply couldn’t conceive of “it” as human.

No human could possess eyes that resembled those of a starving wolf.

People are sometimes insulted as being “beasts in human clothing,” a phrase that criticizes their behavior rather than their appearance. But what she encountered tonight felt like a genuine beast, albeit one with a human-like form.

Accustomed to dealing with humans, even a seasoned officer like Eiko lost some composure in this unprecedented situation. She had fired repeatedly at the creature, yet none of the bullets hit their mark. The thing dodged each shot with astonishing speed, its agility utterly incongruous with its size. It then retreated into the darkness of the trees.

As quickly as she could, Eiko returned to her car and drove away from the park. But as she reached the park’s exit, she abruptly stopped the car.

A wild yet professionally aligned thought crossed her mind: draw the creature out. This might be the best chance to catch it.

The park, surrounded by residential housing and accessible from all sides, wasn’t suited for a containment operation. Eiko immediately called the station. After briefly explaining the situation, she issued instructions to locate a suitable site for an ambush nearby and ordered all available personnel to gather there.

After a tense wait, a sergeant with over fifteen years of experience in the area suggested a location about two kilometers from the park. It was an unfinished development zone, far from residential areas, and ideal for a large-scale operation.

After analyzing the terrain, Eiko approved the plan and instructed the officers to prepare the site and coordinate with neighboring precincts.

The plan was set. All that remained was luring the creature out.

She could only hope it hadn’t left already; otherwise, all the arrangements would be in vain.

Eiko drove back to the park, deliberately slowing her car while reloading her weapon.

As she cautiously observed her surroundings and inserted the second bullet into the chamber, a sudden and violent jolt shook the car from above. The impact was so intense and abrupt that the bullet she was holding slipped from her hand and fell beneath the seat.

Prepared for the worst, Ayano Eiko immediately snapped the revolver’s cylinder back into place and, without hesitation, fired a shot toward the car roof.

The gunshot was followed by a ferocious roar, echoing with primal rage.

Her intuition told her the creature had been hit. For someone as rational as Eiko, this reliance on instinct marked a significant departure from her usual mindset—she had never believed in something as nebulous as intuition before.

“Maybe I won’t need the help of those men after all,” she thought wryly to herself.

But just as she was about to fire a second shot, an enormous claw, easily twice the size of a human hand and glinting ominously in the dim light, smashed through the car window and lunged toward her.

Thankfully, Eiko had not fastened her seatbelt—a decision that now allowed her to quickly drop to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly swipe.

If Officer Tsukida, who had once mocked her as “a desk cop who only knows how to file reports,” were present, he would have been awestruck by her remarkable reflexes.

As the claw continued to slash furiously at the air, Eiko straightened herself and fired two more shots toward the top of the car, where the creature seemed to be.

Two more furious roars rang out, and the unwelcome guest on her roof finally leapt off.

Acting swiftly, Eiko sat upright and slammed her foot on the gas pedal.

The car roared to life, speeding out of the park and onto the main road, heading toward the prearranged location. After driving nearly 200 meters, Eiko slowed the car once more.

If it were an ordinary beast, it would likely flee after experiencing the sting of a bullet. She could only hope that the creature’s rage outweighed its fear; otherwise, the entire ambush plan would be for nothing.

But as she turned a corner and reached the well-lit highway, she began to doubt the creature would follow her. It was too bright here.

Deep down, Eiko had already classified the creature as a bloodthirsty beast. From her understanding of most animals, predators typically avoided bright light. For the first time, she found herself resenting the brilliance of the streetlights lining the road.

Eiko quickly pulled out her phone. She needed to revise the plan and summon all available officers immediately. At this point, operational convenience was a secondary concern—if they waited too long, the creature might escape.

“Hello—” The phone had barely connected when another powerful jolt shook the car from above.

Moments later, a giant claw smashed through the window again, reaching inside.

Such an unimaginative attack pattern, Eiko thought wryly, as she once again leaned sideways to evade the strike.

This time, when she aimed at the spot where the bullet holes were still visible, all she heard was the hollow click of an empty chamber. She was out of bullets.

Cursing under her breath, Eiko pressed down on the gas pedal once more, accelerating sharply.

The sudden burst of speed caused the unwelcome guest on the roof to nearly lose its grip and slide off. Instinctively, its massive claw latched onto the edge of the window frame, while its other hand clung to the opposite side.

With the slightest room to maneuver, Eiko continued flooring the gas pedal while jerking the steering wheel violently from side to side.

It was like a scene straight out of a police action movie. On the desolate road, her speeding car swerved wildly, resembling a drunken driver’s erratic path. On top of the car, a faintly humanoid figure clung precariously, its form barely visible against the night sky.