Chapter 146: Retreat

Although she had been a free chauffeur for that thing all night, it wasn’t until now that Ayano Eiko truly saw the passenger who had forced her into this role.

From a distance, it appeared to be an ordinary human. After all, it stood upright like a person and—most strikingly—it wore pants and a gray shirt?!

This bizarre, avant-garde “fashion” made the police inspector think of pets dressed in artificial clothing by their owners.

The shirt, tattered to the point of being worse than anything worn by the most destitute vagrant, was undeniably a shirt. Through its many tears, she could clearly see yellowish-brown fur beneath.

Compared to the shirt, the pants were in much better condition, though they were so filthy their original color was impossible to discern.

Because the creature was facing the man, Eiko couldn’t see its face. All she could see was its back, with hair—if it could even be called that—on the back of its head, the same yellow as its fur.

Its so-called “hands” were similarly covered in yellow-brown fur. Their oversized appearance was likely due to the fur adding bulk. At the fingertips, sharp, black claws extended long and menacing.

This creature reminded Eiko of a werewolf, a mythical being from legend.

“You with the gun over there—how long are you planning to stand around gawking?” Even in the middle of such an intense battle, Lei Yin’s awareness of his surroundings was sharp. Especially since the woman stood directly behind the monster, well within his peripheral vision.

The man’s shout jolted Eiko out of her shock, though his tone left her somewhat annoyed.

Despite her irritation, she knew what she had to do. Without hesitation, she ran toward the battle.

Truthfully, Lei Yin wasn’t thrilled about this woman suddenly interfering, but the situation was growing increasingly unfavorable for him.

With his internal energy fully unleashed, Lei Yin’s strikes seemed effective. The creature repeatedly let out pained howls, but the intensity of the attacks only seemed to enrage it further. Its bloodshot eyes glowed faintly red, and its gleaming black claws slashed through the air with a vengeance, the creature hellbent on tearing its enemy to shreds.

While the monster’s attacks were repetitive and predictable, Lei Yin’s situation was far worse.

The wounds on his back were bleeding heavily, soaking his entire shirt. His punches were growing weaker, the power draining from his body.

If this were Lei Yin’s peak condition, an opponent of this caliber wouldn’t have been worth mentioning. Even unarmed, a full-force strike would have been enough to obliterate it instantly. However, achieving his peak condition was a rare occurrence.

In his previous life, Lei Yin had been fortunate to reincarnate into the body of a child under the age of eight. For nearly twenty years, training had become as natural to him as eating and sleeping. By the time he reached adulthood, his physical body had unknowingly reached the pinnacle of human potential.

Now, however, this body was far from ideal. Stunted growth, blocked meridians, and too little training time meant that he had only recovered about 20% of his former strength. That was more than enough to overpower ordinary opponents, but in a melee against this kind of monster, it was insufficient. Of course, if he had a weapon at hand, it would be a completely different story.

As Ayano Eiko approached, the creature seemed to catch the familiar scent of gunpowder from her weapon’s barrel. Before she could get close, it turned its face towards her for a brief glance.

That fleeting look allowed Eiko to finally see the creature’s grotesque visage.

Though it didn’t have the exaggerated, protruding fangs she’d imagined, its sharp teeth rivaled those of a wild wolf. Its grotesquely twisted features, combined with the long fur covering its face, reminded her of illustrations of ancient primates from her high school biology textbook.

The creature’s hatred for Eiko appeared to surpass even that for Lei Yin. Upon seeing her, it immediately abandoned its fight with him and charged in her direction.

Two sharp gunshots rang out in the empty parking lot, their echo unsettling to the ears.

Despite its rage, the creature clearly remembered the danger of the weapon in her hands. When it was still dozens of meters away from her, it saw Eiko raise the black firearm again. With agility that belied its size, it leaped onto the roof of a nearby car, narrowly dodging the bullets. Like a primal Tarzan, it began jumping from car roof to car roof, fleeing toward the parking lot exit.

Eiko quickly gave chase, firing another shot at its back. The bullet grazed its scalp, prompting a furious roar before it fled even faster. Soon, it leaped out of the parking lot entirely, and Eiko, undeterred, continued her pursuit.

Watching the creature and the woman disappear into the night, Lei Yin finally exhaled in relief. A wave of dizziness hit him, and he had to lean against a car for support.

“Lei, are you alright?” Naoko asked, tears welling in her eyes as she rushed to help him. She had been too scared to call out earlier, afraid it would distract him, but now, seeing him covered in blood, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Help me take off my shirt and tear it to bind my wound,” Lei Yin instructed, his voice calm but weakening from blood loss.

Naoko bit her lip to stop herself from crying as she quickly removed his shirt.

When she saw the five deep gashes on his back, with flesh turned outward and bone visible, her heart broke.

She tried to tear the shirt, but her hands seemed powerless, as though she were trapped in a nightmare where no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape.

When her hands failed, she tried using her teeth, but the result was the same.

“You silly girl… It’s not your fault—it’s the shirt. The fabric is too tough. Forget tearing it; just press it against the wound,” Lei Yin said gently, trying to comfort her as he slowly sat down on the ground.

If only the wound weren’t on his back, he could have used acupressure to stop the bleeding himself. He gave a bitter smile at the thought.

Naoko pressed the shirt firmly against his wound while frantically calling for an ambulance.

As they waited, Naoko anxiously stared at the exit, hoping for help to arrive.

“Don’t worry… Just press a little longer, and the bleeding will stop. I’m not going to die from a minor wound like this. But it looks like… I won’t be able to take you to the movies tonight,” Lei Yin said with a faint smile.

“Lei…” Naoko was already crying uncontrollably.