In his terror, he tried to get up and run, only to realize his legs were in excruciating pain. Blood was seeping through his pant cuffs.
TAP... TAP...
The footsteps drew closer.
Soon, the tall, thin figure was upon him.
Just then, another bolt of lightning tore across the cloud-covered sky.
The newcomer's appearance was fully revealed to Wu Shan.
Its physique was no different from a normal person's, just a bit taller.
Of course, that was if you could ignore its skin, as pale as if coated in white wax, and its massive mouth, which stretched nearly to its ears, filled with fine, dense white teeth and dripping with slime.
"No... stay away!... Ah!"
The brief scream was barely noticeable against the RUMBLE of thunder.
Soon, the alley fell back into a deathly silence, with only the sound of the rain and a faint chewing noise.
A hint of crimson now stained the puddles on the ground.
Suddenly, a flurry of hurried footsteps was heard.
The next moment, two figures appeared at the alley's entrance.
In the occasional flashes of lightning, one could see that they appeared to be a man and a woman.
They were both dressed in black, their faces obscured by silver masks.
The dim, rainy night didn't seem to obstruct their vision in the slightest.
Seeing the dismembered flesh and blood on the ground and smelling the pungent stench of blood in the air, the two wore ugly expressions.
"You're courting death!"
The woman roared angrily.
Without the slightest hesitation, her figure shot directly toward the pale form crouched on the ground, gnawing.
The other figure moved as well, following close behind.
ROAR!
Seeing the pair, the slender monster let out a hiss and lunged straight at them.
BANG!
But in a single exchange, the monster was sent flying, slamming into a nearby wall.
The next moment, without even looking back, its figure flickered, and it leaped onto the more than three-meter-high wall, fleeing into the distance.
"After it!"
The two figures moved, giving chase.
The alley fell silent once more.
Rain washed away the bloodstains on the ground.
But what no one noticed was that, in an inconspicuous corner about ten meters away, a small black button lay inside a black trash bag.
The tiny black hole on the button was pointed straight ahead.
「...」
"What the hell was that thing."
In his rented room, Hu Qi, having finished washing up, took out his phone and pulled up the feed from the pinhole camera he had left behind earlier.
He had found this gadget while buying self-defense items. It had some night vision capability, but its battery life was terrible.
And it couldn't be recharged.
Once it was used up, it was basically trash.
He had intended to use it to check on those three guys, but instead, he witnessed a scene that shattered his worldview.
"A man-eating beast... It really was eating a man, but it wasn't a beast."
Hu Qi's expression was grim. 'This world really isn't as simple as it seems on the surface.'
He had his suspicions before, but he never expected them to be confirmed today.
Whether it was the tall, slender, pale-skinned man-eating monster or the two people who appeared later, the power they displayed was simply not something ordinary people could compare to.
All of this couldn't help but fill him with a trace of fear and lingering dread.
If he had been any later, he might have been the one to encounter that monster.
Hu Qi took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions.
He got up and resumed practicing his Fighting Technique.
'The world is too dangerous, and I'm still too weak.'
「...」
"After training for so long, everyone should have a basic grasp of Mixed Martial Arts.
"First of all, congratulations. You've barely managed to step through the gate of fighting."
Chen Wu smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping across the somewhat excited faces of the many students.
But then, his tone shifted.
"However, it's not enough to just be good at practicing the Fighting Technique. What's important is actual combat! No matter how well you practice, if you can't fight, it's all just for show."
Chen Wu's gaze scanned the crowd.
"Starting now, when I call your name, you will come up for a practical combat drill."
Hearing Chen Wu's words, the students showed a variety of expressions.
But most of them were excited and thrilled.
Half a month had passed since the last incident.
During that time, no one from the authorities came looking for him.
This was within Hu Qi's expectations.
After all, when the original owner of his body was beaten and hospitalized, the matter was eventually dropped with no resolution.
Although this world had entered a Federation system, in other aspects, it couldn't even compare to Blue Star.
For example, this part of the East District had very few cameras.
Besides, those guys had already been eaten by the monster. Even if someone were to investigate, they shouldn't come looking for him.
"Chen Chang, Lin Rong!"
At this, the crowd parted, clearing a large space in the training room.
Chen Wu spoke, calling out the two names.
The two then walked out from the crowd and took their positions in the empty space.
Lin Rong wore a black and red Martial Arts Uniform. Her hair, tied up in a ponytail, gave her a clean and fresh look.
Chen Chang was a Young Man of medium height with dark skin.
Compared to the petite Lin Rong, the latter undoubtedly had an advantage.
"Begin!"
Chen Wu stood to the side, arms crossed over his chest.
"Please!"
Lin Rong said calmly, looking at Chen Chang opposite her.
"Uh, you should be careful. I'm very strong."
Chen Chang said with an honest smile, scratching the back of his head.
But the instant the words left his mouth, he gave Lin Rong no chance to reply.
His eyes suddenly sharpened, and his figure shot forward, a swift, straight punch aimed directly at Lin Rong's face.
This sudden move took the onlookers by surprise.
They hadn't expected that this guy, who looked so honest and simple, would be so decisive and ruthless in his attack.
To the side, Chen Wu nodded to himself, very satisfied.
Just as he had said in the first trial class, the Fighting Technique was a skill developed for survival and killing enemies.
Once a fight starts, you must be fully committed to taking down your opponent, not thinking about things like holding back.
Fortunately, Lin Rong's reaction was extremely agile.
She quickly tilted her head, narrowly dodging the blow.
At the same time, she lifted her leg for a fierce side kick aimed straight at Chen Chang's lower body.
Chen Chang quickly retracted his fist and raised his arm to block.
BANG!
A dull thud echoed.
Chen Chang staggered back a step, then immediately counterattacked with a low sweeping leg kick toward Lin Rong's lower body.
But she easily leaped up to dodge it, then followed with a reverse elbow strike to Chen Chang's abdomen.
The two went back and forth, constantly exchanging blows.
Chen Chang was strong but lacked reaction speed.
Lin Rong was the exact opposite; as a woman, her strength was somewhat lacking, but her speed was very nimble.
As a result, for a time, neither could get the upper hand!
'Barring any surprises, Lin Rong is going to lose,' Hu Qi concluded internally as he stood to the side, observing their fight.
'She's fast, but she doesn't have enough power. Even if she hits him, she can't inflict any effective damage on Chen Chang.'
'Conversely, if Chen Chang lands just one hit on her, she'll probably be defeated.'