Chapter 18 – E City Tour Guide (2)
After the colossal black shadow emerged from the river, the E City branch of the Special Investigation Unit promptly dispatched personnel to investigate. Those who returned were soaked through, their expressions filled with terror. Amidst the sound of swallowing saliva, they dialed the headquarters’ number:
“…Giant strange species sighted, estimated S-level threat, still in development. Requesting backup.”
The call ended, and in the office, people glanced down at the monitor, feeling a palpable sense of overwhelming panic through the screen.
Waves surged, splashing the camera lens of the monitor, rendering the image instantly blurry. Worse yet, some cameras were swept away by the waves, plunging the screen into total darkness.
Someone asked, “Can’t we attack it directly?”
The person in the lead shook their head, “Using conventional methods will destroy all surrounding structures. We must wait for headquarters’ personnel to handle this.”
Silence pervaded the office as they struggled to tear their gaze away from the screen. Someone spoke in a low voice, trying to reassure, “HQ’s team is already on the way. No need to worry. Our main task is to assist in evacuating the hearing and visually impaired, ensuring no citizen gets left behind.”
*
Zhang Xin hadn’t worn a raincoat; she walked straight out of the museum.
Confirming the location of the colossal black shadow, she picked a direction and ran through the rain.
She knew what that thing was.
Though obscured by rain, she vividly recalled Chen Jing’s explanation.
The Devourer, a strange species born in the great rivers and streams. Rain acted as its detector, leading it to suitable locations to descend. It used the water of rivers to shape its body, a slow process resulting in a massive form.
Chen Jing had described it as an S-class dungeon boss in the game, rarely appearing. Those who engaged it had a high probability of total annihilation. Two appeared together, a mother and a child, the mother several times larger than the child, with matured scales covering its body, unlike the smaller one. Both possessed remarkably high destructive power. Rumors circulated that even top fifty-ranked players were pierced through by the child Devourer while confronting the mother, instantly meeting their demise.
The Devourer was still growing; one hadn’t emerged yet, making it impossible for Zhang Xin to discern between the mother and the child. She could only rush towards the sole visible one.
Crossing the hastily erected cordon, as she neared, she grasped the true enormity of the Devourer. In the misty fog, she couldn’t even discern its full form.
“Boom—”
The Devourer’s body expanded further, squeezing the bridge. The steel wires on the bridge snapped, the structure collapsed and tilted, crashing heavily into the river.
Standing by the riverside, Zhang Xin finally saw part of the Devourer’s body.
—No scales.
This was merely the incompletely developed child Devourer.
Zhang Xin turned, her eyes wide, as if trying to peer through the heavy curtain of rain to discern the location of the mother Devourer, whose direction was unknown.
Unable to see clearly or differentiate, she withdrew her gaze, focusing on the Devourer still motionless in the river.
The young Devourer was highly aggressive, possessing formidable destructive power, but during its physical development, it was almost stationary—a prime moment for an attack.
Leaning against the railing and jumping down, Zhang Xin maneuvered past the wreckage unwittingly marred by the Devourer, making a forceful leap to stand on the collapsed remnants of the bridge jutting out from the water.
This was the closest spot to the Devourer.
Amidst the rain, flames leaped, piercing through the downpour.
A continuously burning flame appeared on the Devourer, scorching its bluish-gray skin.
Seemingly sensing pain, the Devourer slowly submerged into the river, extinguishing the flames.
As it moved, Zhang Xin noticed its form appeared to gradually cease developing.
It was reaching full development.
The flames appeared in her hand again, but suddenly, from a distance, there came a slow and heavy rumble. Zhang Xin turned her head.
The mother Devourer had appeared.
With no room for distractions, she stole only a glance before swiftly redirecting her focus to the young Devourer nearby.
The flames encircled the Devourer’s body, causing its bluish-gray skin to wrinkle and turn black, filling the air with the scent of scorching.
Despite apparent effectiveness, Zhang Xin remained completely tense, her heart still suspended.
As expected, the dark river water solidified into a tangible form, slowly crawling up the colossal creature at the center of the river. The burnt skin reverted to its initial state.
Besides its immense offensive capabilities, the Devourer possessed extraordinary self-healing abilities in water.
—Its growth had entirely ceased. The enormous body, previously nearly motionless, began to move slowly, turning toward the collapsed bridge.
Realizing the need to lure the Devourer away from the river, Zhang Xin left the bridge, attempting to guide it towards an open area.
Jumping from the broken bridge onto the riverbank’s railing, she glanced back and saw someone standing quietly on the opposite bank, holding a black umbrella. Faint crimson light emitted from beneath the umbrella, resembling a lit ember.
Originally intending to warn the person to leave quickly, she saw them seemingly flick something akin to a cigarette butt.
Faint points of light streaked through the air.
In an instant, dazzling flames soared into the sky.
Her vision was completely consumed by a blaze, the heat causing her hair to whip backward continuously. Under the scorching wave, the air seemed distorted by the heat, rendering distant buildings unclear.
The rain in that area evaporated instantly, and suddenly, her sight became clear.
The Devourer was entirely engulfed by the inferno. Although still in the river, the water around it vaporized instantly and couldn’t recover. It rolled futilely in the water, but it was useless, being incinerated until it became a lifeless, irretrievable heap of colossal debris.
As the searing blaze gradually dissipated, Zhang Xin looked up and found that the person who had been standing on the opposite bank was nowhere to be seen.
…
Not far away, amidst the rain’s curtain, a dark figure began to emerge. Xu Tonggui, who had rushed from A City, dashed along the street. However, upon witnessing something, his steps abruptly halted.
There was someone in an alley by the street, holding an umbrella and squatting down, seemingly reaching out to pet a large orange cat sheltering under a canopy, an unexpectedly relaxed sight in such circumstances.
The person holding the umbrella tilted it slightly backward and glanced up.
“…”
Another familiar face.
Xu Tonggui asked, “What are you doing here?”
Evacuation orders had long been issued, and there shouldn’t be anyone remaining here.
Almost scratched by the large orange cat, Jiang Yujin withdrew his hand, stood up, and explained, “My phone died, and I came back to the hotel to get the charger. The hotel happens to be nearby.”
His expression was straightforward and innocent. Xu Tonggui fell silent for a moment before asking, “Did you get your charger?”
Jiang Yujin shook his head, “Not yet.”
A flicker passed through Xu Tonggui’s eyes.
As expected, this stubborn citizen, who hadn’t retrieved his charger, had no intention of leaving. Holding the umbrella, he trailed behind him casually.
There was a highly destructive strange species nearby. While those who had arrived from A City were drenched, Jiang Yujin, who was following behind, was completely dry, as if on a spring outing. He was asked to stay put at a certain distance from the Devourer.
Jiang Yujin stationed himself where he stood.
Xu Tonggui had already leaped up from the riverside using his usual short dagger.
The mother Devourer was different from the incompletely grown child Devourer. Its entire body was covered with hard scales protecting its skin. Fire couldn’t burn them, and it was difficult for a dagger to penetrate them head-on. Xu Tonggui found the scale’s root and with a quick stroke of the dagger, blood spurted out instantly, splattering his face with tiny droplets, later diluted by the rain, trickling down his jawline.
Missing a scale, the once silent Devourer suddenly started moving. The river water churned, splashing onto the banks, washing over the nearby shops.
Things got intense as Jiang Yujin, standing not far away, stepped back two paces to avoid the splashes, glancing toward a distant, inexplicably glowing red.
His phone buzzed in his pocket; he glanced at it after retrieving it.
The message from the barber shop owner confirmed the situation was handled.
Putting his phone away, Jiang Yujin raised his gaze toward the nearby Devourer.
After slicing off another scale, Xu Tonggui opened a large gash along the scale’s direction on the Devourer. The rate of repair couldn’t match his speed; blood flowed out, dyeing the river red.
“Crack—”
The sharp blade clashed against the edge of the scale, split into two, and vanished into the roiling river in an instant.
Jiang Yujin slightly raised his umbrella, fetched a folding knife from his pocket, flicked it open, and tossed it over.
The sharp blade narrowly missed Xu Tonggui’s arm, but he skillfully caught it. In one smooth motion, he plunged it into the Devourer’s skin, the action natural and swift, taking barely a blink of an eye.
The wound on the body enlarged continuously. The Devourer ceased its repair. The splashed river water gradually solidified into a sharp triangular cone, aimed at the person’s body.
Before the cone solidified completely, an umbrella tip silently pierced through it. The incomplete form dissipated, turning back into a puddle of water.
Turning his head, Xu Tonggui saw the ordinary citizen Jiang who obediently stood in place on the flooded ground.
The ordinary citizen Jiang seemed to have been splashed by the water splashing ashore, his once dry hair and clothes now damp, droplets trailing down his hair ends.
With the final stroke, the mother Devourer split in half irreparably, heavily sinking into the water, blood splattering and dyeing half of the river red.
Returning to the ground, Xu Tonggui picked up the walkie-talkie dampened on his shoulder, briefly stating, “Strange Species S03 neutralized.”
Closing the walkie-talkie, he glanced at Jiang Yujin standing by the roadside, taking large strides closer.
He attempted to wipe the folding knife as dry as possible and handed it back, expressing his gratitude.
Jiang Yujin reached out to take the folding knife.
—And couldn’t take it.
This person handed him the knife but didn’t fully pass it, still exerting some force.
Jiang Yujin lifted his drooping eyelids, looking puzzled.
Xu Tonggui, with lowered eyes, asked him, “Have we met before?”
“Yeah.”
Jiang Yujin nodded decisively, reaching out to pat Xu Tonggui’s blood-stained face, smiling, then deadpanned, “Don’t you remember? You’re my ex-boyfriend.”
This person couldn’t stick to a truthful word, and yet again diverted the conversation.
Xu Tonggui didn’t press further, releasing the folding knife.
Jiang Yujin took the knife, and waved with a smile, “Bye, ex-boyfriend.”
Though calling him an ex-boyfriend, Jiang Yujin walked away briskly.
The large orange cat from before reappeared, and this person, without any principles, followed along, attempting to communicate with the cat.
