Chapter 6: Mutant Creatures
The sudden, violent gunshots were truly unexpected for Yang Jia as well.
Suddenly shoving a gun into the hands of someone who just woke up and making them shoot an innocent homeless person—surely no one could do that, right?
What she was preparing to teach Xiao Xiao was to tell him that living in a foreign land, many things cannot be viewed by normal logic. He needed to learn to discern the other party’s disguises, and more importantly, learn to be ruthless.
When facing these mutated creatures, any hesitation or fear could potentially harm oneself.
So, after handing over the gun, if Xiao Xiao were to be long-winded and ask questions left and right, he might find it a bit annoying, but it would also be a good opportunity to teach him.
After all, his own teacher had taught him the same way back then.
But Xiao Xiao…
…he didn’t do any of that.
He took the gun and without even asking for a reason to shoot, he unhesitatingly pulled the trigger without pause, as if he intended to empty all the bullets from the gun directly.
……
……
“Is he dead?”
At the same moment when Yang Jia fell into shock and suspicion, Xiao Xiao was also staring coldly at the vagrant whose body was engulfed in clouds of blood mist, his nerves taut.
When he had just taken the gun, facing Yang Jia’s command, he was actually conflicted.
He even suspected whether this beautiful girl had gone mad, wanting to kill someone over a disagreement…
However, just as he was caught in his dilemma, he suddenly felt his heart beating heavily, and the abrupt and intense sense of crisis plunged him into a state of mental explosion.
Countless streams of consciousness and information erupted in his brain like a volcanic explosion, operating at maximum overload.
“Why kill this homeless man?”
“Is Yangjia joking with herself? … This possibility was almost nonexistent, she wouldn’t be so bored.”
“Then, is this homeless man actually a homeless man?”
“……”
In the nearly frozen time, Xiao Xiao looked at this vagrant, and had enough time to carefully observe his appearance, movements, the bedding and wine bottles around him, all in detail.
His eyes were slightly sunken, filled with red bloodshot veins.
For someone who drinks heavily and sleeps poorly, this seemed normal enough.
Except this vagrant’s eyes were redder than others, and due to the lighting, his eye area fell into shadow, so he could only see two dark red pupils faintly flickering in the darkness.
It was a characteristic that could easily be overlooked at first glance, but upon closer inspection, sent a chill down one’s spine.
And with this discovery, Xiao Xiao immediately noticed the vagrant’s posture. He appeared terrified, his body pressed tightly against the wall, his limbs trembling.
But upon closer observation, one would find that his legs were actually slightly bent, half-supporting his body, while his palms rested against his thighs, his five fingers curled with tension, ready to tear into something at any moment.
This man was slowly adjusting his posture, prepared to suddenly spring up and attack.
He’s very dangerous!
But even after discovering these things, Xiao Xiao didn’t feel he could immediately open fire on this person.
What made him make up his mind was a blackish object he found fallen beneath the vagrant’s blanket.
At first glance, it was hard to discern what it was, but Xiao Xiao observed carefully, noting the size, shape, and the subtle color and texture of the object…
…It was a human thumb, already gnawed halfway off!
So, this isn’t a vagrant, this is a monster hiding under a tattered blanket in a subway corner eating people.
And this monster is now taking an attacking stance, ready to charge at his face at any moment.
！！
Yang Jia wasn’t joking with him, she really did lead him to find a monster, and ordered him to kill it.
Why hesitate?
The thought formed in an instant, and so Xiao Xiao immediately pulled the trigger, wanting only to kill the monster completely before it could transform into something disgusting and pounce on his face.
……
……
The violent impact of the bullets sent the vagrant’s body trembling violently.
However, because Xiao Xiao was unfamiliar with the recoil of firearms, his aim was off quite dramatically. At a distance of just two or three meters, he missed several shots, blasting several debris-scattering holes into the wall beside the vagrant.
And that vagrant suddenly let out a strange, eerie cry.
His body, pierced with several bullet holes, suddenly tore open at the surface, and from within emerged a slender, blood-red monster that screeched and shrieked as it lunged toward Xiao Xiao’s face.
“What the hell is this?”
Facing this bright red monster, Xiao Xiao felt his scalp tingle and a wave of intense nausea washed over him, nearly making him retch.
His brain seemed to turn to mush in that moment, but in his heightened state of tension, he still managed to use his explosive thinking ability to make out what was lunging at him.
It was unmistakably a humanoid rat that had been flayed of its skin.
It possessed muscular tissue with gnarled, knotted sinews, bulbous eyes that protruded high and glowed a vivid crimson red, and even a long, slender tail swaying behind it, composed of segmented bones and colored a bright scarlet.
Black viscous liquid seeped between its jagged, interlocking teeth, and a putrid stench assailed the senses.
……
……
“Don’t turn your back to it…”
Yang Jia, standing to the side, reminded him in time. To be precise, she had already spoken before the mouse inside tore through the human skin.
In her slender, pale palm, she held a black dagger in reverse grip.
Yet she still showed no intention of making a move, seemingly wanting to see how Xiao Xiao would respond to this sudden and bizarre transformation.
This old classmate of hers, now a newcomer, had already displayed far too many things that astonished her.
So, when facing the rat-man’s true form up close in a desperate struggle, could one still maintain the same composure and precise judgment as before?
……
……
At the same time as Yang Jia’s reminder rang out, Xiao Xiao widened his eyes, staring at the monster that lunged right before him.
The opponent’s deformed joints and bright red skin, even the viscous mucus strands that flew off when it lunged forward, all caught his eye, and in an instant he made an assessment of it.
This thing was terrifying, its body so powerful that even bullets couldn’t strip away its mobility unless they struck a vital point.
Its speed and strength far exceeded his comprehension.
At the same time, for reasons he couldn’t explain, the moment he laid eyes on it, he felt a sense of dread, revulsion, and cowardice.
Some kind of instinct in his body seemed to be driving him to stand still and not move.
It was like how most people’s first reaction when encountering something terrifying is not to run away, but to have their legs go weak and lose control of themselves.
However, Xiao Xiao overcame this instinctive consciousness in an extremely short amount of time.
And in the next moment, he made his own response.
He gripped the gun in his hand tightly, knowing ammunition was scarce, pressed his lips together, and quickly took a step back, putting distance between himself and the monster.
Then, he took a wide step and ducked behind Yang Jia.
……
……
“？？”
Yang Jia, who had been calmly observing Xiao Xiao’s reaction and was prepared to intervene at any moment, suddenly had a look of bewilderment flash across his face.
This brat is using me as a shield?
Before she could react, the rat-man had already lunged at her side, its sharp fangs snapping viciously toward her, and she could even smell the putrid stench emanating from its body.
Somewhat helpless, Yang Jia gently raised her hand.
The air twisted under some invisible force, forming an ethereal ripple similar to a doorframe, faintly visible and floating to the left of her body, directly in front of the rat-man’s attack.
In the next instant, the rat-man, moving with lightning speed, had already passed through this phantom doorframe.
Its movements remained consistent with before, yet its speed seemed half a beat slower, as if some kinetic energy had been stripped away the moment it passed through the doorframe, though it remained unaware.
Yang Jia reversed her grip on the black dagger and thrust it backhand, driving it with a “thud” into its skull, then hurled it to the ground in one fluid motion.
Throughout the entire process, she hadn’t even turned her head.
She merely narrowed her eyes and looked toward Xiao Xiao cowering behind her, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Facing Yang Jia’s questioning gaze, Xiao Xiao paused slightly, having no time to say anything. He simply sidestepped forward, aimed at the still-struggling monster, and pulled the trigger.
“Bang!”
The monster wasn’t quite dead yet, so he fired another shot to be sure.
After doing this, he retreated back, let out a light breath, and spoke with lingering fear: “What on earth is this thing? How is it so terrifying?”
“Rat man.”
Yang Jia looked at Xiao Xiao quietly for a few seconds before slowly speaking:
“Mutant monsters that breed on the edges of forgotten cities, adept at parasitizing human bodies and continuing to live while wearing the host’s shell and identity.”
“It’s one of the most common monsters in our city, not particularly high in danger level, yet extremely troublesome.”
“Once discovered, it must be cleaned up immediately, otherwise within just a few days, it could multiply tenfold, even twentyfold in population, causing large-scale disasters.”
“Possessing a form of mental attack, allowing people to be instantly struck by waves of nausea and fear!”
“When normal people encounter them, they often flee in panic due to the sudden wave of disgust and horrifying impact, and that’s when the rat-men seize the opportunity from behind……”
“You understand, that hole……drilling into the human body.”
Then hollow out the other person’s internal organs and flesh, parasitize within their body, control their external shell, access their memories, and from that point on, there would be no outward change, but in essence, they would have already become one of those rats.
“……”
Xiao Xiao listened, shock already evident on his face.
After Yang Jia finished saying all this, she paused slightly before continuing: “I’ve already explained it, so now, shouldn’t you explain to me……”
“……why are you hiding behind me?”