Chapter 12: Someones Here?!
Even though Yu Sheng had said he was hanging up to Irene, he didn’t disconnect immediately.
It wasn’t because the beast before him had suddenly decided to become a vegetarian. No, the terrifying creature seemed, for some reason, confused. It stood frozen in the breeze, its grotesque form covered in dozens of overlapping, chaotic eyes, all fixated on its prey. Oddly enough, Yu Sheng thought he could read confusion in those eyes, the kind of bewilderment you might have when trying to balance a checkbook and the numbers just won’t add up.
Irene’s anxious voice echoed in his mind, calling his name, but it felt distant, muffled, as though she were speaking from the other side of thick curtains. Yu Sheng’s attention was entirely focused on the creature before him. His heart raced like a drum, every fiber of his body tense as he observed the monster’s every move. He could see the faintest twitch of its muscles, the pulse of its veins — all as clear as day.
He’d been ready for this moment ever since his “resurrection” in the ruined temple, but facing death’s crushing weight again still made him shiver.
This time, though, the fear wasn’t as overwhelming. Instead, it was mixed with something new, something primal he didn’t quite recognize at first — excitement.
Then, something shifted.
He could feel the creature’s muscles tightening, hear its blood pumping like a roaring waterfall, its hunger rising from deep within. In that split second, alarms went off in Yu Sheng’s head, outlining the danger before him with pinpoint accuracy.
The monster was about to attack. It would lunge at him from the left, but that would only be a distraction. The real danger lay in its tail — sharp and deadly, about to whip around from behind.