Chapter 3: Who is the Real Monster?
1395 Words
Chapter 3: Who is the Real Monster?
Li Xian was a new recruit at the Demon Extermination Bureau. Her family was part of the organization.
She had followed their path since she was sixteen and started training in the Bureau.
Today, she was going to become a full member.
Commander Li Bo stood on the stage. He was giving a speech to the new recruits.
“We all have evil in our hearts,” he said. “These are dark thoughts, twisted feelings, and extreme ideas. These things can create evil creatures. They are like products of the darkness in society.
“Evil creatures are usually spirits. They can possess people and change their behavior and thoughts.
“Some spirits become solid after a long time. They can think on their own and attack others.
“If someone dies with anger or obsession, they can turn into an evil spirit.
“Evil spirits remember some of their past life. They do not disappear until their anger is gone or they are driven away.
“If someone’s mind becomes very twisted, the evil can change their body into a demon. This makes their evil stronger.
“Demons are powerful. They can create more evil creatures to serve them.
“Our Bureau has been fighting these monsters for over three hundred years.
“These monsters only show their true forms after midnight.
“During the day, they hide. If they have solid forms, they pretend to be humans or animals, but they are weaker then.
“Our job is to find these creatures during the day and remove them. At night, we patrol the streets to fight the monsters and protect the citizens. Some monsters can break into houses.
“In the last ten years, our branch has lost three members and 507 others have been injured. They are all heroes!
“We fight for our families, our friends, and our fellow citizens. Understand our mission.
“What is our motto?”
“Eradicate all monsters, protect the citizens!”
Li Xian stood in the back. She joined the Bureau for her brother. She wanted to rise in rank and fight alongside him.
...
It was 1 a.m. The streets were empty, except for the Bureau members and the monsters.
Li Xian was on her first patrol with the team. They all had cold weapons.
The team had two axes, a bow, a shield, and a spear.
Why no guns? This small town didn’t need them.
Flying monsters were dangerous for regular people. They could hurt people’s minds.
But the trained Bureau members had no trouble with them.
They walked the streets, clearing the occasional monster.
Monsters like these, without awareness, were easy to deal with.
The real danger at night came from demons and evil spirits.
But in small towns, demons were rare.
Then, Li Xian saw something odd. An electric scooter was lying at the street corner. It shouldn’t be there.
The local government built garages for the Bureau so patrols wouldn’t be interrupted by parked cars.
And parking outside at night would get a fine.
“Did something happen to a citizen?”
Li Xian looked toward a nearby outdoor restroom, feeling suspicious.
“Let’s check it out.”
...
“There are marks here. Someone fell about an hour ago. It looks like they had a bad fall.”
Li Xian inspected the restroom. The traces were still fresh.
“There are no houses nearby. This person must have fallen and gotten lost.
“They might be in danger. Let’s search around. If they were possessed by an evil creature, we need to bring them back to the Bureau.”
The trail led from the restroom, through an alley, and to the outskirts.
Li Xian was more sure now. The citizen hadn’t made it home.
The area was full of trees. The winding path led to an abandoned warehouse.
The moonlight made the warehouse look strange, like a forgotten haunted house.
The team moved quietly. Their footsteps cracked on dry branches. It felt like a warning.
The wind in the forest felt cold, like it came from the underworld. The team shivered.
When they reached the warehouse, Li Xian became alert.
She smelled the scent of a wild wolf. She knew that smell well.
She had lived in the mountains for over ten years. She often dealt with these creatures. Her father was an experienced hunter, and her brother was a skilled wolf hunter.
“Shh~”
Li Xian signaled for everyone to stay quiet and be alert.
In front of the warehouse was an open space with a pond nearby.
They crept toward the warehouse, ready to enter. Then they heard a sharp noise inside.
“Who’s there?”
Li Xian called out as she pushed open the half-open door.
Inside the 40-square-meter warehouse were boxes and debris. The air was dusty.
Moonlight came through a small window, spilling on the floor.
Li Xian stood at the door and looked around. The dim light and dry air made the place feel heavy.
She was about to turn on the lights when she saw a pair of glowing green eyes behind a box.
Those were not human eyes. They were from a beast.
Li Xian saw it. She knew it saw her. She felt like the prey.
“Quick… Ah!”
Before Li Xian could speak, the beast jumped from the shadows.
It leapt out with sharp claws aimed at her.
Li Xian reacted quickly, using her shield to block the attack.
But the shield was torn by the wolf’s claws. The remaining force pushed the claws deep into her shoulder. She felt like her collarbone might break.
In two seconds, the gray wolf-man pushed her aside and rushed out the door.
Dazed, Li Xian saw the creature—an over two-meter-tall humanoid beast with the head of a wolf. Was it a werewolf?
Using the last of her strength, Li Xian threw her axe at the werewolf.
But the werewolf dodged. She crashed into a wall, and the axe stuck in the wall.
There was nothing she could do but watch as the beast ran toward the city center.
Her shoulder bled, and despite the pain, she grabbed the team’s walkie-talkie.
“D23 team found an unknown humanoid beast in the G03 area, estimated to be B-grade, heading toward L16 city center. Requesting backup!”
After sending the message, she collapsed.
——————
The girl had the look of an experienced hunter.
Rao Tian, now a werewolf, crouched behind a box and listened.
He knew something was coming.
The footsteps stopped at the door, then fell silent.
Rao Tian peeked out, trying to see what it was—was it a monster?
He saw a girl, about 18, holding a lumberjack axe. She wore a special uniform. She was scanning the warehouse.
Was she the monster?
Rao Tian watched her, ready to move.
Then their eyes met.
Rao Tian saw her, and he knew she saw him. It felt like he was the prey.
After a few seconds, Rao Tian decided to act first.
He jumped, shoved the girl aside, and ran toward his home.
He wasn’t used to his new body. His curved feet felt strange. He had to run like a dog.
“Today’s been awful. Can it get worse?”
As he ran through the city center, Rao Tian saw strange floating spirits.
They were twisted, with horns like cattle, making eerie sounds.
“What are these?”
One spirit flew into his path, blocking his view.
He swiped it away with a claw but didn’t watch his step. He kicked a scooter, which flew into the air and exploded nearby.
“Report! C025 team found a monster in the H05 area, causing damage. Requesting backup!”
A voice came from behind. Rao Tian was about to turn around when he heard a bowstring. He dodged to the right.
An arrow scraped his face, leaving a cut and staining his fur with blood.
The bowstring pulled again. Rao Tian realized the monsters were hunting together.
“What kind of monsters are these? How do they hunt together?”
Rao Tian ran faster.
The monsters kept chasing him.
He couldn’t risk fighting them. He wasn’t sure what they could do.
His life was his top priority.
- Writer
