Evolution Under the Moonlight

Chapter 3: The First Sight of the Wolf Shadow

Xin Fengchen dragged his exhausted body back to his small apartment, tossing the d**g-filled briefcase carelessly onto the entrance floor. Leaning against the door panel, he let out a long breath. The mark on his left shoulder still throbbed faintly with heat, as if some living thing was wriggling beneath his skin.

He walked into the cramped bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water fiercely on his face. When he looked up, he froze at the sight of himself in the mirror. Those eyes—their pupils glowed with an unnatural amber hue under the light, edged with a strange silvery sheen. He leaned closer to the mirror, examining his face carefully, and noticed that even his teeth were sharper than usual.

"What on earth is happening..." he muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously brushing over the mark on his left shoulder.

In that exact moment, a sudden wave of intense pain surged through him. Xin Fengchen grunted and dropped to his knees. His bones felt as if they were rearranging themselves inside his body, and his muscles seemed to be pierced by countless needles at once. Huddled on the cold tile floor, his clothes were quickly soaked through with sweat.

"Ugh—" He clenched his teeth, trying to hold back the scream that threatened to burst from his lips.

This pain was far worse than any he had ever endured before. His vision began to blur, and a high-pitched buzzing rang in his ears. Amidst the agony, he faintly felt an unprecedented power surging within him—wild and primal, like a beast that had been trapped for ages finally breaking free from its cage.

Xin Fengchen struggled to crawl toward the bedroom; every inch of movement felt like enduring a cruel t*****e. His nails had grown long and sharp without him noticing, scraping deep grooves into the wooden floor. When he finally reached the edge of the bed, moonlight streamed through the window and fell on him. That full moon seemed to resonate with his pain in some eerie way.

His body began to twitch uncontrollably, his back arching, and his spine let out a terrifying, creaking "crackle." Xin Fengchen could feel his bones stretching, his muscles swelling, and the blood vessels beneath his skin writhing like snakes. Most terrifying of all, his consciousness started to fade, and a violent urge was eroding his sanity.

"No... I can't let this happen..." He tried to stay awake, but that wild power was far too strong.

Just then, a loud, rough knock suddenly echoed at the door.

"Open up! We know you're in there!" a hoarse voice shouted. "Give us back our stuff!"

Xin Fengchen forced himself to look up—he recognized that voice as the bald man's. They had actually followed him here. Panic and anger intertwined, worsening the changes happening inside his body. He could feel his canine teeth growing longer, piercing his lower lip, and a metallic-tasting trickle of blood flowed into his mouth.

"G...get out..." he croaked, his voice already unrecognizable as his own.

The banging on the door grew even more violent. "Break it down!" someone ordered.

With a loud crash, the door lock shattered, and three figures burst into the apartment. Leading them was the bald man, wielding a steel pipe, while the other two gripped gleaming daggers. When they saw Xin Fengchen huddled by the bedroom door, they all gasped in shock.

By then, Xin Fengchen was half-kneeling on the floor. His body had grown bulkier than usual, and a thin layer of crimson fur covered his exposed arms. His fingers had thickened, and his nails curved like sharp claws. The most terrifying sight was his face—his cheekbones jutted out, his jaw protruded forward, and his lips pulled back to reveal a mouth full of sharp fangs. Those amber eyes glowed menacingly in the darkness.

"Good god... what kind of monster is this?" one of the dagger-wielding men stammered, his weapon trembling slightly in his hand.

The bald man forced himself to stay calm, waving the steel pipe. "Who cares what it is? Grab the briefcase and let's go!"

Xin Fengchen swayed as he stood up. He seemed to have grown taller too—his head was almost touching the ceiling. Sanity and savagery waged a fierce battle in his mind, and he could feel himself losing control.

"Last warning... leave here..." he managed to say, each word seeming to squeeze out from the depths of his throat.

But the d**g dealers had already been blinded by greed and fear. The bald man let out a loud shout and charged at Xin Fengchen, swinging the steel pipe. In that instant, Xin Fengchen's last line of rational defense collapsed completely.

An unprecedented rage took over his consciousness. Time seemed to slow down—he could clearly see the trajectory of the swinging steel pipe, smell the scent of fear in the air, and hear the rapid thud of each person's heartbeat. Just as the pipe was about to hit his head, he lifted his arm at an impossible speed and caught the weapon with ease.

The bald man stared in terror as he realized that no matter how hard he pushed, the steel pipe didn't move an inch in Xin Fengchen's grip. Even more terrifyingly, Xin Fengchen's fingers were slowly tightening, and the solid steel pipe began to deform, letting out a harsh, screeching sound of twisted metal.

"M...monster!" The bald man let go of the pipe and stumbled backward.

Xin Fengchen let out a low growl—no longer human, it sounded more like the roar of a wild beast in the wilderness. He tossed the twisted steel pipe aside casually, his gaze locking onto the three intruders. The remaining two dagger-wielding men glanced at each other, then attacked at the same time.

But their movements seemed absurdly slow in Xin Fengchen's eyes. He easily dodged the first dagger, then swung his arm backward. His claws left three deep, bone-exposing gashes across the man's chest. The other dagger stabbed toward his abdomen, but it was as if it had hit a steel plate—it only tore through his clothes, not even scratching his skin.

"Impossible..." The dagger-wielding man stared in horror at his trembling hand. The dagger clattered to the floor.

Xin Fengchen's senses were extraordinarily sharp now. He could smell the sweet, metallic stench of blood, hear the wounded man's painful gasps, and feel the blood rushing through each person's veins. This awareness was both sickening and strangely satisfying. His transformation into a wolf-like creature was deepening—crimson fur now covered his entire body, and his facial features grew even more beast-like.

Seeing this, the bald man turned to run. But Xin Fengchen was faster. He darted across the room like a streak of red lightning and blocked the door. By now, he had completely lost the ability to speak like a human, able only to let out low rumbles and threatening growls.

"Please... spare us..." The bald man dropped to his knees. His pants were soaked through, and the stench of urine filled the air.

Xin Fengchen looked down at the trembling d**g dealer. A part of him screamed to stop, but a far stronger instinct urged him to finish the hunt. He raised his claws, ready to deliver the final blow.

Just then, another wave of pain hit—more intense than any he had felt before. Xin Fengchen let out a scream, clutching his head as he dropped to his knees. His body flickered unsteadily between his human and beastly forms; the crimson fur appeared and vanished, and his bones let out a grinding sound that made one's teeth ache.

Seizing the chance, the three d**g dealers scrambled out of the apartment, fleeing in a panic—they didn't even stop to pick up their dropped weapons.

Xin Fengchen struggled alone in the darkness. Moonlight fell on his shifting body, casting distorted, terrifying shadows. He could feel the two forms fighting fiercely for control, every inch of his skin cycling between tearing and healing. Finally, the pain became too much to bear, and his consciousness sank into boundless darkness.

Before he lost consciousness completely, the last thing he sensed was the glow of those eyes appearing outside the window once more—and the sound of a contented chuckle.