After arriving downstairs, Jiang Huai bought two more bottles of cola from the convenience store. When he got home, he noticed that Lu Wanyin was nowhere to be seen.
A sense of unease washed over him.
He immediately opened the door to his room.
Sure enough, half of Lu Wanyin's body seemed to have fallen into a black hole under the bed, with her hips and long legs exposed. She was constantly moving, looking both comical and cute.
Her feet were flailing in the air, her hips gently swaying as she tried to find something to support herself.
Accompanying these movements were the girl's slightly anxious breaths.
It seemed like she was struggling to crawl out.
This scene made Jiang Huai laugh.
The bed wasn't that high, and it was stuffed with his treasures underneath.
With her figure so good, it was just luck that she didn't get stuck last time.
Trying again? Was she asking for trouble?
"Master, what do you do for a living?" Jiang Huai leaned against the door and asked.
Lu Wanyin, hearing the voice, was startled and instinctively tried to quickly crawl out.
But, in the process, she moved too quickly, and her head hit the bed's bottom board with a loud bang.
She let out a pained cry, her voice muffled under the bed.
She continued to wriggle her hips while saying, "Help me, help me... I'm stuck…"
"Oh, stuck, huh?"
Jiang Huai walked over to the side of the bed and crouched next to the lower half of Lu Wanyin's body.
"Is there some kind of monster under this bed? Did it swallow you?"
"..." The girl under the bed fell silent for a moment, then started struggling again.
"Hurry up… I smell barbecue…"
"Then will you still dare to rummage through my bed next time?"
"... I didn't rummage through it. I was just curious."
"Still being stubborn, huh?"
Jiang Huai stood up and lightly sat on the edge of the bed. The bed sank slightly, causing the girl to struggle even more.
"Ugh! I won't do it again!"
Jiang Huai was originally going to tease Lu Wanyin some more, but when he looked down at her delicate, fair legs, his face turned red.
"Now that you know your mistake... then I..."
Jiang Huai crouched down and grabbed Lu Wanyin's ankle, intending to pull her out.
But as soon as his hand touched her ankle, Lu Wanyin suddenly let out a strange, soft protest.
When the sound came out, both of them fell silent.
"You! Don't touch my feet!"
"... Fine." Jiang Huai seemed to understand that the feet were Lu Wanyin's sensitive spot.
So, his hand slowly moved up.
He grabbed her thigh.
"What are you doing! You... You're taking advantage of me!"
Lu Wanyin's body trembled again, and her voice changed tone, sounding a bit shy.
"No! Where else could I hold you?"
In a moment of urgency, Jiang Huai placed his hand on the edge of the bed.
Then, as if thinking of something, he exerted force and effortlessly lifted the heavy wooden bed left by the landlord.
"Now, get out."
Looking at the girl covered in dust from under the bed, Jiang Huai sighed.
"... Hmph."
Lu Wanyin quickly moved her body out, her face flushed.
"I'm going to take a shower..."
With that, she ran toward the bathroom.
Jiang Huai looked at the scattered "treasures" under the bed and sighed again.
"Looks like I'll need to hide them somewhere else next time."
Jiang Huai had initially thought that buying too much barbecue might be a waste, but Lu Wanyin's appetite was just as exaggerated as she had said.
Watching her munch down with greasy hands, Jiang Huai smiled and asked, "Aren't you afraid of gaining weight?"
Lu Wanyin, with a mouthful of meat, shook her head.
"When I was young, my body was infected, and when Old Yue saved me, he sought help from the Necromancy Society. So my body loses nutrition very quickly. No matter how much I eat, I won't gain weight."
This didn't seem like a pleasant topic, and Jiang Huai didn't feel like making any sarcastic remarks.
He simply sat across from her, watching as she wiped out all the late-night snacks.
She leaned back in her chair, gently patting her slightly bulging belly.
Jiang Huai suddenly noticed something.
A faint white aura seemed to linger around the girl.
"Looks like the souls had a good feast too. They're satisfied. Let me thank you on their behalf."
Lu Wanyin raised her head slightly to look at Jiang Huai.
"Do souls like eating barbecue too?"
Jiang Huai asked with a smile.
Lu Wanyin shook her head. "... They absorb my nutrients."
"The powers of awakened ones are classified differently. For example, most of the people in the Apocalypse Society are psychic-type abilities, while the Necromancy Society is composed of those with death-related abilities."
"Of course, there are many larger organizations with more complex structures."
"For instance, one of the Four Great Organizations, the Fearless, has many members and clear divisions of labor, so they can handle various beast-related incidents."
Listening to Lu Wanyin's explanation, Jiang Huai suddenly asked, "What about the Night Demon Patrol?"
Lu Wanyin awkwardly scratched her head, curling up in her chair. Her voice lacked confidence as she said, "Currently, the Night Demon Patrol is probably the smallest organization, with just five people, including you, Old Yue, me, Old Du, and one field worker..."
Her gaze lingered uneasily on Jiang Huai, a bit anxious. "Do you regret it... Other organizations use many resources to train new awakened ones, but the Night Demon Patrol doesn't have that ability."
Jiang Huai silently watched Lu Wanyin, his expression serious as he rested his chin on his hand, his eyes filled with calm consideration.
Lu Wanyin grew even more uneasy under his gaze. Eventually, she slowly buried her face in her knees, speaking in a muffled tone.
"If you regret it and want to quit, I can help you talk to Old Yue and the others. I... I can leave your house now."
Jiang Huai didn't respond immediately. He slowly stood up and walked over to Lu Wanyin's side, standing calmly next to her.
He gently grabbed her hands, forcing her to lift her head and face him.
"I said yesterday, you can't escape. You've set the stage, so now you have to play your part until the end."
His words carried an undeniable determination, making the atmosphere around them even more serious.
Lu Wanyin quietly replied, "... I understand."
Then, as if remembering something, Lu Wanyin stood up and ran to her somewhat worn-out suitcase. After rummaging for a while, she found a talisman.
"This is something I made myself. The symbols inside are ones I drew. This was my first calming talisman. I was young back then, so it might not be very effective... but it's the only one I have. Do you want it?"
Looking at the talisman in her hand, it wasn't exactly exquisite, and it was clear it had some age to it.
When Lu Wanyin made it, she was probably still quite young.
But it wasn't something to be ashamed of.
In fact, it could be considered the most precious token of her heart.
"If you don't want it, that's fine."
"Give it to me."
Jiang Huai smiled and took the talisman, then, in front of Lu Wanyin, he put it around his neck.
"This thing isn't worth much... even the talisman inside doesn't have much power. You don't have to worry too much about it."
Lu Wanyin spoke carefully, "... It's fine. You don't have to take it so seriously."
Jiang Huai smiled and patted her head. "That's not the point. I'll take this as your token of love for me. Even though this is an act, we've got to make it look real."
Looking at the slightly blushing Lu Wanyin, Jiang Huai added.
"And! Don't go rummaging under my bed again!"
Lu Wanyin still kept her regular schedule, as punctual as ever.
Jiang Huai looked at Lu Wanyin, who was lying on the bed with an eye mask on, mouth open and drooling, her sleeping posture "sweet." He couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"Youth really is nice, just fall asleep the moment you hit the bed."
He then slowly crouched down beside the bed, looking at the bed's edge that he had just gripped.
This bed was an old piece left by the landlord. Although it was old, it was very sturdy, made of solid wood.
Very heavy.
But now, the edge of the bed had actually broken off, which was the mark left when Jiang Huai had lifted the bed earlier.
He looked at his hand and frowned slightly.
He had been very careful at the time, but didn't expect he still couldn't control his strength.
Usually, life was fine, but once he needed to exert force, this body felt like an unadjusted water valve.
A slight mistake could lead to uncontrollable outcomes.
Jiang Huai walked to the balcony, gazing at the silent, empty street. He wanted to try something.
He wanted to see how much control he had over this power now.
He took a deep breath, stepped back a few paces, and then suddenly sprinted forward, placing a foot on the balcony railing.
He intended to use it for leverage to jump up.
But unfortunately, the moment he stepped, the balcony railing shattered into pieces.
"Ah?! Damn!"
His body immediately fell toward the ground below.
Bang—
Jiang Huai slammed onto the ground, creating a dent in the cement.
Though it was late at night, the noise caused several households to light up.
Jiang Huai cursed inwardly, quickly scrambling out of the dent.
He needed to get out of here fast, and as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he took off, like an arrow shot from a bow, dashing forward.
Too fast.
That was Jiang Huai's first thought. He was still suppressing his strength, but the speed he was running at was no less than that of a car speeding down the road.
And this wasn't even all of his power.
If he didn't hold back, continued to release his strength...
Bones began to slowly cover his body.
With each step, his movements grew heavier, every step leaving a dent in the ground.
Yet his speed didn't slow down at all.
Finally, the bone faceplate covered his head, and a ghostly blue light flickered in his eyes.
Jiang Huai suddenly leaped in front of an apartment building.
This leap actually carried him over the top of the building.
The moonlight shone on his silver-white skeleton, reflecting a terrifying glow.
"Hahahahahaha!!"
Jiang Huai laughed wildly in the night sky. This feeling was so exhilarating.
...
Yue Qinshan didn't think it was unreasonable to have Lu Wanyin stay by Jiang Huai's side.
Although Old Du had doubts, Yue Qinshan had always trusted his instincts.
It was precisely because of this extraordinary intuition that he had saved the little girl trapped in the ruins.
Without Jiang Huai, Lu Wanyin might have already been a cold corpse by now.
Rather than that, it was better to trust his instincts again, and trust that Jiang Huai could suppress the beast's power.
At that moment, walking on the night street like a night wanderer, Yue Qinshan suddenly felt a strong aura expanding outward.
This aura came from a beast, as if it were declaring to the world how powerful it was.
There was no concealment at all.
"Damn kid." Yue Qinshan tugged at the brim of his hat, looking around. When he saw no one nearby, he cracked his neck.
"Don't let anyone catch you, alright?"
The moment his voice fell, Yue Qinshan's figure stepped forward and, like a ghost, turned into a shadow, vanishing into the quiet street.
...
Standing atop the apartment building, Jiang Huai continued to leap higher, the tail formed from his coccyx swaying in the air.
If the height of the jump wasn't enough, he would step onto the building's outer edge, shattering the windows while climbing higher.
Finally, he grabbed the top of the television tower with one hand and flipped himself to the top.
Looking over the entire Lingyu City, the skeletal giant erupted into an excited, thrilled roar.
This beast-like roar echoed through the night sky of Lingyu City.
It also startled the guardians lurking in the shadows.
"This aura... Is it an infected?"
"No, this isn't an infected; this is a beast, and this aura... It's no ordinary beast!"
That night, nearly all the awakened ones in the city noticed this unknown beast.
Unfortunately, the beast's aura didn't last long and vanished without a trace.
Jiang Huai, now back in human form, sat idly atop the television tower.
And beside him was Yue Qinshan, who didn't know when he had arrived.
"You really don't let people rest easy."
Yue Qinshan, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked at Jiang Huai's back and said.
"Still can't control it? If I completely turn into bones, it feels a bit... not like myself."
Jiang Huai replied indifferently.
There was no trace of mockery in Yue Qinshan's eyes this time. Until Jiang Huai returned to his human form, his hand remained on the revolver at his waist.
"Kid."
Then Yue Qinshan slowly walked behind Jiang Huai.
"Starting tomorrow, aside from your university studies, you'll be training with me. I'll teach you how to control this power."