STG 24
Chapter 24: Heavy Rain
“Xiao Qi, don’t just eat vegetables, have some ribs too!” Auntie picked up a piece of rib and placed it in Lin Qiye’s bowl.
Lin Qiye smiled. “Thank you, Auntie.”
“Today is a special day—eat more! Don’t worry about saving money for me!”
“Got it, Auntie. Ah Jin, you should eat more too. You’re at the age where you need to grow…
Ah Jin?
Ah Jin!”
Lin Qiyue called out twice to Yang Jin, who seemed lost in thought.
“Huh? Oh, I’ll eat now!” Yang Jin snapped back to reality and scratched his head.
“What’s wrong with this kid? Distracted even when there’s meat on the table?” Auntie rolled her eyes at Yang Jin and added a few more pieces of meat to his bowl.
“Ah Jin might be stressed from homework,” Lin Qiye said with a smile. He picked up a gnawed bone, glanced around, and frowned slightly.
Auntie also noticed something odd. “That’s strange. Where’s Xiao Heilai? Normally, he’s the first one at the table when there’s food. Now that there are bones, he’s nowhere to be seen?”
As if hearing its name, Xiao Heilai poked its head out from the balcony and barked.
“Woof—!”
Lin Qiye waved the bone in the air, signaling Xiao Heilai to come over, but the little dog hesitated, glancing between the bone and the window.
“What’s gotten into this little guy today?” Auntie muttered suspiciously.
Lin Qiye hesitated for a moment, then stood up with the bone and walked to the balcony. He patted Xiao Heilai’s head and asked softly,
“What’s wrong? Hmm? Is there something outside?”
He tossed the bone onto the ground and, while Xiao Heilai gnawed on it, straightened up to look out the window.
In the vast darkness, there was nothing but the pouring rain.
Even the lights from the other buildings in the distance had vanished. The world was eerily silent, as if drowned in endless rain.
“Strange… there’s nothing out there…”
Lin Qiye murmured and was about to turn away when a faint tapping sound came from the window—like someone knocking on the glass.
He turned back and saw a small bat.
Drenched by the rain, the bat kept bumping against the window, as if seeking shelter.
Lin Qiye’s eyes lit up.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t yet used the ability to communicate with nocturnal creatures that “Starlit Dancer” had granted him. Running into a bat like this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out…
So he stood quietly by the window, watching the bat intently.
“Xiao Qi! What are you doing over there? Come back and eat—the food’s getting cold!” Auntie called out when she saw Lin Qiye spacing out.
But Lin Qiye remained frozen in place, unmoving.
Just as Auntie was about to say something else, Lin Qiye suddenly whipped around, his eyes wide with shock!
He rushed to the door and started putting on his shoes.
“Xiao Qi, what are you doing?”
“Just remembered something important. I need to go out.”
“Silly child, what are you talking about? It’s dark and pouring outside—where could you possibly need to go?”
“It’s urgent!”
“What about dinner?”
“I’ll eat when I get back!”
Under Auntie’s bewildered gaze, Lin Qiye finished tying his shoes and hurriedly opened the door.
Just then, Yang Jin spoke up.
“Brother, it’s raining too hard. You shouldn’t go.”
“I have to.”
“No matter how important it is, someone else will handle it. The world keeps turning even without you.”
“But some things… only I can do.” Lin Qiye took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Don’t worry too much. It’s just a small matter. I’ll be back soon.
After all, it’s rare to have such a delicious meal—I wouldn’t waste it.
I’m off.”
He closed the door behind him and dashed down the stairs.
By the time Auntie snapped out of her daze and ran to the doorway to shout after him, Lin Qiye was already too far away to hear.
“Silly child! At least take an umbrella!”
No response came from the stairwell.
Auntie sighed helplessly and returned to the table, suddenly finding the food far less appetizing.
Yang Jin, however, simply sat in silence, staring out the window at the pouring rain.
.
.
In the rain.
Click, click, click!
Zhao Kongcheng flicked his lighter several times, but the spark died each time under the relentless downpour.
He sighed in frustration, the unlit cigarette still dangling from his lips.
Today’s luck… really sucked.
“SCREEEECH—!!”
Not far from him, the Ghostface King stood like a demon in the rain, its massive frame radiating overwhelming pressure!
The Ghostface King looked very different from ordinary Ghostface Men. Its size alone was twice as large, making it resemble a small mountain from a distance.
Moreover, while regular Ghostface Men moved on all fours like beasts, the Ghostface King stood upright on two legs, its posture almost human-like—if one ignored its pale, ghastly face and the long, blood-red tongue lolling from its mouth.
Yet despite its terrifying appearance, the Ghostface King’s body was riddled with deep, bloody gashes—each wound looking like it had been carved into its flesh with brutal precision.
Zhao Kongcheng studied the injuries and clicked his tongue.
“Damn, the Captain really went all out… to inflict this much damage. Guess he was going easy on me during sparring…
“A ‘Chuan’-level monster, even heavily wounded, is still a nightmare.
Wonder how many moves I can last against it.”
Muttering to himself, Zhao Kongcheng reached over his shoulder, gripping the hilt of his straight sword. He drew it slowly—
The pale blue blade sliced through the rain, humming faintly.
A storm.
A cigarette.
A cloak.
A sword.
The Ghostface King’s crimson tongue flicked out as its eyes locked onto Zhao Kongcheng, brimming with bloodlust.
In an instant—both moved!
Zhao Kongcheng shot forward like an arrow, his straight sword gleaming coldly, murderous intent radiating from his eyes!
He was fast.
But the Ghostface King was faster.
Its massive body tore through the rain, its grotesque face twisting in excitement—like a predator finally cornering its prey.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The moment they clashed, three rapid metallic clashes rang out. Blade met claw, sparks flying as steel screeched against hardened flesh.
Zhao Kongcheng, a master of close combat, delivered three precise strikes—each aimed at a vital point.
Yet the Ghostface King blocked every single one with terrifying speed.
Zhao Kongcheng only managed three slashes before the sheer force of the monster’s counter sent him flying. He landed hard in the muddy ground, soaked and disheveled.
The gap between them was too vast.
One was a mythical creature at the “Chuan” level, wielding supernatural abilities and monstrous physical prowess.
The other was a mere human—skilled, experienced, but ultimately flesh and blood.
Zhao Kongcheng spat out his soaked cigarette and climbed to his feet, cursing under his breath.
“Damn it… So what if you’re a mythical creature? So what if you’re strong?”
The Ghostface King had no intention of a fair fight. It roared—a sound like thunder—
“ROOOOAR—!!”
Then, with the Ghostface King at its center, a massive, grotesque face began forming on the ground beneath them…
Zhao Kongcheng’s expression changed instantly.
“Forbidden Ruin No. 176—[Ghostface Earth].”
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