Chapter Seven: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Having steadied their emotions, the two got into the car and arrived at the restaurant they had once visited together.

“Let’s drive around the neighborhood,” Murong Xun said, without getting out of the car. Sitting quietly, he instructed Chen Lian to keep driving.

“Alright,” she replied, slowing down and beginning to circle the area at a leisurely pace.

Murong Xun closed his eyes and began to focus, extending his senses. Those possessed by the uncanny were distinctly different from ordinary people; as long as they entered his range, he could detect the difference immediately.

Yet, despite searching for a long time, they found nothing unusual.

“Let’s try here,” he pointed to another location.

Chen Lian’s awakened ability was not suited for combat, so she worked as his support—actual fighting was left to him.

Night quietly descended. They stopped at a roadside stall after walking for some time, having left the car behind—the alleyways here were too narrow for driving.

“How long have you been running this place?” Murong Xun stopped at a middle-aged man’s stand.

“How long? Several years, I suppose. I can’t quite remember exactly,” the unshaven owner replied with a practiced smile, wrapping food for other guests as he spoke.

“Several years? That’s quite a while,” Murong Xun remarked with a meaningful gleam in his eyes.

“We’ve been searching for so long—why don’t we eat something first?” Chen Lian suggested, eyeing the snacks on the stall.

“You’re braver than I thought,” Murong Xun said. In a flash, a short sword appeared in his right hand, which he drove straight toward the middle-aged man.

“I could tell at a glance you’re not human!”

With a furious roar, the man’s face sprouted thick fur, and he shoved the table at Murong Xun. Black, bristling hair burst from his hands, morphing them into claws. With a leap, he lunged straight for Murong Xun’s face.

“Ah!” Chen Lian yelped, quickly covering her mouth and hiding behind Murong Xun.

“Hmph!” Murong Xun snorted, invoking the power of the Ghoul to strengthen himself, and slashed his sword at the creature’s claws.

[Ghost Wolf: Level One Uncanny, …]

To his surprise, the blade met resistance as if striking iron; aside from slicing away some fur, it did little damage. One claw was deflected, but the other continued its assault.

Murong Xun shoved Chen Lian aside and tilted his head back, narrowly dodging the blow.

“Behind you!” Chen Lian, stumbling from the shove, warned him with even greater urgency.

He’d already sensed the anomaly behind him. Suddenly, the bustling street scene vanished, leaving only a fur-covered monster before them, and a mist-like shadow looming behind.

“An illusion?” Murong Xun’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t expected that what they first saw was merely a mirage. Had they stumbled right into the uncanny’s lair?

A sharp pain lanced through him before he could think further. Stifling a groan, he paid no heed to Chen Lian and raised his sword to block the Ghost Wolf’s claws.

He’d initially only noticed the Ghost Wolf, never expecting to encounter two uncanny entities at once.

A piercing screech erupted, forcing both Murong Xun and Chen Lian to clutch their ears in agony. But then, a golden light flared from Chen Lian’s hand; she hurled it at the shadow, and the screeching ceased, the attack vanishing as abruptly as it had come.

Freed from the distraction, Murong Xun could finally focus on the Ghost Wolf. Yet, even with the Ghoul’s power, he was still no match for the beast’s strength. Under the onslaught of its lightning-fast claws, he could only defend himself.

At that moment, his silver gloves shimmered, and a massive figure appeared beside him.

To deal with the Ghost Wolf, he was forced to call forth the Serpent with the Alien Head—his most powerful weapon, though it could be summoned only once. Still, it was the best he had, and the Serpent did not disappoint. It dove at the Ghost Wolf, biting, lashing with its tail, and coiling around it. For the moment, the Ghost Wolf was held at bay.

“Can you use that trick again?” Murong Xun asked Chen Lian.

Had she not acted, he would have struggled to handle both threats at once.

“I can manage two more times,” she answered after a quick calculation.

“Wait for the right moment,” Murong Xun said, then dashed toward the shadow, sword raised.

[Mire Mirage: Level One Uncanny, capable of creating illusions and launching psychic assaults…]

He didn’t bother reading further, focusing on keeping the creature occupied; the golden light from Chen Lian was especially effective, so now she would be their main force.

As Murong Xun charged, the Mire Mirage emitted another shrill screech. But this time, its power was greatly diminished, and Murong Xun endured the pain.

When he stabbed at the shadow, he was startled to find his blade passed straight through—it was just an insubstantial wraith. How could he hurt it?

Fortunately, Chen Lian hurled another orb of golden light, striking the Mirage and forcing it to retreat, howling in pain, into a patch of darkness.

Knowing he couldn’t harm the Mirage, Murong Xun didn’t hesitate. He dashed to the other side to help the Serpent besiege the Ghost Wolf. After all, the Serpent could only be summoned once, and its time was limited.

By now, the Serpent was battered, its scales shedding in clumps, and a long gash marred the woman’s face it bore, making it look even more grotesque. The Ghost Wolf fared no better—one paw had been bitten off, oozing black blood, and it limped, battered by the Serpent’s tail.

Seeing Murong Xun approach, the beast instinctively backed away a few steps.

It growled low, eyes filled with cruelty and malice. Once fully transformed, not a trace of humanity remained in its monstrous form.

Before Murong Xun could act, a sudden arrow whistled from afar, striking the Ghost Wolf square in the skull.

Murong Xun looked up. Not far off, atop a two-story rooftop, a burly, broad-shouldered woman was lowering her bow.

Catching his gaze, she shot him a challenging whistle.

“Little fledglings, I’m not holding back on this prey!”