Chapter 3

Listen, wolf ears?

Hao Ren was momentarily stunned in his spot. Only after Lily had walked a distance did he rub his eyes hard. When he refocused, he still saw the ordinary short-haired girl in front of him.

However, he was absolutely certain that he had just seen a pair of pointed, strange ears! He could even clearly recall the appearance of those ears: triangular, perched on Lily's head, standing up energetically, covered with beautiful silver fur—there was no mistaking it! Hao Ren had always been confident in his eyesight and short-term memory.

But now there was nothing on Lily's head, and what he had just seen was indeed quite unconventional, so he patted his face and muttered to himself, "Why am I so sleepy today, even hallucinating."

"Landlord, what did you just say?" Lily suddenly turned her head, her big eyes shining brightly and full of vitality in the night, "What about hallucinations?"

Hao Ren thought this girl had really good hearing; he had mumbled so softly, yet she still heard him. But he didn't show it on his face, just waved his hand casually, "Nothing, I was wrong. Let's go, we need to settle you in tonight."

"Okay," Lily carried the huge box in front, talking non-stop as she walked, "By the way, landlord, is there a place to eat nearby? I haven't eaten yet... Can I eat at your place today? I'll pay for the meal. Hey, landlord, why are you walking behind? You lead the way, I don't know the way..."

Hao Ren caught up in a few steps, thinking that although this chatty girl was a bit silly, she was also quite straightforward and interesting. He said casually, "No problem, I'll take care of the meal. Anyway, I live alone, it's just one pot more or less."

As soon as he finished speaking, that "fluttering" sound from earlier suddenly came again from above!

This time, he looked up even faster and clearly saw a bat-like black shadow, as big as an eagle, flying across the night sky!

Of course, he didn't think it was really a bat, just a large bird that had flown in from somewhere to forage in the residential area: it wasn't far from here to the wasteland, so it wasn't unusual for wild birds to occasionally fly into the residential area. But he was worried that Lily might get a bad impression of the place, so he reassured her casually, "Don't worry, it might be a wild bird. This place is close to the wasteland."

Lily's voice suddenly came from nearby, sounding a bit urgent, "Landlord, why don't you go ahead? I... I'll catch up, I have something to do!"

Hao Ren was taken aback, puzzled, and said casually, "How can that be? I need to show you the way. This place has many winding alleys, even people who live here can get lost... Hey, why are you so close?"

Only then did he notice that Lily's voice had been very close. When he turned his head, he saw her face only a few inches away, her unusually bright eyes staring straight at him. Although she was beautiful, it was really scary in the dark. Hao Ren jumped back more than half a meter, "I'm telling you! I'm a decent person!"

This was his habit; when he got nervous, he tended to talk a lot.

Hao Ren thought he might be imagining it, but he noticed a hint of urgency on Lily's face. She looked up at the sky and sniffed a few times, "Landlord, go ahead, I can follow you. I remember your scent... Hey, why are you so fussy? I really have something to do!"

"No way!" Hao Ren's stubbornness kicked in. He didn't even have time to think about what "remember your scent" meant, just frowned, "What if something happens? It's dark and late, I can't leave you here. I'd feel guilty—what's so important that you can't tell me?"

As mentioned before, Hao Ren was a good person—至少是个有责任心的人。Lily was brought here by him, so he felt responsible for safely delivering her to his home. Although she was a girl with incredible strength, this didn't affect his concern: if anything happened to her, he would feel guilty.

Moreover, he couldn't understand what a girl who had just arrived from elsewhere could have that was so urgent to do right now.

Lily's face was already very anxious, and her behavior was clearly strange: she put her large box on the ground with a loud thud, then kept looking up at the tall walls around them. This narrow alley was lined with two- or three-story old buildings, symbols of prosperity when the area was thriving. But now, these once-glamorous buildings had become dilapidated and worn, with only the uneven, dark high walls on both sides of the alley blocking the night sky, leaving only a narrow strip visible.

Lily's gaze darted quickly between these high walls, and she began to sniff the air frequently, as if trying to distinguish some scent. She also started to move her limbs slightly. Seeing this, even Hao Ren, who was usually slow to react, realized something was wrong. Although he still thought this girl was strange in many ways, the two strange sounds from the sky had already made him nervous. Now, seeing Lily's unusual behavior, he knew she had discovered something, "Lily... what's going on?"

"Just call me Lily," she said absentmindedly, then looked at Hao Ren in surprise, "Hey, landlord, why haven't you left yet?"

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Hao Ren cautiously approached Lily, his tone light but his fists clenched. He didn't see anything unusual around them, but he could feel the atmosphere becoming strange. A faint, bloody smell and a chill that didn't fit the season were spreading from the dark corners—frankly, his legs were trembling.

Hao Ren considered himself brave, but he couldn't ignore the bizarre situation.

Until now, Hao Ren didn't know what was happening. He had heard many urban legends and modern ghost stories, including vengeful spirits in alleys and death-seeking ghosts at crossroads, but he had always treated them as entertainment. But what was this?

At first, he could explain it away as his own overactive nerves and being "infected" by Lily's strange behavior, but as time passed, the bloody smell in the air had become so strong that it almost filled his mouth with a sweet, metallic taste, and the chill from all directions had made his breath visible. Even if he believed in science and rejected superstition, he knew he was in an abnormal situation. At this moment, he suddenly remembered how Lily had urgently urged him to leave, how she had been alert even when everything seemed normal, and how she had calmly prepared herself... He suddenly understood that this girl, whom he had secretly called a "silly girl," knew exactly what was happening!

"Damn, which timeline is wrong, how did I end up in this situation..." Hao Ren cautiously looked around, enduring the pungent bloody smell and the pervasive cold, feeling his thoughts slow down, "Is this still the real world? Where's the promised scientific and happy life?"

"Landlord, I'm sorry to involve you. This 'thing' might be after me," Lily's voice came from behind Hao Ren, slightly hoarse, "You're a good person, better than anyone I've met before. I'll do my best to keep you alive, I promise!"

"Don't give me a 'good person card' at a time like this..." Hao Ren's teeth chattered, but he still turned to comment. However, he was speechless when he saw Lily's appearance:

A nearly unfamiliar girl stood beside him, her silver hair reaching her waist, her face beautiful, but with a pair of golden, inhuman eyes. The pale golden pupils glowed faintly in the night, a light completely different from the normal reflection of eyes. A pair of silver-white, wolf-like ears stood up energetically on her head, occasionally trembling in the cold wind and turning towards every faint sound.

And behind the girl, a bright silver tail emerged from the gap in her clothes, swaying in the air.

A wolf-like girl... or, in the popular term, a girl with animal ears?

Hao Ren didn't know why he could still make jokes, but he knew his life was about to get very interesting.

If he had a life after today.