Chapter 4

Hao Ren stared blankly at the silver-haired girl in front of him. The silver hair fluttering in the cold wind, the golden eyes glowing in the night, and most importantly, the pair of pointed ears were hard to look away from. If it weren't for her unchanged face, Hao Ren would almost not recognize her as the silly girl Liu Lili he had brought from the city center not long ago.

But it was indeed her—her appearance confirmed it, and so did her clothes.

The wind around him was cold, the moonlight above was cold, the clothes on his body were cold, and even the air he exhaled was cold—Hao Ren felt almost frozen, but this unusual coldness helped him stay alert, especially with the thick, unrelenting smell of blood all around. This clarity was crucial: it allowed him to remain vigilant while trying to make sense of the bizarre events unfolding in the real world.

He didn't approach Lili as casually as before, perhaps because the eerie surroundings had dampened his mood, or maybe because her unique appearance made him unsure of how to start a conversation. To be honest, girls with animal ears were quite cute, but who knew if this one had a drastic personality change after transforming? Hao Ren was certain he saw a hint of primal beast in her eyes, which made him nervous and started a mental scroll of bizarre stories from around the world.

As the cold and the smell of blood grew stronger, a thin layer of frost covered the small road, and the moon in the sky had turned a pale red. Hao Ren, dressed in a thin summer shirt, was shivering more and more in the cold wind, while Lili seemed completely unaffected. She sniffed the air and her ears twitched. "Cunning bats, using the smell of blood to mask their own scent... Landlord, don't stay too far from me. Those flying creatures are active at night and are good at ambushes."

Lili's voice had a cold edge to it, but Hao Ren felt relieved when he heard her words: it seemed her personality hadn't changed. He dared to ask, "Lili, what's going on? You..."

"I'm a werewolf," Lili's ears perked up even more, and her tone was proud. "I don't know how, but I'm a werewolf! But I've always hidden my identity, and this is the first time someone has seen me... Tch, getting involved with those flying creatures is never a good thing."

"Ah," Hao Ren responded, thinking that his worldview from childhood might need a major update. Just as he was about to say more, Lili suddenly shouted, "They're here!"

Almost as soon as Lili spoke, Hao Ren saw the edge of the red moon tremble, and a black dot suddenly enlarged from the moon's halo, rushing toward them!

The black dot grew into a shadow, and Hao Ren vaguely felt that it didn't look like a bat but more like a human in a cloak. He didn't have time to think more because the shadow was already right in front of him!

His muscles had been tensed and ready to dodge, and now that he was the target, his first reaction was to jump to the side. As he leaped, the shadow almost grazed his hair and missed.

The shadow missed its target and was about to hit the ground, but Lili didn't miss her chance. The moment Hao Ren dodged, she delivered a powerful kick to the attacker. The attack was simple and brutal, and the sound of a sonic boom followed by a series of rapid strikes. Hao Ren could only see the silver-haired werewolf girl almost transform into a silver-white flash, moving at the same speed as the shadow, using straightforward punches and kicks. There were no fancy moves, just direct and effective attacks. The air rippled visibly from the powerful strikes, and the shadow gradually fell into a disadvantage, finally contracting into a bat shape and rushing toward the sky, apparently trying to escape.

Lili's last punch missed, and the black bat had already flown to the wall. She frowned in anger, growling like a wolf, a sound Hao Ren recognized well from his childhood in the mountains where wolves roamed at night.

That was the sound!

But this wasn't the time to marvel. Hao Ren knew he was caught in an extraordinary situation. Normally, he might have been excited to experience such a fantastical event after reading novels or watching TV, but now he knew this was a matter of life and death. The bat didn't leave the sky; it circled slowly, seemingly mocking the werewolf girl for not being able to fly. It drew various shapes in the air, an S, a B...

Hao Ren knew that as long as the bat circled in the sky, he wasn't safe. The werewolf girl, though strong in close combat, couldn't fly or attack from a distance, and she was still a bit silly. If the bat attacked him again, Lili might not be able to protect him! What if she didn't react in time?

"Ugh..." Lili's angry growls grew more suppressed, the fur on her ears bristling. Then she suddenly looked up and howled at the moon, "Awooo—"

At the moment she howled, the bat in the sky dove down, and Hao Ren almost jumped: this werewolf girl was really silly! Why show off in such a critical moment?

But just as the bat, enveloped in a black mist, was about to reach Lili, Hao Ren saw her wrist move. Something flew out, and he heard a sharp whistling sound. The diving bat only managed to partially mistify before being hit hard and fleeing back to the sky. Only then did Hao Ren see what Lili held in her other hand: a square, red, and cold brick!

"Ha! Keep flying if you dare!" the werewolf girl shouted at the circling bat. "Don't think your wings make you invincible! Since I found out I'm a werewolf, I've been studying how to deal with flying scum like you. I've practiced this 'Pegasus Meteor Brick' for five years! Come on, let's fight!"

Hao Ren fell to the ground: how could the legendary werewolf ultimate move be throwing bricks? And it actually worked!

The bat must have been hit hard by the brick, as it flew erratically, and the smell of blood and cold mist around them seemed to dissipate, indicating the bat's weakening power. After a few minutes of standoff, the bat finally seemed to give up, circling one last time before flying off into the dark night.

Lili didn't miss the chance to finish off the fleeing bat, throwing two more bricks with a whoosh. Hao Ren couldn't see the trajectory of the bricks, but he saw the bat wobble, indicating at least one hit. Five years of practicing the 'Pegasus Meteor Brick' indeed paid off.

But Hao Ren was more worried about where Lili's bricks would land. The werewolf girl had incredible strength, and the initial speed of the bricks was almost like a cannonball. He could only hope this place was sparsely populated, so no one would be caught in the crossfire.

The attacker was driven off, and the surroundings gradually returned to normal. The smell of blood vanished as if it were an illusion. The slight heat of the summer night returned, and Hao Ren rubbed his nose and sneezed hard: the temperature change was too much for a normal person, and he was sure he would catch a cold.

He looked up at the werewolf girl, watching her silver hair visibly turn back to her original black short hair, and the energetic wolf ears disappeared. He smacked his lips, unsure what to say.

Lili, sensing the awkwardness, seemed to have expected it. She turned to Hao Ren with a slightly embarrassed smile, picked up her large suitcase, and slung it over her shoulder, preparing to leave. "Hey, landlord, I won't be renting the house anymore... Go home quickly. Oh, don't tell anyone about today, it will cause me a lot of trouble."

With that, Lili turned and walked away.

"Wait!" Hao Ren finally came to his senses as Lili had already taken a few steps. "It's so late, where are you going? Come back with me, let's settle your luggage early..."

Lili turned back in surprise, her big, shining eyes full of confusion. "Why? Aren't you afraid that the flying creature will come back? It might be after me—I'm a werewolf, and we are mortal enemies of those creatures."

Hao Ren gritted his teeth and finally laughed. "Because I'm a good guy!"