The ghoul let out a low growl. Springing forward with all four limbs, its entire body pounced again like an arrow shot from a bow, its speed far beyond anything human.
Ryan's pupils contracted sharply. He instinctively retreated backward as the Lantern's glow within his body began to circulate almost uncontrollably. The entire world seemed to slow down by half a beat in this instant, and countless tiny trails of light emerged in the air. He finally managed to catch the ghoul's movements.
Pushing off with its left leg.
Tilting its body to the right.
Trajectory—his chest.
Almost at the exact moment he made the assessment, Ryan threw himself to the side.
Boom!
The ghoul brushed past his body and crashed. Its shoulder slammed heavily into a brick wall, causing the entire wall to shudder as loose debris rained down.
Ryan did not pause for even a second. He turned and ran.
Because he knew very well.
He couldn't beat it.
Absolutely not.
He could still manage to deal with the semi-transformed, incomplete ones in the warehouse, but the ghoul in front of him had already completed its metamorphosis. It was a Winter aspect monster in the truest sense. Its strength, speed, and recovery capabilities far surpassed his own current level.
Soon, a hair-raising crawling sound came from behind him.
Clack.
Clack.
Clack.
The sound grew closer and closer.
Ryan couldn't help but look back, and his face instantly paled.
The thing wasn't chasing him on the ground at all. Instead, its limbs dug tightly into the crevices between the bricks, crawling frantically along the wall like a giant gecko. Its twisted body completely defied human anatomy, and its speed was even faster than a human sprinting on flat ground.
“Shit!”
Ryan cursed under his breath and plunged into a nearby abandoned cargo yard.
Inside the yard, wooden crates were piled high like mountains, and rusted iron chains hung suspended in mid-air. Coal, rainwater, and sludge mixed together, making the ground incredibly slick and muddy.
But the ghoul was completely unaffected. Its massive body rampaged through, smashing headfirst through a wooden crate and sending wood splinters flying everywhere.
Boom!
Just as Ryan climbed over another pile of cargo, a bone-chilling cold suddenly rose from behind him. He ducked his head almost purely on instinct.
In the next second, sharp claws brushed right past the top of his head, causing a few strands of black hair to slowly drift down.
Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
It had been incredibly close.
If he kept running like this, he would be caught sooner or later.
With the Lantern's glow circulating rapidly, Ryan analyzed his surroundings at high speed even as he ran frantically.
Cargo crates.
Kerosene barrels.
Cranes.
Tracks.
Suddenly, his gaze locked onto something.
Not far away, an abandoned hoist stood quietly. A few rusted steel cables connected to a massive iron crate suspended in mid-air, filled to the brim with heavy iron ingots. It weighed at least half a ton.
Ryan's heart leapt.
An opportunity!
Without any hesitation, he changed direction and dashed straight toward the hoist.
The ghoul hissed and snarled as it pursued him relentlessly, the distance between them shrinking rapidly.
Ten meters.
Eight meters.
Six meters.
Ryan could even hear the heavy, foul-smelling breath behind him.
When he was only one step away from the hoist, the ghoul suddenly leapt into the air. Its massive dark shadow completely enveloped him as its sharp claws aimed directly for his back.
Yet in that exact instant, Ryan suddenly crouched down, the glow in his left eye flaring to life.
Crack!
The already decayed retaining bolt snapped instantly.
In the next second—
Boom!!!
The massive iron crate suspended in mid-air came crashing down.
The ghoul was still in mid-air, completely unable to dodge.
Bang!!
The several-hundred-kilogram block of iron slammed down violently. The entire yard shook violently as wood splinters, dust, and rust billowed into the air. The wild shockwave sent Ryan flying, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Only a sharp ringing remained in his ears.
Several seconds passed.
The dust slowly cleared.
The massive iron crate was pinned firmly to the ground, surrounded by a complete mess.
The entire yard was terrifyingly quiet.
Ryan panted heavily, using a wooden crate for support as he slowly stood up.
Was it dead?
Just then.
Crack.
A very faint, crisp sound suddenly echoed.
Ryan's expression changed instantly.
Beneath the iron crate, a deathly pale hand slowly reached out.
Right after.
A second one.
Creak—
The incredibly heavy iron crate was actually being lifted up, inch by inch.
The hairs on Ryan's body stood on end.
“What the hell...”
The thing was actually still alive.
In the next second—
Boom!
The massive iron crate was flipped right over.
The ghoul stood up once more.
Half of its body was completely deformed, white bones piercing through its flesh and exposed to the air. Its head was also deeply dented.
Yet it still did not fall. Instead, its wounds rapidly healed under the power of the Winter aspect. Its decaying flesh squirmed frantically, and its broken bones snapped back together. Its recovery speed was utterly despair-inducing.
Seeing this scene, Ryan completely abandoned any thought of continuing the fight.
Run!
He had to run!
This was not a monster his current self could handle.
He turned and dashed toward the outskirts of the docks at full speed. Behind him, the ghoul let out an incredibly furious roar, causing the thick mist of East Port to vibrate with it.
Fortunately, after taking such a heavy blow, its speed was noticeably slower, and it limped as it walked.
Even so, Ryan didn't dare to stop for a second. He ran through several blocks in one breath, only stopping to lean against a wall once he could no longer hear any sounds of pursuit.
His legs were still shaking.
His chest throbbed with pain, as if it had been slammed by a sledgehammer.
The battle just now had almost completely drained the Lantern's glow within him, and even his Lantern perception had shrunk back to the level of an ordinary person.
He even suspected that if any random thug with a knife showed up right now, they could easily stab him to death.
At this thought, Ryan couldn't help but curse.
“Dammit.”
“Next time anyone says the extraordinary are impressive, I'm going to slap them first.”
Leaning against the cold wall, he slowly walked toward the street.
Twenty minutes later.
Gas streetlamps reappeared on the outskirts of East Port.
The moment he saw the light, Ryan felt a dazed sense of having survived a disaster.
Patrolling police officers and drunken dockworkers could already be seen on the street, as if the life-and-death struggle from earlier had never happened.
Ryan fell silent for a moment, but ultimately walked toward the nearest police station.
Of course, he couldn't directly mention the ghoul, let alone extraordinary events. That would only drag him into it.
But if he did nothing...
The semi-transformed individuals in the warehouse would complete their metamorphosis sooner or later.
When that happened...
Even more people would die.
At the entrance of the police station, two kerosene lamps hung under the eaves, and two on-duty officers were gathered around a table playing cards.
Seeing Ryan walk in, one of them looked up.
“What's the matter?”
Ryan purposely panted heavily to make himself look even more disheveled.
“I want to report a crime.”
The officer put down his cards.
“Speak.”
Ryan lowered his voice.
“The East Port warehouse district.”
“I just saw someone commit murder.”
The officer's movements paused.
“Murder?”
“Are you sure?”
Ryan nodded.
“I was just passing by and heard a noise, so I took a look.”
“There's a lunatic gnawing on a corpse.”
The air suddenly fell silent.
Both officers looked up at the same time, their expressions turning a bit strange. One of them couldn't help but laugh out loud.
“Gnawing on a corpse?”
“Have you been drinking?”
Ryan shook his head.
“No.”
“I didn't dare to get close.”
“But someone definitely died there.”
Just then, steady footsteps echoed from inside the station, and a tall man slowly walked out.
Deep blue uniform.
Broad shoulders.
A baton and a revolver hung from his waist.
Ryan was slightly stunned when he saw him.
Jonathan.
The detective who had once visited him.
Jonathan clearly recognized Ryan as well, his gaze pausing slightly.
“The young man from the archives?”
Ryan nodded.
“Detective.”
Jonathan walked over to the desk.
“What happened?”
The on-duty officer immediately repeated the story.
After listening, Jonathan didn't laugh. Instead, he slowly frowned.
“The East Port warehouse district?”
“Which part?”
Ryan accurately reported the location of the fight.
Jonathan's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.
Recently, there had been more and more deaths in East Port. Many cases had already been suppressed. The ordinary officers didn't know, but he was well aware.
There.
There was indeed a problem.
After a few seconds of silence, Jonathan looked back at Ryan.
“Did you enter the warehouse?”
“No.”
Ryan answered without a hint of hesitation.
“I ran as soon as I saw it from a distance, and came straight here to report it.”
Jonathan stared at him for quite a while.
Pale face.
Clothes covered in mud and water.
Forehead drenched in cold sweat.
No matter how one looked at him, he was just a frightened, ordinary passerby.
Finally, he nodded slowly.
“I understand.”
“You may go back.”
Ryan, however, did not leave immediately.
“Is it... really going to be fine there?”
Jonathan fell silent for a moment before a professional smile returned to his face.
“If there is a problem, that is the police's problem. Not yours.”
Ryan immediately understood that the other party knew some things but couldn't tell him.
So he nodded.
“Understood.”
With that, he turned and left the police station.
Only when his figure disappeared outside the door did the smile on Jonathan's face gradually fade away.
The police station fell quiet once more.
The young officer beside him couldn't help but ask: “Sir, are we really going to check it out?”
Jonathan looked down at the map on the desk, his finger lightly tapping the location of the East Port warehouse district.
That place again.
Over the past half-month, this was already the fourth time they had received a similar report.
Disappearances.
Corpse-eating.
Lunatics.
Plagues.
Everyone's testimony was different.
Yet the locations almost always pointed to the same warehouse area.
After a long silence, Jonathan finally picked up his coat, his voice low and decisive.
“Gather the men.”
“Bring guns.”
The young officer was taken aback.
“All of them?”
“Everyone.”
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