Chapter 3: The Thing From the Stars

The Thing From the Stars

Qing Qing Xukong ran through the streets at night.

At some point, Qing Qing Xukong noticed the surroundings had become strange; the scenery by the roadside felt both familiar and alien. The originally dim night path now glowed with an unnatural red light under the illumination of three eerie scarlet moons in the sky, and the air carried a taste that made his teeth ache.

Qing Qing Xukong had no mind to ponder why all this was happening; he simply kept running.

Yes, running.

Qing Qing Xukong was being pursued. He did not know who that person was, nor why, not even whether it was male or female. At first, he thought his appearance had caused this trouble; with his looks, there was indeed a possibility of being targeted by a lecher, but he quickly dismissed that thought.

The one pursuing Qing Qing Xukong, or rather, that creature? It stood two meters tall, its body seemingly draped in a layer of black cloth, eerily merging with the shadow behind it. Its posture was indistinguishable, and even the boundary between itself and the shadow was blurred.

"This... what exactly is going on?"

By now, Qing Qing Xukong had probably been running for about twenty minutes, yet strangely, the journey that should have taken only a few minutes seemed to have made no progress at all. Although there was a faint red glow around, he could see nothing, only a road stretching forward as if it had no end.

"Cough... help, help!" Qing Qing Xukong shouted loudly for rescue. He didn't know how many times he had cried for help, but tragically, not a single call had received a response.

A body sprinting at full speed should have been burning hot, yet now Qing Qing Xukong felt as cold as the depths of winter. The strange streets, the moons, that "thing"—too many things had left his chaotic mind unable to organize his thoughts properly.

Qing Qing Xukong ran forward, leaving it to his intuition.

Suddenly, the darkness ahead began to gradually vanish, starting to take on contours and colors. But when Qing Qing Xukong clearly saw what it was, he thought, he was done for.

This road was a dead end, and it had kindly included a high wall that was absolutely impossible to climb. This overly valuable combination made him want to cry.

Qing Qing Xukong leaned his back against the wall and sat down, but his heart still pounded wildly. His throat emitted a dragging "Sss—Haa" sound. The tooth-aching taste in the air grew more pungent, and the surroundings became even darker, as if this world contained only the wall behind him. Yet he was certain he was not safe; his intuition told him that "thing" was staring at him from ahead.

Just like that, Qing Qing Xukong closed his eyes, preparing to accept his fate.

But it seemed light was coming from ahead, and because of it, he saw the true form of the "thing" in front: twisted horns, a huge vertical eye like a lamprey's mouth dripping green fluid, wings on its back clinging to its sides like thin membranes, and its entire body shimmering with a rubbery luster. What was puzzling was that a hand grew on the monster's abdomen.

This hand, located on the monster's abdomen, made a motion as if twisting its wrist. Then, every finger of this hand stretched straight out, revealing the palm, before suddenly clenching tightly.

Instantly, the massive black body exploded without warning. Unlike the blood and storm Qing Qing Xukong had imagined, the burst tissues and fluids turned into phosphorescent light and vanished into the air in the blink of an eye.

"Saved?... What exactly is going on?"

Qing Qing Xukong stared blankly at everything.

There was something there. Someone stood there with an arm fully extended, quietly at the spot where the "thing" had vanished. The other party must have been the owner of that hand on the "thing's" abdomen just now.

At some unknown moment, the surrounding streets had returned to normal, and the three scarlet moons had become just one white moon; the tooth-aching taste in the air had disappeared. By the moonlight, Qing Qing Xukong saw the owner of that hand; it seemed to be human.

It was a petite figure, forming a huge contrast with the "thing" just now. If one only looked at the other's silhouette, it should have been human. Under the moonlight, white hair hung behind, dancing in the wind.

"Save the words of gratitude for later; the immediate priority is to leave this place," the girl before him said without lowering her head.

Unlike the steadiness and calmness expressed by her words, her appearance was a genuine young girl. Judging by her looks, she should be two or three years younger than Qing Qing Xukong. In her green pupils, a spring seemed reflected, making one unable to resist gazing into them. Her ivory-white hair made people feel purity and nobility while also evoking a sense of closeness. Her red lips and white teeth, along with her porcelain-white skin, created an indescribable attraction.

Qing Qing Xukong doubted his own eyes. The other party looked like a young girl a few years younger than himself, yet she had effortlessly destroyed that kind of monster and could even remain completely calm.