Fighting the Bloodsucking Monster

Bloodsucker — a monster so infamous that even though Yilin wasn’t a professional hunter, she knew of it.

Unlike the legends of elegant, powerful vampires afraid of sunlight, this thing was purely a biochemical monstrosity.

It was a creature mutated from humans after prolonged exposure to massive amounts of supernatural radiation.

Its nearly shed skin was covered in an optical camouflage layer, its mouth had turned into tendrils, its body was abnormally strong, and it was known for killing people and draining their blood, hence its name.

Scientists were rumored to pay high prices for corpses of the creature… but right now, that wasn’t the most important thing.

The bloodsucker was chasing the girl in the nun’s habit.

The child was running in terror, but how could a human outrun a monster?

She was about to be caught and ripped apart—yet the moment Yilin entered, its body froze, turning toward her as she flicked the safety off her gun.

Not good!

Supernatural entities radiated energy, and clearly, compared to the girl, Yilin was the tastier target in its eyes.

At least this could be considered an act of charity… but a mere pistol wasn’t going to cut it…

No time to think.

She stared at the charging figure, faster and faster, and could only grit her teeth and kick the shopping cart hard toward it.

She couldn’t let her eyes leave it—otherwise, its optical camouflage would make it nearly impossible to track.

The cart crashed against rubble with a loud clang, causing the charging bloodsucker to pause for only a fraction of a second.

Its eyeless face, with cloudy yellow vertical pupils glowing in their place, instantly locked onto Yilin.

A wet, gurgling screech came from its throat as it abandoned the nun-girl completely and lunged at Yilin, a streak of gray shadow trailing behind it.

The icy breath of death rushed toward her!

Yilin’s heart nearly leapt from her throat, adrenaline flooding her system.

Fighting head-on was certain death!

Her eyes darted to the nearest corpse — the one in the exoskeleton, less than three meters to her right.

Do or die!

Yilin dove in a desperate roll, nearly skimming the ground.

She flipped nimbly midair, snatching at the rifle lying next to the corpse — a VSS Vintorez, wrapped in cloth, clearly an old weapon.

It was heavy in her hands, reeking of cold metal and faint blood.

No time to study it, never having used such a weapon before — she grabbed the grip, fingers fumbling over the safety.

Had the corpse’s owner already switched it off?

No time to check! The stench of death was already upon her!

Yilin squeezed the trigger blindly, forcing the barrel toward the blur in front of her.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

The VSS’s distinct, muffled automatic fire burst forth.

The recoil slammed into her small frame, nearly knocking her off balance, her shoulder screaming with pain as the muzzle rose uncontrollably.

Most of the bullets flew wide, only a few grazing the monster’s warped body, leaving shallow scorch marks and oozing tar-like fluid.

But to a bloodsucker, such wounds weren’t even superficial — it only enraged it further.

It let out a piercing roar, accelerating even more, its tendriled maw gaping like a flower of death, reeking saliva spraying as it aimed straight for her throat.

Its yellow eyes burned with bloodlust, angered by the prey’s defiance.

This is the end!

Yilin’s pupils shrank, death’s shadow falling upon her.

She could trigger time-slowing for five seconds, but what could five seconds buy a little cat like her?

At that exact moment—

“O Lord! Please drive away evil! In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!”

A voice rang out, trembling yet crystal clear, almost weeping.

Yilin turned — the nun-girl!

Somehow she had gotten back up.

Tears streaked her face, fear written all over her, yet she held high a dimly glowing silver cross.

Eyes shut tight, she shouted with all her strength, her voice echoing through the ruins.

But the divine cry and raised cross had no effect.

The bloodsucker didn’t falter, no thought of retreat in its mind.

Yet in the girl’s eyes flashed a strange, fierce light.

She weighed the cross in her hands, then suddenly hurled it forward—

Bang!

A dull impact resounded.

The bloodsucker staggered slightly, letting out an enraged roar as it turned its head.

A chance!

Yilin’s survival instincts crushed her fear.

No time to wonder why a cross could hit with such force.

Her eyes hardened, her body coiled like a spring, then launched upward.

Instead of firing again, she chose a simpler, deadlier move.

Gripping the VSS with both hands, she no longer saw it as a gun but as a steel club.

With all her might, she swung the stock like a hammer, aiming at the exposed neck beneath its shifted head—

“Die, meow!”

Yilin hissed fiercely, her whole body’s strength flowing into the strike.

Crack!

A sickening crunch echoed as bones shattered.

The monster shrieked horribly, its skull snapping sideways at an unnatural angle.

Its body collapsed like a broken puppet, spasming violently, its tendrils snapping open and shut as thick, foul yellow-brown liquid gushed from its ruined neck.

But Yilin didn’t hesitate.

The desperate fight had drained her courage and strength, but she refused to leave it a chance.

She dropped the heavy VSS without a thought and yanked out her Makarov pistol.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four sharp shots cracked through the ruins.

Cold-eyed, Yilin pressed the muzzle almost to the twitching creature’s skull, firing quickly and precisely.

Bullets tore through its cloudy yellow eyes and fragile forehead.

The bloodsucker convulsed once, then went limp, lifeless.

The air reeked of gunpowder mixed with its nauseating stench.

Yilin panted heavily, her heart pounding so hard it might burst.

Her hand trembled faintly as she kept her gun trained on the corpse.

Only when she was sure it was dead did she finally lift her head, gaze falling on the pale-faced nun-girl.

Smoke drifted between them.

The ruins were silent, save for the faint crackle of the space rift and the sound of their ragged breathing.