Deserve...
Deserve...
Deserve...
What did He Zhihan know about who deserved what?
For twelve years, he had been the sole arbiter of that exact question. He had hunted those who preyed on the weak, murderers, abusers, monsters wearing human skin, and put them down without a shred of remorse.
Because they deserved to die.
Yet now, his dark eyes remained fixed on Hao Qing’s motionless body, sinking slowly into an ever-expanding pool of crimson.
The doctor hadn’t deserved this.
His fingers tightened around the blood-soaked teddy bear, the worn fabric crumpling beneath his crushing grip. His breathing remained steady, his pulse unhurried.
He didn’t deserve to die.
"GIVE ME THAT!" The Teacher’s shrill scream tore through the classroom, her grotesque body lunging forward as elongated claws shredded the air.
He Zhihan dropped to the floor without hesitation, rolling cleanly beneath her reach. Instead of darting for the exit, he sprang toward the unconscious little girl and shoved the stuffed bear directly into her small arms.
The Teacher froze.
Just for a second, her bloodshot eyes widened.
He Zhihan caught the shift instantly. So that’s your weakness...
Without wasting the opening, he reached into his trousers and drew several sharpened colored pencils he had pocketed from the art supply room.
The Teacher screeched and pounced again, but He Zhihan met her halfway.
Stab!
He drove two pencils straight through her outstretched palm, pinning flesh to muscle. The monster let out an earsplitting shriek, jerking backward as thick, black blood splattered across the floor.
At that exact moment, Dali burst through the doorway. Her eyes immediately landed on Hao Qing’s corpse.
Beside the body, Jun had already collapsed to his knees, trembling as tears streamed down his face. "W-We..." His voice broke. "We’re all going to die..."
He Zhihan didn’t spare them a glance. His entire focus stayed locked on the monster before him.
She was recovering far too quickly. The pencils embedded in her hand snapped apart one by one as her flesh twisted unnaturally around the tips. She smiled, a wide, sickening tear across her face and struck.
He Zhihan slashed at her arm with another pencil, tearing through rotting skin before driving his shoulder straight into her torso. The impact was like hitting solid concrete; it barely budged her.
Instead, the Teacher whipped her arm around.
Bang!
The blow caught He Zhihan squarely in the chest. The air exploded from his lungs as he was hurled backward across the room, crashing through a row of overturned desks before slamming hard onto his already battered back.
A sharp, agonizing heat shot down his spine. His lungs refused to draw air, but his head tilted slowly to the side, his unblinking gaze fixing on the little girl, where the teddy bear rested quietly in her arms.
Suddenly, her fingers twitched, a tiny, subtle flex against the worn fabric of the bear.
He Zhihan’s pupils dilated.
Before he could react, the monster stood over him. Her jaw unhinged with a sickening crack, expanding until rows upon rows of jagged, rotten teeth filled his entire vision. A wave of putrid, decaying breath crashed over him again.
"Oh... no." He gagged.
Without a second’s hesitation, He Zhihan shoved his arm upward and flung the remaining sharpened pencils straight into her gaping maw.
The Teacher let out a muffled, furious screech, stumbling backward as the wood lodged deep inside her throat.
He Zhihan bent over, one hand braced heavily against his knee as his lungs desperately fought to draw a proper breath. He gagged again, the stench of decay clinging stubbornly to the back of his throat.
"I should’ve thrown in breath mints instead," he muttered, wiping his mouth.
Jun had fainted, sprawled unconscious on the floor after screaming himself hoarse. Dali stood a few paces away, breathing heavily, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and curiosity.
Was He Zhihan really a newbie?
Their eyes met. He Zhihan gave her a dark, unreadable look, the cold focus in his eyes unfazed by the chaos.
Unfortunately, the Teacher screamed, a sound of pure, unadulterated rage, and lunged again.
He Zhihan snatched up a heavy wooden drawing board from the floor, raising it like a makeshift shield.
Crack!
Her claws smashed into the frame, splintering the thick wood instantly. The kinetic impact rattled through his wrists and shoulders, forcing him back three dragging steps.
"This is a mess," he spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor.
At this rate... he really was going to die.
The Teacher’s body was thoroughly battered. Her grey hands were torn open, her throat bled thick black sludge, and shattered pencils protruded from her flesh like tiny spears. Yet none of it slowed her down. If anything, the violence only rendered her more hideous, her movements growing faster and more unpredictable.
Plan B.
The instant she charged again, He Zhihan dropped his weight and rolled sideways, sliding across the blood-slicked tile until he reached the child. Without a moment’s hesitation, he scooped her into his arms, pulling her body up between himself and the monster.
The stuffed bear remained clutched tightly against her chest.
The Teacher froze dead in her tracks, her raised claws trembling in midair.
Then... the little girl’s eyelids fluttered.
Large, dark, innocent eyes blinked once.
She looked quietly up at the towering, grotesque monster looming over her. An eerie, unnatural stillness settled over the entire classroom, turning the air cold enough to see their breath. Even the Teacher refrained from making a single sound.
Across the room, Dali stared at the standoff, completely unable to hide the shock written across her face.
He Zhihan himself was beginning to sway. Warm blood trickled down the side of his forehead, trailing over his eyebrow and blurring the vision in his left eye. He tightened his grip around the child, locking his knees to stay upright despite the dizzying exhaustion threatening to pull him under.
The little girl hugged her teddy bear closer to her chest. Then, her lips curved into a sweet, innocent smile. "You finally found me, Teacher."