After the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow crawled back up, he paused at the sight of the bright red blood splattered across the ground. He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before quickly following the trail.
However, once he left the forest, the blood vanished at the edge of the shore.
The Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow stood before the shimmering waves.
After a long silence, he slowly turned his scarred body around. On his way back, he noticed a different color caught between the branches.
Looking closer, he saw it was a few strands of Zhong Xiwang’s hair that had been scraped off.
The soft, slender strands hung lonely on the branch, just like the little toy—soft and weak.
But it was also a little different from her; the little toy was full of life, jumping around fiercely and making a string of unintelligible sounds.
The Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow raised his hand and began to collect Zhong Xiwang’s fallen hair, one strand at a time.
Just as he had organized those portraits, he placed the hair neatly in his hand.
He returned to his nest and pulled out the hidden portraits one by one, sticking them onto his body. He used them to cover the horrific hole that had been bitten into his head, then curled his tall, thin body up.
From a distance, he looked like a discarded skeleton, gnawed and left incomplete by a wild beast.
***
After being taken into the water by the Multi-finned Sea Snake, Zhong Xiwang seemed to realize there was no chance of survival. She remained silent and made no further movements.
She was covered in wounds. Even if she had a chance to run in the water, she would only be torn apart by marine predators sensitive to the scent of blood.
Unexpectedly, after wandering through the water for a few laps, the Multi-finned Sea Snake climbed onto another island.
As soon as they reached the shore, the Multi-finned Sea Snake tossed Zhong Xiwang onto the ground. It turned around and pinned her down, opening its terrifying, alien-like maw.
Zhong Xiwang’s pupils dilated in terror. Just as the Multi-finned Sea Snake lunged to bite her, she suddenly thrust her hand deep into its mouthparts.
The Multi-finned Sea Snake froze instantly, the six eyes on its heart-shaped head blinking rapidly.
Zhong Xiwang quickly withdrew her hand, though her arm was still sliced by the sharp teeth filling its mouth.
The Multi-finned Sea Snake twisted its head, its body arching as it made clicking sounds, looking as if it were retching.
Zhong Xiwang took the opportunity to scramble up and run.
Having recovered, the Multi-finned Sea Snake glared fiercely at her retreating back. Its long, crimson tongue curled to swallow the taste of her blood, and its three pairs of eyes gradually lit up. With a loud roar, it gave chase.
Hearing the commotion behind her, Zhong Xiwang knew she couldn’t outrun a monster with dozens of legs.
So, she immediately flopped onto the ground and lay still, staring up at it with panicked eyes.
The Multi-finned Sea Snake stopped immediately. Watching her pull this stunt, it seemed almost amused by her foolishness, letting out several short sounds from its throat.
It lowered its head to inspect this disheveled human. Her skin was fair and tender, and her blood tasted better than any of its previous meals.
As the Multi-finned Sea Snake pondered where to start eating this “catch,” it didn’t expect the “catch” to fight dirty. Taking advantage of its lapse in guard, she slammed a fist hard against its eye.
The heavy blow to its fragile eye caused the Multi-finned Sea Snake to roar in fury.
When it looked again, its food had run off once more.
The Multi-finned Sea Snake was livid, opening its terrifying maw as it chased after her.
It swore that once it caught her, it would snap her neck without hesitation!
The roaring woke another creature slumbering in the woods. It slowly raised its head, looking toward the source of the sound. Its nose twitched as it caught the scent of food.
The sound grew closer. First, it saw a small, pale figure, and then its gaze landed on that striking red hair.
It moved. Its massive body, like a small hill, slowly rose from the level ground.
Zhong Xiwang was so focused on the Multi-finned Sea Snake behind her that she didn’t notice the anomaly ahead—until her body slammed into something that felt furry.
The force of the impact sent her tumbling onto her backside.
The monster before her was equally tall. Thick, long black fur covered its neck and head, and a pair of sharp, massive antlers sat atop its skull. Its upper body was burly, with eerie white ribs exposed, revealing the terrifying crimson internal organs within. Its forelimbs were long, and it sat braced on its front legs like a dog, ending in claws like those of a wild beast.
Zhong Xiwang’s heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally died.
Part deer, part wolf—the Man-eating Monster, the Wendigo.
The Wendigo looked down at her. Its pitch-black pupils weren’t very obvious amidst the dark fur, but its cold, ruthless gaze made Zhong Xiwang’s entire body turn cold.
The Wendigo looked into her wide, terrified eyes—bright and clear, reflecting its own image—shimmering with tears. The corners of her eyes were red, and her delicate lips trembled, projecting an air of fragile helplessness.
Then, it shifted its gaze toward the approaching Multi-finned Sea Snake.
With one claw, it pushed Zhong Xiwang aside before stepping forward, baring its teeth at the Multi-finned Sea Snake with a low, guttural growl.
Seeing the Wendigo take a protective stance as it tried to snatch its meal, the Multi-finned Sea Snake grew enraged as well. Its split maw snapped open as it lunged at its opponent without hesitation.
Zhong Xiwang quickly rolled to the side, getting out of the two fierce monsters’ combat range.
Once she scrambled up, she ran without looking back.
Her mind screamed in a collapse of logic: *What is going on?!*
Was she cursed by this country?
Other people might accidentally see one of these things once in decades.
She had seen three in just a few days!
If she was lucky enough to survive, she would definitely call her mom and dad and ask them to burn more joss paper for her ancestors, begging them to protect her so she could get home safely!
Hearing the roars and sounds of fighting behind her, Zhong Xiwang ran even faster.
She felt like she hadn’t run this much in her entire life.
Just as she was about to run out of the forest, she heard movement behind her again.
Looking back, she saw the Multi-finned Sea Snake and the Wendigo chasing her even as they tried to hinder each other.
She could feel the ground trembling slightly from the weight of the two giant beasts.
In her moment of despair, a cheerful chirping and clicking sound came from ahead. To her ears, it sounded like heavenly music.
Zhong Xiwang’s eyes lit up as she ran toward the sea, shouting for the Great Orca.
The Orcas over there saw her too. Seeing her being chased by two strange monsters again, the Great Orca charged toward her without a second thought.
With one tail slap, it sent the Multi-finned Sea Snake flying. After ramming the Wendigo aside with its head, it carried Zhong Xiwang and quickly retreated into the water.
The two monsters tried to follow, but they were blocked by a row of massive, fierce Orcas.
The Orcas opened their mouths, emitting high-pitched chirps that sounded like they were acting cute.
Only the Great Orca knew better; some of them were cursing that ugly thing, the Multi-finned Sea Snake, while others were warning the Wendigo, a creature they had never seen before.
Seeing them held back by the Orcas, a lingeringly fearful Zhong Xiwang finally breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the Great Orca’s back just as she had before.
She panted heavily. The ocean, which she once thought was vast and dangerous, felt incredibly safe at this moment.
And the primary source of that safety was the kind Great Orca beneath her.
They had appeared just in time.