Chapter 36: A Failed Scheme

At that very moment, in the oppressive darkness, I seemed to hear the sickening, grating sound of bones shattering!

I wasn't sure if I had misheard or if my desperate struggle had accidentally struck a fragile point in his skeleton. Too tense to analyze the situation, I channeled every ounce of my remaining strength into another strike. Like swinging a baton, I let my wrist relax for a split second before whipping the sharpened spike downward.

Instinctively, he raised his own spike to block me. Perhaps my attack was too direct and desperate, or perhaps it was fueled by pure, unadulterated hatred, but after the blow landed, he actually stumbled back.

Then, as if possessed, he launched a frantic counterattack in the dark. Amidst a dizzying barrage of blows, I could only swing my makeshift weapon blindly to fend off the danger. But then, my foot caught on something, and a sudden movement from him sent me crashing to the ground.

I was stunned, unable to comprehend how I had fallen, and a wave of cold despair washed over me. I continued to lash out, hating myself for my lack of focus, for harboring foolish optimism when I knew the stakes were life and death. If he killed me now, I thought with a grim, tragic clarity, I would only have myself to blame.

He was shorter than me, and I felt his raw strength was inferior to mine. Yet, faced with his ferocity and brutality, I hadn't responded effectively; instead, I had become timid and hampered by my own fear. I felt a deep sense of shame at my own incompetence—if I survived this, I would never forgive myself. But as his storm of blows continued, I had no time for such thoughts.

"It's over!" Hearing his wild, unhinged laughter, a terror unlike anything I had ever felt seized my mind.

He was clearly putting his full weight behind this assault. Not only had he knocked me down, but my arm throbbed with a dull, numbing pain from his strikes. I wanted to fight back, but my hand was so weak I could barely hold onto the spike. With a final, helpless tremor, it clattered to the ground.

In the gloom, I caught a glimpse of his twisted expression. Before I could even reach for my weapon, I saw his crimson, manic eyes fixed on me with a sinister grin. He lunged forward, raising his spike to finish me off.

"No! Ah, A-Jing..."

Qu Xiang had somehow scrambled onto the bank. She caught a dim silhouette of the dark figure lunging toward me, the raised spike catching a faint glimmer of light, its tip glistening with a lethal, icy sheen. Seeing this brutal scene from a distance, all she could do was let out a cry of pure despair.

Suddenly, a brilliant beam of light erupted, as if a magic box had been opened underground, flooding the area with a blinding white radiance!

The searing light instantly illuminated the dark figure. Only someone standing nearby could have clearly seen what happened next. It was as if I, lying on the ground, had become a high-powered searchlight, aiming directly at the man who was about to strike.

"Ah!"

In that split second, another scream pierced the air. It wasn't Qu Xiang—she hadn't been able to get close enough.

"Die! You bastard!"

Panting, fueled by a mix of desperation and rage, I let out a guttural roar. Despite being pinned to the ground, I held a small, high-intensity flashlight in one hand, its beam blinding him, exposing his face twisted in sudden terror.

In my other hand, I held the hiking pole I had retracted and hung at my waist. In the brilliant light, the short blade at the tip of the pole swept across his chest and abdomen.

Under the harsh white glare, a spray of crimson bloomed, staining the stark light and bathing the scene in a surreal, gruesome hue. Even before I could process what had happened, my heart felt as though it had stopped beating.

I sensed a sharp, metallic stench of blood filling the air. I heard him let out a wretched shriek, and then, the surroundings fell unnervingly silent.

Without thinking, I saw him frozen in the spotlight. My final act of survival was to kick him away and scramble to the side.

"You bastard! Keep acting crazy! Keep acting crazy!"

I barely had time to look for Qu Xiang, but as the light shifted, I saw him collapse backward. Even in my peripheral vision, the sight made my heart tighten—had I really hit him?

Even in the darkness, the dull thud of his body hitting the ground was unmistakable. My scalp prickled at the sound. I knew that even for a perfectly healthy man, falling like that would be enough to knock the wind out of him, if not render him unconscious.

I felt no pity for him. Instead, a surge of adrenaline forced me to my feet. My opponent was down, and I was up—this was my chance. I saw his spike fall from his hand.

With a jolt of unexpected hope, I kept the flashlight trained on his face. I knew the sudden glare had disoriented him, and even though his expression was one of bewildered shock, I wasn't about to waste this opportunity.

I didn't even check myself for injuries. I saw that his bow was still strapped to his back and his spike was out of reach; he was weaponless, just like me. Remembering the difference in our stature, I lunged at him.

I had never moved with such speed. Keeping the light fixed on his terrified eyes, I straddled his legs, raised my right fist, and rained blows down upon his face.

My blood was boiling. I had finally turned the tables. I had never been in a real fight before, but I wasn't going to let this advantage slip away. I dropped the hiking pole and swung my fists with everything I had.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Perhaps it was the sight of blood or the adrenaline from my own injuries, but despite the weakness I had felt moments ago, my arms and my entire body now felt flooded with raw power.

I knew that using the short blade on the hiking pole would have been more effective, but there was something visceral and cathartic about using my bare fists to crush him, to vent all the fear and repression I had been holding inside. It made my blood sing.