Chapter 15: The Night Is the Best Camouflage

Just as Xia Tong’s thoughts swirled, the "Source Core" alert sounded again in her mind.

[Warning: Target level far exceeds host. Energy fluctuations extremely unstable. Immediate evacuation recommended!]

[Risk assessment: Survival rate upon intervention less than 0.1%. Repeating, evacuate immediately!]

The "Source Core" warning was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, shattering her resolve. With her current strength, even being grazed would leave her barely alive—staying nearby would be nothing short of a death sentence.

And… a 0.1% survival rate?

There was simply no room to survive.

"Damn it…" Xia Tong cursed herself silently, feeling foolish. How could she have even considered having a choice in a situation like this?

…

“Roar!” Another ear-splitting tiger’s roar echoed through the air.

The wounded Blood-Patterned Tiger grew even more ferocious, ignoring the bloody wound on its back. Its massive body surged forward with astonishing speed, lunging once again at the Bone Crow. Its jaws opened wide, and two blood-red beams shot fiercely from its teeth, aiming straight to pierce through the Bone Crow!

The Bone Crow ascended rapidly. Its hollow eye sockets faced the charging tiger as its decayed, foul-smelling bony wings snapped shut. Countless fine bone spikes emitted sonic waves like a hail of arrows, viciously striking the Blood-Patterned Tiger!

The battle grew increasingly intense, turning the center of the square into a chaotic mess of shattered stones, broken bones, and bloodstains. The air was thick with the mingled stench of blood and rot, almost suffocating.

She couldn’t stay here any longer!

Xia Tong lowered her body, channeling her water abilities to the utmost. A thin blue water membrane wrapped tightly around her, capable not only of masking her scent but also of minimizing the noise she made while moving.

She then chose a direction away from the heart of the battlefield, toward a row of abandoned buses partially cloaked by vines and greenery—offering better cover.

Her soft paw pads, combined with the light water membrane, made virtually no sound. Xia Tong’s focus sharpened as she cautiously crept along the ruined wall.

“Bang!”

Just as she neared the abandoned buses, the Bone Crow was violently struck by the Blood-Patterned Tiger’s powerful tail swipe. The massive skeleton lost its balance and crashed toward her like a crippled plane with broken wings!

“!!!”

Xia Tong’s pupils contracted abruptly, overwhelmed by a surge of intense danger.

In this critical moment, there was no time to think. Her instinct to survive ignited her water abilities instantly.

“Whoosh!”

She suddenly transformed into a condensed stream of water, gliding close to the ground like an incorporeal ghost, shooting forward at incredible speed to the side-front! Almost the moment she left her spot, a tremendous crash resounded!

The enormous bony frame of the Bone Crow slammed onto where she had just been standing. The hard ground cracked, forming a large crater. Fragments of stone and rotten bone debris scattered everywhere, kicking up a cloud of dust.

That was too close.

If she had been a few seconds slower, she would have been crushed into a pulp. Xia Tong didn’t pause. Embracing a “damn the consequences” attitude, she maintained her water form, abandoning the idea of reaching the buses. Instead, she rushed toward a dilapidated residential area behind the square.

The buildings were denser there, providing better opportunities to hide.

The water flow silently swept over the uneven, abandoned streets, moving so fast it left only a faint blue blur behind.

Behind her, the Bone Crow and Blood-Patterned Tiger’s furious roars and clashes echoed relentlessly through the square like death drums, pounding on her nerves.

…

Soon, she arrived at the residential complex.

Years of desolation had allowed towering trees to rise, and emerald-green plants spilled out from the walls, as if she had entered a kingdom of vegetation.

Xia Tong selected a relatively intact apartment building. In her water form, she nimbly slipped through a broken first-floor window and quickly climbed upward.

The stairwell was cluttered with junk and dust, giving off a musty smell, yet to her it was a rare sanctuary.

She pressed on without pause, reaching the twelfth floor where she picked a random room.

Instantly, she reformed into the shape of a black cat. Lowering her body, she cautiously approached the window and peered out through the dust-covered glass.

The battle in the square still raged, but it no longer threatened her.

“Phew…” Xia Tong leaned against the corner, allowing her tense nerves to ease gradually. She then moved into the shadowed area to quickly tidy up and curled up to recover her depleted strength.

…

Time passed quietly as the gray mist once again blanketed the city.

Under the silent night, the ruined city appeared even more eerie and forbidding.

Xia Tong lay on the windowsill, using the faint moonlight to survey outside. It was time to hunt.

At that moment, not far across the way, a window in another apartment building flickered with a few blurry human silhouettes.

Hmm?

Her attention was immediately drawn there.

“Are there still survivors here? I wonder if anyone has seen her before?”

Before Xia Tong could ponder further, the door of a ground-floor unit in that building was gently pushed open. Several figures crouched low and stealthily slipped out.

They moved quickly and warily, frequently glancing around, then hastened away in the direction opposite the square.

“What are they doing out so late? Looking for food?”

Xia Tong suddenly recalled the ghastly sight outside the square during the day. These survivors were probably hiding inside the building, too afraid to come out until the deep night to scavenge.

“They must be having a hard time.”

Yet the night in this ruined city was far more dangerous than the day. Various mutated creatures active after dark prowled about, posing deadly threats not only to ordinary people but also to lower-level psychics.

“Better follow and see.”

Resolving this, Xia Tong activated her water abilities again. A thin water membrane cloaked her body, masking her scent and silencing her footsteps.

It was the dead of night; darkness was her best camouflage.

The thick gray mist drifted as Xia Tong melded silently into the night, skillfully weaving through broken stairwells and slipping out through a first-floor hole, trailing the furtive figures from afar.

…

The humans ahead were extremely cautious. A group of five, clad in grimy, ill-fitting clothes, each gripping crude weapons—mostly steel pipes or machetes.

Their coordination was tight as they scanned their surroundings vigilantly, stepping lightly and moving slowly.

“Everyone, stay sharp! If you don’t want to die, keep your eyes open!” The leader, Lu Mingcheng, whispered sharply, a trace of tension in his voice.

It was his first time venturing out so late at night.

“Got it, Brother Lu.” A thin figure beside him responded with obvious flattery, “Who’d dare be careless in this pitch-black darkness?”

“This is the first time we’ve come out at night. Everyone be careful.”

At the rear, a somewhat younger voice whispered a complaint, “If it weren’t for the lack of food, we…”

“Enough. Quiet.” Lu Mingcheng shot a warning glance back.

The others immediately fell silent, not daring to speak further.

Xia Tong trailed behind, ears pricked, absorbing every sound and sight ahead.

As the group moved forward silently, they suddenly stopped and formed a circle. Xia Tong looked up and saw… it appeared to be a sewer entrance.

Xia Tong: “…” Could it be what I think it is?