Song Shi darted left and right, weaving through the alleyways without straying too far from the location she had sent.
The Dire Wolf Beast relentlessly chased her, closing the gap little by little, but every time it was just about to catch her, Song Shi would make a sharp turn and shake it off.
Facing such a slippery prey, the Dire Wolf Beast grew increasingly agitated, roaring continuously. Song Shi could even feel the hot air from its breath brushing against her back.
She kept her nerves on high alert, using the vibrations beneath her feet to judge the distance between herself and the predator, making tight turns when necessary.
But no matter how much energy one possesses, there comes a moment when it is exhausted.
As fatigue began to weigh heavily upon Song Shi, beads of sweat dripped faster from her forehead.
Even with the breeze blowing past her, the moisture could not evaporate quickly enough, pooling together and rolling down her nose.
As soon as the droplet fell to the ground-
Crack!
The sharp clash of metal against leather echoed suddenly, piercing Song Shi's eardrums with a sharp sting. Instinctively, she covered her ears and darted to the side of the wall.
Roar-! The Dire Wolf Beast's howl of pain shook the area, and nearby buildings' sensor lights flickered on, illuminating the scene as bright as day.
Song Shi turned to look at the Dire Wolf Beast. In her line of sight, a pair of military boots landed steadily on the ground, standing between her and the beast.
The figure wielded a broad sword, the blade appearing jet black at first glance, but upon closer inspection, faint multicolored glimmers could be seen.
The Dire Wolf Beast's front limbs had been wounded, a patch of its gray-black fur torn off, and thick black liquid oozed from the wound, trickling down its left forelimb and pooling on the ground.
It seemed wary of the Awakener. Aside from its initial painful howl, it hesitated, retreating cautiously.
After taking a small step back and seeing no reaction from the Awakener, it retreated another step.
Even though half of its face was blocked by the awakened being, Song Shi could still see the terror in its movements.
Right now, this dire wolf possessed none of the cruelty or arrogance it had displayed when pursuing her.
This made Song Shi wonder who exactly the newcomer might be.
From the earlier conversation, she knew that two awakened beings from the Wu and Lu families of Base 1 had been dispatched here.
They also mentioned a name: Lu Xing.
Judging by their descriptions, Lu Xing's strength was extraordinary.
If this person before her eyes was indeed Lu Xing, what about his companion with the surname Wu?
From Song Shi's perspective, she couldn't see that second individual.
The dire wolf retreated seven or eight steps, pulling away from the awakened being by nearly ten meters, then abruptly charged toward another direction.
Song Shi's gaze sharpened, the way it dashed forward didn't seem like a desperate attempt to flee, but rather, like hunting prey.
"Are you looking to die?!" The originally placid awakener instantly flew into a rage, leaping off the ground and lunging in the same direction.
His speed was astonishingly fast. This phrase so fast he disappeared from sight wasn't merely hyperbole; it was fact.
Song Shi unconsciously sought out the dire wolf, but half of her line of sight was blocked by the wall. She stepped back slightly.
In the direction both the dire wolf and awakened being had fled, there was a dim streetlight.
Beneath the streetlight knelt a young woman, one knee on the ground and her fair right hand stretched out, fingers splayed against the pavement.
Her shoulder-length hair draped loosely over her shoulders, several strands falling across her face.
Tiny white lights radiated from her palm, spreading outward and growing fainter as they approached the edges of her vision, forming a circle thirty meters wide.
A healer! Song Shi instantly recognized their identity.
A high-level healer could purify the mental attacks, or black energy, emitted by beasts. The higher their level, the wider the range they could cleanse.
Black energy attacks were ineffective against ordinary people who had not awakened, but they were highly potent against the Awakened.
As a result, every Awakener needed a healer to purify the black energy when battling beasts.
The Dire Wolf Beast was cunning. It knew how to weigh risks and benefits, which is why it had managed to evade capture for so long in the city.
It knew that it couldn't kill the awakened being who had injured it, so it changed tactics and sought out the healer instead.
Its body sleek and streamlined, the beast lunged straight toward the light halo.
The woman tilted her head slightly, the dire wolf's swift approach reflected in her ink-black pupils, closer still, five meters, three meters, one meter...
She remained calm, maintaining her crouching position throughout.
The dire wolf opened its mouth, revealing fangs like curved hooks, and snapped at her head.
But it failed to land its bite.
The young male Awakened who had been chasing it instantly appeared in front of the woman with inhuman speed.
Gripping his sword with both hands, he raised it to his shoulder and charged at the Dire Wolf Beast head-on, like a bullet.
The Dire Wolf Beast desperately dug its front claws into the ground to slow its momentum.
But it was too late. The Awakener leaped into the air, his sword piercing through the beast's snout and emerging smoothly from beneath its jaw.
Song Shi knew all too well how thick a beast's hide was. Back at the experimental base, bullets hadn't even penetrated that other beast's skull.
Yet this awakened being had stabbed through the larger body of the Dire wolf standing before him with a single slash.
Strength, speed, reflexes, agility... Song Shi mentally matched these characteristics to the description of berserker-type Awakened she had read in The Human Differentiation Guide, and they all fit.
In addition, berserker-systems were known to be violent, bloodthirsty, and aggressive...
The Dire Wolf Beast was forced to lower its head as the Awakener's feet touched the ground.
It tried to howl in pain, but its mouth was pinned shut, and only low whimpering sounds escaped its throat.
Its forelimbs were half-bent, but its hind legs continued to kick against the ground, attempting to make the awakened being loosen their grip on the sword.
Clearly, despite the difference in size, the awakened being's legs seemed to be completely rooted in the ground, remaining unmoving no matter how much the earth wolf struggled.
Conversely, as the Dire wolf repeatedly struggled, its wounds became larger and larger, blood gushing forth in streams. At first, it flowed in spurts, then gradually began spraying out instead.
The healer behind the awakened being crouched half-on the ground, and her pristine white clothes inevitably splashed with blood.
The awakened being's emotions fluctuated visibly; what had originally been merely a punishment of the Dire wolf, an act of cruel mischief, now transformed into an urgent killing intent.
The hilt of the sword turned once in his hand, then coldly slid out, leaving a streak of blood that soared into the sky. The dim yellow streetlights suffered, and the already dim light became dark red at this moment.
The puddle of blood on the ground darkened further.
The Dire wolf was about to run, but the awakener kicked down on its nose and used the force to jump over two meters high, landing squarely on its back.
The Dire wolf's front limbs were once again bent under the weight of the hunter.
It let out a low growl as it struggled to rise once more, but its body trembled violently.
The black sword sank fully into its nape; the blade, nearly one meter long, pierced almost entirely through its neck.
Blood spilled from its mouth and splattered onto the ground.
The healer had already risen and retreated several steps, the white light around her converging back onto her form.
The sword was drawn, then thrust back in, then drawn again, as if venting frustration upon this corpse that would never be satisfied.
"Lu Xing."
The healer suddenly called out to the awakened being atop the earth wolf.
Her voice was gentle, and the awakened being's movements froze mid-stab. As though coming back to his senses, the murderous gleam in his eyes faded, his gaze clearing.
Song Shi observed all this quietly.
The Human Differentiation Guide had a passage about berserker-types: Berserker-systems are the closest in nature to beasts.
Low-level berserker-type Awakeners often had moral issues. High-level berserker-types not only had questionable morality but also frequently struggled with sanity, often losing themselves in bloodlust.
When they go berserk, they are no different from an extraordinarily powerful beast.
They are dangerous, but their strength is undeniable, and humanity cannot afford to abandon such power.
In the end, all they could do was chain them up and control their animalistic urges.
And so, the Guardians were born.
The most suitable candidates to be guardians were those awakened beings who specialized in healing; Their mental energy had unparalleled effects on calming down berserk awakened beings.
Of course, contract-type Awakeners, who have an absolute controlling influence over beasts, can also take on this role.
However, contract-type Awakeners are extremely rare, and it would be a waste to assign them to such a position.
The Dire Wolf Beast lay on its side, completely lifeless.
Lu Xing jumped down and looked in Song Shi's direction.
Song Shi's body was mostly hidden behind the wall, only half of one eye peeking out.
Her posture was somewhat crouching.
After some thought, Song Shi still decided to boldly step forward.
With the threat neutralized, Lu Xing lowered his head to wipe his sword.
That girl surnamed Wu walked out from behind him, walking slowly toward Song Shi while taking off her jacket.
"I'll put it on you." She held out the coat.
Song Shi paused, then looked down at her clothes. The right side of her hospital gown had been caught somewhere, ripping open a long seam.
"Thank you." Song Shi accepted the garment.
As she was about to put it on, Lu Xing, who had been wiping his sword, suddenly appeared next to them and stared at the coat in Song Shi's hands before lifting his eyes coldly to look directly at her.
His bloodstained black sword hung at his side as he turned once around.
His expression made it seem like if Song Shi dared to wear this coat, he would kill her.
Song Shi fell silent.
The girl stepped forward, grabbing Lu Xing's sword arm and pulling him behind herself before turning apologetically toward Song Shi with a smile.
"Don't mind him; Go ahead and put it on. I have another coat in my car, so you won't catch a cold."
With that, she grabbed Lu Xing's arm and led him away.
Song Shi pulled on the jacket, listening to their conversation as they left:
"She's still wearing a patient's gown, so we need to take care of her."
"She's a Berserker-system, no need for you to take care of her."
"The Berserker type is also human." The girl attempted to awaken Lu Xing's conscience.
"Anyway, that coat is dirty now, so I'm throwing it away."
The attempt to awaken his conscience failed.
Song Shi glanced at the bloodstains in the corner of her jacket and paid them no mind.
She opened up her holographic light board and navigated to the comments section beneath the Hunting Group's official website; many people had already commented on her post, along with an official response:
[We have dispatched someone to investigate. Once confirmed, 10,000 Federation coins will be deposited into your account.]
Song Shi turned off the light board, gave one last glance at the fallen Dire wolf corpse, then left the area.
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