Song Shi glanced at the electronic clock on the wall. It read 23:06.
It was so late, there was nowhere she could stay for the night.
"Does the bed fee not cover tonight?"
"No, it doesn't. Since you requested a healer, you were supposed to leave immediately after treatment, but since you fell asleep, we didn't wake you up." The nurse patiently replied.
"If you want to stay overnight, you'll need to pay for the bed."
Song Shi lifted her head from her optical brain, checking her account balance. Pay? Her account was emptier than her pockets.
There was something she had forgotten.
"Did I bring any luggage when I came?"
"No, it was just you. The clothes you were wearing were torn during the surgery, so we've already disposed of them."
Song Shi tried to smile but found she couldn't.
"What about your family? They haven't shown up since you went into surgery. Although your external wounds are healed, it's best to rest at home for a few days. Not everyone can handle a healer's recovery power, you'll need to observe yourself at home for a while." The nurse wanted to remind her of more but was called away by the head nurse.
Song Shi sat alone by the bed. Her family had already severed ties with her.
This hospital seemed busy. Through the half-open door, she could see nurses and doctors rushing back and forth in the hallway.
Occasionally, a uniformed guard would flash by.
Song Shi glanced at the striped hospital gown she was wearing.
Walking to the doorway, she peeked out. The nurses were all busy, and some patients in gowns, unable to sleep, wandered the hallway.
Song Shi slipped out of the ward, blending in with the wandering patients as she moved toward the elevator.
Just as she arrived, the elevator doors opened, and she sneaked inside.
Inside, two doctors were pushing a hospital bed. The white sheets were stained with large patches of blood. As soon as Song Shi stepped in, the smell of blood assaulted her senses.
Instinctively holding her breath, she stood in the corner, her gaze uncontrollably drifting to the person on the bed.
She gasped.
The person's facial features were blurred, as if melted by high heat, or as if their face had been repeatedly scraped by a board full of sharp nails.
The skin was completely gone, and blood was gushing from the capillaries beneath.
Song Shi quickly looked away, too scared to continue.
The two doctors paid little attention to Song Shi, their optical brains buzzing with notifications, one video call after another.
"The operating room's still not ready? What's taking so long? The patient's here!"
"Send more people to the rooftop for pickup! We have five more helicopters!"
"How many times has this happened? Still no experience? Dire Wolf Beast! Prepare debridement tools first! Do you even read your textbooks?"
"You're all useless. One day, you'll cause someone to die!"
Song Shi shrank further into the corner, trying to make herself as invisible as possible.
The elevator stopped on the first floor. Song Shi darted out just as the doors opened, while the elevator continued down to the basement.
Song Shi mingled with the crowd as she left the hospital, standing on the vast open ground outside. The sound of rescue helicopters overhead was deafening.
The wind from their blades whipped Song Shi's loose hospital gown, making it flap loudly.
For many people, this midnight was anything but peaceful.
As she walked down an alley, Song Shi kept checking her account balance.
Each time she opened it, she hoped her Good Samaritan reward had been deposited.
But each time, she was disappointed.
The number 0 glared at her from the screen.
And, as if on cue, her stomach growled audibly.
Just as her faint grumble sounded, a loud, thunderous rumble echoed from the other end of the alley, completely drowning out her own.
In an instant, chills ran up from Song Shi's feet, spreading up her calves and radiating through her whole body.
That sound, it reminded her of the beast locked in the glass enclosure at the experimental base the day before.
The faint scent of blood lingered in the air. The gruesome scene of the person on the hospital bed flashed through her mind.
Whether the Dire Wolf Beast mentioned by the doctors had been caught remained unknown.
Song Shi turned to run but stopped herself.
She heard voices, a group approaching from afar, laughing and chatting, their footsteps noisy, there were many of them.
Song Shi glanced around.
She was standing just inside the shadow of a streetlight, with a pile of debris in front of her, hiding her from the creature's sight.
She quickly concealed herself deeper in the shadows.
The group grew closer, their conversation becoming clearer.
"What if we run into that Dire Wolf Beast? Let's wait until they catch it before we go out."
"What are you afraid of? The inner city has already sent Awakeners, and I heard it's the Wu and Lu families from Base One. So what if the Dire Wolf Beast is strong? That madman Lu Xing won't let it go."
"Why are they at our base? People from Base One always look down on us at Base Eleven."
"How should I know? I don't live in the inner city."
"Hey, did you see the announcement from the Hunter Guild? Whoever finds the Dire Wolf Beast's location gets a reward of ten thousand Federal credits."
"Only ten thousand? That's too stingy! Who would risk their life for that?"
Hiding in the corner, Song Shi silently took out her optical brain, hurriedly registered for a Hunter Guild account, and sent the location of the Dire Wolf Beast.
Liuliu Song: Found Dire Wolf Beast traces: [Location]
As soon as Song Shi hit send, the group reached the streetlight.
It was pitch black on both sides, with Song Shi hidden in the left alley and the Dire Wolf Beast lurking in the right.
"Looks like someone already found the Dire Wolf Beast's location. They even sent the coordinates."
"Where's the location?" Someone asked curiously.
"Let me check... Huh? The coordinates are... the same as where we are?"
Song Shi, who was stealthily moving backward, hoping the group's noise would cover her escape: ...
"Sh*t!" One of them wasn't slow to catch on.
"What are you waiting for? Run!"
Roar!
A thunderous roar echoed. Even without turning around, Song Shi could imagine the scene.
Screams filled the air as Song Shi broke into a full sprint.
The wind howled in her ears, and the screams gradually faded.
Her bangs were blown back, her heartbeat quickened, her body heating up, and speed increasing.
But no matter how fast Song Shi ran, the ground shaking behind her indicated that the Dire Wolf Beast was gaining on her.
How could two legs outrun four?
Making a sharp right turn into a narrower alley, Song Shi braked so hard her shoes almost sparked.
The Dire Wolf Beast charged forward several more meters before doubling back in pursuit.
By the time it turned around, Song Shi's figure had almost disappeared.
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