The Record of Unusual Creatures

Let's forget Casar Ebben for the moment. Hao Ren had successfully gotten into the warehouse where he found an empty room before him.     

"This is unbelievable." Hao Ren was in disbelief at how easy it was for him to sneak in as he shook off the shards of glass on his body. As the Dark Fog hovered on the second floor, he thought he would have to fight his way to go in. Little did Hao Ren know that the fog trick was under his magic field of influence. He regretted not storming in right away earlier. He felt silly for telling himself to man up with all the crap talk.     

The MDT had also sneaked in like a ghost, wobbling like a drunkard beside him. A little message read, "Radar scan shows the target is not in here."     

Hao Ren glanced at the empty place before shoving the MDT back in his pocket. "Smart-*ss, even the blind could have seen that."     

He checked to confirm his Steel Membrane Shield was in full charge before he tiptoed to the exit, ready to take a look at the situation outside.     

The old wooden door creaked open slowly, and he saw an open corridor.     

The layout of the warehouse was simple. There were only two stories; the entire lower floor was a warehouse with its ceiling raised as high as two-thirds of the building whereas the upper level was more like a deck on the west side of the warehouse which housed a watch room, an office, and a hostel. The space underneath the bridge was where various stuff, as well as forklifts, were stored and parked. But most of them had been cleared out and what remained there was just some scrap metal.     

The corridor in front of Hao Ren led straight to the rooms on the upper floor, with the rooms on the left and railing on the right. The lower level was in full view from the corridor. However, it was so pitch-dark, only a small area was illuminated by the sunlight that leaked through the hole on the roof above. With the help of the sunlight, Dark Fog could be seen flooding the lower floor. The two werewolves had indeed done a great job in securing the place. They even took measures in case the enemy dug an underground tunnel. It seemed that Hao Ren's immunity against magic was just an accidental advantage.     

A layer of black fog sealed the door on each room along the corridor but, Hao Ren knew that stuff was not soundproof. He went up against each door and called out softly, "Lily, Lily, respond if you can hear me!"     

There was no reply. Hao Ren could not suppress his ever increasing worry so, he decided to do things the most straightforward way: blasting through the doors.     

Most of the doors were locked, rusted or nailed-down. All Hao Ren could do was to pound and breakthrough everyone. However, that would make a hell lot of noise—he did not care. The fragile, old doors did not stand a chance under Hao Ren's forceful pounding, and they gave way like a crumbling bridge. As the doors fell apart, the Dark Fog dissipated. Hao Ren had blasted through four to five rooms. As he was about to continue, he saw the shadow of the werewolf maiden in the background.     

Someone had clean the room recently. Lily was lying on a small bed, motionless and seemingly unconscious.     

Hao Ren's heart skipped a beat when he saw this, and he rushed towards her. "Lily! Lily! What happened to you? Lily, please. How on earth can you still have the desire to sleep in such a situation?!"     

Lily opened her blurry eyes and smiled when she saw Hao Ren. "Hey Landlord, you're here."     

"...Do you know what's going on here?" asked Hao Ren.     

Lily's ears stood up, and she listened for sounds on the outside. "Is Battie in a fight right now?"     

"How can you sleep in such a moment?" Hao Ren thought that the husky's mind was on an entirely different channel.     

"Because it's nap time."     

"..."     

Hao Ren recalled his experience during the mission in England not long ago. The werewolf maiden's sleeping aptitude was almost magical. She dozed off dead on time; in extreme conditions. She even slept standing up while snoring like a bulldog; she tailed them all the way from London to Brewshire using only her sense of smell. Dealing with a husky with such an extreme bio-clock setting would make one end up with a tearful face.     

"Okay, forget it." Hao Ren sighed as he dragged her out of bed. His eyes screened her for any injuries. "Awake? Did they do anything to you?"     

"Nope." Lily pointed her finger at a table in one of the corners of the room. There were six packets of food on it. "They even bought me food! They bought me a second round of food when I wasn't full after the first. Being psychos aside, they're quite nice."     

Hao Ren was speechless. He suddenly had an urge to go outside and stop Vivian from bullying good citizens.     

By now, Lily was fully awake, and she looked like she was in her best state ever. Hao Ren had broken the seal of Dark Fog; the duo was ready to rush out of the warehouse to meet Vivian. With the three of them together, Casar Ebben would not be able to do anything. There would then be time to sort things out.     

However, things did not always go according to the script: As Hao Ren held Lily by her hand and descended onto the lower floor, a swamp of black fog rose from their surroundings, blocking their way.     

The fog condensed and formed into a werewolf; it was a male, as tall as Hao Ren but bonier.     

He was one of the two 'psychos' that Lily talked about over the phone, dubbed Psycho No. 2. (A term Lily coined).     

This werewolf was very different from Casar Ebben. He was not as sturdy but, in his werewolf form, he was equally formidable. He had a notorious-looking image. The werewolf emerged from the Dark Fog and stood in their way; he tried hard to look imposing and mean, but he looked like sh*t. His coat hung over his body like a rag, and his face was covered in blood while the exposed flesh on his arms had some burned marks.     

Hao Ren then realized how Casar Ebben managed to escape the Blood Mist and split so quickly to appear before Vivian as well as Hao Ren: he sold his teammate out.     

"Where are you going?" The skinny werewolf's eyes darted between Hao Ren and Lily before landing on Lily. "Are you being deceived by the vampire?"     

"Nope, I want to go home. I have told you many times. It's just that you guys never listened. My landlord has come to get me now. You will be in deep sh*t."     

"Landlord?" The scrawny werewolf stared at Hao Ren as he slowly caught his breath. "He's with the vampire... Now, I get it. There is no wonder that Casar and I thought that you were some mentally-retarded kid. It's because you have been confused by the vampire. Don't worry. After Casar finishes off the vampire, I will deal with this guy myself, and you'll be set free..."     

Hao Ren found that they were in a messy situation at that moment. He noticed the scrawny werewolf staring at him with intense anger. Hao Ren could neither cry nor laugh. He just braced himself. "I think we may have some misunderstanding here. If Casar could behave nicely, maybe they wouldn't have started the fight. Okay, why don't you just put away your claws and let's talk..."     

It would have been naive to think that anyone would have cared to talk given the circumstances but either way, the skinny werewolf did not hear what Hao Ren had said. He roared as he leaped forward with claws in the air.     

Of course, Hao Ren was not naive to believe that there was room for negotiation. He said what he did just for the sake of easing the tension. His quick muscle reflexes, first triggered when in The Plane of Dreams, were ready to be summoned up. Just as the werewolf was within a hair's breadth from touching him, he raised his hand in defense. At the same time, his other fist delivered a deadly blow to his enemy's face.     

A screeching sound sent a shiver up his spine as the werewolf's claws scratched the Steel Membrane Shield. The scrawny beast had never seen such an armor, stronger than steel in all his life. He felt his claws hit a piece of diamond and they were about to snap while a fist the size of a clay pot hit his face.     

Boof—The mighty blow sent the already injured and weakened werewolf flying.     

Hao Ren took a moment to catch his breath as he slowly retracted his fist. He looked in the direction where the enemy had flown with his mouth wide open. "Holy Mother, that's scary..."     

The MDT peeked out from his pocket. "Don't you think your statement doesn't suit the occasion?"     

Hao Ren sighed. "...I was too preoccupied with my posture and did not realize what I was saying."