Chapter 13: Night Roamers 2
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“Ding—”
<Cheat Sheet>: Accept gifted <[Unique] Night Beast Tamer>.
The stationery Torn T-shirt gifted lit up the first slot in Tang Lin’s empty Stationery Box.
Almost simultaneously as the notification sounded, the black fog band completely halted.
Tang Lin decisively tapped the stationery and the icon vanished in a flash. A tremendous indescribable force surged into his mind, impacting his vision and thoughts. Everything around became invisible and inaudible. The entire world was reduced to the nebula of energy exploding in his brain from the stationery.
In this instant, the fog band behind Tang Lin condensed with a “swish”—the wolf shadow leapt up and pounced like lightning.
“Watch out—!”
Zheng Luozhu reacted swiftly, spinning around with the Iron Plate to shield Tang Lin’s back.
“Bang—!”
The wolf shadow heavily collided with the plate, actually knocking down Zheng Luozhu plate and all. Its sharp claws even pierced through the iron.
The falling plate toppled Tang Lin. Zheng Luozhu and Torn T-shirt and the others like dominos, crashing down together. Chubby was pinned at the very bottom and immediately screamed furiously at Tang Lin beside him: “What the hell are you doing—!”
The stationery was activated already, so where was the effect?!
The wolf shadow pulled its claws from the plate, licked them, then looked down imperiously at the five fallen people. In the next second it suddenly dispersed into fog again, and before anyone could react, it re-formed into the wolf shadow right next to Tang Lin!
Tang Lin gazed motionlessly at it. For a fleeting moment, he felt as if he saw the wolf’s eyes.
The world abruptly cleared.
He could feel the pulsation of <[Unique] Night Beast Tamer>, the bizarre connection between him and the stationery, so close yet distant, yet also so intimate.
The wolf shadow bared its fangs.
At such proximity, sprawled on the ground and unable to retaliate or evade.
Yet a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across Tang Lin’s palm, mercilessly striking the wolf shadow as if it was a beast tamer’s whip.
The underground well was illuminated bright as day for an instant.
The wolf shadow’s attack stopped short and it collapsed with a miserable howl: “Awoo—!”
Before the echo faded, the wolf shadow dispersed.
Tang Lin swiftly rose to his feet, sharp gaze fixed unwaveringly on the black fog.
The rest also clambered up in a rush.
Torn T-shirt: “D*mn, I thought we were done for—!”
Old man’s shirt: “This stationery is too badass!”
Fatty: “It’s a unique stationery, you think it’s a joke?”
Zheng Luozhu didn’t speak, he panted and wiped his forehead. He tried to summon a new Iron Plate but failed several times, it was too exhausted.
He glanced at Tang Lin, who looked even paler but otherwise showed no signs, yet he knew Tang Lin was drained even more from the first time using stationery.
The black fog’s pace clearly quickened, swirling around Tang Lin. The wounded creature of darkness firmly remembered the scent of its assailant.
Tang Lin’s gaze followed its movements as he focused his mind again. This nearly sapped every last bit of his mental strength, his heart racing near the brink of losing control.
Lightning flashed from his palm again, but not solitary this time— there were numerous bolts.
Tang Lin held his breath, using everything he had.
The crisscrossing lightning wove into a web, ensnaring the black fog.
The fog struggled violently to disperse more widely, but instead was gradually drawn together by the lightning web until finally it re-condensed into the wolf shadow!
“Awoo—!”
The wolf shadow let out an even more piteous, agonized wail as it heavily crashed to the ground, writhing in vain to break free of its lightning shackles.
Tang Lin decisively crouched down, the dagger in his right hand about to stab out…
“Awoo——”
The howl turned into whimpers.
The wolf shadow seemed to sense impending death and ceased struggling, only curling up trembling faintly.
Tang Lin faltered, inexplicably transfixed.
Fragments of images suddenly flashed through his mind, like sunken treasure churned up from the seabed.
Among the fragments was a large dog. Even backlit its form resembled a wolf, but upon opening its mouth, it cowered with a pitiful “Awoo…”
It frolicked on the grass, pouncing butterflies, pouncing bees, pretending to be innocent.
It went wild at home, tearing apart sofas, tearing wallpaper, still believing itself an angel.
It loved butting into people, rubbing against legs, begging for kisses, hugs, being tossed high…
Tang Lin wanted to see more but could no longer grasp the remaining shards.
Because from the depths of his heart suddenly surged unbearable sourness and bitterness, suffocating him, bringing heat behind his eyes.
“Awoo…”
The wolf shadow’s whimpers grew more pitiful.
That voice was so similar to the one in the fragments.
Tang Lin grew dizzy. Unconsciously he reached out his left hand, wanting to stroke the wolf shadow’s head.
“What are you waiting for, stab it—!”
His fingertips had just touched the tip of its ear when Chubby’s yell came from the side.
Tang Lin was sharply jolted back to awareness, jerking his hand back as if shocked.
Yet the soft, furry sensation still lingered on his fingertips.
The “Taming” effect of the lightning was clearly weakening. The stationery was reaching its time limit!
The nearby Zheng Luozhu and Torn T-shirt had already rushed over, a knife in each hand, stabbing the wolf shadow without mercy.
But still a step too late.
The lightning quietly vanished and the wolf shadow instantly dispersed into the sky of black fog.
“Clang clang”—both knife tips stabbed emptily into the ground.
The black fog paid them no heed, going straight for Tang Lin, instantly enveloping him densely in obscure, thick fog.
Tang Lin only felt darkness before his eyes as the world abruptly dimmed.
He reflexively tensed, on guard, yet his heart suddenly warmed as if some well-meaning, friendly essence had flowed in. This was similar to the sensation when he’d first connected with the stationery, but also not quite the same. What currently trickled into his heart was more subtle, more tentative, carrying yearning yet testing the waters.
“President Tang—!”
Zheng Luozhu’s breath hitched as he reached to find Tang Lin in the black fog, but a beast’s furious roar suddenly exploded in his ears.
It was not a wolf’s howl, but a beast’s cry.
He whipped his head around to see the strange beast from the other pipe, the one they’d only heard until now, had just jumped down from the pipe opening.
Torn T-shirt’s group nearly gone crazy.
“F*ck f*ck f*ck——”
“Sh*t, are you letting us live or not—!”
It looked like two hyenas, but also not hyenas. With bigger heads, longer fur, horns like a cow, crimson beast eyes, drool dripping from sharp teeth.
They closed in on Torn T-shirt’s group.
The three retreated step by step, huge beads of sweat on their faces showing their desperate struggle to summon stationery.
The black fog enveloping Tang Lin suddenly formed the wolf shadow and pounced at one of the monsters.
The monster had no time to react before the wolf shadow viciously bit its neck.
Seeing this, the other monster didn’t stay to help its companion. It immediately leapt onto the pipe and fled for its life.
The bitten one thrashed violently but couldn’t escape the wolf’s jaws.
Finally it kicked its legs and stilled.
Torn T-shirt gaped in shock: “Wha…what’s going on…”
Chubby scratched his head: “Shouldn’t they be on the same side…”
Old man’s shirt: “People die for riches, beasts perish for food. Them fighting to the death over us as food is normal too.”
Torn T-shirt, Chubby: “…You can be the food yourself!”
The wolf shadow spat out the corpse and turned back into black fog, pouncing at Tang Lin. But this time it didn’t surround him again. When it reached Tang Lin, it re-formed into the wolf shadow and started relentlessly rubbing against Tang Lin’s feet.
Yes, rubbing.
“……” Torn T-shirt, Chubby, Old man’s shirt were utterly dumbfounded.
Zheng Luozhu analyzed the Night Roamer acting so differently: “Perhaps it’s repaying the debt of not killing it, pledging for its life…”
Tang Lin let the wolf shadow rub him until he was itchy. His expression unconsciously relaxed as he crouched down and reached to stroke its ears. Sure enough, it was soft and furry.
Petting the wolf was also addictive. Tang Lin moved from the ears to the head, back, belly, paws.
The wolf shadow seemed very comfortable being petted. It sprawled at Tang Lin’s feet unmoving, occasionally letting out ecstatic “Awoos”—clearly feeling amazing.
Zheng Luozhu, Torn T-shirt, Chubby, Old man’s shirt: “……”
Too fawning, where’s your Night Roamer dignity gone to!
Tang Lin was happily petting when the owl pattern on his arm suddenly flashed.
He recalled Torn T-shirt saying injuring Night Roamers gave experience points, if one’s lucky they could also obtain stationery. He hurriedly tapped to check.
Stationery Box: Empty.
Experience points: 0.
Stationery Tree:
[?]
[?/100/1 Level]
[?/500/2 Level]…
Even the skill roots others had remained locked.
Tang Lin exited the stationery box and stared fixedly at his arm a while longer.
The icon didn’t flash again.
As if that earlier was an illusion…
……
In the alley.
The machine roar had completely stopped. Fan Peiyang leaned against the wall of an abandoned house, sorting through the information he’d just received while appraising the “seller” before him.
Indeed tattered clothes, but not a frail physique. Dark, muscular arms with clearly defined muscles.
Indeed sunken cheeks, disheveled hair, but he didn’t seem starved, more like someone who ate and slept outdoors, weathered wind and sun, a weary traveler.
Most importantly was his gaze, it was tough and unyielding.
This wasn’t an impoverished, downtrodden person. On the contrary, he was a warrior.
“You’re certain you didn’t exaggerate the stationery’s effects?” Fan Peiyang finally spoke, tone very light, not revealing his attitude.
The dark man grinned to show white teeth: “Of course not.”
Fan Peiyang: “Empty words are unconvincing.”
The dark man spread his hands helplessly: “Then there’s no other way. You can only choose to believe or not believe me. If you believe me, we both win. If not, let’s not waste each other’s time.”
Fan Peiyang rather admired his candor: “I’ll take them all, name your price.”
The dark man held up three fingers: “Three hundred thousand.”
Fan Peiyang nodded: “Alright.”
“Don’t rush,” the dark man put two fingers down, “Three hundred thousand each.”
Fan Peiyang lightly glanced up: “I know.”
Dark man: “……”
The ATM card reader sounded again, then ended again.
Fan Peiyang put the ejected card back into his pocket.
Even the dark man felt Fan Peiyang’s actions now carried a dashing flair.
The five <[Unique] I am VIP> neatly dropped into Fan Peiyang’s stationery slots. The deal was done.
“Boss, until next time.”
The dark man waved at Fan Peiyang, then left. He turned a corner shortly after and disappeared from view.
Fan Peiyang headed to the opposite direction.
He checked the time, it was already the hour for Night Roamers that Tattered T-shirt mentioned to come out.
With slightly knitted brows, Fan Peiyang quickened his pace. He’d just reached an intersection when a large mass of black fog floated over from ahead. Behind the fog were indistinct silhouettes of several people, whose voices could be heard clearly:
“You ahead, get out of the way if you don’t want to die—!”
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