Chapter 21: Inadvertently Becoming a Criminal

The slightly curved shortsword pierced the beastman’s throat, sending back a sensation that defied description.

Blood erupted from the wound, splashing across Wu Qingsong’s face, pulling him abruptly out of his killing-induced trance. He staggered backward, tripped, and found himself sprawled on the ground.

Around him lay four lifeless bodies, their spilled blood pooling into a macabre puddle. The stench of blood mingled with the acrid scent of burning, leaving him no refuge from the harsh reality of his actions.

This wasn’t his first kill in this foreign world. But during his prior killing, he was immediately set upon and mauled by a war wolf, followed by capture at the hands of Kleine. There had been no opportunity to truly digest the gravity of taking a life.

Now, he had sufficient time to confront the horrors he had inflicted. A wave of guilt, cultivated by years of social norms and lifestyle, finally flooded over him. Vivid, nightmarish images of soldiers he had killed before unearthed themselves from the back of his memory, haunting him anew.

“This isn’t the world I used to know,” he told himself once more.

The law of the jungle, the dog-eat-dog code of survival, might be unchangeable, but its manifestation was decidedly different in this world.

For a 19-year-old college sophomore like him, accepting this stark new reality was simultaneously simple and complex. Simple, because countless games, novels, and films had already introduced him to the ruthless laws governing such worlds. Complex, because the task of recognizing these once-abstract or fictional principles as his new, inescapable reality demanded a period of adjustment, shattering his lifelong understanding in the process.

Games and movies, as realistic as they might be, could never emulate the tangible sensations and odors he was now confronting, nor could they thrust such unfiltered, raw brutality upon him so abruptly.

“I’m fine, I can handle all of this,” he muttered to himself.

However, when he finally found the strength to stand and inadvertently glimpsed the gruesome open wounds and the bearman’s scorched, mutilated corpse, he lost all control and emptied his stomach on the spot.

“These people deserved their fate,” he reassured himself. “To survive in this world, to carve out the life I desire, I must adapt to these harsh realities, and quickly.”

Steel-willed, he rifled through the pockets of the four lifeless bodies, claiming any coins he found as his own. Then, he went to great lengths to cast their corpses into the gradually expanding fire.

Though the blaze didn’t spread quickly, by the time he was done, the warehouse was alight with roaring flames. Wu Qingsong knew that the local residents, who had long ignored the gang’s criminal undertakings, would soon notice the smoke and fire. Drawn by the urge to protect their assets, they would stumble upon this grim scene.

In haste, he stripped off his blood-soaked clothing, replacing it with an old set of garments he found in the nearby shed. Draping a cloak around himself, he exited the area with quick strides.

By the time he reached the inn, night had fully set in. Oil lamps illuminated the entrances of all the shops, casting their glow on the signs.

Noticing two frail figures anxiously awaiting his arrival at the fringe of the lamplight, Wu Qingsong felt his lingering internal conflict dissolve entirely.

“For their sake alone, I must adapt to this unforgiving world as quickly as possible.”

“Wu!” Ling was the first to detect his scent, her shoulders visibly relaxing as she and Liuli dashed toward him. However, she immediately sensed a faint trace of blood and saw his wet clothes, causing her eyes to widen in shock. “Are you injured?”

“I’m fine,” Wu Qingsong hastily lowered his voice. “Let’s discuss this upstairs. Keep the landlady distracted, don’t let her see me like this.”

Though filled with questions, Ling complied and successfully diverted the landlady’s attention. Wu Qingsong quickly went up the staircase, followed by Ling and Liuli.

On the second floor, other guests had already returned, and the hallway was dimly lit, with most of the doors closed.

Clutching his cloak tightly around him, Wu Qingsong entered his room in haste. Once Ling and Liuli were inside, he cautiously peered out before closing the door behind him.

Ling immediately began inspecting him for injuries, a gesture that filled him with warmth.

“I’m not hurt,” he assured her.

As he met their worried gazes, he paused before continuing in a hushed voice, “I can’t get hurt actually. It’s a secret. Can you keep it?”

Liuli nodded vaguely as if she somewhat understood, but it was clear that Ling did not grasp his meaning.

In reality, Wu Qingsong had shared this secret to Ling during their urgent escape from Kleine’s house, but she had neither understood nor remembered it.

Contrastingly, Nina and the wolfmen who had battled their way out of the trapped warehouse with him had come to understand this much earlier. Yet, they’d naturally attributed it to some form of magic and hadn’t thought any further about it.

After the day’s events, Wu Qingsong understood that life in this world would entail unforeseen challenges and dangers. Revealing his extraordinary ability to remain unharmed would alleviate any unnecessary anxieties Ling and Liuli might have, and help them avoid critical mistakes.

For example, if someone were to threaten him with a knife, they wouldn’t have to abandon resistance. Instead, they could even leverage this knowledge to formulate a counterstrategy, turning the tide in their favor.

With that thought, he drew his short sword and plunged it forcefully into his left hand.

Both Ling and Liuli let out horrified screams, but Wu Qingsong immediately raised his hand for them to see. He was completely unscathed.

“I can’t be hurt,” he repeated softly.

Although they couldn’t hear noises from the adjoining room, it didn’t mean the walls were soundproof. He wasn’t willing to take undue risks.

“Meow~” Liuli’s tail involuntarily perked up, then began to sway back and forth energetically.

“Kleine captured and imprisoned me solely to uncover this secret,” Wu Qingsong continued, “Only you two should be privy to this information. Don’t share it with anyone else, got it?”

Both of the beastwomen solemnly nodded their agreement.

He had no intention of misleading them. In his view, revealing the whole truth might just confuse them or even cause unnecessary distress. Communicating the essentials in a way they could understand was the best approach.

Wu Qingsong quietly recounted the day’s unsettling events to Ling and Liuli, both of whom were visibly shaken by his story. Liuli, in particular, curled herself into a ball next to him as he spoke.

“Should we make a run for it?” Ling asked, her voice tinged with anxiety.

“Not yet,” Wu Qingsong shook his head, having already considered this issue on his way back.

The foxman named Noel had clearly marked them as targets, intending to deceive and trap them. But after failing to establish himself as a guide, Noel withdrew first to lower their guard. He then had his accomplices stationed near the city gates to follow them and seize the opportune moment to spring the trap.

Given these circumstances, it was likely that the scheming beastman hadn’t yet informed his allies of their location.

The beastman who had escaped presented the most significant threat. While he could identify their appearances, he might not necessarily be able to find them. 

Moreover, the area was now ablaze, and the city guards were likely alerted, possibly initiating a search for those responsible. In such a situation, wandering through unfamiliar streets would be riskier than staying where they were.

To minimize the chance of being tracked by scent, Wu Qingsong had deliberately taken an elaborate route and even washed away his smell in isolated ponds along the way. As long as they remained off the streets, even if the runaway beastman reported their descriptions to his contacts within the city guard, capturing them would be far from guaranteed.

Would the authorities conduct a city-wide manhunt just for a fire and the deaths of some low-level thugs? Wu Qingsong found that unlikely.

In contrast, a hurried attempt to exit the city or to sail away could ironically play right into their enemies’ hands.

“We should be safe here,” he whispered to them reassuringly. “At least for the next few days, we should be.”