The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly turned heavy.
Everyone felt an invisible hand gripping their throats, leaving them gasping for breath.
The water monster's strength was undeniable. Even ten experts from the court's Huaxing realm had failed to kill it. Now, only the eight of them remained, and six of them were ordinary people. Could they truly defeat the Tai Xuan Lake monster? Even if it left the water and entered the city, they might not be its match.
However, not a single one of them showed fear. From the moment they became constables, they had vowed to protect the people of Tongcheng.
"Moo!"
"Baa!"
Suddenly, the livestock in the courtyard seemed to sense danger and became restless, letting out panicked cries. At the same time, a foul, fishy odor entered Chen Nan and the others' nostrils.
Then, from the darkness, a creature about two meters tall emerged. It was humanoid, with a fish head. It had no neck, and its head seemed disproportionately large compared to its body. It possessed a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth and was covered in black, lustrous scales that gave it an impression of invincibility. Hanging from its waist was a string of nine human skulls, a truly terrifying sight. It was easy to surmise that the owners of these skulls were likely the nine Huaxing realm experts who had attempted to subdue the monster years ago. Its limbs resembled those of a fierce tiger. From a distance, the creature looked neither human nor beast.
Its speed was astonishing. It smashed through the courtyard gate and, its eyes fixed on the restless livestock, opened its maw and lunged. Its bite force was incredible; it tore off a cow's head in a single bite, blood gushing out in a gruesome display.
*CRUNCH!*
The water monster chewed on the cow's head with the ease of someone eating a cucumber.
"Now's our chance!"
Chen Nan leaped to his feet. A specially made crossbow bolt sliced through the rainy night, aimed at the monster.
*THWACK!*
The monster had never expected an ambush. By the time it sensed the danger and tried to dodge, it was too late! The bolt struck its back. Though it pierced the scales, it only embedded itself shallowly and did not inflict a serious wound. However, being attacked from the shadows deeply enraged it.
It turned abruptly. Six more arrows flew towards it, embedding themselves in its head and chest. It raised a claw, pulled an arrow from its forehead, and let out a contemptuous snort. Then, it looked at Chen Nan and the others on the rooftop and spoke in human tongues, "You mere brats think you can kill me? Even if I stand here, you can't harm me." Its voice was shrill, like a child crying in the dead of night, sending shivers down one's spine. Its sheer power left them near despair. They knew the monster was strong, but they hadn't expected the crossbow bolts to have no effect whatsoever!
Chen Nan winked at Leng Yinyin, "Sister-in-law, play the flute!"
Leng Yinyin immediately took out her bamboo flute and began to play. The piercing notes caused a look of fury to flash in the monster's eyes.
"Shoot its eyes!"
Chen Nan aimed for the monster's eyes and fired another crossbow bolt. But this time, the monster's speed was incredible. It sprang upwards like a frog, launching itself towards them on the rooftop. Even with Leng Yinyin's flute playing, it couldn't stop the monster's assault.
"Watch this!"
Zhang Lu roared. As the monster leaped into the air, he threw out a specially made wire net. This was the net they used to retrieve bodies. He was skilled, and the net immediately ensnared the monster, sending it crashing to the ground.
The wire net itself was nothing to the monster. However, this net was used for recovering corpses. By conservative estimates, it had retrieved over a thousand bodies, and its very nature had changed. As it fell upon the monster, thick smoke began to hiss from the creature's body, and it let out an ear-piercing shriek.
"Keep shooting!"
Chen Nan continued to fire his crossbow. At this point, their only hope was to kill the monster from a distance. Although the crossbow bolts couldn't penetrate deeply, they were tipped with corpse poison! Yes, they had kept the body of that green-eyed zombie at the county office instead of burning it, as the corpse poison was potent. Their only hope was that the poison would take effect quickly, giving them a chance to defeat this monster!
*THWACK!*
*THWACK!*
*THWACK!*
One after another, crossbow bolts laced with corpse poison sliced through the air, all hitting the monster! The creature roared in fury, its cries of pain echoing. Its massive body thrashed on the ground, its limbs tearing at the wire net in an attempt to break free. But the more it struggled, the tighter the net wrapped around it. The more it rolled, the deeper the arrows embedded themselves into its body.
"Despicable!"
"You humans are always so despicable!" the monster roared.
Chen Nan signaled to Leng Yinyin to stop playing. He then looked at the bleeding monster on the ground. "You, a man-eating demon, have the nerve to call others despicable?"
Wu Jiu glared at the monster. "You've resided in Tai Xuan Lake for years, consuming thousands, if not tens of thousands, of lives! And now, you take advantage of Tongcheng's flood to enter the city. If we don't kill you today to avenge the fifty-one innocent lives you've taken, how can we face the constable uniforms we wear?"
The monster stopped struggling, panting heavily. "In the past, ten Huaxing realm experts couldn't kill me. How dare you mere ants talk of killing me?"
Wu Jiu grinned. "Of course, we can't kill you. But the crossbow bolts you bear are all infused with the corpse poison of the green-eyed zombie. Once the poison takes effect, you will die!" Corpse poison was their only trump card, the only thing that gave them the courage to face the monster. Otherwise, they would never have dared to set this ambush tonight.
"You think I fear poison?"
The previously subdued monster suddenly let out a deafening roar. A terrifying surge of energy erupted from within it, not only blasting the crossbow bolts from its body but also tearing through the specially made net.
Seeing this, everyone gasped. Not because the monster could break the net, but because it was somehow immune to the corpse poison. This was entirely unexpected.
"Overconfident humans!"
"Next year, this very day will be your anniversary!" the monster roared. It leaped into the air, charging towards Chen Nan and the others on the rooftop once more.
"In the end, it all comes down to my performance!"
Chen Nan's face contorted with madness. Holding an arrow in each hand, and under the monster's bewildered gaze, he plunged them fiercely into his own eye sockets...