Faced with the monstrous creature in front of him, William refused to flee. There was a simple reason for this – he couldn't outrun the monster, so he resolved to stand his ground and fight. A mix of fear and determination coursed through him. After all, even if they were killed, they would only return to the past, the prospect of starting anew.

This newfound resolve bolstered William's spirits. He realized that his abilities might not be as feeble as he had initially believed. But observing Carl's fierce battle with the creature only made him envious. "That's impressive," William sighed, watching Carl engage the monster.

The beast was incredibly agile, its six insect-like legs propelling its large body with uncanny speed. Its sickle-like forearms swung relentlessly, accompanied by writhing tentacles on its belly, making it a formidable adversary for any ordinary person.

However, Carl seemed to be on par with the monster. It was evident that he had been honing his combat skills since first encountering these creatures. In addition, his enhanced senses gave him an edge over the monster.

Carl's heightened vision enabled him to swiftly discern the movements of the creature's tentacles. His enhanced hearing allowed him to anticipate the monster's forearm strikes by detecting subtle changes in the wind. The augmented sense of touch made him more adept at wielding his knife.

But despite Carl's valiant efforts, the knife in his hand couldn't pierce the monster's sturdy carapace.

"Its carapace is too tough, the knife can't harm it!" William shouted.

"Don't just stand there shouting, come and help!" Carl yelled back at William, evading another assault from the monster's forearms.

William nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and responded, "Brother, don't forget that I'm not you. If I had your abilities, I'd have joined the fray this morning."

"You're our only combatant here," William continued, casting a wary glance at the relentless monster. "Focus on its eyes, Carl! It doesn't have a carapace protecting its eyes!"

It wasn't that Carl was unwilling to target the monster's eyes; rather, he was unable to get close enough to do so. A constant growling sound emanated from the monster, a noise that William couldn't comprehend, as if the creature was irritated by Carl's constant evasion.

"This isn't working," William frowned, scratching his head. "Carl has limited physical stamina, but the monster doesn't."

"In case Carl gets exhausted, we need to switch roles," William declared, determination shining in his eyes.

"I must do something about this monster. I refuse to die at their hands again," William declared with unwavering resolve. He swiftly removed his backpack and rummaged through it.

The monster's sickle-like forearms were indeed sharp, but they were relatively easier to evade. On the other hand, the creature's flexible and numerous abdomen tentacles posed a more significant threat, making hiding a daunting task.

Carl, while continuing to dodge the monster's tentacles, sensed something and turned his attention to William's location. He discerned William's intentions and comprehended his plan.

"Hey, Ugly, over here!" Carl shouted, luring the monster's attention away from himself. He persistently attacked the creature's carapace with his knife, despite knowing that it couldn't penetrate the armor. "Hey, Ugly, look this way!" William's voice echoed through the darkness as he took action.

William stood upright, clutching a bottle in his hand. The bottle's opening was stuffed with thin strips of cloth, thoroughly soaked in the wine it had contained. William had secretly purloined this bottle from his home's wine cabinet before setting out on their journey. He had brought it for two reasons: to fortify his courage in times of peril and to have a means of disinfection should injuries occur. He never anticipated that this bottle of wine would be repurposed as an improvised incendiary device.

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Seeing the monster turn towards him, William ignited the soaked cloth and hurled the bottle at the creature, shouting, "Ugly, meet your end!"

However, William's aim fell short, and the bottle soared too high, nearly clearing the monster. Suddenly, the monster raised one of its forearms and sliced downward, bisecting the bottle cleanly. The spilled wine ignited instantly as it made contact with the burning cloth, and fiery drops fell upon the creature's eyes.

One of the monster's eyes was set ablaze, eliciting a guttural scream of agony.

"Run!" Carl seized this opportunity to attack the monster repeatedly with his knife, even though he understood that the blade couldn't penetrate the beast's carapace. Afterward, he rapidly retreated and headed towards William.

"We can't kill this monster; let's escape before its eyes recover!" Carl shouted.

"Lucy, come quickly!" He grabbed Lucy and sprinted as fast as his legs would carry them. William glimpsed the howling monster and hastened to follow.

"Where are we running to?" William gasped. "Toward the mountains, of course," Carl replied.

"Stay close to me; we can't head for the main road. It's too crowded, and if people see the monster chasing us, they'll intervene."

"Brother, about this monster… What is it?" Lucy appeared to have pieced together some information. "Is

it the reason we're suddenly fleeing from here?"

Carl nodded but didn't have time to elaborate. "Lucy, it's a complicated story; I'll explain later."

They sprinted with all their might, but the relentless monster was unrelenting in its pursuit. Although the flames on its eye had been extinguished, one eye was still functional.

"We need to run faster; the monster is closing in," Carl warned, hearing the creature's heartbeat. "This is my top speed!" William strained to keep up.

They continued to flee, but the monster remained hot on their heels. "Brother, I can't keep running," Lucy panted, her strength waning.

Gradually, William began to lag behind, his stamina dwindling. "Can't you think of any way to shake it off?" William gasped.

"This way, into the alley!" Carl shouted, lifting Lucy onto his back as he darted into the narrow passage. However, their respite was short-lived. Carl abruptly halted within the alley.

"Why have we stopped?" William inquired, bewildered. "Did we lose the monster?" Carl scowled, clenching his teeth, and disclosed, "We're surrounded."

"What?" William was shocked. "There's another one ahead."

"No way," William muttered, scanning the area for any makeshift weapons to defend themselves.

Yet, upon close examination, he found nothing suitable. "Is this the time to bring out the bottle again?" William grappled with the situation, struggling to devise a plan. He gritted his teeth and made a grim decision: "Carl, if it comes to it, kill me."

"Huh?" Lucy was taken aback by William's words.

"If there's no escape, you must do it," Carl affirmed, his grip firm on the knife. "And next time, you must tell me what happened earlier."

"It's the only way we can evade the monsters and reach the Sifang Mountains safely." "You don't have to explain," William sighed.

He had hoped to survive this time, yet it seemed he couldn't evade the inevitable fate of being killed. As he prepared for the worst, William contemplated that the next resurrection would likely return him to August 8. In hindsight, running away on that fateful day might have spared him from encountering this ravenous monstrosity.

"Just do it," William murmured with his eyes closed. "Make it quick."

Carl raised the knife, poised to act, when an unexpectedly familiar voice echoed from the front of the alley.

"William? Carl? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Arthur?" Carl's face darkened as he observed the people emerging from the corner of the alley. "Why are you here?" William asked in surprise. He couldn't understand why Arthur, who should have

been taking the exam, was here. He was certain that Arthur wasn't a monster, as he had killed him in a previous iteration, and he had been human.

"I'm going home," Arthur replied, looking puzzled.

"Home?" William furrowed his brow. "Aren't you supposed to be taking the exam right now?" "What time is it? The exam has long since ended."

William checked his phone and realized that it was nearly six o'clock, confirming that the afternoon exam had indeed concluded.

"What brings you here?" Arthur asked as he approached.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" Carl quickly positioned himself in front of jLucy, raising the knife in his hand.

"Carl, what's going on?" Arthur was alarmed by Carl's actions, especially when he saw the knife pointed at him.