The monster exhaled sharply, revealing the broken end of a crossbow bolt lodged in its mouth. As I approached within five meters, it charged at me like a rampaging bull.

Its initial speed was astonishing.

Before I could even blink, I rolled to the side. A burst of grass and twigs exploded from the ground as the gust of wind whooshed past. I stabilized myself, noticing two deep furrows left behind, the end marked by massive footprints. But the monster's enormous body had already vanished from view.

The objects hidden in the moonlit night suddenly dimmed. I looked up, and a shadow as dark as storm clouds covered the moon, pressing down like a mountain. Before I could rise, I scrambled to the side, rolling a few times in a hurry.

The monster's heavy body crashed down just over a meter away, shaking the ground beneath me, as though a landmine had gone off beneath its feet. Turf and stones flew through the air, hitting me. My heart raced—was it fear or excitement? Either way, it was an exhilarating sensation. My stomach turned sour, and my kidneys seemed to tighten.

Spitting out the grass and dirt, I raised my gun and fired at the monster's face. Its other eye was obliterated. The deafening sound of the shot echoed through the night sky, leaving my ears ringing. Before the noise had subsided, the massive iron gate began to shake, as though a tidal wave were crashing against it, the zombies outside pressing against it with such force it seemed like they might topple it.

The monster screamed again, its pain and frustration clear. The wounds on its body, its sudden blindness, and the taunting from its prey all seemed to drive it to madness.

Before it could completely lose control, I scrambled to my feet and dashed in an arc behind it, praying its hearing and sense of smell weren’t sharp enough to compensate for its blindness.

It began to thrash about, blindly charging in every direction. It had no awareness of my presence, even as I held my breath and hid in the shadows. I let out a quiet sigh of relief—now that I had the initiative, I could take my time and deal with it.

We weren’t holed up in a base, nor had we turned the hallway into a battlefield. In the face of this monster's terrifying physicality and destructive power, the wide open lawn allowed me the freedom to implement a guerrilla strategy. 富江’s earlier decision to lead had proven its worth. I wasn’t sure how she had figured it out—perhaps it was a guess—but even if luck had a hand, it was clear that fate was on our side.

The only flaw was that 富江 had been severely wounded. Her bravery had left me in constant fear, and I had thought this would be her moment. Yet, she had suffered greatly.

If I had been at the front, I wouldn't have been in any better shape.

The monster swung in a few different directions before crashing into the water fountain, sending rocks scattering. Water spilled out from the gap, splashing over it. This sudden shock seemed to slow its movements. I gripped the axe— it was starting to wake up.

This wasn’t the worst outcome. Even if I wanted to take advantage of the chaos, I couldn’t match its speed. I couldn’t predict its erratic movements.

How many would dare approach a mad bull? How many could avoid getting caught in its wild flailing?

It finally quieted down, and I saw an opening to move closer.

The monster leaned against the broken edge of the fountain. If I hadn’t seen the slight rise and fall of its chest with each breath, I might have thought it was on the verge of death.

It was indeed weak, but far from finished.

Many crafty animals feign death—perhaps this monster was trying to lure me in.

I had one bullet left in the chamber. I was starting to feel the weight of my dilemma—what harm could one measly bullet do to its head? I had read in some books about hunting large game, and they often recommended high-caliber firearms for beasts of this size.

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A regular person armed with just a hunting rifle wouldn’t even be able to take down a wild boar.

This creature before me was no wild boar.

The cool night breeze couldn’t shake the warmth from my body. I shoved a few pieces of graystone into my mouth. They quickly dissolved within me. Perhaps it was my physical exhaustion, but my mind seemed unusually sharp, and I could clearly feel the heat currents that coursed through my body as the graystone broke down. Some of the warmth seeped into my skin and internal organs, enveloping me in a subtle warmth. The rest flowed into my left wrist, where it disappeared.

The symbol of the diamond-shaped tattoo on the inside of my left wrist seemed to pulse.

Perhaps the incredible abilities that 富江 displayed weren’t just a result of her innate talent and frequent use of graystone. She didn’t have the diamond tattoo, so all the power from the graystone must have been absorbed directly into her body.

Such thoughts flitted across my mind like swallows.

I noticed a large tree about ten meters away, its trunk thick enough that even an adult couldn’t wrap their arms around it. A swing made of wooden planks and iron chains hung from one of its sturdy branches, swaying gently in the wind. I crept quietly toward it, walking all the way to the base of the tree. I picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the monster.

The monster remained motionless. I picked up a larger stone, but before I could throw it, the creature spun around, and its long horns once again sparked with blue arcs of electricity.

It turned toward me, and I quickly ducked behind the tree trunk. The flash of lightning was almost instantaneous, but from my position behind the tree, I only felt a surge of heat and smelled the sharp scent of burning wood and grass. I involuntarily took two or three steps back.

The lightning didn’t ignite the tree. I jumped out of the shadow and threw the stone with all my strength. It hit the monster squarely in the nose. It stopped emitting electricity, charging toward me instead. But without sight, it crashed straight into the tree.

The swing jerked violently, as if it might detach from the branch. Leaves and broken twigs showered down, along with several large green fruits, all of which landed on the monster.

Its horn became deeply embedded in the tree trunk. Seizing the opportunity, I rushed forward and swung the axe with all my might, aiming for its long horn.

It felt like striking metal—so hard.

The monster twisted its body, trying to pull its horn free, but it couldn’t. It struggled like a clown wrestling with the tree.

Seeing this, I gathered my courage and swung again, this time aiming for the base of the horn where it connected to its forehead, as though trying to dig the horn out from its skull.

The monster recoiled from the blow, staggering backward. The horn was ripped free from the tree, and its forehead was covered in blood, skin and muscle torn. Its body wavered as if it could barely stay upright.

I charged at it like an executioner, aiming for the wound I had just made at its neck. The axe bit into bone, but the bone was too hard to sever, and instead, the axe became lodged there. With a violent shake, the monster jerked its head, pulling the axe out of my hands.

It seemed to realize that death was near and went berserk again, charging toward the spot where it had been struck. It reared up, flailing its front limbs wildly. I barely avoided being struck and quickly ran away.

Now, with only a single bullet left in my revolver, I was at a loss. But, between the two of us, the monster had taken the worst damage. The problem was, I no longer had the weapon to deal a lethal blow.

I had no choice but to abandon the opportunity to press the attack, letting the monster continue its rampage while I hurried back to 富江 to check on her injuries.

After swallowing more graystone, her severe external injuries hadn’t improved, but her mental state had clearly recovered. Though speaking was difficult, she managed to say something.

“Such… such a mess…”

“Don’t speak.”

I shoved more graystone into her mouth. She had already consumed all of hers earlier during our rest, but I still had ten left.

Even if I gave her all ten, it would likely be only a small comfort in the face of such severe wounds.

Using the diamond tattoo should have given me some insight into the monster’s abilities, but despite calling upon it several times, there was no response.

Still, I felt that this electric-powered monster was stronger than the ghost dogs we’d faced before.

It had to be killed. If I could turn it into graystone for 富江, she would recover quickly.

With that in mind, I retrieved the crossbow, loaded it, and made my way back toward the monster.

It was still pacing between the fountain and the swing, having gained nothing from its thrashing. It collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

Its sense of smell and hearing didn’t seem as acute as I had expected, perhaps due to its injuries and the mental strain. The wind was also unfavorable, and the incessant zombie wails and the banging on the iron gate added to its distraction.

The axe was still embedded in its neck.

An idea formed in my mind. Avoiding the wind, I circled around to the other side of the fountain, where a smooth rock stood, about two meters high. Such rocks were common in parks, often used for decoration. Children would often play on them.

This rock could help me.