Chapter Thirty-One: The Counterattack

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Each attack from the King of Lanterns was visible to me only as a blood-red streak and a blurred shadow. Whenever I managed to see those deep blue-violet eyes clearly, it meant that the creature had already torn flesh from my body and was standing a dozen meters away, with my skin in its maw. At that distance, my military knife could never reach it.

In the midst of this, little Ah Si managed to help block one attack, but unsurprisingly, that damned cat sent him flying two or three meters with a swipe of its paw, leaving him unable to stand. I looked at Zhao Hong, who was endlessly kowtowing, and Ah Si, who lay on the ground vomiting black water. Both were utterly powerless; their inability to withstand even a single blow made the King of Lanterns’ malice all the more palpable.

Zhao Hong had the ability to fight, but lacked the will; Ah Si had the will, but lacked the ability. Perhaps this was why the black cat targeted me above all. The scent of blood from the dead gray cat on me was stronger, too—maybe another reason why the King of Lanterns was so frenzied in its attacks. In any case, whatever the reason, it was clear to me… the King of Lanterns intended to play me to death.

It didn’t even take two minutes for that beast to slice seven or eight wounds into me. Most tragic of all, the wounds I'd suffered earlier in the “shadow shop” reopened, blood trickling out slowly. The pain was so intense I couldn’t even straighten my back. In the center of the circle, fireflies swirling around me, the black cat battered me mercilessly, and I was powerless to retaliate.

The King of Lanterns was stronger and swifter than its size suggested, far beyond what I could have imagined. It attacked with the confidence and coldness of an ancient Roman gladiator, each strike cunningly calculated—not fatal, but enough to inflict pain and suffering. The more it toyed with me like this, the more terrified I became, knowing it was reveling in the pleasure of slaughter.

I was barely holding on; this was the classic cat-and-mouse game. The reason it didn’t let the fireflies swarm me was likely so it could savor the bloodshed all the more. For the first time in my life, I felt complete fear and despair before an animal. That feeling made my hand holding the knife tremble uncontrollably.

Fear paralyzed me, and I dared not make a move. If I missed my chance, I’d die for certain; to turn the tide, I had to slow that crazed old cat down—at least enough to get a clear look at it within striking distance!

Helpless, I shouted to Zhao Hong, “Old Zhao! I need you!” My tongue was still numb from the firefly poison, so I could only barely pronounce his name.

But there was no response. Amid the blood and chaos, Zhao Hong kept wetting his pants and kowtowing, his terror chilling me to the core.

Just then, the King of Lanterns rushed at me again. But this time, unlike before, it didn’t attack my upper body—it blurred for a moment and stood right at my feet.

In an instant, it ceased moving, crouching and looking up at me with those deep blue eyes, head tilted, standing between my legs, surveying my battered body.

That cat… was smiling—a mocking, bloodthirsty smile.

“Bastard!” I cursed, instinctively reaching for its tail, for the glowing blood-red “lantern” at the tip.

But even at such close range, I still missed. The cat nimbly slipped between my legs, swiping viciously at my ankle as it passed.

I collapsed to my knees.

It attacked my old wounds.

The beast knew my weakness perfectly.

The pain from that claw strike was nearly fatal; the earlier strikes had merely been appetizers.

This was the main course.

With old and new wounds alternating, the pain was sharp—like a hot knife slicing through butter. It was so intense that for several seconds, my mind ceased to function, filled entirely by agony.

Kneeling amid the firefly swarm, I howled and screamed for a long time.

I almost gave up.

As my mind regained clarity, the first thing I saw was the mangled corpse of the gray cat, not far away. In the moonlight, it was glaringly obvious, stuck to the black, moldy glutinous rice corpse. The claw marks and blood on the cat’s body were eerily familiar—wasn’t this the same torture I was enduring now?

The King of Lanterns… did it want me to die in the same miserable state as the gray cat?

Vicious beast! Vicious beast!

Frightened and enraged, I lost all composure, instinctively shrinking back until I bumped into something behind me.

Turning, I was stunned to find it was Zhao Hong, still kneeling and kowtowing.

Desperate, I shouted to him again, “Old Zhao! Fear comes from the heart! Wake up!”

He kept convulsing, never looking up.

His expression… was familiar.

Four years ago, when we accidentally barged into Little Chili’s dream, this was exactly how Zhao Hong looked—terrified beyond words.

In a haze, something flickered in my mind, but I couldn’t grasp it.

Relying purely on instinct, I forced myself upright, legs wobbling, standing before Zhao Hong.

My movements were so stiff and abrupt that the black cat seemed unsure what I was doing, standing by my side, head tilted, observing me in confusion.

It couldn’t understand, because I didn’t know what I was doing either!

Standing in front of Zhao Hong, my mind was still blank. I even mocked myself—what could I possibly do? With Zhao Hong’s confidence shattered and myself gravely wounded, what could I accomplish?

Yet I still stretched out my blood-soaked arm… and slapped him.

Zhao Hong didn’t respond, but he stopped crying.

Maybe my action worked, maybe the blood on my hand brought him a moment of calm—at any rate, his wailing ceased. He looked up at me in astonishment.

I smiled weakly, moved my tongue a few times, trying to enunciate clearly:

“Don’t forget—you’ve eaten… maggots!”

Five years ago, when we and the old squad leader ate maggots to break the curse, weren’t we scared out of our wits? But we still swallowed our terror.

“What’s there to be afraid of!” I grabbed his shoulder and shouted.

My voice was loud, and Zhao Hong’s pupils contracted sharply.

At that moment, as if my words provoked the King of Lanterns, the beast let out a long howl and swiped at my shoulder with claws sharp as surgical blades.

A spray of blood burst forth, splattering my temple and even hitting Zhao Hong’s eyes.

It seemed the King of Lanterns wanted to warn Zhao Hong, to show him the fate of defying the king.

But this time, it had the opposite effect.

Wiping the blood from his eyes, Zhao Hong suddenly grew furious. His gaze glinted with a coldness I’d never seen before—the chill of vengeance.

He hauled his hefty body upright, pointing at me and snarling at the King of Lanterns, “My comrade is bleeding! How dare you make my brother bleed!”

The black cat howled and lunged again.

But now, it faced Zhao Hong.

Watching the red streak left by the King of Lanterns in the night, Zhao Hong no longer flinched or evaded. He crouched and took a step forward, shouting, “Go!”

He quickly threw a handful of something—dirt.

Later, Zhao Hong told me he’d secretly scooped up dirt as he stood, knowing full well that creatures like the King of Lanterns feared “thrown earth.” But deeper fears and concerns had kept him from telling me.

Dirt is a wonderful thing—it can cool, staunch bleeding, and a handful can cover a wide area. The King of Lanterns moved fast, but it wasn’t a god; it couldn’t avoid Zhao Hong’s attack.

The moment the dirt hit, the King of Lanterns let out a strange cry, fleeing six or seven meters away, frantically rubbing its face and eyes with its claws and tongue. Clearly, sand had gotten in its eyes.

With this success, Zhao Hong’s courage soared! He lit a cigarette, puffing clouds as he pulled me up.

“You still have your knife?” he whispered.

I nodded.

“Find a way—one fatal strike!”

I nodded again.

From then on, Zhao Hong charged forward like a bulldozer. With each step and gesture, he sent waves of dirt flying everywhere. In this tidal offensive, he was truly invincible!

The cigarette in his mouth, combined with the dirt in his hands, made the black cat suffer greatly. Though the beast continued to threaten and intimidate, it dared not approach. Even the nearby fireflies were thrown into confusion; some tried to fight back, but the smoke from Zhao Hong’s cigarette kept them at bay.

Gradually, the balance between us and the King of Lanterns began to tip.

Seizing the opportunity, I struggled to my feet, shook off the dirt, and hurried to grab Ah Si, moving closer to Zhao Hong.

When the three of us joined forces, the power of the flying dirt more than doubled!

Suddenly, on the firefly-lit ground, we began to take the initiative.

Under this barrage, the old cat grew more and more wretched, its fur coated in gray, fleeing helplessly as we pursued it.

Soon, a dramatic scene unfolded—the King of Lanterns, overwhelmed by our assault, fled in panic, its long tail and red lantern dimming as it vanished into the woods.

“It ran?” I said, delighted.

Zhao Hong watched its departure, his expression still tense, fists full of dirt refusing to lower.

After a moment, he looked at the firefly swarm that still glowed emerald green, shaking his head in concern.

“It didn’t leave!” Zhao Hong replied anxiously, reminding me, “They say the King of Lanterns holds grudges. After what we did to it today, it will never let this go.”

Hearing Zhao Hong’s words, I nearly wept.

Who provoked it?! We were just driving normally, passing Old Qi Road—is that provocation? Is there no justice?

Besides, we’d already suffered enough—Hongye and Wang Hou’s fates were unknown, I was covered in wounds from that beast, and my tongue was so numb I could barely speak, yet it still held a grudge?

“Sigh!” I exhaled deeply, helpless, unable to laugh or cry, unable even to explain.

Just then, as if to confirm Zhao Hong’s judgment, the King of Lanterns appeared again!

In the silence, we heard a piercing cat’s howl overhead! Suddenly, red light filled our vision, staining everything blood-red.

In the chaos, I hurriedly looked up toward the light source, seeing atop the two-meter-tall “stone man” beside Old Qi Road, the King of Lanterns stood in full view!

The red insect on its tail was twice as bright as before! The old cat’s eyes, once deep blue, now blazed crimson like the blood beetle.

The King of Lanterns had become a searchlight!

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