Liang Lin raised her sword to block.

The girl's strength was shockingly great. Liang Lin realized she'd actually been pushed back half a step. Her soles scraped against the sandy ground with a harsh szzzt.

Liang Lin looked up. The girl looked down.

Only then did Liang Lin finally see her face clearly. The girl had her mouth open, showing four sharp fangs, a little like Liang Lin's own. There were also tiny specks of blood by her lips.

What the hell? Don't tell me she'd just finished drinking human blood?

No, wait. Hadn't she said she'd gone hungry today?

Could it be she just hadn't had enough?

They only locked eyes for a second. Then the two of them tangled together viciously and started fighting in earnest. In the empty forest, they faced off with eyes like blades, as if trying to carve into each other's souls. Their feet moved fast, and a fierce battle unfolded in near silence.

When Liang Lin swung her sword again, the girl dodged too hard. There was a crisp crack, and she twisted her ankle. Seeing the girl fall to the ground, Liang Lin swiftly pulled a rope from her waist and lunged over, ready to tie her up.

But she didn't notice the girl's hand hidden behind her back.

The instant Liang Lin pounced, a fistful of sand smashed into her face. It was mixed with tiny stones, and some got into her eyes.

"Fuck! You bitch, playing dirty?!"

Liang Lin cried out in pain and stumbled back, rubbing at the corner of her eye in a panic.

No, no, she couldn't close her eyes. Otherwise...

Liang Lin forced her eyes open to a tiny slit. Tears streamed out. Through the blur, she saw the blonde girl lunging at her.

She could've blocked it.

But before she could, she saw the girl fly backward and slam hard into a tree. The trunk shook, and leaves rained down, spinning as they fell.

"Pff!"

The girl spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed to the ground.

Only then did Liang Lin finally open her eyes fully and see Liang Di's tentacles extended out.

So it was her.

That hit had been brutal. It sent the girl flying a good six meters. She was dazed, with shiny drool and blood hanging from the corner of her mouth, her eyes rolled white. She'd probably passed out.

"This woman played dirty." Liang Lin said bitterly.

She wiped her face again, walked over, and tied up the blonde girl. As she tied her, she kept cursing, "Cheap tricks. No fighting spirit at all. Trash!"

By the time she was fully tied up, the blonde girl had woken up too.

The girl looked left, then right. She struggled twice and found she couldn't move at all. She'd been tied up like a twisted braid. So, with no choice, she stiffly looked forward.

Then she saw smiling Liang Di, and a very "kind" Liang Lin.

Yeah. Very "kind." Extremely "kind." Her fists were clenched, and veins were bulging on her face.

The girl looked at the two of them pitifully.

"You little..." Liang Lin had just opened her mouth.

"...Waaah!"

The girl opened her mouth wide and burst into loud sobs.

Liang Lin: "?"

Liang Di: "??"

Liang Lin: "No, wait, you...???"

While crying, the girl shouted at the top of her lungs, "I really wasn't the one who killed that cat! I saw it jump off the roof with my own eyes, and then the nail on the wooden board next to it ripped open its belly! I really didn't do it, wuuu... Cats are so cute! How could I ever kill a kitty?!"

At that point, the girl swallowed and added, "Although in the end I couldn't resist and went to taste a little of its blood... but! But that was after it died, wuuu... I really wasn't the one who killed it..."

"...Huh? Cat?" Liang Lin and Liang Di blinked in confusion.

The girl sniffled and got confused too. "Yeah? Weren't you talking about the cat? Or was it the little pig the auntie next door keeps? Or the chick from the uncle across the street? I admit it, those... those really were killed by me... Sorry. I was too greedy at the time, so I... But! Usually I only sneak drinks of thawed meat blood-water..."

"Stop! Stop, stop!" Liang Lin made a stop gesture. "Wait, you... you didn't kill any people?"

"Huh?"

The girl stopped crying too. Her eyes were clear and stupidly innocent as she blinked in confusion. "Wh-What? Who? Kill people? Who killed people? Me?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

The three of them stared at each other, big eyes against big eyes.

"So you didn't kill anyone?"

"I... I only stole some livestock and frozen meat... Th-then... does livestock count as humans now?"

"..."

Liang Di had a headache and covered her head. "Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"You didn't ask. And, and you didn't even say the subject. I thought you were talking about that cat from a few days ago that got itself killed."

"..."

"...Bruh."

Fuck.

After all that work, they'd caught the wrong person.

"What's your name?" Liang Di asked.

The girl answered, "My name is Gratice."

"Alright, Gratice. Then do you know that a lot of young women have died recently? Their bodies are in the deepest part of this forest," Liang Lin asked.

Gratice hesitated, but in the end she spoke.

"I saw it before... At the time... there was a man dumping a body out of a sack. I was hiding in a tree, but I was scared. After the man left, I went over to look at the woman and found... found that there wasn't a drop of blood left in her body."

"You... didn't want to take a taste?"

"I-I went over because I wanted to take a taste! But who knew not only was there no blood left, she was already a little rotten. There were bugs on her too." The more Gratice spoke, the more disgusted she sounded.

Liang Di pointed at her own wrist. "Th-then the little holes on the corpse's arm... were those made by your teeth?"

"Eugh...!" Gratice's expression was indescribable. Her brows were practically tied into a dead knot. "She stank! She stank! How was I supposed to bite into that?!"

"You're telling the truth?"

"Of course I am! Why would I lie to you?!"

Liang Lin asked, "What exactly are you?"

"That... I don't know either. I've always been alone, wandering around."

It was obvious enough. Gratice's clothes and shoes were ragged and torn. One look and you could tell she was a homeless, pitiful kid.

Well then. The trail ended here.

"Who are you people? Are... are you here to investigate those dead women?" Gratice asked.

Liang Di nodded.

"Good girl. Since it wasn't you, can you tell me if you know, or if you've seen, where those men dumping the bodies came from?"

"I... have seen."

Liang Lin's eyes widened in delight.

"Where?"

The words reached Gratice's lips, then she swallowed them back down. Her eyes darted around, obviously up to no good. Sure enough, her dirty little face turned sly.

"I'm still hungry, you know. I haven't had a full meal yet. Aiya, my brain's totally blank now. I can't remember a thing. And my arms are sooo numb. The rope rubbed them raw, it hurts sooo much."