"What are you doing?"
I jerked my head up. Lin Hu's grim and terrifying face suddenly appeared before me, his eyes locked onto me like a venomous snake. My heart felt as though it had been violently clenched by an invisible hand, leaving me almost breathless.
"N—nothing..." I snapped the small notebook shut in a panic, trying to shove it into my pocket.
"Hand it over!" Lin Hu barked harshly, closing in on me step by step. Every step felt like it was trampling on my heart, making it hard to breathe.
"What do you want? I'm warning you, don't try anything stupid!" I forced a calm exterior, clutching the notebook tightly to my chest, trying to use bravado to mask my inner terror.
"You're asking for a death wish!" Lin Hu sneered, completely ignoring my warning as he lunged at me like a fierce tiger coming down a mountain. I instantly felt a fierce gust of wind rushing toward my face and instinctively rolled to the side, barely dodging his attack.
Before I could even steady myself, Lin Hu struck again. His attacks were vicious and lethal, giving me no breathing room whatsoever. I could only scramble desperately to dodge, looking utterly pathetic.
"Bang!" My back slammed hard against the wall. The intense pain made my vision go black, and I almost passed out.
"And you thought you could fight me?" Lin Hu looked down at me from above, his eyes filled with contempt and mockery.
I clenched my teeth, struggling to push myself up from the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, and gripped the small notebook tighter.
"Hand over the stuff, and I might let you die in one piece!" Lin Hu pressed closer, his tone bone-chillingly cold.
"In your dreams!" I replied resolutely.
Seeing my resolve, Lin Hu's gaze turned icy, and he launched another attack. Caught off guard, I took a kick straight to the stomach, sending me flying like a kite with a snapped string... I crashed heavily onto the ground, feeling as though my internal organs had been displaced. The pain left me barely able to breathe. Before I could recover, Lin Hu closed in, grinning savagely like a cat toying with its prey.
"Cough... cough cough..." I coughed up a mouthful of blood. Spots danced before my eyes in the darkness, yet I kept my eyes fixed on Lin Hu. Only one thought echoed in my mind: *The notebook!*
It must not fall into Lin Hu's hands!
I struggled to get up, but my limbs refused to obey. Despair washed over me like a tidal wave. Was I really going to meet my end here today?
Suddenly, I felt a chill against my palm. Looking down, I realized the notebook had somehow slipped from my grip and was lying quietly right beside my hand.
A glimmer of hope ignited in my chest. Taking advantage of Lin Hu's momentary inattention, I snatched up the notebook with lightning speed and hurled it toward the nearby stream.
"No!" Lin Hu let out a roar and lunged fiercely at me.
I was prepared. The moment he leaped, I rolled hard to the side, barely evading his attack.
"Trying to run?" Seeing that I had dared to trick him, Lin Hu flew into a rage. With a furious roar, he pounced on me again. I tried to scramble up and run, but he grabbed me by the collar and slammed me violently to the ground.
The notebook traced a graceful arc through the air before plunging into the river with a splash, quickly swept away by the churning current.
"My things!" Veins bulged in Lin Hu's eyes with rage. He glared viciously at me, then bolted toward the stream without a second thought.
"You're not getting away!" Enduring the agonizing pain all over my body, I dragged myself up and chased after him with every ounce of strength I had left.
I knew that with the notebook in the river, my last shred of survival was gone. Now, my only option was a desperate gamble—even if it killed me, I would drag him down with me!
Lin Hu seemed to underestimate my resolve. He glanced back at me, his eyes full of contempt and disdain.
"Overestimating yourself!" he snorted coldly, paying me no mind.
I took a deep breath, casting aside all fear and despair. Only one thought remained in my mind: *Kill him!*
Like a rabid beast, I flung myself recklessly at Lin Hu.
Clearly not expecting me to fight with such desperation, Lin Hu froze for a split second—just long enough for my fist to smash hard into his face.
"Bang!"
With a dull thud, Lin Hu staggered backward. A wave of joy surged through me, and I moved to press my advantage, but a kick to the abdomen sent me flying like a kite with a snapped string once again.
I crashed heavily to the ground, feeling as though my internal organs had been scrambled, the pain suffocating me.
Lin Hu walked toward me slowly. Every step felt like it was treading on my heart, filling me with a suffocating despair.
"Just... just kill me..." I lay on the ground powerlessly, staring at the man who looked like a demon, my voice raspy.
Looking down at me from above, Lin Hu's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Kill you? Wouldn't that be letting you off too easy?"
He slowly squatted down, speaking in a tone that was almost gentle. "I'm going to make you watch with your own eyes how I find that little notebook, and then I'll torture you slowly, making you wish you were dead!"
I closed my eyes in despair, awaiting the descent of death...
"But before that..."
"But before that..." Lin Hu grinned savagely, grabbed a handful of my hair, and smashed my head violently against the ground.
The intense pain made my vision go black, pushing me to the brink of unconsciousness. I felt warm liquid trickle down my forehead, blurring my sight. Lin Hu's assault grew increasingly ferocious; punches and kicks fell upon me like a rainstorm. Incapable of any defense, I could only endure it all like a lamb awaiting slaughter.
"Cough, cough..." I coughed up a mouthful of blood, my consciousness fading. Was I really going to die here today? Were the secrets in the notebook and my burning hatred all going to vanish into smoke with my death?
"Go to hell!" Lin Hu roared, kicking me down onto the ground. I struggled to stand, but every bone in my body felt shattered, refusing to yield an ounce of strength.
Lin Hu walked up to me slowly, looking down with playful cruelty. I knew this was the final blow.
I closed my eyes in despair, bracing for death.
Yet, the expected pain never came. Instead, a strange, low growl echoed in my ear.
Puzzled, I opened my eyes. Standing between Lin Hu and me was a massive black creature. It bared sharp fangs and glared with blood-red eyes, radiating a ferocious aura that chilled one to the bone.
Clearly startled by this sudden turn of events, Lin Hu stared warily at the beast, a gleaming dagger suddenly appearing in his hand.
"What kind of monster is this?" Lin Hu muttered a low curse, seemingly wary of the sudden apparition.
Enduring the agonizing pain, I forced myself to stand. Taking advantage of the distraction the black creature provided, I stumbled blindly toward the depths of the dense forest.
I knew this was my only chance at survival.
I ran with every fiber of my being, not daring to look back. Behind me, Lin Hu's furious roars mingled with the beast's growls, but I could no longer afford to care.
I had to stay alive!
I had to find a safe place to decode the meanings behind the symbols in the notebook. A powerful intuition told me those symbols hid a heaven-shaking secret, one likely tied to the mystery of my own birth!
I ran for I didn't know how long before my legs finally gave out. I collapsed beneath a massive tree, gasping heavily for air.
Pulling the somewhat battered notebook from my tunic, I examined the symbols under the faint, filtering light.
They were bizarre symbols, unlike anything I had ever seen. Yet for some reason, they felt strangely familiar, as if I had encountered them somewhere before.
I racked my brain, trying to dredge up any information related to those symbols. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck me, as though I had remembered something vital.
"Could... could these symbols be..." I muttered to myself, a flash of shock and disbelief crossing my eyes. "If that's true, then I..."