It was already very late, and Zheng Qing had to go home.
Although he had graduated from high school and was almost an adult, with a certain degree of freedom, Zheng Qing was still using his family's money, so he had to listen to his parents.
After downing a glass of apology beer, he hopped on his bicycle and headed home.
The night was deep and quiet, with a perpetually gray cloud cover in the sky. Not to mention stars, even the moon rarely showed its face. In this major coal-producing province, over the past decade or so, buildings had continuously grown taller, roads wider, and the colors on the streets had become increasingly vibrant. The only constant was the small patch of sky above everyone's heads, which remained hazy and foggy.
The bicycle wobbled as it turned into a small alley.
This shortcut allowed him to bypass three streets directly, significantly reducing his journey home. The alley was deep, and few people walked through it at night. The dim yellow light cast by the streetlights, which hadn't been cleaned in ages, added to the eerie atmosphere.
"Clatter…" The dilapidated bicycle let out a helpless groan under Zheng Qing's forceful pedaling, sounding particularly distinct in the quiet alley. Zheng Qing looked annoyed at the broken basket on the front of the bike, contemplating that he must find time to fix it when he got back. Regardless, at least it wouldn't keep making noise when he rode it.
"Flap, flap…" The sound of a bird flapping its wings came from a nearby utility pole, followed by a few lazy, clear chirps. Clearly, the clattering old bike beneath Zheng Qing had disturbed these small creatures' rest.
With a hint of apology, Zheng Qing turned his gaze to the utility pole not far behind him, feeling embarrassed for disturbing others' sweet dreams.
"Screech!!!" The old bike let out a sharp braking sound.
Zheng Qing propped one leg on the ground and twisted his head to look back.
He swore there was a giant black figure standing on the utility pole, like a person hunched over and half-squatting. But its emerald-green eyes were exceptionally clear in the dark night, very much like his grandmother's large wolfdog.
Blinking, he shook his head, which was dizzy from the alcohol.
Seemingly sensing Zheng Qing's gaze, the emerald-green eyes shifted slightly, their focus landing on Zheng Qing. Then, to his stunned expression, it gracefully spread a pair of enormous wings and flapped them lightly.
Taking several deep breaths and exhaling heavily, Zheng Qing vigorously rubbed his cheeks, which were somewhat swollen and painful from drinking, and finally felt a bit clearer.
Looking up again, the pair of emerald-green eyes had completely vanished. All he could see was the hazy sky and the streetlights nearby, emitting a pale, sickly light.
The dark alley entrance in the distance seemed like a wide-open mouth, mocking Zheng Qing's vision.
Reaching into his chest, he gripped a dusty, palm-sized pouch. By the light of the streetlamp, he could vaguely discern the golden patterns on the pouch; above his head, a clump of unruly hair twitched restlessly.
A large eagle.
Zheng Qing recalled repeatedly and finally confirmed that it was definitely a large eagle.
Although he didn't know why an animal that lived in the mountains would appear in the city, he felt relieved when he thought of the old owl he had seen on campus when he was a child.
If even an old owl could leisurely perch on a campus tree branch all day, then a large eagle squatting on a utility pole for a while shouldn't be a big deal. After all, who could guarantee that these creatures living in the old mountain forests wouldn't take some time to visit the city for a change of scenery?
Without the old bike's groaning, the surroundings fell back into dead silence. The distant noise from the main street seemed miles away, appearing remote and ethereal.
"Howl…" A soft, eerie cry suddenly echoed in the alley, and Zheng Qing instantly felt all the hairs on his body stand on end, and a cold sweat broke out involuntarily. His previously dizzy mind immediately cleared. At the same time, a heavy pressure suddenly filled the entire alley, making Zheng Qing involuntarily hold his breath.
For a long moment, there was no movement, only the oppressive feeling growing more intense. Zheng Qing slowly took a breath, and amidst a sudden clattering, he forcefully pedaled a few times. The old bike rushed forward, trying to escape the oppressive atmosphere as soon as possible.
Although somewhat unwilling, Zheng Qing admitted his cowardice deep down. After all, night was always humanity's eternal nightmare, even today with the presence of lights. No matter how much electric lights developed, they would never provide the same sense of security as the sun.
Still dozens of meters from the alley entrance, Zheng Qing could already clearly see cars speeding past the opening.
A piercing shriek rang out, and before he could react, a huge black shadow had already entered his vision. Accompanied by a dull thud and a cloud of dust that enveloped everything, another small figure crashed heavily into Zheng Qing, rolling into a sand dune by the roadside.
"Thud!" Zheng Qing fell heavily to the ground with his bicycle, but he didn't have time to complain. He scrambled up with a somersault, a stack of yellow paper already clutched in his hand at some point. The vermilion imprints on it emitted a faint red glow under the dim streetlights.
He glanced at the sand dune beside him, where a fluffy large tail twitched weakly.
"Howl~~" The whimper from not far away clearly expressed anger.
Zheng Qing, who had just gotten up, quickly looked in the direction of the sound. On top of the utility pole by the road, the large eagle from earlier had returned at some point, staring at him disapprovingly.
At a height of about ten meters, illuminated by the simple streetlight hanging on the utility pole, Zheng Qing could clearly see that the eagle's feathers were ruffled, its entire body seemed several times larger than before, and judging by its slightly spread wings and high-held head, it clearly harbored ill intentions.
"So fierce…" Feeling the large eagle's emerald-green eyes, Zheng Qing cursed softly and quietly took two steps back, attempting to sneak away, but he didn't notice the large sand dune behind him. With one step back, his feet immediately sank ankle-deep into the sand.
"Damn it!" Zheng Qing felt even more exasperated. Why was he so unlucky? Was it just because he came home a little late? He had just bent down, ready to take off his shoes and clean out the sand, when the sand dune suddenly erupted. Caught off guard, Zheng Qing was once again covered in sand from head to toe.
"F*ck!" Anyone who is repeatedly plagued by bad luck will feel a surge of anger wanting to be vented, especially since the alcohol he had consumed not long ago was slowly exerting its power.
Looking up along the sand dune, under the streetlight, a small dog with slightly yellowish fur was baring its teeth and staring at the sky. This small dog was about a foot tall, with fluffy fur and long, narrow eyes that were bright and full of Divine Qi. Its ears were somewhat large, like a Pekingese's, but strangely stood erect, like a wolfdog's. Looking closer, this small dog clearly had a swollen belly, and many areas of its fluffy fur were matted together, faintly seeping bloodstains.
The facts were clear at a glance. Zheng Qing easily filled in the details in his mind.
The large eagle that was wandering around had set its sights on this pregnant small dog, preparing to make a meal of it, but the little creature had broken free. Understanding the situation, Zheng Qing couldn't help but let out a long breath. The stack of yellow paper in his hand had disappeared at some point.
"Damn it!" The surge of anger, fueled by the alcohol, instantly transformed into boundless motivation. He reached down and found a broken brick on the ground, then turned to look at the evil large eagle and threw the brick with all his might.
Although his aim when throwing a baseball had never been very good, the threat was still considerable given the short distance and the large target.
The broken brick silently flew past the utility pole and, amidst the eagle's sharp shriek, slammed viciously into the window of a house on the adjacent building.
"Crash…" The crisp sound of shattering glass completely released Zheng Qing's pent-up anger and startled the large eagle, sending it soaring into the air.