The Terrifying Monster

What kind of "friend with benefits"?

An Yi was a bit puzzled.

Hongtian replied indifferently, "That voice actress streamer girl I introduced you to before, the one from Yunzhou."

"Cut the nonsense, leave it to Yan Zhi."

As An Yi spoke, his fingers swiped through the chat history.

When he saw the photo, his expression turned grave.

"Let’s go. Since we’ve stumbled upon this, might as well lend a hand."

An Yi quickly typed a message.

1.81m Handsome Youth: What do those people look like?

Lulu: They look like demons—bull heads, horse faces, like monsters!

Reading the text, An Yi’s eyes sharpened.

Shapeshifting demon beasts?

1.81m Handsome Youth: Where are they?

Lulu: High-tech District, Yunzhou City.

"Little Ming, Da Hong, let’s move!"

An Yi pocketed his phone and sprinted toward the parking lot.

He hotwired an abandoned car and sped out of the lot.

"Ahhh, nothing beats the taste of humans!"

A young man—his face otherwise ordinary—suddenly split open a horrifying maw, devouring the face of an old man lying on the ground.

Blood and flesh splattered grotesquely.

He had endured for far too long!

With their departure imminent, the primal instincts buried deep within him could no longer be suppressed.

He greedily sucked at the blood, gnawing on the old man’s bones with a sickening crunch.

The law of demon beasts had no rules—only the strong devouring the weak.

To him, humans were no different from livestock meant for slaughter.

"Old Hei, don’t get too reckless. Two is enough. Any more, and Lord Chixiao won’t let it slide," warned a shorter young man beside him.

Old Hei tossed aside the mangled corpse of the old man and snapped, "This damn landlord was always scheming, finding ways to screw me over. If I didn’t eat him before leaving, I’d never sleep easy!"

Normally, they blended into the city as ordinary humans.

And in the past, this man had exploited him relentlessly.

The shorter youth sighed. "You’ve already eaten him. Let’s just go."

"That old man reeked of decay. No, I need someone fresher to satisfy me!"

Old Hei’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

His true form was that of a crocodile.

"Who else do you want to eat?" the shorter youth asked helplessly.

He really didn’t want any more trouble.

If they jeopardized Lord Chixiao’s plans, death would be their only atonement.

Old Hei licked the blood from his lips and grinned. "Remember that chubby girl upstairs?"

The shorter youth nodded. "Oh, the one with the sweet voice? You even said she’d be a knockout if she lost weight."

"Plump, tender, juicy—I’ve been craving her for ages," Old Hei murmured.

The shorter youth’s mouth watered. He wiped his lips and cursed, "Damn it, now you’ve got me hungry too! Fine, but this is the last one, got it?"

"Deal. I’ll knock on her door."

"Same as always—the moment she opens it, we tear her apart!"

Under the staircase, Lulu hid in terror.

She never imagined the guy living downstairs was a monster!

Once, she’d naively thought his lingering stares meant he liked her.

It had given her a shred of comfort, a hope that even a plus-sized girl like her could find love.

But now…

"Lulu! You home?"

Old Hei knocked on the door.

Beside him, the shorter youth was already salivating.

This rundown neighborhood had no surveillance.

And most of the young people living here had no family to speak of.

Some could vanish for months before anyone noticed.

Tears streamed down Lulu’s face as she crouched in the shadows beneath the stairs, too terrified to make a sound.

She could only frantically message her few online friends, begging them to call the authorities.

"Where is she? Damn it!"

"Let’s just go. We’ll try another day."

"No! If I don’t eat her, I won’t sleep a wink! That girl’s meat is top-tier—so soft, so tender!"

Old Hei slumped in frustration.

Then, his nostrils flared.

His eyes glowed eerily.

"Wait… she’s here."

"Da Huang, you smell that? Human flesh… so fragrant."

Old Hei dropped to all fours, sniffing like a bloodhound, inching closer to the space beneath the stairs.

"I smell it."

"The scent of prey!"

Old Hei’s eyes blazed with hunger.

Lulu’s soul nearly fled her body in terror.

THUD!

A foot slammed onto Old Hei’s head, crushing his face into the concrete.

CRACK!

Blood gushed from his nose.

A tooth snapped off.

"W-Who are you?!"

The shorter youth trembled as he watched his partner writhe under the stranger’s boot.

An Yi grinned, pressing down harder.

"You were looking for human meat, right? Well, here I am."

"Get off!"

Old Hei suddenly bucked, breaking free with a roll before bolting out of the hallway.

The shorter youth followed, realizing their prey had turned predator.

"Oho? Not just small fry, huh?"

An Yi narrowed his eyes, a murderous glint flashing within.

He didn’t give chase. Instead, he crouched and peered under the stairs.

"Come out. They’re gone."

Lulu didn’t respond, her eyes wide with fear.

She’d just witnessed the landlord being eaten alive.

Trusting anyone now was impossible.

"I’m really human," An Yi sighed.

Seeing her shivering, he reached in and pulled her out.

"P-Please don’t eat me!" she sobbed.

"It’s me—1.81m Handsome Youth," An Yi said firmly.

Lulu’s tears overflowed as she threw herself into his arms.

"It’s really you! I thought I’d never see you again!"

He was her first love—even if it was just online.

"Don’t be scared. I’m here now."

Lulu looked up, sniffling.

"…Are you really 1.81 meters tall?"

An Yi’s smile froze.

A vein throbbed on his forehead.

That was his pride and joy!