Blood Neon-Chapter 1

Chapter 1
The Hunter and the Prey
A skilled hunter, above all, needed to possess ample patience...
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In the corners untouched by artificial light, the arrival of night remained as punctual as ever.
Towering high-rises served as the perfect petri dish, and nestled among them were countless byproducts born in the name of "development." Low-rise residential buildings, filthy vegetable markets, shabby eateries from a bygone generation, swallowed-up urban villages... In truth, these were the very foundation from which the so-called "city" was cultivated.
But once the aberration matured, it would only tear its way out of the host, then consume its flesh and blood completely.
From that point on, it became the new main body.
The man walked along the cracked concrete path of the urban village, head slightly lowered, silent as he moved.
His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jacket—a denim coat that no longer quite fit, faded pale from countless washes. His jet-black hair was filthy and tangled; strands unwashed for so long had clumped into hard knots of varying sizes, making him resemble the human embodiment of the phrase "disheveled and grimy."
A dim light smudged his shadow from afar to near, bringing with it a subtle sense of unease into the night.
The path beneath his feet was just one among the countless nameless alleys in the village—alleys that typically lacked streetlights and relied solely on a few scattered, flickering energy-saving lamps hung in front of residents’ doors to provide the bare minimum of illumination.
Whether by coincidence or not, the light he had just passed was the last one on the path before reaching the main road. A stretch of demolition had completely destroyed the original buildings, leaving several hundred meters of road flanked by utter desolation—a true no-man’s land.
The corners of the man’s mouth curled slightly. Within that seemingly numb expression emerged a strange smile, his gaze betraying hints of madness and cunning.
With the clock nearing eleven at night, it was no longer an hour meant for good children.
So then, for the bad children who still hadn’t gone home... wasn’t it time for a little punishment?
He casually yet skillfully picked up half a brick from the rubble at the roadside. It had just the right weight for him. He gave it a little toss in his hand, finding it quite comfortable to swing.
After glancing at the young girl a short distance ahead of him, he revealed a satisfied smile.
Just a little further... Once she stepped entirely out of the light, once the darkness had almost completely shrouded his figure—that would be when the hunt began...
He could already feel his adrenaline slowly beginning to flow.
Like a perfectly ordinary uncle out on a nighttime stroll, getting just a little ‘impatient’, he gradually began to quicken his pace.
His breathing grew heavier in sync with his steps, and the distance between him and the girl steadily shrank.
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Almost there, almost there...
His heartbeat began to quicken, and the hand gripping the brick trembled slightly—partly from the cold, partly from excitement.
The unhidden sound of footsteps behind her made the girl increasingly uneasy, and she too began to quicken her pace.
The man revealed an ugly smile. From the moment she didn’t immediately start sprinting with all her strength, the outcome of the hunt had already been sealed.
And so, the hunter began his charge toward his prey.
At this distance, for an adult male, it was only a matter of seconds.
Just as he had expected, before the prey had fully realized what was happening, he had already rushed up behind her and the poor girl had only just begun to turn her head.
"WuRuaaaaa!"
In the dark, he couldn’t clearly see the girl's expression and he didn’t need to. As he raised his right hand and let out a strange howl, he swung the brick heavily toward the back of her head. The weight of the blow produced a dull thud.
The girl let out a pained groan, but before she could even react, she collapsed to the ground.
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The man panted heavily and raised his hand to wipe away sweat.
Looking down at the motionless girl lying on the ground, a chaotic mix of triumphant excitement and fearful tension surged in his heart, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.
He swallowed, confirmed once more that no one was around, then tossed the brick into the rubble nearby. Lifting the girl, he hoisted her soft body onto his shoulder like a primitive hunter returning with a successful kill, beginning to search for a suitable second crime scene.
The girl's thin clothes did nothing to block the faint fragrance of her body, a scent that was becoming harder and harder for the man to resist.
Just a bit longer... Once he found the right place, he could do whatever he wanted...
Blood vessels burst in his eyes, tinting his gaze with even more madness.
"Ha, serves you right for wearing so little, serves you right for walking alone at night!"
No longer needing to stay silent, the man muttered viciously to himself as he buried his face against the girl's waist, taking in several heavy breaths.
Right now, his heart was filled only with the pride and excitement of a plan fulfilled, and the most base, bestial desire.
One could only say that ever since he had stumbled upon this prey a few days ago, all the stalking and watching in the days since had been worth it.
"Walking this road alone every night like this... You’ve been tempting me every single day—I knew you were just asking for it!"
Yes, this place was deserted, nothing but ruins. In the man’s mind, the woman had to be some kind of degenerate. He cursed under his breath, not even bothering to string his sentences together. His already feeble mind had now diverted nearly all its capacity to his lower body.
He stopped and pushed open an unlocked door. The building had long been abandoned, and even structurally it had only half a shell left—completely condemned.
By the moonlight shining in through a broken window, he could see the room was a mess. But unexpectedly, there was a patch of open floor that looked relatively clean. This made the man happy—he decided this was the place.
Just like they say—when you're sleepy, someone brings a pillow. And when you're craving something...
The man’s grin grew more and more lawless. Whatever came after, he no longer cared—right now, all he wanted was to enjoy his spoils.
What a pity… he couldn't see the faint smile at the corner of the girl's lips.
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"Crack... crack..."
As the sound of something slowly being twisted and broken faded into the ruins, a broken door creaked open.
Her white dress was now stained with dust, looking dull and gray.
The frail-looking girl, dressed in clothes entirely unsuitable for the season, slowly stepped out from the pitch-black doorway.
Moonlight spilled across her figure, illuminating her beautiful, gentle features. Yet within the expression of her narrowed eyes—as if savoring something—there lay a trace of wicked allure, an expression like that of a demon cloaked in the grace of an angel.
If anyone had been present to witness this scene, they would have been stunned—by the sacred and the sinister colliding in that single moment.
The girl stretched lazily and, just as she was about to take a step forward, she furrowed her brow.
Looking down at her right foot, she revealed a troubled but endearing expression.
“Damn.”
Feeling the cold touch of the ground beneath her toes, she knew... she had lost a shoe.
She turned back to glance into the room behind her.
"Used to think that in TV shows, when people get kidnapped or assaulted, their clothes always end up a mess—it felt a bit exaggerated. Didn’t expect it to be real."
Letting out a sigh, she hopped forward with her one remaining shoe, bouncing along like a limping rabbit—utterly adorable.
Moonlight once again streamed through the doorway, where disturbed dust slowly drifted back to the floor.
In the moonlight, a denim jacket stained with streaks of blood lay quietly on the ground.
Inside the room, aside from those few pieces of clothing, nothing remained.
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A skilled hunter, above all, needed to possess ample patience.
And more importantly—needed to learn how to disguise oneself...