The Record of Unusual Creatures

Panda Novel

When Hessiana started to shout and swear, Hao Ren knew that his conjecture was right. The humans did not catch her. It was Hessiana who allowed the humans to take her. He realized that he should not have come for her in the first place. What the impish kid did must have had something to do with Vivian.

However, before Hao Ren could stop the witches, they had sprung into action. The witches had summoned a swarm of locusts to frighten the crowd and blocked the square, using the rotten land to disperse the people around the stake. They then headed to the stake and attacked the guards—everything went according to plan. The Letta runes around the square magnified the chaos. Various preplanned spells broke out at the same time. Soldiers wearing talismans in and around the square were quickly overpowered before they could even react.

Hao Ren now knew that they had officially screwed up Hessiana’s plan. But the witch’s rescue plan had to go on—he needed to meet Hessiana.

Hao Ren smacked Lily on the head and said, “Let’s join the party.”

Lily pulled off her hood, revealing her wolf ears and fangs. She ran loose in the chaos, raising her head and letting out a melodious roar, “Awoooooo—arf!”

The horrified screams of the crowd drowned out Lily’s last syllable. People started to scream, “Werewolf! It’s a werewolf!”

“The devil is amongst us! The witch has summoned the devil!”

“Run! Run! The werewolves and witches have come!”

“Go to the cathedral quickly! Go to the church!”

Lily flung away a few people who stood in her way, and the crowd immediately dispersed. Ordinary humans feared werewolves more than wizards. Mainly because humans thought that wizards were at least half-human while werewolves were evil, dark creatures. Folklores depicted werewolves as human-eating monsters, and that perception was especially ingrained in remote areas where superstition was widespread.

Hao Ren could only shake his head as he observed the situation.* Feudal superstitions kill, and have you ever seen such a cute werewolf? *he said to himself.

If this were to happen in the twenty-first century, many perverts would lay before the beautiful maiden and let her feast on them.

Hao Ren strode to the place of execution as he sighed.

The square was in chaos. Locusts and rotten soil had replaced the people in the square. Those who could run had already fled the scene. Meanwhile, the situation on the platform was even worse than on the ground. The noble gentlemen and ladies rushed to get down the platform, but there was only one exit. They screamed and scrambled to the exit, totally losing their proper demeanor. Some people had their wigs ripped off and coats torn apart. Others just fell down the staircase and broke their heads. Those who were desperate even jumped down the platform and fled the scene in a stagger.

The warrior monks and friars were the only ones who could still remain composed. They were specially trained to deal with supernatural forces. Although they were likely not comparable to professional exorcists, they were more or less courageous, plus they possessed some skills.

The warrior monks raised their silver-plated swords and guarded the stake while two friars each held a silver cross in one hand and scripture in another, chanting the word of God aloud. In that era when supernatural power was still relevant to the people, the shallow magic skills of humans still had its effect. A faint white barrier shrouded them as they struggled to hold off the witches’ first wave of attack from.

Peaceful life weakened the will, and pleasurable indulgence consumed the body; those who lacked practical combat experience could barely fight with their sacramentals, which had been passed down from their forefathers. When Wizard Bain released a smelly, scorched monster on the ground, they totally lost their fighting spirit.

Hao Ren strutted to the stake as if he had entered no man’s land. The guard’s sword hit his Steel Membrane Shield but could only produce some sparks. He overpowered the two burly guards with ease, then looked at Hessiana, who looked back at him on the stake.

Hessiana stared at the uninvited guest. Before she swore again, Hao Ren quickly said, “Let us not get mad first—I know you did this on purpose. We have ruined your plan. But it is too late now. You have to come with us—for Vivian’s sake.”

Hessiana was stunned. In a low voice, she asked, “How do you know that name? Who are you?”

“This is not the right place to talk.” Hao Ren broke the shackles barehanded. “I am on your side, Little Bat.”

The words “Little Bat” had Hessiana’s eyes out on stalks. Many otherworldlings of the older generation knew about her relationship with Vivian, but people rarely knew about her nickname. When the guy first mentioned Vivian, Hessiana was still doubtful, but now she could only look at the man in horror and disbelief. Has this guy come from the sanctuary in the Shadowy Divide to take me home? Hessiana thought.

Hao Ren had no idea what was on Little Bat’s mind. He removed the chain as well as shackles on Hessiana and took her to Madam Marie. “Here she is.”

Madam Marie and the other witches were still maintaining the plague insects to block off the entire square. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Hessiana was with him. “Very good. Let us get the hell out of here. The cathedral has been alerted. Once the regular ascetic corp and warrior monks arrive, we will be in trouble.”

While he fought the soldiers and monks in the square earlier, Hao Ren thought that humans of the era were powerless against supernatural forces. But Madam Marie’s nervous reaction told of something else. The humans never challenged supernatural power individually. They fought in numbers and with strategy.

Hao Ren was not afraid of a regular army. He just did not want to cause too much commotion when he had a mission in that space and time. So he quickly agreed with Madam Marie and took Hessiana as they left the square.

They barged out of the inner city and ran straight towards the west gate. As soon as they emerged from the inner city gate, the city’s army of defense was waiting for them. In desperation, Lily tore the entire city gate down. She roared and swung the city gate in her hand towards the human soldiers accompanied by her Starbuster Slash.

Hessiana muttered along the way, “Who are these madmen?

“When did I ask you to save me?

“It took me a long time to plan this.” Then, she finally noticed Lily—she could not avoid it because a werewolf girl swinging a city gate was just too hard to miss. Hessiana looked on in astonishment. “There is a wild werewolf here as well! I must have been out of touch with the world.”

The human soldiers broke down upon seeing a werewolf charging towards them while wielding a city gate in her hand. But they managed to hold their ground when they heard their commander’s loud rebuke. The soldiers in front erected their shields while soldiers at the back row stuck their spears through the gaps between the shields, forming a formation. Shortly after, four metal barrels jutted out of the formation.

They were arquebuses.

“Hold your ground! Hold your ground!”

The human commander raised his blade in the air and shouted. The human barrier stood in place, bracing for the werewolf’s impact.

The arquebuses fired with a loud bang.

Blood splattered, and Lily roared in pain. “Werewolves are fearless!”

Then she lifted the city gate and threw it forward before she fled into a trail behind her. “Even idiots can go head to head with you!” she said.

Hao Ren and the rest had also turned into the other path. It was Plan B.

The city gate whistled through the air before it crashed on the ground and brought up a cloud of dust. The massive gate continued to slide forward from the momentum like a bone-smashing monster. Even the staunchest soldiers could not ignore the incoming monster structure; the human barrier immediately pulled back. The city gate finally ground to a halt half a meter away from the nearest soldiers.

The soldiers in the front row freaked out.

The heroic commander froze as he stared in the direction of the werewolf’s disappearance. He muttered to himself, “Werewolves are fearless?”

A “fearless” werewolf, Hao Ren the Bomb Maniac with a Steel Membrane Shield, and a group of witches and a wizard, who barely suffered any damage, were pretty much invincible in a city without the guard of professional exorcists. After they evaded the blockade of the city soldiers, the rescue squad made it out of the west gate and met up with Witch Helen.

Hao Ren glanced at Hessiana next to him. Sure enough, Llittle Bat’s face was ashen.