Chapter 10: The Pull of Evolution
Su Yan's eyes opened slowly, her vision still blurred with sleep, but the moment her senses caught up with reality, her body stiffened as she noticed the silence around her, a silence too complete, too unnatural, and when she turned her head, she saw Lin Yu standing not far away, his figure calm yet distant, surrounded by faint traces of water that slowly settled as if the aftermath of something violent had just ended. The smell of blood lingered in the air, subtle but undeniable, and the broken remains scattered across the building made it clear that while she slept, another battle had already taken place.
"You…" her voice trembled slightly as she pushed herself up, ignoring the discomfort in her leg, "…you fought again?"
Lin Yu did not turn immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the darkness outside, his senses still extended far beyond the building, tracking the disturbances that continued to grow in number and intensity. Only after a brief moment did he respond, his voice calm but carrying a quiet weight, "Five of them. All dead."
Su Yan fell silent. She did not ask how. She had already seen enough to understand that his strength was far beyond what she could fully comprehend. Instead, a different concern surfaced in her mind. "Are… more coming?"
Lin Yu nodded slightly. "Yes."
That single word was enough to send a chill down her spine.
He finally turned to face her, his expression steady, his eyes no longer glowing as before but still carrying that deep, unsettling calm. "Not immediately," he added, "but soon."
Su Yan clenched her hands slightly. "Then we should leave, right? Before they surround us."
Her logic was simple. Run before danger arrived. Survive by avoiding confrontation. It was the same thought anyone would have in this situation.
But Lin Yu did not agree.
"We can't outrun this," he said quietly.
Su Yan froze. "…What do you mean?"
Lin Yu stepped forward slightly, the faint sound of water shifting beneath his feet as he explained, "They're not wandering anymore. They're being drawn… to me."
He did not hide it.
There was no point.
Su Yan's eyes widened in shock. "To you…? Why?"
Lin Yu remained silent for a moment, as if choosing his words, before answering, "Because of this." He raised his hand slightly, and the moisture in the air gathered instantly, forming a small rotating sphere that pulsed faintly with an unnatural density. "Every time I absorb one of those cores… something changes. Not just in me… but in how they react."
Su Yan stared at the water sphere, her expression slowly turning from confusion to realization. "…They're hunting you."
Lin Yu did not deny it.
"Yes."
The word fell heavily between them.
For a moment, neither spoke. The rain outside continued to fall, tapping softly against broken surfaces, filling the silence with a constant rhythm that only made the tension more pronounced.
Su Yan lowered her gaze slightly, her thoughts racing. If staying with Lin Yu meant being constantly targeted by those things, then logically, the safest choice would be to leave him. To separate. To survive alone.
But when she looked up again—
She didn't say it.
Instead, she asked something else. "…Can you win?"
Lin Yu paused.
Not because he doubted himself.
But because he understood the real meaning behind her question.
He looked at her directly this time, his gaze calm but unwavering. "If they come one by one… yes."
"And if they don't?" she pressed.
Lin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then I get stronger faster than they do."
There was no arrogance in his tone.
Only certainty.
Su Yan stared at him for a long moment, then slowly nodded. She did not fully understand how he could say that so calmly, but for some reason, she believed him.
Lin Yu turned back toward the outside again. His senses continued to expand, tracking the movements beyond. The number of approaching presences had increased. Not just five this time. More. Scattered, but converging.
"They're still far," he said, "but we don't have much time."
Su Yan took a breath and steadied herself. "What do we do?"
This time—
Lin Yu did not answer immediately.
Because the answer had already formed in his mind the moment he realized what was happening.
Running was no longer effective.
Hiding was temporary.
The only way forward—
Was to face it.
"We stay," he said finally.
Su Yan's eyes widened. "Stay?"
Lin Yu nodded. "This building… the water here… gives me control. If we move, I lose that advantage." He extended his hand slightly, and the thin layer of water spread across the building responded instantly, rippling outward as if alive. "Here… I decide the fight."
Su Yan looked around, suddenly understanding what he meant. This place was no longer just a shelter. It was something else.
A battlefield.
One he controlled.
"…And if they send something stronger?" she asked quietly.
Lin Yu's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Then I evolve again."
The answer was simple.
But absolute.
Outside, the rain intensified, as if responding to his words, pouring down harder, flooding the streets, amplifying his presence.
Far away—
On the edge of his perception—
A new disturbance appeared.
Different from the others.
Slower.
Heavier.
But far more oppressive.
Lin Yu's expression changed slightly.
"…So it's coming too."
Su Yan noticed the shift immediately. "What is it?"
Lin Yu did not look away from the darkness outside.
"The one watching earlier," he said calmly.
The air grew heavier.
Su Yan's heart tightened instantly.
"…Stronger than the others?"
Lin Yu did not hesitate.
"Yes."
Silence fell again.
But this time—
It was not calm.
It was the silence before something inevitable.
Lin Yu stepped forward slightly, positioning himself between the entrance and Su Yan, his body relaxed but ready, while the water throughout the building began to move once more, faster, denser, responding to his intent with increasing intensity.
His eyes remained fixed on the darkness beyond.
Waiting.
And in the distance—
Something began to approach.
Not rushing.
Not hiding.
But walking.
Directly toward him.
The rain parted slightly along its path.
And with every step it took—
The pressure in the air increased.
The real hunt—
Was about to begin.