I created a foundation

She just wanted to find a place where no one would disturb her, a place where she could temporarily forget the hypocritical courtesy, invisible pressure, and the complicated sisterly relationship that was a mixture of love and hate.

She needs a piece of true peace that belongs only to her, without any pretense.

Without any warning, the words reported in the news appeared clearly in my mind again - "remote coast".

Perhaps, only in such a natural place far away from the crowd and not deliberately modified can she find the undisturbed and absolute loneliness that she longs for deep in her heart at this moment.

Yukino paused slightly at the fork in the corridor, and then without hesitation, she walked towards the winding road outside the hotel that led to the unknown seaside.

That direction is the mysterious and dangerous remote coast that has been repeatedly mentioned in news reports and tourists are warned in a cautious tone not to approach easily.

The dense rain has stopped without me noticing when.

The clouds in the sky were still thick, brewing a more violent storm.

Chapter 54: Inhuman Predation

Yukino walked forward, taking one deep step and one shallow step, along the winding path that was almost completely covered by dense vegetation.

In the air, the smell of damp earth mixed with the strong smell of the sea, forming a unique, slightly oppressive smell.

The further you go in, the more completely you are isolated from the hustle and bustle of civilized society.

The only sounds in my ears were the rustling of leaves in the wind and the faint roar of waves in the distance.

Finally, when she pushed aside the last broad fern leaf that blocked her view, a rugged, abrupt black reef appeared before her without warning.

They are like the skeletons of ancient monsters, standing silently on the coastline, enduring the endless washing of waves.

The waves tirelessly and fiercely hit the hard rocks again and again, stirring up large patches of snow-white waves, and then retreated with great unwillingness and roars.

The sound was monotonous, yet full of primitive power.

This place was just as she had predicted from the map: desolate, remote and deserted.

Only the never-ending sea breeze whistled past her ears, roughly lifting a few strands of scattered black hair in front of her forehead and slapping them against her cheeks, bringing a faint tingling sensation.

The long-accumulated boredom and depression at the family gathering, heard by her sister Yukinoshita Haruno's seemingly intimate but actually probing and controlling words, seemed to be carried away a lot by the rough sea breeze.

She found a relatively flat rock that was slightly smoothed by the waves and sat down gently.

Look into the distance.

The sky was leaden gray, and thick clouds hung low over the sea level, as if a heavier rainstorm would pour down at any moment.

The boundary between the sky and the sea is blurred, merging into a chaotic gray.

In this scene, however, I found a rare, strange, almost empty breathing space in my heart.

This primitive corner, completely forgotten by the civilized world, has temporarily become her only refuge where she can take off all disguises.

She slowly closed her eyes, trying to completely immerse her stiff body and tense nerves in this moment of rough tranquility.

Trying to find a bit of peace that belongs to me and will not be disturbed.

at this time.

An extremely strange and pungent smell suddenly and aggressively entered her nostrils without warning.

Rich.

Sticky.

And mixed with a hint of sickening sweetness, as if it had been rotten for a long time.

is blood.

And it was a lot of fresh blood.

At that moment, Yukino's brows were tightly furrowed, forming a deep "川" character.

She suddenly opened her eyes, and her eyes, which had softened slightly due to a moment of relaxation, immediately became sharp and alert again.

She held her breath and carefully identified the source of the ominous smell.

That was deeper into the reef, and most of the view was blocked by several jagged, larger black rocks.

It seemed to be more secluded there than where she was now.

An inexplicable, almost instinctive impulse, or perhaps an irresistible premonition mixed with fear and curiosity, drove her to stand up from the reef.

She didn't hesitate at all.

With light and quick movements, he moved cautiously in that direction.

The gravel and shell debris under her feet still made a subtle "crunching" sound as she walked lightly, but it was particularly clear in this overly quiet environment.

She walked around one slippery reef after another, and the sea breeze brought the smell of blood more clearly into her mouth and nose.

When she finally reached out and got over the last huge rock that blocked her way, like a small wall.

The scene before her made it seem as if all the blood in her body was drained away in an instant, and then filled with extremely cold water.

Every limb was cold and stiff.

A creature that absolutely should not exist in the real world was lying in a mess stained dark red and black with blood.

It has a roughly human outline, but is much taller than an average adult male.

Its entire body is covered with a thick layer of dark green scales that gleam with a wet glow, like the toughest fish scale armor.

Its head was a completely hideous deep-sea fish head, with huge, turbid, and emotionless yellow eyes bulging out.

The huge mouth filled with countless sharp, pale teeth was opening and closing greedily.

The most chilling thing, and the thing that made her stomach churn the most, was the thing that was being pressed tightly under its pair of claws, which were as strong and powerful as those of a beast and covered with the same scales.

A human corpse that had been so mutilated that its original appearance was almost unrecognizable.

The tattered blue clothes, mixed with blood and mud, were tightly attached to the blurred flesh and blood.

But Xueno recognized it at a glance. It was the special work clothes often worn by local fishermen who disappeared near this sea area and were mentioned in the news reports a few days ago.

The monster's claws, sharp as blades, were tearing the remaining flesh on the corpse effortlessly.

The "crackling" sound of broken bones, the "hissing" sound of muscle fibers being forcibly torn apart, and the low, satisfied and greedy chewing sound coming from the monster's throat clearly reached Yukino's ears.

The sticky, dark red blood mixed with the broken internal organs and tissues dyed the surrounding reefs and beaches a shocking, hellish dark red.

The moment Yukino saw this scene, her brain completely fell into a blank, buzzing state of chaos.

The horrific scene before her was like the heaviest hammer, ruthlessly and mercilessly smashing the entire worldview she had built and believed in for twenty years.

Reason and logic were screaming and roaring wildly in her mind.

This is an illusion.

This is an absolute nightmare.

It was a morbid delusion she had developed due to the recent excessive stress.

But the rusty smell of blood that was so strong that it was almost suffocating, and the horrifying chewing and tearing sounds that were so clear that they seemed to be happening right next to her ears, all reminded her cruelly and coldly.

This is not an illusion.

This is not a nightmare.

This is reality.

A bloody and horrifying reality that she had never imagined, hidden beneath the peaceful daily life.

She subconsciously used all her strength to cover her lips with her cold hands.

The nails dug deep into the tender flesh of the palm due to excessive force, causing bursts of sharp, piercing pain.

But this slight pain was completely unable to bring back her thoughts which had long since drifted away due to extreme fear.

It was only with this last, almost instinctive action that she managed to prevent her shrill scream, which was about to burst through her throat and tear her chest, from escaping completely.

Fear, like the coldest deep-sea current, swept upward from the soles of her feet in an instant, quickly spreading to her limbs and bones, and finally freezing her heart and brain.

She felt that all the muscles in her body were as stiff as rocks, unable to even tremble slightly. She could only stand there like a cursed statue, unable to move.

The uncontrollable subtle tremors inside her body that came from the most primitive fear of life, or simply the change in breath caused by her sudden intrusion, seemed to have alarmed the monster that was immersed in a bloody feast.

The fish monster's greedy chewing action suddenly stopped.

Its huge, bulging, yellow, turbid eyes, devoid of any human emotion, slowly and mechanically turned towards Yukino's direction with a hint of displeasure at being disturbed.

Was discovered.

At that moment, Yukino's heart suddenly stopped beating, as if it was tightly grasped by an invisible hand.

Almost at the same moment.

"Don't move."

A cold, decisive, and low-pitched command filled with unquestionable majesty suddenly came from behind another taller reef to her right rear like a thunderclap.

Immediately afterwards, without giving her any time to react, several agile and nimble figures suddenly jumped out from their hiding places like cheetahs.

They were wearing new dark grey camouflage combat uniforms that were more suitable for combat in cities and complex environments.

He wore a tightly wrapped tactical helmet on his head, and his face was covered by goggles and a mask, revealing only a pair of sharp and calm eyes.

Without exception, they all held the latest model of standard assault rifles in their hands.

The jet-black muzzle, against the backdrop of the gloomy sky, flashed a frightening metallic cold light.

The moment a part of the gun barrel appeared, it pointed without hesitation and accurately at the fish-headed monster that had just raised its head.

The other part of the gun barrel, with the same unquestionable deterrent power, was pointed at Yukino, who was standing frozen in place with a face as pale as paper.

Self-Defense Forces.

This was the only and most reasonable explanation that flashed through Yukino's mind reflexively.

Faced with these suddenly appearing, fully armed humans, the fish monster let out a sharp, piercing roar from its throat that was full of violence and threats.

Its huge and ugly body suddenly arched backwards, accumulating strength, and then, like a cannonball shot out of a barrel, it shot towards the turbulent sea behind it with an extraordinary speed and explosive power that completely exceeded human imagination.

".Bang."

On the hard reef where it had been lying, its sharp claws left a deep, bone-deep, shocking claw mark.