Darkness fell completely.
The city no longer looked like the one Zhao Ren remembered.
Streetlights flickered weakly.
Distant fires provided unstable illumination.
But the real change wasn't visual.
It was the atmosphere.
The air felt heavier.
More alert.
As if the world itself was watching.
Zhao Ren stood atop a parking structure overlooking three intersecting streets.
He didn't rush toward the notification.
He waited.
He listened.
Five seconds later
He heard it.
Not a roar.
Not heavy footsteps.
But something subtle.
Claws scraping lightly against concrete.
Too light for a normal monster.
He adjusted his grip on the steel pipe.
His regeneration trait had healed earlier bruises.
His breathing was stable.
Then he saw it.
Across the street.
On the side of a building.
Crawling vertically.
A lean figure.
Long limbs.
No visible eyes.
Skin dark as asphalt.
And it moved without sound.
Agility-focused.
Faster than him.
For now.
The creature stopped suddenly.
Its head tilted.
It had sensed him.
No hesitation.
It launched.
The distance closed instantly.
Zhao Ren barely pivoted in time.
Claws sliced through the air where his neck had been.
He countered with a swing.
The pipe connected with its shoulder
but it barely reacted.
Too fast.
It circled him in seconds.
Attacking from blind angles.
He retreated deliberately toward the parking ramp entrance.
Limited space.
Restricted movement.
He needed to remove its speed advantage.
The Night Stalker lunged again.
This time he stepped inward instead of backward.
He absorbed the impact against his shoulder.
Pain flared.
But Titan Regeneration stabilized him instantly.
He locked his arm around the creature's torso.
Drove his knee into its midsection.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The creature screeched sharply.
He slammed it against the concrete wall.
Cracks formed in the surface.
He did not release it.
He drove the broken steel pipe repeatedly into its neck joint.
Precise.
Controlled.
Until resistance weakened.
Until movement stopped.
Silence returned.
Zhao Ren exhaled slowly.
His shoulder was already healing.
He placed his hand on the corpse.
The system responded with a stronger vibration than usual.
His senses sharpened instantly.
Sounds became clearer.
Wind movement more distinct.
Subtle vibrations in the distance easier to detect.
He looked at his updated panel.
Now balanced.
Now competitive.
He looked toward the supermarket faction.
The barricades were under attack.
Multiple monsters.
And among them—
Two Night Stalkers.
The leader was holding formation well.
But not for long.
Zhao Ren watched carefully.
He could intervene.
Gain favor.
Or allow chaos.
Chaos meant more corpses.
More growth.
But there was another factor.
If the faction collapsed completely, organized resistance in this district would disappear.
And long-term stability had value.
He stepped forward.
Not to save them.
Not out of kindness.
But because controlled environments produced better hunting grounds.
He moved across rooftops with improved agility.
Silent.
Precise.
The first Night Stalker leapt toward the barricade.
Before it landed
Zhao Ren dropped from above.
His pipe pierced directly into its skull.
Clean.
Efficient.
The second variant turned immediately.
But this time
He was ready.
Enhanced Perception tracked its movement.
He dodged before it struck.
Countered.
Ended it.
The survivors stared in shock.
The leader met his eyes from across the barricade.
Recognition.
Assessment.
Respect.
No words exchanged.
The monsters retreated into the dark.
Night Phase continued.
But something had shifted.
Zhao Ren stepped back into shadow.
He did not join them.
Not yet.
He preferred distance.
Control.
Observation.
Above the city
The ranking board flickered again briefly.
He had climbed.
One more remained above him.
And somewhere in this city
Rank 1 was also hunting.