Chapter 28 The Hanging Claw Man

Everyone prepared to find the monster first, obtain the blood core, and then worry about the rest.

"Drip~"

A drop of sticky, foul-smelling liquid landed precisely on Ding Ning's cheek.

The pungent stench instantly drilled into his nasal cavity, causing Ding Ning to shudder violently. The others also caught sight of that black-and-green liquid and instinctively looked up at the ceiling.

"Holy sh*t!" Luo the Third sprang up from his seat the moment he saw the creature on the ceiling.

It must be said that it lived up to its reputation as a high-end restaurant; even with the monster's saliva dripping down the crystal chandelier, it could not diminish its inherent luxury.

The others quickly moved away from their seats, watching the humanoid monster on the chandelier vigilantly.

"Such annoying little rats, always loving to disturb This Great One's rest time."

"Rats of the past were like this, and rats of the present are the same." The humanoid monster's limbs were twisted at angles that defied the laws of skeletal growth, its ten fingernails gleaming with a dark, cold light as they dug deeply into the carved crevices of the gilded lamp frame.

Its upper body hung upside down, its loose "flesh" swaying on the metal frame, while sticky fluids dripped down the edges of the crystal pendants, pulling out shimmering black threads in the warm light.

The laziness in its eyes instantly switched to a violent crimson, and a greedy appetite almost overflowed from its hollow pupils: "However, although rats are annoying, they do taste quite good."

Its hollow pupils stared unblinkingly at the group as it spoke to itself:

"The Second Meal is about to begin, and Chef Kassian will surely love the ingredients I've brought."

As soon as it finished speaking, its body swayed incessantly, as if extremely excited. The chandelier's metal chain creaked under the weight of its heavy body, and as its fingertips applied slight pressure, the gilded coating on the lamp frame peeled off with a rustle, revealing the dull, raw metal color underneath.

"Talking sh*t!" Luo the Third was both fearful and angry. His gaze swept around, and he suddenly snatched a kitchen knife from the front desk, throwing it at the humanoid monster with all his might.

The kitchen knife carried the fierce force of breaking wind as it slashed straight toward the hanging humanoid monster, the blade grazing the edge of a crystal pendant and sparking a string of tiny lights.

Those below heard a muffled, sizzling sound, as if tiny droplets of fluid had been squeezed out by the blade. They watched very carefully as the kitchen knife's blade slashed fiercely across one of the humanoid monster's limbs, finally striking the ceiling before falling back down.

In the eyes of the stunned crowd, the humanoid monster's hand fell from the chandelier.

"Ah~" A shrill, miserable scream suddenly rang out, sounding exceptionally loud in the silent space of the front desk.

"Ah! Damn rats."

"Awesome! Luo the Third, where did you pick up that kitchen knife? It actually deals damage to the monster." Chu Ling, holding a table leg in his hand, looked at Luo the Third in surprise.

"There~" Luo the Third pursed his lips toward the front desk, his tone carrying a bit of lingering fear but also some pride.

While the two were talking, the humanoid monster on the chandelier was already filled with murderous intent. Strangely, the severed hand rapidly grew back under their watchful eyes.

It perched on the chandelier, looking down from above. The group couldn't reach it for the moment, so they could only stare fixedly at it, not daring to relax for a single second.

"Rats should have the self-awareness of rats." The monster's voice was ice-cold and bone-chilling.

The humanoid monster leaped down from the chandelier, its ten sharp fingers whistling through the air as it lunged straight at Third Mother Li.

Third Mother Li's expression was grave, her entire body tensed as she locked eyes with the charging humanoid monster.

The moment the humanoid monster was about to touch her, Third Mother Li demonstrated her god-defying flexibility to the others.

She spread her legs, performing a split, her body almost flush against the ground, barely dodging the humanoid monster's attack.

Having failed its first strike, the humanoid monster wanted to continue attacking.

"Everyone, attack together! This monster is called a [Claw-Suspended Person], it's only a Bronze Fifth Tier monster. Watch out for the deadly poison on its claws." Xu Yuanmo provided valuable information.

"It's fortunate that it's only a Bronze Fifth Tier monster. If its rank were any higher, we might really capsize here," Gu Ye muttered to himself.

This temporarily formed group had cohesion as fragile as glass. Xu Yuanmo shouted for everyone to attack together, but no one wanted to take the lead; everyone was guarding against their teammates.

"Truly a laughable species." The [Claw-Suspended Person] stuck out its tongue to lick the fluids on its claws.

Before the words had even faded, a gust of wind blew past, and the [Claw-Suspended Person] vanished from where it stood.

"Careful!"

The [Claw-Suspended Person] reappeared behind Old Man Sun. In the split second before the others could react, with a "squelch!", its sharp claws pierced directly through Old Man Sun's head.

Old Man Sun's body stiffened, his eyes wide open, filled with disbelief. A few seconds later, he fell heavily to the ground, lifeless.

Seeing this scene, everyone widened their eyes, their eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

"This won't do. We must attack together, or we'll all die." Gu Ye's low voice reached the others' ears.

The others looked at Gu Ye and nodded in agreement. The [Claw-Suspended Person]'s speed was too fast; they couldn't run even if they wanted to. They had to kill it if they wanted to survive.

Xu Yuanmo's gaze swept over Gu Ye, his face expressionless, but the greed in his eyes flashed and vanished.

"Attack!" Gu Ye gave the order.

Chu Ling and Ye Suxuan were the first to rush out, each holding a table leg in their hands, their footsteps nimble.

The two table legs appeared in the [Claw-Suspended Person]'s pitch-black eye sockets, and a hint of mockery rose in its eyes.

It brandished its two sharp claws and swung heavily toward the two. Ye Suxuan caught a glimpse of a figure appearing behind the [Claw-Suspended Person] out of the corner of her eye.

Her gaze flickered as she sent a signal to Chu Ling, and Chu Ling nodded slightly to indicate he understood.

The afterimages of the two table legs were clearly reflected in the [Claw-Suspended Person]'s pitch-black eye sockets.

A flash of intense mockery instantly crossed its eyes; it danced its sharp claws through the air and swung heavily toward the two.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ye Suxuan caught sight of a figure quietly appearing behind the [Claw-Suspended Person]. Her gaze darted sharply, and she quickly sent a covert signal to Chu Ling.

Chu Ling understood immediately and nodded imperceptibly.

Just as the sharp claws were about to touch the table legs, Chu Ling and the other, as if sharing a telepathic connection, simultaneously withdrew their attacking table legs, turned their bodies, and dodged to the side.

The [Claw-Suspended Person]'s claws missed their mark, and it wanted to continue attacking.

A sound of something cutting through the air rang out from behind it. Third Mother Li, holding the kitchen knife Luo the Third had picked up earlier, slashed fiercely at its back.

With just a soft "thwip" sound, the blade sliced through the [Claw-Suspended Person]'s rough skin, drawing out a wisp of black-red fluid.

Third Mother Li took the opportunity to jump onto it, her legs tightly clamping around its waist. She gripped the kitchen knife embedded in its body with both hands and pressed down hard, the blade sinking into its flesh once again.

The [Claw-Suspended Person] was pressed down onto the ground. It let out a shrill roar, its body twisting as it struggled to get up, trying to shake off Third Mother Li.

"Now!" Ye Suxuan gave a low shout. With a flip of her wrist, the table leg in her hand seemed to carry the force of a thousand jun as she slammed it fiercely onto its wrist.

"Bang!" A muffled impact sound rang out, and the table leg cracked. Seeing the opportunity, Chu Ling stabbed a table leg into its other hand. As Battle Card Masters, their strong physiques played a suppressive role.

"Ah~"

"Rats, you deserve to die!" It gripped its sharp claws tightly, muscles tensed, shouting and struggling to rise.

"We'll help too!" The Shi Jian brothers ran over and pinned down the [Claw-Suspended Person]'s two feet respectively.

The five of them exerted force together, suppressing it.

Yan Shuangling, holding an identical table leg, walked to the [Claw-Suspended Person]'s side, her eyes sharp, and thrust it fiercely into its neck.

"You, uh... uh uh..."

She pressed down hard on the table leg. Seeing that it still had the strength to struggle, Third Mother Li pulled the kitchen knife embedded in its body out with both hands and, following the wound on its neck, slashed down with one blow.

"Crack!"

The crisp sound of bone breaking was clearly audible. The [Claw-Suspended Person]'s head was forcibly severed and rolled to the side, its hollow eyes still staring fixedly at the group. Its body twitched a few times before it went completely still, black-red blood gushing out and staining the ground into a mess.