Ch-7 May God bless you, Amen!

Entering the house, the warmth from the fireplace immediately thawed Ryan's slightly chilly body.

Ryan looked around the simple wooden house, taking in every detail without leaving a trace.

There was a sofa, a bed, a table, some benches, and a partition. The layout was minimalist.

"Drink some water and get warm," the old lady warmly invited Ryan to sit down, then went into the inner room to pour a cup of hot water.

Ryan frowned, his alertness increasing.

A stranger being so friendly in the wilderness was strange, especially with werewolves prowling around.

How could an old lady safely live alone here? Something didn't add up.

Ryan accepted the hot tea, but discreetly put it on the table without drinking.

"Is there a village or town nearby?" he asked casually. The old lady paused slightly when she noticed that Ryan hadn't touched the tea.

"It's so late; everyone in town should be asleep. Why not rest here for the night before you head out?" the old lady suggested.

"Rest for the night?" Ryan raised an eyebrow and surveyed the small house again. It hardly looked like it could accommodate two people.

"No, I'd better be on my way," Ryan replied firmly.

Seeing Ryan's refusal, the old lady seemed a bit helpless, but pointed him in the right direction.

"Keep going straight and you'll soon see the village. But there are dangerous beasts in the forest. I suggest you wait until daybreak before you leave."

Beasts? What could be more dangerous than a werewolf?

Ryan ignored the old lady's advice, thanked her and left. The old lady stood outside, watched Ryan disappear into the darkness, and muttered to herself, "Clever little fellow..."

After walking for about 20 minutes, Ryan spotted a brightly lit village.

As he got closer, he noticed thick walls surrounding the village, with torches positioned every few meters, encircling the entire area.

It looked like they were trying to repel something.

"Who goes there?" Ryan's emergence from the shadows immediately drew the attention of a team of patrolling militiamen, who looked at him nervously.

"Don't be alarmed, I'm just passing through," Ryan said, stepping into the light.

"Passing through?" The militiamen relaxed a bit, recognizing him as an ordinary human. But they quickly became suspicious again.

"How did you get through the forest at this hour?" the militia leader asked.

"I walked right through," Ryan replied, noticing their skeptical expressions.

"You came through here? You didn't encounter anything... strange?" the leader asked, choosing his words carefully.

Ryan thought for a moment, then replied, "If you mean the kind of monster that turns into a wolf, I did encounter one. But I killed it."

The militiamen stared at him in disbelief. They had dealt with werewolves before and knew only too well how terrifying they were.

Even with fire and silver, it took a team of skilled hunters to bring one down, often at the cost of several lives.

Just as the militiamen began to question him, a shrill howl echoed from the darkness.

"Ooowwwwww!"

At the sound, the militiamen tensed, eyes wide with terror.

"It's a werewolf! Quick, get inside!" someone shouted.

"Sound the alarm, we've got a werewolf!" others shouted as a hairy figure emerged from the underbrush, eyes red with bloodlust.

"This one's not afraid of fire!"

"Must have gotten too hungry... Prepare to fight!" shouted the militia leader.

"Stranger, get in here quickly! Don't be a fool!" a militiaman shouted, raising his weapon with trembling hands as he prepared to defend the village at all costs.

If the werewolf broke through, it wouldn't just be one or two lives at stake.

To their shock, instead of retreating behind the walls, Ryan stepped forward, heading straight for the werewolf.

The militia leader, preparing for the worst, looked on in horror, expecting the stranger's head to be ripped off in moments. But then...

Bang!

A heavy thud rang out. As the werewolf lunged, Ryan caught it by the head and slammed it to the ground.

The towering creature, nearly eight feet tall, looked feeble compared to Ryan's calm yet intense demeanor.

The werewolf, which had looked terrifying moments before, now lay pinned to the ground, unable to move as Ryan's grip held it in place.

Without a word, Ryan pulled a short-barreled shotgun from under his coat and calmly made a cross on the struggling werewolf's forehead.

"May God bless you. Amen."