Chapter 28: Flame Mecha

"Three homeless people in the eastern district were suspected to have been eaten by monsters last night. The sight of their remains frightened an 80-year-old man into unconsciousness."

"Two women who were returning home after work in the eastern district were assaulted and brutally dismembered last night. It's suspected that monsters are responsible. Citizens are urged to stay indoors at night as much as possible."

"Last night..."

The evening news broadcast ended at Café, and elegant music resumed playing.

Alexander, who was sitting by the window taking notes, looked up and muttered, "The eastern district is becoming increasingly unsafe."

Yvette Ivanova personally brought coffee to Alexander and said, "This year's monster chaos feels strange. Normally, they start wreaking havoc in the old town."

Alexander took a small sip of coffee, deep in thought about this year's monster rampage.

The fact that the monsters appeared in the new district clearly wasn't because they were hungry, as they didn't seem interested in the 'meat' of the old town.

It seemed they were preparing for something big.

Yvette sat gracefully across from Alexander. "I really don't understand how these monsters managed to break through the city's defenses and enter the new district."

The most significant difference between the new and old districts wasn't just wealth disparity; the new district had dense defensive forces patrolled by city defense officers, making it much safer.

Because of this, the wealthy had all moved to the new district.

Even residents of the old district would rather rent the worst apartments in the new district, just to stay alive.

Alexander paused for a moment. "Maybe they can disguise themselves? Blend in with humans, or perhaps even as stray animals?"

Yvette's eyes flashed with a hint of panic. If monsters could disguise themselves as humans, that would be truly terrifying.

No one could be sure anymore whether the people they encountered were actually human.

Who knew, maybe even the customers here drinking coffee could be those flesh-eating monsters?

"Ring ring ring—"

The bell on the door jingled, and Lilin greeted, "Welcome!"

Alexander and Yvette turned their gaze toward the entrance, seeing a man and two women walk into the café.

They looked like a family of three. They were dressed in rags, their clothes visibly ill-fitting.

Especially the little girl, whose sleeves were clearly torn, and her coat was nearly dragging on the ground.

"Mmm, smells so good!" The girl leaped with joy, her eyes brimming with excitement.

The guests were drawn to the girl's crisp voice, casting friendly looks her way.

It wasn't uncommon for children from the slums to beg their parents to experience the taste of coffee at least once.

Lilin, not one to judge by appearances, didn't shoo them out just because of their shabby clothes. With a warm smile, she asked, "What would you like?"

The girl swallowed hard, "Anything is fine."

The family of three sat at the table next to Alexander and Yvette.

Lilin picked some of the more affordable coffee and snacks for them and playfully patted the girl's head, offering her a candy before going back to work.

Alexander glanced at the family, then went back to writing in his notebook.

Yvette quietly stayed by his side.

Time passed without notice. When Alexander looked up again, the café was empty.

At the table beside them, only the little girl remained. Her parents were nowhere to be seen, and Lilin stood nearby, looking troubled.

From the conversation between Lilin and the girl, it seemed the parents had left in a hurry for some urgent matter, leaving the girl behind at the café.

No one knew how much time had passed, but it was now closing time, and the parents hadn't returned.

"Sister, my mom and dad will definitely bring the money tomorrow. You can keep me here as collateral. I'm not lying."

The little girl pleaded with Lilin.

Lilin looked to Yvette for help, her eyes full of worry. "Sis, it's not safe outside right now. Maybe we should let the child stay here for the night?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, knowing full well what Cafe truly was, and fearing that her goodwill might bring trouble to the guild.

''Clap!''

Alexander closed his notebook and stood up. "Our Café can't keep people overnight. It just so happens that I need to head home tonight. I'll take her with me."

The little girl eyed Alexander warily, as if afraid she'd run into a creepy uncle.

Alexander walked over with his notebook, crouched down in front of the girl, gently patting her head. He smiled and said, "Uncle has lots of toys at home that you can play with. How about staying at my place tonight, and I'll bring you back tomorrow?"

The little girl lowered her guard and flashed a bright smile, revealing her tiny teeth. "Okay!"

Alexander took the girl's hand and led her out, while Yvette gracefully bowed behind him as they left.

As they neared the old district, the streetlights grew dimmer, and the night deepened.

Suddenly, the little girl asked, "Brother, aren't you scared of the dark?"

Alexander, speaking as if to comfort a child, replied, "I'm an adult, so I'm not afraid of the dark."

The little girl tilted her cute face up. "But I heard that recently, many monsters come out at night. They're really scary."

Alexander shook his head.

"I've never seen a monster, only in textbooks. I didn't think they were scary; they actually seemed kind of cute."

The little girl froze, stopping in her tracks, her head lowered. "Cute? Are they really cute?"

Her body began to tremble, and from her back, two bulging sacs slowly appeared. A pair of bat wings burst out from the sacs, unfurling.

Her smile grew wider, stretching all the way to her ears as she let out a creepy, eerie laugh. "Hee hee hee, do the monsters in your textbooks look as cute as me?!"

Alexander suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand. Pulling it free, he saw his palm had turned pitch black.

Poisoned?

"Damn it, so you wanted to hog all the prey yourself!"

Out of the darkness beyond the reach of the streetlights, two figures emerged—it was the girl's "parents."

However, they too had transformed into monsters, with insect-like bodies and human-like features, their mouths revealing large mandibles.

The girl hissed venomously, "I was going to spend the night in the café and eat everyone inside! It's all because of this meddler!"

The "father" sneered. "Then let's tear this meddlesome fool apart."

The "mother" licked her mandibles and mocked, "Why so quiet now? Didn't you think monsters were cute? If you say I'm beautiful, maybe I'll let you feel the tenderness of a monster."

Alexander's hand ignited with a white flame, purging the poison. His eyes greedily fixed on the three monsters. "You really are kind of cute."

The white flame suddenly flared violently, shooting up three meters high! "What… what kind of monster are you?!"

In the terrified gazes of the three monsters, a towering three-meter-tall figure made of white flames formed into the shape of a mecha.

Alexander floated inside the white flames as though he were swimming in water, rising to the heart of the flame mecha.

This was no longer inspired by any ancient techniques or legends; this was like piloting a freaking Gundam.

Alexander's weakness had always been his physical body not being strong enough. Forming this giant mecha made of spiritual energy provided both offense and defense.

The white flame mecha reached out and grabbed the "father." This monster was, at best, a D-class creature and had no chance to resist before being incinerated by Alexander.

The "mother" seemed to be of a higher level, probably a C-class monster.

But now even she was panicking. There was no way she could offer this fiery construct any tenderness!

She spewed a cloud of poisonous gas and spread her compass-like insect legs, fleeing as fast as she could.

However, the Heavenly Flame of Creation was a natural bane of poisons. The toxic cloud turned to steam before it even touched the white flame mecha.

The white flame mecha grabbed the "mother," snapped her neck, and then lifted the stunned monster girl. A chilling voice echoed: "I do think you're quite cute, cute enough to bury you."