March 20th, 10:23 PM — Longwan Mall, Service Wing
John Wang POV
——
"Ah… maybe I am going crazy," I muttered.
I slid on the gauntlets—Crushing Moon clamping tight around my forearms with a low, mechanical purr. The chambers spun. Slugs loaded. The weight of them settled into my bones like gravity, like ritual.
I raised both hands.
The Ghoul watched me.
It didn't retreat.
Didn't scream.
Just listened—like it wanted to hear the last thing I'd ever say to it.
"You don't get to keep what you heard," I whispered. "That moan wasn't for you."
And I shot.
BOOM—BOOM
The twin blasts tore through the vent at point-blank range.
The first shells blew open its face—bone, flesh, mesh, and pressure all ripping outward in a wet explosion.
The second burst caved in what was left.
Bits of white skull and grey tissue sprayed against the inside of the duct like paint. The scent of blood and scorched metal hit me instantly, hot and sharp, burned into the air.
