Late at night, stars dotted the sky.
The desert town was utterly quiet.
A cool night breeze swept through the streets, lifting plastic bags from the road and sending them fluttering through the air, swaying endlessly.
Suddenly, a streak of blue afterimage burst out from a house.
Big Chill phased into a shadowy form and shot straight into the sky.
A blue humanoid silhouette with two wings beating rapidly on its back soared through the night.
Below, a slender red figure chased after it at full speed.
The fox girl panted, "Where on earth is Lucian going? He didn't even get a chance to rest…"
Despite her words, she was deeply worried about Lucian.
Something about this situation was clearly wrong.
Before long, Big Chill flew out of the desert town.
It arrived at a steel plant. After sweeping its gaze around, it began gnawing on thick steel pipes.
Crunch… crunch…
One bite after another, Big Chill ate with obvious relish.
Those razor-sharp teeth were even keener than blades.
In just a few breaths, an entire thick steel pipe was devoured, as casually as eating a chocolate bar.
Hiding behind a steel framework, Yenji's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Oh my god… what is going on?!"
Ignoring her was one thing, but eating something like that?!
"Lucian, what's wrong with you?"
Yenji rushed forward and hugged Big Chill from behind.
Big Chill immediately phased into an intangible form, slipping free of the fox girl's grasp.
It then flew over to a steel furnace and lifted it up.
Scalding, red-hot molten iron poured straight into Big Chill's mouth.
Gurgle… gurgle…
Streams of molten iron flowed endlessly into Big Chill's body.
Its already swollen abdomen visibly expanded at an alarming rate.
The fox girl's ears trembled in panic.
"Stop eating! Stop right now!"
She raised her palm, releasing a burst of multicolored flames that wrapped around Big Chill.
Psychic Flames: This is not real fire, but a special mental attack. Targets scorched by it experience hallucinations and suffer a slight reduction in overall condition.
"Hm?"
Big Chill beat its wings, releasing a blast of biting cold.
In an instant, all the flames were extinguished.
The surrounding walls were coated in glittering frost, icy air spreading everywhere.
"S-so cold…" the fox girl hugged herself, shivering uncontrollably.
After finishing the molten iron, Big Chill flew out of the steel plant and headed for an open area.
In midair, it condensed a massive pillar of ice out of nothing and smashed it down onto the sand below.
Boom!
The fragile ground collapsed into a terrifying crater, sand and dust exploding upward and rolling through the air.
Big Chill flapped its wings, sweeping away the thick clouds of dust.
It then landed inside the crater and spat out streams of red-hot molten iron.
The molten iron gradually formed the shape of a nest.
Big Chill released freezing cold to cool the scorching structure, solidifying it into a silver steel cone.
Screech!
A blade of ice slashed down, cutting an opening into the steel cone.
After confirming no one was nearby, Big Chill began laying its eggs…
However, the fox girl hiding behind a sand dune witnessed everything.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief.
"T-this… how is this possible? Giving birth? Then whose child is that?"
…
Half an incense stick later,
Big Chill left the sand pit and flew off in the direction of Aunt Vera's place.
"Let me see what that thing is," the fox girl muttered.
The moment Big Chill departed, she rushed into the sand pit.
By then, the steel cone had already been completely sealed.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a pile of scrap metal, ordinary in every way.
Yenji extended her delicate hand and pressed it against the silver cone.
In the next instant, her eyes widened.
"So much life energy…"
She could clearly sense an active, living presence stirring inside the sealed nest.
Though curious, she didn't dare open it recklessly.
"I'll wait until tomorrow and ask Lucian."
Letting out a long breath, the fox girl turned and left the area.
Two minutes later,
about twenty meters away from the sand pit, a long raised trail appeared, winding and twisting across the ground.
It was as if something terrifying was moving beneath the surface…
.....
Early the next morning,
the fox girl was unusually energetic and got up very early.
She desperately wanted to know why Lucian could give birth.
Yet despite all the questions swirling in her mind, the moment she saw Lucian open his door, her fox ears drooped.
Her gaze shifted nervously, and she didn't dare look him in the eyes.
"Feeling guilty?" Lucian snorted.
The fox girl's face flushed red as she retorted, "Of course not! I was just trying to help you digest things. Who would've known…"
Just then, Ben and Gwen walked over.
"Cuz, what are you guys talking about?" Gwen asked curiously.
"Something about thieves or whatever? Eh, never mind. I'm going to play Sumo Slammers!" Ben said with a grin.
Grandpa Max opened his door and, seeing Lucian and the fox girl standing outside, broke into a knowing smile.
"Well now, Lucian. Up so early?"
Lucian's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no. Grandpa definitely knew.
After all, the noise last night hadn't exactly been quiet.
All because of that damn fox girl.
"Good morning, Grandpa," the fox girl greeted cheerfully. "Lucian and I both slept really well last night. Excellent sleep quality, thanks to some proper exercise."
Lucian immediately covered her mouth.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Clatter!
The milk carton in Gwen's hand fell to the floor, splashing everywhere…
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (50 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.