However, Henry Bennett overcame this instinctive reaction in an extremely short time.

And in the next moment, he made his own response.

He gripped the gun in his hand, which had only a few bullets left, pressed his lips together, quickly took a step back to put some distance between himself and the monster.

Then, with a sideways step, he hid behind Grace Cooper.

……

……

“??”

Grace Cooper, who had been calmly observing Henry Bennett's reaction and was ready to step in and rescue him at any moment, suddenly looked stunned.

This kid is using me as a shield?

While she was still in shock, the ratman had already lunged at her side, its sharp fangs snapping viciously, and she could even smell the stench of rot coming from its body.

Somewhat helpless, Grace Cooper gently raised her hand.

The air was twisted by some invisible force, actually forming a ripple like a doorframe, faintly visible, floating to her left side, directly in front of the ratman's attack.

In the next instant, the ratman, moving as fast as lightning, passed through this doorframe-like illusion.

Its movements were the same as before, but its speed seemed half a beat slower, as if some kinetic energy had been stripped away the moment it passed through the frame, though it itself was unaware.

Grace Cooper held the black dagger in a reverse grip, stabbed it backward, and with a “puff” sound, drove it into the ratman's head, slamming it to the ground in one smooth motion.

Throughout the whole process, she didn't even turn her head.

She just squinted at Henry Bennett, who was hiding behind her, her gaze somewhat scrutinizing.

Meeting Grace Cooper's questioning look, Henry Bennett paused slightly, didn't have time to say anything, simply stepped forward, aimed at the still-struggling monster, and pulled the trigger.

“Bang!”

The monster wasn't dead yet—better to put another bullet in it, just in case.

After finishing, he stepped back again, let out a sigh of relief, and said with lingering fear, “What the hell is that thing? It's terrifying!”

“Ratman.”

Grace Cooper quietly looked at Henry Bennett for a few seconds before slowly speaking:

“A mutated monster that breeds on the edge of the forgotten city, adept at parasitizing human bodies, and continues to live under the host's skin and identity.”

“This is one of the most common monsters in our city. Its danger level isn't very high, but it's extremely troublesome.”

“Once discovered, it must be eliminated immediately, or else in just a few days, it could multiply its numbers by ten or even twenty times, causing a large-scale disaster.”

“It possesses a kind of mental attack that instantly hits people with a wave of nausea and fear!”

“Normally, when people encounter them, they're overwhelmed by the sudden disgust and horror, and turn to run. That's when the ratman takes the chance to attack from behind…”

“You know, that hole… it crawls into a person's body.”

“Then it hollows out the victim's organs and flesh, parasitizes the body, controls the shell, accesses the memories, and from then on, nothing seems to have changed on the surface, but in essence, the person has become one of the rats.”

“……”

Henry Bennett's face was already showing a look of shock as he listened.

After Grace Cooper finished, she paused for a moment before continuing, “I've already explained. Now, isn't it your turn to explain…”

“…why did you hide behind me?”

Chapter 7: ‘He’ Has Arrived

“Because it's safer…”

Henry Bennett's expression was quite calm. Noticing the scrutiny in Grace Cooper's eyes, he explained, “You brought me here and found this… this rat, which means you know a lot about it. And when it crawled out of the human skin, you warned me in advance, which means all these changes were within your expectations. There wasn't a trace of nervousness on your face, which means you didn't see it as a threat at all…”

“The most important thing is…”

As he spoke, he squatted down, pulled the dagger out of the ratman's head, wiped it on the bedding nearby, stood up and handed it to Grace Cooper, saying:

“I noticed earlier that you had already drawn your dagger, ready to act at any moment.”

He let out a light breath and said, “This thing is way too scary, and it was my first time seeing it. I wasn't sure if it had any other weird abilities. Even with a gun in my hand, I didn't feel safe.”

“So, hiding behind you was just… a bit safer.”

“……”

Listening to his explanation, Grace Cooper actually found it unusually reasonable for a moment.

Although, at first, she just wanted to see if he would still have the guts to shoot after seeing the ratman's true form…

But after hearing his analysis, she actually felt that hiding behind her was the most logical choice.

So I'm the reckless one?

But after a moment's thought, she suddenly caught the key point. Taking the dagger, she asked suspiciously, “You noticed all those details in such a short time?”

“Well…”

Henry Bennett opened his mouth and said, “I react a bit faster than others, and I've always been good at games.”

He deliberately made his answer sound light.

Ever since four years ago, when he inexplicably fell into panic and headaches, he'd been unable to concentrate, his thoughts chaotic and noisy.

In his own perception, time would sometimes seem to stop, moving forward at a snail's pace, every minute and second a torment.

In that state, he couldn't speak or think normally. When he went out and saw a car coming, he didn't even know to dodge—only the invisible, overwhelming panic would occasionally drown him.