✓𝐀𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 『𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔』

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 2

Unexpected Encounters

"𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈"
-𝑮𝒖𝒚 𝒅𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒖𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒕

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Ying Xiu awakens abruptly to the blaring alarm right beside her ears. With a frustrated groan, she hurls the seemingly indestructible object towards the wall, pondering why her arms instinctively cling to it in her sleep. Yet, begrudgingly, she acknowledges its effectiveness in rousing her for work.

After enduring a seemingly endless minute of ringing, she mutters, "... Oh, for Heaven's sake," as she rises from bed to silence the incessant noise. The living room beyond her bedroom door lies deserted, a silent reminder of solitude. 'Looks like it's just me again,' she muses, acknowledging Wonton's occasional absences without resentment.

The start of her day falls short of greatness. From toothpaste plopping into the sink to an overcooked brunch, reminders of overdue rent from the landlord, and a dead phone battery, it's a litany of minor frustrations.

As Ying Xiu settles into her company car, she nearly curses her luck after knocking her head. 'Just another day in Megapolis,' she sighs, bracing herself for whatever surprises lie ahead.

Or so she thought.

"Now what!" Ying Xiu slams on the brakes as a colossal figure looms over the buildings ahead. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she sees another car pulling up behind her, trapping her in the traffic jam. Gritting her teeth, she hurriedly checks her watch, realizing she has only twelve minutes before work.

As people abandon their cars and flee to safety, Ying Xiu's blood boils with irritation as she clutches the steering wheel, refusing to succumb to fear.

Stepping out of her vehicle, she slams the door shut with all her frustration. Despite her attempts to remain composed, her patience snaps like a thin thread, propelling her to confront the towering creature head-on.

"I HAVE HAD IT! THAT'S IT! YOU GET YOUR BANDAGE-WEARING BUTT OFF THE ROAD!!"

The creature gazes down at her with predatory intent, causing a bead of sweat to trickle down her forehead, eroding her confidence. "Y-You're inconveniencing a lot of people! If you could just—" Ying Xiu reaches into her pocket and brandishes a golden taser, pressing it against the creature's foot. "—move out of the way, I'd highly appreciate that."

Despite its unassuming appearance, the taser unleashes a surge of electric current, coursing through the creature's body like a billion volts of lightning. It roars in agony, caught off guard by the unexpected attack.

The air grew even more oppressive around her, and before Ying Xiu could regain her balance, the monster's appendage ensnared her, hoisting her up to eye level. She attempted to squirm free but lost her grip on the taser in the process. "This day really should come with a warning label," she muttered sheepishly, attempting to lean away from the ominous figure, but its grasp was unyielding.

The creature narrowed its eyes at her.

'Yep. Going to die. Should've just accepted being late for work,' she thought, her face draining of color as she stared into the inevitable.

"Here. Comes. Monkey Kid!" a voice rang out from behind. Without breaking eye contact with Ying Xiu, the creature swiftly swatted the new arrival, sending a shiver down her spine.