“Huh? What… what is this thing?”
Lin Xian frowned, holding up the glass vial. Inside, the tiny parasite wriggled weakly, its movents sluggish.
“That’s a Bone Worm.”
The woman, Duan Min, finally spoke. “Don’t worry about the na. What matters is that we found these things inside the spinal bones of those impostors. Having one on you prevents them from attacking.”
Lin Xian looked at the two of them. “Have you been here long?”
“Not really, about a week or so,” Ding Qing said, nudging the corpse of the White Inverted Monster with his boot. “Just like you, we got chased here by Eerie Entities in the middle of the night.”
“A whole week? In a place this dangerous?” KIKI asked, her face full of doubt.
“We—”
Duan Min was about to say sothing when Ding Qing cut her off.
“Let’s talk outside. This place is cursed. Who knows what else is lurking in the dark?”
With that, he shook off his spear and strode toward the ergency exit.
Lin Xian and KIKI exchanged glances before following.
With a loud kick, Ding Qing blasted open the cinema’s fire exit.
The four of them stepped outside, the stench of blood still clinging to their clothes. The battle earlier had been perilous—Eerie Entities were always unpredictable.
Despite its humanoid form, that creature was the fastest thing Lin Xian had ever fought. Its elongated limbs moved like a spider, closing distances in the blink of an eye. A normal person wouldn’t have even had ti to react before being torn apart.
The afternoon sun was blinding, making them squint as they stepped onto the street.
Behind the cinema, a mountain off-road vehicle was parked—heavily armored, looking like it had been driven in after Lin Xian’s arrival.
“You guys with a convoy?” Lin Xian asked, noting the thick plating on the vehicle.
“We set up our own temporary shelter,” Ding Qing replied with a casual smirk. “No need to tell you where. Your train, on the other hand—now that’s hard to miss. We spotted you the mont you arrived last night. Smart move, not entering the town after dark. Looks like you’ve got so real leadership skills.”
KIKI cut in. “Wait… so you weren’t the ones lighting up the town last night?”
Duan Min scoffed. “Hell no. You think a normal person would do sothing like that?”
She hesitated for a mont before adding, “That was the impostors. And at night… they do more than just light up buildings.”
Her voice trailed off, as if unwilling to say more.
Lin Xian weighed the parasite vial in his hand, his expression thoughtful. “Mind telling how you figured out these things work?”
Ding Qing’s eyes darkened slightly.
“Co on, kid. You’re smart. Do I really need to spell it out for you?”
KIKI let out an exaggerated “Ooooh~” and grinned. “So, you guys stayed here for a whole week because you already know why this town blocks out the Black Night Entities, huh?”
Neither of them spoke.
But the answer was obvious.
Their goal was the sa as Lin Xian’s.
They had stumbled onto sothing strange in their escape—and like any sane person, they were trying to figure out why.
Compared to the lethal horrors outside, this town was at least stable—no Horde Riots, no Eerie Swarms overrunning the streets.
Ding Qing didn’t bother hiding it anymore.
“You don’t want to dig too deep,” he said flatly. “If you can leave, then leave. You saw how dangerous those impostors are, and there are things hiding in the dark. If you insist on staying, then keep those Bone Worms on you. We lost several teammates learning that the hard way.”
Impostors…
Lin Xian fell into thought.
The skin-wearing monsters they fought earlier had been truly terrifying.
Especially the female impostor—he and KIKI hadn’t noticed anything off about her.
Looking back, the only unusual thing was that she never spoke.
Not even the slightest sound from her throat.
And KIKI had sensed sothing unnatural about her breathing and heartbeat…
Now, it was clear.
That wasn’t a heartbeat at all.
“You guys leaving, then?” Lin Xian asked as Ding Qing climbed into the armored vehicle.
Ding Qing studied him for a long mont before finally speaking.
“Listen, kid—I know what you’re thinking. You think this town has sothing that keeps the Black Night Entities away.
“Well, I’ll tell you now: It doesn’t.
“But I also know you won’t believe .”
He pointed toward the chemical plant on the edge of town.
“If you’re so curious, then go check that place.
“But don’t say I didn’t warn you—it’s dangerous as hell.”
With that, he gestured to Duan Min.
The off-road vehicle’s engine roared to life.
Monts later, it vanished around the corner.
KIKI sighed.
“So they weren’t the ones lighting up the town after all… those candles really were weird.”
Then, a new question surfaced in her mind.
“But wait—who sent that ssage on the Responder?
“And who switched the track junction before we arrived?”
Lin Xian’s gaze locked onto the chemical plant in the distance.
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
KIKI eyed him suspiciously. “You really wanna go check it out? What if it’s a trap?”
Instead of answering, Lin Xian pulled out his communicator, connecting to Chen Sixuan and Shu Qin.
He relayed everything about the impostors and ordered Shu Qin and Luo Ye to rendezvous with them.
Originally, he and KIKI had already planned to investigate the chemical plant.
But the King Kong Convoy’s sudden appearance—and the impostors—had made Lin Xian more cautious.
Normally, he would’ve left imdiately.
But the fact that sothing here could block out Black Night Entities was too important to ignore.
“We can’t take their words at face value,” Lin Xian muttered, walking toward their motorcycle.
“Oh? So you noticed too?” KIKI asked.
Lin Xian’s expression turned serious.
“Did they really show up just to save us?”
Holding up the glass vials, he watched the Bone Worms squirm.
“If these things prevent impostors from attacking…
“…then it ans they’ve been searching for or have already found the reason this town blocks out Eerie Entities.”
Lin Xian started the motorcycle, motioning for KIKI to hop on the back.
“No one could resist investigating sothing like this.
“This town definitely has a secret.
“But we’ll be careful. Let’s send the drones in first.”
KIKI grinned. “Now that’s a plan. I was thinking the sa thing.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Alright, driver—let’s roll.”
The motorcycle roared to life, speeding toward the chemical plant.
High atop the town’s clock tower, a young man watched them through a binocular scope.
As the motorcycle raced away, he muttered into his walkie-talkie.
“Brother Ding, looks like they’re headed for the chemical plant. That’s the fourth group this week.”
A raspy voice crackled through the speaker.
“Let them go. Doesn’t matter.
“They’re already here.
They won’t be leaving.”
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