Ti passed quickly. One by one, the survivors on the street retreated into their hos, leaving only Tang Ye standing in place, quietly observing their movents.
Just as a family shut their door, it was quickly reopened, and a thin, malnourished young boy poked his head out, greeting Tang Ye.
"Hello."
Caught off guard, Tang Ye turned to the seven or eight-year-old undernourished boy. His eyes were bright, filled with the innocence unique to children, which sowhat dispersed the gloom in Tang Ye’s heart. Subconsciously, he raised his hand to respond, but just then...
"What are you doing greeting a stranger? Co inside now! Haven’t I told you not to talk to strangers? Why don’t you listen?"
Quickly, the boy was pulled back inside by a pair of rough hands and disciplined amidst a man’s scolding, followed by the door closing with a "bang." Then, Tang Ye heard the boy’s distressed wails.
They were afraid of sothing, not obeying a curfew!
Curiosity stirred in Tang Ye. Wondering what they feared, he lowered his slightly raised hand, gave one last glance at the house the boy lived in, committed it to mory, and then strode forward.
As night fell, so creatures might appear in this area. However, he wasn’t afraid while the others were, so he could still afford to stay outside for a while.
He did not know how long he had been walking. His behavior attracted the attention of the survivors. They peeked out from windows with eyes filled with fear, indifference, and curiosity, as if watching a show.
Suddenly, the area was filled with the irritating sound of "cackling," that seed to co from the sky. Not yet recognising the creature that produced this sound, Tang Ye heard the door of a small building opening nearby. A man, supporting himself with a crutch, rushed out and anxiously called out: "Hey! Brother, what are you doing? Co here quick; it’s dangerous outside!"
The man’s voice was full of urgency, as if worried for Tang Ye’s safety. Upon hearing this, Tang Ye turned to face the man, quietly observing him, lost in thought.
After watching him for around three or four seconds, Tang Ye began to walk toward the man.
There were still so good people in this world...
"Hurry up!"
Irritation at Tang Ye’s slow pace clear in his voice, the man hurried him again. Only then did Tang Ye quicken his pace, and with a few strides, reached the low building.
"Co in."
Tang Ye nodded and stepped into the low building. The man carefully closed the door behind him, not making a sound. The room was pitch dark. The man fumbled around for sothing, while Tang Ye’s vision, which was adapted to darkness, took in the room’s arrangents.
The room was simple: three beds, stackable plastic stools, a table (missing a corner) facing a southern wall, and a dirty squat toilet facing the door, with stains all over.
Once the man’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he could see the room clearly, he politely passed a plastic stool to Tang Ye. Pointing to the table, he indicated for Tang Ye to sit there.
All this while, he did not say a word.
Tang Ye, following the man’s direction, sat at the table. The man took a seat opposite Tang Ye. Looking at Tang Ye’s bear-like stature, he felt a twinge of fear. However, after a mont, he hesitantly whispered, "Brother, you’re new here, aren’t you?"
Tang Ye nodded, choosing not to speak.
"You have no idea how dangerous it is here at night. If you had stayed outside a little longer, you would’ve been eaten by those monsters."
Upon hearing those words, a flicker of curiosity passed through Tang Ye’s eyes. He finally spoke, his voice sending a shiver down the man’s spine.
"Monsters? What kind of monsters are out there?"
His voice was dreadful, raspy like nails scraping a blackboard, enough to send chills down one’s spine.
"Shush, keep your voice down. Those creatures can hear."
The man receded slightly, feeling uneasy. Helping this stranger, who seed less than trustworthy, was starting to seem like a mistake. His voice sounded like a demonic whisper in his ear.
He was terrified that Tang Ye might suddenly stand up and tear him to shreds!
Unfazed by the man’s ntion of monsters, Tang Ye looked out the window. The street was deathly quiet, without a trace of light or people. If not for the survivors lounging in the sun during the day, he would have assud the place was deserted.
The cacophonous "cackling" grew more intense. In the silent night, Tang Ye noticed spectral figures flitting through the air. Upon seeing these figures, Tang Ye frowned montarily, but quickly relaxed.
He’d been expecting sothing else, not these "moth" creatures buzzing around in the sky.
He had seen these creatures before. They typically ca out at night, similar to the strange zombies he’d encountered where he first t Li Qingtian, hiding by day and coming out at night.
Tang Ye was familiar with these zombies. They were human-ford zombies around half a ter tall, obeying his command, with insect-like wings on their backs. When they flew in the night sky, they looked like miniature people floating in the sky.
From a distance, they appeared ghost-like.
Days before, he would often see them. However, since there weren’t many, Tang Ye did not make a conscious effort to capture them.
He referred to them as "moths" because they were phototactic, drawn towards light. Every ti Tang Ye or Ah Fu exited the lit villa, the creatures would flutter around. However, once within a 50-ter radius, they would imdiately retreat!
These moths were annoying creatures. Every night, they would hover around the electrified villa, their "cackling" extrely irritating.
There were increasingly more "moths" in the night sky to the point of blocking it out, making even Tang Ye incredulous. There were no lights here, yet the survivors seed to know how to deal with these creatures, taking shelter inside buildings as soon as night fell.
"Are you all hiding from those creatures?"
"Brother, please keep your voice down. You could really draw those monsters here."
Tang Ye completely disregarded the man’s earlier advice, his voice unchanging, causing the man to whiten with fear.
"Don’t worry, they won’t co over," Tang Ye assured, his gaze focused outside the window. His hands rested on the table, a finger tapping steadily, producing a crisp sound.
The kindly man felt that Tang Ye was a madman. However, after waiting for a while, there was still no sign of trouble, causing a confused expression to appear on his face.
Why hadn’t the flying zombies co?
He glanced outside suspiciously, confirming that the creatures were indeed the zombies, reminding him of how another family had been reduced to re body fragnts the next day, due to attracting the zombies over a minor issue.
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