It seed that entering the Nightmare World later did have its advantages—at least soone else had already used their life to obtain several pieces of crucial information.
For example, the villagers couldn’t force their way into houses, and the shadows preferred to appear in crowded places.
This kind of intel might seem like just a few simple words, but to figure it out, people had to die.
Even if the lives of the Viper Gang’s thugs weren’t worth much, hypnotizing and recruiting a new batch would still take ti.
“Mr. Li Qiang, please take us to regroup with the others next,” Su Mu said with a polite smile.
Li Qiang nodded numbly. “Alright.”
…
…
Inside the two-story house, Ye Fanyu and the others had returned one after another. The three of them exchanged looks, all with grim expressions.
“Zhao Gang, Wang Tao, neither of you found any food?” Ye Fanyu asked.
The two shook their heads. “I searched the fields—there weren’t any crops at all.”
“I checked the trash bins in the village—also nothing.”
Ye Fanyu’s expression grew even more unpleasant, but he didn’t blindly trust them. He carefully inspected both of them, then reached out to feel their sunken stomachs.
“Open your mouths.”
The two were obviously afraid of him and obeyed imdiately.
Ye Fanyu examined their mouths, found no food residue, and even sniffed them—no scent of food at all, only the foul odor of unbrushed teeth after three days.
“Looks like we can only count on Li Qiang and Wang Li now.”
The three sat in the corners of the room, each holding a lantern and keeping their distance from each other.
Before long, urgent footsteps echoed from outside the house.
“Open the door, hurry!!” ca the sound of soone pounding violently on the door, accompanied by Wang Li’s terrified cries. In the silence of the night, the sounds were especially sharp.
The trio’s expressions changed instantly and they all got to their feet. Ye Fanyu was the first to rush to the door, but he didn’t open it right away. Instead, he asked, “What happened?”
“Li Qiang… Li Qiang encountered a humanoid monster! Please, just open the door!” Wang Li’s once-sweet voice was now shrill and distorted. The fear she had been suppressing for three days ca flooding out.
Ye Fanyu’s expression changed drastically. “That’s impossible! Humanoid monsters only co out during the day. It’s night right now. How could they appear?”
To confirm the ti, he walked to the window and looked outside. It was pitch-black. Only the cold moonlight spilled down, casting eerie and twisted shadows from the trees onto the ground, giving off a suffocating, ominous atmosphere.
“I don’t know either! But they were there! Not just one—dozens of monsters! They filled the whole alley…” Wang Li scread, her voice shaking and tinged with sobs.
Ye Fanyu didn’t answer right away. He pressed against the window, carefully watching the doorway. After confirming that only Wang Li stood there, he finally spoke, “If there were that many Nightmare Monsters, how did you make it back alive? Where’s Li Qiang?”
Wang Li’s sobbing paused. “Li Qiang… he stayed behind to protect . He… he told
to run while he held them off… Wuwuwu…”
Bang!
The door flew open. The faint candlelight from inside fell on Wang Li’s delicate figure, wrapping her in a soft glow. Her white silk nightgown was stained with mud. Her long, bare legs had several abrasions. One of her fuzzy slippers was missing, and her smooth foot was covered in filth. Even her toes were packed with dark gri.
She rushed into the room, and only when completely enveloped in candlelight did she breathe a deep sigh of relief.
Bang!
The door was shut tightly by Ye Fanyu without hesitation.
He didn’t give Wang Li a mont to catch her breath. Grabbing her wrist, he barked, “Tell
now—what exactly happened!?”
He was truly anxious. Wang Li’s story suggested that the Nightmare Monster behavior pattern they’d spent three days observing was either wrong or had changed—and this affected everyone’s survival.
“I… I don’t know. I was so scared. Li Qiang and I were looking for food. When we passed an alley, we heard a sound. Li Qiang thought it was you all, so he used the lantern to check. Then… then…” Wang Li’s breathing quickened, and her pupils contracted involuntarily as if recalling sothing horrifying.
“Then what!? Just say it already!” Ye Fanyu’s forehead bulged with veins, and he looked like he wanted to slap her.
“People! The whole alley was filled with people in black! They didn’t move at all—like… like zombies. The one in the lead had an extrely pale face with no color at all, and he was wearing tea-colored glasses!”
“Tea-colored glasses?”
“Yes, tea-colored glasses! And that man kept smiling! He just stood there and watched us, smiling the whole ti!”
Everyone in the room felt a chill crawl up their spines.
In their minds, a terrifying image took shape: the pitch-black night, a white lantern shining into an alley, revealing rows of zombie-like black-clad n, and a pale face staring right at them with a smile…
Knock knock knock…
A series of crisp knocks on the door snapped everyone back to reality.
“Open the door, it’s , Li Qiang!” Li Qiang’s voice ca from outside.
Swoosh!
Everyone’s face went pale. Wang Li scread and clung to Ye Fanyu, clearly seeking protection.
“Get the hell off !” Ye Fanyu shoved her away, his expression dark and uncertain.
“Open up! I saw the light inside!” Li Qiang continued pounding.
Zhao Gang swallowed nervously. “Didn’t Wang Li say Li Qiang died? So who’s outside?”
The room was deathly silent. No one dared answer.
“It could be one of those villagers. Don’t forget—they can change appearances and manipulate people’s minds,” Wang Tao said cautiously.
“Shut up! Don’t make a sound. I’ll take a look,” Ye Fanyu whispered sharply. He crept over to the window and peeked outside—and his heart skipped a beat.
The scene was exactly as Wang Li described.
At the doorway, Li Qiang was knocking. Behind him stood rows of black-clad n!
They stood motionless like statues. And the man in front wore tea-colored glasses and held a cane carved with a snake pattern.
Suddenly, the man with the glasses seed to notice sothing. He tilted his head slightly and looked directly at Ye Fanyu.
Their eyes t.
The man with the glasses gave him a polite smile.
Boom!
Ye Fanyu felt his scalp go numb. He quickly ducked away from the window and pressed himself against the wall, avoiding that gaze.
“Damn it! Why did so many Nightmare Monsters suddenly show up?!”
Reviews
All reviews (0)