Liu Hai furrowed his brows, trying to make sense of the situation.
"But didnât that man say it himself? Theyâre afraid of YaoGuais, which is why they wanted us to kill them. Isnât it normal for ordinary people to fear YaoGuais?"
Lin Xiao nodded. Indeed, fear of YaoGuais was expected. However, that man hadnât shown any fear at all. If anything, when they were discussing the extermination of YaoGuais, there was an undeniable glimmer of excitement in his eyes.
"Youâre right, being afraid of YaoGuais is completely normal," Lin Xiao said, "But didnât you notice? He wasnât afraid."
"In fact, he seemed almost thrilled when talking about killing them."
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai exchanged glances, shaking their heads. They hadnât sensed anything unusual.
Could it be that Lin Xiao had misread the situation? After all, he had an uncanny ability to detect things they often overlooked, but would an ordinary person really feel excited about slaughtering YaoGuais?
Given Lin Xiaoâs track record, they couldnât dismiss his words so easily.
"But why?" Liu Hai asked, his voice low with unease. "Why would an ordinary human be excited about YaoGuais?"
"Unless⊠unless the people in this town arenât ordinary humans?"
The idea sent a chill down Zhang Nuâs spine. If the people here werenât human, then what were they?
"Zhang Nuâs theory makes sense," Lin Xiao said. "If they arenât afraid of YaoGuais, it could mean two thingsâeither they are YaoGuais or theyâre just as powerful as YaoGuais."
"But weâve seen them. They look human."
"Then⊠have they become as strong as YaoGuais?"
A shiver ran down Liu Haiâs back. That thought unsettled them even more than the idea of YaoGuais themselves. If ordinary people had somehow become as powerful as YaoGuais, then how did it happen?
"There are definitely more secrets hidden in this town," Zhang Nu muttered, "Weâll need to uncover them carefully."
Lin Xiao and Liu Hai both nodded in agreement.
Just then, the door creaked open, and the villager stepped inside.
"What were you all talking about?" he asked casually, his tone light but his eyes sharp, "Something you need time to figure out?"
The three immediately went on guard. How much had he overheard?
"Ah, itâs nothing," Zhang Nu said smoothly, forcing a smile. "We were just discussing YaoGuais. Trying to figure out their techniques so we can be better prepared to fight them."
The villager nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
"Thatâs beyond my knowledge," he said. "But if youâre done talking, come eat. The foodâs ready."
Zhang Nu, Lin Xiao, and Liu Hai exchanged glances. They had no choice but to act natural.
"Of course," Zhang Nu replied. "Weâll be right there."
After eating, they returned to their room, lying down but not sleeping. Tonight, they planned to uncover the truth.
Just as they had expected, right around midnight, the so-called âYaoGuaisâ appeared again. The trio remained completely still, observing carefully. Were these true YaoGuais? Or was someone pretending to be YaoGuais to manipulate the town?
Zhang Nuâs voice was a whisper.
"Weâre going out there."
Liu Hai and Lin Xiao nodded.
However, despite their hushed tones, the YaoGuai suddenly stopped. Its head tilted as if it had heard something.
Zhang Nu froze. Its hearing was terrifyingly sharp. This wasnât just a mindless beastâit was alertâ intelligent. If they wanted to lure it away from the village, they had to be vigilant.
They exchanged glances, signaling silently to one another. Moving with practiced stealth, they crept out of the house, heading toward the outskirts of town.
But no matter how careful they were, the YaoGuai noticed. With inhuman speed, it suddenly lunged toward them.
"Move!" Zhang Nu hissed.
The three of them broke into a sprint, leading it away from the village, and towards the open fields beyond.
It worked.
Within moments, they stood in the middle of a vast clearing, their hands resting on their weapons, their eyes locked on the approaching creature.
It wouldnât be long now.
After a short while, the YaoGuai arrived.