Chapter 1648: Following A Dem

Gary and his two knights were running out of ideas.

Inside one of the cramped wooden houses, the three of them had been attempting everything they could think of to restrain the infected villagers. They had started with the most logical method, cutting the Achilles tendon. If they could stop the creatures from walking, then at the very least the group would gain extra time before nightfall.

But it turned out to be pointless.

Even with their heels sliced open, the villagers’ legs healed far too quickly. The wounds stitched themselves together in a disturbingly unnatural way, as if the flesh didn’t follow the rules of normal human healing.

Out of pure frustration, Gary had slashed sideways across the arm of one of the infected using a Qi-infused strike. The moment he did, he noticed something important: the wound didn’t regenerate as fast.

Qi interfered with their unnatural recovery.

Gary repeated the experiment, this time cutting the Achilles with Qi. The healing slowed, significantly, but didn’t stop entirely. Worse yet, once their legs were impaired, the infected simply switched to using their upper bodies. They clawed the ground, dragging themselves forward with frightening strength. Their thirst to attack only intensified after being wounded, as if pain only encouraged them.

Even when Gary, Rike, and the other knight coordinated to disable all four limbs with Qi, by the time they finished incapacitating the last group, the first group was already regaining enough mobility to attack again.

It was impossible to keep them all restrained.

“Bluebird!” Rike shouted, panic cracking through his voice. “The sun, it’s starting to set! They’re going to be able to come out! They’ll all attack us at once! We have to do something, we have to, ”

Before Rike could finish, the nearby tent’s curtain burst open.

A figure launched itself straight at them.

Bluebird moved instantly, stepping in front of Rike and ramming his sword horizontally into the creature’s mouth, forcing its jaw open to stop the bite. The infected villager snapped down on the blade with monstrous force, its teeth scraping violently against the steel.

Up close, Bluebird had a clearer look at its face. The skin along the left side was sizzling, bubbling as though half-cooked. The sunlight still touched part of the tent’s entrance, but that light was fading fast. The sun had sunk low enough that the massive forest trees now cloaked the area in shadow.

Nightfall had arrived.

And with it came the chorus of growls.

Dozens, maybe hundreds, of guttural snarls echoed from every tent and house surrounding them. All those infected, all those who had been forced to stay hidden by the sun’s burning touch, were now waiting... eager to hunt.

Bluebird grit his teeth, yanked his blade free, and in one smooth motion slashed upward, severing the creature’s throat, then spinning to cleave straight through the neck. The head tumbled across the dirt.

“We have no choice,” Bluebird declared, voice firm despite the grimness of it. “If these people get out and harm others, it will be far worse. We must eliminate the danger before they spread!”

Rike and the other knight stiffened. None of them wanted to kill innocent villagers, infected or not, but the alternative was a nightmare.

If even one of these creatures reached another town...

Bluebird tightened his grip on his sword. The battle would begin soon.

A flash of red.

That was the only thing Lilly remembered, just one piercing, unforgettable flash. Then a voice, distant and impossible to understand, faded into a muffled hum. Her thoughts tangled. Her awareness dimmed. Her breathing slowed.

Her mind sank into a muddled haze, slipping downward as though she were falling into sleep. A deep, unnatural sleep.

She had felt this once before.

And the last time she felt it... she became what she was now.

From the outside, Lilly looked almost serene. Her eyes lost all color, empty and unfocused. Her steps moved with eerie calm, unreactive to anything around her. Her body wandered through the town on its own, guided by a will that was not hers.

She walked past several Werewolves who greeted her without noticing the oddness, until she didn’t respond. She kept walking straight ahead, heading deeper into the city.

It didn’t go unnoticed by three particular individuals.

“That’s her,” Lupus whispered as he crouched on a rooftop. “That’s Jack’s wife.”

“The way she’s moving...” Kai observed, narrowing his eyes. “She isn’t paying attention to what’s around her. She’s not even looking at anyone. Something’s wrong. And why is she heading toward the city gates?”

Gary felt a knot tighten in his stomach. “She wouldn’t just go exploring by herself. Not now. Not with everything that’s been happening. This has to be something else.”

Since both Jack and Galdark were away, the three outsiders didn’t have to pretend or hide themselves at the moment. Moving quickly, they followed Lilly at a distance, making sure not to interrupt whatever was influencing her.

Kai’s chest tightened as he watched her movements.

This... this was how it began. He had seen it in the history of their world. He had seen where this path led.

“She’s heading straight for the gates,” Kai murmured. “It’s as I thought. The catalyst that starts all of the trouble... it’s beginning now.”

“When you say catalyst...” Gary asked slowly, “You mean the vampires are trying to create a war between the Alphas?”

“Exactly.” Kai nodded. “And most likely working with Unzoku. For some reason, they share the same goal, forcing the two Alphas to fight. And in a time when nobody knows vampires exist, this is the easiest way to start a disaster.”

Before Gary could respond, Lupus leapt away silently.

“What are you doing!?” Kai hissed after him.

“I need to see everything with my own eyes,” Lupus called back from the rooftops. “You two stay inside the city. Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself.”

Kai exhaled sharply. Of all three of them, he expected Gary to struggle the most with letting events play out as they were supposed to. But now it seemed that Lupus, reckless, prideful Lupus, might be the one tempted to interfere.

After all, he was a Dem. And Dems, no matter how disciplined, followed their instincts.

And something about tonight was calling to him.

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