Chapter 428: Scheming Victim |
The farmer’s expression shifted the moment he heard Zhang Nu’s words. It was as if he had grasped onto a lifeline, a desperate man clutching at his last hope. He hesitated no longer. There was nothing left to hide. If he wanted this town to survive, he had to tell Zhang Nu everything.
“May I ask for your names?” the farmer inquired, his voice carrying a new sense of urgency.
“If you truly have the ability to rid our town of these YaoGuais, we will all be eternally grateful.”
Zhang Nu smiled reassuringly, “There’s no need to be so formal. I am Zhang Nu. This is Liu Hai, and the one behind us is Lin Xiao.”
“Just call us by our names.”
The farmer nodded, a flicker of hope flashing across his tired eyes. “Zhang Nu, our town wasn’t always like this.”
“It all started two years ago. No one knows exactly what happened, but one day, YaoGuais began appearing,” he continued, “They never come out during the day. Only at night.”
“We have no idea why. But once the sun sets, the streets no longer belong to us.”
“If anyone dares step outside after dark—no matter the reason—the YaoGuais will not spare them.”
“What if someone had an emergency?” Zhang Nu asked. “If someone needed to step out at night, would the creatures still attack them?”
The farmer’s face darkened, his expression growing heavy with grief.
“Yes,” he said bitterly. “It doesn’t matter why we go out. They don’t care.”
“I remember… a few years ago, a child in our town had a terrible fever. His parents had no choice but to take him to the physician’s house in the dead of night.”
“They managed to make it there safely. But by morning… the entire household had been slaughtered.”
“The child. His parents. The physician. Every single person was found dead.”
At those words, Zhang Nu and Liu Hai clenched their fists. These creatures—whatever they were—had gone too far. This wasn’t just mindless hunting. It was merciless slaughter.
“These YaoGuais are truly despicable,” Zhang Nu growled. “Old man, don’t worry. We will put an end to this.”
“We will find them and make them pay.”
The farmer gave a grateful nod, though his face remained clouded with unease.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed deeper. Something didn’t sit right with him. Zhang Nu and Liu Hai had been too caught up in their emotions to notice, but Lin Xiao had been watching the farmer closely.
Every shift in his expression. Every hesitation in his tone. And something was off. There was no natural distress in his voice. His words flowed too smoothly, as if he had rehearsed them countless times before.
And when Zhang Nu and Liu Hai had responded with righteous anger, a peculiar flicker passed through the farmer’s eyes. For the briefest moment, his lips curled into the faintest smirk.
If this town had truly suffered under the terror of these creatures for years, shouldn’t he be overwhelmed with relief that someone was willing to help? Shouldn’t his voice carry more genuine fear or desperation?
Instead, there was something… calculated about him.
Lin Xiao didn’t say anything. Even if his instincts screamed at him that something was wrong, now wasn’t the time to voice his suspicions. They would need to deal with this man later. For now, they needed more information.
“These YaoGuais seem far too aggressive,” Zhang Nu said. “Do you know where their lair is?”
“If you can tell us, we’ll go there right now and put an end to them.”
The farmer’s lips pressed into a thin line before he finally spoke, “They live up in the mountains.”
“But are you sure you want to go? These creatures… they are not ordinary YaoGuais.”
“They are said to possess seventy-two transformations and are extremely vicious.”
Liu Hai smirked, cracking his knuckles.
“Doesn’t matter how many forms they can take,” he said confidently. “No YaoGuai can escape us.”
The farmer nodded, though his eyes held something unspoken.
Zhang Nu, Liu Hai, and Lin Xiao stood up, ready to head toward the mountain.
As they left, the farmer watched them go. And as soon as they disappeared from sight, his lips curled into a slow, eerie smile. A smile of satisfaction. As if everything had gone exactly as he had planned.
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai hadn’t noticed.
But Lin Xiao had.
And whatever it was, he would figure it out.