The writhing "cat amalgamation" rolled and squirmed its way in front of Yu Sheng. A heap of eyes flashing with an eerie white light bobbed across the surface of the amorphous mass formed from piled-up shadows. A jumble of meows came from within the mass, and then the heap of shadows suddenly collapsed where it stood, instantly breaking apart into dozens or even hundreds of black cats. As they collapsed, each cat was covered in a plastic- or rubber-like texture over its illusory shadowy form, turning into the familiar shape Yu Sheng knew.
Immediately afterward, the black cats scattered into the corners all around the alley.
Only one cat stayed behind. The pitch-black "plastic kitten" stared fixedly into Yu Sheng's eyes and raised one forepaw.
Yu Sheng hesitated, then bent down and reached out to touch the paw.
A crude "thought" entered his mind.
"The intruders will return."
The little black cat turned and ran off. Like a string of broken images, its figure quickly vanished deep around the street corner through a series of uninterrupted short-range teleports.
Yu Sheng raised his head and looked in the direction the black cats had disappeared. The street-facing shops on both sides of the Dark Alley were still lit with eerie lights, and hazy shadows were reflected in their windows.
Once the fog had thinned to a certain point, it stopped changing and continued drifting through the alley.
The Dark Alley had not completely returned to its original state just because the Brass Knights had withdrawn.
Yu Sheng told the others what he had learned from the "cat."
Little Red Riding Hood frowned deeply and looked at Yu Sheng uneasily. "What do you think is going on? So many Brass Knights... And they moved freely through the Dark Alley. It's impossible that they