The Wendigo's Reaper-like Presence Scared Them to Tears

Strange.

The presence seemed to have vanished.

The woods should have been filled with the low chirping of insects late at night, yet now they were eerily silent.

The haunted doll Annabelle stood stiffly on a dead branch, her porcelain face devoid of its usual malice.

Instead, she wore a bewildered expression that seemed utterly out of place. Her glass eyes narrowed slightly, and her small head turned from side to side, as though trying in vain to pick up on something.

Li Dan hovered in midair, looking down at the little figure, his brow deeply furrowed.

When he communicated with Annabelle, all he received was a vague sense of confusion, as though a thick fog lay between them. Even her most basic ability to sense a presence had grown sluggish.

This was unusual. Once Annabelle locked onto a target, she clung to them like a parasite, following them wherever they went.

Besides, the other party had clearly withdrawn deliberately with that evil book. How could they have left no trace at all?

Li Dan had already flown above the villa. Scanning the surroundings, he spotted a squad of armed personnel retreating with "something."

The night was pitch-black.

Moonlight spilled through the thin clouds, outlining the villa's ruined silhouette.

Li Dan's hawklike gaze swept the area and soon fixed on the mountain trail behind the villa.

A squad of armed personnel in black combat uniforms was rapidly withdrawing, escorting several researchers in white lab coats.

Their movements were precise and swift, their tactical coordination seamless. No ordinary private armed force could compare.

They carried standard-issue military firearms. Although darkness obscured the insignia on their shoulders, the familiar design made Li Dan's heart tighten.

Military personnel?

The military. The Death Book.

The two terms collided in his mind, creating a powerful