In the shadows behind the fountain, the tall, thin figure moved.
"It" took a step forward, entering the very edge of the kerosene lamp's dim, yellow glow. Its movement was slow, neither as sprightly as a living creature nor as stiff as a dead one, yet it carried a distinctly peculiar air of composure.
A monster that wandered at night: the Faceless.
Tattered, old clothes hung loosely from its gray-white skeleton. Its skin shone under the light with the lifeless sheen of plaster, exactly as it had the first night Yu Xing saw it. And that face—that smooth, dark wooden board, its edges seemingly fused with flesh—silently "faced" Yu Xing and Carlos.
It had no eyes, yet still conveyed a clear sense of being watched.
The instant Yu Xing and Carlos fixed their eyes on it, the familiar system notification suddenly rang out in their minds:
[Side Quest? Triggered? You have encountered ■■■■, you are being watched by ■, quickly escape ■■■]
The notification sounded like a radio with poor reception. It cut off after only the opening words, leaving nothing but static before falling completely silent.
The system notification had been cut off by some kind of interference.
The system in the Yorikof deduction scenario followed a special format for investigators. It was clearly an automated program, something like a customer service agent, set up by [the Book]. But now that the program had been hacked, perhaps it wouldn't be long before the real "deduction system" came to check what was going on.
Warm blood filled Carlos's nostrils. After just one glance, his nose started bleeding uncontrollably, and heat rose in his eardrums and eye sockets.
The smile on his face stiffened slightly. His pupils contracted sharply, and his eyes reflected the approaching Faceless figure, as well