Chapter 31

It was midday.

A light rain began to drift from the sky, drizzling down and quickly soaking the gloomy little town.

The town, already lifeless, became even more silent and desolate.

There were no pedestrians on the streets, and no smoke rose from the chimneys of the houses.

Even the brothel seemed to have no patrons.

After returning to the second room in the backyard, Luo Qingchen lay down on the bed and did not step out again.

However, the various gazes hidden in the shadows outside the door remained on watch.

Whether in an ancient jungle or an endless grassland, once any animal is injured, it inevitably draws the prying eyes and covetous desires of hunters.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Someone suddenly knocked on the door outside.

Luo Qingchen lay on the bed with his eyes closed, motionless, as if he had fallen asleep or slipped into a coma.

The knocking continued.

Then, Chen Ju's voice, filled with concern, followed: "Brother Luo, are you alright? I've brewed some medicinal soup here; I brought it for you to build up your strength."

There was still no response from inside the room.

Chen Ju knocked a few more times, could only sigh, and turned to leave.

A moment later.

Wang Long limped over to the window to peer inside, but unfortunately, the window was covered with cloth, and he could see nothing.

Evening soon arrived.

The doors and windows of the second room remained tightly shut, and there seemed to be no movement inside.

"That kid is probably already unconscious. It's only been a few days, and he had such a large bowl of blood taken again. Even if he isn't in a coma, he must be too weak to have any strength left."

"Wait a little longer."

"Brother, what exactly are you afraid of? Even if others see, they won't say anything; they'll only sneak behind us to take some too. The first to go can take more."

"Have you forgotten how we were injured, and how those bastards took our blood?"

"That night was indeed our carelessness, but this time, the kid is physically exhausted and has become a lamb waiting for the slaughter. I don't believe anyone can have blood drawn twice in such a short time and still have the strength to resist."

"Let's wait a bit longer, at least until we find a way to see the kid's condition with our own eyes."

Just as the two brothers were discussing this in their room, Zhang Jiu's stern reprimand suddenly came from outside: "Zhou Yan! Sun Tong! Why aren't you two patrolling the front? What are you doing in front of Brother Luo's window?"

Wang Long and Wang Hu exchanged a glance and immediately went to open their door.

At the same time, Chen Ju's door also opened.

Zhou Yan's voice rang out: "Boss, the time hasn't come yet, has it? We heard that Brother Luo had a lot of blood taken again today and nearly fainted, so we came to check on him."

Sun Tong added, "That's right, we are all brothers after all, and we even brought some supplements."

Zhang Jiu walked over with a gloomy face, stared at the two of them for a moment, and scolded coldly: "Don't think I don't know what you two are thinking. What time is it, and you're still trying to scheme against your own people? The Heart-Plucking Monster hasn't been caught yet, and everyone in the building is panicked. We are already short-handed; we should be united and fighting side-by-side. How can you be backstabbing each other and trying to harm your own brother?"

Facing the reprimand, the two hurriedly tried to defend themselves.

Zhang Jiu waved his hand and said, "Enough, no need to explain. Go to the front and patrol! If there is a next time, I will not be lenient!"

The two said nothing more and quickly lowered their heads to leave.

"Hmph, to harbor such evil thoughts against your own brother—aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"

Watching their backs, Zhang Jiu let out a cold snort, then walked to the door of Luo Qingchen's room and raised his hand to knock.

"Brother Luo, are you alright?"

The room remained as quiet as before; there was still no response.

"Could something have happened to Brother Luo?"

Zhang Jiu frowned.

At this moment, Chen Ju came out from the adjacent room and said, "Brother Luo hasn't stepped out all day. When he came back this morning, his face was pale and he was swaying; I fear he may have fallen into a coma. Boss, we must go in and check."

"We do need to go in and check; he might already be dead inside."

I don't know when, but Wang Long and Wang Hu had also come out of their room, and Wang Hu urged.

Zhang Jiu glanced at him and continued to knock on the door: "Brother Luo! If you are alright, say something so the brothers can be at ease."

There was still no response from inside.

A look of worry appeared on Zhang Jiu's face, and after hesitating for a moment, he prepared to break down the door.

The gazes of the few people nearby were fixed tightly upon him.

On the stone bridge not far away, Zhou Yan and Sun Tong had also returned at some point, their eyes fixed on this spot.

"Creak..."

Who would have thought that at this very moment, the door suddenly opened.

Luo Qingchen appeared in the doorway, his eyes bleary with sleep. His face remained deathly pale, his expression appeared exceptionally haggard, and his aura was clearly extremely weak.

He gripped the doorframe with one hand, his legs soft and unsteady, as if he could barely stand.

"Brother Luo, are you alright?"

Zhang Jiu glanced at his complexion and hurriedly asked with concern.

Luo Qingchen spoke in a weak voice, "I am fine, thank you for your concern, Boss."

Zhang Jiu quickly reached out to grab his wrist and steady him, saying, "As long as you're fine. You look terrible; hurry inside and get some rest."

With that, he helped him back to his room and laid him down on the bed.

"Brother Luo, just rest easy. It doesn't matter if you take a few more days off; I'll cover your patrol tomorrow night."

Zhang Jiu took one more look at his face, sighed, left the room, and helped him close the door.

Chen Ju said from outside, "Brother Luo doesn't look too good. Should we go and fetch a doctor to take a look at him?"

Zhang Jiu shook his head and sighed, "He has lost too much blood; what use would a doctor be? Let him lie down and rest well. Prepare some extra food for him over the next few days."

Chen Ju nodded, glanced toward the window, and let out a sigh of his own.

Wang Long and Wang Hu stood nearby, their expressions varied.

Zhang Jiu swept his gaze over them and said with a stern expression, "No one is to disturb Brother Luo for the next few days; let him rest properly. Also, if anyone lacks integrity and breaks the rules, don't blame me, Zhang Jiu, for being heartless!"

Having said that, he walked away quickly.

Chen Ju turned his gaze toward Wang Long and Wang Hu, smiling broadly as he said, "The two Brother Wangs' injuries seem to have improved quite a bit."

The two men shot him a hateful glare, ignored him, and turned to head back to their own room.

They naturally knew who had participated in the bloodletting that night.

Chen Ju stood outside the window for a while longer before returning to his own room.

Night fell quickly.

A light rain continued to drift from the sky, and the silent town was soon swallowed by darkness and rain.

Beyond the patter of the rain, no other sound could be heard.

A cat with pitch-black fur walked silently along the courtyard wall, its glowing blue eyes flashing with two cold and eerie lights.

"Brother, can we be sure now?"

"We're sure. That kid couldn't be faking his complexion or his aura. Tonight is the time for our revenge!"

"Should we just kill him?"

"Hmph, looking at how weak he is, we don't even need to do it ourselves; we can just take a couple more bowls of fresh blood. There are others watching, too. That kid definitely won't survive the night!"

In the pitch-black room, the two brothers whispered to each other.

Meanwhile, in another room, a dim oil lamp burned on the table as Chen Ju sharpened a keen blade under its light.

"Pulse in chaos, aura weak, body limp—he doesn't even have the strength to clench a fist. Let's see where you can hide tonight!"

In the darkness outside, a shadowy figure stared coldly at that window, sneering in a low voice, his face hidden in the shadows twisted with malice.

At this moment, inside Luo Qingchen's room.

"Add blood!"

As his thoughts stirred, the remaining 15% of blood in his second reserve health bar was instantly added to the first!

Although the first health bar was not yet completely full, he immediately felt his body recovering rapidly.

His spirit was recovering, and his strength was returning as well!

The reason he chose to add the blood only now was, naturally, to ensure those outside were convinced that he was currently exhausted and devoid of any power to resist.

And this moment was the perfect time for a hunt!