Beneath the night sky, Red Iron City was a world apart from its lifeless state by day.
Zhou Yuxuan moved through the bustling streets. Shops blazed with light on either side, while strange glowing minerals and plants cast the streets in a bizarre, otherworldly glow.
The cries of vendors, the hum of conversation, and the clanging of blacksmiths' hammers filled the air. Though exhaustion still showed on people's faces, they seemed more alive—as if they could only truly live in the darkness.
Zhou Yuxuan wasn't in a hurry to return. Instead, he deliberately slowed his pace, devoting most of his attention to the conversations around him.
"Something's really wrong. We went out this time and didn't run into a single pack of Shadow Demons—not even one rabid hound." A gruff voice came from an open window beside him, inside a tavern.
"Tell me about it. I even worked up the nerve to go right up to the Blood Sun Warning Line. Normally, I'd have been chased back with my tail between my legs, but this time it was completely peaceful." Another voice chimed in.
"It is strange. Commander Zagong has already taken a group to investigate the Forbidden Land. I just hope nothing's happened. You'd think we'd all be glad to see the Strange Monsters disappear, but now that they really have, I feel even more uneasy."
"Strange Monsters, Strange Monsters. Where did they all go? There's a rumor they were summoned by something inside the Forbidden Land."
"Who knows? If they've really left, they can stay gone."
The term "Strange Monsters" came up again and again, like background noise, with startling frequency.
Zhou Yuxuan understood. They must be referring to the frenzied creatures they had encountered upon arrival.
The unfamiliar term "Blood Sun Warning Line" also caught his attention.