At the skeletal old man's feet lay a corpse that had been bitten into a bloody mess.
It was none other than his devoted son.
"He's turned into a monster!"
Lu Mian finally understood.
Whoosh!
The skeletal old man lunged eagerly at Lu Mian.
The shack had no windows; every opening had been sealed with mud. The only way out was through the door.
Already halfway there, Lu Mian gritted his teeth, hoisted the red-hot brazier with his frozen hands, and hurled it straight at the old man.
Fire could do some damage to weaker supernatural creatures!
Aah!
The glowing charcoal and burning wood spilled over the skeletal old man, scorching him with agonizing heat as black smoke rose from his body.
Seizing the chance, Lu Mian mustered every ounce of strength and dashed outside.
"Help!"
"Help!!!"
Lu Mian screamed frantically.
But although the people in the other shacks heard Lu Mian's cries, not one dared come out to investigate.
Whoosh!
The skeletal old man charged out of the shack as well.
His entire body was charred black, but his eyes remained fixed on Lu Mian as he muttered, "So hungry... so hungry..."
The old man moved far faster after his transformation than Lu Mian had imagined.
Before long, Lu Mian felt a blast of cold wind behind him.
The skeletal old man was already pouncing on him like a vicious tiger.
Whoosh!
Just then.
A cold glint suddenly appeared before Lu Mian's eyes, followed by the faint whistle of something slicing through the air!
A jet-black arrow skimmed past Lu Mian's head and struck the skeletal old man squarely between the brows.
The arrow seemed to possess some kind of evil-dispelling power. The skeletal old man wailed, then dissolved into black smoke.
"Dissipating Weird Evil Power detected. Spend ten years of lifespan to absorb it?"
An ethereal voice sounded in Lu Mian's mind.
Still reeling in shock, Lu Mian heard the voice and chose to absorb it without hesitation.
"Congratulations, host. You have acquired the supernatural ability, Starvation Ghost·Gluttonous Stomach."
[Gluttonous Stomach: You can fully absorb the nutrients from all food, rapidly breaking down and digesting it to strengthen and restore yourself.] ```
The system's voice sounded again.
Before Lu Mian could check for any changes in his body, several figures in leather armor rushed over.
The burly man at their head had a broad back, a thick waist, and heavy eyebrows. He held a large bow in one hand.
They were a patrol team from the Guard Hall, whose members could be seen throughout Thousand Chimes Commandery City.
"I'm Zhuang Shen, captain of the Guard Hall's 13th Patrol Team."
"What happened?"
The burly man spoke in a low voice.
He had happened to be patrolling nearby and rushed over as soon as he heard Lu Mian's cries for help.
"Captain Zhuang, I don't know either."
"I was sleeping in the shack when I suddenly felt so hungry that it woke me up."
"Then I saw the people inside biting each other. That old man tried to eat me, so I hit him with the brazier and ran outside."
Lu Mian quickly recounted what had happened.
Naturally, he glossed over everything involving the system.
"Which shack were you in?"
"Lead the way."
Zhuang Shen's expression grew grave.
Not daring to delay, Lu Mian led Zhuang Shen to the shack.
Inside, the stench of blood was overpowering, and hideously mangled corpses littered the floor.
Lu Mian turned deathly pale at the sight and began to dry-heave.
"So hungry!"
The only survivor left was a middle-aged man who looked like a ravenous demon. The moment he saw Lu Mian, Zhuang Shen, and the others enter, he charged straight at them.
Swish!
Zhuang Shen drew the saber at his waist.
A cold flash of steel swept down, severing the man's head.
"Looks like that old man starved to death. His resentment was so strong that he became a Starved Ghost."
"Get the people from the Dust-Returning Courtyard here. Have them take these bodies away and burn them."
Zhuang Shen issued the order to his subordinate.
Supernatural creatures and evil entities appearing in the quarantine zone was nothing unusual. It was quite common.
Every day, many refugees fled here from all over. Some had already been tainted by evil entities without knowing it themselves.
Others failed to hold on, dying with their resentment unresolved. In a place as full of despair and suffering as the quarantine zone, their corpses could easily transform.
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate accepted the order and left.
"Boy, you're an ordinary person. How did you stay clearheaded under the Starved Ghost's influence?"
Zhuang Shen glanced at Lu Mian and asked casually.
Although this Starved Ghost had only just formed and had yet to reach any rank, ordinary people would still struggle to resist its mental corruption.
"I slapped myself."
Lu Mian answered honestly.
"Heh..."
"Seems you've got quite a strong will."
Zhuang Shen smiled.
Before long, several people dressed in gray entered the shack, their eyes numb and vacant.
"Old Chen, take all these bodies to Corpse-Burning Valley. Make sure they're burned to ashes."
Zhuang Shen addressed a middle-aged man with a gaunt face and graying hair.
"Of course, Lord Zhuang."
The middle-aged man nodded.
Then he noticed the disheveled Lu Mian.
"Lord Zhuang, who is he...?"
Zhuang Shen said, "The only survivor from this shack."
"My lord, we happen to have a vacancy. It's been unfilled for quite some time..."
"Why not have him join our Dust-Returning Courtyard?"
Chen Xiuzhu spoke quietly.
"That works..."
"I'll have him drink some talisman water. If there's no problem, you can register him."
Zhuang Shen nodded.
As he spoke, he unfastened a waterskin from his waist and handed it to Lu Mian.
"Drink."
The waterskin contained talisman water. If Lu Mian had been tainted by an evil entity, it would reveal abnormal signs.
Lu Mian took the waterskin and drank a mouthful. Nothing changed in his body.
"Good."
"Boy, work hard under Old Chen."
Zhuang Shen patted Lu Mian on the shoulder and left with his men.
"Captain Chen... my name is Lu Mian. I'm from Southern Sky County."
Lu Mian introduced himself to Chen Xiuzhu.
"Mm. Get to work."
Chen Xiuzhu was cold and indifferent.
He had specifically asked Zhuang Shen for Lu Mian not because he saw anything special in him, but simply because he wanted another pair of hands.
Few people were willing to work at the Dust-Returning Courtyard. Even when people were forcibly assigned there, their small team might not get any.
The other gray-clad workers said nothing either. They silently began moving the corpses.
Lu Mian could tell they were not deliberately excluding him. They had simply grown accustomed to numbness, like walking corpses.
Without a word, he began helping Chen Xiuzhu and the others move the bodies.
"They finally made it to Thousand Chimes City... only for this to happen."
Looking at those familiar faces, now mangled and bloody, Lu Mian sighed softly.
The original owner of his body had traveled with these people, surviving countless dangers before finally stumbling his way here.
Yet they had fallen at the very last hurdle.
Chen Xiuzhu had brought two handcarts with him.
Once they had loaded all the corpses onto the carts, they pushed them away.
As Lu Mian pushed his cart, he could feel people constantly peeking out at them from the shacks on either side.
"Pay them no mind. Keep going."
Chen Xiuzhu had long since grown used to it.
The weather was bitterly cold, the wind sharp as a knife.
The ground in the Shed Quarantine Zone was riddled with holes, making the carts difficult to push.
Lu Mian had burned his hands when he threw the brazier earlier, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on without a sound.
Half an hour later, they finally left the Shed Quarantine Zone and reached a valley.
Once inside, they saw apricot-yellow talisman papers covering the cliffs on every side. Spirit money drifted everywhere, and white funeral banners stood densely planted in the ground.
Before you continue