"Squeak, squeak~" Those were rat cries-the startled cries of Mig Beak-Pecking Tooth Black-Tailed Rats. Kanni barely needed to look; the sound alone told him there were three. They scurried out of the rotting hole in the female corpse's thigh, their fur looking almost solidified from blood in the firelight. The pungent stench of decay turned his stomach.
"Miss Hill, open your eyes and look," Zeng Mu said softly, looking at her.
"It can't be her~ It can't be her~" she murmured over and over. Only after the rats fell silent did she finally open her eyes and look at the dead woman's face.
"Oh!" In that instant, she felt an overwhelming relief, and her eyes seemed to light up. A second later, however, they dimmed again. Looking utterly dejected, she said in a trembling, choked voice, "No, she isn't my sister. My sister has a tear mole beside her left eye, just like mine." She made the sign of the cross over her chest, offering a silent prayer for this stranger who had died in agony.
"Phew~" Both men sighed as well. Things here were far worse than they had imagined. As far as Zeng Mu was concerned, their mission now demanded more of them.
Zeng Mu looked at the female corpse, her eyes still wide open. It was difficult to make out all the torment she had suffered before her death. The depravity of the Yan State troops exceeded his expectations, lending a stern resolve to his voice. "Rest in peace, ma'am. May you reach a place of bliss, far from all suffering and strife."
He threw the oil lantern. The instant it shattered, a ball of flame spread outward, dancing freely over the pale body. Black smoke rose, purging the malice, while a charcoal hue covered and buried