"No." Chen Gen shook his head, his tone certain. "I've walked that route more times than I can count. I could do it with my eyes closed. Every time, I'd see those things in less than an hour, packed together, clinging to the walls like bugs."
"But this time..."
He raised his head, and for the first time, something called unease appeared in his eyes.
"There was nothing."
"Completely clean."
"As if something had... eaten them all."
A sudden chill ran down Yang Yong's back at those words.
He remembered the man surnamed Liu who had jumped into the water last night.
He remembered those eyes that no longer looked remotely human after the man transformed into a Sea Demon.
...Had those things parasitizing human bodies actually "left," or had they "returned"?
...Where had they returned to?
...Had they... returned to the Whale Lord's body?
And did the fact that Chen Gen and the others had seen nothing today mean...
Those things had all come out?
Had they all... found hosts?
Yang Yong whipped his head around toward the wooden house area.
The villagers were still walking around normally, talking normally, eating normally.
Everything was normal.
...But that normality was the most terrifying part.
Because it meant that those who had been infested did not even know it themselves.
When tonight came.
When the latter half of the night came.
When the Inner Core went dark and darkness descended completely...
They would know.
Everyone would know.
Chen Gen fell silent for a long while before finally saying just one thing:
"No one sleeps tonight."
His voice was quiet, but every word seemed to be forced through gritted teeth.
"Keep your eyes wide open. Get a good look."
"At just... what's behind this."
Night fell faster than they had imagined.
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