"Squeak--!"
The crisp creaking sound was particularly jarring and loud in the night.
Teiichi hearing the sound, Ding instinctively wanted to look in the direction from which it came.
But a slight tremor on the table interrupted his subconscious thoughts.
He turned his head to look at the source of the vibration beside him.
The village chief's eyes were wide open, and his whole body was trembling slightly uncontrollably.
His hands were clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms, and trickles of blood slowly dripped down his fingers.
However, the village chief was completely oblivious to all of this at that moment.
Having lived in this house for decades, how could he not know what that sound was?
It was precisely because he knew this that his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
If... if the Demon Slayer in front of me were to see the scene below, then all the fabrications I made up would be for nothing!
His mind raced, trying to figure out a way to prevent the Demon Slayer from going to check the situation.
Tell him you have cats and dogs at home, and that the noise you just heard was caused by them.
Or did something fall down because it wasn't placed properly?
But can the sounds created by these sounds be the same as the sound just now?
Seeing the village chief's expression, Teiichi's eyes flickered slightly, and he turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound had come.
It seems this family is hiding some things they can't let me know!
Upon seeing the Demon Slayer turn his head towards the warehouse, the village chief abruptly stopped in his tracks, about to begin an explanation.
His own actions just now flashed through his mind.
It seems I no longer need to explain myself...
The realization of the current situation quickly calmed the village chief, who had indirectly killed many people.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and his right hand stealthily slid towards his waist.
It was a knife, a knife that had been tucked into my waistband since I went out tonight to invite someone out.
"Whoosh--!"
The sound of wind breaking came from behind, carrying a sharp killing intent.
Teiichi did not turn back. With unbelievable speed and precision, he swung his left hand sharply in the direction of the village chief.
"Bang!"
A dull thud, like a heavy hammer striking a wooden stake.
The village chief's body arced through the air before slamming hard against the wall with a dull thud.
"Cough cough--vomit!"
The village chief struggled to his feet, clutching the spot where he had just been hit, his face contorted in pain.
The power of that attack was so great that he felt as if his internal organs were about to be shattered.
The intense pain kept coming, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
He coughed repeatedly, then a mouthful of blood uncontrollably spilled from the corner of his mouth, staining his shirt red.
Teiichi observed coldly, and after confirming that the village chief had temporarily lost the ability to move over long distances, he put down the pig's trotter in his hand.
He stood up and slowly walked towards the direction from which the sound came.
In the basement.
"Call--!"
After a violent tremor, Hayato breathed a sigh of relief.
"Very good, I'll add some meat for you tomorrow!"
He received no response, but he didn't mind, since the person below had taken the longest to arrive among them.
He would only... if there was a response.
Hmm... he should feel even happier.
After all, some interaction is always better than no interaction.
After tightening his belt and making sure he was dressed, Hayato pulled the person beneath him back to their original position.
He then went to the stairs, reached out and picked up a stick that was lying on the side, and pushed it upwards.
With a slight creak, the wooden planks covering the top were slowly pushed open, revealing a sliver of faint light.
After putting the stick back on the side, he climbed up.
Finally, when his head painstakingly emerged from the ground...
Instead of the familiar bright lights he had imagined, he was met with a scene of darkness.
The Hayato involuntarily raised his head and looked towards the shadow that was covering him.
There he saw a boy squatting on the ground, smiling at him.
The Hayato's body stiffened instantly.
Wasn't he killed by a ghost?
Teiichi squatted quietly in front of the entrance, his gaze fixed intently on Hayato had just struggled out of the darkness.
When their eyes met, Teiichi smiled slightly, waved gently, and greeted them:
"Hi! Can you tell me what's down there?"
Upon hearing Teiichi's question, Hayato's body trembled as if he had been electrocuted, his eyes filled with terror and panic.
He tried to calm himself, his voice trembling as he replied, "No... there's nothing down there."
"Then what were you doing going down there so late at night?"
These words, like a sharp, icy blade, made the Hayato tremble even more violently.
"I... I... I have something to do downstairs," Hayato stammered.
Since the person in front of them had no intention of speaking, Teiichi didn't intend to ask any further questions.
A hand landed on Hayato's shoulder, the five fingers subtly tightening, locking him firmly like an iron clamp, and then suddenly threw Hayato backward.
The enormous black shadow crashed backward.
"Ah!"
With a loud crash, accompanied by Hayato's painful scream, his body slammed heavily against the wall, then collapsed helplessly to the ground, his body contorted in agony as he groaned in pain.
Teiichi turned his head and glanced at him, confirming that he also lacked the ability to move over long distances, before jumping into the basement without hesitation.
Upon landing, there was a short, dark corridor with faint lights flickering ahead.
Teiichi walked over slowly.
As he drew closer, an aura of corruption and despair suddenly surged forth like a tidal wave.
It was the distinctive sour stench of excrement mixed with the fresh scent of photinia flowers that shouldn't be there, creating a suffocating, almost suffocating stench that struck straight to the depths of the soul.
However, Teiichi seemed completely oblivious to this, his eyes slightly lowered, his gaze slowly wandering in the dimly lit room.
Inside the room, five thin figures appeared even more fragile and helpless in the dim light. Their clothes were tattered, barely covering their bodies. Some were huddled in a corner, while others lay helplessly on the floor.
Without exception, each of them wore a cold, icy iron collar around their neck, which connected them to the cold walls around them via heavy iron chains.
The ages ranged from their early teens to their early thirties.
Because the village chief's son had just come downstairs, all five people in the house were awake.
However, at this moment, there was only silence inside the room.
The five people in the basement did not react to Teiichi's appearance.
Although he had heard similar tragic stories in his previous life, Teiichi was still overwhelmed with indescribable shock and anger when he witnessed this scene with his own eyes.
However, beneath this intense emotion, he unexpectedly felt an unusual calm.
"Is it because I've seen too many tragedies in this world...?"
Teiichi muttered something to himself, then manipulated his body, slowly moving between the five people.
I carefully observed everyone's expression and state, trying to glean more information from their dull eyes, but all I found was endless emptiness and numbness.
Finally, after confirming that no one had noticed his presence, Teiichi sighed.
If someone is still responsive, there may still be hope for them psychologically.
But like Kanao, these people have closed off their own consciousness.
We can only leave it to Hidden to handle; we don't know if they'll be able to regain their independent consciousness in the future.
Teiichi silently returned to the bottom of the stairs.
Then, with a barely audible thud, he suddenly leaped up and returned to the ground.