Presumptuous human, honestly, you're far too presumptuous...

She slowly loosened her fist and slumped her head in dejection.

"... Let's go back."

She gave up.

She's already tried, and it's time to give up. Time is precious; she can't afford to keep making mistakes.

A group of people seeking help came and went, unaware that the old man inside, hearing their departing footsteps, let his carving knife slip and plunged deeply into his finger. The old man, who had been uttering vicious curses just a moment ago, now had his back caved in.

Ye Jiang squatted on the wall, watching Hua Ling and her group walk away.

Aren't the guests coming inside?

The old man's voice came from inside the house. Unlike his earlier resentment and anger, the old man now seemed to have lost his soul, becoming like a withered tree calmly awaiting death.

Ye Jiang looked over upon hearing the sound.

She jumped into the yard.

A stone-paved path led through the courtyard, flanked by nameless graves. Though nameless, the graves received no less care, each with offerings placed before it. An old man, hunched over, emerged from the house, carrying a carved wooden wine jug. He placed the jug in front of one of the nameless graves, muttering to himself, "You loved to drink, boy. Although drinking is bad, you're as dead as can be, so drink freely... drink freely."

Perhaps stung by certain words, the old man was momentarily lost in thought.

Before a nearby grave sat a carved wooden vase, filled with withered flowers. The old man rose, removed the dead branches, and murmured, "You like flowers, but it's snowing now, and it's hard to find flowering plants. Wait a little longer..."

A hand reached out from the side and gently brushed the withered branches of the bouquet. The branches stirred, and the dry leaves seemed to be reborn, turning green. Life stretched along the veins of the leaves, and the drooping petals lifted up, delicate and dewy.

The old man stopped abruptly.

Ye Jiang withdrew her hand that had been using her supernatural abilities.

The old man gazed at her for a long time, but in the end asked nothing. He simply thanked her, bent down, and put the flowers back in the vase. He continued to mutter to the grave as usual, chatting with the deceased Polluted, just like with an old friend.

"Is the guest also here to ask me for help finding someone?" the old man straightened up and said.

Ye Jiang said "Mm".

The old man looked around at the graves in the courtyard, a look of sadness welling up in his eyes.

"... good."

The old man said, "I agree."

Because this person had given him medicine before.

Because this person restored his bouquet of flowers.

The old man closed his eyes, and an invisible energy field was born beneath his feet. Then the air vibrated, and the energy field suddenly spread out, crossing the courtyard wall and the street to reach the distant horizon!

The old man suddenly opened his eyes. "In the pharmaceutical factory!"

Ye Jiang's expression shifted; was her mission about to end?

The old man said, "Several auras gathered in the pharmaceutical factory's warehouse; the missing townspeople are all there, and they're still alive!"

Ye Jiang: "..."

The missing townspeople...

Oh right, she seems to have forgotten to tell the old man that she wasn't with Hua Ling and the others. She was indeed looking for someone, but only a missing girl.

"That..."

"Hmm?" The old man was panting heavily, looking utterly defeated. Using such a wide-range search ability had left him looking like he was about to run out of energy. His exhaustion was quite obvious, and it seemed he wouldn't be able to use his search ability a second time for some time.

Ye Jiang: "..."

never mind.

The old man probably just wanted a reason to help the townspeople, and she happened to be there.

Ye Jiang's eyes flashed, and she slipped away from the gravedigger's courtyard.

Before leaving, she gently patted the old man's shoulder, healing his bleeding finger.

On the streets of Shuiling Town, Hua Ling stood in the shadows of a street corner. Townspeople searching for her came and went in front of her. She sighed heavily, realizing that she couldn't find the person. She and the townspeople alone couldn't find the person at all.

"Isn't it because the guillotine didn't fall on your heads?"

The gravedigger's words flashed through her mind, and Hua Ling's breath caught in her throat, her face shrouded in shadow. Some memories surfaced uncontrollably, and she turned pale, gasping for breath as if drowning after a long while.

"Huh... huh... who?!"

Her wariness returned suddenly, and she looked up sharply. On the roof opposite her, someone had appeared out of nowhere and was squatting there, staring at her with a curious expression.

"..."

So she's Healer.

The initial vigilance vanished instantly.

"What's the Healer doing there?" Hua Ling asked, wiping her face.

Ye Jiang jumped off the roof. "Are you sick?"

"... No." Hua Ling's expression stiffened slightly. She saw it all?

Ye Jiang scanned her up and down, but Hua Ling turned away, not wanting her to look. Fine, Ye Jiang didn't mind, and withdrew her gaze, stating her purpose. "The people you're looking for are in the pharmaceutical factory warehouse in town." She hadn't found them herself; she was merely relaying the message, "The old man guarding the grave said so."

Hua Ling was stunned. The Healer's tone was too calm; she couldn't immediately grasp that he was talking about a major event concerning the entire town. After her mind went blank for a moment, her eyes suddenly widened like saucers. "What?!"

She exclaimed.

Ye Jiang leaned back to avoid the other person's loud voice. Hua Ling wouldn't let her dodge, excitedly grabbing her shoulders. "Are you telling the truth?!"

Ye Jiang exclaimed "Ah!" and said, "Probably."

As soon as she finished speaking, Hua Ling's expression completely spiraled out of control, her face a mask of neither laughter nor tears. In her excitement, she grabbed Ye Jiang and hugged her tightly, startling Ye Jiang. She raised her hand to push her away, but Ye Jiang released her first. Hua Ling ran towards the factory as fast as she could, shouting the good news, "The Healer has obtained the gravedigger's help, and the missing townspeople are all in the factory warehouse!"

The voice rang out like a broadcast, and the search team stopped and looked up. Realizing what the words meant, they were overjoyed and rushed towards the pharmaceutical factory without prior arrangement.

Ye Jiang: "..."

She scratched her expressionless face.

On the other side, Hua Ling was the first to run to the pharmaceutical factory. Bang! She forcefully pushed open the warehouse door, but...

Now, all she could see was emptiness. The warehouse was completely empty except for a few discarded cardboard boxes piled up.

No?

Hua Ling and the townspeople who arrived one after another stood frozen at the warehouse entrance.

What... what happened?

Did the gravedigger's search ability malfunction?

When Ye Jiang arrived at the pharmaceutical factory, the townspeople had already surrounded the warehouse in layers, completely blocking the open space outside. The crowd whispered among themselves, and when they saw Ye Jiang coming, they all made way for her. Although she had only been in Shuiling Town for a short time, she had unknowingly become one of the most trusted people in the townspeople.

"The missing townspeople aren't here."

"It's normal that it's not there. We already searched for the factory, and it wasn't there to begin with."

"The gravedigger made a mistake."

The townspeople chattered amongst themselves, relaying the news to Ye Jiang as she arrived. A strange expression crossed Ye Jiang's face as she listened. She stared at the warehouse, her gaze fixed on the empty center. Hua Ling noticed her unusual focus and, her heart skipped a beat, blurted out, "Healer, the missing townspeople are here?!"

The townspeople were startled and looked around.

where?

where?

There's no one there!

Ye Jiang was puzzled; wasn't she right here?

In her view, more than a hundred townspeople were unconscious, encased in transparent snowballs that filled the warehouse.

Can't they see it?

Just as Ye Jiang was thinking this, a villager behind him suddenly cried out, his voice trembling. In the villager's sight, snowballs suddenly appeared, each containing a missing villager.

"They're really here! The missing townspeople are here!"

Some people wept with joy.

After searching for so long, they finally found it!

"They're awake! They're awake!"

The townspeople inside the snowball are moving; they are waking up.

"We're still alive! Everyone's still alive!"

What kind of feeling is this? Although they were actively searching for their compatriots, they didn't really have any hope. The snow was too strange. They searched the whole town but couldn't find anyone. It was very likely that the people in the town were in grave danger. But now, things have taken a turn for the better. The missing townspeople have been found!

"1, 2, 3..."

Someone started counting the number of people.

Just as everyone was immersed in joy, the earth suddenly trembled.

"What's wrong?!"

"What happened?!"

Thump!

A huge, soft, mollusk-like tentacle extended from the back of the factory building and slammed heavily onto the blue tiled roof. A millstone-sized suction cup writhed incessantly.

Thump!

Another tentacle climbed up to the top of the factory building.

A sickening wriggling sound rippled through the air, and an eight-armed monster revealed its true form. It perched on the factory roof, its eight tentacles covering the entire roof. Its cone-shaped head was held high, topped with a ring of eyes that only humans possess, making it extremely unpleasant to look at. At this moment, those eyes were coldly staring at the townspeople below, spreading out with a malicious Pollution.

"It's the Polluted!"

Some townspeople shouted out loud.

In the crowd, Hua Ling's heart pounded as she watched the octopus-like Polluted appear on the factory roof. This Polluted was...

She stared intently at the Polluted's eight tentacles, searching for something.

no.

no.

It is not.

She was distraught.

The Pollution hit her head, far more aggressive than the previous wave. Her breath caught in her throat, and her expression suddenly changed drastically. "Scatter! This is A-Rank Polluted!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a tentacle came rushing in with a gust of wind!

Chapter 93 You're being presumptuous, human. To be honest, you're being very presumptuous...

An air barrier rose from the ground, blocking the townspeople's path and barely protecting them. However, it only lasted for a second before the thick tentacles pierced through the barrier and, with no further obstruction, slammed down on the townspeople.