Odd People

"Xiaoguang, compare the subtle changes in the environment within the field of vision and make annotations."

"Xiaoguang received."

Su Hao turned back to check again.

"Comparison successful."

In the field of vision, Xiaoguang marked four spots with red circles, some large and some small, extending sequentially from a distance to the nearest tree.

Su Hao glanced at the tree out of the corner of his eye and immediately spotted a strange figure, arms crossed, hanging upside down like a bat on a small branch, concealed by many leaves and gently swaying with the branch.

Without Xiaoguang's subtle comparison, Su Hao would never have noticed the hidden figure in the tree.

Although it was just a quick glance, with Xiaoguang's help, Su Hao clearly saw the figure's appearance.

It looked humanoid but was vastly different from a vermilion reaper. Its large, bat-like ears were covered with black hair, making them appear huge. A small lump grew on its upturned nose, and two sharp fangs extended from its upper jaw, hooking over its lower lip. Thin membranes stretched from its arms to its knees, making it look like a humanoid bat.

"What is this thing?" Su Hao muttered to himself as he walked, avoiding the hiding spot and heading in another direction.

There was no one else around, and the creature seemed in no hurry to act, perhaps waiting for nightfall.

Su Hao surmised that the strange nights in Temple Forest City were related to this creature, but one thing puzzled him: why was this creature targeting him?

If it were for food, it should choose a more substantial meal. He was just a child of about three years old, hardly enough to eat!

Could it be that this creature was so weak that it had fallen to preying on defenseless children?

Su Hao found a corner, leaned against it, and slowly sat down, curling up as if asleep.

In reality, he was observing the creature with half-closed eyes, ready to deliver a lethal blow with his short spear at any moment.

The creature liked to hang upside down in high places, blending into the night, making it hard to spot.

Half an hour later, when the sky was completely dark, the creature moved. It released its grip with its feet, falling freely, then spread its thin wing membranes, gliding silently towards Su Hao.

When the creature was three meters away, Su Hao suddenly opened his eyes and sprang up.

In the darkness, their eyes met.

They passed by each other.

"Slash!"

"Clink—"

"Bang!"

The red glow on Su Hao's body dimmed, the short spear in his hand disappeared and reappeared at the creature's neck, piercing through and breaking its spine.

The creature lost consciousness the moment its spine was pierced, but its body still convulsed uncontrollably, finally stopping after a moment.

In the instant they crossed paths, Su Hao had used a "barrier" to block the creature's claws and thrust his short spear into its throat, killing it instantly.

His elite blood energy was only enough to draw one rune.

But that one rune was enough!

Su Hao approached the creature, carefully observing its bizarre body structure. It was more bat than human.

Not knowing if there were more creatures in the dark, he had to leave quickly.

Su Hao retrieved his short spear, wiped the blood off on the creature, and was about to leave.

"Hmm?" Su Hao stopped and took a package from the creature, shaking it casually.

"Jingle~"

It was the sound of coins. Opening it, he found a bag full of vermilion coins, at least two hundred of them.

Su Hao wondered, could these creatures use money?

Regardless, the money was now his. "Better get out of here!" Su Hao turned the corner, packed his things, and quietly left along the wall.

However, before he had gone far, he heard shuffling footsteps behind him, clear in the quiet night.

Instinctively, Su Hao looked back, his pupils dilating to see what was happening.

He saw many seemingly normal people, all wearing masks, revealing only their eyes and mouths, cautiously approaching the bat creature.

Then a horrifying scene unfolded.

These people started to crouch down, opening their mouths to reveal sharp teeth, biting into the creature, tearing off bloody chunks of flesh, swallowing them whole without chewing.

They eagerly took another bite!

Seven or eight people surrounded the creature's corpse, each taking a mouthful.

"..." Su Hao was horrified.

"This world is not right!!!"

Su Hao felt a chill down his spine. Despite being an ancient being who had seen much, he had never witnessed such a scene. The beautiful and refined vermilion reapers turned into bloodthirsty maniacs at night?

And more footsteps were approaching from afar, indicating more people were coming.

Soon, the creature's corpse would be gnawed down to bones.

Then Su Hao remembered the barrel filled with bones, seen every morning being carted out of the city!

Su Hao suddenly understood. It all made sense. Many things fell into place.

But new questions arose: why did the vermilion reapers devour this creature alive?

Was it a necessary life activity, or was there another reason?

Su Hao's curiosity was almost unbearable, but rationality told him this place was very dangerous, and he needed to leave quickly.

Once he advanced to grandmaster level, he would uncover the secrets hidden in the dark nights of Temple Forest City!

Su Hao ignored the gruesome scene behind him and quickly left, ensuring no one followed him as he slipped into his hiding place.

He blocked the entrance!

Safe!

Finally able to calm down, Su Hao began to reflect on what he had seen and heard in Temple Forest City over the past month.

During the day, the city seemed normal, with structures reminiscent of the old society, covering a vast area, but lacking any significant landmark buildings like a lord's mansion.

The only notable building was a luxurious five-story structure, said to be the headquarters of the "Shanghe Society."

The city's most significant difference from his previous life was the absence of city walls!

An old society city without walls?

This made Su Hao think a lot. The most likely reason was that there were no significant threats outside the city that could endanger it.

Summarizing, the greatest threat to this city came from within, not from outside.

If this guess was correct, then walls would be unnecessary.

"No wars?" Su Hao was momentarily surprised. Such wall-less cities were common in modern society but rare in ancient times.

What was hidden in Temple Forest City?

At night, the city's atmosphere changed, and the scenes Su Hao witnessed tonight likely happened every night. The morning's bone-filled barrels were evidence.

The information Su Hao could extract from his original body's memories was limited, only knowing that once night fell, one had to hide and not wander around.

"One last question, what was that creature, and why did it attack me?"

No similar attacks had occurred before, but tonight's attack might be related to his actions today.

Su Hao quickly sifted through possibilities.

He concluded three points: one, the area might be more chaotic, with creatures randomly attacking citizens; two, he was targeted after spending money today; three, he had driven away six children today, attracting attention, and the creature attacked strong individuals.

Of course, there was also the possibility of revenge, but that seemed unlikely. Those children looked like street kids, unlikely to hire a creature for revenge.

"Thinking too much won't help. Danger could come at any moment. The urgent task is to replenish elite blood energy and advance to grandmaster." Su Hao sat cross-legged in his small space, clearing his chaotic thoughts, and quickly entered a meditative state, slowly refining and transforming blood energy.