Chapter 1129: "Monster"

Hearing Jian Changsheng and the others whispering, Chen Ling's heart suddenly trembled.

"Indeed..." Jian Changsheng frowned deeply, looking at the gruesome, gnawed-clean corpses strewn across the ground.

Jian Changsheng had certainly seen his share of turmoil, but this was his first time witnessing human corpses that had been eaten dry and twisted together. The sight made him feel sick to his stomach, and his face was contorted with revulsion.

"This method is too brutal, definitely not human-like... If there's really a Calamity hidden in this village, will it target us?"

"Calamities are inherently fierce and dangerous, especially one that takes pleasure in devouring people. In its eyes, we might just be food, like these Vermilion Sky Cultists."

"That would be troublesome..."

Chen Ling stood silently, his peripheral vision taking in the expressions of the three... Apart from Jiang Xiaohua, Sun Bumian and Jian Changsheng's eyes were filled with vigilance and disgust. It was as if they had imagined a brutal, ugly man-eating monster going on a rampage right before their eyes, nearly making them vomit.

A gentle breeze stirred the Vermilion Sky Cult's red robes as Chen Ling stood quietly, gazing at the strewn remains he had consumed. A wave of confusion washed over his eyes...

While consuming them, Chen Ling hadn't felt anything unusual; only comfort and pleasure. He hadn't paid any attention to the gruesome state of the desiccated corpses, his mind solely focused on devouring more.

Perhaps the instincts brought on by the Mocking Calamity had numbed Chen Ling's self-awareness. It was only when he saw the horrifying corpses again and heard the whispers of Jian Changsheng and the others that he suddenly came back to his senses...

These...Had he done all this?

The old Chen Ling had never doubted his human identity. He was Chen Ling, the transmigrator, the actor from Frost Street, Heart 6 of the Twilight Society... When had he begun to slowly shed his human self, transforming into a true Calamity that fed on human flesh and blood?

Standing once more from a "human" perspective and seeing everything clearly, Chen Ling suddenly felt a wave of nausea... At the same time, an inexplicable panic welled up in his heart.

This fear stemmed from his unfamiliarity with himself and from the recent conversation between Jian Changsheng and the other two.

Chen Ling suddenly felt like an ugly monster wearing a human skin mask, standing before Jian Changsheng and the others, still playing the part of the former Heart 6... But Chen Ling knew very well that he had changed. The day he shed his disguise, the day his grotesque and hideous man-eating true form was exposed to everyone, many people he once cherished would leave him, disappointed and disgusted.

As Jian Changsheng had said... he could no longer be considered human.He was a "monster."

"Li Liang." Zheng Ye walked straight towards him. "How is it? Did you find anything out?"

Chen Ling's hollow eyes snapped back to attention at the summons. He remained silent for a long time, then shook his head.

"I asked. They were just passing through. The village matters have nothing to do with them."

"Right, humans shouldn't be able to create a scene like this." Zheng Ye had already seen the bodies, and his suspicions about Jian Changsheng and the two others largely dissipated. "Don't worry about them. They'll be useful once the ritual begins tonight."

"...Hm."

After Zheng Ye left, Chen Ling silently clutched the few keys in his hand and turned to walk towards the bonfire.

Chen Ling walked quickly, his Vermilion Sky Cult red robe fluttering. He went directly to the three individuals, grabbed Jian Changsheng by the collar with one hand, and forcefully pulled him up!

Jian Changsheng was startled at first, then a pair of bloodshot eyes glared intensely at him.

"...You want to fight?" Jian Changsheng struggled, speaking defiantly. "Come on!! I'm not afraid of you!!"

"How long do you think you can stay so defiant?" Chen Ling sneered.

"By late night, all of you will become sacrifices to the Supreme Vermilion Sky Sovereign... I hope you're still this defiant then."

With that, Chen Ling pushed hard with the hand gripping the collar, slamming Jian Changsheng heavily against the edge of the stone wall with a dull thud.

Chen Ling gave them an indifferent glance and walked away without looking back.

Seeing this, Sun Bumian finally let out a long sigh of relief...

"Good, good, none of us got hurt, and we weren't exposed... Spade, you startled us when your key fell out earlier."

"That Vermilion Sky Cultist seems to have bad eyesight."

Jiang Xiaohua said, while fumbling on the ground. A moment later, she picked up a handful of green debris that had been trampled into powder; it was impossible to tell from its appearance that it had been a key.

"Too bad, we'll have to ask Senior Diamond J to make another one."

"Is he still here?"

"Doesn't seem like it. He's probably busy digging the tunnel."

"What about Spade's lock, then?"

Sun Bumian and Jiang Xiaohua both looked at Jian Changsheng.

Jian Changsheng didn't speak. He remained in the position he had been pushed into, gazing blankly in the direction Chen Ling had left.

"Spade, what's wrong?" Sun Bumian asked, puzzled.

After an unknown amount of time, Jian Changsheng slowly moved his hand and reached into his clothes...

A moment later,Four complete stone lock keys lay quietly in his palm.

Chen Ling feigned cooperation, following Zheng Ye and the others as they searched the village thoroughly, over and over again. The other Vermilion Sky Cultists searched nervously, seemingly terrified that a monster would burst out of any open door and devour them whole. Only Chen Ling searched carelessly, as if preoccupied.

Naturally, the nervous cult members didn't notice Chen Ling's unusual behavior. They continued searching until dusk, without any findings.

Ultimately, Zheng Ye and the two cardinals could only conclude that "the monster had left last night after finishing its meal," and then they hurried to prepare for the upcoming ritual.

Chen Ling, meanwhile, had a hurried dinner with the other cult members.

Chen Ling's guess proved correct: the Vermilion Sky Cult outpost was deep within the Gray World, where food was scarce. For dinner, they only had a few yellowish vegetable leaves, steamed buns, and meat-scraps soup. However, perhaps to alleviate the fear in everyone's hearts, or perhaps because the outpost's population had been halved, the portions of buns and soup tonight were generous, enough for everyone to eat their fill.

During this, Chen Ling also discreetly stole a few steamed buns and hid them in his clothes, as he hadn't forgotten the group of little ones waiting for him at the bottom of the well.

"Every single one of them is a handful," Chen Ling glanced at Jian Changsheng and the others by the bonfire, sighed deeply, and, taking advantage of the deepening night and deserted surroundings, headed towards the dry well.

It wasn't that Chen Ling didn't want to bring food to Jian Changsheng and the others; it was just that their location was too conspicuous. Moreover, those three were tough and could easily go without food for several meals. It was Xiaobai and the others, trapped in the well all day, who were probably starving.