The farmer had already made up his mind—at the first light of dawn, he would send these outsiders away. But that was just his plan. Whether Zhang Nu and the others actually left would depend entirely on them.
As night fell, none of them slept. They were determined to uncover the mystery behind the farmer’s ominous warning. For hours, the silence of the town was almost unnerving.
Just as exhaustion began to take hold, a bloodcurdling scream shattered the stillness of the night. The sound was so sharp, so inhuman, that it sent chills down their spines.
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai instinctively reached for their weapons, ready to investigate—But before they could move, Lin Xiao grabbed them, his grip firm.
“Did you already forget the farmer’s warning?” he whispered sharply. “We cannot go outside.”
Lin Xiao's words stopped them in their tracks. As Zhang Nu and Liu Hai recalled their promise to the farmer, they realized how hastily they had agreed to his terms. But that scream, it was too horrifying. Why had the farmer seemed to expect something to happen? Why had he been so insistent that they remain silent?
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Liu Hai murmured. “That scream… it sounded inhuman. But the town—no one’s reacting?”
His voice, though hushed, was still too loud. Before he could say another word, Lin Xiao clamped a hand over his mouth.
A moment later, a shadow appeared outside their window. All three of them froze.
It was massive. A towering, monstrous figure that loomed over the ground, as if searching for something. It had heard them.
Zhang Nu turned sharply to glare at Liu Hai. This was his fault. Liu Hai swallowed hard, realizing his careless whisper had drawn the creature’s attention.
No wonder the farmer had been so strict about staying silent. Now, it all made sense. This town was plagued by YaoGuais.
Liu Hai instinctively tensed, prepared to fight, but Zhang Nu and Lin Xiao pinned him down, preventing him from moving. They might not fear the creature, but they couldn’t risk exposing the farmer’s family. They had been shown kindness. The last thing they wanted was to bring disaster upon their host.
For a few tense moments, the creature lingered outside their room, its grotesque form casting an eerie silhouette against the moonlight. It seemed to be listening, waiting. But when no further sounds came, it eventually turned and walked away.
Liu Hai exhaled in relief—Only to realize, too late, that his sigh had been too loud. The shadow outside the window stopped. Then, ever so slowly, it turned back toward them.
Zhang Nu’s pulse quickened. This thing’s hearing was unnaturally sharp. They had barely escaped its notice the first time. Now, because of Liu Hai’s mistake again, it was coming back.
Liu Hai squeezed his eyes shut, cursing himself. If anything happened to the farmer’s family because of him, he would never forgive himself.
The three of them remained absolutely still, barely daring to breathe. For what felt like an eternity, the creature stood outside. Then, finally, it left. This time, none of them dared to make a single sound.
For the rest of the night, sleep was impossible. They stayed on edge, terrified that the slightest noise would bring the creature crashing through the walls. Only when the first light of dawn crept over the horizon did the creatures finally retreat. As soon as they were gone, Zhang Nu and the others exhaled in unison, as if releasing a breath they had been holding all night.
Zhang Nu turned to Lin Xiao, suspicion in his eyes.
“You knew,” he said. “You knew there was something wrong with this town.”
Lin Xiao met his gaze without hesitation.
“I warned you,” he replied. “I told you this town reeked of death. But neither of you listened.”
Liu Hai and Zhang Nu exchanged guilty glances. They had ignored Lin Xiao’s warning, dismissing it as paranoia. But Lin Xiao had been right all along.
“Lin Xiao… we were wrong,” Liu Hai admitted. “We should have trusted your instincts.”
“Forget about that now,” Zhang Nu said. “The real question is—what are those things? And why do they hunt by sound?”
Lin Xiao shook his head.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But whatever they are, they’ve been here for a long time.”
Zhang Nu sighed, rubbing his temples. They were exhausted. There were too many unanswered questions, and right now, they weren’t in any state to investigate further.
“Let’s get some rest first,” Lin Xiao suggested. “We can ask the farmer about it in the morning.”
Liu Hai and Zhang Nu agreed, too drained to argue. They finally allowed themselves to shut their eyes and drift into sleep.
The night had been long and terrifying. But they had survived.
As the morning sun painted the room with golden light, a knock came at the door. The farmer had come to wake them.