Wu Shuang checked his status. His Stamina and Health hadn't dropped significantly, and the bonus from Red Humanity was still active. This was likely his strongest state for the next few days, or at least until his wounds healed.
If he didn't take this chance to try, the risk would be even higher next time. Once his pace was thrown off, things might only get worse. Therefore, he decided to give it a shot—eliminate this "witness" so that stealth would still hold up.
He had plenty of time to prepare.
All the tools, odds and ends, and furnishings in the entire house could be used by him, aiming to subdue the enemy and settle the battle quickly.
Pushing aside the wooden crate, he looked down at the wooden floorboards beneath and quickly spotted something off. Using the crowbar, he easily pried open the loose board.
Hidden beneath was an iron trapdoor. Several spots on the door bulged slightly outward, presenting a harrowing sight. The creature inside was still pounding, producing loud thuds that grew even louder and clearer once the wooden board was removed.
"Hungry...!!"
the unknown creature roared.
Wu Shuang paused for two seconds, roughly assessing its strength. It didn't feel particularly exaggerated.
The warping on the door was either accumulated from years of pounding or the creature hadn't eaten in a long time, starving and falling into a weakened state with strength far below what it once was.
Whichever it was, it wasn't enough to stop Wu Shuang's next move.
After ensuring all preparations were made, he took the key out of his pants pocket and drew a deep breath. Sensing the movements of the unknown creature below, he waited for a lull in its activity, inserted the key into the keyhole on the trapdoor, turned it—hearing the click of the mechanism unlocking—and immediately pulled his hand back.
The next instant, the trapdoor burst open as a figure rushed out. Its hideous, twisted appearance caused Wu Shuang's pupils to contract.
What on earth was this thing?
Was it even human?
From the neck down, the skin on her body sagged like loose folds, resembling a layer of highly elastic rubber that couldn't hold itself up or stay taut.
At the top was a face gaunt from starvation, with sunken cheeks and a withered look. Her hair was sparse yet long. The moment she spotted Wu Shuang, she reached out to grab him, but her so-called hands were actually just a pair of broken arms with palms dangling loosely—as if shattered from repeatedly pounding on the door and never healing.
Numerous iron rings and chains hung from her skin, restricting her movement, yet she was still able to charge out. However, the instant she poked her head out, she froze.
This was because Wu Shuang had set a trap. He had woven the iron chains in the room back and forth, tying one end to the anvil and the other to the staircase railing, wrapping several lines to construct a suspended iron web that separated himself from the monster beneath the trapdoor.
If the target could smash through even this—whether by dragging down the heavy anvil, snapping the chains, or tearing off the railing—Wu Shuang would run without hesitation, abandoning his loot, or even accepting death, as there would be no point in resisting.
But if she couldn't break free, what awaited her would be Wu Shuang's thunderous blow.
That was precisely the sight that greeted the monstrous woman as she lunged out.
Wu Shuang stood right in front of her, but she was tangled in the chains, unable to reach him or even fully squeeze out. She could only watch as Wu Shuang raised both hands, swinging down the heavy broad-bladed long axe straight at her head.
"Hungry!!!!!!"
Thud!!!!
Accompanied by the gruesome sounds of chopping flesh, crushing bones, and iron chains clashing—or even snapping.
The monstrous woman who had crawled out was smashed back down into the cellar by Wu Shuang. Yet within a few seconds, she crawled back up again, one side of her skull and eye socket caved in, brain matter oozing out, yet she still hadn't died.
"Hungry!!!!!!"
The piercing shriek broke Wu Shuang into a cold sweat, and he immediately swung the axe down once more.
This time, however, his force was a bit weaker. The first strike had been too fierce; lacking knowledge of how to properly generate power with a heavy two-handed weapon, he had strained his arm muscles. Still, he delivered a heavy strike to the monster, bashing her back down.
"Hungry!!!!"
Thud!!
"Hungry!!"
Thud!
...
Repeating the process five times like playing Whack-A-Mole, Wu Shuang was on the verge of breaking before the monstrous woman finally quieted down and shut her mouth, no longer screaming for food. She was probably full now.
Leaning on the broad-bladed long axe, he panted for breath.
Bringing down those few axe strikes felt even more exhausting than killing that hunter earlier. But more likely... his Stamina was running on fumes, having dropped to 23%. Even with the Red Humanity bonus, it couldn't fully suppress the sense of fatigue.
His arm was also strained.
He hoped this fight had been worth it. There had better be good items in the cellar, or he would be cursing up a storm, even if it served no purpose.
Wu Shuang stood panting for a moment, keeping an eye on the window and the door out of the corner of his vision. The monstrous woman's shrieks had been loud enough to make his eardrums throb, making him worry she might attract other villagers.
Fortunately, no one came.
After confirming the woman was unresponsive—remaining still even after being struck with a small hammer—Wu Shuang prepared to enter the cellar to search. Unraveling the iron chains wrapped above, he stepped inside holding the small hand axe and dagger he had used initially.
Short weapons were still more comfortable to wield.
While long-handled heavy weapons possessed terrifying destructive power, they were slow and easily caused self-injury, rendering them impractical most of the time.
Wu Shuang crouched as he entered the passageway. Inside was a staircase sloping downward. The monstrous woman's corpse lay spread across it, her skin fanning out like a carpet that felt soft beneath his feet.
Fearing he might slip, Wu Shuang was forced to hold onto the cellar ceiling as he walked down, while remaining vigilant against the monster suddenly coming back to life.
Thankfully, she was truly dead.
After mutating, these people didn't seem to possess much intelligence. They felt just like what the system described: wandering corpses whose Humanity had dropped to zero—or rather, the living dead.
Their vital point was still the head. This monstrous woman had been somewhat more resilient, remaining alive even with her skull severely caved in; she only truly died when her cervical spine snapped.
Wu Shuang took two steps down, but the thick darkness ahead made him hesitate, fearful that something else might be lurking inside, leaving him reluctant to venture further down.
He decided to simply cast the Appraisal Spell on the woman. After all, the cellar door was shut and lacked a lock; even if a wandering corpse broke in, it likely wouldn't find him, so he could huddle here for a bit.
Once opened, the handbook cast a faint blue light, brightening Wu Shuang's eyes as it meant his exploration could continue.
But what met his eyes was... a thick sheet of human skin squeezed into the passageway, spreading down the stairs with numerous chains attached to it, extending into the darkness.
This was way too creepy.
Wu Shuang couldn't fathom how fat she must have been in the past. Her legs were nowhere to be seen, making him suspect she had crawled up by squirming with her skin.
"What on earth is wrong with this world...?"
He couldn't help but complain aloud. As he checked the Appraisal Spell results, the information shown made him overjoyed.
Because the prompt revealed... this female villager named Helena was actually a doctor who ran a clinic!
【Villager • Helena Kochal】
【Description: A villager of Gulf Town and the town's sole doctor. She married the honest and dutiful Paul, using the cellar at home to run a small clinic.
However, good times didn't last. Helena's appetite grew larger by the day, and whenever she didn't eat enough, she would scream and shout, straining Paul's already fragile nerves.
Thus, Paul locked her in the cellar and reinforced the soundproofing so he could get a peaceful night's sleep.
Yet for some reason, he had recently been feeling a persistent itch in his butt, but there was no longer a suitable doctor to treat him...】
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