In the Tall Grass

The crimson moon had risen, casting its hazy light over Rhine.

Beneath the moonlight, the wasteland was covered in tall grass over two meters high, like a curtain of green gauze obscuring the view. Through the gaps in the tall grass, a farmhouse could be seen nestled deep within the wasteland, its faint light flickering in and out of sight amidst the concealing grass.

This was the Green Wheat District, the largest urban area in Rhine City. Over eighty percent of Rhine City's farmland was concentrated here, supplying the entire city's food needs.

Driven by land purchase orders, land was often consolidated, with vast stretches of crops forming an unbroken expanse as far as the eye could see. However, between these cultivated fields, there were occasionally large patches of wasteland. These appeared to have been abandoned for several years, overgrown with grass taller than a person, creating a green barrier that blocked outside views and imbued the interior with an air of mystery.

Lynch found himself in this dense patch of grass, quietly gazing at the distant farmhouse light.

The address he received that afternoon from Elder Bru and Chairman Grant was here. The wasteland and farmstead were part of the Valente family's property, and the hillmen were hiding in the farmhouse deep within the wasteland.

Having lived two lives, Lynch had learned not to trust others easily. He didn't fully accept everything Elder Bru, the ghoul elder, had said. But after synthesizing information from Miss Diana de Valente, the journalist Maya, and Elder Bru, it was highly probable that parts of Elder Bru's account were true.

This suggested that Miss Valente had concealed some facts in their previous conversation, likely to appease Lynch, and her purpose... was probably to buy time, perhaps for this very ritual.

Lynch actually had a good impression of this unfamiliar lady; her demeanor didn't suggest a deranged desire to destroy the world. At the very least, she was far more agreeable than Chairman Grant.

He also didn't want to be foolishly used by the Chairman and the ghouls like some hot-blooded youth, so he decided to first scout around the farmhouse. He would adjust his stance only after understanding the truth.

However, before he even reached the farmhouse, the moment he stepped into the tall grass, he began to regret it. It was far more intense than he had imagined.

Lynch realized that he had only entered the tall grass a few meters, yet visibility had already dropped to a minimum. All around him was tall grass, the distant farmhouse flickering in and out of view. Whenever the wind blew, strange rustling sounds constantly echoed around him, as if some eerie presence was moving swiftly through the grass. The chirping of insects also became abrupt and intermittent, abnormally distorted and harsh.

Damn it, charging into tall grass is actually this dangerous.

He had been careless this time. Some things people who grew up in the city find hard to understand just by watching movies. A fall into a ditch makes you a wiser man; he would never rashly enter such an environment again.

After a moment's pause to steady his emotions, Lynch crouched low and bothered his neighbor in his mind: 'Neighbor, I have a friend who's a bit timid. He'd like you to help confirm the safety of the environment.'

【There are abnormal manifestations of mysterious filth here. Your friend had best remain vigilant.】

'Hiss, he's almost crying, ready to go home and change his pants.'

Despite his words, Lynch had already swiftly activated his lurking ability, concealed his figure, and simultaneously activated his mystery intuition, lightly brushing his fingers across the surrounding tall grass.

Then he frowned slightly, because he also sensed the abnormality of the mysterious filth.

The concentration was not radiatively enhanced or weakened, nor was it contagiously concentrated in a specific area. The surrounding filth concentration was very uniform, almost identical in every location. It was as if the entire area was a single entity, with the filth evenly distributed to every point.

This was not a good sign, likely meaning the entire patch of grass was problematic. Lynch pressed his rapidly beating chest, cautiously looking around, but with the wind rustling the grass, he felt danger lurking everywhere.

'If mysterious filth suddenly appears around me, can you warn me in time? I'm worried about an ambush.'

【Yes, be careful.】

'Don't be like that; your Soul Severer is getting even more nervous.'

With an enemy alert system, Lynch felt a little more at ease. Gripping his cane, he pushed aside the grass and looked at the faintly lit farmhouse in the distance. He estimated it was at least a hundred meters away. To go a hundred meters in this environment...

No, the reckless ones in horror movies die first. Lynch gritted his teeth, having made up his mind.

Retreat first, think of a countermeasure in a safe place outside. He couldn't possibly continue knowing that charging into tall grass was dangerous, could he?

With his mind made up, Lynch no longer hesitated. He immediately turned around, crouched low to the ground, and returned the way he came. Fortunately, he hadn't gone too deep, only a few meters. After turning around, it wouldn't take long, just a few minutes, and he would be able to...

He had walked at least ten meters, so why hadn't he gotten out yet? He hadn't seen the path outside?

A chill ran through Lynch's heart. He instinctively turned to look back in the direction of the farmhouse.

The farmhouse's faint light remained, making it hard to discern any change in distance, and the surrounding tall grass looked as if it were carved from the same mold, making it impossible to tell if he had moved at all.

After a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, Lynch pondered for a moment. He suddenly jumped up, the effect of Cat's Favor still active, lifting him more than a person's height from the ground. His upper body emerged from the tall grass, and his vision was no longer obstructed.

Under the moonlight, everything in his sight was normal. The edge of the grass was only three or four meters from his current position. Lynch could even clearly see the country road outside the grass, clearly only a few more steps away.

Thud. He landed back on the ground, finally letting out a sigh of relief. It seemed he must have been mistaken when he entered, and the actual distance he'd penetrated the grass was further than he'd felt.

As soon as Lynch landed, he immediately started walking again, not quickly, but a few meters would soon be...

He walked at least ten more steps, but still hadn't left, nor did he see the path outside?

Lynch's heart sank. He realized he was in trouble. This patch of tall grass was indeed strange.

But how far had I walked this time?

It was difficult to judge distance in the grass. Lynch could only jump again, looking in the direction he had entered. However, the moment he clearly saw the environment, Lynch's eyes widened. He landed crookedly back in the grass, squatting on the ground in a daze.

All he saw was a dense patch of tall grass. The country road had appeared more than ten meters away, flickering in and out of sight in the darkness.

What's going on? Am I going deeper and deeper? Is this another one of the elder hillman's abilities?

Lynch carefully recalled the feeling of confronting the elder hillman yesterday, but ultimately shook his head.

It didn't feel quite like yesterday, and there was no sense of confrontation. If he had to describe it accurately, it was more like there was something wrong with this patch of grass itself.

Hiss, no wonder he felt the mysterious filth was evenly distributed around earlier. This patch of grass was probably the ghouls' defensive barrier.

This was troublesome now.

Lynch gritted his teeth and jumped up to observe again. This time, all he saw was tall grass in front of him, making it impossible to discern his location.

Yes, I have no drafts at all right now, it's very sad, I'm trying to catch up.