Wrapped in animal hides and covered in dense tattoos, the old man had wild, gray hair and eyes that were half-open, as if he had just woken from a slumber.
Surrounded by hillmen, the elder walked out of the forest and headed straight for the cabin.
His gaze carried a pressure that struck directly at the soul, and within his eyes seemed to hide faint flickers of electricity. Most importantly, the elder left a footprint with every step he took.
Literally.
With every footfall, the weeds he touched seemed to suddenly lose their vitality, instantly withering and dying, leaving behind a footprint-sized patch of decay. From far to near, step by step, a trail of eerie, withered footprints extended toward the cabin.
The pace was not fast, full of stops and starts, but each grotesque footprint felt like a piercing funeral knell, striking heavily against Lynch's heart.
Looking at this group of hillmen, Lynch experienced another vision.
He seemed to see an endless sea of corpses. A group of dog-faced monsters, which he had seen in the photographs, were squatting beside the piles of remains like humans, lifting their heads. Their maws, dripping with rotting flesh and cadaverous fluids, overlapped with the simple, honest faces of the hillmen, filling Lynch with an indescribable sense of eeriness and terror.
My damned intuition, it doesn't even leave me a shred of room for fantasy. These people really are ghouls. I only came to a villa to investigate, so why did I run into a group of monsters? Is this the power of a constitution that attracts mysterious events?
As soon as the thought crossed Lynch's mind, he felt the muscles of the officer beside him stiffen through their physical contact. Even her voice turned strained: "Damn it, it's a high-grade."
"Is it strong?"
"A single look from him could crush us, or he might not even need to look at all." The officer clenched her fists hard to control the trembling of her muscles. "His oppressive aura is too intense. It's a natural reaction. My apologies."
Lynch felt a chill in his heart and whispered, "Should we hide? The wine cellar or the attic above the ceiling—they're small, but we could hide there."
"Too easy to be found. Besides, we are police; we represent the royal family and order. We are just conducting a normal search for a missing person. They shouldn't dare to make a move easily."
The officer gripped Lynch's hand and whispered:
"Listen, Lynch. In a moment, I will go open the door and declare our identity as police. I know how to intimidate them. You use your ability to hide, and while the door is open, slip out. Return to the city as quickly as possible and notify Victor. Don't worry, there is absolutely no danger for me. You are just providing an extra layer of insurance. Wait for me in the city to regroup."
"Bullshit. If there were really no danger, you wouldn't be asking me to lurk and save my own skin. You want me to hide, which means even you aren't confident. You aren't sure if they'll suddenly go insane. Do you take me for a fool? You're trying to insult me with this method again. I'm telling you, woman, I've put up with you for several days now. I've never learned how to run away. If we die, we die together. You still owe me three conditions; I won't let you run off by yourself."
Outside, the six humanoid hillmen had already emerged from the dense forest and entered the clearing within ten meters of the cabin. Sunlight filtered through the trees, illuminating the pointed roof of the cabin and casting a shadow like a sharp blade that pointed straight at them.
The old man observed as he walked, his gaze sweeping over the cabin from time to time. Every time his eyes passed over them, Lynch felt his heart tighten. The pressure was immense.
But Lynch grabbed the officer, pulling her away from the window to avoid being seen from afar by the hillmen.
"Don't go out and confront them head-on. I don't like leaving my life or death in someone else's hands, especially when the ones deciding are a group of monsters. I've seen it before; this old hillman's perception seems extremely keen. I have an idea to find a path to survival in the face of death. Do you want to go crazy with me once?"
"I don't like letting mysterious creatures decide my fate either."
"Then listen to me. We'll go hide in the attic storage space first. It's best if we aren't discovered. If we are, let me give it a try. If that fails, then we take the risk. At worst, I'll just die along with my three conditions. I won't be at a loss."
"Who is three conditions? You jerk."
Even with her heart racing, the officer punched him, but she did not refute him. She followed him up to the master bedroom on the second floor.
The secret ladder leading to the attic was actually quite well-hidden. If Officer Natalie hadn't understood the housing construction of this era, it would have been hard to discover just now. The two pulled down the secret ladder first before peeking downward from the window.
They didn't dare look at the old hillman, but their gaze could rest on the other younger hillmen.
These hillmen looked much like they had through the telescope a few days ago, though up close, their builds felt even more robust, and their oppressive presence was quite significant.
They lingered downstairs for a moment, roughly checking their surroundings, before walking toward the cabin without any pretense. Soon, the sound of the door lock being twisted echoed from the entrance on the first floor.
It was indeed coming for this house. The mastermind behind the picture frame was likely trying to contact them as well. It was just unclear what roles each of them played here.
Lynch did not hesitate. He pointed to the ceiling, and Officer Natalie didn't ask questions. The two climbed into the attic together. It was called an attic, but it was really just a small half-floor storage space where Maya had set up a table and chairs.
Almost at the same moment the front door downstairs was forced open, the two pulled up the secret ladder, plunging the attic into darkness. There was a kerosene lamp on the table, but neither of them dared to light it, so they huddled in the dark, listening to the movements downstairs.
With a rhythmic thumping of footsteps, the hillmen flooded into the cabin, and the two finally heard their voices.
It was a type of vocalization that could make one have nightmares in the middle of the night.
The speed was rapid, and the tone resembled the crying of infants. Everyone's speech was like this, extremely piercing.
They could barely understand the content, but when trapped in the dark attic, unable to see anyone and only hearing this bizarre sound echoing from below, it was hard not to feel one's skin crawl.
Following a bout of violent coughing, a notably deeper, aged voice spoke up.
"Search carefully. Find that female reporter. I can smell her scent; she lived here. As fast as possible. Once you've finished searching, leave quickly to avoid alarming those humans in Rhine City."
"Yes, Priest."
Several hillmen responded in high-pitched voices, and soon the sound of doors being opened and closed roughly echoed on the first floor.
"Do not be so rough. We are humans now. At least we must observe the most basic rules of humans. Children, maintain a little gentlemanly conduct. Also, if you see a large cabinet for books, bring me the wooden frame from inside it. That person said it was placed in the bookcase."
Hiss... Lynch touched the empty picture frame he had brought up. After Officer Natalie had destroyed it, the image on it had faded, and now it was just an ordinary frame. It seemed the purpose of the mastermind behind the empty frame was to contact these hillmen, though the goal remained unclear. It was fortunate he had thwarted his plot a step early.
"Priest, we did not find the female reporter on the first or second floor."
"That shouldn't be. The resonance from her was emitted from here. She was still here this morning; there can be no mistake. That person also said she was here. And there is the scent of her kind everywhere she left behind. With my six senses, I cannot be wrong." He didn't know if the one below had sniffed the air, but the old priest's voice suddenly paused, his tone turning sinister. "I smell the scent of the living. There are living people here!"
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