I Will Teach You How to Hunt Gods

In fact, as soon as Jack and Frost Moon came back, Yun You should have been suspicious about the "duration of their outing."

But at that time, she was engrossed in her notebook research on one hand, and moved by the sake wine Jack had brought on the other, so she naturally overlooked the suspicions she should have had.

Thinking back now, Jack probably does have secrets.

And speaking of this, Yun You couldn't help but recall a particular sentence.

The "truth" Jack revealed to the vengeful corpse in the mine shaft.

He personally killed his closest friend, betraying a childhood companion he'd known for over twenty years, all for 320,000 Silver Cannon.

In any industry, that would be considered a grave sin.

At that time, Yun You couldn't resist asking about it, but she didn't get an answer.

"Could it be... Jack really has a problem?"

Yun You thought silently.

She didn't want to suspect her companions, at least not during the task.

But sometimes, the facts already happening made it impossible for her to ignore the issues.

"Sigh..."

After a long silence, the girl gently shook her head.

"I get it, I'll keep an eye on it."

"For now, don't make a fuss, or say anything, just keep observing him. Tell me if anything seems off."

"That's it then..."

She made her decision.

In response, Frost Moon didn't say much, just nodded quietly.

In fact, this child had considered keeping it a secret.

Revealing this would inevitably affect the team's unity, it was unavoidable.

But Frost Moon knew it had to be said.

He was Jack's friend, no doubt, but he also had to be responsible to his employer, and to Jack as well.

Concealing information might help Jack in the short term, but in the long run, it would harm him.

Problems and suspicions wouldn't disappear if not resolved.

A decision had to be made to solve them.

"I'll head down now."

"You get some sleep, boss, I won't disturb you."

Frost Moon said quietly and then silently left.

Seeing his somewhat crestfallen expression, Yun You sighed lightly, shaking her head.

Sleeping...

A few minutes earlier, she might have been able to fall asleep.

But now, knowing about Jack's issues, how could she sleep?

She could only lie on the bed, close her eyes, hoping to somewhat rejuvenate through meditation.

"There are three of us, fully armed, with decent physical conditions... yet under these circumstances, we still face various issues, feeling too troubled to sleep."

"Aurora, you came here alone, isolated, without many resources, how anxious you must have been..."

"I really admire you."

"And also, what exactly is that 'it' in the town? A person? A monster? Or something indescribable..."

"Hopefully a monster, something with a physical form is easier to deal with than those without."

"Master Zero, if you're awake, make some noise and chat with me, okay?"

[Snoring]

"..."

"Alright then, continue sleeping, perform well when it's your turn."

"I wonder how much the [Space Slash] trait has developed, hope it gets done soon, with it, our attack capabilities can step up a notch."

"Speaking of which, the traits of the [Invisible] Sequence and the [LORD] Sequence don't seem to be usable yet, only the [Mad Dog] Sequence can be activated at any time."

"It's probably due to physical limitations, or maybe some special conditions need to be met. But the current abilities are more or less sufficient."

Yun You couldn't help but wander in her thoughts, although she was in meditation, her mind was all over the place.

Time gradually slipped away amidst this chaotic thinking.

...

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

After who knows how long, that familiar bell sound rang again, piercing through the window, entering Yun You's ears.

"Is it ten-thirty? No... it should be eleven."

Yun You woke from her meditation, knowing the time without needing to check her phone.

The mayor had previously mentioned when guiding them that there are four bell chimes at night in Yangshan Town, and each bell chime is strictly according to some ancient law.

The first chime is at [Hai Shi], exactly ten o'clock.

Its chime signifies a curfew, hence it's called the [Gate Closing Bell], reminding people to close their doors.

The second chime is at [Zi Shi], around eleven o'clock.

Once this chime rings, it typically means that the "it" hiding in the forest starts to appear frequently. One must check the Protective Stone, hide indoors to sleep, and only then can they safely pass the long night, hence it's called the [Soul Calming Bell].

The third chime is at [Yin Shi], three-thirty in the morning.

Its sound does not signify the end of the night, but indicates that a heavy fog will begin to rise in the town, everything covered in a haze, hence earning it the name [Fog Bell].

The fourth chime is at [Mao Shi], just after six in the morning.

This is the final bell sound, symbolizing that people have survived the long night, thus it's called the [Daylight Bell].

Currently, the town is sounding the second "Soul Calming Bell."

It's to appear together with "it."

"Phew..."

Yun You braced herself on the bed board, slowly sat up, and yawned.

Although Jack said he'd watch the night with Frost Moon, letting the little girl rest easy... but truthfully, Yun You was a bit uneasy.

She slowly opened her dry eyes, rubbed her hair, got out of bed, walked to the window, and lifted the curtain slightly to look outside.

What filled her view was a thick fog.

The mist, carrying frost, filled the air, blanketing the entire town.

It's strange, the mayor clearly stated before that the town would only fog up when the third "Fog Bell" rings, but now with just the second bell, the fog started to spread.

"Maybe it's because it rained the day before."

Yun You looked at the slightly damp ground and thought silently.

Yangshan Town at night was already unusually dark, and the arrival of this fog robbed the town of its contours, visibility wouldn't be more than ten meters at most.

Only the two sentry tower lights remained, still lit, as the only sources of light in the town.

Relying on memory, Yun You looked towards the town's gate.

There, it remained pitch black, astonishingly quiet.

Nothing was there, nothing at all.

At least Yun You didn't see or sense anything.

After observing for a while, Yun You lost interest in watching.

She drew the curtain and planned to go downstairs to greet Jack Frost Moon...

"..."

"The heavens—are dry—"

But at this moment, a vague shout suddenly appeared outside the window, like a stone thrown into a lake, breaking the silence of the whole town.

"The heavens are dry..."

"Be careful—of fire!"

Yun You's expression froze, she quickly drew back the curtain, and looked towards the sound...

There, on the previously empty street, suddenly appeared a person.

He wore ancient attire, holding a gong and drum, playing the drum while repeating the phrase "The heavens are dry, be careful of fire," appearing somewhat like a so-called "Night Watchman."

But he was hopping as he walked.

His knees seemed unable to bend, he could only keep his legs together, hopping forward...

And the direction he was heading...

Was exactly towards the wooden house where Yun You was.

Whether it was an illusion or something else... Yun You constantly felt that this strange "person," or what might be called a "human" creature, was lifting his head, using those vertical eyes to look at her from afar...

His mouth curled into a grin that made her scalp tingle.