Nightmare Assault

The “locals” from Black Stone Town had given up on their disguises. They started to hunt down the survivors of the mission mercilessly. Fatty never thought he could run so fast. All the stone statues had come alive!

They joined the “locals” and went into hiding by hanging themselves upside down on the ceiling of the first-floor lobby. The function of the cathedral as the safehouse was gone. That was why the Doctor insisted on running out.

The swiping of claws and the flapping of wings chased after them. Fatty wanted to turn his head around to look, but he didn’t dare. He was scared that once he saw their true appearance, he’d lose his will to survive. The ugly monsters were not as sluggish as they appeared. They moved quickly like wolves. The situation became better after they entered the forest and had the cover of the trees.

“Doctor, the building’s limitations on them appear to have disappeared,” Fatty stammered. His face was pale.

Jiang Cheng scouted the way ahead. He moved the bushes. He frowned like something was troubling him. This made Fatty worried. The sound of friction and branches breaking came from all around them. The strange things also followed them into the forest.

“Doctor,” Fatty jogged down the path Jiang Cheng opened. His lips opened and closed. He looked like he had something to say, but he didn’t know where to start.

“Just say what’s on your mind.” Jiang Cheng said without turning around. “If not, you might not have the chance in the future.”

Jiang Cheng stopped hesitating and whispered, “Doctor, I was thinking… Since the cathedral’s limitations on them are gone, why didn’t they attack us when we arrived at the lobby?” He swallowed and moved faster, “If they made a move, then we wouldn’t have the chance to leave the cathedral.”

Jiang Cheng chose a perilous path. It was easier for them to hide their tracks. Furthermore, the strange things had large figures that would make climbing through the forest harder for them. Compared to land travel, they should be more familiar with the sea.

Jiang Cheng placed his feet on a low ground. After ensuring it could hold his wait, he continued forward, “It’s a hunt.”

“A hunt?” Fatty was startled. He was not unfamiliar with this term. When he was young, he was raised by his grandparents from the countryside. Each lazy afternoon, his grandfather would sit on the rattan chair and tell him stories. Every time, Fatty would try to squirrel away, but he managed to remember quite a few things over the years.

The hunt was a historical event in Chinese history. It was common for ancient royal families. It was a group activity. To be specific, the hunters would surround the prey from all aside and then collectively hunt them down.

“Are they trying to corral us towards the stone plate?” Fatty gasped.

“Other than that, I can’t think of any other reason.” The wounds Jiang Cheng suffered severely limited his movements. The bushes would aggravate his wounds.

“Doctor, I think you’re not wrong when you said this is a hunt, but I feel like…” Fatty thought about it, “Their goal is not just to kill us.” Fatty grabbed Jiang Cheng’s arm, “Doctor, don’t you think this scenario is very familiar?”

Jiang Cheng paused. He slowly leaned down to hide himself behind a large rock. He turned to Fatty, “Continue.”

“Do you still remember what we saw near the stone plate?” Fatty spoke quickly.

“Do you mean… when the invaders shoved the locals to the…”

Fatty licked his lips and nodded. “Yes. Doctor, think about it. The invaders gathered the locals at one spot and then chased them into the forest. Then… around the stone plate… Isn’t that similar to what is happening to us now?” Fatty hinted.

Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty. His eyes swirled with things the latter didn’t understand. “You’re right. This is too similar not to be related.”

Fatty looked out through the gaps in the bushes. He sighed. “But I can’t figure out what their goal is.”

Jiang Cheng leaned on the rock. The rustling sound around him annoyed him. The mission was ending. The strangeness of the forest was thicker than before. It might be affecting his thoughts.

However… he raised his head. Fatty fared a lot better. Even though he looked scared, his mind was clearer than normal.

There was clearly a connection between the two hunts that were several hundred years ago. But… Jiang Cheng’s eyes glowed. What was the connection? How could one survive?

Many clues appeared in his mind. They were categorised into different parts to be parsed and analysed… The meaningless ones were eliminated. Older ones were given another view.

Until… a bloody face appeared in his mind, the image froze. It was the girl’s face. She was normal-looking. A smile froze on her bloody face. Her body was cut into two parts. It was the mayor’s granddaughter.

Then, many smiling faces bloomed in his mind. All of them were murdered brutally, but all of them smiled creepily before they died. They were the original locals of Black Stone Town. They were grinning like their ploy had succeeded.

The information crowded Jiang Cheng’s mind. It almost exploded. The next second, he raised his eyes and calmed down.

He found the connection between the two. He also understood why the monsters were corralling them.

The monsters didn’t want to kill them. Their real goal was to chase them to the stone plate so that they could be killed, just like… the ‘locals’ who died with a smile.

They just wanted salvation.

This was a cycle…