The silent erasure of the two survivors had zero impact on the vanguard’s pace. Neither Chen Ye nor the Sword Immortal girl paused for even a second. In this place, hesitation was a death sentence.

The trio pressed on toward the Great Willow at the village center.

As they ventured deeper, the pressure bearing down on the survivors intensified. A suffocating, irrational dread settled over them like a shroud. To their left and right, the doors of the village houses stood wide open, revealing interiors of absolute, swallowing darkness.

Some survivors had steeled themselves to stick to Chen Ye and the Sequence Beyonders like glue. Others wavered, their eyes darting between the ominous path ahead and the terrifying open doors. Going deeper meant facing the unknown; entering the houses meant certain death.

Among the followers, the Zhou siblings were the most resolute.

Suddenly, Chen Ye’s steps faltered. His eyes narrowed, and he raised his Hand Crossbow, leveling it at the path ahead. Beside him, Iron Lion and Nana reacted instantly, their bodies tensing for combat.

It was the hunchback.

To call him an old man was a stretch. He stood there like a marionette with cut strings, his posture unnatural, the expression on his face frozen in a rictus that resembled a failed attempt at mimicking humanity.

“You… have come…”

The Hunchback Thrall’s voice drifted over, faint and ethereal, causing goosebumps to erupt on everyone’s skin. It sounded less like a greeting and more like a trigger for a trap. He had been waiting for them.

The survivors behind them scrambled to hide behind the three leaders.

“Are you a villager?” Chen Ye asked, his voice steady.

The Hunchback Thrall let out a dry, rattling chuckle, ignoring the question entirely. “I know… you are here for supplies. There is a small supermarket under the Great Willow… many supplies… go look there!”

He raised a twisted finger, pointing down the road. “Follow this road… straight to the Great Willow Mini-Mart! Hehe… many delicious things there! So many…”

Having delivered his lines, the old man turned slowly, his movements jerky and mechanical. It was as if he were executing a pre-programmed script. The sight made one’s scalp tingle with unease.

Just then, a faint sound drifted to Chen Ye’s ears.

“Save… me… Save… me…”

The voice was muffled, sounding both incredibly distant and terrifyingly close. It was coming from inside the Hunchback.

Chen Ye’s expression hardened. He glanced at Iron Lion. “Big guy, did you hear that?”

Iron Lion’s face was grim. He nodded. “I heard it. Someone is saying ‘save me’.”

“It’s coming from inside that old man’s body,” Nana said, her hand tightening on her sword hilt.

“That thing is wrong.”

Chen Ye didn’t hesitate. He raised his Hand Crossbow and pulled the trigger. Survival in the apocalypse had honed his aim; the bolt flew true.

Thwack!

The bolt, soaked in Black Dog Blood, struck the Thrall dead center between his eyebrows.

A wisp of green smoke hissed from the wound, and a flicker of genuine pain distorted the Thrall’s frozen face.

It works, Chen Ye thought, feeling a surge of satisfaction. The Black Dog Blood was effective.

[System Message: You have dealt damage to the Hunchback Thrall. You have obtained Slaughter Points +100.]

But before Chen Ye could celebrate, the Hunchback Thrall turned to glare at him with venomous hatred. He reached up, yanked the bolt from his skull, and threw it to the ground.

The headshot hadn’t threatened his life at all. The Black Dog Blood was useful, but its lethality was limited—far less effective than the shot against the White-Dress Scissor Lady in Apricot Blossom Town. Of course, that time Iron Lion had done the heavy lifting.

“Kill it!”

Nana’s eyes flashed cold. Her long sword blurred, transforming into a streak of lethal light as she lunged.

Iron Lion was a beat slower, but his momentum was terrifying. He charged like a runaway bulldozer, his massive fists ready to pulverize.

Chen Ye calmly began winching his crossbow for a second shot.

Shing!

The Sword Immortal was too fast. With a single fluid strike, she sliced the Hunchback Thrall cleanly in two at the waist.

But there was no blood.

Before the survivors could cheer, the upper and lower halves of the Thrall’s body hit the ground and began to move independently. Like two grotesque monkeys, they scrambled away, dodging Iron Lion’s crushing fist and leaping onto a nearby roof, disappearing into the shadows.

From the fleeing body parts, the weeping, mournful voice continued to echo: “Save… me… save… me…”

The sound was bone-chilling.

“Big guy, stop! Supplies matter more!” Nana shouted, grabbing Iron Lion’s arm before he could chase the monstrosities onto the roof.

The encounter had lasted only seconds, but it broke the survivors’ morale completely.

Several people wet themselves. Facing an Anomaly never got easier; terror was a cumulative poison.

“I’m not going! You go if you want, I’m getting out of here!”

A survivor screamed, his mind snapping. He turned and sprinted back toward the village entrance.

“Me neither! I don’t want to die!”

Two more broke rank and fled, chasing the first man.

Chen Ye glanced back. The Zhou siblings were still there, following closely behind the trio.

Zhou Lan caught his gaze. Her eyes held a flicker of pleading and regret, but she quickly looked away. Zhou Xiaoxiao kept his head down, avoiding eye contact entirely.

“Let’s go,” Chen Ye said.

They continued toward the Great Willow. The atmosphere was heavier now. The village remained empty of people, but the Spectral Domain made the air feel thick, as if they were walking through deep water in another dimension.

Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted from behind them.

“Azi! Azi is gone!”

The trio spun around.

A disheveled girl was crouched on the ground, wailing hysterically. Her hair was a mess, her clothes torn. “Azi is gone… He was just here! Azi is gone… Wuwuwu…”

Her crying was visceral, a hollow, rushing sound like wind howling through a tunnel. It grated on the nerves.

Chen Ye frowned. They hadn’t even reached the market yet, and the team was falling apart. Longevity Village was proving to be far more aggressive than Apricot Blossom Town.

Zhou Lan, moved by pity, crouched down to comfort the girl. “Don’t cry. Maybe Azi ran back to the entrance. We’ll look for him when we leave.”

The girl shook her head violently, her black hair whipping around like nest of snakes. “No! I can’t be without Azi! I can’t live without him!”

Before anyone could react, the girl sprang up and bolted back the way they came, vanishing into the gloom.

“Wait!” Zhou Lan reached out to grab her, but her hand closed on empty air.

Silence returned to the group. No one spoke. They watched the direction the girl had fled with heavy hearts. They all saw themselves in her. Every survivor here had lost someone—husbands, wives, children.

This was the apocalypse. Perhaps today, none of them would walk out of Longevity Village. A heavy stone pressed on everyone’s chest.

Chen Ye lit a cigarette, the lighter’s flame flickering in the dim light. He took a deep drag, trying to suppress the unease gnawing at him. Something was wrong. The pieces didn’t fit.

He exhaled a smoke ring, watching it dissolve into the grey air. Then, he spoke, his voice low and chilling.

“Hey. Have any of you… ever seen that girl in the convoy before?”