The Creators: From Night City

Page 398

Accompanied by the whistle, the faint, tactile sensation of snake and python scales rubbing against her skin moved across her entire body.

The crow, who had been calm and decisive since waking up, suddenly panicked.

She felt a slight heat in her brain, and she knew that this was her 'inner eye' seeing symbols of things that did not belong to this world.

Her 'spiritual vision' is rapidly increasing, allowing her to glimpse more of the 'truth' of this world.

But this is not a good thing.

Human beings have limited knowledge, and their fragile bodies are simply unable to bear that heavy and indescribable cognition.

The crow felt its neck begin to itch, its neck bones were creaking, and the skin on its face began to writhe as if it had a mind of its own.

Without hesitation, she pulled a bottle of tranquilizer injections—the kind only hunters carried—from her purse at her waist. Discarding the needle, she precisely plunged the grime-covered syringe into the artery in her neck, pushing it all the way in.

The potent anesthetic mixed with blood was absorbed at an abnormally fast rate and took effect immediately.

A numbness began to envelop her thoughts, dulling all her ideas, and her once keen senses were also paralyzed, causing her to plummet rapidly.

The whistling gradually faded away, the itching on my face gradually disappeared, and the faint fishy smell in the air finally dissipated.

The crow knew it was safe for the time being.

She staggered out of the room, puzzled as to why a superior she had never met would show such favor to an ordinary old woman.

Why would His gaze fall upon this place? These ancient beings, who are beyond sight, indescribable, incomprehensible, and untouchable, are usually high above, and aside from a few 'heroes,' they rarely favor mortals.

The old woman was clearly not among them.

With questions in mind, the crow resolutely set off on its journey.

Although her desperate moment was thrilling, it wasn't entirely without reward.

Although she was almost transformed into an old woman-like snake monster by the mysterious 'whistle', she also managed to 'hear' the direction from which the whistle came.

Right where the meteorite fell.

The further you go, the more intense the light, like the setting sun, becomes.

The intensity of the light also increases from sunset to midday.

Similarly, the entire route was deserted; there wasn't a single person, monster, beast, or even insect in sight.

It wasn't until the crow turned into a valley leading to the meteorite that it was astonished to find countless snake corpses scattered throughout the valley floor, which was illuminated by a golden light.

These snake corpses were so numerous that they almost completely covered the ground in the valley, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Chapter 815 Before the Meteor Crater

The scene was spectacular, but also disgusting; the sticky snake carcasses resembled a grotesque floor, and crows crunched on them as they stepped on them.

As she moved forward, the corpses on the ground began to change.

Snakes gradually increased in size, from the thickness of a finger to the thickness of an arm, then a thigh, and finally to the thickness of a bucket.

The crows also found the answers here to the questions they had been asking about regarding the missing villagers.

They lay dead in droves by the roadside, their heads replaced by clumps of snakes.

These corpses did not suffer any obvious external injuries, as if some being had instantly burned away their souls.

What also made the crow feel uneasy was the expression on the corpses.

Whether it's a human or a snake, the corpses are frozen in their final poses, and these prostrate, kneeling postures look like a pilgrimage.

The light grew even brighter, as if it could penetrate the raven's heavy clothing and shine directly onto her skin.

She even felt something inside her evaporating.

Even the longest journey eventually comes to an end, let alone this short one.

Undeterred by death, the crow continued onward and soon rounded the canyon.

Surprisingly, outside the canyon was a huge meteorite crater, and next to a rocky hill piled up by the shock wave at the edge of the crater, the crow actually saw living people.

Of course, that's normal.

After all, with such a large commotion, it would be difficult not to attract attention.

However, the positioning on site was quite subtle.

Although they are both hunters, there is no mutual trust between strangers.

Besides the crows, there were four other people standing beside the rocky hill.

"How strange, there are even new hunters here."

The one who spoke was a man with a cane, a leather bag on his head, and a well-fitting suit. Standing next to him was a companion wearing a black cloth hood and holding a hunting axe similar to the one worn by Father Gascoigne.

Opposite them stood a hunter wearing a triangular hat and old-fashioned traditional hunter's leather clothing.

He carried a common hunter's weapon, a meat saw, and exuded the sharpness and composure of an old hunter.

The old hunter Henrik, the crow recognized him.

A cloth scarf covered half of the other person's face, with only a pair of eyes shining under the brim of the hat.

He glanced at the crow briefly before turning his attention back to the fourth man.

That was something the crow was extremely wary of from the moment they met.

He was almost naked, covered in blood, his head was tightly wrapped in layers of dirty bandages, and his limbs were abnormally thin.

He huddled in the deepest shadow of the hill, avoiding the light of the outside world. The arrival of the crows did not disturb his meal, but what was placed in front of him was not cooking utensils, but the carcass of a giant snake that had been gutted.

He's eating raw meat!

The fresh flesh, pungent with the smell of blood, was stuffed into his mouth in large mouthfuls. He seemed to be insatiable, eating mechanically and efficiently.

In Yharnam, only 'beasts' eat flesh and blood raw. Every one of the four veteran hunters present knew from the first glance that the other was a patient whose 'beast disease' had progressed to its ultimate stage.

However, they all tacitly refrained from exposing it.

This was not because they neglected their duties, but because this unknown entity exuded an extremely powerful aura of tyranny from within.

The crow's spiritual vision had just been enhanced; she could even see a pair of scarlet, savage beastly eyes behind the other party, scanning the crowd from time to time.

Judging from their aura alone, none of them could match the other unless the four hunters cooperated closely and carried out a joint hunt.

But that's where the fun begins.

The four hunters were divided into three factions, and none of them trusted the others.

Unfazed by the raven's silence, the hunter who had spoken first continued, "I am Victor, and this gentleman next to me is Marinlas."

"You also came here for that meteorite?"

The crow stood at the intersection of light and darkness, coldly watching the group. Instead of answering their question, it posed a new one.

Why don't you keep moving forward?

The target was right in front of them, but the group remained stuck there, which must mean something was wrong.

The alliance leader smiled but remained silent, but the usually aloof old hunter Henrik suddenly spoke up.

"Control your curiosity, hunter. Don't go any further if you don't want to die."

But the crow had a reason to move forward.

Just as she was about to say something more, the man who was eating in the corner suddenly stopped eating and shoved his thin body into the snake's belly, ignoring the foul-smelling blood and entrails that covered his skin.

The three hunters' expressions changed simultaneously, and they all stood against the wall, turning their backs to the exit.

The cold-faced but warm-hearted old hunter, Henrik, advised, "If you don't want to die, you'd better stay away from the entrance."

The crow didn't ask why, but simply and neatly hid behind the hill.

Soon, a strange buzzing sound came from the crater.

The tranquilizer had long since lost its effect due to the hunter's powerful metabolism. Before the crow, whose 'vision' had been further 'expanded', could even close its eyes, it was astonished to witness a ring of golden, illusory flames spreading from the crater, rapidly sweeping across the valleys and mountains in all directions.

Amidst a series of unforeseen events, she committed a taboo that could be fatal in Yharnam.

The crow curiously darted toward the flames, peering at them.

Although the hills provided some cover, the flames, even though only witnessed by the crow, seemed to come alive, suddenly returning and igniting along her 'gaze,' directly setting her ablaze.

She 'burned'.

The excruciating pain that penetrated to her very soul caused her knees to buckle and she collapsed to the ground. It was as if the blood in her body was boiling instantly and began to evaporate rapidly.

The excruciating pain, beyond the limits of what mortals can endure, blurred her consciousness. In the midst of this chaos, she seemed to hear that ethereal whistle again, but unlike last time, this time she also heard a painful hiss, like that of a snake.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a wailing of fear of death.

Under the dual pressure of mental and physical oppression, Crow nearly fainted. Instinctively, she reached into her purse at her waist and pulled out a small vial with a syringe attached.

The small bottle, about the size of a baby's fist, contained a clear, amber-colored red liquid. The crow raised its hand and stabbed at the outside of its own thigh.

But the next moment, her arm was gripped tightly by a large hand, and a faint voice, as if from afar, entered her ears: "You must not use 'blood therapy' now, or it will only cause more pain."

Despite its near-collapsed consciousness, the crow managed to discern, amidst the deafening ringing in its ears, that the voice belonged to the old hunter Henrik.

Having confirmed that the voice belonged to a "human," the crow ultimately chose to believe it.

She released her grip, letting the 'blood vial' fall to the ground and smash into the rock beneath her feet, cracking it.

Liquid seeped from the crack into the 'blood bottle,' and the sweet yet rich, metallic scent of blood filled everyone's nostrils.

Clearly, this 'blood bottle' contains genuine fresh blood.

Chapter 816 The Truth About the Meteor

"Thank you"

The crow spoke with difficulty.

Before the old hunter Henrik could even exchange a few polite words, a dark shadow darted past them.

It's that man!

He carried the snake's body, hollowed it out, and wore it as clothing.

As for the purpose of doing this, it is obviously to block the direct rays of light.

The four hunters exchanged glances, and without saying a word, they got up and followed.

Especially the crow, after the 'flames' on its body went out, it simply stuck a needle into its leg and drew blood, as if it had refreshed its status and was fully revived.

A man dressed in snakeskin led the way, with four hunters following closely behind.

Since the burst of light, its power has clearly weakened considerably. Taking advantage of this gap, the man rushed towards the crater wall like a madman.

This crater is enormous, tens of meters deep, and its rock surface is scorched so pure it's like a mirror.

Without a moment's hesitation, the man jumped into the 'bowl' and slid down the 'bowl' to the bottom.

The light, pure light, seemed to take shape at this moment, wrapping around the man's body and scorching the snake's body into crisp charcoal.

The ethereal whistling sound rang out again.

There were still a large number of snake carcasses on the smooth rock face. Each of these snakes looked huge, and their bodies were scattered all over the rock face. Judging from the crow's hunting experience, they must have been the most ferocious kind of 'beasts' in life.

At the whistle's call, their normally stiff corpses suddenly began to writhe, nimbly coiling around the man as he passed by, forming a huge, ceaselessly writhing clump of snakes.

Four hunters stood on the wall, witnessing the moths drawn to the flame, and were almost speechless.

What's even more surprising is the situation at the bottom of the valley.

The crow considered that the meteorite might be a giant eye covered in fleshy tentacles, or it might be a pure meteorite, or even the retinue of some 'superior'.

But she never imagined that the meteorite would be a sword.

This is an enormous golden sword, nearly seven meters tall.

The light emanating from the sword transformed into a constantly shifting and leaping cage of light that enveloped the giant crater. It stood silently in the center of the crater, its hilt pointing high at the dark sky.

Simply gazing at it evokes a sense of solemnity, purity, and an inhuman, cold sense of sacredness and order that washes over everyone.

In contrast, the chaotic filth that it penetrates below forms an extreme contrast with it.

What was nailed to the bottom of the pit was a massive organic mass that defied description.

"What is that?" the old hunter Henrik exclaimed in surprise.