The soft rattling noise was like a big mouth chewing on food. It sounded like someone sucking on beaten bone marrow.The b.l.o.o.d.y smell that a.s.saulted their noses was so unsettling, it could make one’s flesh s.h.i.+ver.
The big guy twisted his body anxiously. Despite his low intelligence, he had the advantage of an extraordinary body and extremely strong senses. He was trying to tell the group that danger was lurking around the corner.
Even though Kieran listened carefully, he still could not identify what it was. He signaled at Pierre to lead Herbert and the big guy out of the street, and then stuck to the shadow of the wall and quietly approached the turning point.
The closer he got, the clearer the noise and the heavier the smell of blood got.
When the smell reached a certain level, it evolved into a burning stench that a.s.saulted his nose. It smelled like hundreds of rotten fish placed in a sealed box for several months.
When the stench got too strong, Kieran decided to hold his breath.
Although the stench was not poisonous, the foul smell itself was more horrifying than poison for Kieran.
As he stood at the edge of the wall, he carefully stretched his head to take a look around the corner.
When he saw what was there, he was completely overwhelmed.
Countless skeletons with some remaining flesh attached to them were piled up in a giant pit with a 50-meter radius.
A dozen of hyena-like animals were occupying the pit, chowing down what was left of the skeletons.
When Kieran saw the b.l.o.o.d.y skeletons, he remembered the missing gold diggers from the campsite. His theory was confirmed when he saw some pickaxes and ropes beside the pit.
He took a deep breath to calm his mind. When he had seen that the gold diggers were missing, he had instantly had a bad feeling about them. Seeing it with his own eyes though was a different matter altogether.
Even more so when he recalled the ma.s.sacre at the Chief Officer’s source’s house back in Herl city. Suddenly, a terrifying but realistic thought bloomed in his mind.
The Night Race Monsters were cannibals!
Back in Herl City, when Kieran had seen the b.l.o.o.d.y skeletons and the minced meat, he had instinctively thought that something was wrong. The battle that had followed and his instinct had both told him that the scene had been a part of the trap.
However, when he saw the b.l.o.o.d.y skeletons all over the place in front of him, the gruesome scene raised questions in his mind again.
Where was the flesh and the organs of the dead?
The monsters must have eaten them. Kieran could not come up with another logical explanation.
He let out a heavy breath. He finally understood why the Neegor Dynasty had wanted to eliminate the Night Race.
At first, Kieran had thought that the Night Race had been using their own advantages to rebel against their ruler at the time.
Now though…
The Night Race and the human race had a prey and predator kind of relations.h.i.+p.
They were fierce opponents. One side had to be fully eliminated. There was no other possible outcome.
Heavy growling noises were coming from the hyenas’ throats. Even in broad daylight, their eyes were glowing ghastly green, their gazes filled with thirst for flesh and fresh blood.
After days of devouring human flesh, that group of hyenas had become different from normal ones. Their hostility towards humans had increased.
After a long howl from the alpha hyena, a couple of the strongest hyenas s.h.i.+fted their attention to Kieran and dashed towards him.
A strong wind a.s.saulted Kieran’s senses along with that foul b.l.o.o.d.y stench.
Although the scene before his eyes was a part of nature, when he saw the hyenas chew on human bones, Kieran’s heart filled with a sense of unusual anger.
When the hyenas threw themselves at him, his burning rage turned into ice-cold killing intent.
He smashed the [Infantry Spear] out like a battle stick.
Bang!
The strongest hyena that had thrown itself at him got smashed on the head with a heavy blow. Its head instantly exploded and brains splashed everywhere around it.
Kieran kept wielding the [Infantry Spear] like a whirlwind.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
All the hyenas were smashed away with bone-breaking blows. The alpha hyena was no exception. Even though it was bigger and stronger than the others, it was useless against Kieran’s spear and his tremendous strength.
After all the hyenas had been struck down, Kieran added another lethal shot on their heads, just to be safe.
When they were all dead, Kieran turned around, signaling to the others that it was safe.
Herbert, Pierre and the big guy quickly came over. When they saw the b.l.o.o.d.y scene, their expressions turned ugly. Even the big guy’s face looked angry.
It was the helpless anger of seeing his own kind trampled and devoured by another species. His anger felt pure and straightforward.
The big guy was grunting at Herbert, stating his intentions. He spoke too fast, and his unclear intonation made his words even harder to understand.
Herbert comforted him and then looked at Pierre.
"Pierre, get some kerosene oil from the gold diggers’ campsite, please. No matter what they were when they were alive, they don’t deserve this…" Herbert said.
"Right away!" Pierre nodded, and then turned around and sprinted back to the campsite.
Almost 30 seconds later, Herbert sighed heavily.
"The Night Monsters were cannibals?" Herbert seemed to be asking a question and mumbling to himself at the same time.
"They didn’t just devour humans. They ate them in a special way too. Even killing 1,000 pigs would have been a long process, let alone 1,000 men. These men might have backed away if they felt threatened, but if their lives were on the line, why would they not resist?" Kieran said slowly, drawing a deep breath.
"Herbert, have you ever thought about why the Night Monsters were so confident in allowing you to find the weapon? I originally thought they’d set up a trap, but when I saw this, I had another thought…"
Kieran’s expression turned ugly, Herbert shared the same expression, but he wanted Kieran to continue.
"They controlled these people with some kind of drug or magic. Maybe something we’ve never even heard of before. No matter what it was, they are showing us that they are powerful!" Kieran shared his theory.
"These bodies were placed here for us. They are warning us. They want us to submit to them. They are like a fierce beast hanging the carca.s.s of its prey in its territory, exerting dominance on others. Will you submit?"
Herbert s.h.i.+fted his gaze to Kieran. Kieran smiled.
"I can’t!" he replied.