Chapter 284 - 157: A Change in the Passage (Part 2)

The Demonized Creatures knew next to nothing about the Undead. Their knowledge was based on rumors and intelligence from the people of Komeilan City. Everyone had told them that the Undead were incredibly stupid—that as long as they were strong enough, they could just charge straight in and finish them off. No one had ever mentioned that the Undead were capable of using dirty tricks.

This spelled disaster for the Demonized Creatures who had set out to hunt the Undead. They were utterly unprepared and fell into the traps one after another.

Battle cries and agonized screams of the Demonized Creatures echoed through the various tunnels.

The Undead’s battle strategy was actually extremely simple and more or less the same everywhere. They would let the Demonized Creatures see a small number of Undead, fooling them into thinking it was an easy fight. Just as the creatures ran over, smugly confident in their victory, they would be swarmed and surrounded by a much larger force.

There were hundreds of thousands of Undead in the underground tunnels, teeming with Alien Undead. They could use their Soul Fire to detect life, but they could also lie dormant, retracting their Soul Fire deep within their skulls. In this state, they were like stones—inanimate objects hidden in the Darkness, making them nearly impossible for the Demonized Creatures to notice.

As a result, the Undead were frequently successful, inflicting unspeakable misery upon the Demonized Creatures.

The smarter Demonized Creatures sensed something was wrong. They stopped delving deeper into the tunnels, quietly retreating to the plaza to regroup. However, few Demonized Creatures were this cautious. The majority still gambled, pressing on into the passages.

...

「Komeilan City Lord’s Mansion.」

"Have those hunters returned yet?" White Hair Pulan asked casually while looking at the documents in front of him.

"My Lord, they have returned," the City Defense Army officer replied. "However, only a little over a thousand of them came back."

White Hair Pulan grunted in acknowledgment and continued to read his documents. It took him a few more moments before he realized something was amiss. He looked up, his brow deeply furrowed.

"Why did only a little over a thousand return? Do those fools plan on spending the night in the tunnels? Have they gone mad? The place is crawling with Undead. Are they suicidal?" White Hair Pulan growled.

"I’m not sure. According to those who returned, something seems to have changed in the tunnels. They didn’t see any large gatherings of Undead," the City Defense Army officer said, a hint of confusion in his voice. This wasn’t like their previous encounters.

’No large gatherings of Undead? That’s impossible. It can’t be right.’

White Hair Pulan put down his pen and sat up straight. "What have you discovered?"

"We haven’t seen any Undead. At least, there are no signs of them attacking the city," the City Defense Army officer answered honestly.

Their duty was to garrison Komeilan City, so they hadn’t gone out hunting with the others today. Instead, they had been resting inside the walls. How were they supposed to know what was happening outside? The news of a change among the Undead had come from the returning Demonized Creatures, but the credibility of such a source was questionable.

"How many people went out today?" White Hair Pulan had a growing sense of unease.

"Over 3,000," the City Defense Army officer answered after a moment of thought. They hadn’t kept a precise count, only a rough estimate.

"What in the hell do you people do for a living?! Over three thousand people went out, and only a thousand-plus came back! Didn’t it occur to any of you to wonder where the other two thousand went? Send men out! I want the tunnels checked! I want to know the exact situation with the Undead!" White Hair Pulan flew into a rage, thoroughly displeased with the City Defense Army’s handling of the matter.

’This is sheer negligence. More than half the people are missing, and they’re completely clueless.’

The City Defense Army officer immediately snapped to attention, turned, and left to dispatch troops to investigate the situation in the tunnels.

News of a change in the tunnels quickly spread throughout all of Komeilan City. Everyone heard about it, but they paid it no mind. They just laughed and joked about it, completely unconcerned.

It wasn’t as if they’d never fought the Undead before; they knew exactly how capable the creatures were. So what if things had changed? The Undead were idiots. They’d probably just retreated into other tunnels to hunt Demonized Beasts. That was good news, as far as they were concerned. At least Komeilan City was no longer in danger.

As for the Demonized Creatures who hadn’t returned, no one cared. Demonized Creatures were inherently selfish and only looked out for themselves. They would never spare a thought for the lives of others. All that mattered was their own well-being. Whether others lived or died was irrelevant, as long as it didn’t affect them personally.

This attitude extended not just to strangers but even to their own children. Familial bonds meant little to them. A child was only a "precious little darling" if they could provide a significant benefit to their parents. Without that, they couldn’t be bothered whether their offspring lived or died.

The City Defense Army set out to investigate. But after a long wait, the dispatched soldiers still hadn’t returned. Instead, another hundred or so injured Demonized Creatures staggered back.

White Hair Pulan’s unease grew. He had the newly returned Demonized Creatures brought before him.

"Tell me what happened to you," White Hair Pulan said, wasting no time on formalities.

"You lied to us! Those Undead are too cunning! Did you send us out there to die?!" a Demonized Jackal Wolfman roared. He was covered in bandages that were still seeping blood, and one of his arms had been hacked off. He was a truly pathetic sight.

Seeing someone take the lead, the other Demonized Creatures also started clamoring, demanding that White Hair Pulan compensate them.

In their eyes, they had been deceived. The reality of the Undead was completely different from what they had been told, and this discrepancy had led directly to the current tragedy. It was all the fault of Komeilan City and the City Lord’s Mansion.