Chapter 120: Cha.119 Irada (4)

After returning from the expedition, the captain gathered everyone to discuss the results.

“We managed to advance 37 meters (121 ft), and we managed to draw a detailed map of that area.”

He slowly shook his head.

“Sadly, we didn’t find any remains of the nearby city that fell into the dark, which means we still have to advance even further.”

He paused and looked at his team.

Cici and the other three were a bit disappointed, while Qasim and Yasmin listened with straight faces.

Then, the captain gave a small smile.

“But we all returned alive despite facing a trap from those monsters, one that even experts would struggle to escape.”

He stood straight and raised his hand beside his head in a military salute before continuing.

“With this, I’m proud of you all.”

The team’s mood immediately lightened at the captain’s words.

He then lowered his hand and spoke again.

“Another thing I didn’t tell you before, but tomorrow, the main expedition team will arrive!”

Qasim jumped when he heard the gasp beside him.

He turned his head and saw the surprise on Cici’s face, along with the other three members. They covered their mouths in shock before breaking into excited smiles from ear to ear.

“Is it that exciting?” Qasim asked innocently.

He was taken aback by the sudden frowns and pitiful looks he received.

“Oh, look at this rookie, not knowing how great this news is,” a man said mockingly.

Cici moved closer to Qasim, her eyes filled with excitement.

“The main expedition team consists of the most powerful humans alive! They are the true heroes who travel into the deepest parts of this cursed empire, and they are the reason we’re still alive!”

She then raised her head toward the sky, moving her hand up and down as she continued.

“Each of the three remaining cities has its own purpose. Our city is the new home of the princess, while the eastern city is where knowledge is kept safe. Then, the northern city is our line of attack and defense!”

She adjusted her glasses before looking back at Qasim.

“The main expedition team are living legends. All of them are well known, and among them is the commander.”

“He’s the strongest warrior! His story started with him as a normal, weak warrior, all the way up to becoming the only symbol of hope for all of us!”

Qasim felt his excitement rising in his heart as he stared at Cici.

“Wow! Now I can’t wait for tomorrow!”

He deliberately showed his desire to meet such a person.

The captain watched them talking with a satisfied smile.

Then he heard a strange noise coming from the boy.

Qasim placed a hand on his stomach and scratched his head with an awkward smile.

“Is there really no food at all?”

The captain stared at him for a second before asking Cici to take the rookies to an old house where they used to keep the food.

“Maybe you’ll find some there. I need to write my report now. If you need me, come to my office.”

He turned to leave, but stopped after a couple of steps.

With a serious expression, he said,

“Only if you have something important to say. Understand?”

The team nodded.

…

Back in his office, the captain took a deep breath before picking up his pen.

“Well, let’s start…”

Suddenly, before he could write, he began hearing a strange sound coming from outside.

He stood up and walked toward the window, confused by the sudden sound. There was something intimate and warm about it.

He opened the window and narrowed his eyes when he spotted a humanoid figure standing in the distance.

He stared at it for a second before his eyes widened and his mouth opened.

“You—”

Before he could finish his sentence, to his shock, something flew directly toward him at a speed faster than he could react.

The black thing covered his entire face and tried to force its way directly into the man’s mouth.

The captain struggled to fight it off, but every time he touched it, he felt less and less capable of thinking.

He slammed his head against the window, trying to kill it or at least knock it off, but the thing only tightened its grip.

The captain fell to the ground as his vision began to blur.

Then, everything started changing colors.

He raised his hand and saw a disgusting, jelly-like material covering his body.

His eyes began turning red and rolling upward as his body started transforming.

…

On the other side of the city, close to the castle, there was an old house covered in dust and without plants around it, unlike the other houses . Cici was showing that house to Yasmin and Qasim while the other three were talking nearby.

“We stopped aging once the curse happened, but that also applies to the vegetables and animals,” Cici said as she opened the house.

“At first, we panicked, thinking that we would die from hunger. But soon, we figured out that we don’t need to eat. Actually, we don’t need to sleep, eat, drink, or, of course, die.”

Cici started looking through the old boxes scattered around.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean we couldn’t pretend, at least, to enjoy food. This house was the food house where we stored everything. Let’s hope we can find something…”

Cici opened a nearby box, and to her relief, she found some already-cooked meat.

She gave some to Qasim and Yasmin.

“Well, let’s eat together then,” Qasim insisted.

Cici happily accepted.

As soon as they exited the house, a nearby woman screamed in fear.

“What’s that?!”

Qasim looked toward where she was pointing.

A bird-shaped monster made of black jelly emerged from their base.

It had two giant wings and almost twenty small legs extending from its middle to the end of its body. Its huge body was covered in red eyes, supporting a terrifying, triangle-shaped head with dozens of spikes piercing out from it.

“T-The base!”

Cici screamed.

The monster was emerging directly from their base.

Her face went pale, and her heart dropped as she imagined the worst possibility.

“We gotta go now! Maybe the captain is in dange—”

“AAHHH!”

A scream cut Cici off as a nearby man came running toward them, terror in his eyes.

Soon, more people began running for their lives as monsters started attacking the city.

Ten green-eyed monsters, along with yellow-eyed monsters, were roaming freely through the city.

People were being crushed to death by the monsters before becoming infected and turning into monsters themselves.

Houses began collapsing, trapping people inside with deadly injuries.

But they could only endure the pain, as they couldn’t die.

Cries, screams, and blood spread throughout the entire city.

Qasim looked around at the brutal chaos.

Then he looked toward the sky.

The bird monster was charging straight toward them.