Chapter 591.2: Mist Is Here

Chapter 591.2: Mist Is Here

Yinyin looked at the empty space with a look like she barely understanded. She nodded lightly and forced a smile onto her face. "Alright... I don’t really understand, but you definitely wouldn’t hurt Yinyin, right?"

The air stayed silent for a while.

Only after a moment came the reply. "Mm, I promise I won’t hurt you... Also, thank you."

He didn’t look into those innocent eyes. He simply whispered softly before slipping away quietly without a sound.

That smile made his heart sting.

Even though he had long since discarded those creatures, it might have been his only regret since entering the Sanctuary.

His cultivation was still not enough.

Though she didn’t hear a farewell, Yinyin could feel that he had left.

With a soft grunt, she jumped down from the chair, preparing to head outside to find Yang Xiaoyang and clear up last night’s misunderstanding when the floorboard outside the door gave a faint creak.

At the end of the day, the Guesthouse was old and the aged wooden floorboards tended to do that.

She froze for a moment, then quickly walked to the door and yanked it open, only to see a familiar face not far from the doorway.

Yang Xiaoyang stood there, staring blankly at her friend, clutching a handful of chocolate candies, the ones the New Alliance brothers and sisters had given them last night.

She had saved Yinyin’s share, but hadn’t found a chance to give it to her friend. Only just now, when her big sister Chen Yutong had given her another handful after drawing her blood, telling her to share with her best friend, had she made up her mind to come.

But just as she reached the doorway, she heard voices inside the room...

"... Yinyin?"

"Xiaoyang?" Yinyin stared at her in shock, her expression flickering with panic and vigilance, like someone caught guilty, muttering in confusion, "You... why are you here?"

"The brothers and sisters outside gave me some chocolate, I wanted to share some with you..."

Yang Xiaoyang looked at her nervously, swallowed, and asked again, "Who were you talking to...?"

Yinyin’s face went slightly pale.

The chosen one had warned her to never let the northerners know she could communicate with him, otherwise, given their hatred for the Torch Church, they would never spare her.

"I..."

Seeing Yinyin’s face full of tension and fear, Yang Xiaoyang faintly guessed something, but said nothing. She only stepped forward gently and hugged her.

Startled by the sudden embrace, Yinyin froze, not knowing how to react.

"... Eh?"

"It’s alright, I won’t tell anyone..." Looking at Yinyin’s lost and helpless expression, Yang Xiaoyang lifted her head, gave her an encouraging smile, and whispered softly, "This is our secret... okay?"

The young lady had always taken care of her.

She didn’t know if this was right, but now it was her turn to protect the young lady.

"... Xiaoyang." Yinyin stared at her, and suddenly her eyes brimmed with tears.

There was regret, grievance... and a tangle of emotions she could not put into words, all stuffed in her chest.

Not only because of the hurtful words she had said last night, but because she suddenly realized. The one who most deserved her confessions, the one who cared for her most, had always been right by her side.

Yet shame pricked her. She had never truly valued her clumsy friend. Subconsciously, she had not even seen her as a friend, only used Yang Xiaoyang’s special status to tease the servants.

Otherwise, why would she rather confide in an unknown god than speak a single honest word to her?

Why would she, knowing there was no escape, still drag Yang Xiaoyang along into things that might earn them a scolding?

She had always led her around like a pet, never once asking what Yang Xiaoyang thought, whether she wanted to leave, whether she needed a place no one could find to hide for a while.

Even after such a terrible night, she hadn’t asked her a single question to care for her friend, only fretted over her shifting role, and after losing everything, the fear of losing her only friend.

As the young lady’s tears broke loose, Yang Xiaoyang didn’t know her thoughts. She only patted her back gently in comfort. "It’s already alright... Xiaoyang will stay with you."

No one knew how much time passed.

Outside the window, a gray-green fog spread.

It was a color Yinyin had never seen, and in the impenetrable haze lay an ominous feeling.

Noticing it too, Xiaoyang stopped her patting, muttering, "It’s foggy..."

Then, from the stairs came a faint creak.

Yinyin, who was still hiding her secret, immediately turned her head, but saw nothing, only an empty corridor.

Is it a hallucination?

Just as she thought so, her peripheral vision caught sight of a wet footprint forming slowly at the stair’s corner.

It was as if a damp boot had just made a step.

The moment she saw it, her heart leapt into her throat.

... A ghost?!

...

The fog had risen suddenly, unnaturally, in the middle of the afternoon, and in an instant covered Pinecone Ranch.

Fear spread over the faces of those gathered at the manor gates. They thought the New Alliance had restarted the Spirit Interference Device, and the horrors of the previous night would return.

Butlers, slaves, and manor servants all scattered in a panic, fleeing for their homes, rushing to lock their doors.

Those without locks tied family members apart with ropes to pillars or stoves.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Actually, it saved the players a lot of trouble.

With monsters potentially spawning anywhere, such a crowd was dangerous.

But no one dared to relax.

This sudden gray-green fog was clearly the Torch Church’s doing. Players at the gate donned helmets and gas masks, spreading out on alert for surprises.

"What’s with this fog..."

"Gas?"

"Doesn’t seem like it... breathing’s still fine."

"It stinks a bit."

"And damn, it’s so green!"

The communication channel instantly filled with chatter.

Falling Feather looked up. Moments ago, clouds had been visible overhead, now only a sickly green halo remained.

The air was thick like jelly, with a damp, moldy stench, like unwashed laundry left too long.

Then, a call came from the Heart of Steel.

"...This is Heart of Steel airborne command. We see you surrounded by dense fog from above. Report your situation immediately!"

Carrying his rifle to the manor gate, Old White, clad in his exoframe, answered in a grave voice. "We’re stable for now. Can you gauge the fog zone’s extent? Is it just us, or the whole region?"

"Roughly over a thousand square kilometers. You’re right in the center."

"I suspect the Torch Church is behind this... Can you send a plane to scout out the area? Focus on the area between Pinecone Ranch and Brocade Lake Municipality."

"Understood."

Such fog would slash ground visibility, and likely obscure much from the air too. Old White had little hope of any discovery.

His real worry was Mutant Humans using the cover to slip out of the city.

But more troubling was... Where had the fog come from?

At that moment, Falling Feather suddenly pressed his forehead, murmuring, "... It’s spores."

Quit Smoking froze, staring at Falling Feather in shock. "... Spores?!"

"Yeah..." Falling Feather nodded heavily, adding, "They’re very similar to spores from Slime Mold... That’s what Little Feather told me."

Though Little Feather didn’t use spores to communicate or reproduce, it had developed in Clearspring City and understood them well.

The players were stunned. Quit Smoking especially looked at him in disbelief.

Spores?

Why are there spores in Brocade Lake Municipality?

There is no Hive here!

Peepo swallowed hard. "Wait... dumb question, weren’t your Little Feathers from before all dead?"

"It left one in me, the symbiote that restores HP... And stop saying weird stuff. What do you mean my Little Feathers? Those bodies belong to Little Feather!" Falling Feather glared at Peepo.

Peepo chuckled awkwardly.

Old White cut in in a firm voice. "Now’s not the time. The situation's changed, we need to evacuate key NPCs and equipment."

Suddenly remembering his 100,000 silver coin mission, Falling Feather quickly added, "Don’t forget Yang Xiaoyang!"

"Of course not, she’s vital research material. Anyone else can be left, not her."

Quit Smoking asked, "What about the locals?"

"There are 40,000 or so here... evacuating everyone’s impossible. It might be even deadlier outside." Old White glanced at the houses beyond, speaking in a heavy tone, "Do what we can."

Just then, a thunderous blast erupted behind them, followed by heavy gunfire.

Spinning around, Old White’s expression shifted.

It came from the Guesthouse!

...

In the emerald jungle, green-skinned heads swayed, thick muscles draped in orange ammunition and brutal weapons.

Kuru stood at the front of the mutants, glaring at the fog-shrouded plain ahead, bloodthirst gleaming in his eyes.

The stench that repulsed frail old humanity smelled to him like a sweet fragrance.

In it, he already smelled killing and death...

The night before, he had suffered a bitter defeat. Countless brothers died or maimed, and he himself had lost half an arm.

Ordinarily, such incompetence meant being hacked apart and tossed into a pot. But the chieftain hadn’t punished him, instead, he had been spared.

There was more. The Torch Church had given him a mechanical arm, and filled his broken body with cybernetics, raising his destructive power a level higher.

To make up for his failure, to repay the Torch Church for sending him back to battle, he had volunteered for this mission, vowing to bring back 50,000 heads for Lord Gaen.

To honor his fallen brothers, and the Apostles and Executioners.

Watching the thickening fog, Kuru’s face curled into a cruel smile.

The Torch Church hadn’t lied.

With the cover, the once-impenetrable plain lay wide open.

Even if that airship overhead knew they lurked within, it couldn’t know where to aim.

Then came a distant pop, the signal to attack.

Kuru took a deep breath, letting the scent fill his chest, his blood boiling like lava.

He raised his mechanical arm and axe-like gun, bellowing in a coarse, savage roar. "KURU! Hack those two-legged beasts to pieces!"

"Leave none alive!"