CHAPTER 639: DARK CREATURES SPOTTED

Jing Shu wiped her mouth discreetly. These people are ridiculous—they can even sniff out what’s at the corner of my mouth. Absolutely twisted. It looks like I’ll need to mask my scent before going out from now on.

"Alright, alright, is everyone here? Now, we’ll start the briefing. COUGH. COUGH."

The moment Xiao Shuai, the host, began speaking into the microphone, the entire hall quieted down, though there were still some whispers. It was just like a regular meeting; there were always people whispering under their breath. Everyone was quite concerned about this matter, as they had been trapped for several days now. The feeling was frankly unbearable...

"What I’m about to say next is very important, so please remember it at all times. Just three hours ago, a man and a woman ignored the curfew and sneaked out, probably to engage in some... intimate activities. As a result, they were dragged into the mire by an unknown creature and vanished. By the time our people arrived to rescue them, all they found were some clothes and the sounds of screams!"

There wasn’t a big commotion at the scene. After all, only two people had died. Wasn’t that normal? More than their deaths, people were actually curious about who the man and woman were. Perhaps actions like theirs could only happen when sleeping in a large communal bunk with no privacy?

Besides, it had been years since the apocalypse started. Wasn’t it normal for such things to happen occasionally?

"Do you think this is normal? Do you disregard this? At first, we only felt regret. The people at the scene were preparing to report the incident and investigate who those two were. However, it’s regrettable to inform you that three hours have passed, and we still haven’t had time to identify them. This is because many more strange-looking creatures, covered in black mud, have climbed out of the rapid mudslide and dragged our people into the mire as well.

Our people opened fire, but shooting them was like shooting into mud; there was no reaction whatsoever. We could only watch as these things dragged our comrades into the mudslide, where they completely disappeared.

We then assembled many people armed with torches, electric batons, and various weapons. After a fierce battle, the creatures left behind ten corpses and scurried back into the mire, disappearing completely. In that fight, we lost three people, and five were injured.

It’s predictable that there are many such creatures. They are like fierce beasts: strong, fast, amphibious, and impervious to bullets, much like mud. However, they are afraid of light, fire, and electricity. Now, let me show you the bodies of these creatures. After our examination, we’ve found that they are likely a new product of the apocalypse."

The host waved his hand, and people began carrying the mutated creatures onto the stage. The spotlight fell on them—grotesque, terrifying, shriveled.

One mutated creature was over six feet tall.

Without the nourishment of mud and water, they soon dried up, becoming like desiccated corpses. However, their skeletons remained, resembling... the skeleton of a fish, yet with horrifying teeth and two claws.

All in all, they had a fish-like body, lizard-like claws, and a head that took up half of its body.

Jing Shu furrowed her brows, rhythmically tapping her chair and producing a patterned sound. Strange, I’ve never seen this creature before. I slept too soundly last night. My insects and snakes were only sparsely placed around the outer perimeter of the building; they didn’t raise an alarm. After all, these insects and snakes have very low intelligence—they wouldn’t signal unless my safety was threatened, and they certainly wouldn’t record these events.

"After a simple identification, these creatures were identified as Dark Creatures that eat anything. They typically survive on mud. There’s no distinct male or female, and their reproduction methods are unknown. However, they are highly dangerous, capable of capturing any living thing to eat, and possess formidable combat abilities. You can think of them as a mutated evolution of a small shark that has evolved claws, enhanced teeth, and the ability to survive in both water and on land."

Host Xiao Shuai repeated everything he was instructed to say, with no omissions. After discussions with the higher-ups, they initially wanted to downplay the severity to avoid panic. However, they ultimately decided to disclose everything to ensure people took the situation seriously.

After hearing this, Jing Shu quietly released more snakes outside the building and commanded them to alert her if these Dark Creatures approached.

"In this dangerous situation, the truth needs to be told to scare them a bit, to make them stay inside the building and not cause any trouble," Jun Jia had said at the time.

Indeed, after Xiao Shuai finished speaking and the Dark Creatures were brought up, the hall completely erupted.

It wasn’t just that the Dark Creatures were horrific; it was the realization that these man-eating beings were lurking right outside and, importantly, could climb onto the building itself.

Xiao Shuai was pleased and continued, "Do you understand what this means? It’s as if we’re on a large ship floating on the ocean, surrounded by sharks. And these packs of sharks can also climb ashore to prey on any of you who are alone."

HUBBUB! The people in the hall grew even more terrified. Trapped and anxious before, now they were truly panicked.

"Therefore, the authorities have decided that, aside from those with entry permits, no one else is allowed to leave the building. Anyone who violates this will be thrown into the water as shark bait," Xiao Shuai announced cheerfully. Yet, no one objected.

Now, who in their right mind would want to go outside? Better to just stay put inside the building.

"Oh, and because there are so many people these days, food has become quite scarce. Boss Lu, the owner of the building, has decided to double the price of all food," Xiao Shuai announced as the second regulation.

"What? How can this be? We have no money left."

"Yeah, the food is too expensive, doesn’t even taste good, and is hard to swallow."

"It’s already mixed with mud..."

Xiao Shuai nodded understandingly. "So now, we need five hundred people to help dig defensive walls and set up interception mechanisms within the building. These individuals will be provided with three free meals a day."

If they didn’t volunteer, many wouldn’t be able to afford food. However, going outside seemed very dangerous.

"Don’t worry, we’ve found the weaknesses of these Dark Creatures, and we will definitely protect you."

The most conflicted were Jing Shu’s classmates in the private room. After all, they weren’t financially well-off...

"Wait, have you guys seen Cheng Long?"

"Cheng Long isn’t here. It seems no one has seen him this morning."

"Where is he? Wasn’t he with Tang Yuan?"

Tang Yuan’s voice trembled. "Yesterday, he said he was going to help Brother Tyrant..."

Gold Dominator’s voice interjected, "Don’t talk nonsense. If I needed help, I would have asked Young Master Lan."

So, where had Cheng Long gone?

Could he be one of the two who vanished? But Cheng Long’s wife, Tang Yuan, was still here.

Jing Shu shook her head. This whole affair is truly preposterous.