Chapter 103: Broilers

"Who are they?"

"In the factory, there are so many of these monsters!" Zhao Yi’s eyes filled with terror as if remembering something.

"I... I originally wanted to go to the factory to make trouble. I saw the iron gate was open, so I walked in... and I saw a giant centipede lying on the machines, probably tens of meters long! It was all black, like a shadow."

Hearing this, Chen Ling’s heart sank.

No wonder he had patrolled the entire neighborhood and found nothing unusual; the thing had been hiding in the factory area... He had just come from there yesterday, so he subconsciously hadn't checked it. It seemed the thing must have appeared after he left.

"And then?"

"I was scared." Zhao Yi swallowed hard. "My mind went blank, I turned and ran, and then a bunch of small centipedes hatched from egg-like things and chased me. I didn't dare look back, I just ran for my life.

The first person I thought of was you, so I ran here. But when I got close to the neighborhood, I felt my body getting heavier and my mind getting foggier... I looked back and saw my shadow had turned into a centipede.

After that, I don't remember anything."

Chen Ling looked at the broken black corpse on the ground, his expression grave.

A centipede that can control human bodies through shadows... and according to Zhao Yi, there were quite a few of them. The large centipede in the factory must have been hatching in the workshop for at least a day.

Chen Ling picked up the walkie-talkie without hesitation and pressed the button:

"This is Chen Ling. A large-scale disaster has been discovered at the steel mill, and it is breeding a large number of sub-entities. It is suspected that they have already begun attacking the neighborhood."

As soon as he said this, the walkie-talkie channel fell into dead silence. After a brief second, Han Meng’s voice sounded calmly:

"Received."

No questioning, no follow-up, no surprise or panic. After Han Meng finished speaking, a loud bell rang out over District 3!

Clang—Clang—Clang!!

The disaster bell had rung.

……

The sound woke countless people from their sleep.

"Three rings of the disaster bell?!" A middle-aged woman sat up in bed, her face deathly pale. "Is there another disaster in our District 3?"

"Keep your voice down!"

Boss Xu covered her mouth, looking vigilantly out the window. The dim sky and rolling fog made it impossible to see anything, as if invisible hands were isolating every house.

The woman’s eyes widened, her gaze toward the window filled with fear... The dark sky, the deep fog, the lingering bell tolls—these unknowns stoked the fear of everyone hiding in their homes. They knew something was out there in the mist, but they didn't know if it would appear, or when.

Seeming to sense the woman trembling, Boss Xu lowered his voice to comfort her:

"It's fine... what are you afraid of? The last time the disaster bell rang, weren't we fine? Just stay home honestly, and nothing will happen..."

Seeing the woman was still afraid, Boss Xu hesitated for a moment and added:

"Besides, that demon... er, Enforcer Chen Ling, doesn't he live on Frost Street? If a real fight breaks out, what disaster could be fiercer than him?"

The woman blinked, seemingly finding Boss Xu’s words reasonable. In this situation, knowing an enforcer was nearby provided a great sense of security... even if, at times, this enforcer was the source of their fear.

Knock, knock, knock—

An abrupt knock at the door sounded.

The knocking made both their nerves snap tight. They stared at the door, holding their breath...

In the middle of the night, with thick fog, and the disaster bell having just rung... who would come knocking at their door?

In this situation, they certainly wouldn't rashly ask who it was. Like children left home alone while their parents were out, they wouldn't be stupid enough to get up and open the door to see who was knocking. They just stared straight at the door, the room in dead silence.

Knock, knock, knock—

The knocking sounded again, with the exact same rhythm as before—unhurried, elegant, and patient.

The woman swallowed, her heart pounding. She realized something was wrong and looked at Boss Xu in terror... Boss Xu gritted his teeth. When the knocking sounded for the third time, he carefully got out of bed, took a kitchen knife, and stared fixedly at the door.

If whatever was behind the door dared to break in, he at least had a weapon to fight back with...

Bang—

A crashing sound came from outside, scaring Boss Xu so much he nearly dropped the knife.

It wasn't their door. From the sound, it seemed to come from next door, as if the door had been smashed open by something. Immediately after, a series of terrified screams followed!

Boss Xu recognized them; they were the screams of the neighbor, Old Li’s family. Through the wall, he could clearly hear bodies being slammed to the ground and flesh being torn. Children were wailing, and the woman was screaming.

A moment later, the house across the way and the street further down also erupted in terrified cries. In this thick, impenetrable fog, a chaotic, bloody riot had begun.

Boss Xu’s hand holding the knife trembled uncontrollably. Just then, a calm voice rang out from the street.

"Everyone, stay silent."

Hearing this voice, Boss Xu froze, then looked through the window in one direction. In the gray mist, a figure in a black trench coat walked slowly by.

He raised his gun and pulled the trigger toward the sky. A hum echoed through Frost Street!

The next moment, Boss Xu heard the tearing sounds next door stop abruptly, as if the monsters’ attention had been diverted. Only the woman’s suppressed sobbing remained, faintly audible from the corner of the wall.

"You aren't looking for someone, are you?" Chen Ling stood in the fog and spoke slowly. "Why not come and ask me?"

As soon as he said this, a black shadow walked past Boss Xu’s window, as if it had just come from next door... It was then that he finally saw the full appearance of the thing.

It was a centipede walking upright, pitch black, like a shadow. It stood about two meters tall, with countless fine legs moving along the sides of its body, and a dark red hole at the mouth position that kept contracting.

Although it only passed by for a moment, it scared Boss Xu silly. He sat down on the floor, his lips trembling uncontrollably...

What kind of monster was that??

The same question appeared in the minds of all the residents of Frost Street. They hid behind dark windows, holding their breath, nervously watching the several centipede monsters approaching in the center of the street. In the middle of their encirclement, the black trench coat stood tall and straight.

Chen Ling held a gun in one hand and a dagger in the other, slowly scanning his surroundings... As the monsters drew closer in the thick fog, Chen Ling finally saw their appearance clearly.

Chen Ling froze.

He rubbed his eyes and stared at these black shadows... His expression was a bit strange.

"These things... do they actually look quite delicious?" Chen Ling muttered to himself.

In his field of vision, one plucked, tender-looking broiler chicken after another was walking slowly toward him... like perfect ingredients about to be put into a pot. Just looking at them made one’s mouth water.