Anomalous Creatures

It was already six o'clock. Kevin quickly washed his face to wash away the lingering sleepiness from his十几个-hour slumber, and then went down to the first-floor restaurant with Wei Lili, who was grumbling with a belly full of complaints due to her lack of rest. Behind them walked Lily, looking like a wandering soul: the werewolf girl had been awake since the middle of the night and was now finally reaching her "nap time," once again sleepy as a dead dog.

Kevin truly felt that a person's biological clock could be incredibly powerful to this extent.

"Landlord, I want to sleep... I also want to eat lunch... I also want to lie down and rest..." Lily muttered behind Kevin in a weak voice, looking exactly like a tired dog reluctant to move from its owner's feet. However, even Wei Lili didn't dare to say this outright at this moment: Lily's self-esteem as a "werewolf" was extremely strong. Even in her current sleepwalking state, if you compared her to a household dog, she would still jump up and bite you, leaving teeth marks that even three layers of stab-resistant vests couldn't withstand.

"At this hour, we should be eating breakfast," Kevin looked outside the restaurant at the dawn that hadn't fully brightened up yet and helplessly reminded the confused werewolf beside him. London had shed its image as an industrial foggy city, but the climate conditions of this area, with foggy mornings, thick clouds, and changeable weather, remained unchanged. The weather today was not good. Although the morning sun had risen, the sky outside still looked somewhat dark. The next few hours would either be foggy or overcast.

"Look, there he is," Wei Lili suddenly tugged at Kevin's sleeve and pointed to a very conspicuous table outside the restaurant, "That 'Nangong,' he's quite punctual. I didn't expect such a guy associated with demon hunters to be like this, tsk tsk."

Because Nangong might have some connection with demon hunters (and even had a one percent chance of being the "real deal"), Wei Lili had an instinctive dislike for him. It wasn't hostility yet, but she certainly wouldn't mention him with a smile behind his back.

"After watching yesterday's TV, I suddenly feel that we don't really need to go with this dangerous person," Kevin hesitated, "Yorkfold Castle is now crowded with people looking for ghosts. Do we still need a guide?"

"Why not?" Wei Lili gave Kevin a look, "Do you know how to get to Brushall from London?"

Kevin was startled; he had actually forgotten about that.

At this moment, Mr. Nangong had also seen Kevin and his group of three. He immediately waved and greeted them with a look of kindness. Kevin realized that it was no longer realistic to turn around and leave at this point, so he led Wei Lili and Lily over and said, "Good morning."

"Good morning. You're not late either," Nangong smiled slightly and then looked at Lily, who was swaying behind Kevin with her eyes closed, in some surprise, "Uh, what's wrong with this girl?"

"I haven't adjusted to the time difference yet, I'm in the middle of my nap," Kevin shrugged helplessly, "Should we leave now? Or eat here first?"

Nangong said there was no rush, they could afford to be ten to twenty minutes late without missing the train. So Kevin decided to fill their stomachs first: the hotel provided a free breakfast buffet for every guest, and he intended to get his money's worth before checking out. Lily was getting sleepier by the minute, almost to the point of unconsciousness. But amazingly, the werewolf girl wouldn't miss a meal even in such a state: Kevin prepared a plate of food for her according to her diet, and Lily ate it all up with her eyes closed, relying on her sense of smell, not a single vegetable left...

Nangong watched in amazement beside them, which made Kevin and Wei Lili nervous. They were afraid that this so-called demon hunter might discern Lily's non-human nature from her peculiar situation. However, Nangong was either a real charlatan or an incompetent one; he was just amazed and didn't realize that the "demon" he was supposed to hunt was sitting beside him.

After breakfast, they went to the front desk to check out and left the hotel with their luggage. Kevin, Wei Lili, and Lily didn't have much luggage; all together, it amounted to just one large duffle bag. Normally, such things should be carried by the men present, but Wei Lili unceremoniously tied the large bag onto Lily's back: the latter suddenly had dozens of kilograms of extra weight in her semi-conscious state, yet she was still asleep! With her eyes closed, she was used as a laborer by Wei Lili, following Kevin by scent just like yesterday.

"Her only advantage is her strength; it would be a waste not to let her carry things," Wei Lili waved her hand dismissively when she saw the odd expression on Kevin's face, "Don't worry, she's happy about it, even though she's sleeping now."

Kevin felt awkward. He saw Lily sleeping while carrying the luggage for all three of them, walking like a scorned woman (purely psychological). Finally, he couldn't help but take the bag onto his own back, "Forget it, don't bully her."

Lily opened her eyes groggily and somehow knew what was happening, "Thanks, landlord. I'm not tired..."

Wei Lili snorted, "Ridiculous male chauvinism. Haven't you guys made any progress in all these years?"

Kevin chuckled and glanced at Nangong beside him. This tall, thin man who claimed to be a demon hunter had much more luggage than the three of them. It was no wonder he was known to travel the world every now and then; his luggage alone was bigger than the duffle bag Kevin was carrying: it was an extra-large, sturdy, and heavy suitcase, even bigger than the one Lily had dragged when she first came to their place. Dragging it on the concrete road made a loud noise; heaven knows what was inside.

"What's all in this suitcase of yours?" Wei Lili, truly cunning (but don't let her hear those four words), immediately put on an innocent girl's act and asked curiously.

"It's all for 'work' needs," said Nangong, dragging a huge suitcase that didn't detract from his clean, crisp, and stylish image. With a white shirt and black trousers, even with a suitcase half his height dragging behind him, his face looked like that of a successful entrepreneur rushing to a meeting. "I use them to fight evil. This suitcase has suppressed at least three-digit numbers of demons and evil spirits."

"A true demon hunter doesn't need so many tools," Wei Lili returned to Kevin's side and whispered, "They themselves are weapons. It looks like we can relax now."

At that moment, Kevin was thinking: Why is there such a big difference in image between men? With such a huge suitcase, he looks like a businessman heading to a meeting, while I, with my backpack, look like I'm on my way to demand unpaid wages...

And so, the two parties, each with their own hidden agendas (is this idiom appropriate here?), embarked on their journey to the town of Brushall. Regardless, having a professional who travels frequently and knows the ropes leading the way saved a lot of trouble. With Nangong's help, Kevin and his companions didn't get lost in London's old and intricate streets and smoothly boarded the train to their destination.

There was no conversation along the way, and the four of them spent a whole day bumping along on the train.

With a stranger by their side, Kevin and Wei Lili couldn't discuss too many confidential matters, making the journey particularly dull. The only noteworthy thing that happened was when Lily woke up from her "nap" halfway through and fiddled around in her train seat for a while before getting sleepy again as the train approached the station. It was a shame that she had been so cheerful before leaving, but after arriving in England, all she did was sleep and stare blankly. The little leisure time she had was spent lounging on the train.

When the train arrived at the Brushall station, it was nearly dusk. Few people got off here, indicating that not everyone was interested in coming to such a remote place to mess around with ghosts. Kevin followed the station announcement, as familiar as his native language, to the platform and found the place even more remote and desolate than he had imagined.

The train station was extremely small, with only two railway lines passing through, one of which was abandoned. The area around this tiny station was mostly barren land, with yellowish-brown gravel and rubble filling the view. The only green was from weeds and shrubs growing wildly in the wind. Emerging from the station, one could see the town of Brushall not far away. The buildings in the town were somewhat old, and the entire town was very small, almost like a village.

It's unclear how this town was built, situated in such an isolated place. The feng shui of this place reminded Kevin of the Heaven's Office on Earth, also known as Wangbatuozi.

Nangong sniffed the air and revealed an interested expression on his face, "I smell the presence of a 'big one'."