Anomalous Creatures

Kevin eagerly studied the new changes in his body, firmly believing that this was the gradual manifestation of the physical enhancement promised by Raven 12345 earlier. It was undeniable. A normal person couldn't possibly see tree branches two or three kilometers away with the naked eye at night, not even during the daytime. Yet Kevin found it remarkably easy.

This unexpected joy even made him temporarily forget about the matters at the castle, and instead, he concentrated on experimenting with his eyes. He discovered that this suddenly acquired super night vision and astonishing visual range didn't bring any inconvenience. He could only see several kilometers at night when concentrating, and under normal circumstances, his vision remained unchanged, as if his eyes came equipped with a high-intelligence night vision zoom lens. The switch between the two was effortless, as if... as if he had been born with this ability.

"That Raven didn't screw us over this time, hey," Kevin happily pressed on his temples. "She said at the time that the physical enhancement program would gradually unlock with my adaptability and would definitely have no side effects. Looking at it now... at least this vision is pretty smooth to control."

"Hmph, it's just that you can see farther at night. Look how happy it makes you," Weilili sniffed in disdain. "You've only improved your eyesight. Haven't your other physical abilities changed yet?"

"You can't put it that way. I started as an ordinary person. Any special ability would be considered a transformation," Kevin said solemnly. "Think about yourself. Normally, you never have more than two hundred yuan in your pocket, right? Imagine if one day you suddenly had a thousand yuan in your pocket and it wouldn't get lost. How would you feel?"

Weilili paused, and then her entire face lit up visibly.

Kevin shrugged, "You see, it's the same principle."

At this moment, Lily finally cleaned the grass sticks and sand out of her hair and looked at the nearby castle. "When are we going in? Landlord, why hasn't that meeting induction you mentioned appeared yet?"

"Technically, it should have appeared by now," Kevin realized the main purpose of their trip, scratching his head in confusion before pulling out the data terminal. "Hey, do you have any new messages?"

"No, the device has not received any updated mission intelligence. The target has not appeared yet. It is recommended that the device owner wait at the current location."

A message floated above the data terminal before it entered standby mode again. Kevin tapped on the casing a few times, but all it displayed was, "The device is contemplating life. Please do not disturb unless it's important." and then went silent.

"Another one that fails at crucial moments," Kevin looked at the not-so-reliable data terminal he had received with mixed feelings, then directed his gaze at the small camp not far away. "By the way, I don't see them investigating the castle. Aren't these people here to catch ghosts? They're just waiting outside the castle like this?"

"Perhaps they're all somewhat apprehensive about the situation inside the castle, and with a ruin that has collapsed like this, who dares to just walk in," Weilili said, looking up at the moon. "The moonlight is being blocked by clouds. If there really are dead spirits, this should be the moment."

Upon hearing this, Kevin immediately tensed up, but those "ghost-hunting professionals" not far away seemed still oblivious. Those ghost fans with their strange detectors and quirky robes gathered in front of the lights of tents or large carts in twos and threes. Some laughed loudly, some whispered mysteriously, and some even spread out picnic blankets, inviting a couple of acquaintances to eat and drink together. It was already late at night, yet no one seemed tired, like a group of nocturnal animals. However, the atmosphere was more like a masquerade ball than an exorcism operation. The European man who had carpooled with Nangong had already befriended a few drunkards at this point.

The hotel owner Angus, who had driven Nangong and the others over, seemed unwilling to participate in the late-night party of these "professionals." The fat uncle spoke a few words with Nangong before staggering back to his car, starting it up, and leaving this small campsite. It seemed that Nangong and the others had only asked Angus to bring them over, and they hadn't planned to go back tonight.

Among the chaos of the supernatural enthusiasts, Nangong and the Indian monk stood out the most: they didn't go to the liveliest tent to boast with others, nor did they hold any strange spiritual detectors and snap photos of the castle direction. Nearby, a few "ghost hunters" who were drinking and dressed like medieval alchemists loudly invited them over to drink together, but Nangong and the Indian monk ignored them. They each found a quiet place to sit on the ground and check their tools.

Nangong opened his black suitcase and took out a small, uniquely shaped crossbow. This crossbow was more of an artwork than a weapon. Its size made one doubt its lethality. Nangong carefully placed the crossbow close to his body and then took out a black cloth strip tied with many silver arrows from the suitcase, wrapping it around his waist. Finally, he reached into the compartment of the suitcase and pulled out a monocle that looked like a prop from a play, placing it on his face. He was now prepared for something.

Meanwhile, the Indian monk took out a small pot filled with spices from his colorful robe and constantly sprinkled some spices on himself and the ground around him. His expression was solemn, and he muttered some words. He was completely unlike those restless supernatural enthusiasts with ridiculous equipment around him. Even just from the calmness of his facial expression and demeanor, this skinny Indian monk seemed more like a genuine demon hunter than Nangong. Kevin's gaze was almost entirely focused on this monk. He sensed a hidden master's aura from the latter.

But this master's aura is obviously not something everyone can sense. Next to the Indian monk were those European men who were picnicking in groups. When they saw the skinny old man carrying spices with him, they immediately sent a representative over to buy a box of spices from him... to sprinkle on their grilled meat...

Kevin immediately lost all hope in these ghost-hunting professionals.

Are they all here to die?!

"Look at those two," Kevin pointed in the direction of Nangong and the Indian monk. His suddenly mutated eyes were now put to good use, as he could see every movement of those two clearly. "They really seem like the real deal, completely not in the same league as the others around them."

"Hmm, they do seem to have something going on," Weilili furrowed her brows. "I thought Nangong was just a pure scammer, but it turns out he really knows what he's doing. Those silver arrows are not only made of silver but also contain special exorcism ingredients. Look, when the moonlight shines on the arrows, the refracted light has a light blue hue. And the spices that Indian monk is sprinkling on himself make me very uncomfortable... even from this distance."

Kevin was startled: How could Weilili, a high-level vampire who could almost be described as a living fossil, be wary of the spices that the Indian monk was sprinkling on himself?

Could it be that this suddenly appearing Indian monk is indeed a hidden true master?!

"I don't like curry," Weilili furrowed her brows. "When I went to India to eat curry years ago, it gave me diarrhea for a long time."

Kevin: "..."

Just then, Kevin noticed that the moonlight beside him suddenly dimmed. Looking up, he saw that the thick clouds had finally completely obscured the moon.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the moment the moonlight was obscured, Kevin faintly heard a low, whimpering howl in the surrounding wind.

"There's movement over at the castle!" Lily's tail suddenly bristled, and her golden eyes shone brightly. "There's light!"

Kevin saw the movement in the direction of the castle without Lily's reminder. Almost at the same time as the moonlight was obscured in the sky, several faint lights appeared in the completely collapsed ruins. The lights lasted for a few seconds before gradually disappearing, but a moment later they appeared again in other parts of the castle. At the same time, a series of roaring winds also came from the castle ruins, yet there was no wind nearby at all!

Kevin swallowed his saliva: "Wow... there really are ghosts!"