The Extra Can't be A Hero

Chapter 77: The Creeping Terror (2)

Three days had passed since the Solaris dispatch team arrived at Mistwood Hamlet.

The crew mostly helped the survivors through various methods. The most common was feeding and sheltering them from the aftereffects of the earthquakes. A select few with extraordinary healing powers volunteered to be physicians, assisting as many wounded as possible. Leon was among that special few.

But the vast majority of Solaris House operatives were on sentry and patrol duty. The Solaris Knights had become an expert rescue team, mainly finding survivors under rubble or people missing in the woods. They also had to protect the survivors from Demon beasts that may scavenge their bodies.

Over the past three days, Amon led his team to find multiple missing people. Although most of them had fallen into the afterlife, there were a few miracles along the way.

Hundreds of survivors were saved and brought for emergency treatment. The joyful individuals' cries and smiles could be heard from a mile away, making the rescue mission all worth it in the eyes of the Solaris House. However, Amon was far from satisfied.

"There's still no trace of the Blood Demon..."

Standing at an isolated spot far from the shelter, Amon stared straight into the foggy woodlands like a tiger eyeing prey. The transmigrator hasn't been idle these past three days. While saving all those lives, Amon desperately attempted to find any signs of the Blood Demon. Tracking for any signs of corrupted life or Demonic energy, Amon did his best to triangulate the Blood Demon's location.

Alas, he couldn't even catch a whiff of the creature.

"Isn't that good news?"

Hearing his melancholic sigh, Yue approached with a cold beverage in her hands. She rested her back on a nearby bench before casually creating a sound barrier.

"If there's no news of the Blood Demon, it hasn't awakened. If it doesn't awaken in this timeline, we could save ourselves a lot of trouble."

"Yue, would you keep a ticking time bomb in your house? A bomb that you won't know when it would explode?"

"Probably not," Yue didn't retort. She was well aware of how dangerous the Blood Demon could be, but something about Amon's behaviour rubbed her the wrong way. "But it's rare for you to be so tense. What's the matter?"

Amon paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. He was thinking of making an excuse, but his straightforward mind couldn't come up with any. Hence, he spurted the truth.

"... you said that the Blood Demon hurt Arya. I just can't stay still knowing that it may happen in this timeline again."

"Oh?"

"It's been bothering me ever since you told me about it. Every time I go to sleep, I feel an itch prickling at my heart. Knowing that the Blood Demon could potentially harm Arya... It makes me restless. I can't describe my feelings, but I know that if I don't eradicate the Blood Demon. I won't be able to sleep at night."

"Hoh?!"

Raised as a cold-blooded machine in his past life, Amon had little experience with human emotions. However, ever since he'd transmigrated, those foreign emotions that he'd once killed were now affecting his heart.

It was a strange feeling that Amon intensely disliked.

On the other hand, Yue had a warm, soothing bubbling of pride. Little by little, the traumatic experiences of Number 23 were slowly being cleansed away.

"I understand," Yue chuckled and grabbed Amon's arm. "Don't worry, I had Bane send his subordinates to scour the area. There will be signs very soon if the Blood Demon has truly awakened."

"Yeah..."

Amon was so distracted by the looming threat that he'd ignored Yue's casual skinship. The young beauty didn't squander this chance and she basked in the comfort of her lover's touch. If it was eight years before, there was no way in hell that Amon would allow Yue to be so touchy with him. It was proof that the formidable killing machine once known as Number 23 was now slowly morphing into a human with feelings.

'Ahhh, I wish this moment would last forever.'

Yue's mind was filled with romantic fantasies and she'd even fantasised staring into Amon's eyes and leering a kiss. But unfortunately, her dreams were about to be shattered real soon.

"A-Amon!" A worried cry broke the silence of the pair, forcing Amon to slip out of Yue's arms in a split second. He glanced back and saw Leon sprinting from the distance.

A visible vein popped on Yue's forehead as she watched the handsome youth creep closer towards them. However, she could sense Leon's desperation and tried to quell the rage bottled in her heart.

"What's the matter?" Amon asked, without worrying about the pouting girl behind him.

"W-We found something strange! Come look!"

Over the past few weeks of interacting with Leon, this was the first time that Amon had seen him so animated. Not wasting a spare second, he left Yue in the dust and followed his squire to the crime scene. Although reluctant, Yue trailed closely behind and observed the surroundings as she did so.

Gasps of terror and women could be seen crying on the street. Some battle-hardened men hurled their guts out, while others were pale as paper. And it didn't take long for her to figure out why.

A crowd formed at Mistwood Hamlet's entrance as several Knights returned from rescue missions. The Knights were tasked to find as many missing people as they could, and their usual return would be marked with jovial laughter if they brought back survivors or indignant cries when they carried corpses.

But... This time was different...

"This is..."

Eight bodies were neatly arranged next to each other. Usually, it was a sign for grieving families to identify if their loved ones were part of the pile. Unfortunately, they couldn't do that this afternoon.

All of the bodies were drained of all fluids. Dried to the bone, the corpses were just skin and bones. No, even skin would retain moisture. The dead bodies seemed like medical specimens, specifically created just to see how much moisture could be drawn out of a human body.

It was a grotesque sight and one that not many could stomach.

The only way anyone could identify the bodies were the clothes they wore, and even those were tattered and shredded beyond recognition. Still, it didn't stop a bunch of wailing, grieving families to approach and gingerly touch the corpses.

Amon and Yue were speechless. Even though they had seen their fair share of death, this was still a rough watch. Noticing their arrival, a tall, brown-skinned spearwoman walked towards them with a grim expression.

"Lucia, were you the ones who found them?" Amon questioned without a single shred of hesitation.

"Yes, we were the team that found them," his fellow Black Order Knight replied. "They were recovered from a thicket in the forest. We were unable to identify the cause of death and had no choice but to bring them here."

"Bloodless corpses... This isn't the work of an earthquake, is it?"

Leon's sombre voice sounded out, ignoring formalities as he spoke up to his seniors. Though, neither Amon nor Lucia scolded him. They were too caught up in the situation to even think about ranks at the moment.

"You're right. We're not sure if they were dead before their blood was sucked, but one thing is clear... Something is out there, and it's hunting humans. Dead or alive."

"..."

The entire party fell silent. The earthquake was terrorising enough, but now there was a foreign threat to top it all off? It seemed that when it rains, it really pours.

"... burn their bodies."

Without hesitation, Amon gave the firm order. Although he wasn't in a position of power to make that order, the conviction in his voice almost made Lucia oblige. She raised her eyebrows and shot back sharply: "Why would you say that?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Don't ask, just do it."

Amon didn't bother explaining himself. After all, he couldn't just say he knew what caused the Bloodless corpses and knew of the fate those corpses would endure if they were left alone.

Alas, his crude tone didn't sit well with the compassionate Lucia, who had just carried those eight bodies back to the shelter.

"Excuse me, are you really that heartless? We'd just brought the bodies back! At least give the families a chance to mourn their loved ones and give them a proper burial! Besides, you're in no position to give that order! I know the Commander favours you, but you're out of line!"

"Trust me, if you don't want a tragedy to occur. You will burn them all. No, if you won't do it. I'll burn them myself."

"Amon!"

The two comrades almost began an altercation in the middle of the shelter. One was cursed with knowledge of the future, while the other was deeply rooted in compassion. Neither parties were willing to budge an inch and their ideals were going to clash at that very moment.

Fortunately, there was someone on hand to stop the madness.

"Amon! Stop!"

Yue didn't hesitate and stood in front of the raging bull. Squinting in genuine confusion, Amon tilted his head and blurted out: "Why are you stopping me?"

'You know what would happen if we leave the Bloodless corpses alone.'

The first part he said out loud. Meanwhile, the words he couldn't say were transmitted via telepathy. No, even without the magical ability to transfer thoughts, Yue could read Amon's emotions.

Yue lived through the Blood Demon's terror, perhaps more so than anyone in the world. So she could vividly picture the gruesome scene of the Bloodless corpses regaining their vitality to serve their malicious master. The heart-wrenching scene of seeing lovers, parents, and even children killing their kin again and again, only to give up and embrace their bloodless hands.

She knew better than anyone why Amon was behaving in this manner, but also...

Yue didn't want to see her lover be a heartless monster that only cared of the mission.

'Let them mourn the dead. We will burn it afterwards. Don't worry, let me handle it.'

'...'

The two shared a telepathic conversation to hide their secrets. However, to the outside eye, it just looked like two lovers gazing into each others eyes. Fortunately, Amon knew better than to keep pushing. Reluctantly, he backed off and said:

"Do as you please."

Amon walked away from the scene with an expressionless look on his face. However, deep inside his heart, the former Transcendent was secretly seething. The fact that Bloodless corpses appeared in Mistwood could only mean one thing...

"The Blood Demon has awakened."