(Xyrean Province- Outskirts)
(Private Farmland)
Qin Lan hurriedly ran in the direction of the teenagers as she heard a horrified scream. An intense fear gripped her body as unwanted memories surfaced in her mind.
She saw Eve lifting up her brother by the throat and then when she… when she…
Not again… she couldn't go through that again…
Qin Lan could feel her body trembling as she ran with all the strength that she had.
She roughly broke through the endless field of crops until she arrived at the clearing.
"What's wrong?" Qin Lan asked breathlessly as she saw the teenagers huddled together and staring at something.
"Sister Qin… um… that…" Gong Li pointed in a certain direction. Qin Lan followed her finger and saw what appeared to be a dead rat with a crushed skull.
She walked over to the animal's corpse and stared at its broken appearance. Nothing seemed to be dangerous or a threat, so she didn't understand why someone had screamed.
Was it a fear of rodents?
"There were a group of rats… and they… acted a bit strange," Liu Yifei suddenly spoke up as she tightened her grip on Gong Li's hand.
Qin Lan listened patiently as the young teenager told her about their encounter with the peculiar animals.
pαпᵈα-noνɐ1·сoМ A confused expression flashed across Qin Lan's face as Liu Yifei told her about their human-like expressions and the way they all moved as one as if they were being controlled by someone or something.
Qin Lan knelt down and picked up a small stick. She poked and prodded around the rat's crushed skull but could not find a crystal.
This was not a mutated animal…
"Did they do anything else other than stare at you?" Qin Lan asked curiously as she got up from the ground and moved away from the corpse.
"I think I saw them sniff the air a few times…" Liu Tao replied as she nervously rubbed her fingers together.
Qin Lan furrowed her brows and stared off into the distance. She didn't know what to make of the odd encounter but perhaps it was time to get away from here.
In these dark times, one could not afford to relax their vigilance and sometimes it was better to leave at the first sign of trouble.
"Okay let's head back then. Liu Yifei you cover the right side, and I will walk on the left, the rest of you please walk in the middle," Qin Lan softly commanded.
Liu Yifei nodded firmly and moved into position, Qin Lan nodded in approval at her brave protégé and then took out a pair of knives from her pockets.
She handed one to Liu Yifei to hold and took the other for herself.
The group slowly made their way towards the van that was partially hidden on the side of the road.
As Qin Lan saw the familiar sight of the red vehicle some of the worry in her heart faded away.
She still kept constantly looking around at the nearby surroundings but the mood among the group was noticeably lighter.
When they were only a few hundred meters away, Qin Lan finally noticed that something was wrong…
The tires…
She walked closer to get a better look and a chill ran down her spine.
There were thousands of bite marks on the tires and the bodies of dead rats with broken fangs and jaws were hidden on the underside of the van.
Every single tire had been punctured multiple times over and was now completely flat. One could see the steel rim poking out from behind the tattered rubber.
"What the hell?" Chen Xiao exclaimed in shock as he moved away from the group and threw up in some bushes.
The scent of the dead rats was heavy and lingered in the air. Qin Lan opened the van door and gestured for them to get inside.
She had no other choice now except to drive the van for as long as she could and then they would have to make the rest of the journey on foot.
This was a trap.
Something or someone was hunting them down.
Qin Lan wasn't sure how she knew that for certain, but her instincts had never failed her so far.
She placed the key in the ignition port and the van sputtered but did not start.
Qin Lan tried for several more minutes before giving up and walking outside the vehicle.
She sniffed the air and realised that there was a scent that was hidden underneath the foul odour of the dead rats.
Qin Lan crouched down to get a better view and tried her best not to vomit as the scent of dead rats slammed right into her nostrils.
Those bastards…
"Fuck…" Qin Lan softly cursed as she realised that in addition to the tires, the rats had somehow managed to bite through the pipes.
Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh and got up from the ground.
She was about to return to the vehicle and inform the teenagers of this unpleasant development when something appeared in the corner of her vision.
A young girl walked out from behind a nearby tree and stared at Qin Lan with a strange smile on her face.
She must have been in her early twenties at most, and she wore a simple pair of blue overalls that were heavily stained in dirt and grime.
"Who are you?" Qin Lan coldly spoke as she felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest intensify.
The confident smile on the young girl's face disappeared as her pupils immediately dilated.
She opened her mouth and a sweet voice told Qin Lan all she needed to know.
"My name is Jing Tian… I… I am one of the blessed…" the girl spoke in a natural tone despite the confused expression on her face.
"Why are you here?" Qin Lan darkly growled as she felt the urge to explore every secret hidden in this mysterious girl's mind.
"I… I am part of the crusade… Sister Guan… she… wants to hunt you down on Father Han's orders…"
"She says that… that… you are a devil… a servant of the dark lord…"
A sadistic smile flashed across Qin Lan's face and for a brief moment the personality of the original Qin Lan surfaced.
"Oh… is your ability to control rats?" Qin Lan gently spoke as she walked up to the young girl and brushed her finger against her cheek.
"Yes… yes…" the girl replied shakily as her pupils continued to dilate even further.
"Hey… why don't you tell them…" Qin Lan's voice dropped to a low whisper and like a sinister serpent her words slithered into the young girl's ears.
"To bite off your own hands and feet…"
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