After dusk, the night gradually deepened.
B this time, the people in the town had already closed their stalls and gone home, leaving only a few scattered drunkards wandering the streets. A cool breeze blew from all directions, causing the surrounding trees to rustle.
The mayor's mansion in the center of the town was also very quiet, with only three different teams of mercenaries patrolling outside the yard and inside the building.
However, in a place unnoticed by anyone, a dark figure was quietly approaching the backyard wall.
Seeing the right opportunity, the dark figure suddenly pushed off with her feet, easily climbing over the mansion's wall and entering the town's streets.
This person was Raven, who had wanted to investigate the town during the day.
Judging by her proficiency in climbing the wall, this was clearly not the first time she had done this.
Coming to the street, Raven patted the dust off her body and carefully walked out of the mansion's security range. After arriving at a relatively safe place, she removed her cloak.
After all, it would be strange to walk around the street dressed like that. If someone reported her, this place might be flagged as a warning area by tomorrow. By then, it would be even more difficult for her to travel.
"Better safe than sorry, as they say," she thought to herself.
"It's really troublesome. I don't know if the White Rabbit has come out of Elysian Realm... Forget it. With her careless demeanor, it's questionable whether she even remembers to send me a message."
Traveling through the corners of the town, Raven played idly with the coins in her hand.
Looking up at the bright moon, everything around was so quiet. Only the tavern at the end of the town was still brightly lit.
Glancing at her pocket watch, it was half past twelve at night.
Raven expected to search the town within three hours, so she could only resume her mission. After all, time waits for no one, and she could only return to the mansion during the day.
Ten minutes passed...
Half an hour passed...
An hour and a half passed...
Holding the Honkai energy detector in her left hand and hiding a dagger for self-defense in her right, Raven, who had already memorized the map routes, moved like someone who had lived in the town for decades.
She could find everything, even some unknown paths in the city. But despite this, her search had yielded nothing so far. There was only the weak Honkai energy left by the previously processed Honkai energy crystals and the bodies of the dead. The Honkai energy detector in Raven's hand did not detect any traces of a Honkai Eruption.
"Am I going to come up empty-handed tonight..." Raven sighed, leaning against the wall of the alley, watching the time pass on her pocket watch. "It would have been great if White Rabbit were here..."
Helpless, it seemed that there would be no clues tonight. Shaking her head, Raven was ready to return to the mansion. But just as she turned around, something unexpected happened!
The originally peaceful and calm night was suddenly pierced by several low roars, similar to those of wild beasts, accompanied by human screams and cries for help. The source of the sound was in a square not far from Raven.
"It's the sound of the zombies! But I just came from there!"
There was no time to think. Almost the moment she heard the cries for help, Raven ran toward the source. She had to investigate before the government army arrived. After all, there had been no movement in the square more than ten minutes ago, yet now, the zombies had suddenly appeared!
Is it the advent of Honkai?
No, that's impossible. The advent of Honkai would never be limited to such a small place!
"Damn, this town is really weird!" Raven muttered as she grabbed a tree trunk and leaped to the top of a building, rushing toward the square.
On the other side, the square was still filled with screams.
A couple, who had been embracing moments ago, suddenly found themselves under attack, one lover biting the other's neck, their blood staining both of their clothes red. The purple Honkai energy lines spread rapidly, infecting every part of their bodies.
"Don't! Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!!!"
"Help...Ahhhhh!!!"
"Damn, what kind of monsters are these!!! I'll fight you!"
The purple light looked particularly eerie in the night, and even worse, some people were directly torn apart by the zombies. The screams continued as Raven finally rushed to the square.
However...
"Tsk..." Raven made a dissatisfied sound as she surveyed the square, where blood had already flowed like a river. She was a step too late.
It was true that ordinary people often stood no chance against the zombies, especially a group of them. She should have anticipated this earlier... She had originally planned to ask the survivors where the zombies came from, but now that plan was impossible.
But soon, Raven made a new discovery...
She unexpectedly found a person who looked "familiar" among the zombies!
A person who should not have appeared here!
Olfina, a girl who had disappeared three days ago and had been listed in the bounty column, was now here as a zombie. Judging from the dried blood and Honkai energy on her body, this girl definitely did not become a zombie just now.
Why had she suddenly appeared here?
A big question appeared in Raven's mind.
The zombies never appear out of thin air, so everything that happened here was definitely man-made.
Grasping this clue, Raven began to analyze the surrounding environment. If someone wanted to transport the zombies here quietly, they would definitely have left traces!
There were no signs of trampling in the surrounding woods and grass, and it was impossible on the streets due to surveillance.
Don't even think about it in the air...
So, the only possibility left is...
"The town's sewer system!"
After a series of analyses, Raven finally came up with the most likely answer.
She had never scouted the town's sewer system, so if someone wanted to transport the zombies here quietly, the only place would be the sewer!