44: Chapter 44 The Smell of Blood in the Alley 44: Chapter 44 The Smell of Blood in the Alley He leaped from the open car window into the passenger seat.
After Zeng Haoyang got into the car, Lu Zixun turned his head, looking at him with a puzzled expression, “Where are we going, and what for?”
“To buy a gift for Yaya, as well as…”
He paused for a moment, a look of pity flashing in Zeng Haoyang’s eyes, “A birthday cake.”
Thinking of Long Ya’s sadly dejected demeanor just now in the villa, Lu Zixun felt somewhat oppressed and pulled at the car door with his tail, “What exactly do Yaya’s parents do?”
“They are both part of Sto, just working in different places.”
After answering Lu Zixun’s question, Zeng Haoyang sighed, “It’s precisely for this reason that they can’t come to celebrate Yaya’s birthday.”
After listening, Lu Zixun fell silent for a while, then asked somewhat sharply, “No matter how busy the work at Sto is, can’t they spare just one day?”
Faced with Lu Zixun’s challenge, Zeng Haoyang started the car, replying with a calm expression, “There are some things where, before the dust has settled, they won’t have any free time of their own.”
In response, Lu Zixun’s whiskers twitched and he licked his nose, then stood up from the seat to look ahead, “Are Abnormal Creatures really that terrifying?”
“Much more terrifying than you imagine.”
Turning the steering wheel to the right at a corner, Zeng Haoyang continued, “The reason this world has maintained its original peace is precisely because of their dedication, which controls and monitors the behavior of those Abnormal Creatures.”
Looking towards the neighborhood park next to him, Lu Zixun instantly spotted the children frolicking in the park.
Silent for a long while, he lifted his paw and fiddled with his ear, “Abnormal Creatures have been around for so many years, why haven’t they been completely dealt with?”
Reaching to make a phone call, and before the other side could answer, Zeng Haoyang said indifferently, “There’s a kind of creature called the cockroach, and the nature of Abnormal Creatures is similar to it – they’re Undying.
However, the former poses no threat to humans, while the latter can massacre them.”
As Lu Zixun was about to ask more, the call that Zeng Haoyang had made was answered.
All he heard was Zeng Haoyang speak, “Hello, is the cake I ordered ready?”
The cake is ready, may I know when you will come to pick it up?”
After hanging up the call, Zeng Haoyang glanced at the dejected Lu Zixun beside him.
He sighed, “I know you’re standing up for Yaya, but you have to understand something, there’s no sanctuary in chaotic times.”
Lu Zixun of course knew this.
He just didn’t understand why Yaya had to bear such loneliness.
Just as Lu Zixun was about to say something, he caught a glimpse of the grief in Zeng Haoyang’s eyes.
He paused mid-speech and turned it around.
Suddenly, Lu Zixun changed the topic, “Is my strength sufficient to take over some of their work?
Even just for one of them.”
Hearing this, Zeng Haoyang looked at Lu Zixun with a bit of surprise, gathering his thoughts.
Hesitation flashed through Zeng Haoyang’s eyes, “You mean, you want to take over their job for a while, so that one of them can spend a birthday with Yaya?”
Nodding, Lu Zixun looked out the window and said no more.
“It’s weird, you, a cat, actually show some humanity.”
Shaking his head with a smile, Zeng Haoyang said regretfully, “Unfortunately, it’s not possible.”
As soon as these words fell, Lu Zixun instantly turned his head, looking confused, “Why?”
“There are many reasons, but the main problem is…”
Seeing the disappointment in Lu Zixun’s eyes, Zeng Haoyang paused then freed up a hand to rub his head, “You still need to undertake more tasks and gain experience so that you won’t encounter a situation you can’t handle.”
A bit indignant, Lu Zixun lay on the seat, exhaling a breath, feeling that today was utterly wretched.
The rest of the ride was silent.
They arrived at the bakery where Zeng Haoyang had ordered the cake.
The rich aroma of cream cheered Lu Zixun up a bit.
Perched on the car window looking around, he suddenly sniffed a faint scent of blood coming from the alley next to the bakery.
They say cats are curious.
Lu Zixun’s eyes darted around, and after retreating a couple of steps, he crouched on the seat and then, with a powerful push from his hind legs, jumped out of the window.
He took leisurely steps toward the alley, yet Lu Zixun was on full alert inwardly.
The moment he entered the alley, the light suddenly dimmed.
Lu Zixun looked up and saw something blocking the sky above the alley, preventing the light from shining in.
His pupils dilated slightly, and his eyes glittered with an eerie green light in the darkness, looking particularly spine-chilling.
Following the source of the blood scent, after a few turns, hidden behind a trash can, Lu Zixun couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
The Alien he had seen in Xie Dongqiang’s house was feeding deep within the alley.
At the same time, several young Alien hatchlings continuously crawled out from the city’s sewer exits to join the adult in its meal.
The person these Aliens were consuming appeared to be a vagrant, the sort of person whose disappearance is least likely to attract attention.
Could it be that the intelligence of the Aliens has reached this extent?
For a moment, a chill ran through Lu Zixun; the Abnormal Creatures capable of matching wits with Sto were indeed not as simple as he had thought.
“Eat up quickly, especially the blood, lick it all clean.”
Just as Lu Zixun was preparing to leave and notify Zeng Haoyang, a deep male voice resounded.
Lu Zixun immediately perked up his ears and looked in the direction of the voice.
A human was hanging on the nearby wall in an inconceivable posture.
The entire person looked boneless, the sight incredibly strange.
“It took so much effort to feed, what are you Blood Worms doing?”
The Alien, who was watching over the young as they ate, looked dissatisfiedly at the speaking human, its tone complaining.
“Deal with Sto in this city and gradually take over, forming a new farm,” the man said as he hopped down from the wall and walked beside the Alien.
Hearing the man’s words, the Alien seemed somewhat disdainful, “This city has an S-level Guardian.
It isn’t something you can just take over as you please.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.
tomorrow’s task,” the man said with a light chuckle, extending a finger to touch the corpse.
Red lines shot from his fingertip, devouring any remaining blood on the ground.
Seeing this, Lu Zixun pressed the distress button and slowly retreated towards the alley exit.
This situation had to be reported to Zeng Haoyang quickly; it would be best if Zeng Haoyang could deal with these Abnormal Creatures directly.
As Lu Zixun cautiously looked ahead while retreating, he did not notice an empty can behind him.