"The secret path in the town's mine, a dead end?"

Upon hearing Yun You suddenly ask this, Jack was slightly taken aback.

But soon, he reacted and understood what Yun You meant.

"Speaking of secret paths, none have indeed been found... Of course, it's also possible that Xie Kang hid it too well."

"But there are indeed some peculiar places."

Jack scratched his head, trying hard to recall.

"At the deepest part of the mine tunnel, there is a metal-rich wall. It's at least 2 meters thick, and there's no sign of excavation."

"As you know, the townspeople of Yangshan Town make their living by mining, primarily extracting various metals."

"Logically speaking, a wall with such high metal content should have been discovered long ago, and efforts to dig into it would have started... But this wall has never been touched, which clearly defies logic."

"At that time, I found it odd, but due to time constraints and the wall's thickness, we couldn't dig without large tools, so we had to give up temporarily."

"Now that you mention it, I remember... That place could be the sealed-off chamber of Xie Kang's experiment group with the Flesh Barrier and deteriorated organs!"

"Not could be..."

Yun You shook her head, gently saying, "It definitely is."

"Let's move."

"It's 4 AM now, and in a while, it'll be dawn. By then, the townsfolk might cause trouble for us."

As she spoke, she glanced at Aurora.

Just like before, Aurora's mind was on the verge of collapse, unable to concentrate, let alone answer anyone's questions.

Expecting to get more intelligence from her seemed quite unrealistic.

Though her past behavior was indeed odd and her sudden change in personality intrigued Yun You, she couldn't figure out Aurora's situation right now.

Master Zero was right; it was crucial to ensure her safety first and ask Old Jin after they got out.

Thus, Yun You wasted no more time and motioned for Jack and Frost Moon to follow.

...

What followed went unexpectedly smoothly.

Although Aurora muttered incomprehensibly under her breath, she didn't act out or cause trouble, obediently following along.

Yun You found the set of electronic keys in Xie Kang's office.

They hadn't been destroyed by the Headless Giant, just lying quietly on the desk, so Yun You saw them immediately upon entering.

Meanwhile, the secret path mentioned in the files was also found by Frost Moon.

It was located at the end of a hallway underground, providing a direct path to Yangshan Town.

The door to the secret path was unlocked, and the ladder was covered in dust, suggesting it had been open for a long time.

Perhaps half a year ago, research director Xie Kang had opened this path, intending to escape through it.

At that time, he was already a senior researcher in the company, on the verge of joining the management team, with a promising career and a happy family.

Xie Kang wasn't willing to die here like the low-level workers, becoming monster fodder in vain!

If he could escape, he would still be one of the company's elite, a "new noble" who could decide countless people's destinies with a flick of a finger!

But the Headless Giant never gave him this chance.

After continuously breaking down doors, the monster finally confronted its tormentor.

Then, the bloodthirsty, man-eating monster tore him to pieces...

Tore him... to pieces...

"..."

For some reason, when thinking of Xie Kang's remains, Yun You felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint it.

"Torn apart... dismembered... body fragments..."

"Wait a minute...!"

Suddenly, Yun You realized what was wrong.

The issue was with the body!

As she passed through the laboratory, she noticed traces of struggle in some rooms and bloodstains scattered around, but not a single intact body part.

What was visible were leftovers after being devoured, bones even chewed up.

This was enough evidence that the Headless Giant ate humans, and this seemed to be its main method of dealing with conquered foes.

So imagine, from "Its" perspective as the Headless Giant, after suffering from Xie Kang's torture and control for 30 years... finally turning the tables, prying open Xie Kang's doors, and confronting its tormentor...

Would it really settle for a swift execution of Xie Kang, only to dismember him and do nothing else, not even consuming the body?

Yun You felt something was amiss.

If it were her as the Headless Giant, she would turn Xie Kang's bones to dust.

"Could it be... because it was satiated? Or does it lack a concept of revenge?"

The girl tried to find a plausible explanation, but no matter how she thought, the imaginary answer didn't convince her.

"Perhaps, it's related to the two-headed bird on Aurora's neck?"

Finally, Yun You offered a vague conclusion to bypass the issue.

She thought... she would have to ask Old Jin.

Old Jin surely knew...

Thus, the group quickly returned to Yangshan Town via the secret path.

...

Creaaak~

They pushed open the long-silent, rusted round hatch, moved the straw cover above their heads, and the first glimmer of dawn poured through the Sentry Tower's door, bathing Yun You and her three companions.

Although aware this light was an illusion, a product of the Death Domain, Yun You still found it quite pleasant, a feeling of clarity amidst clouds.

She closed her eyes, savoring the brief tranquility.

However, within seconds, shadows blocked the sunlight, suddenly appearing in front of her.

Yun You slightly furrowed her brows and opened her eyes, seeing that the newcomers were indeed many townsfolk of Yangshan Town.

Each wore a stern expression, having risen early to block the Sentry Tower's entrance, anticipating Yun You and her group's arrival.

Their leader, naturally, was the former Captain of Hammer Vanguard, now the town mayor, Kong Xian.

Kong Xian's face was unpleasant, deeply furrowed as he eyed Yun You, an imposing presence like a tempest brewing.

The atmosphere became tense, the air seemingly frozen in place.

People remained silent, refraining from verbally assaulting, yet each breath exuded a stern demeanor, making it hard to breathe.

"You broke the rules."

After a while, Kong Xian slowly spoke.

"You not only went out at night but also ventured into the forest."

"However... the town is generally open-minded. It's normal for newcomers like yourselves to make some mistakes, and we won't hold it against you."

The old mayor softened the tension with conciliatory words.

But soon, he shifted the conversation's focus, targeting another...

"However."

He looked at Aurora, and simultaneously, other townsfolk turned their gaze to the blonde girl, eyes momentarily flashing with an inexplicable... hatred.

"This person, she must... she must die!"

"She broke too many rules and invited disaster."

"We must judge her and place her on the Guillotine for a fair execution!"

"Please, do not stand in our way. Hand her over immediately, leaving room for peaceful coexistence."

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