Chapter 157: Advance, Night Demon Moth, Hallucination

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Advance, Night Demon Moth, Hallucination

Seraphina Sullivan cursed Nicholas Jensen in her head. ’Idiot.’

But she reacted in a flash, jumping into the conversation. Her face was instantly a mask of helplessness and just the right amount of sorrow, cutting off the doubt that was beginning to form in Ken Quinn’s mind:

"Of course, I know! He..."

Seraphina Sullivan pointed to Nicholas Jensen’s head, her eyes full of pity, though her voice was tinged with sadness.

"He was attacked by a Night Bat a while back and hurt his neck. While he was escaping, he accidentally hit his head pretty hard, so now his memory gets jumbled sometimes. He gets confused, so please try to bear with him."

The explanation was perfectly plausible. When Ken Quinn saw the gauze on Nicholas Jensen’s neck, his suspicion vanished, replaced by a flicker of sympathy.

He looked at Nicholas Jensen with an expression full of compassion.

"I see... The poor man. Still, surviving an encounter with a Night Bat is incredibly lucky. Those monsters are known as The Night Assassins; they’re extremely tough to handle."

Nicholas Jensen realized he’d almost blown it. All he could do now was play along, putting on a foolish grin as if to say, ’My brain’s not all there.’ Even though Seraphina Sullivan had just announced that he had brain damage in front of everyone, he didn’t dare utter a single word in protest. He even had to force a dazed "Who am I? Where am I?" expression onto his face.

Beside them, Dustin Sullivan rubbed his temples in resignation, while Coco Sullivan shot Nicholas Jensen a massive eye-roll.

The same thought occurred to both of them at once: ’This guy looks decent enough, so why does he always screw up at the worst possible moment?’

’How has he even survived this long in such a dangerous world? Pure luck?’

Seraphina Sullivan glanced at Nicholas Jensen, a surge of exasperation washing over her.

’This guy is a walking time bomb.’

Her gaze then returned to Ken Quinn and his two companions.

Ordinarily, when encountering Native People who clearly understood the world’s situation, her standard operating procedure would be to use her [Sweet Fragrance] to Control them.

Then, she could leisurely interrogate them for the truth about this "night apocalypse," the origins of the monsters, and even detailed information about the Fireseed Shelter.

However, the current circumstances wouldn’t allow for it.

Dustin Sullivan and Coco Sullivan were her temporary allies, but you can know someone’s face without knowing their heart.

An Ability like [Sweet Fragrance], which could control minds, would inevitably arouse extreme wariness and fear in everyone if it were revealed.

The fragile atmosphere of cooperation would be shattered, replaced by suspicion and guardedness. That would be detrimental to dealing with the coming "Night Tide."

’I’ll have to play the long game,’ Seraphina thought.

Getting into that so-called Fireseed Shelter might present a better opportunity.

It would be crowded and chaotic, with unknown rules, which might provide a more covert opportunity to get to the core information. It would also allow her to gain a more comprehensive understanding of this world’s layout.

Just then, Sean Chandler broke the short silence, warily scanning the dark, ruined landscape around them. "Has everyone rested enough? We should get out of here. I don’t feel safe out in the open; it’s setting my teeth on edge."

Ken Quinn nodded in solemn agreement. "He’s right," he added, his voice heavy. "I don’t know what’s been going on lately, but the monsters of the night have been getting more and more frenzied. They’re attacking more often and with greater aggression. We already know of several smaller, more remote Shelters that have been completely wiped out..." His voice trailed off.

Dustin Sullivan, however, felt certain that the monsters’ agitation was connected to the incident on the final day, which made him even more worried.

Beside them, Wanda Lynn’s eyes instantly misted over. "We... we never thought a disaster like this would actually befall our own home," she added sadly.

Her gaze fell involuntarily on Coco Sullivan and Seraphina Sullivan. Seeing how composed they remained even after a fight, her eyes filled with unconcealed envy. "If only I could become a Genetic Modifier like you... if I had the Power to fight the monsters. But my genetic sequence doesn’t meet the requirements. I can’t withstand the shock from the modification agent."

Her voice was full of dejection and helplessness.

Hearing the unfamiliar terms "Genetic Modifier" and "modification agent," Nicholas Jensen’s curiosity was piqued once again. He had just opened his mouth to ask a question when Sean Chandler, lightning-fast, clapped a hand over it.

’For the love of God, can you please give it a rest!’ he thought. ’Stop asking such basic questions! I feel like your IQ has dropped to the floor and is rolling away, and I can’t even catch it!’

Nicholas Jensen’s protests were muffled into incoherent noises. He could only glare at Sean Chandler, his eyes filled with indignation and complaint, as if condemning his brutish behavior.

Seraphina Sullivan, of course, also picked up on the key term "Genetic Modifier," her own curiosity piqued.

Wanda Lynn had mistaken them for Genetic Modifiers.

’That means this world has the technology to create Extraordinary Abilities.’

’It seems this world isn’t just a simple monster apocalypse. There’s a more complex technological background, maybe even a whole social structure, hidden beneath the surface.’

But she knew this wasn’t the time to dig deeper, so she forcibly suppressed the urge to ask questions.

’Genetic Modifier... agent...’ Seraphina silently filed these clues away. She was now more certain than ever that this world, shrouded in darkness, was far more complex than it seemed. It had to be hiding many secrets.

And getting into the Fireseed Shelter was likely the key to unlocking them.

After a brief rest, the group set out once more, heading toward the Fireseed Shelter.

Since Dustin Sullivan’s group didn’t know the Shelter’s exact location, the task of leading the way naturally fell to Ken Quinn, one of the Native People.

Ken Quinn was desperate to reach the safety of the Shelter. Coupled with the recent destruction of his home, his mind was in turmoil, so he failed to notice anything strange about Seraphina Sullivan’s group not even knowing the general direction.

The journey was not a peaceful one. Dangers lurked everywhere in the darkness.

They were hit by several more waves of monster attacks, including two new types of night-dwelling creatures they had never seen before.

A glint flashed in Seraphina Sullivan’s eyes as she quickly scanned them with her [Eye of Resume].

The first monster was bloated, like a giant maggot. Its skin had a slick, oily sheen, and a liquid that fumed with white smoke dripped continuously from its mouth.

[Name: Night Worm]

[Gender: Male]

[Professional Skills: Corrosive Acid: Sprays a highly corrosive acid capable of dissolving most metals and armor.]

[Weaknesses: Afraid of Flame and high temperatures.] ℴℴ𝘮

The second was a giant moth with a wingspan of nearly two meters. Its wings were covered in a fine scale powder that shimmered with an eerie luster in the dim light.

[Name: Night Demon Moth]

[Gender: Male]

[Professional Skills: Hallucinogenic Dust: Beats its wings to release a special scale powder that causes those who inhale it to suffer from intense Illusions, become mentally unstable, and unable to distinguish friend from foe.]

[Weaknesses: Carnivorous plants.]