Chapter 44: Chapter 44
The ruined streets stretched endlessly ahead of them as the group of seven slowly advanced.
Broken vehicles littered the road while shattered glass lay across the roads, crunching beneath their foot as they moved. The city looked abandoned with no signs of life around it, but nobody lowered their guard despite that.
After all, they all knew that creatures were lurking and searching for food.
Lucien, Evelyn, Damien, Kaelan, and the three awakeners of his group were the ones who were chosen for this exploration.
Because they knew each other slightly from the last encounter, Damien had decided to take them on this mission.
One of the three nervously adjusted the spear strapped to his back as they started to reach near the place where the scout group had lost contact.
"The scouts should have vanished somewhere in this district only, that’s the most precise data we have."
He unfolded a rough map as he slowed his steps.
"But is this really necessary? Can’t we just shift somewhere else?" The same nervous person spoke, yet the hesitation in his voice already told everyone that he himself knew it wasn’t possible.
Not when they weren’t a small group of people but a whole survivor settlement.
And it would only continue to grow as more people were found. So hiding wouldn’t be something they could do for long.
The group continued forward.
Hours passed, and the deeper they ventured into the city, the quieter everything became.
Yes, they didn’t encounter a single mutated creature throughout their journey.
This doesn’t make any sense.
Damien’s brows furrowed at the strange emptiness of the city, but he didn’t voice it out.
Eventually, he raised his hand, stopping everyone at once.
Ahead of them sat the remains of a temporary camp with several backpacks scattered around it as proof that someone had been here recently.
A burnt-out campfire occupied the center.
Lucien slowly approached.
The ashes had long gone cold and nearby sat a half-open notebook.
Kaelan picked it up and inspected it.
"Yes, it belongs to the scouts."
Evelyn frowned.
"Any chances that there was infighting?"
"I don’t think so, because it wouldn’t be a smart move for anyone to leave the settlement behind."
That was the problem.
Lucien focused on the food and remaining supplies present inside the tent.
Several belongings were still here, and nobody willingly abandoned resources this valuable.
Especially not scouts.
Damien crouched beside the campfire, his fingers brushing across the cold ash before he slowly stood back up.
"They didn’t leave willingly, I am sure of that."
The statement settled heavily over the group, for everyone had also reached the same terrifying conclusion.
People didn’t simply vanish out of nowhere.
The ruined buildings gradually grew taller around them until they blocked much of the sunlight coming from above their heads. Long shadows stretched across the streets, making it feel as if something unknown was hiding beyond every corner.
One minute passed, then another.
And another.
Lucien suddenly frowned as he felt a weird sensation on his back.
He lifted his head and swept his gaze across the surrounding buildings, trying to search for the cause.
But he found nothing, and the feeling remained as if unseen eyes were constantly following every step he was taking.
And apparently, he wasn’t the only one.
"I think we all feel it." One of the trio spoke in a low voice before repeatedly glancing over his shoulder.
Even Damien’s expression had become cautious after feeling the shift in the air.
Just as they were considering whether to make a run back to their camp, a voice echoed from above.
"Humans."
Everyone froze.
The voice wasn’t loud, yet it was able to instantly draw every ounce of attention from them.
Their heads snapped upward, only to find a bird standing atop a shattered streetlight overlooking the street.
Its body was covered in pristine white feathers that were untouched by dust or ruin. And long silver tail feathers drifted behind it, swaying gently despite the absence of wind.
Its neck was slender and elegant while its pale blue eyes regarded them with unmistakable intelligence.
Rather than a beast, it looked like some arrogant noble of an upper world observing lowly commoners and peasants.
A creature that can speak?
Lucien immediately activated appraisal by channeling the spiritual energy in a particular manner.
━━━━━━━━━━
[Target: Windtail Crane]
[Combat Power: D++]
[Description: A spirit beast with a beak possessing absurd penetration power and wings that can generate terrifying force. While average among spirit beasts of its rank, it also possesses exceptional speed, intelligence, and reflexes.]
━━━━━━━━━━
The crane tilted its head.
Its attention lingered briefly on Evelyn before shifting away to Damien.
He stepped forward with clenched jaws.
"What happened to the scouting team, and don’t you dare spout nonsense or I might want to eat a bird for dinner today."
The creature blinked, and for a moment, the crane simply stared at him with a scrutinizing look.
"If you are so eager to speak with them..."
Its voice carried a strange hint of mockery.
"You will soon have the opportunity."
The moment the words fell, the crane spread its wings which blocked the sunlight like a shield.
The world exploded the next instant.
BOOM!
A violent gust of air erupted outward from the flap.
Lucien’s clothes snapped violently while Evelyn tried to maintain her balance from the sudden move.
Dust filled the street, one of the survivors staggered backward while another barely managed to keep his footing.
The wind continued roaring around them as the crane flapped its wings repeatedly with ruthless intensity.
We need to get close to it somehow.
Lucien tensed.
"Now!" Damien shouted as a temporary plan formed in his mind.
The three survivors moved immediately and unlike their previous encounter, none of them hesitated or ran away. Instead, they split apart and rushed in different directions, trying to surround it from all four sides and cut off every escape route on the ground.
At the rear, Kaelan extended his palms.
A sphere of compressed flame rapidly formed above his palm.
Heat radiated outward from it, which was more than enough to attract the crane’s attention toward him.
Too late.
Lucien acted.
Telekinesis descended from his body, forcing the wings of the crane to lock in place mid-motion.
And he did it only for a fraction of a second.
But that was more than enough as the burning sphere blitzed through the air and struck directly.
BOOM!
Flames erupted across the crane’s face, blinding it for a short duration.
Another attack followed as a spear tore through the air before striking its body from the right.
"You treacherous humans!"
The creature crashed onto the ground with a shriek, signifying the pain it endured.
Flames clung to its feathers and blood dripped from its stomach as it slowly regained its footing with genuine fury present on its face.
The elegant demeanor from before vanished, replaced with a powerful intent like slaughter.
Its body blurred as it advanced to attack directly.
Lucien instinctively prepared himself to use telekinesis once again but before he could—
A glance toward Damien froze him in place.
The man’s eyes had changed as a deep violet glow filled them with an unknown power behind it.
At the same moment, the charging crane faltered, its body visibly slowed, followed by its movements losing certainty as though something invisible had seized hold of its mind.
Lucien took a sharp breath as realization dawned on him.
Influencer.
