Chapter 392
“Nina, we are not far from Serpent City now. How would you like to arrange things?” Odian asked.
“Let’s not enter the city directly this time. We should send some beastmen ahead to scope out the situation first p>
Nina turned her gaze to Ming and the others.
“Fathers, please take a few beastmen each to investigate the different entrances and city districts. Look into the rumors about the recent mysterious deaths and see if there are any other unusual occurrences in the city p>
“Alright, leave it to us. Don’t worry,” Ming replied.
“We will gather back here in three days before preparing to enter the city. Everyone, please be careful during your investigation. Try your best not to flaunt your strength, or you might easily become a target. Above all, prioritize your safety,” Nina instructed.
She had a feeling that outside beastmen without any roots or family backing in the city would be more vulnerable to becoming targets, which was why she wanted to get a handle on the situation first.
“Understood p>
Ming and the others nodded, splitting up to begin their operations. Odian also dispatched several of his own beastmen into the city to investigate. Meanwhile, Nina found a suitable spot to set up a temporary camp.
That night, Nina checked in with Little Bun about the progress on the protective shield. “Little Bun, how is the shield coming along? Can you pull it off p>
[Host, it is currently undergoing experimental testing. Give me two more days and I think I should be able to make it. The energy matrix for this shield is quite complex, making it rather difficult to construct,] Little Bun replied.
“Alright, I’ll wait for you,” Nina said.
The unfinished protective shield was precisely why she didn’t want to rush blindly into the city. They had a large group of beastmen, which made them too big of a target, and they would likely need to scatter once inside. She wanted to ensure everyone had an extra layer of security.
Just as she finished communicating, Ridan rushed in with an update.
He stepped into the cave and reported, “Lady Nina, we spotted a few suspicious beastmen coming out of the city to our west. They are carrying several animal-hide sacks and heading deep into the woods p>
“Did they notice us?” Nina asked.
“They shouldn’t have. They are still quite a distance from us, and the location we chose for camp is very well hidden,” Ridan said.
Nina thought it over for a moment. “Let’s follow them and see. They might be out here to dispose of the dead beastmen p>
She handed the cubs over to Kith. “Kith, you and Mino stay behind to watch the little ones. I’m going over there to check out the situation p>
“Alright. You must stay safe out there; I’ll take good care of the cubs,” Kith promised.
“Mhm p>
Nina set off with Odian and the others to tail the beastmen, leaving Keil behind to help protect the cubs as well. Just as they were about to leave, Phar suddenly leaped right into Nina’s arms.
Nina was surprised. “Snowlfake, you want to come along too p>
Phar nodded. Nina looked down at him and didn’t object.
The beast-husbands were slightly disgruntled. This rotten Snowlfake—if he wants to tag along, can’t he walk on his own two feet? Why does he have to latch himself onto Nina’s embrace?
Phar completely ignored their annoyance. Truthfully, even he didn’t know why, but he had just done it instinctively. Given that he was Nina’s contracted spiritual beast, the husbands didn’t press the matter further.
However, if they had known that Phar was actually male, they probably wouldn’t have been this calm and magnanimous about it.
Nina and her group moved swiftly, catching up to the suspicious beastmen in no time. The target beastmen had found a secluded spot in the woods and were busy digging a pit.
“Seriously, they always make us do this kind of dirty work,” a red-haired beastman complained.
“What do you expect? We’re the city guards, and our district is where most of these incidents happen,” a green-haired beastman chimed in.
“Sigh, what is up with all these mysterious deaths lately? They can’t even figure out the cause of death. It’s gotten to the point where all the citizens in the city are terrified and barely dare to step outside,” the red-haired beastman sighed.
“Who knows. Maybe the rumors are true and some kind of monster really did slip into the city? We need to watch our own backs from now on. Before, it was mostly outsiders turning up dead, but lately, even local citizens have started meeting the same fate,” the green-haired beastman noted.
“When do you think they’ll catch that monster? If this keeps up, I won’t even dare to stay in the city anymore,” the red-haired beastman admitted fearfully.
“The City Lord and the other high officials will surely find a way. We just need to follow orders. Besides, being part of the guard unit makes us safer than most,” the green-haired beastman reasoned.
“Alright, cut the chatter and hurry up. I want to finish this quickly so I can go back and check on my cub,” a black-haired beastman interjected.
“Check on your cub? Is your little one sick too?” the red-haired beastman asked.
“Yeah. I don’t know why, but he suddenly fell ill. We saw the witch doctor, but he’s just not getting any better,” the black-haired beastman replied, his face clouded with worry.
“What a coincidence, my cub is the same way! He keeps getting stomachaches and refuses to eat. He’s losing energy by the day. We’ve been to the witch doctor several times, but nothing works. Even the witch doctor can’t figure out the root cause,” the red-haired beastman shared.
“Yours too? My mother is going through the exact same thing, and she hasn’t improved at all,” the green-haired beastman added.
“If everyone’s family is sick, then we really don’t have time to chat. Let’s finish up and get back to take care of them!” the black-haired beastman urged.
“Right, right, let’s get to work p>
The group quickly dug a deep pit, threw the animal-hide sacks straight inside, and hastily shoveled the dirt back over them. Once the burial was complete, they hurried away.
After they departed, Nina and her group emerged from hiding.
“Dig up whatever they just buried,” Nina ordered.
Ridan and the others immediately leaped into action, unearthing the animal-hide sacks in short order. When they tore the sacks open, they found several shriveled, emaciated beastmen corpses inside.
Although the bodies were stiff, there was no foul odor, suggesting they hadn’t been dead for very long.
“Little Bun, scan these corpses. Analyze their cause of death and physical condition p>
[Understood, Host. I will transmit the data to you shortly p>