Chapter 395
Nina and her cubs and beast-husbands entered Serpent City without a hitch. She carried the cubs as she rode on Sal’s back, moving slowly through the streets.
To avoid being recognized, Idir wore a black mask, and Nina had even bought him a tool to mask his natural scent. Perhaps due to the mysterious deaths, the streets of Serpent City were much quieter than those of other cities, with very few beastmen out and about.
When the local beastmen caught a glimpse of their group coming through, with their striking appearances standing out, they couldn’t help but stop and stare at them in surprise.
“Wow, those beastmen are really good-looking p>
“They must be outsiders, right? If they looked that good, they’d definitely be from powerful, well-known clans p>
“Probably. I’ve never seen them before in these lands. What are they doing here p>
The residents of Serpent City whispered among themselves.
Amidst this attention, Nina reached the central district, where the most incidents had been reported. They found a spacious house to stay in. Once they were settled, Nina consulted with her beast-husbands.
“They usually operate at night, so we’ll start today by identifying potential targets and then silently tailing them,” Nina said.
“Understood. I’ve already dispatched Pado and the others to scout for targets, and I believe we’ll have results soon. Since they’ve already victimized so many, the scope of their targets is narrowing,” Aviel added.
“Right. If there’s any unusual activity tonight, have Pado and the others signal us immediately,” Nina ordered. Aviel nodded.
Nina then looked at Sal. “Sal, you and Dian will be responsible for protecting the cubs tonight. I’ll be joining the others in the field.” With the culprits operating so frequently, Nina expected they might catch someone tonight.
“Alright, stay safe,” Sal replied.
Idir gently took Nina’s hand in his. “Nina, let me take you through the central district so you can get familiar with the layout p>
Nina stroked the cubs. “Little ones, Mother isn’t taking you out this time. Stay home and be good, and listen to Papa Sal and the others, okay?” With so many cubs in the city falling ill, she wasn’t sure if it was contagious, so she decided against bringing them along.
The cubs all nodded obediently: “We will, Mother p>
After giving instructions, Idir took Nina out to scout the area. Idir was very familiar with the district and continuously briefed them on the layout and terrain. They memorized the layout of the central district to aid in their tracking later that night.
By the time they returned, Pado and his team had already locked onto several targets. Later that night, shortly after Nina had tucked the cubs into bed, reports came in from Pado’s team—and there was more than one.
“Odian, you track the one in the south. Yunai, you handle the west. I will go with Idir and the others to the southeast. Try to take them alive,” Nina instructed. Odian and the others nodded and split up to take action.
The night in Serpent City was incredibly quiet. The streets were deserted, save for the occasional patrol of city guards. Carefully avoiding the guards, Nina’s group followed the trail left by Pado and quickly arrived at the target’s location. They soon spotted Pado and his team hidden in the shadows.
Aviel immediately erected a sound-dampening barrier.
“Lady Nina, ever since nightfall, this male has been followed by a beastman hidden in the dark. It looks extremely suspicious,” Pado whispered cautiously, pointing in a direction. “He is right over there. We were afraid of being discovered, so we didn’t dare get too close and couldn’t see the culprit’s exact appearance p>
Thanks to the scent-masking items Nina had provided, they were unlikely to be detected while trailing him.
“It’s fine. We’ll keep following him. If that person is the killer, he’s bound to find an opportunity to strike,” Nina said.
They kept tracking the male in secret. After nightfall, the male was quite cautious, sticking to the main roads until he arrived in front of a small courtyard. He breathed a sigh of relief—finally, he was safe at home. He opened the gate, hurried inside, locked it, and went into his room. There were no other scents in the house; the male lived alone.
Just as he stepped inside, a dark shadow scaled his courtyard wall and lurked in the darkness. Grod flicked his tongue in the shadows, anticipating a grand feast tonight.
Seeing the dark shadow, Nina and her group seized the opportunity to hide on a high vantage point nearby, from which they could overlook the courtyard. They kept a close eye on the house.
Creak.
The door opened, and the male came out into the courtyard to fetch water. As he approached the stone vat and opened the lid, he suddenly felt a chill behind him. Just as he turned around, he felt an icy, suffocating grip on his neck.
A large, pale hand was clamped firmly around his throat. The male’s eyes bulged in terror as he stared at the beastman who had suddenly appeared, wearing a gruesome black mask. He channeled his supernatural ability to resist, only to be suppressed by the opponent’s superior power. A massive snake tail coiled around his body, rendering him unable to move.
Grod pulled out a black crystal and began to absorb the male’s energy. The crystal emitted a bizarre energy, and the male’s power began to drain rapidly.
Seeing this, Nina acted immediately. “Catch him p>
Aviel and Pado surged into the courtyard. Grod, who had been engrossed in the thrill of absorption, suddenly felt a surge of powerful energy rushing toward him. He looked up and saw multiple beastmen lunging at him.
Instinctively, he tried to flee, but it was already too late. Aviel had long since activated his domain. Grod tried to release the male and escape, but found himself completely immobilized.
He only paused for a split second before falling straight into the hands of Aviel and the others.