Feng Yao couldn't help but blink in shock. Countless words ran through her mind, but there was no denying the sight in front of her eyes.

The little boy continued to blankly stare, his grey eyes like two watery splatters of diluted ink that held no ripples of emotion. In the faint lighting, his skin underneath his thin dirty clothing looked incredibly pale just like blank paper. It was as if he'd never been underneath the sun before.

"You..."

Suddenly, the smell of something burning entered her nose, making Feng Yao snap back to reality. The few wisps of smoke that had started from the knocked-over lantern had already slowly evolved into a small fire.

With no time to waste, she reached out and gently, but firmly, picked up the boy before tucking his against her chest. As she did, the white tendrils of his long hair fluttered in the air like strands of smoke before falling and resting gently on her arms.

"Don't be afraid," Feng Yao whispered. "I won't hurt you."

He didn't struggle, easily letting her settle him against her body while his thin arms automatically reached out to hold onto her shoulders. His touch was incredibly light, almost as if he expected to be thrown away by her at any second. If she hadn't been looking, she wouldn't have even felt his small fingers clutching at her clothing.

A pang of sadness made her entire chest hurt, and Feng Yao wordlessly tightened her hold on him. Like before, however, he made no response to her actions.

Quickly bringing the both of them out from between the wall and the bed, she hurriedly made her way back towards the makeshift wooden stairs on the other side of the dark room.

With the boy in her arms, she only had one hand free to help her climb back up. But it was no trouble at all.

He's so light. It's like carrying a little kitten.

His body was incredibly small too. Just by slightly tucking his legs in, his bony frame could be entirely hidden by Feng Yao's torso. She could only imagine how he'd manage to survive up until now.

"We're going up. Hold on tight."

She quietly spoke to him as she began to climb up, taking care not to let him bump onto the wall with each step. It would have been much easier if she had carried him on her back, but she didn't dare do that in case his weak body was suddenly unable to hold on.

The rotten smell of burning flesh slowly became more and more pungent, swirling around them along with the smoke as they got higher and higher. It made breathing slightly difficult, and Feng Yao frowned.

"Be careful of the smoke."

She whispered to the boy, but there was no indication that he had heard her.

...Can he understand me?

Taking a quick glance down at the motionless boy in her arms, she noticed that his eyes were looking silently over her shoulder at the ground below them.

Feng Yao went quiet, remembering what bloody scene laid behind them.

The body of the boy's mother was still laying in a pool of red. Although her clothing was already beginning to catch on fire, the expression on her face was forever fixed with a haunting and maniacal laugh.

Even for her, it was a terrible sight to witness. For such a young child forced to witness this scene of his mother, what would he be thinking right now?

"...Close your eyes. Don't look."

The boy was still after hearing her soft voice. But after a moment, Feng Yao finally saw him slowly lower his head, letting his eyes drift down back towards her shoulder.

Seeing this, an inaudible breath escaped Feng Yao's mouth as a wave of relief went through her mind.

It's good that he's responsive to me.

She had been worried after seeing the state of all the other villagers that he would reject her. But the fact that he didn't completely reject her made her feel hopeful that he would be all right.

With the boy securely tucked against her chest, she continued climbing up until they finally reached the opening of the hole. Gently pushing the boy up first, Feng Yao smoothly brought the both of them back into the interior of the dark home.

Instantly, the icy winter breeze along with small particles of snow coming in through the window brushed against their bodies causing goosebumps to break out. With only a small stream of moonlight coming in through the window, it made the entire atmosphere seem particularly lonely, as if they were the only two in the village.

Like an illusion that's too good to be true, huh?

Feeling a small shiver come from the boy in her arms, Feng Yao frowned as she suddenly realized that the warm cloak covering her back had disappeared without her noticing. Probably, it was now lying in the snow, ripped to shreds or suffering a fate similar to it.

She could only take off the outermost layer of her robes and use it to wrap around the little boy, taking care to also drape it over his head to help cover his hair. In the darkness of the night, his white hair that seemed as if it shimmered in the moonlight was particularly conspicuous.

Hopefully this will be enough to help hide him in my arms.

From out between the folds of the dark fabric, only his tiny face peeked out, reminding her of a little white riceball. Seeing that his light eyes were also staring silently at her, just like how a small kitten would do, Feng Yao couldn't help but reach out and pat his head with a soft heart, although they were currently in no situation to relax.

A small sigh escaped her lips before she turned away to scan outside of the window, looking for traces of anyone—or anything—nearby. Due to her attention having shifted away, however, she completely missed how the little boy stared at her hand before slowly lowering his eyes.

No one was outside, and there were also no new footprints besides hers in the snow around the home. Theoretically, she should have been slightly relieved. But why did it seem to only make her more on edge?

A moment of silence passed as her dark eyes stared out into the night. But as soon she blinked, they had already regained their usual clear and bright light as her hands lightly patted the boy's back.

"We're going to head back out there, but don't worry."

She gave a warm smile as she softly spoke to the boy who had turned his head upwards to stare at her.

"Just stick yourself close to me, and I'll take care of the rest."

Hugging him tightly against her chest, Feng Yao slipped out the door. Her silent footsteps followed the deepest and darkest parts of the shadowy paths along the homes, never causing them to step out underneath the moonlight.

As they moved through the village, her eyes couldn't help but wander around and take in the old wooden homes surrounded by bloody snow and fallen corpses.

Do all of these homes have secret areas underneath them?

How many more people are hiding? How many more are imprisoned?

Her lips slightly tilted downwards into a frown. If only it was less dangerous, she would have tried searching through more homes.

But in this situation, that's an arrogant way of thinking. I still have to figure out how to get back out of the tunnel with this little boy.

I highly doubt that all of the villagers were killed by the newly transformed creature. Some of them must have escaped and hid.

And I bet many of them are waiting around the tunnel for an opportunity to ambush us.

As they continued walking, the sight of the tunnel's entrance in the far horizon slowly began to appear. It was where she and the boy needed to go.

But before they could even get near the tunnel, they had to first cross the large clearing in front of them where the bloody battle from earlier had taken place.

During the actual event, she hadn't had time to pay attention to the extent of casualties around her. But now, she could clearly see just how violent the clash between her, the villagers, and the creature had been.

Compared to when she first arrived, the number of bodies had increased dramatically. It was to the point where she could easily spot several small mountains of body parts and ruptured guts scattered around in the snow.

How insane. They're all crazy.

But just as she was about to take a small step closer, something near her foot suddenly caught her eye.

Looking down, she noticed that it was a slightly damaged wooden stake caked in blood. The end on one side had been crushed, as if it had been smashed against a wall. However, the other side was still sharp enough to pierce through a body, although it was covered in a thin layer of frost.

Feng Yao quickly grabbed it, securing it in her palm with a firm grasp. It was the only weapon she currently had in her possession, and it would probably stay like that for a while.

All of the other available weapons were currently lying abandoned and scattered throughout the bloody battlefield. Going out there to collect one would only make her a perfect moving target for any hunters watching in the shadows.

So, I guess I'll have to make do with this then.

Suddenly, she felt the boy in her arms begin to shake, snapping her out of her quiet thinking. The tremors that had abruptly begun to take over his body seemed to be even stronger than when she had first found him in the dark underground room.

Feng Yao quickly took a step back into the shadows, hiding the both of them in between the walls of two homes before she worriedly glanced down at the young child.

Rubbing his back in an effort to keep him warm, Feng Yao lowered her voice and whispered, "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer, only bowing his head in towards her chest as if he wanted to curl up into a little ball. His trembling fingers imperceptibly tightened around her clothing.

Automatically, Feng Yao gently tucked a few tendrils of his white hair that had escaped with his movement back underneath the fabric covering his head and body. Taking care not to scratch him with the weapon in her hand, she then pulled him closer against her and continued to rub his back.

Is it too cold for him? Or is there something else wrong with his body?

A frown appeared on her face, but she didn't let the boy see as her eyes glanced around both ends of the alley they were in.

It was too much of a risk to stay in one spot for too long, especially near the tunnel where many unseen enemies could be potentially hiding. Not to mention that there was still no sight of the creature from before.

But she still didn't know if the little boy's condition would suddenly take a turn for the worst.

I don't like the atmosphere here. Everything is so dark, and it's extremely quiet. It's making me uneasy.

And this heavy air...

She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose as her thumb slowly rubbed the wooden stake.

Shoot. The scent of blood is so thick here that I can't smell anything else. It's throwing me off and I can't--

Feng Yao's eyes abruptly widened.

In one sudden movement, she jerked her arm holding the boy protectively towards her side while violently hurdling the stake with her other hand right into one of the two red eyes that had suddenly appeared in front of her.

Immediately, a loud roar tore out of the creature's deformed mouth, piercing the air with its harsh and ear-grating shriek.

The vibrations from its howl was so loud that it caused some of the snow from the roofs around them to crumble and begin tumbling down in large white masses, resembling the chaotic scene of a massive and destructive snowstorm.

Stumbling backwards, the creature madly clutched at its bleeding head as it clumsily crashed into the sides of the small alley. Bloodthirsty roars continuously ripped out of its throat as it blindly searched for its prey in the sudden angry flurry of snow.

However, when the snow finally settled and its remaining good eye whipped towards the entrance of the alley in search of its target, Feng Yao and the young boy were already gone.

Feng Yao let out a curse underneath her breath as her surroundings blurred at the edges of her vision. She was sprinting as fast as she could, trying to create as much distance as she could between her and the boy and that creature.

But it was so cold, and her limbs felt like they were slowly becoming numb from fatigue and the snow. Even the white puffs in the air created from her harsh breathing felt as if they were being ripped out from her lungs by the bitter wind.

What do I do? What should I do?

It was only a matter of time before she and the boy were found again. But how was she supposed to protect both of them in a fight?

At that exact moment, the sound of thundering footsteps exploded out right behind them. There was only a split second left to make a decision before the creature would turn the corner and find them.

Feng Yao's eyes hurriedly glanced down at the child she had tucked into her chest. He was still shaking, but perhaps because he sensed her gaze, his head lifted and his eyes met hers.

It lasted only for a brief moment before he automatically lowered his face again, almost as if he already knew that he was going to be thrown away.

Feng Yao wanted to explain, but there was no time.

Her hands swiftly tucked him into a small crack made at the bottom of a half-crumbling wall. It was just large enough for the boy to disappear into if he curled into a ball.

Feng Yao's robe was still protectively wrapped around his body, helping him to blend into the shadows even more. And with the nearby wooden boards that had fallen over to help conceal the hole, it was an excellent hiding place.

She could only hastily whisper, "Don't come out" before immediately turning and running in the opposite direction. Her sudden switch in movement came just in time as the creature's claws came crashing right through the corner of a nearby home, causing wooden pieces and snow to explode in the air.

Its blood-shot eyes immediately latched onto Feng Yao's rapidly moving body in the distance. A loud screech escaped out from between its glistening teeth before it began to tear through the snow towards her at an alarming rate.

Feng Yao didn't dare turn around to look and instead focused on running out towards the open clearing where the majority of the dead bodies and fallen weapons laid. With one more giant push, she forced herself to lunge towards the nearest corpse, grabbing a sword with her right hand and a dagger with her left.

"Aggghhhh!"

The creature let out an ear-piercing scream as Feng Yao twisted her body around and sliced straight up, cutting off its hand that had almost reached her spine. Bright sticky blood immediately spurted everywhere, spraying hotly across the side of her face and her clothing.

"Rooooaaaar!"

The surroundings around her shook as the creature madly flailed about, a continuous stream of blood pouring out from its arm and onto the snow that had long become a river of red.

Its unstable steps forced Feng Yao to roll out of the way, causing her to wince as a sharp pain shot up from her legs directly to her torso.

Countless wounds, both shallow and deep, had already caused her skin to become layered with matted blood. With her sweat and the snow mixing in, it felt as if her body was simultaneously burning and freezing to a point where she no longer could tell if she was successfully blocking any attacks from reaching her body.

But even the slightest bit of hesitation would be detrimental, so she didn't dare let her mind drift away as she reached out to swipe the two nearest daggers before tucking them into her waistband.

Taking advantage of this moment where the creature was distracted, Feng Yao hurriedly ran away towards the other side of the clearing where she could hide among the shadows. But just a few steps before she managed to reach her destination, she suddenly saw a person shoot out towards her from the side.

Her eyes widened as she cursed in her mind.

The remaining villagers?! Shoot, so you all finally decided to act now?

Feng Yao couldn't react in time and involuntarily let out a small hiss of pain when she felt nails and teeth deeply dig into her shoulder.

"Tssss!"

If it wasn't for the way that she had instinctively moved her neck to the side, those sharp teeth would have ripped right into the artery in her neck.

"Annoying--!"

She spat out the word through gritted teeth as her hand shot out to grab at the other person's neck. Seeing the wild light on his face, her eyes narrowed before she abruptly tightened her hand.

The sudden pressure on his windpipe immediately made his smug expression vanish, replaced by a faint look of panic as he let out a yelp of pain.

Instantly, Feng Yao took advantage of his loosened hold and broke away from him. But as soon as she spun around, she realized that she had already been surrounded.

Ten or so villagers were staring hungrily at her, the look of greed blatantly shining in their reddened eyes. Almost all of them had serious injuries from earlier, but they didn't seem to notice the red liquid running thickly down along their faces and bodies.

Just like her, they were all covered in dirt and bloody snow. But unlike her, they were still full of energy, ready to fight another chaotic battle to the death.

"Hehe, you can't run now!"

The man who had just been thrown aside by Feng Yao straightened himself out as he raised his dirty hand to wipe at his mouth. Seeing her gaze slightly turn towards him, his eyes brightened as his tongue flicked out to lick his dry and cracked lips.

"You see now? All of this would have been over so much earlier if you had just stayed put in the beginning!"

Making no move to answer his taunts, Feng Yao quietly scanned over the other sadistic looks on the many faces around her.

After confirming that only a few of them had weapons in their hands, her eyes quickly flickered down towards a few spots in the snow. Her movement was so subtle that no one realized that a strange light had appeared in her lowered eyes.

"What? Gone silent with fear? Don't worry, we'll put you out of your misery soon enough, hahaha!"

However, her face showed none of the fear and despair that he was used to seeing. Instead, there was the faintest trace of a smile playing at her lips.

"Then come." Her voice rang out. "All of you at once."

The moment that she spoke, the looks on all of their faces simultaneously changed. Red eyes became sharpened and their sneers morphed into the same unnatural grin.

"Then don't mind...if I do!"

The male villager from before immediately lunged towards her. But before he could, a large flurry of snow was suddenly kicked up from the ground in front of him as he felt a sharp pain explode in his foot.

"Agggghhhh! You--?!"

A loud howl of pain came from his mouth as he realized that the blade of a dagger was piercing right through his bare foot, pinning him right to the frozen ground.

The moment that his scream rang out, similar other shouts came out from around him as others soon found themselves in the same painful situation.

Stray daggers and stakes went flying like consecutive arrows fired one after the other. It was all a blur as Feng Yao stealthily slipped around their incoming bodies, snatching up fallen weapons on the ground before