Chapter 1131: First Encounter with Bear City

The sound of three pairs of footsteps echoed one after another on the asphalt road, their cadence seemingly monotonous and dry under the relentless rays of the sun.

2

Lin Sanjiu's gaze fixated on the white dividing lines drawn on the asphalt road, following them onward. Walking beside her, Bohemia also stared straight ahead, their pace unwavering. They had been moving forward for a while, so Puppeteer wasn't too far ahead. He floated silently within the silver-white circle, progressing without a sound.

Amidst the continuous sound of the three pairs of footsteps, Puppeteer's voice broke the silence, low and warning, "If anyone dares to act recklessly, I'll claim their head first."

No one dared to disregard this warning it wasn't the first time he had issued it.

Lin Sanjiu had witnessed many strange and bizarre things in her life, but this situation was entirely unprecedented. She made an effort to keep her head still and only s.h.i.+fted her eyes slightly to scan the area behind them.

The man continued to follow them closely, like a shadow that had risen from the ground. In the brief glimpses from the corner of her eye and the moments they brushed past him, Lin Sanjiu discerned that the man trailing them was middle-aged, with an average build. He wore a checkered s.h.i.+rt and jeans, resembling a farmer fresh from the fields.

However, the enigma lay in the fact that no one knew when he had appeared or from where.

He simply stood there in silence, shadowing the group.

Clearly, Puppeteer had sensed his presence long before they had. As Lin Sanjiu and Bohemia hastened to catch up, Puppeteer had already issued his command, "Don't touch him!"

Lin Sanjiu was taken aback, and Puppeteer paused briefly before adding, "Follow me, keep your distance from him, and don't act without my command."

And so, the four of them continued walking along the highway in silence for ten minutes. Lin Sanjiu had never realized that her steps could feel so rigid. Constant vigilance had left her back feeling stiff, and Bohemia even unintentionally matched her stride several times.

"Does... does he breathe?" Bohemia couldn't help but ask in a hushed voice. "I think I heard something, but..."

Lin Sanjiu understood what she was hearing because she heard it too. The farmer behind them was indeed producing faint, rhythmic, and subdued sounds from his body. However, it was more akin to the sound of air colliding within a partially filled container than normal breathing.

The farmer didn't seem to react to their words. He remained silent for a while, and when he didn't even s.h.i.+ft his gaze in the corner of his eye, their tension eased slightly. Lin Sanjiu lowered her voice and inquired of Puppeteer, "Where did this person come from?"

"He didn't exist a moment ago, but then he suddenly appeared," Puppeteer responded in a low voice after a few seconds. He maintained his floating position, not even turning his head yet, it seemed as if he was still fully aware of everything behind him.

"Do you sense anything? Why can't we take action against him?"

This time, Puppeteer offered no answer. Instead, when he spoke again, his voice bore a weight of seriousness, "Can you see the road sign up ahead?"

The sign was still some distance away, and with their posthuman vision, they could barely make out the words "15 miles to Bear City."

"I'll count to three. Scatter in different directions and maintain a safe distance from him. Don't take any action until we regroup under that sign in two minutes."

In the corner of her eye, the farmer remained expressionless. His taut, reddened skin vibrated with each step, but aside from that, he resembled an unresponsive cadaver.

"Go!"

Before Puppeteer's countdown concluded, they immediately dispersed, each running in a different direction. Lin Sanjiu continued her sprint along the straight highway, while the other two veered off onto the farmland and shrubbery on both sides. The wind whipped against her cheeks as she scanned the surroundings, but their shadows had vanished entirely.

The only constant presence was the farmer, persistently trailing behind her like a festering sore. Suppressing the uneasiness churning in her stomach, Lin Sanjiu swiftly turned her head to check on the situation. To her surprise, the farmer had matched her pace, running just as fast. He maintained a close distance behind her, like an unshakable shadow looming over her.

As he continued to run, the air-colliding sound, reminiscent of breathing, grew more p.r.o.nounced. His face reddened, as though it might burst, and his chest heaved in a manner resembling a frog gasping for air.

Lin Sanjiu pursed her lips, torn between taking action or not. In a sudden decision, she hit the brakes with a sharp friction sound, coming to a halt under the road sign. Her remarkable speed had brought her to the rendezvous point in less than a minute, with the persistent shadow right behind her.

The farmer also came to a halt just behind her. However, at that moment, Lin Sanjiu heard a distinct "snap" from his knee joint. Her gaze dropped, revealing the farmer's inability to stop in time due to her sudden halt. His knees and calves were instantly displaced by the inertia, contorting in different directions, a rather shocking sight. Yet, when she raised her head, the farmer's expression remained flat and emotionless.

Staring face to face with the unknown farmer on the dry, monotonous road, Lin Sanjiu and the farmer locked eyes for a prolonged moment.

Neither made a move, standing so close that Lin Sanjiu could even discern the large pores on his cheek's skin.

"Lin Sanjiu," Bohemia's voice came from the farmland beside the road, growing nearer. "He didn't follow us. Should we..."

Before Bohemia could finish her sentence, she had already arrived, and her gaze fell upon the two of them. Bohemia slowed down, cautiously approaching from the edge of the road, as though facing a formidable adversary. "Did... did he follow you all the way?"

Lin Sanjiu nodded.

Two minutes slipped by rapidly. As a gust of wind rustled the bushes, the silver-white circle appeared on the other side of the road, and Puppeteer returned but he wasn't alone.

Upon seeing the individual trailing Puppeteer, they were rendered speechless.

This person, younger than the farmer, appeared to be in his thirties. His pants hung loosely around his hips, a result of his belt being taken. The fearful expression he had at the moment of death was still faintly etched on his features and skin. Despite Puppeteer's a.s.sertion that this person's body could no longer stand up and become a puppet, he had effortlessly caught up, trailing behind Puppeteer within the silver-white circle.

It was the posthuman who had inexplicably perished on the highway the previous night.

Puppeteer's expression darkened considerably, his pale fingers clenching and unclenching beneath his feathered sleeves, as if wrestling with the urge to attack. Originally, his aim had been to unveil the farmer's true ident.i.ty, but he had inadvertently attracted another identical individual to follow him. For him, maintaining composure at this juncture was a significant accomplishment.

Lin Sanjiu gulped, her suspicion taking shape. She exchanged glances with the others and cautiously took two steps back from the farmer, drawing closer to the deceased posthuman. Slowly, she extended her hand, enveloped in [Defense Forcefield], and gently placed it on the posthuman's shoulder.

As antic.i.p.ated, the body that could have been converted into a card with [Planar World] before the journey now resisted all attempts.

Only one explanation could account for this.

The posthuman suddenly twisted his neck, fixing his gaze on her hand resting on his shoulder. Lin Sanjiu hastily withdrew her hand, as if fearing an electric shock, and whispered, "It's... as I suspected!"

"Really?" Bohemia immediately grasped the revelation. "Are they all

duoluozhong

?"

Lin Sanjiu took two steps back, nearly colliding with Puppeteer's silver-white circle. Turning around, she furrowed her brow, "Why are they following us like this?"

"Don't always think with your toenails," Puppeteer said coolly. "They stick close to humans but refrain from taking action, likely hoping we'll attack them voluntarily."

In other words, they should avoid making any move against the

duoluozhongs

unless they fully understood the consequences.

"If we simply ignore them, will they... disperse on their own?" Bohemia said cautiously. As Lin Sanjiu moved away earlier, the farmer s.h.i.+fted a step to the side, now facing Bohemia head-on. It seemed he could follow anyone indiscriminately.

"We'll only find out if we try," Puppeteer said with a sinister smile, drifting forward a distance. "Are you coming or not?"

Bear City lay a mere fifteen miles away, and the journey would conclude before noon. Despite their discomfort after discovering they were dealing with

duoluozhongs

, they could endure it for the time being. The group continued their journey, crossing vast stretches of farmland in silence, pa.s.sing through increasingly frequent car wrecks, and finally departing the highway at the Bear City exit, setting foot on the city's streets.

Bear City was an amalgam of stillness and activity.

Apart from the wind's whisper, the city seemed utterly silent. If one closed their eyes, it felt like being in a cemetery. Yet, upon opening their eyes, they could see thousands, even tens of thousands of people silently meandering through the streets.