Chapter Forty-Two: Unholy Presence

Lin Lei’s eyes flickered as he watched the red dot glowing on the radar in his hand.

The hue was vivid, not as intense as the energy fluctuation the radar had sensed from himself earlier, but deeper than that of a typical ghoul. If this red dot was a ghoul, it meant there could be more lurking nearby.

His gaze intensified, and under the cover of night, he vaulted the cemetery wall.

The graveyard was vast, nestled against the mountains. Signs of ongoing construction were everywhere, yet within a certain area, rows of tombstones stood solemnly.

Lin Lei quickly reached the location marked by the red dot.

He stowed the energy radar, melting into the shadows. Shrouded by the Nightwalker’s concealment, he seemed almost invisible.

Entering this state required some time, and any bright light or sudden movement would betray his presence.

But when he took in the scene before him, he froze in surprise.

Amidst the rustling sounds, a shadow was feverishly digging at a grave.

With his acute night vision, Lin Lei saw clearly—it was not a ghoul, but a dark-skinned, middle-aged man.

The man was tall, powerfully built, wielding a shovel with swift, practiced strokes. Behind him sat a contraption resembling a garbage truck.

Judging by his movements, this man was no ordinary laborer. His digging speed was astonishing! He seemed tireless, barely out of breath.

"Unless an energy user actively channels their power, their energy fluctuation shouldn’t be so obvious..." Lin Lei mused, hesitating. He didn’t act immediately, but watched in silence.

Soon, the man opened the grave, produced a crowbar, pried open the coffin, and hauled out a corpse not yet fully decayed.

He dumped the body into the garbage truck, then returned the coffin to the grave, filled it with earth, and wheeled his truck away.

"Why steal bodies?" Lin Lei’s curiosity surged, prompting him to quietly follow.

With time before dawn, the man was unlikely to discover Lin Lei’s hidden presence.

He moved to another tombstone, began digging anew, repeating the same process until he unearthed another corpse, then moved on.

Lin Lei shadowed the man, watching him dig for nearly an hour before he finally pushed his truck toward the depths of the forest...

Throughout his "labor," not a word escaped his lips, nor did his expression change, making Lin Lei wonder if the man was even human.

Lin Lei followed him, soon crossing the cemetery and stopping in front of a row of low houses.

The blue metal walls gleamed—temporary dwellings, Lin Lei guessed, for workers building the graveyard.

He noticed many similarly dressed, muscular men converging here, each pushing a cart like the man he’d followed.

What unsettled Lin Lei most was that not a single word was exchanged; not even a glance passed between them.

Soon, each man pushed his cart into one of the houses. The door shut tightly.

Lin Lei took out the Energy Radar again. What he saw made his eyes narrow.

The radar showed a dense cluster of red dots near the center—at least twenty or thirty!

"There can’t possibly be suddenly so many unstable energy users..."

Lin Lei licked his lips, then stepped boldly toward the room where the men had entered.

From within, he heard a man’s wild laughter.

"My slaves, you’ve done well..."

Over twenty red dots appeared on the radar, yet only one voice spoke.

Lin Lei didn’t rush to act. He pressed his ear to the door, hoping to catch more details inside.

But as he leaned closer, a sudden flash of bright light illuminated him, dispelling his Nightwalker concealment. The door sprang open.

With a crash, the figures inside all turned to stare at Lin Lei.

Each was tall and powerful, faces expressionless, unmoving, only fixing their gaze upon him.

"A supernatural mark, triggered by my presence!" Lin Lei’s eyes flashed, his lips tensing as he surveyed the scene.

Amidst the crowd of burly men, a hooded, hunched figure crouched on the floor, surrounded by a sinister pattern traced in blood, with nearly rotten corpses lying at its center.

He stared, stupefied, at the new arrival. Panic flickered across his pale face, swiftly giving way to hysteria.

"Kill him!"

A hoarse, unwavering command rang out.

At the order, the muscular men charged straight at Lin Lei!

Lin Lei glanced at the bloody pattern on the floor, then squinted as he faced the attackers.

From his observation, these men, though robust, weren’t particularly fast or strong—no tougher than ghouls. The red dots on the radar weren’t deep, showing their energy fluctuations were weak.

Lin Lei drew his blade.

With a swift, effortless strike, he drove his sword through the first attacker.

Though their strength and speed exceeded ordinary people’s, they were no match for Lin Lei.

"This one’s power is a bit above a normal ghoul, but its defense is even weaker!"

As Lin Lei felled the man, not a drop of blood spilled. Instead, the body twisted and contorted, morphing in the blink of an eye into a grotesque creature with twisted limbs like a giant toad.

It had no head—just several writhing tentacles where its face should be.

"It’s an anomaly!"

Lin Lei’s eyelid twitched. He’d suspected these men’s strange behavior meant they weren’t human, and now he had proof.

Assured they were not people, Lin Lei fought without hesitation.

These particular anomalies had weak physical defenses, no harder to deal with than ghouls. Though numerous, with Lin Lei guarding the door, they fell one after another.

In moments, several monsters lay writhing on the floor, slain and exposed.

They obeyed orders blindly, charging despite being no match for Lin Lei, only to die at his feet.

Meanwhile, watching Lin Lei slaughter with godlike fury, the cloaked figure trembled violently, crawling atop the blood-drawn pattern, raising both hands, his voice quivering and wild:

"Great Master, I beseech you—protect your faithful servant—"