Chapter 369 Sorrow
Backlund East District.
A pale yellow haze still permeated the streets. The sun, which had already tilted toward the west, seemed dim, and the sunlight that barely shone on the earth seemed to be covered with a layer of gray.
Several residents who had escaped the disaster in the attics high up in their buildings cautiously opened their doors and went out onto the streets, tentatively breathing the air, which was still pungent but no longer deadly.
These lucky ones were only a minority. Most people, living in a house without airtight insulation, used every possible means to protect their lives: wet towels or clothes, wardrobes filled with wet quilts, or even crawling under the bed...
But even so, a large number of poor people who were weak and already sick had died in the poisonous mist.
Not to mention the homeless or the residents who don’t have time to return home. They lie quietly on the streets, in alleys, or even at their doorsteps, and most of them will never wake up again.
"Bang--"
Hugh kicked open the door of the Sherman family's house, and her petite body rushed in like the wind, bringing in a wisp of mist.
"Sherman, are you there?"
She shouted, looking from room to room.
As he ran along, the bounty hunter had seen no less than a hundred corpses, and even more were the cries and wails of survivors who were still alive but had lost their loved ones.
She didn't want to see her good friend become like this, an insignificant number that might even be missed in the death toll counted in the newspaper a few days later.
"I'm here, Loft, come help!"
A faint but clear answer came from above her head. She hurriedly climbed the stairs, pushed open the partition covered with wet towels and clothes, and entered the dark attic.
Sherman was only wearing a thin shirt and had taken off his coat to fill the gap in the door. A young girl was kneeling beside him, crying and looking at the middle-aged woman lying on the floor.
That was Liv and Freya, mother and daughter. Hugh had met them several times. They made a living by washing clothes and had recently moved into a cheap apartment next to the Sherman family.
"Miss Xiu!" Freya recognized this woman who was shorter than her but quite capable in the East District. Her tearful eyes brightened. "Mom is sick, very sick, but outside..."
"I just came from outside. The smog is no longer deadly, but the nearby charity hospital is overcrowded. There's no point going there now..."
Quinn looked at Liv, who was lying on the ground with red cheeks and rapid breathing, and immediately made a decision:
"Go to the North District, the hospital or the church. Even if it's just to appear friendly, they will now open to patients from the East District!"
Hopefully they do...
After adding this silently in his heart, Hugh and Sherman made a simple stretcher with bed sheets and wooden sticks, and lifted Liv out of the attic. Although Freya was coughing constantly, she still insisted on going with them.
At the same time, in the East District, the Dock District, and even the neighboring North District, South District and Cherwood District, countless people spontaneously helped other survivors who were infected with the disease but barely survived the smog. Hospitals and churches were working overtime to try to save all the patients.
But more people lost one or more relatives in this short-lived smog that covered half of the city. Low, mournful cries emanated from every house and every street, gathering in the air into a lingering wail that lingered for a long time, like a farewell song for the dead.
Deep in the East District, on a street now deserted of people, the yellowish haze and damp paving stones suddenly took on rich colors, like a framed oil painting.
Two men stepped out of the "oil painting", one was wearing a double-breasted frock coat, soaked and even dripping with water, the other had a bronze complexion and soft features.
It was Klein Moretti and Azik Eggers.
"This should be it," Azik said, his gaze sweeping around, penetrating the still thick smog, lingering for a moment on the corpses with varying causes of death. "The aura of death here... is the thickest."
Klein nodded and took two steps forward, dragging his heavy dress, which had soaked up river water, while quickly scanning his surroundings.
Just five minutes ago, he had climbed out of the Tussock River and witnessed Mr. A, who had been tracking him all the way out of the ruins, being easily "erased" by a mysterious woman without any resistance. He was then found by Mr. Azik and rescued back to the spiritual world.
It's been over half an hour since Ms. Despair arrived in the East District. Angel, how come she...
Klein suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on the ground not far away.
There lay a figure wrapped in a cloak, a figure that looked very familiar.
At the same time, a sigh from Mr. Azik was heard from behind him.
Of course, that wasn't necessarily her. There were countless black-haired women in Loen and Backlund, and hooded cloaks were a must-have for women in the East District to avoid being targeted. With so many corpses lying around, this was just another victim like them.
With this thought in mind, Klein slowly walked forward, carefully stepping over the gradually melting ice.
In the depths of winter in Backlund, it was normal for the roadside to be frozen.
As he got closer, the female figure on the ground became clearer and clearer in his sight. Without having to think, the "Faceless Man" instinctively told him that this body was 1.75 meters tall, 3 centimeters taller than himself.
She was considerably taller than the average woman in Ruen, but that wasn't uncommon.
He kicked away the "Gathering Storm" shells left by some Night Watchman on the ground with some annoyance, knelt down gently beside the woman, stretched out his hands, slowly laid her curled up body with her back to him flat, pushed aside her hood and bangs, and looked at the round, freckled face below.
Fortunately, it's not Angel...
"She's very brave. The other enemy should be the Sequence 4 Witch of Despair. There are multiple traces of magic mirror doubles nearby, and even a broken wand," Mr. Azik's voice came from behind him, a little sighing. "Let's get her away. This is the center of the 'smog', and the official Beyonders may be here soon. Also, do you want her to stay in this 'disguise' state forever?"
No! What disguise! She's just an ordinary girl with black hair and a round face—Klein wanted to turn around and yell at his teacher, denying everything he said.
But he knew that this was just deceiving himself.
Touching Angel's hand that drooped limply beside her, Klein gently removed the "Ring of Madness" from her finger. He then held her face in his hands and removed the Beyonder characteristic of the "Faceless Man," allowing her long, light golden hair and slightly elongated, but perfectly-featured face to reappear from under the double disguise.
It's a pity that I won't be able to see her purple eyes anymore...
Klein pursed his lips, used both hands to lift Angel up, and held him against his chest, then looked at Azik Eggers beside him.
"Mr. Azik, let's take her home."
The High-Sequence Beyonder, whose face also showed a look of sadness, nodded, reached out to press Klein's shoulder, and moved closer to avoid any accidents while traveling through the spiritual world.
"Huh?"
As colors like oil paintings emerged around him and gradually infected the surrounding ground, he suddenly looked towards the distance in surprise.
There was a thumb-sized dark green object there, which had just been casually thrown on the ground, turning the surrounding fog iron-black.
Extraordinary Characteristics...
A distant memory emerged in Azik's mind. It was his experience of working with certain "witches", which made him easily recognize that this was the extraordinary characteristic of the "Pain" witch.
At the same time, it also allowed him to confirm once again the final fate of the girl in Klein's arms.
Looking at the student beside him who lowered his head and said nothing, he sighed secretly, stretched out his hand and gently waved it, letting the dark green Beyonder Characteristics fly towards him. Then the rich haze and the ground around him returned to normal.
But the two people were no longer visible on the silent street.
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