Chapter 80: The Silent Zone

At the front, Ma Gui stepped back slowly and made a silence gesture.

Su Xiao was not a liability; after nodding to Ma Gui, the three began retreating step by step.

The reason they did this was because after passing the corner, a vast open area appeared before them.

On this open ground, at least a thousand monstrous ghoul creatures were clustered.

They were called monstrous ghouls because their appearance was strange, even terrifying.

Their skin was pitch-black, like charred coal scorched by fire, rough and uneven.

Unlike ordinary ghouls, these ghouls had their kagune fully extended, and all of them were tail kagune, as if they each had an extra tail behind them.

These monstrous ghouls had no crimson eyes—in fact, they had no eyes at all.

Their eyes had likely regressed, covered by a layer of gray-white hardened shell.

Su Xiao and the others had been exposed to these ghouls, yet the ghouls showed no sign of noticing them.

After the three retreated a distance, Ma Gui exhaled deeply.

“I’ve encountered this type of ghoul once—they hunt by hearing, extremely difficult to deal with. If we alarm a group this size, we’re no match.”

Indeed, Ma Gui knew some secrets of District 24.

At least in the original story, Su Xiao had never seen primitive ghouls or these eyeless ghouls.

“What do we do now?”

Yuna looked at Ma Gui, clearly treating him as their anchor.

“Change route.”

Su Xiao said nothing; Yuna offered no objection.

The three began searching for alternative paths, but after two hours, they discovered something.

Except for the location of the eyeless ghouls, the other four routes were dead ends.

Judging by the compass, that direction was the only exit leading to the surface.

The three sat together in a corridor, discussing strategies.

In Su Xiao’s hand, a notebook had somehow appeared, along with a pen.

“Here, here, and here—we’ve never been to these spots. From my hand-drawn map, District 24 resembles a funnel shape.”

The direction leading deep into District 24 is the wide end of the funnel; the exit to the surface is the narrow end. That’s precisely why it’s possible to walk into District 24 with a fixed direction.”

From the seventeen dead ends I led us through before, this is the only viable exit.”

After sketching and writing on the notebook, a detailed map appeared on its pages.

The map even included latitude and longitude, and a scale.

Yuna gazed at Su Xiao with full admiration.

“How did you do it? Did you memorize every path we’ve taken?”

Not only the neurotic girl Yuna was stunned—Ma Gui also stared at Su Xiao in surprise.

The carbon pen spun rapidly in Su Xiao’s hand.

“My former ‘profession’ was unusual. I often infiltrated places to find specific individuals. It’s a habit.”

Yuna thought for a moment.

“Sounds like a killer.”

“Same nature, different beliefs.”

Su Xiao looked up at the two.

“What’s it going to be? Wait for District 24’s terrain to change again, or risk crossing that dangerous zone?”

Ma Gui and Yuna considered for a while.

“Our supplies won’t last until District 24’s terrain changes again.”

Yuna and Ma Gui carried food and fresh water sufficient for only four days. Starving, they might survive until the next terrain shift, but their combat effectiveness would plummet.

Su Xiao had enough supplies, but he didn’t want to be trapped here forever—time spent in the derivative world was precious.

“If we stay silent, those special ghouls won’t detect us.”

Ma Gui spoke, clearly willing to take the risk.

“Then let’s take the risk.”

Ma Gui and Yuna stood up.

“Since we’ve decided to risk it, I have a plan.”

Su Xiao suddenly spoke.

“What plan?”

“Since those ghouls sense sound, we can place a sound source here on the map, then wait at this position. When the sound plays, it’ll draw their attention—we’ll slip through while they’re distracted.”

Su Xiao didn’t want to fight the eyeless ghouls head-on; from Ma Gui’s demeanor, they were clearly formidable.

“Fine. I’ve used a similar method before—it worked well.”

“Where will the sound source come from?”

Su Xiao smiled and pulled out a cellphone, thumb tapping the screen rapidly.

“Set it for five minutes—more than enough.”

After speaking, Su Xiao placed the phone on the ground, and the three of them sprinted forward.

Soon, the three reached a dead end, positioned very close to the eyeless ghouls’ location.

“Dū, dū, dū~, dū……, arachachachabiribarirī…….”

A cheerful tune echoed from afar; the neurotic girl Yuna suddenly began swaying her body, hands rhythmically waving in front of her.

“It’s my favorite ‘Gyūnyū Song.’”

Yuna’s sudden shift in demeanor left Su Xiao speechless; Ma Gui turned his head away.

A few seconds after the music started, a rapid pounding of footsteps approached.

“Hōng, hōng, hōng…….”

As if a vast army was charging—close enough for all three to hear.

Not long after, the thunder of footsteps receded into the distance; the three exchanged glances and sprinted toward the only exit.

Time was short—who knew when the eyeless ghouls might return?

All three moved quickly: Ma Gui led, Yuna followed in the center, Su Xiao brought up the rear—the same formation as before.

In just over a dozen seconds, they reached the previous corner.

Ma Gui suddenly stopped, raising one hand behind him, palm facing Su Xiao and Yuna.

Su Xiao halted immediately, staring at the vast open ground beyond the corner.

On that open ground, a few eyeless ghouls still lingered—they hadn’t all been lured away.

“What now?”

Yuna lowered her voice to a whisper.

“Don’t make a sound. Move slowly through.”

Ma Gui walked forward steadily; Yuna followed behind him.

Su Xiao stood still, not moving. Ma Gui glanced at him, puzzled.

Su Xiao pointed behind himself, then at the two, then gestured forward.

The meaning was clear: if all three moved together, they’d make more noise, and the ghouls behind might return at any moment. Let the two go first—I’ll hold the rear.

Ma Gui nodded, giving a cautious gesture.

Yuna gave a thumbs-up and stayed put, waiting for Ma Gui to pass first.

Su Xiao didn’t do this out of self-sacrifice; the three were on the same rope—no liability behavior was acceptable.

Ma Gui’s steps were slow but steady. The open ground spanned roughly two hundred meters—not long, but far from short.

In less than three minutes, Ma Gui crossed the open ground without incident.

“Hō~.”

A low growl echoed; all three froze. One eyeless ghoul, lying asleep on the ground, had been awakened by a companion’s kagune.

The ghoul roughly shoved aside its kagune and went back to sleep.

Yuna had reached the center, with five eyeless ghouls near her feet; her movements were extremely cautious.

Su Xiao, holding the rear, pressed his ear to the ground, sensing vibrations.

Safe—the ghouls lured away by the sound source hadn’t returned yet.

Su Xiao began walking slowly, each step deliberate and careful.

ps: (Updated early—I deeply realize breaking chapters is wrong, but word count hit its limit. Next time this happens, Feiwén will directly post a combined double-chapter. So don’t forget to vote for me.)