Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 9: Esculent Alethia [Complete]

1079: Divine Retribution

In the misty moonlight, Bohemia and the Descartes Spirit crouched together on the muddy ground outside the farmhouse. Under its keen gaze, Bohemia reached out and pressed her hand on the belly of the unconscious dog.

Moments ago, the room had been dimly lit, and before the light from the game fish could illuminate the surroundings, the dog had been thrown out. Now, under the moonlight, it revealed its appearance, and it became clear. Its belly protruded unnaturally, as if a small hill had risen beneath its sternum.

Upon further inspection around its mouth, the fur near the dog's mouth was clean, with no traces of blood.

"Let's go," the Descartes Spirit observed for a while, seemingly very disappointed and made no comments. He urged, "Time is running out, and we need to check other places."

Bohemia nodded, turned, and entered the neighboring farmhouse. In this house, there was no deceased, only a chubby man snoring loudly in bed. He didn't seem concerned at all about becoming a victim tonight. His dog was also quite overweight, and it looked at Bohemia and the Descartes Spirit for a moment before lying back down.

"He's sleeping on a straw bed too," the Descartes Spirit was more casual this time, just using his mouth to instruct Bohemia, "Grab some of his straw and compare it with the straw the other deceased were sleeping on to see if there's anything unusual."

Although straw wasn't identical from one batch to another, they all looked ordinary and natural. Bohemia examined them under the bright light from the game fish but found nothing peculiar.

"Half of their bodies are completely shattered," she speculated while recalling and guessing, "So it shouldn't be the kind of creature that swallows a person whole in one gulp, like you, right? Could it be that it has numerous tiny mouths? Or perhaps it has a body covered in small holes that can release an impact..."

"Stop, I have trypophobia," the Descartes Spirit interrupted her, thought for a while, looking at the straw, and then proposed another theory, "The question says it's a certain 'species' of creature, right? Not a certain 'individual.' Maybe we aren't looking for just one creature but a large group of them... like bedbugs, for example. Aren't these tiny insects originally bloodsuckers?"

Bohemia's eyes lit up – for once, she realized that the Descartes Spirit had a very capable mind.

"It's really possible!" Bohemia praised, using her Higher Consciousness to give it a few firm pats to show her appreciation. "It's easier for you guys to understand each other."

"You're the one who's 'ascended,'" the Descartes Spirit grumbled, seeming a bit disgruntled. Although they had only exchanged a couple of sentences, the daylight quickly began to emerge, and the sun had almost risen in the blink of an eye.

"It's daytime," the voice outside the game prompt said unnecessarily, "please continue exploring clues during the day."

... Clues during the day too?

Bohemia quickly checked her leaf, and even though the perceived time was slower within the game prompt, they only had a precarious two or three minutes left to solve the puzzle.

She wasn't sure when these farmers and farmwives had left their homes, but as she put the leaf away and glanced up, she noticed several figures working in the fields in the distance. A few lean sheep ambled through the village from the other end, while the farmwives gathered on the path, talking closely together, all looking nervous.

Bohemia quickly grabbed the Descartes Spirit and strode over. She was dressed like a gypsy, but the farmwives only glanced at her briefly before turning their attention back to the older man in the center.