He suddenly looked at Ling Yun and said, word by word, "This monster is you!"
Chapter 315 Library
Everyone, including Ling Yun, was taken aback. Ling Yun was so shocked that he took a step back, never expecting Xiao He to suddenly turn against him. The atmosphere in the room froze instantly.
Xiao Rou was both angry and disgusted when she saw Xiao He making baseless accusations that her husband was a cannibalistic monster. She raised her eyebrows, took a step forward, and said loudly, "What nonsense are you talking about? My husband Xiao Liang has lived in this town for all these years. Everyone in the neighborhood knows my husband's character and conduct. If he were a monster, why hasn't he eaten people all these years? Why did he wait until now to do so? Do you have any sense of propriety?"
Her rebuke was quick and loud, hitting the nail on the head. The crowd, initially shocked and suspicious of Ling Yun, quickly understood after hearing Xiao Rou's accusations and nodded in agreement. Uncle Tang frowned and said, "Xiao He, do you have any evidence? Can you please stop talking nonsense? Xiao Liang and his wife have lived in this town for so many years; they're so familiar with each other. How could they not be? The atmosphere is already tense; if you keep spreading rumors, you'll damage the harmony between neighbors. That's not good."
"That's right, that's right..." Everyone immediately turned their anger towards Xiaohe, blaming him for talking nonsense.
Xiaohe was about to say something when Xiaorou interrupted him, making him blush. Hearing the accusations from the others, his face flushed and paled in turns. Finally, when the neighbors quieted down, he hurriedly and excitedly protested, "Xiaoliang, Meiyun, you two, don't be angry! I didn't say Xiaoliang is a monster… You, well, let me finish what I have to say before you accuse me of talking nonsense!"
Ling Yun had regained his composure. He glanced at his wife, who was still furious, and the others, then looked at Xiao He and said gently, "Xiao He, don't be anxious. We've known each other for so many years, of course I know you're not just talking nonsense. Please continue, don't let everyone misunderstand you."
Xiaohe finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Lingyun with gratitude, as if thanking him for his understanding. He stamped his foot and said, "Ahem, Xiaoliang understands me best. Actually, what I meant just now was not that Xiaoliang is a monster. I meant I wanted to give an analogy. Do you understand?" He spoke somewhat awkwardly, his face flushed red, and he looked at everyone's faces with a pitiful expression, as if he hoped that everyone could understand him.
Everyone just stared at him, bewildered, wondering what this astonishing guy was trying to say. Xiao Rou's chest heaved with anger, and she wanted to retort to him.
Ling Yun smiled slightly: "Xiao He, I understand what you mean. Actually, you just want to say that you are just making a hypothesis, a metaphor, right?" He walked to Xiao He's side and said to everyone: "Everyone, what Xiao He means is that the monster could be me, or it could be you, or it could be any one of us. Because we can't be sure who filled the void left by the dead, any one of us could be the monster's hidden identity."
Xiaohe nodded excitedly, repeatedly saying "Yes, yes, yes." He almost knelt down before Lingyun, saying that his parents gave him life, but Xiaoliang truly understood him. He had indeed meant that, but using Lingyun as the first metaphor was a bit too serious. Before he could even finish his second sentence, Xiaorou became unhappy. Because before he could explain, the crowd's criticism had already begun.
Everyone immediately understood Ling Yun and Xiao He's meaning, and a sense of realization washed over them. Only Xiao Rou's expression remained displeased; after a heavy snort, she turned her pretty face away. She adored Ling Yun; her husband's existence was even more important than herself. Let alone Xiao He merely using Ling Yun as a metaphor, even a casual joke would make Xiao Rou quite unhappy. For some reason, while Xiao Rou was gentle and virtuous at home, her temper would immediately turn volatile if anyone challenged Ling Yun's authority outside.
Xiaohe's excited emotions finally calmed down: "Fellow neighbors, what Xiaoliang said is exactly what I wanted to say. I just want to say that we are now in a very dangerous situation. There are already twenty-eight monsters disguised as one of us, and the number of monsters is increasing by one every day. So sooner or later, our place will become a town made up of monsters."
"So what should we do?" A loud voice suddenly came from behind the crowd. Everyone was pondering Xiaohe's words when they heard the voice and turned around. They saw a tall and burly middle-aged man in his forties slowly walking from the direction of the market. A large crowd of nearly a hundred people had gathered around him and on both sides of him. Everyone's face was filled with panic and shock. They had obviously heard what Xiaohe had said.
"Brother Liang!" Ling Yun, Xiao He, and several other neighbors were all taken aback and called out together. This middle-aged man was a long-time resident of the town and had an excellent relationship with most of the townspeople. Since there was no government residence in the town, Brother Liang was, in effect, the town's de facto and spiritual leader.
Brother Liang nodded, gestured to the neighbors, and then looked intently at Xiaohe: "Xiaohe, we heard everything you said just now. What you said makes a lot of sense. In your opinion, what should our town do next?"
“Brother Liang, I just have a personal opinion, which may be lacking in consideration.” Xiao He hesitated for a moment before speaking loudly as if he had made up his mind: “As long as Brother Liang and everyone else support me, I will speak out.”
Brother Liang looked around and, seeing the expectant looks on everyone's faces, nodded solemnly and said, "No problem, Xiaohe, you can say whatever you want. Our town is on the verge of destruction, and everyone's nerves are on the verge of collapse. If this continues, trouble will break out sooner or later. Whatever the solution, stabilizing everyone's mind is the most important thing. You can speak your mind if you have any ideas. No matter how bizarre they are, no one will blame you. Don't you all agree?"
Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, with fear and helplessness taking up most of their minds. They had no ideas of their own, and when they heard Brother Liang's call, they didn't have any ideas of their own and immediately shouted "Yes!"
Brother Liang nodded and said, "Xiaohe, you saw it? Everyone supports you. Tell us quickly if you have any ideas. We just came out of Aunt Wang's house. The old lady was crying her eyes out. She refused to come out to see her son. Sigh, that's understandable. So many people have died, and not a single family member dares to come out and identify them. The scene is too bloody. Xiaohe, tell us. Whatever the method, as long as it makes sense, we should adopt it." As he said this, his voice became heavy. Clearly, the strange events in the small town had a huge psychological impact on everyone.
Xiaohe said loudly, "Everyone just heard my analysis. In other words, although one person in the town is eaten by the monster every day, the total population of the town remains unchanged. Moreover, according to the statistics, the strangest thing is that we don't know who the extra people are. My guess is that the monster has bewitched everyone in our town, which is why we don't know who these extra dozens of people are. But one thing is certain: the extra people are definitely not human. Even if they are not the monster itself, they are the monster's accomplices!"
Everyone looked thoughtful, some even nodding frequently. Xiaohe seemed encouraged: "These past few days, I've been seriously thinking about a question. Monsters eat people, and we shouldn't be able to resist, but why do they only eat people at night? And why do they only eat one person a day? And no one has ever seen what a real monster looks like. People can only hear chilling sounds and heavy footsteps at night, and that's when they think it's a monster!"
"Such heavy footsteps, they even shook the houses! What kind of wild beast could make such a commotion? What else could it be but a monster?" a townsman exclaimed, immediately drawing a chorus of agreement from the crowd.
Xiaohe gently stretched out and pressed down with both hands, indicating that he understood everyone's understanding: "I know how you all feel. I didn't say that it wasn't a monster, but...!" He suddenly emphasized his tone, "After all, none of us here have ever seen a monster, have we? Therefore, no matter how loud or heavy the footsteps are, we can't be sure whether they are from a monster or a sound created by humans."
……………
After a moment of silence, Xiaohe smiled smugly: "I don't know if you've all thought about this, but if the monster is truly irresistible, then it can simply come out and eat people during the day, and do so without restraint. The town is only so big; even if we resist, we can't defeat the monster, and escaping is even more impossible! Since the monster is so powerful, why does it eat people at night? And why does it only eat one person a day?"
Brother Liang, who had been deep in thought, suddenly brightened up when he heard this: "You mean to say that monsters are not invincible, and that even if they eat people, monsters have many limitations!"
“Yes, Brother Liang understands it best,” Xiaohe praised. “My opinion is that, perhaps for some incomprehensible reason, the monster—let’s just call it a monster for now—can only eat people at night, and only one person per night. It can’t come out during the day; it might be like a ghost, hiding during the day and coming out at night, disguising itself as a human during the day and then waiting for an opportunity to harm people at night. The monster wants to create this atmosphere of fear and tension, just like the story of the wizard and the villagers we saw in the library. Every time the river flooded, the wizard would say that the river god was angry and demanded that the villagers sacrifice their lives, and then send people to throw all the villagers into the river to drown. The monster wants to use this atmosphere to drive everyone to despair, making everyone live in fear every day but helpless.”
Everyone nodded silently, including Brother Liang. Xiaohe's words deeply moved them. Before this, everyone had been burdened with anxiety, living in constant fear and dread. After all, the occurrence of monsters eating people had instilled extreme terror in everyone. Who would be as idle as Xiaohe, pondering the hidden issues behind the monsters' eating of people? But now, listening to Xiaohe speak publicly, everyone realized that the issues that had been hidden by fear before might not be so terrifying after all. Although they eat people, there are limitations. Judging from Xiaohe's words, there should be a way to restrain them.
"Just tell us already, Xiaohe, what methods are there to deal with the monster? We're all going to die sooner or later anyway, so any method is better than waiting to die." A townsman couldn't help but shout, which immediately stirred up the emotions of many people, and those around him echoed loudly.
"Everyone, calm down, calm down, let me speak patiently." Xiaohe quickly gestured, and Brother Liang also turned around to help calm everyone down. Seeing that everyone had calmed down again, Xiaohe calmly started speaking again. This time, he was composed and at ease. After speaking, not only were his stutters and nervousness gone, but he also had the air of a professional orator.
"Of course, my analysis is based on possibilities. Perhaps everything will be different from what we imagine, but there's no other way now, so we can only do what we imagine," Xiaohe said loudly, setting aside his own responsibility for the moment. "My guess is that the reason the monster disguises itself as a town resident during the day is probably because its abilities are weakest during the day, and it can't eat people as recklessly as it does at night. So it needs to find a way to hide. After all, the town is only so big, and there are people in every corner. The monster can't fly or go underground, so where can it hide? It can only hide by disguising itself as a human to deceive all of us."
"So during the day, the monsters must be at their weakest, unable to eat people or for reasons we can't explain, so they can only transform into humans and then reveal their hideous true forms at night!" Xiaohe said, squinting, his tone suddenly becoming resolute. "What we need is to find the people the monsters are disguised as from the ledgers and clues, and then kill them while the monsters are at their weakest, restoring the peace and tranquility of our town! That's my plan!"
The group exchanged glances for a moment, then simultaneously shouted in unison, "Great! That's a good idea!"
A satisfied smile finally appeared on Brother Liang's ruddy face. He stepped forward, patted Xiao He on the shoulder, and said, "Good, Xiao He, you young people are so thoughtful and decisive. This idea is really good. We should immediately set up such a monster patrol team, and you should be the team leader!"
Xiaohe became excited again, his small eyes shining with excitement. He said modestly, "How can I do it? Brother Liang, you have high prestige. You should take the lead as the group leader. Only under your leadership can our town have hope..."
He was talking non-stop, and Ling Yun had been listening quietly the whole time. Suddenly, he pushed through the crowd and walked away. Xiao Rou, who had also been listening attentively, was pondering something when she suddenly realized that Ling Yun had already walked out of the crowd. She quickly chased after him and asked, "Husband, where are you going?"
Ling Yun took her hand: "Wife, come on, let's go to the library to read the stories of wizards and villagers. I haven't been to the library in a long time, I need to refresh my memory."
Chapter 316 The Dark Side of Humanity
The town's library was also a single-story building, located in the center of the market. Originally an abandoned building, it had somehow become a library due to long-term neglect. As Brother Liang put it, it was to enrich the cultural life of the people. Despite being called a library, the building simply contained a few rudimentary bookshelves filled with tattered books and newspapers collected spontaneously by the townspeople, along with a few magazines—all old and worn, their origins unknown. Only elderly children or seniors with nothing better to do would occasionally idly come in and browse through the dozens of nearly broken books.
Ling Yun stood in front of several bookshelves, carefully flipping through each book. He looked at them very carefully, but also very quickly, finishing a book after only a few pages, then putting it down, picking up another book to read, and then putting it down again.
Xiao Rou was also walking back and forth in the library. She didn't like reading. The town's library had been established for several years, but Xiao Rou had almost never been there. If it weren't for her husband's insistence on coming here to read, she probably would never have wanted to go to the library in her life. In Xiao Rou's eyes, being able to stay at home busy, cook for her husband, do laundry, and tidy up the house was the happiest life.
Her mind was still reeling from Xiaohe's words. She glanced at her husband, who was engrossed in his book, and couldn't bear to interrupt him. But she couldn't contain her excitement and blurted out, "Honey, did you hear what Xiaohe said? Do you think it's true? Are there really monsters that have turned into townspeople and come out to eat people at night? Shouldn't we join that monster patrol team and find the monsters? Maybe that would bring us a lot more peace."
Ling Yun remained engrossed in his book, not even glancing up. "Do you think monsters are so easy to find? Since Xiao He has already tallied the number and names of the townspeople but still can't find any clues, it means we ourselves have been misled by the monster using special methods. How can we find the truth if we're searching for answers while confused? I'm afraid they're just deceiving themselves." With that, he sighed deeply and slammed the book shut.
Xiao Rou had just felt a glimmer of hope, but upon hearing Ling Yun's words, her heart sank. "Husband, do you mean Xiao He and the others can't succeed?"
"I can't say for sure." Ling Yun picked up another book and looked at it. "Things haven't started yet, and no one knows how they'll turn out. But seeing how down everyone's spirits are, it's good to have someone do something for us. After all, it's a glimmer of hope."
He suddenly turned to look at Xiaorou, his face filled with deep worry: "Wife, I'm just worried that before we find the monster, our own lives are going to be disrupted. Perhaps the natural disasters haven't passed yet, and man-made disasters have already begun to emerge. Alas, this is unavoidable. Xiaohe is just a character who should appear as things develop. Even without him, there would be others. Our hope of survival is even more remote."
Xiao Rou walked gently to him and looked at him tenderly: "No matter what, husband, whether we live or die, I will love you and always be with you."
Ling Yun put down his book and hugged his wife tightly: "Silly girl, how could you die with your husband here?" He released Xiao Rou and said with a smile: "Don't be discouraged, wife. After I finish reading this book, we'll go home."